INTRO.- Enslaved. That word doesn’t sound very good. We don’t like to think we’re enslaved to anything or anyone. But all of us are under a yoke of slavery, in a sense.
Do you drink coffee? Do you like it? Can you go without it? Can you start your morning without it?
ILL.- Someone wrote these words about coffee addiction. You know you are addicted to coffee if:
-You sleep with your eyes open.
-The only time you’re standing still is during an earthquake.
-You’ve worn out your third pair of tennis shoes this week.
-You chew on other people’s fingernails.
-You don’t sweat, you percolate.
-You walk twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it’s not plugged in.
-People get dizzy just watching you.
-You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
-You can outlast the Energizer bunny.
-You soak your dentures in coffee overnight.
Coffee is somewhat addicting, however, it’s not all that bad. I read recently that coffee is actually good for you.
After analyzing data on 126,000 people for as long as 18 years, Harvard researchers calculate that compared with not partaking in America’s favorite morning drink, downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. But having six cups or more each day slashed men’s risk by 54% and women’s by 30% over java avoiders. SIX CUPS?
Consider this: At least six studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s, with three showing the more they drink, the lower the risk.
Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones. WOW!
Go ahead and drink up! But the point is we’re all addicted in some form or to something in life! If it’s something bad we don’t like to face up to it or talk about it, but if it’s a good addiction, that’s good. Bad addictions are sinful. Good addictions may help us in life.
For example, I was addicted to running at one time. I freely admit it, but it was a good addiction because it made me heart healthy, gave me energy for work, etc.
What’s your addiction? What’s your yoke of slavery? Work? Sports? TV? Hobbies? Shopping?
PROP.- Paul mentioned two distinct areas where we are often under a yoke of slavery. Let’s consider them and how to overcome this yoke of slavery.
1- Enslaved to work
2- Enslaved to false thinking
I. ENSLAVED TO WORK
1All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. 2Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.
1All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect. MASTERS?
ILL.- The office happenings.
- Quote from a recent meeting: "We are going to continue having these meetings, everyday, until I find out why no work is getting done".
- Quote from the Boss... "I didn’t say it was your fault. I said I was going to blame it on you."
- Quote from the Boss after overriding the decision of a task force he created to find a solution: "I’m sorry if I ever gave you the impression your input would have any effect on my decision for the outcome of this project!"
Did you ever have a boss like that? Ever have one that had ALL the answers and you could say nothing or do nothing to please him or her?
Obviously, Paul is talking about master and slave relationship in these verses but the only way we can apply it is to our work or job.
We are supposed to respect our boss, managers, etc. so that God’s name will not be slandered.
Most of us, if not all of us, have had a bad boss or two in life and the Christian is supposed to respect the boss as best they can and work hard. Doing this will present a good witness for Christ.
ILL.- When I worked for Safeway stores in Joplin, MO, back in the 60‘s I had a store manager who could be a goofy as a pet coon. I saw him take a jar of peanut butter off the shelf one day, open it, dip his finger in it and lick the peanut butter off his finger. Then he put the lid back on and put the jar back on the shelf. IMAGINE SOME CUSTOMER’S SURPRISE WHEN THEY OPENED THAT JAR?
That manager did other things that were dumb or strange, etc. And sometimes it was hard to respect him.
I had another manager that was very demeaning and demanding. He demanded that everyone work, which was right but he could be very demeaning to his employees. He might chew out some employee in a mean way and right in front of others, which, of course, was humiliating. That was not the way to influence people, win friends and get your people to work.
Again, it was sometimes hard to respect that manager. But respect, we must in order to present a witness for Christ.
We must always be thinking about witness for Christ in this world. When we forget that we are His and that we are His messengers of salvation we can do no good in this world. We are supposed to the light of the world in the sense of reflecting Him who is light! We do this at work and everywhere else!
Ephesians 6:5-9 “5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. 9And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.”
2Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.
Paul is saying that if we have a Christian boss or manager we should not take advantage of them or that situation. We should not show less respect for them or do less work, thinking they will be easy on us because we’re Christians.
If anything, we should work harder and do better work, and again with the idea of pointing to Christ. I’ve always thought the Christian should be one of the best workers but this doesn’t always hold true.
We all need to be reminded who are real boss is and perhaps that will motivate us. The Lord is our ultimate boss regardless of what we do for a living or regardless of our earthly boss.
And once you retire from your life’s work, you still have a boss, the Lord who is in heaven overseeing you.
II. ENSLAVED TO FALSE THINKING
3If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
ILL.- What do these men have in common? Joseph Smith. Charles T. Russell. Jim Jones. David Koresh. Sun Myung Moon. L. Ron Hubbard. Robert Tilton. James Van Praagh. Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda (says he is God, preaches that there is no devil and no sin, claims thousands of members in more than 30 countries and making himself very rich).
Do any of these names ring a bell with you? Most of us consider all these men and a whole lot more to be false prophets, that is, a bunch of liars!
Matthew 7:15-23 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Matthew 24:10-13, 24 "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. . . . For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect –- if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time"
There are multitudes of people who are enslaved or were enslaved to these men.
You perhaps recall that over 900 people went to the deaths by drinking poison in Kool-Aid at the request of Prophet Jim Jones. David Koresh took 70 some Branch Davidians with him to their death at that Waco, TX, shootout on April 19, 1993.
The Jehovah Witnesses claimed over 7 million members but I don’t know what they are going to do with that 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7. And listen to this one: Muslims represent 23% of the world population and the fastest growing religion in the world!
Are you worried? Are you worried that your children will follow any of these religions? I seriously doubt it but there are people in the world and in America who will be taken in by these religions! AND SOME MAY WELL BECOME ENSLAVED TO THEM.
But what may be worse than these cults is when we become enslaved to our own false thinking or ideas that lead us astray or away from Christ! We could call it, “I thinkism,” instead of God’s Word says.
II Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
II Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
I Timothy 1:5-6 “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk.”
ILL.- I remember the old story of some guy telling some other guys, “Well, that’s what the Bible says, but that’s not what it means.” A little girl standing nearby said, “Sir, if Jesus and His apostles didn’t know what they wanted to say, how did you find out?”
ILL.- Leonard Ravenhill said: One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed.
ILL.- I’ve heard people say things like, “That’s what I believe, right or wrong, and I’ll never change. I don’t care what the Bible says.” WELL, THAT’S DANGEROUS THINKING!
Many people get some crazy and/or erroneous ideas that are in complete conflict with the Word of God and they don’t care.
ILL.- When I was a kid I was told (by whom? I don’t know) that when a person died they would become an angel in heaven. NOW WHERE IS THAT IN THE BIBLE? If we’re in Christ we’ll get a new body, a heavenly body like the body of Jesus but I don’t find anywhere in the Bible that we’ll become angels. And yet some people hold to that belief like a bulldog to an old bone.
But there are far worse beliefs than this that people cling to.
ILL.- What about the old idea that as long as your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds in this world you’ll go to heaven? Oh come on now?! Any thinking, Bible-believing person knows better than this, but some people live and die by this idea. THEY ARE ENSLAVED TO THEIR FALSE THINKING. I’m much rather trust the grace of God in Jesus to be saved than my own good deeds!
Whether we like to admit it or not, sometimes our thinking is in error too and we may become enslaved, which could be very dangerous to us and others, that is, to our children or those to whom we spread incorrect thoughts.
CONCLUSION------------------------
ILL.- Judge: "How could you swindle people who trusted in you?"
Prisoner: "But, Judge, if people don’t trust you then you can’t swindle them.”
Brothers and sisters, sometimes in life we trust the wrong person and get swindled. And the greatest swindle of all is when someone sells us on an idea that leads us away from God and the truth of His Word.
We all have been enslaved and we need to be freed! And here is how:
John 8:31-32 “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Steve Shepherd, Jonesboro Christian Church, AR
jonesborochristianchurch@suddenlink.net
