August 10, 2020 NO LONGER A SLAVE
Galatians 4:6-8 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying ‘Abba Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.”
Galatians 5:1,13 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
It is a spiritual breakthrough for us when we come to known that we are sons and daughters of God; it is only by the Holy Spirit revealing this truth that we will come to know such a wonderful truth. To have a mental agreement that God is our Father is one thing, but to know in our spirit that God is indeed our Father is something else. Today we will focus on the slavery aspect of these verses. We would all be quick to say that we are not slaves, but free individuals. Is it possible to be a slave even though we think we are free? It’s my belief that the most common type of slavery today for believers, and for everyone, is slavery to self. (Drug and alcohol addiction, selfishness, habitual wrong thinking, over-eating, and being undisciplined are just a few forms if slavery to self.) This idea of being slaves to self runs counter to our culture which believes that gratifying self and making self ‘happy’ is the main priority in life. However, as you read the scriptures, you soon discover that living according to ourselves-the flesh, prevents us from knowing and experiencing the life that God has made available to each believer. The call to die to self is something we had rather not talk about; we view dying to self as something that would rob us of what we want in life. This drive to satisfy self and the focus on acquiring the things we want is being a slave to our own desires. God sent His Son that we might be born again into eternal life, be set free from sin and a life focused on self, be made new creations, and become sons and daughters of God. Living as a son or daughter of God is far different and cannot be compared to living life not knowing God-it’s a new day when we come to know God as Father. When we are set free from slavery to self, we discover life in the kingdom of God, a life that satisfies the deepest yearnings of our souls. We were created to live as sons and daughters of God, not to be slaves to sin and to self. The most monumental thing we can do in life other than trusting Jesus as Savior, is to die to ourselves. We may not know it up front, but when we die to self, we then discover that dying to self is actually finding real life. To lay aside our life in exchange for His life is the best deal we will ever make. Dying to self is simply choosing to walk in His ways and to do the things that please Him-to love one another, to serve one another, to encourage one another, to think like He thinks, etc. To die to self is to reject the notion that we have to satisfy ourselves in order to be happy. Let us walk in the truth that Christ came to set us free and to make us sons and daughters; let us live in the liberty we have in Christ. We are no longer salves; we are new creations and members of the kingdom of God, and in His kingdom, there are no slaves.
Romans 8:1-2 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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