Choose Your Master
Posted on August 10, 2008
Exodus 21:1-11
ONE GREAT TRUTH: Between tyrannical enslavement and rebellious freedom is a life lived as a self-dedicated servant of the ultimate Master – Jesus Christ. This kind of servanthood means the ultimate freedom.
In the minutes of the church in which I grew up is found an interesting history. The church was founded in 1833, three decades before the Civil War began and the church was started by a group of less than thirty people, eight of whom were slaves. But in 1964, those slaves were asked to leave the church, so they started New Salem Baptist Church about one mile away. Now the two churches fellowship together, but they originally split from each other over the issue of whether slavery was biblical or not.
We’re entering into a portion of Exodus that is all about the laws by which the people of Israel were to govern themselves, but we’re going to look at the first section all by itself, primarily because of one picture that can be seen. It’s the picture of a voluntary (indentured) servant giving up rights to himself permanently to serve a master faithfully.
1. Everybody ought to be free.
The Bible addresses slavery a multitude of times. Though perhaps not as much today, this used to be an extremely controversial topic. Just over a century ago, our nation divided religiously over this issue as some sought to justify slavery on biblical grounds and others defended freedom, also on biblical grounds. So what does the Bible say about slavery?
a. It’s wrong to force anyone into slavery. (v. 16)
b. It’s wrong to own people. (1 Timothy 1:10)
c. It’s wrong to mistreat people who serve us. (Colossians 4:1)
2. Everybody serves a master.
In Matthew 6:24, Jesus tells us that we can’t serve two masters – God and money – at the same time. I think Jesus had keen insight into the fact that we would be serving a master, no matter what. It will either be self or someone else, money or something else.
I don’t have to ask you today if you serve somebody – I already know you do. The question is whom?
3. Real freedom is serving the right Master.
This is difficult for us to realize. Everything in us cries out for freedom and independence, which is God’s desire for us. What we have a hard time with is the truth that our greatest freedom comes from serving.
This is illustrated well in 1 Corinthians 7:22… When we are slaves, we are free in Christ. When we are free, we are slaves to Christ. Think of the picture Moses gives us – when a servant made a permanent contract with a single owner for life, his ear was permanently marked as a sign of ownership. What a picture of the Christian life. As a blood-bought believer, I am not my own anymore – I’ve been bought with a price and I belong to Jesus eternally! I’ll serve Him forever!
Remember the words of that song… “He set me free, oh He set me free. He broke the bonds of prison for me…”
Are you really free, or do you just think you are? The better question is, are you a servant of Christ?
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