Preacher: Felix Ngunjiri Gichuri

Who is a Slave? A slave is defined as ‘one who gives himself up or is sold completely in servitude to a master at a price and the master then owns the slave and the slave loses his or her independence, self-autonomy and personal rights. A slave is a person whose will is wholly subject to the will of another; one who has no will of his own, but whose person and services are wholly under the control of another. To be a slave means to be in complete submission and total obedience to the master.

Every person born to a woman is a slave of sin except Jesus the Son of God who was born by the power of the Holy Spirit according to Luke 1:35. Every person born to a woman is enslaved and burdened by sin with all its sickness, failures, poverty and every damnable thing that hell devises. A life of sin is condemned to end in death, “for the wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23 [KJV]) If we yield to sin, it will grow. The more sin grows, the more it develops, enslaving us and eventually mastering us, leading us to enslavement by sicknesses, diseases, addictions, curses and the eternal enslavement being the eternal death of a sinner.

What is Sin?

Sin is described in the Bible as “transgression of the law of God” (1 John 3:4) and as “rebellion against God” (Deuteronomy 9:7; Joshua 1:18) Sin separates us from God so much that He will not hear when we call Him. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).

The Origin of Sin

Sin originated in the heart of one creature called “Lucifer, son of the morning, the ordained and anointed cherub or guardian angel who was blameless in his ways until wickedness was found in him when his heart became proud because of his beauty” (Ezekiel 28:12-17). Lucifer lusted after God’s power and wanted to be like God. This Lucifer, that God created sometime in eternity past prior to Genesis 1, was filled with pride. Isaiah 14:13-14 has what we would call the five “I will’s” of satan. “I will ascend unto heaven,” he said. “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit upon the mount of the congregation. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, and I will be like the Most High.” Note that number 5 symbolically defines the nature and character of satan because number five symbolizes freedom, curiosity, and change, which can be interpreted as having the desire to have adventures and explore new possibilities. Lucifer desired to be like God. It is clear that Satan was originally a beautiful angel with an exalted position at the throne of God. Unfortunately, satan wanted to be like God. Inside the heart of satan was the first place that satan’s lust for power was conceived bringing forth sin in his heart as explained millions of years later in the book of James 1:15. God gave satan the gift of freewill that led him to lust and sin. Sin came into being because God gave satan freewill, with freedom of choice—to obey or disobey and satan chose to engage God in a supremacy battle over heaven. [KJV]) Unfortunately, some creatures that God created chose to rebel against Him.

The First Rebellion, Called The Angelic Rebellion

The first rebellion, called the angelic rebellion, happened in heaven. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Rev 12:7-9) and they became what we know as demons. Satan became proud — “wanting to be like God” (Isaiah 14:12-14). Because of that rebellion, God actually kicked satan out of heaven.

In God’s Sovereignty, He Decided to Give Man a Freewill

God is sovereign, meaning He has “absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure.”, In God’s sovereignty, he decided to give man a freewill. If the only goal of God was to create mankind without choice, he would have bypassed both the Garden of Eden and the Garden of Gethsemane. God could have simply made robotic puppets who had no choice that were programmed to sing his praises. Instead, God placed man in the Garden of Eden and gave him freewill to choose. Freewill gives a person freedom of choice. Adam was told to obey either God by eating the tree of life and live or disobeying God and obeying the devil by eating the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and die. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen 2:16-17 [KJV])

God gives us the ability to choose whether to obey Him or not.  God typically gives us a commandment, commands us to obey it, and even tells us the consequences for disobedience. He decided to create creatures that could choose to love, trust, and obey him, and that good well intentioned gift opened the door for sin to happen.

Satan through his cunningness passed sin onto the second person madam Eve who was in the same garden of Eden that Lucifer was in (Ezekiel 28:13-14). Eve was deceived by the serpent and then sinned, passing on the inclination to sin to her husband who chose to obey her rather than obey God. “Adam, who sinned and then passed sin to all humanity” (Romans 5:12). Man’s sin attracted instant judgement from God who cursed the soil because of Adam and cursed the serpent for deceiving man, commanding that the serpent or the devil will be the man’s enemy.

Man Is Naturally Inclined to Sin

All human beings have a natural tendency and inclination to sin against the commandments of God. It is like man is wired to sin, like we are hard-wired to sin. Brain scans have shown that in both sexes, the evolutionarily ancient limbic system, buried deep inside our brains, fires up when we are watching something we take a fancy to. Structures like the nucleus accumbens, involved in pleasure and craving, are at the heart of that system. It’s the enjoyable face of sin. And there’s an obvious reason why we’d be hard-wired for lust – to pass it on through our genes. It’s in Mother Nature’s interest to encourage us to take an active interest in procreation. That inclination to be curious leads people to watch pornography. Pornography is highly addictive to men. Immediately after being exposed to sexual stimuli, men experience a discharge of a hormone called dopamine that travel throughout the bodies in a few seconds. Under the effect of dopamine, men feel good and are not able to identify what they are going through. Their desire to see pornography grows more and more, and due to the over stimulation of men’s pleasure center, men come to be addicted to pornography while pleasure in any kind of sex grows less and less.

When Sin Is Completed, It Leads to Death

Jesus warns us that whatever enters the eye gate enters the mind and when lust conceives, it becomes sin, and when sin is completed, it leads to death. “But every man is tempted when he is drawn away from God by his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:14-15 [KJV])The Bible says that as sinners, we are slaves to sin, enslaved or held captive by our sins.

How Sin Enslaves

Jesus answered them who were doubting Him and told them then and is telling us now that, that sin enslaves. He said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34) What Jesus means by that statement is that the moment that you practice sin, your status changes from being a freed man to a slave or bondman.

Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin according to the dictum pronounced by Jesus Christ Our Lord and Saviour and King of Kings and Lord of lords. Satan knows very well that if he can get us to sin once, there is a strong possibility that he can get us to sin again and again until we are eventually enslaved by it and cannot get ourselves out of that trap of the devil. It can be really frustrating when one gets enslaved by sin, falling into sin again and again, a dilemma expressed by Paul in Romans 7:18-20 saying: “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sins that dwells in me.”

Slaves to sin have no will of their own. Sinners are enslaved, held captive and controlled by their sins which dominate their thoughts and minds and feelings and desires. Sinners are literally in bondage to their master the devil, the one who tempts and lures people to sin against God, with sins yoking them to their master the devil.

Yoked to Sin

The above is an illustration of two bulls which find themselves yoked to a predetermined bondage they are not aware where it came from. They are born as beasts of burden and born to stay with a yoke around their necks for the rest of their life. To be yoked to sin means to be tied to, chained to, addicted to, joined at the hip to and bound to your sins, where the owner of the yoke (in this case is the devil) controls your actions, thoughts, feelings and emotions by deception, manipulation and intimidation.

When sin is our master, we are unable to resist it on our own strength. In Romans 7:15, Paul lamented that he just finds himself sinning, that “he does not understand what he does, for he does not do what he wants, but he does the very thing he hates” (Rom 7:17-25 [ESV2011]).

Sin When Allowed Entry into Our Hearts Reigns Over Us

Paul implored the church in Rome not to allow sin to reign in their mortal bodies. Paul is imploring the present church telling us not to allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies. When sin reigns in our mortal bodies, it forces us to obey its desires and lusts. Paul told them that “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” (Rom 6:3-12 [ESV2011]) Sin holds people hostage, preventing them from becoming servants of God, preventing them from submitting to Christ. “Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness.” (Rom 6:18 [KJV])

Committing sin is like taking yourself to a prison called Sinners Prison and you request to admitted into the prison as a prisoner because you have sinned and you are not ready to repent. “I better rot in prison than repent or forgive or have mercy in my heart.” What sinners forget is that inside that prison are oppressors and there is also an executioner to execute judgement for sinners on the gallows. The greatest tragedy of mankind is to be a slave to sin and be unable to tear off the yoke that has been tied around our necks as a result of our sins.

The lamentation recorded in Romans 7:24 is the cry of the great Apostle Paul, who groans, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” He says that being yoked to sin makes him “wretched,” and sadly many Christians live in this condition day after day, and even year after year. The word wretched is translated from the Greek word talaiporos, which has the idea of bearing a trial and can be rendered “miserable.” But the question at the end of the lament does not go unanswered. Verse 25 begins, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” So no Christian needs to live in the wretched, miserable state described in Romans 7:24 because Paul provides another better yoke of Christ which is easy and not burdensome.

We Are Born Spiritually Enslaved, either to Sin or to Righteousness

Mankind are born to live in slavery to one of two masters, either to sin (rebellion) and therefore yoked to the rebel leader the devil, or to righteousness and therefore yoked to the Christ. As the King of righteousness, High Priest.  and King of Peace according to Hebrews 7:1, 5:6, and 5:17, Jesus is the source of righteousness and peace for the whole universe. Where He reigns, there is righteousness and peace. Today, to the extent He reigns in us, we have righteousness and peace. 

The Penalty of Sin is Death

When you practice sin, you attract the penalty that has been pronounced on sinners which is death. “For the wages of sin is death (after serving the devil who is the originator of sins, you are penalized to die of your sins); but the gift of serving God is eternal life through (the completed work of redemption at the cross by) Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom 6:22-23 [KJV) But now being made or set free from sin, we become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

But Christ Sets Us Free from Sin So That We Become Slaves to Righteousness

Paul taught the Romans to discern what is meant to be freed from slavery to sin and becoming a slave of righteousness. “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.” (Romans 6:16-19).

One is either bound to righteousness or bound to sin because no one can serve two masters. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24)

Yoked to Christ and to God

Before our baptism, we were slaves to sin (Rom 6:6, Rom 6:17), marked by impurity and lawlessness (Rom 6:19), and free from righteousness (Rom 6:20). Then, through baptism, we were crucified, dead, and buried with Christ (Rom 6:3-6). Our union with Christ has set us free from the slavery of sin (Rom 6:6-7, 22) and made us slaves of righteousness and slaves of God (Rom 6:18-19, 22). The freedom of the Christian is the result of being bound to Christ, yoked to Christ. And He is inviting us to be yoked to Him, for His yoke is light. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:29-30 [ESV2011])

When we take on the Yoke of Jesus, we connect ourselves to HIM — the way two oxen are connected in a Yoke. Jesus does more than GUIDE us into all truth. He works WITH us, showing us the way and releases us from the burdens of the law and replacing them with His grace and righteous way of living. He doesn’t just give us strength to pull the load, but He lightens our loads as He actually pulls us alongside Him. As slaves of His righteousness, we do as He is, as He does, as he wants. We become bound to the creator of heaven and earth (John 20:26-29, Isaiah 9:6, Rev 17:12-14) who has the “The Spirit of the Lord upon Him, the one anointed to preach the gospel to the poor; the one sent to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,” (Luke 4:18)

“Whoever the Son sets free, is free indeed” (John 8:36) The moment you are set free from sin, you become slaves of God, servants/pastors/prophets of God, and its end is eternal life. “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” (Rom 6:22 [ESV2011])

True Freedom is Found Only in Christ Jesus Our Lord

We are not truly free unless Christ is the one who sets us free. He does this by abolishing the power and penalty of sin in our life. He deals a death blow to this enemy the devil, the originator and father of sin. Jesus Christ is right now “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (over 2000 years ago when He said “It is finished”); And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Col 2:14-15 [KJV]) Only through Jesus Christ can you ever become free from the powerful grip sin has on your life by shedding your sins through repentance, accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. He will then enter your life and making you a new creature. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV) When your old friends visit you in prison, they are told that “a powerful force came inside his prison cell, his chains fell from his hands, main gate opened all by itself and “He led him out of prison” (Acts 12:6-11).

You will be free, free and again I say free indeed in Jesus’ name.

 Amen.