Slaves to Righteous Living

Today is another Tuesday service, and last week we were dealing on a very crucial topic. And again, the Lord will have us look at something else today. And it's basically focused on our relationship with God. And the topic today, straight to the point, because of our time, is living as a slave to right, A slave to righteous living.

Being a slave to righteous living. Being a slave to righteous living. Now, you have seen through scriptures. You know, one of the first identity as a Christian, as a believer is that Christ has called us, what, children of God.

And we have really emphasized a lot in the Christendom, the emphasis on children of God, sons of God, maybe, maybe we have even talked about a friend of God. And all of this relationship with God has always been emphasized. But we tend to see that many times Christians, many Christians do not understand that every believer is expected to be a slave of Jesus Christ. We look at a lot of scriptures today.

I'm trusting God, and I will just trust God to be very direct with it. We need to understand that we are slaves of Jesus Christ. In as much as Christ called us friends, sometimes he calls us, we are the children of God. As many are led by spirit of God, are the word, sons of God.

We like all those ones, children, children of God, heads of Christ, joint heads with Christ. All of this part. But when you start hearing something like, do you know that you are a slave of Jesus Christ? Do you know that you are a servant of God?

We think that these roles are reserved for those that mount pulpits, for those that are in ministry. And that is where there is a big problem until we understand our full identity in Christ. Because when people always sideline or pick the parts of the scripture, that comfort that makes them comfortable and emphasize on that part so much, neglecting our part, that's why you have kind of deformed Christians. Christians are not.

It's not a balanced diet. That's why you see a lot of Christians. Then you see, okay, physically they have kwashako, or you see, you know that this person is lacking iron, is lacking carbohydrates, lacking this or that in the body. When you see the way the body looks like maybe, maybe one thing is too large or the other, and it happens.

So we need to understand that there's need for a healthy, balanced diet when taking in the scripture. And that's why I want to focus today on what it means to be a slave of Jesus Christ, being a slave to righteous living. Because this, you know the song that says free, free from the power of sin. Free, free, glorious priests Redeemed, I am free, Free, glorious liberty with the sons of God rejoicing I am free.

Praise the Lord from his condemnation I am forever free. Right? Everybody loves freedom. You see, many people give their life because they heard that when you give life to Christ, you'll be free.

People actually want to be free from addiction. Many people don't like being drunk. Many people don't like fornication. Many people know that they are bound.

There's a bondage. They want to be free from generational causes. Everybody wants to be free. Nobody likes being a slave, right?

But now the problem is that when they say freedom, yes, that's why they run to Christ. I say yes, I'm not a free, I'm a new creature in Christ. I'm free. But now the problem is that that freedom that you actually think is freedom is actually now what mode of slavery.

In fact, let's just start reading scripture, because if I continue that the time will go. So let's start. Listen, I want to first this, like I said, I rather do have a Bible study than to even preach instead, because we need to like study the scripture, right? And look at it.

And look at it. Do an analysis and look at how Paul was the one that brought up all this concept of slavery and talking about servanthood as a Christian, right? Let's look at Romans 6, verse 13 to 20. Romans 6:13 to 20, yeah.

So the main emphasis, because I noticed every week there is usually something the Lord is just impressing on throughout last week. From that, after that last week, Tuesday till now, everything that go around me is just slave slavery, servants, slave servant bondage, like bondage to being a born servant. So those are the things that we need to understand. And it's not a topic that always friendly and people like to hear or general mass.

But I want us to understand that if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, which is what every believer is expected to be, we must become a slave. Let's look at it now. Romans 6:13. Let's Romans 6:18.

I read there. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. This is the point when you became free from sin. The day you became free, you automatically transferred your ownership.

There was a transfer of ownership from sin towards righteousness, from the devil towards Christ. That is what happened. It's just like slave trade. Like when you go to the border, some people want to sell their slaves.

They will transfer you though on unlock you. And this one will not tie you back and put his seal upon you. And you become What? A slave to another master.

So what does that mean? The fact is that everyone is a slave. Either you are a slave to your sinful flesh and your own ego, or you are a slave to Jesus Christ. At no point can a Christian ever, or, sorry, can a human being ever say, that is actually or literally free.

Free indeed. You are deceiving yourself. If you are not a slave to Christ, you are a slave to sin. Now the question now came up to me like, but there are some cases where you see people mentioning that I'm a slave.

And I will not say I'm a servant, but what is the difference between a slave and a servant? Now I'm trusting God. I think God is trying to lead us to understand something about relationship with him. You know, there are some places I said when we started, sometimes God calls us.

The Bible says God addresses as sons. Sometimes the Bible addresses us as children. Sometimes he addresses us as friends. Sometimes he addresses us as slaves, sometimes as servants.

So have you ever sat down to ask yourself, how can, okay, look at it in a typical way now in the world today, how can a child of someone also be a slave to that person? How can someone call yourself, oh, I'm a child of my father and I'm also a servant my father. Is it possible on earth for me to say I'm a child of my dad, then I'm also a slave to him and I'm also a servant? Is it possible?

Well, in the human perspective it is not right? I mean, it doesn't make sense logically. Why would I treat my child as a slave? And how will I treat a slave as a slave and also treat him as a servant?

Now we want to look at something because when the Bible is trying to explain to you, if you don't, if you only see yourself as only a child of God and you don't see yourself as a slave, you say, no, no, I'm not a slave. Ah, why would I be decent? That's what is happening many Christians today. Many are behaving.

Many want to be children of God, but they don't want to be slaves of God. Many want to be children of God. They don't want to be servant of God. There is clear difference.

You see, we'll look closely. I'm trusting God. Maybe we'll just deal on the slavery part today. Maybe another time we'll look at what it means to be a friend of God, what it means to be a servant of God, what it means to be a son of God.

We trust God. So now, difference between a slave, I wrote it down. A slave is someone that is legally owned by another and whose entire livelihood, entire, entire livelihood and purpose was determined or is determined by their master. Everything about you is determined by your owner.

Now, let's look at servants. A servant is someone basically that you guys have legally agreed that, oh, I'm going to do this and this and this for you, and you're going towards pay me for this period of time. That is who a servant is. You see that the servant here is, is there based on his own agreement.

Based on an agreement. So there was a legal term or contract. They say, oh, okay, I'm going to be your servant and I'm going to be doing this and this. So there's a reward system for being a servant.

But a slave, whether you like it, whether I don't like it, you have to do what the master says. That that is the difference between these two set of people. And many Christians, this is why many Christians are struggling. Until you understand this concept of being a slave, you will not entirely be free.

That's why you see people are still battling with sin. Back and forth, back and forth. The Bible made declare that you become a slave to whatever you obey. Anything you give yourself to obey, consistently, you become a slave to that thing.

Some people have given themselves to. They have given themselves to obedience to their flesh and they have become a slave to the sinful nature. Some people have given themselves slave. They always obey.

See, when I consistently obey my flesh, whatever my flesh is saying, eventually I become a slave to it when I consistently obey. That's why Bible say, walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the laws of the flesh. When I consistently obey something, eventually I become a slave to that thing. You won't even know if I.

If every time my mind tells me, oh, I say, go and drink and I keep obeying it. Eventually I won't even know when my mind, I become a slave to it. Some people, they are work. They have become a slave to their work.

So we need to understand these concepts. We need to understand this concept here. Let's look at 1st Corinthians 7, verse 22, 1st Corinthians chapter 7, verse 22, first Corinthians chapter 7, verse 22 7, verse 22. So for he that see, for he that is called in the Lord, being a servant is the Lord free man.

Likewise, also he that is called being free is Christ's servant. Now I got to realize that later translations, they stopped using slave because they saw that it was Kind of offensive to a lot of people, especially in the US US they don't like using the word slave. Right? But in the original translation of this thing, but it was written there.

Slaves. It was written there as slaves, right? Some people don't like the concept. Oh, I'd rather be called a servant than to be called a slave.

But in the original context, it's called a slave. So now if you look in different cases here, Paul always usually addresses himself. We look at three people, four people that they address themselves as slaves of Christ. Philippians, chapter 1, verse 1, you see Philippians, chapter 1, verse one, Philippians one, verse one.

You see different cases here. And we see people that addressing said. Now look at these two people. Now, in this translation, they call it servants.

Another translation, they call it bond servant. Like I said, the reason why many of them will put servants is because they saw that it was actually people were being offended by the Father. Ah, why are you calling putting this word? It's actually offensive when you put and call someone a slave, you get.

So Paul and Timothy. Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ to all the saints in Christ Jesus, which are in Philippi. So another translation says bond, servant of Jesus Christ. So there's a difference between being just a servant and a bond servant.

A bond servant is basically, you don't have. You don't have. You don't have your say, basically, as a born servant. It is what Christ says.

That's what you do. It's what your master gives you. That is what you do. It's not.

You see, this kind of Christianity where people are like, no, no, I don't feel like going. It's not, it's not by force. It's not by this thing. It's not optional.

You don't force people to be. You see, it's because they don't understand the concept of being a slave to God. So the goal, I mean, the goal of this teaching or exposition is that at the end of this, at the end of this whole teaching, that God will help us to understand our positions or our roles as slaves and help us to understand how to save him. Because you see, there's so much problem in the body of Christ today because of this matter.

Everybody wants to be free, but nobody wants to save. Everybody wants the blessing, but they don't want to be submitted to authority. You see, if you don't understand the concept of submission, that's why many people are still struggling. Many people have not even tasted 1% of salvation since they gave their life to Christ.

Maybe some people, 20 years, 30 years till now, they have not even gone 1% of what it means to be saved. Why? Because they think that salvation is that oh God is going to just be giving them, giving them. They don't know the part of the service being a bond servant to Christ.

So I said the topic here is what being a slave to righteous living. Being a slave to righteous living. So Romans 6:22 now says, but now Romans 6:22. But now, having been set free from sin and having become slaves of God, I said, the day you got set free from sin, you automatically became a slave of Christ.

You had the fruit to holiness and the end everlasting life. Peter also called himself a bond servant of Christ. So now the question is, is this thing for everyone or is it for men of God? Because when people hear Peter, Paul, this thing, they say, ah, that's not me, I can't be Peter, I can't be Paul, I can't be this one.

Those people were like the main people. Do you know that it's Paul that said this imitates me as I imitate Christ. That means who was Paul talking to? He was writing to the church.

So imagine Paul was there standing, I will tell you, imitates me as I imitate what Christ and what does imitating Paul look like? It means that Paul said I'm a born servant. So therefore I become a what I also follow instead, I become a born servant. Paul was not writing the same for some people, you know, that's why people say, oh, this is not for me.

The goal is that Paul said, my little children, whom I travelled in pains for you daily until Christ be formed in you, fully formed in you, that his whole goal is that he wants everyone to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. If you don't understand this concept of slavery, we are never truly free. So I said it before, every believer is ideally a slave of Jesus Christ. Let's look at Romans 14:7, 8, Romans 14:7, 8, romans 14, verse 7 to 8.

And I read 14, verse 7. He said, for none of us now see, none of us did not say, for some of us nobody. He's talking to believers or none of us. And when I say believer, those that have accepted Jesus Christ, none of us liveth to himself and no man died to himself.

It's very sad when you see Christians that are always like thinking that they have a say, you see, where do we get this thing of, you know, you know, there's so many things that the world usually say. He said that your body Is your own. You can do what you like. You have the right to do whatever you feel like doing.

You see, I pity those kind of believers that still say those things. Please, I have the right to do what. I have the right to do what I want to do in my life. Leave me alone.

You see, when you allow. You see, Bible says, don't confront the. There's a pattern in this world. Don't conform to it.

The world will tell you, hey, it is your right to speak up. It's your right to do this. It's your right to do this. It's your right to do this.

Fight for your right. Do this. See, is the world system. You are not of this world.

You are in the world. You're not of this world. There's a kingdom that you're representing, just like you. You, you are from uk.

You come to Nigeria. What usually will govern you is your. Your. Your you just came to visit.

What will be governing you is your lifestyle in uk. The. The rules and principle that you have learned. You will not just come and say, okay, I'm visiting.

You just wait for two weeks and you come into a country and you now start. You throw away all your this and start dating like them. No, but this what the world is doing. And Christians are unfortunately, they are learning so many things from the world and coming to the church.

For example, see this concept of believe in yourself. Ah, believe yourself, you can do it. The Bible says, deny yourself, believe in Christ. See, the only time you can say that word, the only time that word saying believe in yourself is valid is when Christ is in you.

If Christ is not in you, don't believe in yourself. Please. See, there's something that we have learned unconsciously that are affecting the way we work with God. None of us live it to himself.

I know I was talking about someone that time and I was like, my account does not belong to me. It belongs to God. Some people still don't get it. They feel they own themselves.

I do what I want, I do what I like. I pray when I feel like I just do things when I. It's not my life. This is very, very bad.

For whether we live, we live unto the Lord. Whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the lords. You see, that's the part people don't want to hear.

They want the freedom. They say, oh God, I surrender. Or they cry, I surrender unto Jesus. I surrender.

I surrender all. Now that concept that surrendering is that they want to surrender one part of Their life, but not yet. You know, when the Bible says everything die, he said, whether we live, we live until the Lord. Whether we die, he does.

It now departs. This is what Christians are now doing. Some people will now do, oh, they will now give some part of their life to God, but some other part is not yet. Until you realize that even your business, even your marriage, your children, everything that you own is to the Lord.

You are not yet a slave. You are not yet on the right track. That's why I see many people are just doing like this. They put one leg inside church, one leg outside.

They are still scared. And they're like, I'm saying, oh, if you do like that too much, they will call you. They'll say, you're a pastor. They'll say, prophet, you are minister, all these kind of things.

Until you understand this concept, I'm still emphasizing it. Our relationship with God is not yet strong. That's why you see that we keep praying and there's no power. It's because you have not submitted, is it not?

He said, in my name, you cast out demons, you lay hands on the seed. How many? You can count the number of times you have done any of these things. I. I think the problem is a problem of submission.

To the point that some people were able to still do what Jesus did even without him meeting Jesus. Disciples saw some people say, ah, sir, some people are casting out demons in your name. He said, leave them. They for me, leave them, leave them.

Let them do it. Because they submitted to that name Jesus. I think the church today has to learn the concept of submission. Enough of this pampering.

You see, that's why you see, many Christians are still children, even if they are 80 years, 60 years. Some people, they check them in the Spirit. They are like one month old. That's how old they are in the Spirit.

Because they have not come up either. They are not matured. They still want to be children of God. They still want to remain as children of God, which is fine.

But I'm telling you, you cannot make impact as a child. A child cannot do much. A child cannot do much. So we need to understand these things.

No, I was doing a study and I come to realize something. A problem with our definition of freedom, you know, because that's what everybody actually, the reason why many people looking for money is because they're looking for freedom. Everybody go and check the reason why you are doing. There's a way money can come, that you'll be free somehow.

There's this concept of Freedom that we're looking for. Even people that are drinking, they're trying to get free from their worries. So when they drink, they their brain start thinking freely so they don't worry too much. Now even many people in the world, they are looking for freedom.

That's why they go to different places. Now see, the concept of freedom, I think our definition of freedom is flawed because when we say I want to be free from sin, I want to be free from sin. And so he said, I am free, glorious liberty. Freedom in Christ means that I have now been able to joyfully align my will with that of Christ.

I'm able to obey Christ doing whatever he commands. That is true freedom. See, because you think that oh, this is devil is a lie out. That's why people admit that they give their life to Christ so that they can be free from that sin.

And that's why you now hear these people saying I can't do what I want. They will not be making reference to Paul that I have liberty to do whatever I want, that nothing again is evil. That's why I see people confused. I can now you'll be surprised that many Christians think that because they are now free.

That's why I say, shall you continue saying that grace may abound. Oh, I give my life to Christ today. Tomorrow you now think you have the liberty to now do anything you want because I can always pray for mercy. Now this is very wrong.

When you become your freedom means that you now have the ability to do what Christ says. That is your freedom. Now the question is this whole teaching wrapping up now. It's very lunchy, but just to wrap up, there are many scriptures I wanted to read out, but just wrap up.

I want us to understand that the goal of this message is to transform. The Bible says, don't conform to the pattern of this world, this but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The goal is that this, this teaching I asked myself, so how should my identity as a slave of Christ affect the way I think? Now this actually affect the way I think.

When the Bible clearly, when the Bible clearly says something teaches something as true. A slave of Jesus Christ cannot respond and say, well that may be true for you, but not for me. You see, that's why we're having issues. Just watch.

There are some songs that someone can preach here. Some people will say it's for me. They can, they will smile, yes, yes, but when it now hits you, not for me. For example, the Bible verse I talked about, treat your wife well if you don't treat your wife well, your prayer cannot be answered.

Now that's it. Now maybe other parts can be okay for you. Yes, yes. But when you partner here to come, you find a way to this thing.

A slave of Christ takes everything. You see, you have not got to the point where the scripture said is hitting you hard. That it's like this thing is hard, though who can know it? I don't think it's hard.

God is hard. You only look for the one that accompany shoots. Your mouth shoots you very well. But when he hits you, you now do that.

It's not for me or say well or some people now say, well, God, that's your opinion. They'll say, no, this is Paul's opinion. It's Paul's opinion. It's Paul's suggestion.

A slave of Christ takes everything as a whole. You don't take part. You don't take the part that suits you. And you see, and some churches are doing these things.

They only preach the parts that aligns with what they believe. The other part, see, should I talk? He said quench of the spirit, for example. See, you emphasize on the part that aligns what you know.

The other part. No, don't. Don't emphasize on this part too much. Our church doesn't talk about this one too much.

Let's dispatch that means something is. Something is wrong with you. You are flawed. You are not a slave.

You are not a slave. You don't have your choice. It's what he says, that's what you do. It's what he.

You don't. You don't say, oh, because of measures, because of when the Bible teaches something that you don't like. What you like and don't like doesn't matter. This is how you know you're a slave.

What I like. So when people say, James, what's your opinion? It's not, it's not. It's not my opinion.

What is Christ saying about the matter? It's not what I think it is. What does Christ say? That is how you think.

Like a slave. Is it that Paul, you know, have ambitions? In fact, I will ask myself where Paul was trying to define himself to the Romans in that Philippians. Why did Paul.

Do you know that Paul was a very, very successful person? Why did he not start with his qualification saying, hey, I am Paul, a lawyer, a lawyer, a pharisee, a this. And he started with a bond servant. Why did he not.

He didn't even start with an apostle of Jesus Christ. You know, that would have been nice now he started with a bond, servant of Christ. Some of us started, hey, I'm a engineer, I'm this and that, I'm this, I'm this and that. Paul laid aside all of those things.

He started with festing, I'm a slave of Christ. And he was. So he said it with confidence, we cannot be proud of who we are in Christ. He said, I am not trying now.

So you need to know when you are a slave, when the Bible teaches something you don't like or what you like, it doesn't matter. What you like or what you don't like doesn't matter. It is the word of God. The fact is that there are things in the book of Romans, for example, that you don't.

Some of us will not like. There are some things that you might not like. But if you regard yourself as a Christian, a slave of Christ, the only thing that matter is what he likes. That's why Jesus was a perfect example to the point, Lord, not my will, but dying.

Some of us, it's only to an extent one thing. God says, everybody is going to this place. God said, you don't go there. And even your parent, everybody is telling you you have to go.

And God is saying, I want to hear, can you. Can you let go of certain things because you are a slave. Because you're a slave, because you are a slave. You should be able to say, not my will, Lord, but thine.

So this might not be the most comfortable word. Oh, we need to understand something. I explain the difference between a slave and a servant. So you see that in some cases you need to know when to like.

You need to know when the relationship calls for friendship. Now let me just read some few verses, then we'll close there where I talk about. You see many cases where the Bible calls you son, friend. And this thing, Romans 8:14 says, for as many that learned by spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Galatians 4:7. Wherefore thou now this one is just preparing your heart so that you can't study more. And you will start seeing some things I'm saying. He said anarchy said John 15 ver.

15. Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what the Lord doeth. For I have called you friends. All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Now you see some cases, you see that sometimes the Bible references us as friends, as servants. You see that there are different relationship status based on different points in your life. So you just need to know That a full Christian, a complete Christian, should be able to embody all of these relationship types with God. If we are still only feeling that, oh, I'm a son, I'm only a child of God, I'm only a child of God, we're not there yet.

And the secret to freedom from sin, addiction, bondage is in our acknowledgment of that we are slaves to righteous living. Now, what does being a slave to righteous living look like now? One of the things, it looks like this. You don't feel like doing it, but you have to do it.

You don't feel like, like you know, you know how it's like now. He doesn't have his own say. He doesn't have his own say. He can't be negotiating with the master.

He can't. No, it's just what he said. He tell you, wake up, go to that place, go and talk to that person and come back. He doesn't have to say, oh, sir, I've done all this.

Please can you give me. I think we read it the right time. That a servant, when he has done what he's meant to do, he doesn't come to the master and say, you should pay me what is due me. Or you don't say, no, sir, I have just done my duty.

I have just done my duty. A servant or a slave must be ready to lay all for the gospel. So I just, I just want us to really meditate on Romans 6. I want to read a lot of portion in Romans 6, but because of time, read Romans 6, meditate on it to close.

First Peter 2, 16. He said, as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond servants of God. First Peter 2, verse 19. I want to read that to close.

And we go to God in prayer. Let me first Peter 2, verses 2. 16. First Peter 2, 16.

I read 16. Yeah, as free. I'm not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servant of God, we are free. But don't use your liberty in Christ as a license to sin, rather as the servant of God.

Don't abuse the grace of God. Some people are using Christianity to collect contracts. They're using their Christian lifestyle to collect contracts. Don't use your liberty in Christ to commit sin.

The Bible says you are free to do all things. All things are lawful, but not all things are expedient. Do you know, as a Christian, once you give your life to Christ, you are no longer bound by the laws of this land. Again, I don't Know if you get what I'm saying, you are no longer bound by the things that are bound, that people are following all those rules and all those things.

I'm no longer bound by all those laws of food and not eat this and eat that. You're actually free, but let it not be that you use that, your freedom as a license for sin. May the Lord grant us understanding. So I just want to pray.

I just want to pray that the Lord will transform the way we think. The Lord will transform the way we think. Because when everybody becomes a slave to righteous living, when everybody undersees themselves as slaves, you will no longer be behaving certain way. You no longer be seeing things as optional.

You see it as, I don't have choice. It's like I don't have a choice. That's what Paul was saying. I don't have a choice.

Who is me if I don't preach the gospel? That's what Paul was saying. Who wants me if I don't preach this gospel? I don't have a choice.

But now you choose. I see you. It's optional. If I want to do, I do.

If I don't do, I don't do. So we pray that God will expand this word in our hearts and will extend not just to us, but to other people. That we are not just children of God. We are also slaves of Jesus Christ.

And it's not just for disciples. It's not just for those that are the pulpits. It's not just for those that are serving or ministers. It is for every believer.

Nobody can ever be free at any point. You can never be fully free. You are either bound to sin or bound to Jesus Christ. Choose one.

I'd rather be a state of righteousness than to be a slave to sin. Some people don't want to be dark because of that thing. They don't want to. I don't want to.

It will be hard. I won't be able to be free again. You don't know. You see.

That's the light that will tell you, you know that you're even more in bondage when you're in sin. We'll go to God in prayer and we're going to pray that God is going to open our eyes and ears of understanding. We're going to pray that God will help us to be slaves of Christ Jesus indeed. Slaves to righteous living, indeed.

And we pray that God will give us a way to finish our course. And we also pray that many that are born, that are bound by curses, many that are bound by by poverty. They are bound to all those things. We pray that the Lord will break every chain today in the name of Jesus.

And when he breaks the chain, you have to automatically know, you have to know that they are going to be bound again by another chain. That is what righteousness. That's why some people, because they don't want to bound there, they still go back. So that's our prayer.

So shall we go to God in prayer? Daddy, you need us in prayer.