Who's Slave Are You? — Paul Washer

Let's go the Lord in prayer father. Come before you in the name of your son. And I ask father for your grace and for your mercy. That you would speak to us this day. That you would help us. That you would strengthen us.

That you would get more glory out of us. That we would learn to walk as your servants and to be at peace in your sovereignty. That your real and true spiritual prosperity would be something in our lives.

That we would be healed in the midst of affliction in a fallen world. That we would shine as lights. That we would be What we are new creatures in Christ Jesus. Father help us if there is someone here today who does not know you.

Paul’s Bondservant Identity in Romans

That they might know you today as Savior and Lord. In Jesus name Amen, I Want us to open up our Bibles to Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1. I have known for about a week that I was to preach here and The Lord had laid something upon my heart and then early in the week. I was carried away back to Illinois.

My mother Is there in the hospital suffering with cancer. It's about to take her life and But in a sense that can be a good thing she's been a Christian for over 65 years and she Belongs to him and she's going where I would choose to go if my work here were finished.

I Want us to go to Romans chapter 1 verse 1. Paul a bondservant of Christ Jesus called as an apostle set apart for the gospel of God in This one verse is found volumes. Men could write for ages on these few words that we find here.

And I believe that the Lord has laid these words on my heart not only for you, but for me. For in these words are found almost everything we need to know about who we are and what we are supposed To be doing.

In these words are found great freedom and strength and joy soundness in the Christian faith. If we would only take these few words to heart, you know, sometimes We seek to grasp so many things in Scripture.

We seek to know so many things and yet the little most important things Escape us and cause us ruin. I know of one man who sat out in his life To be consumed by one passage. He decided that he would take one passage of Scripture.

Although he would not neglect the study of other Scripture. He would take one passage and seek to know it all his life and he chose Psalms 23. And you say well, how long can you stay in one chapter? Well, the Lord is my shepherd.

You begin with the Not a Lord. But the Lord. There are volumes in that one three-letter word because it defines his relationship over all creation. But especially over me and so we seek to know so many things and it is important to know many things.

Sometimes it's good to return to some of the things that are most basic now. Paul presents himself here. Paul the Apostle used as much as any man has ever been used in the history of the world and Yet, let's look at the way he describes himself.

He says Paul a bond servant. He says you want to know who I am. I am a bond servant. It's from the Greek word doulos. It means slave. I am a slave. Now let's just stop here for a moment. If someone were to ask you and a play on words to choose one word.

To identify yourself. Would this be the first word the prominent word that popped into your mind? A slave. Would it. Do I need to go any farther? Do I need to ask you any more questions? Do I need to say another word if?

You were to only grasp if I were to only grasp What I just asked. We would find so much healing and so much growth and so much power in the Christian life. You see the thing that first pops into your mind is the probably the one thing you think most about yourself and that controls you.

Well, I'm this or I'm that I have this title or that title and None of those things ultimately bring joy. None of those things ultimately brought bring pleasure. They may bring prestige the respect of men and so many other things, but they'll bring nothing from God.

Remember those things which are highly esteemed by men are often despised by God. My question to you if someone were to say who are you? The first word that popped into your mind and out your mouth. Would it be I?

Am a Slave and I've written a few definitions down about a slave. First of all, it's one who completely belongs to his owner and Whose entire life is shaped by the will of his master. Now, let's stop again.

I know this is simple. It may seem trite. There'll be no reward for this. But just think about these simple words. Would you describe yourself as someone who completely totally belonged to someone else and Whose life was completely and totally shaped by the will of a master.

Now you understand. You could spend years here, couldn't you? Absolutely years here. Who are you Paul Washer? Well, I'm a preacher. I'm a director. I'm this. I'm that all of its worthless titles of men.

The first thing that ought to pop into my mind I am a slave. Wholly and completely I belong to another not myself. I Have been bought with a price and my entire life is Shaped by the will of the one who bought me now.

Humanity’s Inevitable Slavery and the Call to Choose a Master

I want you to know That the Bible teaches us that you well, let me put it this way. I Hate to quote him, but I will Bob Dylan In his Christian years. So-called Christian years. He wrote a song and the song said this you've got to serve somebody.

You see it's not a question of are you going to be a slave? It is only a question of whose slave are you? You are a slave to something as a matter of fact. Our culture needs to understand that those today in our culture who claim to be most free Most autonomous are actually those who are in the greatest amount of slavery.

You are a slave. You are. The only question is to what first of all in the Bible You don't have to turn here. I've written these verses out in Romans 6 16. It says do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience?

You are slaves of the one whom you obey either of sin resulting in death or of obedience resulting in righteousness. Do you realize that you can be a slave to sin? Now this needs to take two applications here this morning first of all all of us as Christians Will struggle with certain things.

We all have holes in our armor. We all have battles that we must deal with that are personal personal. What may not be a struggle for you may be a great struggle for me. So we all struggle with sin. But I want you to know that in Christ Jesus there is an overcoming of that sin.

And there is a great difference between a believer who struggles with sin and grows progresses in victory over that sin. There's a great difference between that person and a church member who is constantly in bondage and slavery to sin.

I Struggle with sin more than most of you would probably even believe. We all do. But in that struggle there is a trust in Christ and there is a growing Victory for he says in Ezekiel. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and all your idols.

There is a struggle but there is at the same time victory going more and more towards that goal. Which is conformity to Jesus Christ. But if you're here this morning and your life is marked by a constant slavery to sin.

Then maybe you should talk to someone here because the Christian life is not marked by bondage. To sin and there are many people who are enslaved to sin. Even though they sit in church every Sunday if that is you realize that we want to speak with you.

We want to talk to you. Compassionately and with mercy and with truth. Don't remain as you are in bondage to sin. And you say Immediately when I say something like that people are thinking yes. Bondage to pornography bondage to immorality.

Yes those things but there are other things that can be indications that you do not know him. Bondage to anger bondage to hatred bondage to bitterness and unforgiveness. Are you in bondage to those things.

You say you are a slave. The only question is to whom or to what. Go on you can also be a slave to the glory of men. The Bible says in Matthew 6 5 when you pray you are not to be like the hypocrites for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on The street corners so that they may be seen by men truly.

I say to you they have their reward in full. One of the most terrifying passages in all the scriptures that God will give you the desires of your heart you say what's terrifying about that. Think about it for a moment.

These Pharisees the only thing they desired was the glory the respect of other men. They desired to have a reputation among other men. That was the desire of their heart and God gave them their desire not just meagerly.

But he gave them their desire in full and then they went to hell. Now you say yes. We shouldn't be like those Pharisees. But think about it let's pull this for a moment out of the religious context just for a moment.

You say religiously I don't desire the glory of men, but do you desire the glory of men and other things? Do you desire their applause. Their agreement the nod of their head. Do you desire to fit in and be?

Acceptable to this present age. You are so shaped by your desire. To have the glory of men that you can't even see it the clothing you wear. Someone else tells you what's in fashion, and you do what they tell you.

What kind of car you drive the home you own everything about you is shaped much more than you could ever imagine. By the desire to be respected of men. For them to honor you you see one of the things that we've got to realize is these things have a lot more Control on us than what we're actually willing to admit or may even see.

One of the greatest declarations of this is in a very simple thing called as I've said already fashion. Especially for you young people. Do you realize how much you are shaped by what everyone else is going to think about you?

But very rarely are you shaped? By the commandments of Scripture that says be this way and don't be that way. So you see we have to be very careful we read these things and we think well that has nothing to do with me.

No, it has absolutely everything to do with you and with me. We are shaped by our desire for the glory of men. One of the reasons that we are so afraid at times to soul win or to to witness to people.

It's not because they're going to bash us in the head with a stick. It's because we don't want them to think that we're some kind of strange person. You see we're shaped By our desire to have the glory of men and you can be a slave to that.

How many people are a slave to a banker simply because they desire to keep up with the Joneses? Do you see? Simply because they desire to live in a certain circle. We can be slaves to so many things. And that slavery always tears our life apart.

Slavery to the World and to Wealth

Now you can also be a slave to the things of this world in 1st John 2 15 17. Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is Not from the father, but it's from the world.

The world is passing away and also its lust. But the one who does the will of God lives forever. Are you enslaved to the things of this world what consumes your thoughts? You know you wouldn't you wouldn't have to be around me very long to know that I have a real fondness for archery and Sometimes I'm looking through things and I'm looking at bows and I'm looking at arrows and strings and all sorts of things like that.

I'll never forget one time. I had just come back from England. I had been preaching in London and I just came back and I had bought this English longbow and I had decided I would be the first man in America to take a deer with an English longbow and I was sitting in this cane break one morning and the light was was shining just Beautifully.

The Sun was coming up and I was in a cane break and I was waiting There and the dew had fallen upon me and upon that beautiful bow and it was glistening in the sunlight and I was looking at it and it's as though a voice spoke to me and said behold Paul washers God.

Isn't it amazing how you and I have the ability to take the most trivial thing and turn it into a God? You say well brother Paul. It wasn't really your God. Let me just share something with you the thing that most consumes your thoughts is your God now.

Archery in itself can be a very good thing most things almost all things in this world when used properly according to the will of God. They are tremendous blessings, but you and I have to realize we can be enslaved To things of this world that so control us that we cannot serve Christ and we're going to learn here in this study.

That it is impossible to serve two masters. Are you enslaved? Well, I just have to ask you one question. What do you think about most? What do you think about most? You've pretty much put your finger on your God By what you think about most and I want you to realize this especially for the young men here.

We're going into the ministry your ministry can become your God. Everything has the possibility in our flesh To be elevated to the status of idol. The things of this world and you know the things of this world we are warned about they're passing away.

You're serving a God that's dying. You're serving a God that is dying. When it says in first John that this world is B is passing away the Greek tense there. It can also mean that This world is being pushed out that there's a greater force coming.

It is the kingdom of Christ and it's pushing out this world. So don't live for the things. Don't be enslaved to the things. That moths can eat and rust can corrupt and thieves can carry away. Now the Bible says also That you can be enslaved to wealth.

In Second Timothy 3 2 it says men are called lovers of money lovers of money. Matthew 6 24 no one can serve two masters for either. He will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and wealth. He said yes, brother Paul. You need to really be talking to the rich. Let me tell you something. I have seen rich enslaved to wealth and I have seen poor enslaved to wealth.

Matter of fact, I have seen the poor think more about wealth than the rich you already have it. I'm not trying to protect the rich but neither am I going to defend the poor? We have to be so careful. You said what has nothing to do with me?

I'm not rich. If you're seated here today, you're wealthier than 95 of the people in the world and we can be consumed by money. We can be consumed By money. Why. Because money has the power to give you what you want.

To give you things to give you all sorts of stuff to give you. Reputation. You can be a slave to it. Whether you have a great deal of it or none of it at all. You can be a slave to money. You know, I said earlier that money gives you things.

My god gives me things. Your god can give you things. You don't have to be a slave to the same things the world is enslaved to. Your god will take care of you. Your god will watch out over you. Your god Tells you to be his little children.

Your god tells the poor man to rejoice to glory in his humility to rejoice. That he has been chosen for the kingdom if he is in Christ. The wealthy they should also Rejoice and glory in their humility knowing this that money is not it.

Christ is it and everything else is perishing. You have got to realize this and you've got to be careful not to be enslaved to it. Most of you parents you think well, my child is going to get out of high school going to make good grades.

Okay, why so they can go to college? Why so they can get a good job? Why so they can make a lot of money. Why? More than college. More than athletics. More than scholarships. And all these other things that are passing away.

We should be thinking. Oh that my child be godly. That my child give it all for the sake of Christ. That my child live for him. That my child not be enslaved to the very things that so enslaved me. Do you realize.

Now listen to this there's a balance in everything there is. But do you realize just take an agenda write down a list of how much time is? Invested. That you invest with your children in Extracurricular activities.

And how much time you invest in your children with regard to godliness. We buy things. We fill them full of media. We put them into the world. We carry them every place on the face of the earth all throughout the week.

Our lives are so busy and scattered. We can't even sit down and have a meal. And what are we doing? We're making our children Enslaved to the very master that enslaves us and ruins our lives. Instead of teaching our children only one thing is needed devotion to Christ.

Slavery to Christ. Servanthood to Christ. Goes on you can be a slave to fleshly pleasures. It says in Romans 16 18 for such men are slaves not of our Lord Christ, but of their own appetites. 2nd Timothy 3 4 men are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Does that not define our age? It's all about Pleasure, but the pleasure is never lasting. It's never Enduring. No sooner is it in our mouth and we're swallowing it down that it turns to rot. The only true pleasures are the pleasures of God.

You see my dear friend. I'm not trying scripture is not trying to take things away from you. It's trying to give you life. To realize all the things that the world so runs for has nothing to do with you now.

Because you're a new creature and you're in Christ and the kingdom has been given to you little children. It says in James 4 1 and 2 what is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is it not the source of your pleasures that?

Wage war in your members. You lust and do not have so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. He's saying what is the thing that such causes conflict among you?

It's your desire for self gratification. You see the one thing about a servant is a servant lives to gratify. Yes. But not to gratify self to gratify his master his master. That is why Jesus is constantly telling us the one who seeks to preserve his life will lose it.

The one who gives his life away for my sake will find it the happiest most content most fulfilled person on the face of the earth is the Person who is an absolute slave to an absolutely perfect master and you can be a slave to self.

Which is probably the most horrible taskmaster on the face of the earth. It says in 2nd Timothy 3 2 men are called lovers of self. This has introduced itself into Christianity. I mean we have opened the door wide in the Church of America.

This is the me generation. Think someone had a kind of a spoof a video on on television on the internet recently called the me church. All about me. I go there because of me. It's all about me. Me is a monster.

You can't feed. You can never give him enough. Because the more you give him the bigger he gets and the more he wants and it is a cycle of Constantly serving self. Don't you know that I'm screaming at you right now just even about your marriage.

The greatest problem in your marriage is self. Self gratification. What do I get out of this? What's in it for me? Problem in our relationships. It's all about self. We're so preoccupied our minds are just almost frazzled to their limit in our Consumption of self one of the greatest ways to bring healing to a mind is to get a person to stop thinking About themselves and to set their mind upon someone else to gratify them.

Becoming a Slave of Christ Jesus

Now it is not a question of whether or not you're a servant or slave. You are one but Paul specifically calls himself a slave of Christ Jesus. Now we have a genitive of description and a genitive of Possession in the Greek language and I think that both of these can kind of go in there.

When Paul says that he is a slave of Christ Jesus, he's describing what kind of slave he is. What kind of slave are you? Now Don't answer that immediately. Ask yourself if Someone was observing my life over a period of time.

Observing the way I speak the way I talk the way I walk everything about me and they had to fill in the blank of Describing your life after looking at you. Sufficiently would they write down Slave of Christ Jesus.

Would they describe you that way? Now I want you to know something. I haven't attained to this. But this is what we ought to be shooting for. This should be our glory not titles. Not the accolades of men.

Not the things that men glory in our one great goal is that first of all in my own personal life. My one great goal is that my wife could look at me and literally fill in the blank and put slave of Christ Jesus.

Years ago my wife back when we were younger and more hippie ish. Some of you know what I'm talking about. She bought me a stone and Had carved in it. She was this rough leather thing to put it around my neck.

But it was a stone and carved in it was doulas to fail in Greek slave of God. I've never been able to live up to that stone. Don't you know? Slavery is despicable to men but to be a slave of God is The highest title that could ever be given to a man.

That's what you should shoot for and that's what your sons and daughters Should see when they look at you and they look at me. They should think servant of the Most High God. What's your daddy? He's a servant of the Most High God.

Now he I want you to understand something. I was thinking about this the other day and I realized that so many times and it's true in Christianity and in our music will say that that I was enslaved and now I am free and that is true but there's a sense in which We need to reword it possibly you see when you become a Christian you don't go from slavery to freedom.

When you become a Christian you go from slavery to slavery. You change masters. But the only thing about it is he is a good master. He is a kind Master you say brother Paul. I haven't seen much of his kindness.

I haven't seen much of his mercy. I haven't seen much of his provision. Well, why should he provide for you? You're doing it all yourself. You see something and you want it. You'll go to debt for it you'll do anything you sell your soul to get it and maybe it's a good thing that your master Wants to give to you and if you were to wait upon him in prayer, maybe a year or two He would grant it to you for nothing.

Now another thing Paul says that he is a slave of Christ Jesus. Now, I think this is important. He puts Christ in front of Jesus. Indicating that he is not putting himself into slavery for just a man.

But he's putting himself into slavery for the Christ. For deity for the Messiah for the one who lived and died and rose again and his Lord of Lords King of Kings. Carries every title that can be carried.

You see it is totally irrational to give your life into slavery for a man. But there is nothing irrational about giving yourself into slavery for God for deity. For Christ for the one who sealed his commitment to you by his own blood as a matter of fact.

The most ridiculous thing you could ever do is sell yourself for some of the things for which you've sold yourself. The most ridiculous thing is to spend your life for things. To spend your life for the accolades of men many of whom will be condemned on Judgment Day.

To live for a world that's not only passing away, but being pushed out now that is insanity. But enslaving yourself to Christ God in the flesh. Well, it's the only sane thing a man can do. Goes on and I want to give you an example from James and I just love this example.

James 1 1 it says James a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this is this is James the half-brother of our Lord. Now just notice here for a moment. He doesn't say James the half-brother of Jesus.

He doesn't say James the one who has risen to great prominence. Among the church and the brethren in Jerusalem. He says James a slave of Christ Jesus. Now this is the power of conversion because this man.

Before the death and resurrection of Christ, he mocked his brother. He did not believe his brother. But when he came to know Christ not as Paul says in the flesh. The Christ as he really is. When he came to know him his relationship with him totally and completely changed slave of Christ Jesus.

There's two guys bearing claiming two titles in Scripture that I so greatly appreciate. One of them is James and the other is John the one whom Jesus loved. Notice, he doesn't say the one who loved Jesus.

I Know it's biblical to sing songs about oh how I love Jesus. But I find it very difficult to do so because I don't find a whole lot worth singing about in my love towards Jesus but I find a whole lot to sing about when we talk about the love of Christ toward me and men.

The Servant’s Submission to Christ’s Will

So let's go on. To be a servant of Jesus Christ as the following implications. It means that we give ourselves up to the will of Christ now. We give ourselves up to the will of Christ. Now that's really easy to do as long as you stay as far away from the will of God as you can get.

You say I give myself up to the will of Christ. Well, what's that will? As long as you don't know you're pretty much still free. The only way you can make a claim to slavery as if you're going to get serious.

About knowing the will of your master and that comes through renewing the mind it comes through prayer. It comes through biblical fellowship. It comes through sitting under preaching. It is this desire to know his will.

It is a terrifying thing. It is a terrifying thing to be sent to do a task and not know anything about it. Knowing that you'll be held accountable for that task, even though you have no direction whatsoever.

It's terrifying. It's like when your dad tells you go out into the shed and get that tool and You can't find it and then you hear if I have to come in there. You see so many people will emotionally say oh, yes.

I'm a servant of Jesus Christ. But if you were to ask them, okay, what has your master commanded you with regard to marriage? What is your master commanded you with regard to child rearing? What is your master commanded you with regard to being a son or a daughter?

Then it the whole thing changes. You see now I want to read a text for you. It's very very important and it's this. Jesus Christ was our example of what it means to be a servant and he said in Mark 10 45 that he did not come to be served.

But to serve now. Brothers listen to me now listen to me. You'll notice I speak a lot about marriage and family because it's about the most important. It is the most important thing I want to tell you something your chief problem in your marriage Is even though you would not say it.

You've entered into this thing to be served. Wives I can tell you the same thing all of us in every one of our relationships have to be so afraid of this. Many people will go on staff at a church in order to be served.

Many people enter into a friendship in order to be served. Many people because they do not understand the full crux of marriage will enter into marriage in order to be served. But I want you to know. That you will find great freedom when you begin to turn this thing around and say I'm here to serve.

Whether I get served or not. It's a problem. We have in almost everything now I Want to look so I know time is fleeing away, but I at least want to get into the second part. There's three parts I'll do this first one and then the second one.

Calling According to the Will and Commandment of God

Paul and a bond servant of Christ Jesus called as an apostle now literally what this says in the Greek is a called apostle a Called Apostle and I think it is very important to understand that let me give you another verse in first Corinthians 1 1 he says Paul Called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and in first Timothy 1 1 Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus.

According to the commandment of God. What am I saying? Paul was a called apostle. It means he was what he was by the will and commandment of God. You must and I want to speak most of my brothers here.

Now you must be able to say or you have no foundation whatsoever in your life. Brothers, you must be able to say I am what I am. By the will and commandment of God. It is not what I have chosen for myself.

The ministry I have chosen or the profession I have chosen or the work I have chosen or the place I have chosen. Or the circumstances I have chosen. No, it is all about. I am what I am by the commandment and will of God.

Now, there are two ways to look at this one is an overarching sovereignty. It gives us great peace. It gives me great peace to know this regardless of all the times that I've missed hearing his voice.

Regardless of all my failures and all my sin. I'm smack dab in the will of God right now because God's sovereignty is able to override my mistakes and dullness of ear. So I am what I am by the will of God.

By the commandment. Do you see that authority there? It's not I chose to be this or I choose to be that and do not think this should be relegated only to the ministry. You must be a doctor. By the commandment and will of God you must be a Contractor.

You must be a salesman. You must be this and that and everything else because you know, it is God's will for your life. If you don't you have no foundation now. I Want to point out a couple of things here.

It is so hard. I'm using notes for like the first time in my life. First of all, why is it so important? I'll tell you why it's important. A vague knowledge of your calling will lead to a very vague obedience.

A Vague knowledge of your calling will lead to a very vague obedience when I start talking about slavery and Discovering the will of God and living according to the will of God as a slave. I know what's going on in your head.

You said you know, I'm sick and tired of preachers telling me what to do. I wish one of them would tell me how to do it. How do I get started? I mean, it's so big the will of God is so gigantic. So, how do I start doing it?

Well, I'm going to tell you. First of all, you must get specific about God's place In your life and your place in God's Economy you find out where he has brought you The very place you are at and then you enter into scripture and begin to discern his will and I'm going to give you an example Of this first of all verse 7 here in Romans 1 says he's called you to be a saint.

A saint that's what it says. So the will of God discerning the will of God will begin in this place. God has called you to be a saint. What does that mean? He's called you to be a separate one one separated unto him.

That's the first thing you need to know. God has called you to be a saint. Which means he's called you to be separate and so you go into scripture and you begin to discern what that means. God has called you not to participate in many of the things in which the world participates.

He has called you in scripture to find out everything He hates and avoid it and then to discover everything he loves and run to it. He has called you to be conformed to the image of his son. And if you're to devote yourself to anything you are to devote yourself to godliness because if you were truly a saint if you were truly godly you'd have a lot less problems in your marriage and Your relationships and church and family and everywhere else.

So primarily God has called you to be a saint and you need to get in scripture getting that concordance of yours. Look up Saint. Look up holiness. Look up what God loves. Look up what God hates and start living accordingly.