Heritage Christian Fellowship
Sunday, December 14, 2025

      • Hebrews 10:1ESV

      • Hebrews 10:2-4ESV

      • Hebrews 10:5-7ESV

      • Hebrews 10:8-9ESV

      • Hebrews 10:10-12ESV

      • Hebrews 10:13-15ESV

      • Hebrews 10:16-18ESV

      • Romans 5:1–11ESV

  • Angels From The Realms Of Glory
  • Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
  • Christ, the True and Better Adam

      • Romans 8:1–4ESV

      • Romans 8:1–4ESV

  • Now Why This Fear
  • Offering/Blessed Assurance

  • Introduction

    *Opening Illustration

    From 2011 to 2014, I had the honor of attending The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, California.
    When I’d share that, some folks would raise an eyebrow,
    thinking I meant a school tied to that famous golf tournament, the Masters.
    No, brothers and sisters, I wasn’t studying on a fairway.
    Believe it or not, I was at a place far greater,
    where the Master is Jesus Christ Himself.
    What I came to know is that the Master’s University isn’t just a name—it’s a mission.
    As President Abner Chou declares,
    “At TMU, Christ is not merely a subject to study; He is Lord over every discipline, and every thought is taken captive to His obedience.”
    From the professors to the groundskeepers, from the coaches to the mailroom staff,
    every person at TMU is united in one purpose:
    to serve the Master faithfully.
    There’s no split between Sunday worship and Monday work.
    Every task, every moment, is an act of devotion to the Lord of Lords—to the Master.
    My time there transformed me.
    I spent much of it around the athletic teams, where the pursuit of Christ’s glory burned bright.
    Before charging into competition, many teams would huddle, receive their coach’s words,
    and break with a shout: “Doulos!”
    Strange, right? Doulos is Greek for “slave."
    Why shout “slave” before a game?
    Because it declares a truth: Christ is Lord.
    Whether you’re an athlete running the race,
    a student hitting the books,
    a teacher shaping minds,
    or a worker filling a mail box, you do it all for the Master.
    You are His doulos, His slave, living to glorify Him.
    That’s the heartbeat of the school I went to.
    I didn't just get an education;
    I came to understand my calling to live every moment for the glory of Christ…as His slave.
    A calling that is yours as well. 

    Main Point

    Church, hear me today:
    to be devoted to our Master, Jesus Christ, you must live as His doulos—His slave.
    That’s my charge to you in this final sermon of our doctrinal series on… devotion.
    In order to be devoted to our Master…to Jesus Christ…you must live as His slave.

    Structure

    Let me lay it out plain and powerful in three parts.
    First, we must recognize our role as slaves of the Master.
    Second, we must fulfill our responsibility to live as His slaves.
    Finally, I’ll give you four unshakable reasons why we must be faithful as Christ’s doulos.

    Transition

    Let’s begin with the Recognition of our Role as Slaves of Christ

    A. Recognition of our role as Slaves of Christ

    1. Apostolic Tradition (Rm 1:1; 2 Pt 1:1; Jd 1:1)

    Beloved, if I asked you what biblical words paint the picture of our identity as Christians,
    you might say Christ-followers,
    citizens of heaven,
    children of God,
    lights to the world,
    ambassadors of Christ,
    sheep of the Good Shepherd,
    or branches of the True Vine.
    All true, all beautiful.
    But one word rises above, used over 130 times in the New Testament.
    That word is doulos—slave.
    The most prominent picture of a Christian is a slave
    blessed with duty and privilege of serving our divine Lord and Master.
    Open your Bibles to Romans 1:1.
    There Paul writes,
    Romans 1:1 LSB
    1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, having been set apart for the gospel of God,
    Not just in Romans, but in Philippians and Titus,
    Paul claims this title: doulos Christos—slave of Christ. 
    He’s not alone. John and Peter, two of Jesus' inner circle,
    identify themselves as slaves of Christ.
    Listen to Peter’s introduction to his second letter, 2 Peter 1:1
    2 Peter 1:1 LSB
    1 Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ,
    James, and Jude—Jesus’ own half-brothers—follow suit.
    Jude 1:1 says, “Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.”
    Think on that! They went from scoffing at Jesus’ messiahship to following Him as His slaves.
    But why does this matter?
    Because the giants of our faith—Paul, Peter, John, James, Jude—
    saw themselves first as slaves of Christ.
    That was their identity. He was their Lord, their King, their Master.
    Shouldn’t we, then, embrace the same calling?
    Shouldn’t we see ourselves as Christ’s slaves?
    The answer is yes.

    2. Scripture’s Teaching (Ex 19:5; Lv 25:55; Rm 6:16-17, 22; Jn 8:34; Ep 6:5-6; Rv 1:1, 22:3-4)

    Church, our identity as doulos—slaves of Christ—isn’t just apostolic tradition;
    it’s rooted in the unyielding teaching of Scripture.

    OT Example

    In Exodus, God’s power thunders.
    He topples Egypt with ten plagues,
    He spares His people through the blood of the Passover Lamb,
    and He parts the Red Sea for their escape. 
    But notice this, at Mount Sinai, He declares in Exodus 19:5
    Exodus 19:5 LSB
    5 ‘So now then, if you will indeed listen to My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;
    And in Leviticus, still at Sinai, He tells Moses, 
    Leviticus 25:55 LSB
    55 ‘For the sons of Israel are My slaves; they are My slaves whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.
    Do you see this? Once slaves to Pharaoh, they were redeemed to be God’s own possession-His slaves.

    Slaves of Christ

    This sets the pattern for all God’s people. As Paul writes in Romans 6,
    Romans 6:16–17 LSB
    16 Do you not know that when you go on presenting yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were given over,
    Jesus Himself says in John 8:34 
    John 8:34 LSB
    34 … “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
    But Paul brings the good news in Romans 6:22
    Romans 6:22 LSB
    22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit, leading to sanctification, and the end, eternal life.
    Freed from sin’s chains, we are now and forever bound to Christ as His slaves.

    Instruction to Slaves

    In Ephesians, Paul instructs slaves saying: 
    Ephesians 6:5–6 LSB
    5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the integrity of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
    And to masters in verse 9: 
    Ephesians 6:9 LSB
    9 And masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

    *Controversy Over Doulos

    Now, we bristle at “slave” because of the horrific history of race-based chattel slavery—
    a sin that defies Scripture’s truth.
    This is why most all of your Bibles have chosen to translate doulos as servant or bond-servant.
    There are 14 greek words for servant and doulos is not one of them.
    Doulos has one definition and it is slave
    The biblical idea behind doulos isn’t about subjugation by skin color;
    it’s about equal standing under Christ, our one Master.
    Unlike the evil of modern slavery, Paul’s words in Ephesians show no partiality—
    slave and free alike answer to the same Lord.

    *Slaves for all eternity

    Turn next to Revelation. John opens in chapter 1:1,
    Revelation 1:1 LSB
    1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His slaves the things which must soon happen; and He indicated this by sending it through His angel to His slave John,
    And if you go through the rest of the book you will see that the The 144,000 in Revelation 7,
    the prophets in Revelation 10,
    and the martyrs in Revelation 19—
    are all called doulos — slaves of God and Christ
    And in Revelation 22, go ahead and turn there,
    John is finishing His book with the glorious description of our eternal home,
    the New Heavens and New Earth and He says this,
    Revelation 22:3–4 LSB
    3 And there will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His slaves will serve Him; 4 and they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
    His name written on our foreheads marks His ownership—
    His absolute…eternal…ownership.
    We will be His treasured possession, serving and worshiping as His slaves forever.

    Transition

    Dear Church, do you see it? Do you recognize your role as a slave of Christ?
    Listen to the words of Augustine,
    “Take a look at yourself; you are a creature, acknowledge the creator; you are a slave, do not disdain the master; you have been adopted, but not on your merits…
    Does your Lord not deserve to have you as His trustworthy slave? ”
    Saints, there’s no devotion without surrender…
    there is no service without submission to Christ as Lord and Master

    B. Responsibility to be Devoted Slaves of Christ

    Transition

    Which brings us now to our second point: our responsibility as slaves of the Master.
    Describing a devoted doulos of Christ is like tracing the light dancing off a diamond’s many facets
    — brilliant, multifaceted, glorious.
    But for time’s sake, let’s fix our eyes on the two foundational ways
    we must live out our devotion as Christ’s slaves. 

    1. Exclusive Submission (Jm 4:7; Ga 2:20; Mt 16:24-25; 1 Th 4:3-6; Ep 5:17-18; Mt 6:24; Mk 12:30)

    Church, as slaves of Christ, our first responsibility is to serve our Master with exclusive submission.

    Hupotasso

    James 4:7 declares,
    James 4:7 LSB
    7 Be subject therefore to God…
    That Greek word for be subject, hupotasso,
    pictures a soldier willingly placing himself under his commander.
    It’s a heart that says, “My will is not my own.”
    It’s humbly surrendering personal autonomy to live fully for Christ.
    As Paul testifies in Galatians 2:20
    Galatians 2:20 LSB
    20 “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
    It is no longer we who live. We have been crucified to Christ.
    Martin Luther, commented on this true reality when he said,
    “If anyone would knock on the door of my breast and say, ‘Who lives here?’ I would not reply, ‘Martin Luther,’…
    but would say, ‘The Lord Jesus Christ.’”
    This is what Jesus Himself demands in Matthew 16:24
    Matthew 16:24 LSB
    24 …“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

    *Not Your Own/Walter Illustration

    What does this look like?
    Your life is His.
    Your time is His time.
    Your money is His money.
    Your work, your goals, your rewards—they’re all His.
    I know a man, blessed with brilliance and the ability to build several companies. The success he's had - He attributes to the grace of God. The wealth he has accumulated, he gives joyfully, understanding it’s the Lord’s money. And on one of his old business cards from his most successful company, under his name, do you know what he wrote as his title: Doulos. He is nothing more than Christ’s faithful slave.

    *The Master’s Will

    Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:21 that as the Lord’s slaves,
    we are to be “useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
    A slave’s sole concern is the master’s will.
    And what is God’s will?
    1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “This is the will of God, your sanctification.”
    In Ephesians 5:17-18, Paul adds, “Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
    What is the will of our Lord?
    "...do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation,
    but be filled with the Spirit.”

    *Drunk with the Spirit

    Think on this.
    A man drunk on wine is controlled by that wine—
    his speech slurs, his steps falter, and his desires run wild.
    But when you’re filled with the Spirit, you are controlled by the Spirit
    your tongue speaks love,
    your hands serve Christ,
    your feet follow the Shepherd wherever He goes,
    and your heart burns to do the Master’s will alone.

    Singular Submission

    You see, our submission must be singular.
    Turn with me to Matthew 6, and listen to Jesus’ demands
    Matthew 6:24 LSB
    24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
    Saints, we cannot serve Christ and anyone or anything else.
    We cannot call Christ our Lord and yet go back to our old master
    and seek to enchain ourselves with the bonds that Jesus broke.
    Christ commands complete commitment.
    He requires all of our devotion and love.
    As He says in Mark 12:30,
    Mark 12:30 LSB
    30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
    Christ demands our all—every part of our being.
    When we call Him Lord, we must live as His slaves,
    wholly His,
    serving and loving no other.

    2. Loving Obedience (1 Jn 5:3; 1 Jn 2:3-5; Mt 7:21-23; Lk 6:46; Jn 14:15, 21, 23-24, 15:14)

    And this is our second foundational responsibility: we demonstrate our devotion as slaves of Christ through loving obedience.
    John writes in 1 John 5:3,
    1 John 5:3 LSB
    3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments;
    Earlier, in 1 John 2:3-5, he says,
    1 John 2:3–5 LSB
    3 And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:

    Intimate Knowing

    Friends, this “knowing” isn’t just head knowledge.
    The Greek word ginosko speaks of relational intimate knowledge
    like a husband living with His wife in an understanding way, as Peter says,
    or as Jesus uses it in Matthew 7:21-23,
    Matthew 7:21–23 LSB
    21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them.’.. I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
    It’s not enough to call Jesus “Lord.” Lip service without obedience is empty.
    Jesus says in Luke 6:46,
    Luke 6:46 LSB
    46 “Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
    To the disobedient, Jesus declares, “I never knew you.”
    Why? Because they practiced lawlessness.

    Obedience Proves Love

    Lips confess, but deeds profess— we show our love, saints, with our heartfelt obedience!
    This is the teaching of our Lord.
    Turn to John 14:15,
    John 14:15 LSB
    15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
    Skip down to verse 21,
    John 14:21 LSB
    21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
    Then Jesus says, verse 23,
    John 14:23–24 LSB
    23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. 24 “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
    In John 15:14, Jesus says to His disciples,
    John 15:14 LSB
    14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you.
    True slaves of Christ love Him deeply, and that love shows itself in obedience.
    But hear me: our obedience doesn’t save us—
    it’s the fruit of our salvation.
    We don’t obey to earn His love…we obey because He loved us first.

    *The Sinful Woman who Loved Much

    Think of the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with costly perfume, washing them with her tears (Luke 7:36-50). When the Pharisees grumbled, Jesus said she loved much because she was forgiven much.
    Like her, we offer our lives as living sacrifices,
    not to show that we are worthy of His love
    but to show our love for the One who is worthy of our all. 
    As 1 John 4:19 declares, “We love..."
    Why?
    "Because He first loved us.”

    Practical Application

    Let’s get practical.
    Every act of obedience is an act of love for Christ. Amen?
    John's point in 1 John 4 is that when we love one another, we love God. 
    Who else are we called to love?
    Our enemies.
    When we love our enemies and pray for our persecutors, we love God.
    What about loving those in our household?
    In Ephesians 5:22, Paul says, “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, (Notice this…) as to the Lord.”
    Wives, your submission to your husband is an act of love, not just for Him, but for Christ.
    In Ephesians 5:25, he says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”
    Men, when you love your wife sacrificially, you’re not just loving your wife, you are loving Christ. 
    Men are you up for a challenge?
    Willful disobedience to this command doesn't just demonstrate hatred for your wife.
    Who are you ultimately hating? Your Master. 
    Men, either you are devoted to Him or you despise Him
    Children, hear Paul’s words in the next chapter of Ephesians, Ephesians 6:2-3: “Honor your father and mother .”
    We’ve had a brevy of baptisms for you young people in our church;
    For which we praise God, Amen?
    This is how you best show your love for the Master you have confessed in your baptism
    When you obey your parents from the heart,
    you’re not just honoring them, you are honoring and loving Christ, your Master.
    Dear saints, do you want to love Christ? Yes? …Then love Him on His terms.
    Demonstrate your devotion as His doulos, as His slaves,
    by obeying His commands with all your heart.

    C. Reasons to be Devoted Slaves of Christ

    Transition

    Church, we’ve seen our calling: to recognize we are slaves of Christ
    and to live out our responsibility as His doulos through exclusive submission and loving obedience.
    Now, for my final point,
    let me give you four unshakable reasons
    why we must be devoted slaves of our Master, Jesus Christ.

    1. Jesus is the Lord of Lords (Ep 5:23; 1 Ti 6:15; Ep 1:22-23; Dn7:13-14; 1 Co 15:55-57; Rv 17:14; Pp 2:9-11)

    Lord of the Church

    Beloved, the first reason we must be devoted slaves of Christ is this:
    Jesus is the Lord of Lords.
    The New Testament proclaims Him as Kyrios—as Lord—over 700 times.
    In the book of Acts alone, 92 of 94 references to Jesus call Him Kyrios - Lord.
    This is the heartbeat of Scripture: Jesus is Lord.
    As Paul declares to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:15,
    1 Timothy 6:15–16 LSB
    15 He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal might! Amen.
    The prophet Daniel foresaw this same reality in Daniel 7:13–14
    Daniel 7:13–14 LSB
    13 “…And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And came near before Him. 14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory, and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not be taken away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
    Jesus Himself proclaims in Matthew 28:18, saying
    Matthew 28:18 LSB
    “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
    As Professor Murray Harris writes,
    “When believers sing or recite the confession “Jesus is Lord,” we are affirming his absolute supremacy,
    not only over the physical and moral universe (Matt. 28:18; 1 Pet. 3:22),
    and not only over human history (Rom. 9:5),
    not only over all human beings (Acts 10:36; Rom. 10:12),
    whether living or dead (Rom. 14:9),
    not only over the church (Eph. 1:22),
    but also over our own lives as his willing slaves.”
    We belong to Him.
    As slaves of the Lord of Lords, our lives—whether we live or die—are His alone.
    As Paul says in Romans 14,
    Romans 14:7–8 LSB
    7 For not one of us lives for , and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
    We belong to Him.
    We are the slaves of the Lord of Lords.

    *Charlie Kirk

    I’ve prayed a lot this week about where to talk about this this morning. I think this is the right spot…
    Church, like many of you, I am filled with grief over the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk,
    especially for his wife and young family.
    Every testimony from those who knew him echoes the same truth:
    Charlie was wholly devoted to the mission God called him to.
    As a political activist and unashamed proclaimer of the gospel,
    he boldly stepped into the lion’s den,
    confronting the epicenter of demonic ideologies with truth and light month after month for over a decade.
    He counted the cost,
    He took up his cross, and followed the Lord without abandon.
    And despite constant death threats, he was undeterred.
    Why? Because he served the Master who defeated death.
    As Paul proclaims in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57,
    1 Corinthians 15:55–57 LSB
    55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
    Our boldness —like Charlie’s— comes not just from victory over death’s sting
    but from the truth that our Master conquered death, Satan, and all his demons.
    Jesus, the Light of the world (John 3:19),
    entered a world where men loved darkness and hated the Light.
    From the beginning, the darkness has always sought to extinguish the Light.
    This is why Satan tempted Eve in Genesis 3,
    And In Genesis 4, Cain, moved by darkness, murdered Abel, as Satan attempted to snuff out the line of the promised Messiah.
    Pharaoh, driven by the same evil, slaughtered thousands of Israelite babies to destroy God’s people.
    The prophets faced similar fates:
    Isaiah, sawed in two; J
    eremiah, stoned;
    Elijah, hunted by the demon-worshiping despots Ahab and Jezebel.
    The apostles, too, faced the darkness.
    Church tradition tells us Peter was crucified upside down,
    his brother Andrew on an X-shaped cross,
    Philip crucified or beheaded,
    James and Matthew beheaded,
    Nathaniel flayed alive,
    Simon crucified or sawn in two,
    James the Less stoned,
    Matthias stoned and beheaded,
    Thaddaeus clubbed to death,
    John thrown into a vat of boiling oil and exiled;
    and Paul beaten, stoned, imprisoned, and beheaded.
    Yet, fellow slaves of Christ, here is the glorious reality: death did not sting them,
    the grave will have no victory, and the gates of hell did not prevail.
    Why?
    Because their Lord not only paid the penalty of death but conquered it, rising on the third day.
    The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5). 
    Jesus promised to build His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail (Matthew 16:18).
    This promise holds to this day and will hold until the end.
    In Revelation 17 John describes the war waged against Christ by the Beast and his city of Babylon, in verse 14 John writes,
    Revelation 17:14 LSB
    “These will wage war against the Lam… and the Lamb will overcome them,” Why? “because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and” watch this, “those who are with Him are the called and elect and faithful.”
    Church, we must not lose hope. We must not fear death.
    As our Lord said Mt 16:25
    Matthew 16:25 LSB
    “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
    Missionary and Martyr Jim Elliot is famous for saying,
    “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
    Though the darkness slays our fellow slaves, we trust in Him.
    Why?
    Our Redeemer lives! Our redeemer lives, and He’s coming back!

    Every Knee will Bow

    And when He comes back, guess what? Turn with me to Philippians 2…
    when He returns He will establish His dominion as Lord of Lords once and for all,
    Philippians 2:10–11 LSB
    10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
    Every knee will bow—human, angelic, demonic.
    Every hater of the Light, every mocker of Christ’s slaves,
    will confess with the tongues He created that Jesus Christ is Kyrios,
    the divine Lord of all.
    Some will bow in joy; others in fear. But all will bend the knee.
    To those bristling at this call to be Christ’s slaves
    who think submission and obedience are beneath you,
    hear this: a day is coming when you will bend the knee and call Him Lord.
    Do not wait.
    Today is the day of salvation. You are not promised tomorrow, and He is coming very soon. 
    Step off the throne of your heart, surrender your sin, and trust Christ as Savior.
    Bow now, serve Him forever

    2. Jesus is the Good Master (Mt 11:28-30; Pp 2:5-8; Mt 20:28; Jn 13:16; Jn 8:29; Jn 15:15)

    Non-Burdensome Yoke

    Church, the second reason we must serve Christ as His slaves is this: Jesus is the Good Master.
    Hear His words in Matthew 11:28-30,
    Matthew 11:28–30 LSB
    “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
    His yoke is easy, His burden light.
    Following Jesus costs everything, yet following Him is not burdensome.
    His yoke is kind, His commands are pleasant.
    As British theologian William Barclay wrote,
    “For love…no duty is too hard, no task too great…
    That which would be an impossible sacrifice, if a stranger demanded it, becomes a willing gift when love needs it…
    Difficult the commandments of Christ are; burdensome they are not;
    for Christ never laid a commandment on a man without giving him the strength to carry it;
    and every commandment provides another chance to show our love.”

    Christ our Example

    Church, the goodness of our Master also shines in the reality that He is our supreme example.
    If you have your Bibles still open to Philippians 2, go back up to verse 5 with me,
    Philippians 2:5–8 LSB
    5 Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
    Jesus, though co-equal and co-eternal with the other members of the Godhead, took the form of a doulos—a slave—and obeyed even to death.
    As He said in Matthew 20:28,
    Matthew 20:28 LSB
    …the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

    Foot Washers

    Think of the night before His crucifixion.
    Before the Last Supper, do you remember what Jesus did for the disciples? 
    The Lord of the universe stooped to wash His disciples’ feet—a task reserved for the lowliest slave.
    After washing their feet He said to them,John 13:13-16,
    John 13:13–16 LSB
    “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
    Our Master gives no burden He doesn’t equip us to carry, and no yoke He hasn’t borne Himself.
    As His slaves, we follow His example, serving and obeying with humility and love.

    3. Jesus is the Righteous Judge (Rm 14:12; 2 Co 5:10; 1 Co 4:5; Mt 25:21)Christ, the Righteous Judge

    Church, the third reason we serve Jesus as His devoted doulos is this: He is the Righteous Judge.
    Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 5:10,
    2 Corinthians 5:10 LSB
    For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
    Every slave of Christ will stand before what theologians call the Bema Seat of Christ—
    not for condemnation or justification,
    but to give an account of our service.
    There, on the Bema Seat of Christ,
    our Master will judge the fruit of our labor of how well we stewarded His time, His talents, and His resources.
    Charles Spurgeon preached of this day:
    “The Lord will grant unto His people an abundant reward for all that they have done.
    Not that they deserve any reward, but that God first gave them grace to do good works, then took their good works as evidence of a renewed heart, and then gave them a reward for what they had done.
    Oh, what a bliss it will be to hear it said, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave,’
    —to find that Christ took stock of all you did for Him, even when nobody knew, to know He saw you as His precious one, serving under misrepresentation,
    and to hear Him say, ‘Enter into the joy of your Master.’”
    As His slaves, we live for that day, serving faithfully, knowing our Righteous Judge sees all and will reward us with eternal joy.

    Conclusion — The Ultimate Motivation

    4. Jesus is the Redeemer (1 Co 6:19-20; 1 Pt 1:18-19; 1 Cor 10:31; Rv 5:9)

    Church, let us conclude with our final motivation to serve Christ as His slave:
    He is our Redeemer,
    who paid the price for our freedom. 
    We were born enslaved to sin, and the wages of that slavery are eternal death—
    a debt we could never pay, a bondage we could never break on our own.
    That’s the bad news.
    But here is the good news!
    God sent His Son to redeem us.
    As 1 Peter 1:18-19 declares,
    1 Peter 1:18–19 LSB
    18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your futile conduct inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
    The writer of Hebrews adds in Hebrews 2:14-15,
    Hebrews 2:14–15 LSB
    14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
    If you haven’t trusted Christ for redemption, hear this: there is no other way.
    No amount of money, effort, or deeds can free you from sin’s grip.
    Are you weary of the cycle of sin, failure, guilt, and emptiness?
    Your master, sin, is cruel and murderous. The wages of his slavery is death.
    Come to Jesus!
    As He promises in John 8:36, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
    And this is the point I want to make: Our redemption fuels our devotion.
    Turn in your Bibles one last time to Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20,
    1 Corinthians 6:19–20 LSB
    19 Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
    You are not your own? Why? You were bought with the price of the precious blood of Christ.
    Therefore, glorify God as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:31,
    1 Corinthians 10:31 LSB
    Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
    Dear saints, let your redemption by Christ’s, fuel your devotion to Christ’s glory
    all the time, in every thing and in every way.

    And Can it Be?

    One of my favorite hymns is And Can it Be, by Charles Wesley. As we finish today, will you please stand and sing this verse with me. The words will be on the screen for you.
    It goes like this:
    Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
    Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
    Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
    I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
    My chains fell off,
    my heart was free,
    I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
    Amazing Love
    How can it be
    That thou my God shoulds’t die for me
    Let’s pray

    Benediction

    Beloved, before we close, let me ask you this: Do you recognize your role as a slaves of Christ?
    He is your Lord and Master; you are His slave.
    Do you grasp your responsibility as His slave?
    He demands your exclusive submission and deserves your loving obedience.
    Do you see why you must devote yourself to Him?
    He is the Lord of Lords, the Good Master, the Righteous Judge.
    Oh, dear saints, joyfully cast aside your own desires and autonomy.
    Follow Christ wholly as His slave, serving at His pleasure as your Savior and Lord.

      • Hebrews 10:1–8ESV

      • Hebrews 10:5–10ESV

      • Hebrews 10:11–14ESV

      • Hebrews 10:15–18ESV

  • The First Noel (Born is the King)

      • Hebrews 10:19–25ESV

      • Hebrews 10:19–25ESV

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