## A Change Of Masters

## Romans 6:18

(GEN 1:28) "AND GOD BLESSED THEM, AND GOD SAID UNTO THEM, BE FRUITFUL, AND MULTIPLY, AND REPLENISH THE EARTH, AND SUBDUE IT: AND HAVE DOMINION OVER THE FISH OF THE SEA, AND OVER THE FOWL OF THE AIR, AND OVER EVERY LIVING THING THAT MOVETH UPON THE EARTH."

(GEN 2:15) "AND THE LORD GOD TOOK THE MAN, AND PUT HIM INTO THE GARDEN OF EDEN TO DRESS IT AND TO KEEP IT."

In doing this man was being obedient to His Maker and serving Him. God has given him position over all the earth, but he is subject to God as his Master.

We would like to think of ourselves as rulers and being in charge, but deep down we know the truth....we can do a lot...but there are forces at work that are greater than we are. We strive to exercise control, but we find ultimately we have little control over our lives. The majority of people cannot even master their own bodies. We are a people who are addicted to food, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, and pride. We are not the master of our fate nor the captain of our soul. We are servants. Now the question for this morning is this: Who is your Master?

I. Man must have a master!

A. Every man does have a master!

(MAT 6:24) "NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS: FOR EITHER HE WILL HATE THE ONE, AND LOVE THE OTHER; OR ELSE HE WILL HOLD TO THE ONE, AND DESPISE THE OTHER. YE CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON."

(1 JOHN 3:8) "HE THAT COMMITTETH SIN IS OF THE DEVIL; FOR THE DEVIL SINNETH FROM THE BEGINNING. FOR THIS PURPOSE THE SON OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED, THAT HE MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL."

B. Man can have only one of two masters, either the Lord or Satan.

C. Many folks believe in something much different than what the Bible teaches in relationship to salvation.

1. The world's idea is that a person earns or works their way to heaven.

a. Its idea you can serve one for a while and then the other, and when they are balanced out the one you served the most gets you!

ILLUS: A child really does good for a few days or weeks the then messes up. "But dad," he says crying and trying to justify his action, "I've been good all week!" Do you see the problem? Liken this to a murderer who says its OK, I never murdered anyone till now!

b. God is not interested in that kind of faulty logic.

c. Rather than trying to rationalize our sin, we need to confess it and repent of it.

2. God has established the way for sinful man to approach Him.

a. It is now, and always has been, through the shed blood of the innocent sacrifice.

b. In the O.T. it was the animals which typified the Lamb of God who would come.

c. Now we understand that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God.

d. God provided Himself as our sacrifice to enable us to approach Him.

Man needs a change in masters, a man who does not know God needs to accept Christ as their Lord and Master and begin serving Him, and Him alone.

II. Who Is Your Master?

A. The Child of God changes masters!

1. This is an absolute fact, and an unchangeable and undisputable truth.

(2 COR 5:17) "THEREFORE IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATURE: OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY; BEHOLD, ALL THINGS ARE BECOME NEW."

2. What is new?

a. There has been a change of masters.

b. The absolute sure way to know if a person is saved or not is to look at who that person serves.

(LUKE 6:46) "AND WHY CALL YE ME, LORD, LORD, AND DO NOT THE THINGS WHICH I SAY?"

c. Why? He said, speaking to the multitudes of people who were following Him, were they calling Him Lord?

d. Jesus was saying to them, I'm not your Lord if you do not do the things I say.

3. New, by definition means not the same!

B. Everyone is enslaved in various degrees.

1. The lost man is w/o exception is the servant of sin.

a. Some are worse than others.

b. Some are very obvious. Swearing, adultery, murder , stealing, being cruel, crooked in money dealings, drinking and such.

c. Some are not so obvious.

2. However, the focus should be on the sinner's need and not the sin.

3. If we only consider the sin, then a person begins to think he has changed when he stops a particular sin.

4. That is reformation, not salvation!

C. Hypocrites are the worse slaves. One who claims to be something they are not.

1. They may live under the restraints and influence of true Christians and the Bible.

2, Yet they are not committed to Christ and by nature cannot enjoy the Christian life.

a. Their heart is just not in it.

b. Christ and the Scriptures are not real to them and they do not have true peace in their hearts.

c. What a terrible place to be in.

3. He is often patted on the back for a good deed, but there is never any true satisfaction or reward in the hollow deeds of good works.

III. The Christian Is Made Free From Sin!

(ROM 6:18) "BEING THEN MADE FREE FROM SIN, YE BECAME THE SERVANTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS."

A. Being made free from sin.

1. It states a fact.

2. The saved man is freed from sin.

(ROM 8:1) "THERE IS THEREFORE NOW NO CONDEMNATION TO THEM WHICH ARE IN CHRIST JESUS, WHO WALK NOT AFTER THE FLESH, BUT AFTER THE SPIRIT."

3. Free from sin, its penality and even from guilt!!

4. Past - Present - Future ! Freed from sin.

(ROM 8:33) "WHO SHALL LAY ANY THING TO THE CHARGE OF GOD'S ELECT? IT IS GOD THAT JUSTIFIETH."

B. No longer a slave to sin.

(ROM 6:6-7) "KNOWING THIS, THAT OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, THAT THE BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DESTROYED, THAT HENCEFORTH WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN. {7} FOR HE THAT IS DEAD IS FREED FROM SIN."

(ROM 6:14) "FOR SIN SHALL NOT HAVE DOMINION OVER YOU: FOR YE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE."

C. We are free because of Christ's death for us.

1. A slave is free from bondage when he dies.

2. The death of Christ sets us free from sin.

3. Do you need a change of masters today?

4. Listen to the invitation of Jesus.

(MAT 11:28) "COME UNTO ME, ALL YE THAT LABOUR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST."

(MAT 11:29-30) "TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU, AND LEARN OF ME; FOR I AM MEEK AND LOWLY IN HEART: AND YE SHALL FIND REST UNTO YOUR SOULS. {30} FOR MY YOKE IS EASY, AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT."

Will you accept His invitation today? Will you come and be His servant? We are free to choose whom we will serve. Joshua challenged the nation of Israel to make a choice.

(JOSH 24:15) "AND IF IT SEEM EVIL UNTO YOU TO SERVE THE LORD, CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHOM YE WILL SERVE; WHETHER THE GODS WHICH YOUR FATHERS SERVED THAT WERE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FLOOD, OR THE GODS OF THE AMORITES, IN WHOSE LAND YE DWELL: BUT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD."

Someone said, "Choose your Master carefully, because you will spend eternity with them." What will be your choice this morning?