Introduction:
A. I always liked the Far Side cartoons, and so I begin with this cartoon because of the irony of it.
1. Here’s a man who is a slave on a Viking ship, and he thinks the slave driver will care that he is getting a blister. He was in for a rude awakening!
2. Slavery is an ugly subject no matter where or when that slavery took place.
3. Tragically, the history of human kind includes a history of people enslaving other people.
4. I wish we could say that we as humans have evolved to the place where there is no longer any slavery of any kind taking place on earth, but the hard cold truth is that some people continue to be enslaved by others.
B. Not to speak for all of us here today, but I venture to say that all of us find it deplorable to think that some of our nation’s forefathers actually held other human beings in slavery, and that in some cases, they beat their slaves (fellow human beings), starved them, chained them, cursed them, ripped them away from their families, refused them medical attention, and subjected them to the foulest conditions imaginable.
1. That’s the ugly truth about slavery in America, and slavery elsewhere.
2. But on New Year's Day, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued what we know as the Emancipation Proclamation.
3. Newspapers in both the North and South virtually screamed the headlines: SLAVERY ABOLISHED!
4. Former slaves were now free to leave the plantations and make their own way in life.
5. The legal power which slaveowners once had to control the lives of other people was decisively broken.
6. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued about halfway through the Civil War, and it would be two more years before the Civil War ended.
C. But a strange thing happened: Many of that first generation of freed slaves never left the plantations.
1. Right up until the day they died they continued serving their old masters, as cruel and brutal as they may have been.
2. One Alabama slave, when asked what he thought about the President and his Emancipation Proclamation, replied, “I don’t know nothing ‘bout Abraham Lincoln, ‘cept they say he set us free. And I don’t know nothing ‘bout that neither.” (Shelby Foote, The Civil War, cited by Charles Swindoll, The Grace Awakening, p.104).
3. As you can imagine, the plantation owners were happy to keep it that way.
4. If they could keep them in ignorance, they could keep them working in the fields.
D. There is a powerful parallel between that fact of history and the spiritual truth which the Apostle Paul revealed in Romans 6.
1. Do you remember what we looked at last week in Romans 6:6-7: For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed from sin.
3. That’s the good news of the Gospel: WE’RE FREE!
4. But the sad reality is that many of us, Christians don’t know it, and we’re still living in slavery to our old master: sin.
5. That ruthless old slave-master named Satan is happy to keep it that way.
6. If he can keep us ignorant, he can keep us defeated, discouraged and doing his bidding.
7. That may be where some of us are today - defeated, discouraged, and doing what Satan wants us to do.
8. We’re still down on the plantation of sin, still in bondage to our sin, and miserable as a result.
9. But the Apostle Paul wants us to know that we’ve been emancipated, and that we can enjoy freedom from the bondage of sin in daily living.
E. Before we proceed with the second half of chapter 6, let’s be reminded of how the second half of chapter six is related to the first half.
1. Romans chapter 6 has 23 verses and divides easily into two sections.
2. Paul made it easy to see the two parts by basically having two questions and two answers.
3. Verse 1 begins with a question and then Paul gives the answer through verse 14.
4. Then verse 15 begins with a question and then Paul gives the answer through verse 23.
F. Paul carries forth the theme of verses 1-14 in this next section, verses 15-23.
1. Paul continues to proclaim that believers are set free from sin, but the emphasis shifts slightly.
2. The primary focus of verses 1-14 is freedom, but the primary focus of verses 15-23 is slavery.
3. Being set free from our slavery to sin, doesn’t mean that we are totally and absolutely free.
4. God has given us a new master and we must now obey that master – righteousness.
G. Verse 16 begins with a simple question: Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?
1. Paul brings up a proverbial truth – a fact that his readers should already understand – When we habitually “offer” ourselves to someone or something, we become a slave of the one or the thing to which we offer ourselves.
2. Paul suggests that we are confronted with a choice of only two masters to serve: sin and obedience.
3. We might expect that Paul might contrast the master of sin with the master of God.
4. But Paul must have wanted to hammer home the importance of obedience.
H. Ultimately, there are two kingdoms in this world— the kingdom of sin and kingdom of God.
1. Before you and I came to Christ, we lived in the kingdom of sin whether we knew it or not.
2. We were, in Paul’s words, “a slave to sin,” we did what sin demanded, and we lived according to the dictates of the lust of our eyes and the lust of our flesh and the lust of our heart.
3. Sin was our master and we were slaves to sin.
4. Paul then reminds us of the good news in verses 17 and 18: 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed over, 18 and having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.
5. In previous sermons on obeying the gospel, I have pointed out that the phrase “obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching” has to do with the process of believing, repenting and being baptized.
6. That obedience from the heart brings about the new birth and transfers us out of the kingdom of sin into to the kingdom of God.
7. We don’t live in the realm of sin any longer – we illustrated this last week with the illustration of the two fields separated by the rock wall.
8. We have been transferred to God’s field and now we need to listen to and obey God’s voice – becoming slaves of righteousness.
I. Back in the early 1970s, a minister named Ray Steadman tells about visiting Los Angeles during the days of the Jesus People, a Christian cult-like movement.
1. He saw a strange-looking character walking the streets wearing a sandwich board.
2. On the front of it said “I’m a slave for Christ.”
3. On the back of the sandwich board it said, “Whose slave are you?”
4. That’s exactly what Paul is asking us here. “I’m a slave for Christ. Whose slave are you?”
J. Verse 19 is something of an aside.
1. Paul wrote: I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. (6:19)
2. Here Paul explains why he was using the imagery of slavery.
3. Paul says that this human analogy of slavery leaves something to be desired.
4. Obviously, our relationship with God is not humiliating and degrading like slavery.
5. But Paul uses it so that we can understand other aspects of slavery that ring true in a spiritual sense.
6. Paul talks about how that when we were slaves to sin, our sin got worse and worse.
a. When we are slaves to sin, we often throw ourselves deeper and deeper into sin.
b. One lie often led to many lies. Just this one drink, led to so many more. Just this one look at that pornographic magazine, or just one time of pre-marital sex or extra-marital sex led to many more.
c. Or like with King David, one kind of sin, led to many other kinds of sin – lust led to adultery, which led to attempted cover up, which led to murder.
7. In contrast to that, Paul encourages us to be a slave of righteousness and to throw ourselves more and more into righteousness, which results in sanctification.
8. Just as surely as serving sin led to more sin, so serving righteousness will lead to progressively greater holiness and godliness.
K. Just in case some of us are not yet moved by Paul’s plea for righteous living, Paul now clearly communicates the consequences of each kind of slavery.
1. Paul compares and contrasts what sin pays and what God pays. The “wages” or “fruit.”
2. Paul wrote: 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. 21 So what fruit was produced then from the things you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death. 22 But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification—and the outcome is eternal life! 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (6:20-23)
3. Perhaps seeing it laid out as a chart will help.
a. At the top of the left column is “What Sin Pays.”
b. At the top of the right column is “What God Pays.”
c. Sin pays: slavery to greater sin (vs. 19 and 20); shame (vs. 21); death (vs. 21 & 23).
d. God pays: sanctification (vs. 19); sanctification (vs. 22); eternal life (vs. 22 & 23).
4. It’s pretty clear when you lay it out like that, isn’t it?
5. Sin pays off in slavery.
a. It enslaves. It puts you in bondage. You hate it but you can’t break it.
b. It never satisfies. It just enslaves you.
6. This leads to shame.
a. Do you have anything in your past you’re ashamed of? We all do.
b. Sin does that: Sin first enslaves and, second, sin makes you ashamed.
c. The Bible says that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil and they feared that their deeds would be exposed. (Jn. 3:19-20)
7. This leads to death.
a. Verse 23 says that the wages of sin is death.
b. Paul used an interesting word for wages – he didn’t use the term that referred to receiving money at the end of a pay period; rather, he used the word that referred to the daily food ration for a soldier.
c. The significance of that difference for me is the idea that the wages of death isn’t just something that happens at the end, but is something that is experienced daily.
d. Living as a slave to sin is like drinking a little bit of deadly poison each day – it kills us a little bit at a time.
8. In wonderful and glorious contrast to that serving God pays off bigtime.
a. The wages or fruit of serving God is righteousness and holiness – a new way of living.
b. It leads to eternal life and the abundant life.
c. Louis Palau has said: “If you like sin, you’ll love holiness.”
d. If you thought sin was fun, then try some holiness for a while. It’s really fun!
e. There’s no bad aftertaste, and there’s no guilty conscience, and there’s nothing left to be remorseful about.
f. Sin might satisfy for a moment, but holiness satisfies forever.
L. As we finish up Romans chapter 6, I want to share with you a summary of the chapter.
1. Here are seven important statements that are helpful summaries of the truths found here.
2. First, What God has done is both positional and practical.
a. Positional means that God has done it for you and practical means there is something you have to do.
3. Second, There are two key positional truths we need to know and understand.
a. #1: You are dead to sin.
b. #2: You are united with Christ in his death, his burial, and his resurrection.
c. These truths are facts that God has established in our lives.
d. If you are a Christian, you already are dead to sin and you already are united to Christ.
e. It’s not a feeling, or hope, it is just a fact, a reality.
4. Third, God’s intention for us is that that sin should no longer master us, but that we should live a brand new life and bring forth fruit for God.
a. Notice I said brand-new, not just new - there’s a difference.
b. The Greek says brand-new, new of a different kind.
c. God’s intention is that we should have a brand-new life, completely different from the life we once lived and out of that brand-new life we should bring forth fruit for God.
5. Fourth, Our first response must be to reckon it true in our own lives.
a. God has done everything necessary for us to walk in victory.
b. Our part is to believe what God says and to act upon it.
c. To reckon is to count on something as true and to act upon it.
6. Fifth, Our second response is to stop yielding our bodies to sin and to start yielding them to God.
a. We, therefore, have a moment-by-moment choice to make.
b. We have a choice to make regarding the parts of our bodies .
1. Our ears—are we going to use them this week for God or for sin?
2. Our eyes—are we going to use them this week for God or for sin?
3. Our lips—are they going to speak for God or are they going to speak for the devil this week?
4. Our hands—are we going to use them as instruments for God or are we going to use them for sin?
5. Our feet—will they lead us in paths of righteousness or will they lead us into sin?
6. What about the private and personal parts of our bodies? - Are we going to use them for God or are we going to use them for sin?
c. We have a moment-by-moment choice to make.
d. What will we do with our hands, what will we do with our lips, our tongue, our eyes, our ears?
7. Sixth, We can either serve sin or serve God.
a. That’s the ultimate decision each one of us has to make every single day.
b. Whose slave will you and I be today?
8. Seventh, Serving God pays off much better.
a. Serving God pays off in righteousness, holiness and eternal life.
b. Serving sin also has its rewards, but they are not positive or good.
M. Allow me to end with a song I have brought to your attention in past sermons.
1. Bob Dylan has had an impact on our culture through his music.
2. His lyrics are laced with edgy social commentary, and philosophical and religious themes.
3. In 1979, he released an insightful song called, “Gotta Serve Somebody.” Look with me at some of the words of that song:
You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage,
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a business man or some high degree thief,
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
N. Bob Dylan is right, “You’ve gotta serve somebody.”
1. If the only choice is between serving God and serving the Devil, then most of us would quickly choose God.
2. But Satan, the great deceiver and the father of lies, has convinced many of us that we don’t have to serve anyone, and that we can do as we please.
3. But make no mistake about it: if we don’t chose to serve God, then we are serving Satan.
4. If we are self-serving, then we are ultimately Satan-serving.
5. We are either striving to be a slave of God and of righteousness, or we are a slave of Satan and of sin.
6. I hope that everyone of us will choose to serve God, for that choice leads to freedom, righteousness, abundant life and eternal life.
7. Choosing not to serve God leads to slavery, depravity, and death.
8. The right choice seems pretty obvious to me! What about you?
Resources:
Romans, The NIV Application Commentary, by Douglas Moo
Whose Slave Are You? Sermon by Richard Strauss
You Gotta Serve Somebody. Sermon by Ray Pritchard
