Friday, 10 July 2009

• FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY

  One of the surprise hits this year was a movie entitled, “Taken.”  It was sort of a middle-aged “Bourne Identity.”  The plot involves a former spy who is trying to reconnect with his daughter.  She gets kidnapped while on a trip across Europe, and her father springs into action to keep her from being sold into slavery.  The movie spends the majority of its time watching the Father kick butt across Europe in the desperate attempt to save the daughter he loves from a fate that is almost unimaginable. 

   

  Now slavery may seem like a strange concept or premise here in 2009, but the slave trade is alive and well in the world and even in America.  ABC News reports that as many as half a million American children under the age of 18 are involved in slavery and as many as 3,000,000 are involved in prostitution.  The East Coast hub for sex slave traffic is just a few hours away down in Atlanta.  Now if Atlanta seems to far away, but just last week, Durham police arrested a Duke employee who was attempted to traffic his adopted son to someone on the internet. 

   

  Now, the proper response to this news should be disgust, anger, and a desire for justice.  Slavery is disgusting, and the proper response to anyone in it is compassion and a vigilance to see that person freed.  Imagine for a minute that you actually knew someone who was a slave.  Someone who was helpless to a ruthless master who held them captive.  I think most everyone here would do whatever they could to free that person, especially if it was someone they were close to or someone they loved.

   

  In light of that, listen to this:  Titus 3:3-8 - For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

   

  There are some foundational truths here, and it is important that they are understood before venturing any further into Romans.

   

  ·        Each and every person is a fool, disobedient, led astray, and a slave to their passions and pleasures, full of malice and envy apart from God.

  ·        However, when the goodness and loving kindness of God, through Jesus our Savior appeared, God saves people.  He doesn’t save anybody because of good works, but because God is merciful.

  ·        God washes you by regenerating from you death unto life by the Holy Spirit whom He pours out on us through Jesus.

  ·        So, if you have faith in Jesus, you are justified or legally declared innocent by God’s grace.  Not only are you declared innocent, God makes you a co-heir with Jesus with the hope of inheriting eternal life.

  ·        And you know what the proper response should be?  We should devote ourselves to good works out of a heart of thankfulness.

  ·        So, let’s get this straight:  you were transformed from a slave to an heir of eternal life through God’s work.  You went from a slave to passions to devotion to good works because of God’s grace.

   

  Now if you fully own this truth.  If you fully own how desperately hopeless your situation was before knowing Christ, then you should be the most compassionate person in the world to anyone that you know that is a slave to sin presently.  In light of that, let’s ask this big picture question:

   

  Big Picture Question:  How should God’s transformation of you from slave to sin to slave to righteousness motivate you to share the Gospel with others?

   

  If you are interested in worshiping with Sovereign King, we gather for worship at 10:30am each Sunday, and you can find directions to our space at http://www.sovereignkingpca.net/1.2.html

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