Will you please turn to Romans? Romans, chapter 6. We will read from verse 15 through verse 23.
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? God forbid.
Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered;
and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness.
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness unto sanctification.
For when ye were servants of sin, ye were free in regard of righteousness.
What fruit then had ye at that time in the things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
That once again, we can gather together into Thy glorious name. We thank Thee for Thy presence with us. We are all here, Lord, to hear Thy word. Speak by Thy Holy Spirit to each of our hearts, that we may have ears to hear and hearts to understand the reality of Thy precious words.
That we may be what Thou wantest us to be, we do offer ourselves to Thee this morning. May Thy will be done in us as it is in heaven. So unto Thee be glory, unto Thy name. We ask in the precious name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
Thank God for gathering us together again this morning. Every time we have the opportunity to be gathered together into the name of our Lord Jesus, it tells me so much. We know that it is the mercy of God. We thank God for His longsuffering with us, because He gives us another opportunity to draw closer.
As you all know, our time together is centered upon one thing: our fourfold relationship with Christ. As we have said before, life is expressed in relationship, and life is often judged by relationship.
We realize that our relationship with human beings is really based upon our relationship with Christ Jesus. If we have a right relationship with Christ, it will really help us in our relationship with other people.
Now, our relationship with our Lord Jesus is a progressive thing. In the beginning, we realize that He is our Kinsman-Redeemer, because He, who is God, became man. He became our Kinsman, so that He might save us who are dead in sins and transgressions.
Thank God, He is our Kinsman-Redeemer, and we are the redeemed of the Lord. He redeemed us not only from sin and death, but He redeemed us unto the full purpose of God.
Our response to our Kinsman-Redeemer is to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him, that we may live by Him and for Him.
Then, immediately after He has called us to Himself, He calls us to come and follow Him. The second relationship with the Lord Jesus is that of Master and disciples. We are to be His disciples, to follow Him, and to be yoked together with Him.
Now, this morning, we would like to enter into another relationship with Christ. You will find that it becomes closer, more intimate. Our relationship with our Lord Jesus is that He is our Lord, and we are His bondservants.
Brothers and sisters, I think that, to most of us, we feel that His being our Lord is no problem. Because in our prayers we say, “Lord Jesus,” it is as if we automatically have accepted Him as our Lord. But is it really true with us?
Do you not remember in 1 Corinthians 12:3? No one can call Him “Lord Jesus” except in the power of the Holy Spirit. It means that we may verbally say, “Lord, Lord,” but in actuality we really do not own Him as our Lord.
You remember in Matthew 7. The Lord Jesus said that many will come to Him and say, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name? Did we not cast out demons in Your name? Did we not work miracles in Your name?” But the Lord Jesus said, “I do not know you, you workers of lawlessness. I do not recognize you.”
Why is it? Because you are doing these things in My name, but you really do not honor Me as your Lord. So, dear brothers and sisters, this matter is not as simple as you think. We say, “Lord Jesus,” every day, but is He really your Lord?
On the other hand, we are His bondservants. Because He is Lord, we are His slaves. I know we do not like to hear the name “slave,” but actually, bondservant is slave. Do you ever realize that you are the slave of our Lord Jesus?
In the New Testament, the word bondservant is used 124 times, and the word Lord is used 750 times. But strangely, as you read your Bible in the English translations—from the early days of Wycliffe, through the King James Version, the Revised American, and other versions—you will find that the word bondservant or slave is only used in Romans 6:13–23.
In other places, when the Greek word doulos is used, it is usually translated “servant.” Now, why is it so? Maybe it is because, in the eighteenth century, England and its colonies had what you call the slave trade.
They went to Africa, captured poor people, brought them away, and made them slaves. The word therefore had a very bad connotation. So, when translators translated into English, and later into Chinese, they avoided the word “slave” or “bondservant.” They used the word “servant.”
Now, there is a vast difference between a slave and a servant. A servant is one who is hired, and he works for wages. He is a free man. If he likes to serve you, he can continue on. If he does not like you, he can leave.
He does not belong to you. He is not one of your possessions. You have no absolute right over him. But a bondservant is different, because he is one whom you bought. He belongs to you. He is your possession, whether he likes it or not, and it is for life.
Thank God, in the New Testament, the word that the Holy Spirit used is bondservant, not servant. In other words, our relationship with our Lord Jesus is much closer than the modern sense of a lord and his servant.
There is a much closer relationship. We belong to Him. He has bought us with a price. He has bought us with a tremendous price. He has paid His own blood to purchase us. We belong to Him. We are His forever.
Brothers and sisters, this is an aspect of our relationship with Christ which has been greatly neglected. I believe it is the will of God that it should be restored.
Our relationship with Christ as Lord and bondservant is not according to the worldly sense. If we really want to put it in the right place, probably the best way to describe it is found in Exodus 21:1–6.
After the Lord had given His people the Ten Commandments, immediately following, you find the Lord mentioning one thing. He said that if your brother becomes poor and sells himself to you to be your servant, you should remember that he is a Hebrew, your brother.
You should not treat him as one of the servants, because he is your brother. He will serve you six years, and in the seventh year he can go out free. You have to supply him with food and other things, because he has already served you six years.
But if that servant says to the master, “I love you and your family. I do not want to go out free. I want to be your slave for life,” then the master will bring him to the judges to determine whether it is real or not.
If it is real, then the master will bring that brother to his own door, and he will use an awl to pierce his ear to the doorpost. That becomes the sign of a love-slave for life.
You find that this is not only in Exodus 21; it is repeated in Deuteronomy 15. So our relationship with our Lord Jesus as Lord and bondservant is like this.
He has bought us with a price. But strangely, He will never deal with us in a legal way. Legally, He has paid a price. He has bought us from sin and death. We are His. Whether you like it or not, you have to serve Him, because you are not free. You are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.
But He never deals with us according to law. He always deals with us according to grace. So He says, “I set you free. You can go free, unless you are so constrained by My love that you really may say, ‘I love my Master. I do not want to go out free. I want to be a love-slave for life.’”
Then He will pierce your ear to the doorpost. That is the sign that you are a love-slave for life. Oh, dear brothers and sisters, do you understand what it means? That is what the Bible tells us. It is a sign.
This is a wonderful thing. I always like to tell that story. You know, in the old days in America, there was slave trade. In the colonies there were large plantations, and they needed many slaves to work on those plantations. In places such as New Orleans, there were slave markets.
One day there was a young girl at such a market. People gathered around and began to bid. Of course, that girl was weeping, because she thought that now her life was gone. She could think of only one thing: perhaps the one who bought her might be a good man, and she might have some future.
She tried to look around at the people who were auctioning for her. Everyone seemed terrible and fearful. Her hope was gone. Then suddenly, a stranger came.
After he bought her, he called for a blacksmith to break off the chains. Then he spoke softly to the girl: “I bought you not to make you a slave. I bought you to set you free.”
She began to realize what had happened. Then she said, “I am going to serve you for life.”
Now, brothers and sisters, that is exactly what happened to us Christians. The Lord has bought us, and what a price He has paid for us. We were condemned to sin and death, but our Lord Jesus paid the utmost price.
He has set us free. You may continue to live for yourself if you choose. But if you are constrained by the love of Christ, run up to Him and say, “I want to be a love-slave for life.” Is that really what you want to do?
The best example of a bondservant of God is Christ Himself. If you look at the life of our Lord Jesus, you remember Philippians 2:5 and following. There you find a description of the mind of Christ.
The Bible says that He had the form of God. The word form here is not the outward appearance. The word form points to inward quality, inward character. He had the form of God. He had the very nature of God, because He is God.
That was not something to be grasped. Why does the Bible put it that way? Because once upon a time there was one who tried to grasp that position. He wanted to be like God. You remember that this was the beginning of Satan. That archangel fell and became the adversary of God.
But not so with the beloved Son of God. He had the form of God, but in order to fulfill God’s purpose, He emptied Himself. He poured out all the glory and position that belonged to Him in order to become a man.
Brothers and sisters, we have really nothing to pour out. We have nothing to empty, because we are empty. If there is anything in us, it may be our sin. But our Lord Jesus, being the Son of God, is the fullness of God.
He could not empty Himself of God, because that is what He is. But He emptied Himself of all the glory and honor surrounding God.
The Scripture says that He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant. Now notice this: our Lord Jesus came into this world to be a man. Even though outwardly He had the fashion of a man, He was a perfect man. Yet He took the form of a slave.
God rules over all. He is the highest authority, sovereign over the universe. Yet, when our Lord Jesus came into this world to be a man, He took the form of a bondservant. He was willing to lay aside His own rights.
Throughout His life, He would not act independently as God. He said, “I can do nothing of Myself.” He is the Word of God, and yet He said, “I can do nothing of Myself. Whatever I hear My Father say, I say. I can do nothing of Myself.”
He is almighty. You remember how Satan tempted Him: “If You are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread. Cast Yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple, and the angels will support You.” But the Lord Jesus refused to act independently.
He acted only in obedience, even unto death, yea, the death of the cross—the most shameful death at that time. This is the mind of Christ. Jesus demonstrated to us what it means to be a bondservant of God, so that we may be His bondservants.
You remember Psalm 40:6–8. There is a conversation there:
Sacrifice and offering Thou hast no delight in;
Mine ears hast Thou opened:
Burnt-offering and sin-offering hast Thou not required.
Then said I, Lo, I am come;
In the roll of the book it is written of Me:
I delight to do Thy will, O my God;
Yea, Thy law is within My heart.
Psalm 40 tells us that, if you are a bondservant, you have a pierced ear. The most important thing is that you hear. You ought to listen. You ought to hear. Then you do His will. That is why the ear is so important.
In the New Testament, Hebrews 10 says, “A body didst Thou prepare for Me.” Brothers and sisters, this is what our Lord Jesus is. He has shown us how to be His bondservants.
Are we really bondservants, or are we merely servants? If we feel good, we serve. If He does not do what we want, we say goodbye. But brothers and sisters, a bondservant has no rights of his own. He belongs to the Lord. His Lord has everything to do with him.
As you read the New Testament, you find that the apostle Paul, when he wrote the letter to the Philippians and when he wrote the letter to Titus, called himself a bondservant of Christ. He placed that title even before the title of apostle.
In other words, he considered being the bondservant of Christ more honorable than being the apostle of Christ. You find the same thing with Peter. In 2 Peter, Peter called himself a bondservant of Christ. The same thing happened with John in the book of Revelation, and with Jude. They all called themselves bondservants of Christ.
They considered this the most honorable title. Why is this so?
You remember when Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians. In Philippians 4:22, he mentioned the household of Caesar. At that time the Romans had conquered the world, but the Greeks had the culture. Many slaves were educated people.
To be in the household of Caesar was really an honor. In the same way, brothers and sisters, we are the bondservants of Christ, and He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. To be in His household is an honor.
The fate of a slave depends upon the title and the character of his lord. If your master has a high title, then to be in his household is an honorable position. Not only is there honor in the position, but there is great provision.
And think of this: we are bondservants in the household of Christ. What a position we have! Then it depends upon the character of the Master. If the Master is a very merciful and loving one, then your life will be very good.
What is the responsibility of the lord to his bondservants? The lord is supposed to take care of the food and dwelling of his bondservants.
That is the reason why our Lord Jesus said, “Why are you anxious about what to eat, what to drink, and what to wear? Your heavenly Father knows all of this. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”
That is the duty of our Lord, and how He cares for us. Even the very number of your hairs, He knows. He has numbered every hair of you. What, then, are you careful for? What are you afraid of?
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Brothers and sisters, our Lord is a beneficent Lord. His thoughts concerning His bondservants are so glorious. They are far beyond what you can even imagine.
He wants His bondservants, His slaves, to become His sons and daughters. He wants us to arrive at sonship. He wants to place us as sons. He wants us to be co-heirs with Christ, the beloved Son of God. That is the thought of our Lord, our Master.
If you really realize this, you will respond positively to your Master in absolute surrender. Sometimes we think surrender is very hard. “How can I surrender this and surrender that in my life? How can I surrender my feelings about this or about that? How can I surrender my thoughts about this or that? How can I lay down my will, which I have decided?”
We find that it is the hardest thing for us to surrender ourselves to God. But, my brothers and sisters, unless we surrender to our Lord absolutely, He is not able to bring us into sonship.
We have to go through such discipline in order to be conformed to the image of Christ. So everything depends upon this matter of absolute surrender. This is a close relationship with our Lord.
Now, have you surrendered yourself absolutely to Him?
Just as our Lord Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Not My will, but Thine, be done.” You know, our Lord Jesus is a perfect man, so He had a perfect will. He had His own mind. But how He denied Himself, even to the very end.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, we can never understand the depths of His agony. The Lord Jesus said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” His spirit was under such pressure that, when He prayed, His sweat became as drops of blood. He had to be strengthened by an angel.
Otherwise, He would have died in the garden, and salvation would not have been accomplished. He was being squeezed, as it were, in the press. Yet there was absolute surrender: not My will, but Thy will.
He did not want to be tainted or defiled by sin. The Father wanted to put all the sins of the universe upon Him, literally to make Him sin itself. He is perfect, and to be made sin was something He could not accept.
But if it was the Father’s will, then, “Not My will, but Thy will be done.” That is absolute surrender.
Brothers and sisters, because of that, we as the redeemed should follow Him. Our Lord Jesus, as our Lord, demands absolute surrender.
One day, we shall be seated with Christ and reign with Him. So may the Lord open our understanding. This is a relationship that is much, much closer, because this is what God wants for us. Later, the Lord will bring us into an even more intimate relationship.
Lord, we want to thank Thee that Thou dost want to have a more intimate relationship with us, and Thou dost desire that we may follow Thee.
May the love of Christ constrain every one of us, that we may consider it an honor and glory to fully surrender to Thee, that Thou mayest direct our lives into glory.