If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters,
the wife and her children shall be her masters, and he shall go out by himself.
But if the servant plainly says, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go out free.
Then his master shall bring him to the judges.
He shall also bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.
Heavenly Father, this morning we turn to your word, we read your word, and I pray that your message will go forth,
that every one of all the people here this morning, including myself, will gain by it and draw something from it.
We pray for your Holy Spirit, anointing upon these words and what you've given.
In Jesus' name, amen.
I've entitled the subject this morning plainly and clearly, I love my master.
I love my master.
There are times that we see people that come to the Lord.
They come to the Lord and they serve God for a short period.
And there's nothing like, I love seeing new Christians.
I just, I get, there's something about a new Christian, the excitement.
They have an excitement like the old don't.
It's just like a kid with a new toy.
And I love seeing new Christians.
But there's people that come to the Lord and they serve God for a short period.
But when the newness leaves, so do they.
Their interest in God remains as long as they feel that there is something in it for them.
But no real love relationship develops on their part.
Relationship.
Barb and I have been married for 41 years.
We celebrated in June.
41 years.
I'm right, yeah?
41 years.
You know, I loved that woman so much when I married her.
I wanted to marry her.
The first time I met her and the first time I saw her, I knew she was wife material.
I had to have her.
And I loved her.
I married her because I loved her.
It didn't take, but our first year of marriage, there started to, what did I do?
You know, I still love her, but we've got some challenges.
I recall, and I bring this up once in a while, that in the middle of our yard, I could even
take you to our homestead back there then, the place I was standing.
My dad was out, and he saw that things just were a little bit tense because we were in
the house.
We had lunch or something.
And he walked up to me in the middle of the yard, and he says, you're having a tough time.
I never said anything.
And he waited a moment, and he says, I'm just going to let you know that if there comes that
there has to be a decision between you and Barb, I'll let you know right now it's not going
to be you.
It's going to be Barb.
So, in other words, boy, get it together.
Get your act together.
You're going to have challenges.
There's going to be tough times.
Do you love her?
Five years down the road, not much changes, but I'll tell you, five years down the road,
I loved her more than the first day that I married her.
Or a tenth year, it gets greater and greater.
Today, after 41 years, I told her, I says, you know, if you're up to it, I'd be ready
to go for another 41 years.
I love her.
But how easy it would be to cop out.
And I know things happen.
Things happen.
I'm not going to go in.
Every individual, it's a different story.
Love relationship.
And relationship always requires two.
I know that I love her.
I know that Barb loves me.
Now, our Heavenly Father, his kingship and his sonship, Jesus Christ,
I know the love they have for me.
Relationship.
It requires two.
Now, we have just read this passage.
The law that was, and we look at it as being then.
But oftentimes, we miss something that God is showing us.
Because it's Old Testament.
And we are quick to say, that doesn't apply to me today.
And justly so.
We talk about keeping the Ten Commandments.
And how about all the other Ten Commandments?
How about all the other Ten Commandments?
Like there were like 400, maybe more, that God gave.
Many, many commandments.
Leviticus ends off with, these are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses.
For the children of Israel in Mount Sinai.
And I'm not a Jew.
I'm not a Jew in Israel.
And I'm not at, I'm not standing at Mount Sinai.
I'm in Mount Zion.
Several years ago at the other church, I spoke a message.
Mount Sinai, Mount Zion.
Mount Sinai says that you can't touch God.
You have to go through someone.
Zion says, Mount Zion says, I can go to the throne room directly.
But wait a minute, Paul says.
The things that are written in the book of the law are written for our admonition.
And for our instruction.
And he tells us that these things are a shadow of good things to come.
But the substance is Christ.
Hebrews 10.
The shadow is the law.
I refuse to go back under the law.
The substance is now Christ.
The shadow is the Old Testament.
What is a shadow?
I see your shadow.
I see my shadow.
What is it?
It's a faint outline.
Faint outline.
The substance is the New Testament.
So this passage that we just read is a picture of our substance in Christ Jesus.
Concerning our relationship to him.
Concerning whether we are a hired servant.
Or a bond servant.
The two kinds of servants pictured here this morning.
And here he says.
If thou buy a Hebrew servant.
Or a Hebrew slave.
Six years shall you serve.
And on the seventh you shall go out for nothing.
If you came in.
If he came in by himself.
He shall go out by himself.
And if he married.
Then his wife shall go out with him.
If his master has given him a wife.
And he born sons.
Or daughters.
Then the wife.
And children.
Shall be his masters.
They stay behind.
And he shall go out by himself.
This is a picture of a hired servant.
There were two kinds of Hebrew servants in the Old Testament.
And both are acceptable by God.
Both were ordained by the law.
The two kinds being the hired servant.
One that was purchased in the slave market.
And served for a limited time.
A limited period of time.
Six years he served his master.
And six we know is the Bible number for man.
There is a common number for the events in the Bible.
The number of the beast is six, six, six.
The Bible number for man is six.
Man was created on the sixth day.
The Bible number for God is one and three.
The Bible number for perfection is seven.
The Bible number for testing is 40.
Jesus fasted 40 days and was tested.
Moses was on the backside of the desert for 40 years.
The flood.
It rained.
How long?
40 days and 40 nights.
Israel wandered in the wilderness.
How long?
40 years.
Elijah went 40 days to Horeb, the mount of God.
40 is the number of testing in the Bible.
But six is the number of man.
Now this Hebrew servant would serve the master that bought him for six years.
And during this time, his master was required to provide him the things that would sustain him.
And if his master so pleased, his master could even give him things besides food, shelter, and clothing.
He could give him a wife.
He could give him many riches.
He could give him authority over other servants.
And during these six years, the hired Hebrew servant came to know his master.
And came to know the things about his master.
If the master was a hard man, he would just have to wait out his time.
And at the end of six years, he'd have to let him go.
That man could not keep him forever.
The law required that the master must let him go.
But if during that time, it was more than just a legal purchase.
But it became a love relationship.
I mean, the master was good to his servant.
And his master didn't lord it or rule it over him.
But his master loved him.
And the master gave him many things.
And the man loved and enjoyed.
And it seemed that the servant was a son to his master.
And became close to him.
Then he had to make a decision.
Because at the end of six years, he could not say, well, I'm not sure.
He had to make a decision.
The master could not buy him for another six years.
But at the end of six years, the servant had two choices.
Stay or go.
And that decision stuck.
If he decided to leave, when he left, he was gone for good.
He could never come back.
But if he decided to stay, he had to plainly say,
I love my master.
Verse five.
There could be no doubt on the part of the servant.
There could be no apprehension.
The servant had to plainly say, I love my master.
And I will stay.
In turn, the master would bring him to the judges of the city.
And there in the presence of all the elders of the city,
his master would take him to the door of the house.
And he would take an awl,
which is a sharp pointed metal instrument,
and pierce it through the lower left lobe of his ear.
This part never heals up.
There's always a hole there.
The awl didn't make just a small piercing that our women have in their ear.
But the awl made a hole large enough in his ear
that someone passing by would look at him and see it and say,
Oh, look, there's a bondservant.
He loves his master.
That's a bondservant.
I mean, there's a mark in his body
that would say,
I belong to my master.
And if he went through this procedure,
he was trusting in his master
that in the master's goodness,
he would serve his master forever.
There could be no termination.
He would have to serve his master
until one of two things happened.
Either his master dies,
or he dies.
He had to serve him forever.
Now, the basis on which the servant would make to serve his master
was simply,
I love my master.
He's more than just a master.
He's more than just a lord.
I love him.
There is a bond,
a close relationship there.
Now, let's think.
That is a shadow.
Today, in the spiritual realm,
in the spiritual realm,
we have a master.
Matthew 23,
verse 8.
But you do not
be called rabbi,
for one is your teacher,
the Christ.
You are all brethren.
Do not call anyone on earth
your father,
for one is your father,
he who is in heaven.
And do not be called teachers,
for one is your teacher,
the Christ.
Jesus said,
you have one master.
You will have one master,
even Christ.
There is no other higher.
No one among you is higher.
No one among you is higher than another.
One master,
one master,
and that's Christ.
But be not called rabbi,
for one is your master,
Jesus said.
And call no man father upon the earth,
for one is your father,
which is in heaven.
Verse 9.
A group of 70 men,
a group of 70 men,
chose who is going to be a rabbi,
by laying on of hands,
the Sanhedrin.
They would give him a key,
to be worn as a badge of honor.
And this was the way Pharisees did it,
the religious.
You were given a key,
that even went to,
or with you,
to the grave when you die.
It went with you.
And now because,
you had this distinction,
everyone in the name of religion,
must call you father.
You were not ordained,
of God,
but by man.
The fathers of Matthew 23,
were hypocrites,
who lorded it,
over others,
solely because of religious,
position and power.
Jesus said,
cut out the titles.
These so honorable,
titles.
I,
when I was a,
child,
we had a pastor,
which I,
his name was Ken Agree,
and I,
I actually typed him in the other day,
I want to know,
if he's still alive.
I think he is.
He was a good man.
He was our pastor,
for many years.
And I just remember,
he used to say,
people would say,
reverent Agree,
and he says,
I'm,
don't reverent me.
There is only one,
that's reverent.
And you know,
funny how,
that sticks with you.
I was just a child,
and I remember that.
But funny how,
that sticks with you.
Cut out the titles.
The so called,
honorable titles.
God and Jesus,
are the only ones,
that have a right,
to these honorable titles.
God is the only father,
of Christians.
And Christ is the only leader,
and head of the church.
And Jesus said,
with all authority,
either,
either you will love the one,
and hate the other.
Or you will hold to the one,
and despise the other.
And I want to tell you something.
If I,
love Jesus,
I automatically,
hate the devil.
Yes,
I'm going to proclaim,
this morning,
I,
I hate the devil.
If I love Jesus,
with all my heart,
my soul,
my mind,
and my strength,
I automatically,
hate the devil.
By the same token,
if you do not,
hate Satan,
you automatically,
tell him,
that you love him.
And when you tell,
Satan,
that you love him,
you're telling Jesus,
that you hate him.
You can't,
you can't have both ways.
It's one or the other.
It's just as different,
as north is from south,
day and night,
east,
east from west.
If the devil doesn't know,
that you hate him,
then the devil thinks,
you love him.
And the Bible says,
in Hebrews 1,
verse 9,
because thou hast loved righteousness,
and hated iniquity,
God hath anointed thee,
with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Hey,
brother,
sister,
family,
you're anointed,
anointed with righteousness,
righteousness,
anointed,
with righteousness.
You're anointed with the oil of gladness,
above thy fellows.
righteousness.
And if you love righteousness,
you love the one that gives righteousness,
God.
And if you hate wickedness,
you automatically hate the wicked one.
You cannot love both.
You cannot hold to both.
You're either going to love one,
and hate the other.
Now,
when you're lost and undone,
you are in the slave market.
Spiritually,
you're in the slave market.
God's seeking out your soul.
But so is Satan.
You're in the slave market,
spiritually speaking.
And the spirit is real.
It's a real realm.
And Paul says that we've been redeemed.
We have been purchased.
Purchased out from the market of sin,
by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
The word redeemed means bought out of a slave market.
The picture here is we are in a slave market,
and we have no way to support ourselves.
And we're standing in the middle of the marketplace,
dressed in our own filthy rags.
But one day,
Jesus comes to the marketplace,
and says,
I'll take that one.
I want that one too.
And you look at him.
You look him in the eye,
and you say,
what will you do with me
if I go with you?
And Jesus says,
I'll take your rags
from off your back.
I'll put a beautiful robe of righteousness upon you.
I'll put a ring of authority upon your hands.
I see that you're barefooted there,
and your feet are bruised from the rocks of sin.
I'll put beautiful shoes on you,
and I'll shod your feet
with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
I'll give you a new name,
and I'll write that name down
in my Lamb's book of life.
And I'll give you a new life.
Isn't that amazing?
It's reality.
This isn't a story from Mother's Goose.
This is reality.
I believe that when Jesus first saves somebody,
that he doesn't place the same demands
of full and complete surrender to him
in the same sense of complete possession
that he does with a more mature child of God.
And that's why baby Christians
get by with things that the rest of us can't.
I believe what Jesus does
is that he possesses that one
and lets that one experience him for a while,
decide whether or not he's going to come
to the place of full surrender.
Let's turn to Romans 12.
Verse 1 and 2.
I beseech you, therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God,
which is your reasonable service.
And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is good
and acceptable and perfect will of God.
This isn't the first verse,
the first thing that a new Christian learns
when he comes to Jesus.
I have a saying that I say all the time.
I love to fish.
I would fish every day of my life
if I could.
I'm praying for that.
I really am.
I want a long life.
I want to fish.
I just love to fish.
In fact, we don't go fishing.
We go catching.
But I have a saying that I say,
I've never cleaned a fish before I caught it.
When someone comes to Jesus,
they come as they are.
And I've had friends that I've known that for,
man, oh, man,
I wish their language would clean up a little bit.
But with tears streaming down their eyes,
they talk about the love of Jesus,
what God has done for them.
And, you know, things don't change a lot.
They've got problems.
My brother, many years ago,
went out and he started a church.
He went out and he went out onto the street.
He grabbed those that were on drugs,
those that were committing adultery,
those that were down and out.
He said there isn't one person in my church
that doesn't have a smoking problem
or drinking.
But he says that we gather.
And he says, he says,
they talk about the love of Jesus.
And he says, I'm teaching them.
Prior to that,
he served in a large church
that held two millionaires,
the piano player,
and one had invented,
they had a pickle company.
Big church, beautiful building.
Nice, nice.
They had more problems in that church
than you could shake a stick at.
He said, which one did I love?
It was those new Christians,
those new Christians
that were just learning
about the love of Jesus.
They're growing.
So for a while, we served Jesus.
And oh, he's good to us, isn't he?
Jesus is good to us.
In the natural realm,
this master would give his servant life
and a home
and things like this.
In the spiritual realm,
Jesus gives us blessings.
the baptism of his precious Holy Spirit,
wonderful healings.
The Bible is full.
Every promise in this book is mine.
Every chapter, every verse, every line.
And I'm a student.
I'm a student of this word,
and I'm learning about the wonderful blessings
that he bestows upon us.
He gives us wonderful experiences.
I've had many throughout my day.
Many wonderful experiences with him.
He lavishes us with his beautiful garments.
He puts upon us tender mercies.
He crowns us with his love.
He makes you rich in his mercies.
And you say, it seems so wonderful.
And then one day it comes to your amazement
that he says,
okay, you've served me for a season.
You've seen what it's like.
Now it's time to make a decision.
Now you call me Master,
Lord,
and while you say,
for so I am,
why call me Lord, Lord,
and do not the things that I say?
If I'm really your Lord,
you're going to make a decision
right now
and become my bondservant
and become fully consecrated.
And you will do what I command you,
and you will not just be a hired servant
anymore.
The beautiful thing
about our God,
the best gift
that God ever gave man
was the gift of choice.
That's the gift of love.
I'm not going to force you to love me.
I want you to love me.
Love me because you want to.
The gift of choice.
Are you a bondservant
because you love me?
Now the only kind of servant
that the Lord will commit
the true riches unto
is not the hired servant.
the one who's been bought
with the blood.
And when I say riches,
I'm not talking money.
It's all the blessings of God.
Everything comes from God.
The one who's been branded
in his body.
Paul at the beginning
of his letters.
Paul,
a servant of Jesus Christ.
Paul,
a bondservant.
Peter's epistle.
Peter,
a bondservant
of Jesus Christ.
James,
a bondservant
of Jesus Christ.
Do you remember reading that?
Paul said,
henceforth,
let no man trouble me
for I bear in my body
the marks
of the Lord Jesus.
When this man
in the Old Testament
decided to be
a bondservant,
he had a mark
that everyone
could see.
and it distinguished
him
and set him apart.
And they knew,
everyone that looked
on him knew,
that this man
had entered
into such a love
relationship
with his master
that he decided
he would never
depart.
That he would
serve his,
he would serve
his master
forever.
And this is the
true picture
of being a bondservant.
Who is the master?
The Lord Jesus.
And Christ,
70 times in the New Testament,
Jesus is referred to
as master.
master.
Now let's go back
to our numbers.
Seven is perfection.
Master means teacher.
Master means instructor.
Master means Lord.
Lord.
If you tie the number
of perfection
together
with that
and you find
that Jesus
is the perfect Lord,
he's the perfect
instructor,
there's only
two masters.
The other one
is full of hate
and wickedness
and even
hates those
that love him.
There are people
that worship Satan
but Satan
doesn't love them,
he hates them.
He hates them.
The devil hates you.
If you serve him,
he still hates you.
Jesus loves you.
Jeremiah 31
and 3 says,
I have loved thee
with an everlasting
love.
His love for me
doesn't change.
His love for me
doesn't fail.
His love for me
doesn't waver
day by day.
If I feel
in a spiritual state,
guess what?
He still loves me.
If I feel,
if I praise him,
if I don't feel
in a spiritual state,
he still loves me.
If I praise him,
you know,
he loves me.
If I don't praise him,
if I curse him,
he still loves me.
If I open up my Bible
and read it,
he loves me.
And if I close
the pages
of the Bible,
of this book,
and I take
and just chuck it down
and, you know,
spit on it,
you know what?
He still loves me.
If I resist temptation,
our Lord loves us.
He loves me.
If I yield to temptation,
he still loves me.
Now,
he's not pleased
that I do that.
I'm a bond servant.
He's not pleased
that I do that,
but he still loves me
because he loves me
with an everlasting love.
That's my Jesus.
Heavenly Father,
this morning,
I thank you
for your word.
And Lord,
I just pray
that
every one of us
may be pricked
in our heart
even though
we're a bond servant
of you.
we've become
a bond servant.
But we'll realize
even
in a deeper way
how true
we must live
for our Master.
Jesus.
Thank you, Lord.