Salem Conference 2012 - Pastor Joseph P. Sugrue Sunday AM

Not becoming a slave to mankind [perversion of slavery to men]

 

/"It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. " Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address.\

 

Though your divine good production belongs to Christ the eternal rewards stagger the imagination.

 

1 Cor 7:23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.

 

Both the physical and the spiritual are in view here. Many poor people sold themselves into slavery. For one thing you got three squares a day as well as a roof over your head and a small salary. If you could become the slave of a Jew you were treated under the virtue of the Mosaic Law. If you could become the slave of a Roman you would become a Roman citizen after manumission. An urban slave had it best and could experience manumission in 10 to 20 years. But there was the loss of freedom, the loss of the ability to own property, and the fact that your children would become slaves as well. Even after manumission you were still bound to your owner to do certain things for him and you could never lose the lower class standing of being a former slave.

 

Paul is saying about physical slavery, though you may be poor and though it may seem difficult to live now, God will provide all of your needs. You don't need some back door way of becoming a Roman citizen, for you are a citizen of heaven. It doesn't matter how much wealth you have or lack for you are rich in Christ and so with food and shelter you shall be content.

 

Spiritually Paul is saying that the Lord is now your Master so do not become enslaved to the petty ways of other men who wish to enslave your mind to the ways of arrogance, domination of thought, evisceration of spiritual self-determination from their feeble cosmic thinking.

 

/Slavery to men: guilt motivation, approbation lust, inordinate competition, jealousy, revenge motivation, and fear.\

 

/Ps 56:4

In God, whose word I praise,

In God I have put my trust;

I shall not be afraid.

What can mere man do to me? \

 

This is where the reality of the free slave comes into view.

 

The NT words for freedom never signify political freedom, in the sense of liberation or independence from people who are political overlords. Rather, freedom is seen as spiritual.

 

Spiritual freedom is freedom from the bondage of the sin nature, the world system and the kingdom of darkness.

 

Over and against the freedom that the world sees as the freedom to do anything one wishes, the scriptures pertaining to the CA believer locate freedom as a state in an acknowledge dependence on God.

 

HEB 4:16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.

 

/1 Peter 5:7

 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.\

 

Therefore, in the scripture, spiritual freedom is not associated with independence but dependence.

 

/Freedom is also a voluntary surrender to His will.\

 

/1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,\

 

Our freedom is associated with a rule of law which amounts to a contract of marriage, brotherhood, slavery, and friendship with Christ.

 

Without the perfect law of liberty we resort to slavery to our enemies all over again; though never in position but definitely in experience.

 

James 1:25

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.

 

/ "liberty" - evleuqeri,a[eleutheria] = freedom. The Law of liberty is freedom from enemies while at the same time bondage to a grace system.\

 

/James 2:1-8 shows that the Law of Liberty frees us from partiality, favoritism, and self-pleasing.\

 

If you are free from showing partiality then you are in bondage to showing deference and acceptance. If you are free from self-pleasing then you are in bondage to laying down your life for others.

 

Many long for a freedom where they can do whatever they want. They want to get rich enough or powerful enough to that no action carries a consequence. This is not freedom. This is independence. This is what satan has desired.  What they don't understand is that becomes a bondage to freedom and a slavery that is the worst of all because it is often hidden.

 

/The person who is unaware of being enslaved neither longs for nor appreciates freedom. \

 

James 2:12 So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.

 

James 2:13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

 

Mercy is grace in action and in this context it is to be aimed at another. To not show mercy is to judge and condemn another.

 

/Love believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and bears all things and it will never fail you.\

 

/Spiritual freedom is related to Christ, the Holy Spirit, and eternity and so freedom is directly proportional to sanctification.\

 

/Sanctification means to be set apart, as does freedom and so they are united in their three phases; positional [in Christ], experiential [power of HS], and ultimate [eternal life].\

 

/It is Jesus Christ who sets us free from our enemies and sets us apart from all "in Him." Positional freedom.\

 

/John 8:36

"If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.\

 

/GAL 2:4

But it was because of the false brethren who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.\

 

/The freedom obtained at salvation in position becomes an experience through the power of the HS and BD in executing the PPOG. Experiential freedom.\

 

ROM 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

 

ROM 8:14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

 

ROM 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

 

ROM 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

 

ROM 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.

 

2 Cor 3:17  Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

 

2 Cor 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

 

The unveiled face is the freedom to look intently into the mind of Christ and through the Spirit have it transformed into epignosis doctrine.

 

This involves freedom from the Mosaic Law, freedom from a veil of ignorance concerning the plan and purpose of God, and through the torn veil in the temple, freedom of high priest access to the Holy of Holies, which is where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

 

/Finally, there is the intimate association of freedom with Christ in the future eternal state. Ultimate freedom.\

 

GAL 4:26 But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.

 

GAL 4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.

 

ROM 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

 

ROM 8:19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

 

ROM 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope

 

ROM 8:21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption [to decay] into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

 

ROM 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

 

ROM 8:23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

 

The ultimate freedom is severance from our three enemies forever. This is the ultimate emancipation. However, let it not be said that we become so ultimately free that we are as God is. We still need the restrictions of a body, but the not the body of the flesh, rather a resurrection body like our Lord's, yet without the 5 badges of honor that are His wound scars.

xxx

1 Cor 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;

 

1 Cor 15:43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;

 

1 Cor 15:44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

 

1 Cor 15:45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

 

1 Cor 15:46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.

 

1 Cor 15: 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.

 

1 Cor 15:48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.

 

1 Cor 15:49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

 

/The more intense is one's experience in servitude the greater ones appreciation of emancipation.\

 

/Luke 7:47

"For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."\

 

The maturity to truly and freely forgive is a priceless freedom. The one who knows of how much he has been truly forgiven by God enjoys it greatly.

 

The person who is unaware of being enslaved neither longs for nor appreciates freedom.

 

 

 

Lord’s supper:

 

Slaves are servants and our Master became the example.

 

A character trait that was closely associated with slaves was the humble service of others. Peter calls on all church members to put on an apron.

 

 

 

 

/1 Peter 5:5

You younger men, likewise, be subject [used for slaves in 2:18] to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. \

 

/The verb used, "clothe yourselves" - evnkombo,omai[enkomboomai] - from the noun enkomboma = an apron worn by slaves over their tunic when serving. \

 

We are all being told to put on the apron of humility in the same way that slaves would tie an apron over their tunic as they began to work.

 

Sounds familiar, right?

 

Peter has personal experience with witnessing this from His Lord and ours who had the mental attitude of a servant though He was a Master. As he writes “clothe yourself” his thoughts must wander to those few hours before the cross when he was completely ignorant of what the Lord was doing.

 

John 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God,

 

John 13:4 rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.

 

John 13:5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

 

This action of wrapping a garment around one's waist in preparation for service was pre-eminently and characteristically a slave's action.

 

John 13:12 And so when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments, and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?

 

John 13:13 "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

 

John 13:15 "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.

 

John 13:16 "Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.

 

John 13:17 "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

 

This is the positive of slavery. The positive only exists when your Master is TLJC.

 

The negative of slavery is when your master is the OSN.

 

After this conference I would confidently say that all of us have more power to choose the right Master and to lay aside the old one.