May 5, 2002 Northwest Bible Church
Rom. 1:1
A Bond-Servant of Christ Jesus
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INTRO
I. PAUL’S STATUS - A SERVANT OF CHRIST JESUS.
A. The meaning of "bond-servant" (doulos ).
1) The "servant of the Lord" found in the OT.
2) A more humble designation which highlights the fact that Paul was a slave of Christ. The Greek word is doulos which means a slave. Background to slavery in the Roman Empire.
a) Reasons for slavery
b) The conditions of slavery.
B. Paul as a bond-servant of Christ.
1) The grace of God behind Paul’s slavery to Christ.
2) The power of God behind Paul’s slavery to Christ.
3) Paul’s emphasis on his relationship to Christ
II. EVERY CHRISTIAN A SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST.
A. All Christians are Christ’s slaves. Rom. 6: 19, 22; Rev. 1:1
B. What is means to be Christ’s slave. Christ is our Owner, our Master, our Lord, our King. Therefore,
a) Obey Christ. Jn. 14:15; Ps. 40:81; 143:10; 2 Cor. 10:5.
b) Submit our goals and plans to Christ. Cf. Rom. 1:10
c) Be willing to sacrifice for Him. "I count all things loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ" (Phil. 3:8).
d) Remember that we have been bought with a price and that we no longer belong to ourselves but to Christ. 1 Cor. 6:19-20.
CONCLUSION
To what degree are we living as servants of Christ?
This is a struggle that we all can identify with. We all know at times what it means to be a runaway slave, prodigal son, AWOL.
But if you need help in living as a slave of Christ, remember: WE ARE HIS SERVANTS BECAUSE HE WAS FIRST OUR SERVANT, Mk. 10:45 Let the love of Christ woo our hearts back to Him. Then let us PUT OUR EARS TO THE DOORPOST (Deut. 15:17) AND PLEDGE OUR LIVES TO BE HIS SERVANTS FOREVER.
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