WHAT HAS MASTERED YOU?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

...for people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.

2 Peter 2:19b

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The matter of slavery and enslavement are themes often found in the scriptures, both literally and figuratively.

First, the literal aspect of slavery in biblical times, for there were masters who had people under their ownership, their slaves. It’s important to note that the slaves had absolutely no freedom to do as they chose. They couldn’t come and go as free people could but rather only could do what their master permitted.

Of interest, God’s Word provided spoke firm guidance into these matters with direction both to the master and slave. Here’s what we find in the sixth chapter of Ephesians:

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in Heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him. Vv.5-9

Note here that what was to be central to the behavior of both the master and slave was a main focus on the Lord, to please Him in all things that were done because He was the ultimate Master of all who dwelled in Heaven.

In other words, both the slave owner and slave were to be mastered by the Master, the Lord God Almighty. And as we see in this single verse from the Old Testament book of Malachi, the Lord fully expected to receive primary honor from all people:

“A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a Father, where is the honor due Me? If I am a Master, where is the respect due Me?” says the Lord Almighty. (1:6).

Indeed, all people, whether in the past or present or future, are expected to submit fully to God, showing absolute respect to the Master through every thought, word, or action.

So why doesn’t this happen?

Why did the scriptures need to address the issue more than 2,000 years ago and why do we continue to see this problem today in the 21st century, the problem of not giving our mind’s devotion and heart’s affection to God in every way?

The answer comes in the fact that all believers, past and present, are immersed in a worldly culture that offers a lot of other things that can master a person if they permit it.

In this second chapter of this letter, we have seen Peter calling out those who were choosing to be ungodly, even while being within the body of Christ. These people were ungodly because they had surrendered themselves to sin instead of God and that sin had enslaved them. It had become their master.

This is why we find Peter making this statement in the second half of verse 19:

...for people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.

Instead of God, the blasphemers called out by Peter had allowed one or more of the following to master them:

1. Boldness and arrogance.

2. A fearless abusing of celestial beings.

3. An unreasonable demeanor much like you would find in animals.

4. Carousing in broad daylight while reveling in the sinful pleasures of the flesh and its lustful desires.

5. Eyes full of adultery.

6. An affinity and expertise in the matter of greed.

7. Uselessness, aimlessness, and directionless.

8. Empty, boastful words.

9. A constant striving to seduce the unstable and entice them to join in the slavery of depravity.

Of course, there’s plenty more to add to this list but you get the point. The world, where Satan works overtime to draw people away from the Lord and His will, offers plenty of things for a person to get enslaved to and this leads to the thought provoking question that forms the title of this message:

What has mastered you?

The answer will be found in whatever you have attached your heart to. Jesus, in His first formal public teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount, said this:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

“No one can serve two masters.” Matthew 6:19-21, 24

Friends, God doesn’t give us a choice. He is our Master and He expects to receive the fullest measure of our honor, glory, and praise. We are to be enslaved to Him and nothing else should be first in our lives because no one can serve two masters. Even when He, the Lord, blesses us, we are to enjoy His goodness but with the utmost thanksgiving and praise to Him.

In our God, we find all we could ever want or hope for as He is the Giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Our Master has, does, and will always care for us with a perfect love, a love that we’ll experience forever through Christ Jesus.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.