Sermon Tone Analysis
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Question: if you were going to describe your Christian character to a group of people you were familiar with (they weren’t your best friends, but you were acquainted with them), how would you describe yourself?
Pastor, deacon, Sunday school teacher, serve on this committee, volunteer in the children’s programs… How would you describe yourself?
Look at verse 1 and please notice how Paul and Timothy describe themselves.
I am impressed with the fact that Paul and Timothy describe themselves as “servants” of Christ Jesus.
The Greek word used here as “servant” is same word that is used in the N.T. to describe someone as a “slave.”
Slaves or servants were plentiful in N.T. times.
They had no rights as human beings.
They were thought of as property.
So it must have been shocking for the Philippians to open this letter and hear Paul refer to himself as a slave.
Even if someone was a slave, it would be unlikely to volunteer that information.
That is the type of information we try to hide.
Does it seem like Paul is trying to hide that information?
Not a bit.
Why is Paul not ashamed of the fact that He is a slave of Jesus Christ?
The only time you would want to brag on the fact that you were someone’s slave was if that master was highly esteemed.
If that master was very important and if that master was dearly loved by the slave.
If the slave truly loved his master, he would volunteer that information.
Does Paul love his master?
You better believe he does.
There is no doubt about it.
So I come to the question that I’d like to present to everyone here this morning: Are you okay with being known as Jesus’ slave?
The more you love Him the more you want to be known as His slave/servant.
In fact, I am convinced that this is precisely what it means to be Christian.
You cannot be Christian without enslaving yourself to Jesus.
This is the very essence of when it says that we must “confess Jesus as Lord.”
The prayer for my life is that I would love Jesus like Paul loved Jesus.
The reality of the matter is that we all are someone’s slave.
There are your options.
You can be a slave to sin or you can be Christ’s slave for righteousness.
I know what I am choosing, what about you?
Someone might say, “I’m not a slave.
I can do whatever I want.”
If you have yet to be born again by Jesus Christ, then you are a slave to sin.
You can’t stop sinning.
Probably don’t even want to stop.
The majority of the world are slaves to sin and might not even know it.
Have you ever seen someone who keeps making horrible life decisions?
You plead with them to stop, but over and over they keep making the same poor decisions that greatly affect their life.
They’re enslaved to sin.
All of us are or were.
Some may be enslaved more than others.
Our prison is large.
It has big blue skies and wide open spaces, but the fact of the matter is that we all are or were slaves to sin.
The number 1 proof of slavery to sin is death.
Death is the direct result of sin.
Have you ever seen someone who keep making horrible life decisions?
You plead with them to stop, but over and over they keep making very poor decisions.
They’re enslaved to sin.
All of us are or were.
Some maybe more than others.
Our prison is large.
It has big blue skies and wide open spaces, but the fact of the matter is that we all are or were slaves to sin.
The number 1 proof of slavery to sin is death.
Death is the direct result of sin.
Sinful humanity can become so ignorant of spiritual realities that they try to convince themselves they no longer fear death.
But even still, I am convinced, there is something inside every one of us that longs for life.
I believe it is the fact that we were created in the image of God.
We were made by God to thrive in this world, but sin turned all of that upside down.
A sin-tainted world has produced human suffering.
Our sin-tainted world has yielded death, the pain of death, the fear of death, the separation that death brings.
The consequence of death that humanity brought upon ourselves is a burden to great for us to bear.
The consequences of our sin is too great to bear.
And this is why Paul is content (proud) to call himself a slave of Jesus Christ, because he bore the burden of death on our behalf.
It was you and I who deserved to die on that cross.
Jesus didn’t deserve that death.
Jesus didn’t deserve any death.
He never once committed any sin.
He was sinless.
Jesus deserved eternal life.
But He willingly (out of love) took your place and mine on the cross.
He willingly laid down His life as sacrifice for sin.
He became our substitute.
This is the Gospel.
Jesus died for you and me.
Make no mistake, in order for someone to genuinely become a Christian, to be born again, they must become a slave of Jesus Christ.
This is what Jesus means in:
Here is the deal.
Jesus does not enslave anyone.
He only accepts volunteer slaves.
Whether or not you enslave yourself to Jesus is up to you.
I believe His Spirit is dealing with someone here and now.
Don’t resist Him.
It is sinful pride that resists enslaving yourself to Jesus.
Sinful pride says, “don’t surrender to Jesus.
Be your own person.
Do what you want.”
Not realizing all along you are already enslaved to sin, and that your eternity is at stake.
Here is the deal.
Jesus does not enslave anyone.
He only accepts volunteer slaves.
Whether or not you enslave yourself to Jesus is up to you.
I believe His spirit is dealing with someone here and now.
Don’t resist Him.
It is sinful pride that resists enslaving yourself to Jesus.
It is sinful pride that resists enslaving yourself to Jesus.
Perhaps it is fear that prevents you from enslaving yourself to Jesus.
“What is God going to ask me to do if I entrust myself to Him as His slave?”
That is a question I asked myself before completely surrendering to Christ.
Here is how I would answer that question now?
Me and countless Christians can reassure you that you need not fear becoming a slave of Jesus.
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