Slave to Sin or Slave to Righteousness

Luke is a story-teller, a narrator, a writer of historical biography. Paul, in his letters, provides
guidance and encouragement through mostly through direct teaching—exposing false teachings
and explaining right understanding. Luke, in his gospel and in Acts, provides guidance and
encouragement mostly through telling the story.

In the Book of Acts, Luke tells the stories of the leaders: Peter and Stephen and Philip and Paul...
He tells the stories of ordinary believers: Aeneas and Tabitha and Lydia and Cornelius...

Luke tells the stories of missionary endeavors that were well-received: In Berea, “they received
the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said
was true” and many believed, both Jews and Greeks. He tells the stories of missionary endeavors
that met with more than a little resistance: In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas had to flee to escape
being stoned.

Luke tells the stories of those who are models of faithful discipleship: Priscilla and Aquila (who
traveled far and wide with the good news), Jason (who welcomed Paul and Silas into his home
and ended up in prison because of it). He tells the stories of those who were not such great
models: Ananias and Sapphira (who lied to God to maintain an appearance of piety), and Simon
(who tried to purchase the Holy Spirit to increase his own powerbase).

2 Timothy 3:16 says that “all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness,” even the stories of those who were not such great
models.

Ok…so how is this passage about Simon the Sorcerer useful?

Well, for one thing, if you’re thinking about trying to purchase the power to dispense the Holy
Spirit as you wish, don’t.

Simon liked being the center of attention. When he was a sorcerer, people oohed and ahhed at his
magic. You can be sure that whatever power he had, it did not come from God, but the folks in
Samaria sure thought there was something divine about it. Simon had the reputation for having a
direct link to some sort of divine power station. He was the local franchise-holder of GP…Great
Power.

The Bible is not neutral about sorcery. It is not of God, period. When Moses was giving the
Israelites instructions before they entered the Promised Land, he taught them to stay away from
sorcery, lumping it in with child sacrifice and other activities involving manipulation of
supernatural forces. Deuteronomy 18:9 and following says: “When you enter the land the Lord
your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no
one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination
or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or
spiritist or who consults the dead.”

Simon was a Samaritan. Most likely he had ancestors among the multitude that entered the
Promised Land under the leadership of
Moses and Joshua. Most likely he knew that the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob prohibited
sorcery. Still, Simon was attracted to the power he could wield through sorcery. He liked being
able to draw a crowd of appreciative onlookers who turned on his every move.

When Philip came to Samaria, he too demonstrated power. Philip wasn’t doing magic tricks,
though. The Holy Spirit was with him. As he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and
the name of Jesus Christ, as he cast out demons and healed the sick, the powerful love of God
was made manifest for the people. Philip drew even more attention from the crowds than Simon
did. Many believed, both men and women, and were baptized.

The text says that Simon himself believed and was baptized.

Then he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

Two observations here:

First, the fact that Simon was a sorcerer did not exclude him from candidacy for baptism. Jesus
came, after all, to save sinners. Simon, like everyone else who heard Philip’s message, was
invited to turn away from his old ways and turn to Jesus. When he professed faith in Jesus,
Simon was welcomed. He was baptized with all the other sinners who turned to Jesus.

Second, already there is a hint that Simon turned to Jesus for the very same reason he had turned
to sorcery earlier. Simon was attracted to the power that he saw manifested in Philip’s ministry.
He was fascinated by the signs and miracles. No doubt he was also quite aware of the attention
that came Philip’s way. When Simon turned to Jesus, he did not repudiate the power to which he
had given his allegiance in the past, he merely acceded that a greater power was now present.
Simon wanted from Jesus the same thing he wanted from sorcery—the power to amaze and
manipulate the crowds.

Hearing about Philip’s evangelistic ministry in Samaria, Peter and John traveled up from
Jerusalem. They came to see for themselves how even Samaritans were flocking to Jesus. They
came to inspect Philip’s missionary endeavor and provide oversight. They came to encourage
and teach the new believers.

When they arrived in Samaria, Peter and John prayed for the new believers, because the Holy
Spirit had not yet come upon them.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered
them money and said, ‘Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may
receive the Holy Spirit.’ Simon was accustomed to a world where he could get anything he
wanted if he just had enough money, and he wanted a piece of this new franchise HS…Holy
Spirit.
Peter did not hesitate. Immediately he rebuked Simon. “May your money perish with you,
because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!”

Simon thought wrong.

One…Simon had a wrong understanding of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is not a force, like electricity, that can be conducted from one body to another
through the laying on of hands. Nor is the Holy Spirit a commodity to be purchased or acquired in trade.

The Holy Spirit is a person. Those who are in Christ are, by the grace of God, gifted with an intimate
relationship with this person of the Trinity. As the Spirit chooses, the laying on of hands by those in
spiritual authority may be a visible sign of the gift of the Holy Spirit. The laying on of hands is not a
mechanical or magical manipulation of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit blows where he will. When he dwells in
a believer’s heart, he dwells there as friend, teacher, and master, not as slave or as tool.

Two…Simon also had a wrong understanding of money. In the world, money is a boon to those who
have it and a worry to those who do not. In the world, money buys power…power to acquire what one
wants, power to direct other people, power to advance one’s own agenda. In the world, those who have
more money are in position to look down on those who have less.

In the church, money has a whole different purpose. In the church, money is not to be used to further
one’s own position. In the church, money is to be used to meet needs…everybody’s needs. In the
church, those who have money are privileged to use it to lift up those who do not, so that all might have
enough and no one need bow before another (but all bow together before God).

Simon thought wrong.

But that was not the only problem. In fact, from Peter’s response to Simon it is clear that this was not
even the most important problem. Simon’s ignorance could be remedied quickly enough by some good
teaching by a Christian more mature than he.

The deeper problem was that Simon had a problem of the heart. Simon was full of bitterness and
captive to sin. His heart was not right before God. He had a corrupt attitude.

Simon used to amaze the crowds with his magic. Now he wanted to amaze them with his command of
the Holy Spirit. He wanted what he saw as the power that comes with faith. He was not pursuing the
relationship that is the heart of faith. He was motivated by self-interest, not by love. He was seeking to
display the evidence of the Spirit, without being obedient to the Spirit.

In short, Simon’s heart was still oriented towards sin. Simon was seeking power over others, not
transformation of his own heart. To use Paul’s words, Simon was still offering himself “in slavery to
impurity and ever-increasing wickedness.”
Peter discerned the underlying problem right away. “Your heart is not right before God, Simon, and I see
that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

Simon wanted to incorporate Jesus into his old way of being and thinking. But it doesn’t work that way,
ever. Turning to Jesus means turning away from old, corrupt ways. Our birthright in this fallen world is
slavery to sin. Through Jesus Christ we are set free so that we might be slaves to righteousness.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul explains the problem. Inthe Book of Acts, Peter goes straight to the
solution.

“Simon, repent and pray for forgiveness.”

Repent. Change your mind. Turn.

Turn from slavery to sin to slavery to righteousness. Turn from corrupt, self-centered ways to the way of
grace and love. Turn from the desire to be the center of attention to the desire to see other people as
better than yourself. Turn from the habit of using money to advance your own position to the
stewardship of using money to provide for those in need. Turn from a focus on power to a focus on
relationship.

One more observation:

Peter told Simon something else too: “You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is
not right before God.”

Leadership in the kingdom of God appropriately goes, not to the sinless—for there are none, but to
those who are humble of heart and seek to serve. The Holy Spirit most often chooses to work through
those who overflow with love, not those who long for attention.

Sometimes bad examples can be good teachers.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Set Your Love Upon Jesus

Jul 13, 2015

Jesus was in a house in Bethany when a woman came to Him with an alabaster flask containing
very costly fragrant oil. She poured the oil on His head. (Matthew 26:6–7) This woman loved the
Lord. She had set her love upon Him.

But those who were present considered what she did a great waste because the oil could have
been sold for an amount equal to one year’s wages, and the money given to the poor instead.
Even Jesus’ disciples were indignant and asked her, “Why this waste?” (Matthew 26:8)
But Jesus defended her, saying, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work
for Me.” (Matthew 26:10) Not only that, He accorded her the highest honor when He added,
“Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman
has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” (Matthew 26:13)

Two thousand years have passed since this woman anointed Jesus with the expensive oil. She
never expected in her wildest dreams that her act of love would be told down through the ages.
Many kings and rulers have come and gone. Their great acts have faded from the memories of
men. But what this woman did for Jesus is still told today around the world as a memorial to her!

When you get a revelation of how much Jesus loves you, you will set your love upon Him. And
when you act out of love for Him, though others may see it as a waste of time, energy or money,
He will defend you and deliver you from your critics. He will also set you on high. Your ministry
will become powerful and life-changing. Your work will be highly esteemed among your peers.
Your company will be prominent and highly successful. And it will not just be a job that you
have, but a position of influence to impact many lives.

So set your love upon Jesus. Make Him the love of your life today, and He will defend, deliver
and set you on high!

Thought For The Day

When you set your love upon Jesus and act out of love for Him, He will defend, deliver and set
you on high.

Romans 6:15-23

SLAVES? YES! BUT TO WHICH MASTER?

Intro: Slavery is a concept that is very much out of place in our modern world. The idea that one
human can have the power to force another human to serve him is offensive to our modern
minds. The majority of us would recoil at the very thought of owning a slave, or especially, at
the thought of being a slave. But, did you know that slavery is alive and well this evening? In
fact, there are slaves here in Nebo! I'll go a step further, there are slaves in this very room this
evening! Surprised? Well, it may surprise you to learn that we are all slaves! The only difference
lies in reference to which master we serve.

In these verses, Paul is continuing his discussion of the difference between being dead in sin and
in being alive in Christ. In these last verses of chapter 6, he presents a series of contrasts that
point out the fact that we are all slaves. That we will continue to be slaves for all our lives, but
that we have a choice of which master we serve. And, the thought that I would like to preach
about for a while this evening is this: Slaves? Yes! But To Which Master? I want you to be
able to see clearly which master you are serving, and I want you to have the opportunity to
change masters this evening if you are found serving the wrong one!

Notice with me four comparisons that Paul makes in this passage.

I. V. 15-16 THE CHOICES

(Ill. Paul tells us that we have the privilege of "yielding" our members to a master. The word
"yield" means "to stand as a servant, near ones master, awaiting orders. It means to
present." The idea is of a man who is at the beck and call of his master. The whole point of these
two verses is that we have a choice as to who we yield our lives to. Notice that there are only two
choices.)

A. We Can Walk In Rebellion - We can take grace for granted, v. 15, and we can just assume
that God is going to accept us just as we are and live like we want to. This is the life of sinful
rebellion. While many may live like this and think that they are free, Paul makes it clear that they
are slaves! (Ill. This is the literal meaning of the word servant!) The rebellious life would be
any life that is lived outside the will of God. It is a life yielded to the master of sin.

B. We Can Walk In Righteousness - By the same token, we can choose to walk in the will of
God and to live lives that are pleasing to the Lord. Instead of yielding our members to sin, we
can present our bodies to the Lord for His use and for His glory, Rom. 12:1-2.

(Ill. Very literally, the choice is yours! You can serve whomever you please! Notice the word
"obey". This word means "to answer a knock at the door." It pictures a butler hurrying to see
who is at the door of a home. My friends, choices and decisions concerning how we live our
lives come knocking every day! When we open that door, we can either be a slave to sin or we
can be a slave to Jesus. It is a choice that you must make!)

I. The Choices

II. V. 17-18 THE CHANGES

(Ill. Not only does Paul speak of the choice we must make in life, but he also refers to the
changes that come about in our lives when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.)

A. V. 17a He Speaks Of Our Past Failures - He refers to a time before we trusted Jesus when
we were the servants of sin, Eph. 2:1-3. He reminds us of the bondage we endured before we
came to know Jesus as Saviour. For those who remember the lost life before Jesus, it was a
terrible time of slavery to desires, impulses and passions. It was a time ruled by Satan, where it
seemed that the sinner had no control of his life and was being driven by another.

B. V. 17b He Speaks Of Our Precious Faith - Now, Paul reminds us of the day we trusted
Jesus! When we "obeyed" or "answered God's knock at our heart's door" (Rev. 3:20),
everything changed! For at the instant of salvation, we were changed forever by the power of the
Lord Jesus Christ! This idea is made clear by the word "form". This refers to a mold into which
molten gold is poured, causing the gold to take a pre-designed shape. So too, when we trusted
Jesus, we were reshaped by the power of God. He remade our character into His image. He
changed us when we believed, 2 Cor. 5:17.
(Ill. Let us never forget that the dividing line between the old life of bondage and death and the
new life of liberty and life is our faith in the Gospel of Christ. It is His salvation that makes all
the difference!)

C. V. 18 He Speaks Of Our Present Freedom - This verse reminds us that what Jesus did for
us was to purchase our freedom from slavery to sin. This is made clear by three precious New
Testament verses.

1. Rev. 5:9 - This verse tells us that Jesus "redeemed" us. The word redeemed in this verse
means "to buy in the market place". It refers to the purchase of a slave from the slave block.

2. Gal. 4:5 - The word "redeem" in this verse carries the idea a little further. It means "to buy in
the market and remove from sale." It has the idea of a slave purchased and who is never again to
be put up for sale.

3. 1 Pet. 1:18-19 - The word "redeemed" in this verse comes from a word that means "to loose
after the payment of a ransom price." It carries the idea of a slave who is purchased in the
market and then is set free!

(Ill When all of this is put together, it becomes clear that in Jesus, we enjoy a redemption that
bought us, secured us and freed us to serve the Lord. What a salvation is ours! When did all this
happen? At the very instant we trusted Jesus as our Saviour! Note the words "being then". At
that moment, we were bought, secured and set free! Glory to God!)

I. The Choices

II. The Changes

III. V. 19 THE CHALLENGES

(Ill. Paul use of the image of slavery is one that his readers were very familiar with. It has been
noted that there were about 50 million slaves in the Roman Empire during the first century.)

A. Remember The Deeds Of The Lost Life - The first challenge is for the Roman believers to
remember how they lived their lives before they came to know the Lord. They are to remember
how they "yielded" or placed their members at sin's disposal. They are challenged to remember
how they used to serve sin with an almost reckless abandon.

B. Remember The Duties Of The Loosed Life - The reason they are to remember their past is
so that they can see how they are to live in the present. What I mean by that is this: just as they
used to serve sin with their entire person, now they are to yield themselves to the will of God.
You see, the sinner is not usually ashamed or embarrassed by his sin. He does what he pleases
and lives like he wants to live. In other words, he makes no apologies for who or what he is! The
same should be true of those who are in Christ. We should not be ashamed of the changes Jesus
has made. We should not be embarrassed by our new Master. We should serve Him with the
same reckless abandon with which we once served sins. Just as we placed our lives at the
disposal of sin and the devil, now we should place our lives at the disposal of the Lord Jesus
Christ, allowing Him to have total dominion over every aspect of our lives!

(Ill. Do we demonstrate the same commitment to Jesus Christ that we demonstrated to our sins
when we were living in sin? In reality, our commitment to Jesus should be far deeper and far
greater than any we ever made to a live of wretched, wicked living!)

I. The Choices

II. The Changes

III. The Challenges

IV. V. 20-23 THE COMPENSATIONS

(Ill. Just as we have seen contrasts between the old life and the new in the way they are lived, so
too there are contrasts in what each of those lives produce in those that are slaves to them. Notice
these differences this evening.)

A. The Life Of Sin (Ill. The life of sin pays off in three ways. Paul lists them for us right here.)

1. V. 20 It Is A Wicked Life - He tells us here that the lost sinner has no association with
righteousness. In fact, the best the sinner can produce is a pile of filthy rags in the sight of the
Lord, Isa. 64:6. The flesh has no power to produce anything other than evil! It is thoroughly
wicked, Rom. 7:18. The life of sin is a wicked life! The sinner is trapped and cannot even see it!

2. V. 21a It Is A Wasted Life - Paul's questions is this: What did that life of sin produce? What
good came our of your evil? The answer is plain! There is no good that can come out of it at all!
The sad fact is that a sinful life is a wasted life! It can produce nothing that will endure, but a
legacy of sin and of evil!

(Ill. This wasted life may produce children, but they are often caught in the same traps and vices
that their parents were caught in! It is bad enough to live in sin, but when you teach your children
to live like Hell, you are a wicked, wretched person!)

3. V. 21b, 23a It Is A Wretched Life - The life of sin pays off in death! Not just the death of this
physical body, but the idea here is of the "second death." It refers to the separation of the body
and the spirit and to the eternal damnation of the lost spirit in Hell! Nothing could be worse that
living a wicked, wasted life here and then dying without Jesus and spending eternity in Hell! But,
that is exactly what will happen to every person who dies outside of faith in Christ! Will that be
you?

(Ill. Notice that we wicked person receives "wages". This is fair compensation for a life lived in
evil! We may think it unfair for a sinner to have to go to Hell, but God tells us that they are just
receiving what they have earned! If you stop for a minute and let this sink in, it becomes clear
that Hell is not a place bad people are sent by God, but it is a place they have worked hard to get
into, and they will receive everything they have earned.)

(Ill. There are tracts around that have this on the front: "What you have to do to go to Hell..."
Then, on the inside, the tract is blank. Suggesting that the sinner must do nothing to go to Hell. I
know what they are saying, and if the sinner does nothing, spiritually speaking, he will go to
Hell. However, I would like to submit to you this evening that in fact, the sinner must work hard
to get to Hell! To go there, he must get over several obstacles God has placed in his way.

1. The Bible

2. The Church

3. The Cross

4. The Blood

5. The Holy Spirit

6. The Bible

7. The Revelation of God in Nature

8. The Prayers of God's Children

9. The Will of God - And the list could go on!

The fact is, God does not want you, or anyone for that matter, to go to Hell, 2 Pet. 3:9. But you
will if you don't come to Jesus! What a waste of life it is to live without God!)

B. The Life Of Salvation (Ill. In this final comparison, Paul makes it clear that a life lived in the
Jesus is far better than a life wasted outside Christ.)

1. V. 22 It Is A Life With Purpose - This verse tells the truth that the life lived by the power of
God produces fruit for the glory of God! Just as our lives used to be wasted, now in Jesus, they
are productive! He enables us to bear fruit for the glory of God!

(Ill. Many people think that living the Christian life is a difficult proposition, but they are wrong!
What many people have failed to grasp is that the true Christian life is not lived out, it is lived
through! It is not me doing my best for Jesus. Rather, it is me simply yielding to Him and
allowing Him to live His life through me, John 15:1-8. If I can learn but to abide in Christ, He
will send His life through me and glorify God by producing His fruit through my life!)

2. V. 22b, 23b It Is A Life With Promise - While the sinful life pays the wages of death, God's
gift to those who trust Him is everlasting life! Notice the difference! Wages are something we
work for, a gift is something we simply receive and then it belongs to us! Merely by placing my
faith in Jesus, I have become a partaker of His life. I have eternal life and I will live it in an
eternal home in His eternal presence! To me, there is no comparison between what I had when I
was lost and what I have now that I am saved. Thank God, in Jesus, we are "passed from death
unto life", John 5:24.

Conc: So, who is your master? Is it sin? If so, the wages of your service to him are death and
Hell. But, I am glad that I can tell you that you have the opportunity to change masters this
evening!

Is your master Jesus? If so, then rejoice! For in Him, you have found life and liberty. You have
found peace and purpose. You have found all you need.

The difference is plain to see! And, it all lies in those last few words of verse 23: "through Jesus
Christ our Lord." He is the Door! He is the only way into eternal life. He is the only way out of
bondage into freedom.

Are you a slave? Yes you are! But, who is your master?

Whose Slave are You?

Free to serve God sounds like a paradox.

Only God is totally free. There is no such thing as absolute freedom for anyone other than God. No
human being is absolutely free to do anything and everything he may want to do. Every individual is
limited by or enslaved by someone or something. No one is autonomous.

We are either slaves in bondage to sin or servants of Jesus Christ. However, to be a slave of Jesus Christ
is to enjoy true freedom.

This is why the apostle Paul argues in Romans 6:15-18 that it is impossible for true Christians to continue
in sin (6:1, 15). We have been set free from the power and bondage of sin to become the instruments of
righteousness. “We are no longer slaves to sin” (vv. 6-7).

Salvation by grace does not lead to a life of sin (6:1-2). It does exactly the opposite. Our identification
with Christ gives us the goal to live a life that will please Him and glorify His life. We are saved by grace
that we “might walk in newness of life” (v. 4). The implication of the verb is that we will “walk about,
meaning our habitual character will be pleasing to God. We will live with Him in our daily life (v. 8). The
life of grace leads to righteousness (6:11-14).

Since salvation by grace does not lead to sin, but freedom to live in the power of Christ, Paul goes on to
argue that the Law as a means to righteousness is not possible. Freedom from the Law does not lead to
sin either. The Christian who is saved by grace has been freed from the Law.

“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14). We are
saved by grace to become slaves to righteousness.
What is the passion of your life? What do you live for? What motivates your daily life? What is the goal
you are constantly moving toward? Whose slave are you?

Christians must constantly guard against two extremes. We can easily fall into the error of legalism. The
Law cannot produce God’s righteousness in anyone. It can only point its finger and bring condemnation.
It can put forth its demands, but it cannot give us power to meet those demands. I have never met a
legalist who lived up to all of the demands of the Law, much less their own legalism.

The only means of being empowered to produce God’s kind of righteousness is the freedom in Christ
through a vital union with Him. Jesus Christ living within us empowers us to do what the Law requires.
Salvation by grace in Christ alone leads to the righteousness God requires.

The other error is antinomianism—against the law. These individuals think that grace gives them
freedom from the law to do anything they please. “Now that I am saved I can live anyway I want.” Grace
is not a license to “sin it up” (vv. 15-23). Salvation by grace does not give us the freedom to go on sinning
as legalists suppose. It does just the opposite; it gives us freedom and power to serve God and please
Him in the strength He gives.

Sin enslaves us, but Christ sets us free from sin’s bondage so we can please God. If you submit to sinful
passions, you will become a slave to sinful passions, and you will not be able to break the bondage. That
is true of all the sins listed in Galatians 5:19-21.

Sin leads to death—spiritually, physically, and eternally. The second death leads to an eternal separation
from God in hell.

Thanks be to God who has set us free from sin’s slavery through the atonement of Jesus Christ. We
“have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (v. 18).

Our true freedom is found in Christ alone (v. 22). The same saving grace that freed us from sin enslaves
us to God. This slavery, however, brings freedom—true freedom—to become all that God created us to
be.

If we choose sin, the result is a life of bondage. If we choose Christ, we are set free to serve God in
righteousness. Anything less than a life of righteousness is a life of slavery to sin which always results in
eternal death. If we have been freed from sin by the grace of God, we will serve Him in righteousness.

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a
yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

Selah!