Who Is Christ’s Slave? B

And then you were owned, and then you were subjected, and then you were dependent, and then you were disciplined, and then you were called to account, and then you were evaluated, but you were also protected and provided for and rewarded.

That's all slave talk. It changes the whole paradigm of one's relationship to Jesus Christ. Welcome to Grace to You with John MacArthur.

I'm your host, Phil Johnson. If you're a believer in Christ, you've been bought with a price, bought with the precious blood of the Savior. Now you may know most of what that means, that your sins have been paid for and your access to eternal life has been purchased. But what does the price that Christ paid mean for your life today? What does He demand of you right now in this life? John MacArthur answers that today on Grace to You as he continues his challenging series titled Lessons for a Modern Day Disciple. Here's John now with the lesson. If I were to ask you what is the fundamental truth, what is the foundational reality, what is the distinguishing fact of Christianity in three words, what would you say?

Think about it. What essential core confession should boldly mark your church? What essential core confession should boldly mark your ministry?

What theological absolute should govern your life and your church? Well if you haven't arrived there, here it is, Jesus is Lord. To say someone is Lord or despotous means He owns slaves. You're not the Lord of no one. You're not the absolute ruler of no one. And you're not the sovereign ruler over people who have an option.

And you're not the absolute ruler over people who have an option. Any denial of that aspect of the lordship of Jesus Christ is heresy. Any denial of the lordship of Christ is a damning thing. Any denial of slavery on my part is a horrendous misunderstanding of what Christ asks of the sinner.

You were bought. Acts 20, you were purchased with His blood. First Peter 1 18, you were bought, redeemed, not by gold or silver or precious stones, but by the blood of Christ. Put yourself in the position of the early church, they're going to go out and evangelize.

Here's what they're up against. They're going to preach Christ crucified. They're going to preach Messiah is God, and Messiah as God is killed by the Jews using the Romans as the executioner. This is a very hard message for any Jew to believe, that the religious elite studious versed in Scripture would prompt the execution of the incarnate God and Messiah. That's why Paul says that this message, this preaching of the cross is to the Jews a what?

A stumbling block. So you're trying to convince Jews that God died, that the Messiah died on a cross. Bizarre, ludicrous, killed by Gentiles. Then you're trying to convince the Gentiles that a crucified Jew is the God of the universe, and for them that is foolishness. And then you can add on top of that, you're telling both of them that they need to become slaves of this God and submit their entire lives to an alien will, give up all their freedoms, all their own ambitions, all their own dreams, all their own desires, and totally deny themselves and follow Him even to the death.

You talk about a counterculture evangelistic strategy? You'd have to ask the question if the Lord made it as absolutely impossible as He could. Jesus didn't come to abolish slavery. If He did, He failed. The apostles didn't come to abolish slavery.

If they did, they failed too because it's still around in the world. Jesus just borrowed the metaphor because it's so perfect. In fact, when the gospel began to move out into the world, the apostles understood it. Peter preaching in Acts chapter 2, taking his stand with the eleven, explaining what's going on in the day at Pentecost, verse 18 says, "'Even on my slaves.'" This is God referring to His people as slaves.

In Acts chapter 4, verse 29, when they began to be persecuted, they rose up again and preached the gospel again. Said in verse 28, the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel just did whatever God's hand and God's purpose predestined to occur, and now, Lord, take note of their threats and grant that thy, not bondservants, that's just a hyphenated non-word, grant that thy slaves. Earlier Peter referred to the Old Testament text where God's people were called slaves there. Now Peter refers to himself as a slave. They got it and they lived in a world of slaves. They understood it very, very well.

You know, whatever sort of residual stigma it might have in our culture, there was no residual stigma in that culture. The slave was like a tool. You could kill your slave if you wanted to and there were no reprisals in the courts. Slave was like a tool. And to say that this one, this crucified man is asking you to become his slave is beyond absurdity. Everybody who was free wanted to stay free.

Most people who were slaves wanted to be free. In the 16th chapter of Acts in the 17th verse, Paul, you know the story of Philippi, and there's this slave girl, verse 16, has a spirit of divination. She's demon-possessed and bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. She follows after Paul.

This is just the kind of PR person you don't need. Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out saying, these men are doulois. Even the demons knew that those who belonged to Kurios, Jesus, were doulois. They knew it from the Old Testament.

Peter knew it about himself. Even the demons knew it. These are the doulois of the Most High God who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation. Course Paul shut her up cause that would just confuse people to have Satan supporting them.

This is how it goes. Colossians chapter 4, Epaphras, who is one of your number, and here for reasons that I don't know and couldn't find out, the NAS all of a sudden pops up with a bond-slave of Jesus Christ. It's doulos. Peter knew he was a doulos. The demons know those who belong to Christ are doulois.

Paul knows Epaphras is a doulos. In 2 Timothy 2, verse 24, now we're talking about pastors. Here we are, guys, and the Lord's doulois, the Lord's doulois must not be quarrelsome, kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, etc., etc., etc. That's us. That's how we're described.

That's how we're defined. In 1 Peter 2, verse 16, act as free men, do not use your freedom as a covering for evil. You've been given freedom in Christ, freedom from sin, freedom to do what is right. Do not use your freedom as a covering for evil. Don't be an antinomian.

Use it as douloi of God. Again, the general statement of Peter, he recognizes he's a slave. The demons recognize those who belong to the Lord are slaves. Paul recognizes that Epaphras is a slave. And here Peter identifies all believers as slaves of God.

I just can't resist the book of Revelation. In the book of Revelation it says in verse 1, the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show to His slaves the things which must shortly take place, and He communicated it by His angel to His slave, John. What you have here is the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show to His slaves, His slaves then, His slaves now, His slaves into the future, His slaves until He comes. We're His slaves. They were His slaves in the Old Testament. They were His slaves in the New Testament. They're His slaves in the book of Acts. They're His slaves in the epistles. They're His slaves in the book of Revelation.

On to the end, we're all slaves, because that's what kurios means. And just to follow this through, chapter 7 of Revelation and verse 3, when it comes to protecting, sealing, it says in verse 3, do not harm the earth or sea or trees, for we have sealed the slaves of our God on their foreheads, and then you have the 144,000. That force of Jews during the time of the Tribulation, they're going to evangelize the Jewish nation, and probably far beyond that, they are slaves. They were slaves in the Old Testament. They were slaves in the gospels. They were slaves in the epistles, slaves in the present, slaves in the time of the Tribulation. Chapter 10 and verse 7, you have another reaching back, the voice of the seventh angel when he's about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished as he preached to his...and here it's servants, sometimes bond slaves, sometimes bond servants, sometimes servant.

Who knows why they move around with all those words? It's doulos, douloin, preached to his servants, the prophets. Preachers are slaves. It's not servants, it's slaves. Servants work, take their money, and go home. Slaves are owned.

Servants work for whoever they choose to, slaves are bought, and work only for their master. And it goes on like that. Chapter 19 of Revelation tells us that one day in the future, the Lord is going to avenge the blood, verse 2, of his douloin. He's going to avenge the blood of his douloin. Verse 5, voice came from the throne. Now you're in heaven, folks. Now you're in heaven and heaven is saying, give praise to our God, all you, his douloin. You're going to be a slave, my friend, when you get to heaven, and you're going to be a perfect slave when you get to heaven, but you're going to be a slave.

You think that's stretching? Go to verse 3 of chapter 22, let's go to heaven for sure. There's the throne of God, verse 3, the throne of the Lamb, and His slaves shall serve Him. You're going to be a slave in heaven. Verse 6, He said to me, these words are faithful and true, the Lord the God of the spirits of the prophets sent His angel to show to His slaves the things which much shortly take place. You never stop being a slave, and He never stops being Lord.

That's why you can identify yourself like this. Philippians 1, 1, Paul a slave of Christ Jesus. Oh, it says bondservant here, but it's slave. Or Philippians 1, 1, Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. Or James, James a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Or Peter, 2 Peter 1, Simon Peter a slave. Or Jude, Jude a slave of Jesus Christ. And then Revelation 1, 1, John a slave.

You think there might be a stigma with that because of five generations back? How do you think that flew in a slave world? This is so missing from Christian vocabulary. But once you get it, then all of a sudden when the Bible says you were chosen, you say, wait a minute, like when a master went into the slave market and chose a slave, yeah? And then you were bought, like when the master paid the price for the slave.

And then you were owned, and then you were subjected, and then you were dependent, and then you were disciplined, and then you were called to account, and then you were evaluated, but you were also protected and provided for and rewarded. That's all slave talk, changes the whole paradigm of one's relationship to Jesus Christ. The gospel is a call to slavery. You just have to decide whether you would rather be a slave to Jesus Christ or the devil. The fundamental issue in slavery is obedience, submission. But it doesn't end there. I don't just call you slaves, I now call you, what, friends.

I call you friends. You know, that was really rare from all that I could read. But that's what Paul asked Philemon to do when Onesimus went back, to embrace him as a friend and brother. Remember that, verses 15 to 18?

It was rare, but it happened, and it happened in the church. But here's the distinction, I don't any longer just call you slaves. Here's why, because the slave doesn't know what his master's doing. You know, go over there and do that and don't ask me why, right? You don't owe the slave any information, point and shoot, that's it.

Do what I tell you. But among the slaves, there would be slaves who became privy to the master's intentions, to the master's motivations. They got on the inside. They got to know his heart, and they needed to know why he did what he did, and he needed to tell somebody that, and there were slaves that became friends. And the distinction was, you were a friend when you knew why he was doing what he was doing. I've called you friends.

Why? For all things that I have heard from My Father, I've made known to you. That's what takes you from the hoi polloi to the intimate circle. Caesar in illustration, Caesar was the Lord over everybody. But there were people in the life of Caesar who were close to him, who were confidants of him, who necessarily had to have a fuller explanation for the things that were in the heart of their leader in order for them to do their job well. And there were men who were drawn to intimate affection and friendship because they held things in common, because they were attracted to each other, because they needed each other's wisdom. Caesar was always Caesar, but there were among those over whom he had absolute authority those who also knew his intimate motives.

This is just magnificent. Obedience does not make you Jesus' friend. Obedience proves you are his friend because you can't be obedient unless you know his intentions. We are slaves, no question, but we are slaves who have become the most intimate friends because he's told us everything.

First Corinthians 2 16, you have the mind of Christ. I know how he thinks. I know what he wants me to do, but I know why he wants me to do it. I know.

Ask me what his motives are. I will tell you, all has been revealed. The lordship controversy with its silly notions of Christ as Savior and not Lord, with the silly kind of come to Christ now and consecrate later idea, I think would have been a far less acceptable, far less influential. I think it would have faced insurmountable obstacles if this had been translated correctly. And it's the only issue that I know of in Scripture like this. He is master, I am his slave. But I'm not just a slave, I am a friend, and he's a perfect master, perfectly wise, perfectly compassionate, perfectly kind, perfectly, profoundly, inexplicably, endlessly generous.

But he is my master. He alone provides all I need. He is my only protector, you understand that? In the spiritual realm I only have one protector, my Lord is my protector.

I have only one provider, my God supplies all my needs. Christ is my protector in that no one can lay any charge to the elect, it is Christ that justifies. He's my great high priest who intercedes for me. He is my discipliner. Every branch he prunes and purges. Every son he scourges.

He is my rewarder. And one day, think of it, one day I will become a joint heir with Christ and I will take my place seated with Him on His throne. Turn to Philippians 2.

If you're feeling this is beneath you, get ready, you're about to be smitten. Verse 5, have this...well, verse 3, let's go back, do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. That's slave attitude.

Don't look on your own interests, on the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus who although He existed in the form of God, didn't treat equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself taking the form of a...slave, please, slave. Every time I read Von Servant, aye, aye, aye...slave.

So this is beneath you, you think, huh? He became a slave. How far down did He go? The likeness of man, humble himself, becoming...what's the next word? Obedient.

That's what slaves do, all the way to the point of death, even death on a cross. He...can I say it?...took up His cross and followed. He denied Himself. He perfectly obeyed the will of the Father.

What did He say? I only do what the Father tells me to do. I only do what the Father shows me to do. I only do what the Father does. I only do the will of the Father. Oh, by the way, verse 9, therefore God...what?...highly exalted Him and gave Him a name. Bestowed on Him the name which is above every name...what is that name?...Lord, Lord.

And at that name which belongs to Jesus, the name Lord, every knee should bow of those who are in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is...what?...Lord. You say, well I'm confused. I thought we were sons. Oh, come on, don't mix your metaphors. Sure we're sons. We're also branches.

We're also a bride. But you don't mix all the metaphors. Slavery is talking about one thing, and I'll tell you, the dominant component in the New Testament is slave talk.

I need to just close on one other text. It's 17 of Luke, verse 7. Each of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he's come in from the field, come immediately and sit down to eat. Nobody is going to say that, because that's what slaves are supposed to do. You don't say, oh, hey, thank you so much, come in and eat.

No. Will he not say to him, prepare something for me to eat? Sure, that's what slaves do. They serve their master. And then properly clothe yourself, clean up, and serve me until I've eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink. He doesn't thank the slave, because he did the things which were commanded, does he? So you too, I love this, when you do all the things which are commanded you say this. What does it say?

We are unworthy slaves. We've done only that which we ought to have done. That's John MacArthur here on Grace to You, continuing his study, Lessons for a Modern-Day Disciple. John teaches each day on the radio. He also serves as chancellor of the Master's University and Seminary, and today's message highlighted the good news, the life-changing truth, that Jesus is Lord, and that you and I and all believers are his slaves. Well, John, one thing I think this study makes clear is that there is no substantial difference between a first-century follower of Jesus Christ and a 21st-century disciple. Our language and our customs may be different, but the core commitments, what God expects from Christians, that has never changed.

Well, of course not. That is why the Great Commission says, Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. In other words, the commission to the disciples was to go out and repeat exactly what Jesus had taught the disciples.

Whatever I have taught you, you spread throughout the world. As we draw this brief series to a close, Lessons for a Modern-Day Disciple, I just want to remind you that each of these messages was taken from my preaching through the years at various shepherds' conferences, and that's an annual gathering at Grace Church for pastors from across the globe, all over the world. The messages we've been looking at over the past two weeks all help answer the question, What does it mean to follow the Lord Jesus Christ?

What does it mean to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, to honor Him and to obey Him in the present day? Even though these sermons were originally delivered to pastors and other church leaders, if you follow Christ, these messages are for you. Because of the constraints of radio, we didn't have time to cover every single part of the series, but you can own the entire series and at your own pace meditate on the truth of what it means to follow the Lord. The MP3 downloads and the transcripts for the study are available free of charge at GTY.org.

CDs are also available if they work best for you or someone you know. So again, we've completed the series, but you would do well to order it, listen to it again, share it with others. The title, Lessons for a Modern-Day Disciple, available only from Grace to you.

That's right, friend. Christ's demands are the same today as they were 2,000 years ago, and these lessons will show you how to meet those demands and serve our Lord effectively and biblically in 2023. To download John's series, Lessons for a Modern-Day Disciple, go to our website today, our web address GTY.org. Go there to download the MP3s and the transcripts from John's study called Lessons for a Modern-Day Disciple, and also let me remind you that these sermons were originally delivered to thousands of pastors at the annual Shepherds Conference in Southern California.

If you'd like to listen to more messages from past Shepherds Conferences, you'll find them at our website GTY.org. And when you're at the website, take a look at the many editions of the MacArthur Study Bible that are available there, with detailed introductions to each book of the Bible and dozens of maps and charts and about 25,000 study notes covering virtually every passage of Scripture. The MacArthur Study Bible is an ideal resource for every student of Scripture. To order the MacArthur Study Bible, visit GTY.org or call us at 800-55-GRACE. Now for John MacArthur, I'm Phil Johnson, reminding you to watch Grace to You television on Sunday, check your local listings for Channel and Times. And be here next week when John begins a series that will help you know whether you are a child of God. It's a classic study titled Salvation Survey. Don't miss the next half hour of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, on Grace to You.