Be Ye Not the Servants of Men

Q: What does the Bible say about being a servant of Christ?

The Bible teaches that believers are servants of Christ, not of men, emphasizing our freedom in Him. In 1 Corinthians 7:22-23, Paul emphasizes that those who are called in the Lord, regardless of their social status, are ultimately free in Christ. This freedom transcends earthly servitude, as we are no longer bound by the expectations or demands of mankind. Instead, we are called to serve Christ with our lives, illustrating a profound spiritual truth that our allegiance and identity are rooted in our relationship with Him. As believers, we are to embrace our identity as servants of Christ, living to please Him rather than conforming to societal pressures or the traditions of men.

Q: How do we know that Christians are free from the bondage of sin?

Christians are free from the bondage of sin because they are bought with a price, redeeming them from their past sins. The phrase 'you are bought with a price' in 1 Corinthians 7:23 underscores the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, where He paid the penalty for our sin. This sacrificial act frees believers from the bondage of sin and the law, establishing their identity as God's people. This freedom allows them to serve Christ without the chains of guilt or the fear of condemnation that once held them captive. Thus, in recognizing their freedom, Christians are empowered to live as vessels of grace, reflecting the love and truth of Christ in a world that so often seeks to impose its own values and expectations.

Q: Why is it important for Christians not to serve men?

It's important for Christians not to serve men because it compromises their relationship with God and their spiritual convictions. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul clearly instructs believers not to be the servants of men, as doing so can lead to compromising their spiritual integrity and purpose. When we prioritize the expectations of others over our commitment to Christ, we risk losing sight of our true identity and calling. This principle applies across various aspects of life, from family dynamics to vocational pursuits. It encourages believers to live authentically according to their faith, which ultimately should be guided by their relationship with God rather than societal expectations. The assurance that they are free to serve God without the burden to conform liberates Christians to live faithfully and in obedience to His will.

Now, 1 Corinthians chapter 7. I was preaching a week before last down in Waynesville,
North Carolina, and I turned to 1 Corinthians
7 and read two verses of Scripture. And I saw some things that I
hadn't seen before and was enabled of God's Spirit to present some
things that were encouraging to me and the people, both encouraging
and instructive. So I prepared a message from
this chapter for you this evening. chapter or portion of God's Word has some
kind of key that opens it, that unlocks it. And I believe the
key to this seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians is found in verse
22 and 23. I think this is the key. I believe you'll be convinced
of that by the time that I'm through with this message. Verse
22 and 23 of 1 Corinthians 7, for he that is called in the
Lord. We're talking about that divine
call here. We're talking about men and women
who are the call of Jesus Christ, who are called out of darkness
into his light, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of
God's dear Son. We're talking about the call
of the Holy Spirit to faith in Christ. This is a divine call. That's what we're talking about
all the way through here. He that is called in the Lord, being
a slave, being a servant to whomever or whatever, is, as a result
of this calling, as a result of this grace, he's the Lord's
free man. He is free. Free from that bondage. Free from that slavery. Likewise,
Also, he that is called being free is Christ's servant. Whether you're a slave or whether
you're a free man, when you're called, you're set free. But
when you're called, you're also brought under another yoke. You're
the servant of Christ. And you're not your own. You're
bought with a price. So be not ye the servants of
men. No man can serve two masters.
If you're the Lord's servant, the Lord's bondman, bond slave
of Jesus Christ, then you're not the servant of men. And be
not ye the servants of men. Now this statement seems to contradict
other passages of Scripture which refer to us as the servants of
men. There's one in particular I'm
thinking about. Paul said we preach not ourselves,
But Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves, your servants, for
Jesus' sake. And then another one, the Lord
said this two or three times. He said, he that would be cheapest
among you, let him be your servant. And then nearly all of the old
Puritans would sign their letters to people, friends, with these
words, your obedient servant. And yet here's a plain commandment,
be not ye the servants of me. Be not ye the servants of me.
So what is Paul talking about here? Well, let's go back a few
verses and see if we can determine what the Apostle is teaching.
Now, in all of these things that I'm dealing with tonight, Paul
dealt with them very carefully, and he uses He uses some statements
that you have to look at them carefully and know what the apostle
is saying. For example, verse 6, he said,
I speak this by permission and not by commandment. I speak this
by permission and not by commandment. But in verse 10 he says, unto
the married I command, yet not I but the Lord. This isn't by
permission. This is by commandment. You see
that? And then in verse 12, he says,
To the rest speak I, not the Lord. This is me talking. You see that? This is Paul talking. My judgment, my counsel. This
is my counsel. This is my judgment. And then
in verse 25, again he says, Now concerning virgins, or the unmarried,
I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give my judgment.
Are you with me? There's some areas where there's
a direct commandment of God, not to be questioned, not to
be compromised in any shape, form or fact. There's a commandment.
Then in other areas, people are so different, situations are
so different. There has to be judgment exercised. There has to be wisdom exercised. There have to be certain conditions
that are brought to bear on this particular thing that Paul says,
I give you my judgment in this matter. I don't have a direct
command from Christ. I'll show you in a minute what
he's talking about, but let me show you one more in verse 40. This is talking about a woman
who's a widow, either marrying or remaining unmarried, and he
says in verse 40, but she is happier, she'll be happier if
she stays unmarried after my judgment. And I think also I
have the Spirit of God in this matter. So you see what I'm presenting
to you? I'm saying what I'm dealing with
tonight. There's some matters here that we have a commandment. We have a commandment. It's there. Our course of action is there.
What we do is there. God has commanded. There are
other areas that we'll deal with in this Scripture in which judgment
and wisdom and good counsel and advice enter in. And that's what
Paul is saying here. Now let's go back and see some
of these places. Start with verse 1. Now concerning the things
whereof you wrote me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman,
that is, never to get married. It's good for a man never to
get married. This is Paul. So Paul was never married. His
life was totally committed to the ministry, 100%. Married to
the gospel, he was never married. This is Paul speaking, and as
he said in a moment, I speak this by permission, not by commandment.
All right, read on. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication,
to avoid lasciviousness, to avoid an unholy life, let every man
have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. And
let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence, likewise
also the wife to the husband. The wife hath not power of her
own body, but the husband, and likewise also the husband hath
not power of his own body, but the wife, their one flesh. So
defraud ye not one another, except it be with consent, for as time
or as season that you may give yourself to fasting and prayer,
but come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your
incontinency. I speak this by permission, not
by commandment. In other words, Paul is saying
here, it's good for a person not to be married because you're
going to have trouble in the flesh. But, he said, if a person
cannot live in purity and holiness and separation, let them marry.
They do not sin. Let them render due benevolence
to one another. And if they come apart, let it
be for a season, for fasting, or prayer, or whatever, but let
them come back together. But he said, I'm not commanding
you to remain single. And I'm not commanding you to
get married. And I'm not commanding you to
abstain from relationship. I'm not commanding you to do
that at all. I'm not commanding you to observe periods of fasting.
I'm simply speaking this by permission, not by command. The Word of God
does not command people to remain single and command them to be
married. And that's He's given His advice and His counsel. He
said in verse 7, For I would that all men were even as I myself. He was single. He was never married.
But every man has his proper gift of God. One after this manner
and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried
and the widows it is good for them to abide even for them if
they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let
them marry." It's better to marry than to burn with desire, burn
within, have a desire that's never fulfilled. And unto the
married, now watch this. Now here he's not speaking about
permission here. He's not giving judgment, he's
not giving counsel. Here is a commandment. Now watch
him change. But unto the married, unto the
married. I command, and yet it's not I,
it's the Lord who commands, let not the wife depart from her
husband. You have, in this matter here
of divorce, you have no permission, you have no counsel, you have
no judgment. If both people are believers,
both are children of God, they have no grounds for divorce under
any situation, under any circumstance. None whatsoever. To the married
believers, he said, this is a case where both are true believers,
and this is not Paul speaking, he said, this is the Lord, do
not divorce. But, look at the next verse,
if you do, if you do, if both of you are believers, both of
you are children of God, and if she departs, let her remain
unmarried. Or else, let her be reconciled
to her husband. and let not the husband put away
his wife." This is a commandment. All right, let's skip the next
one because I'm coming back to it, but let's go down to verse
25. Now concerning virgins, unmarried
people, I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give my judgment. I give my judgment as one that
hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. I suppose, therefore,
this is good for the present necessity or distress, that it's
good for a man to be single. Are you bound to a wife? Seek
not to be loosed. In other words, are you married?
Stay married, whether you're a missionary or a preacher or
a pastor or in the work of the Lord in whatever place. Are you loosed from a wife? Is
your wife dead? Seek not a wife. And if they
do marry, they have not sinned. They have not sinned. If a virgin
marries, she hath not sinned. There's no sin in marriage. God
said it's not good for a man to live alone. He ordained marriage.
And our Lord blessed marriage by his presence at a marriage
feast. Nevertheless, such shall have
trouble in the flesh. But I spare you. But this I say,
brethren, the time is short, it remaineth that both they that
have wives be as though they had none, so dedicated to God,
so dedicated to the gospel, so dedicated to the things of God,
so much a servant of the Lord, that is, as if you didn't even
have a wife. And they that weep as though they wept not. in sorrow
as though they sorrowed not, those that rejoice as though
they rejoice not, they that buy as though they possess not, and
they that use this world as not abusing it for the passion of
this world passeth away." That's his judgment. He said, that's
my judgment, that's my counsel, that knowing the Lord, seeking
the kingdom of God, serving Christ is so important, it takes precedence
over all things. Whether you're married or in
business or whatever you're in, it takes precedence over all
things. Better to neglect your wife than
to neglect your relationship with God. Better to neglect your
children than to neglect your relationship with God. Better
to neglect your business than to neglect your relationship
with God. And your sorrow. I have to spend certain times
sorrowing. Well, better as though you didn't
sorrow. Though you didn't rejoice, this
is so important that a man know God. But these things can't be
commanded because they're not from the heart. You see, if you
command, it's like this thing of people coming apart for fasting
prayer. If you command that, the fasting's
defeated. It's not motivated from within.
If you command a person to to give certain time to prayer.
The prayer time's defeated. He's doing what he's ordered
to do. And that's the reason Paul says it's not a commandment.
You can't command people to give. They've got to give from their
hearts. You can't command them to pray. They've got to pray
from their hearts. You can't command them to fast. They've
got to fast because they're burdened to fast. You see what I'm saying?
You can't command a man to rejoice in God Like the little boy's
mother to him said, sit down. He just stood. She said, sit
down. Well, he sat down. She said, sit down. Well, he
said, I'm sitting down outside. I'm standing up on the inside.
And that's the way we are, you know. You're commanded. That's the reason Paul said,
I speak. You say, I speak by permission. This is my judgment
and counsel. I can't command you to do this.
I can't do that. You know, people often talk about,
I'm gone a lot in meetings away from my home, the church, my
family. They say, you like that and all?
But that's my work. I love my work. I love to preach
the gospel. But if you're forced to do a
thing, you know, it loses its effectiveness. Look at verse
39. Now here's Paul again speaking in verse 39. The wife is bound
by the law as long as her husband live it. But if her husband be
dead, she's at liberty to be married to whom she will. A believing
wife is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives.
But if her husband be dead, she's at liberty to marry again to
whom she will. Watch this now. Only in the Lord. Only to a believer. Only to believe. Only to believe. But, he says,
now I'm going to give my opinion. This is my judgment. I think
I have the Spirit of God in this matter, he says. See verse 40?
He says, she, in my opinion, will be happier if she remains
unmarried. She'll be happier. But, he said again, this is my
judgment. And I believe I have the Spirit
of the Lord in this matter. that she'll be happier if she
remains unmarried. All right, let's go back now
to verse 12 and get into these. But I wanted to clarify that
all the way through this chapter, there are some points that are
not up for counsel or judgment. They're law. This is God's Word.
But there are some areas where decisions have to be made based
on wisdom. And so forth. Now look at verse
11, or verse 12. Now to the rest speak I, not
the Lord. Here's that thing again. See,
this is the fifth time he's used this. To the rest speak I, not
the Lord. Now he's been talking to believers
who are married. Verse 10, to the married I command,
yet not I but the Lord, let not the wife depart from her husband.
If she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to
her husband, let not the husband put away his wife, but to the
rest." Now you know who he's talking to here? Here's a man
married to an unsaved woman, an unbeliever, or a woman, believer,
married to an unsaved, unbelieving husband. Now he says, if any
brother has a wife that does not believe the gospel, that
does not believe the word of God, that does not believe God,
if a brother has a wife that does not believe And she be pleased
to dwell with him. To dwell with him. Now how is
this dwelling with him? If she be pleased to dwell with
him under his authority. If she be pleased to dwell with
him as he loves and serves and worships Christ. Not a compromise
now. We're not talking about a compromise. We're not talking about that
she'll stay with him and she'll dictate the laws and she'll dictate
the rules. No sir, he dictates the rules.
If he's married to an unbelieving woman and she's willing to remain
with him, Christ's the head of the home, that man loves Christ,
serves Christ, worships Christ, gives, whatever, then he says,
let him not put her away. Keep her, stay married to her.
stay married to her. All right, verse 14, verse 13. And a woman which has a husband
that's not a believer, he does not love God, he does not know
God, he does not love God's Word, and he does not love the things
she loves. If he's pleased to dwell with
her, under what circumstances? If he's willing to leave her, alone, not agitate her and aggravate
her if he's willing for her to serve her Lord, love her Lord,
worship her Lord without any interference from him. You know
the Bible says, Wise, obey your husbands in the Lord. In the
Lord. If he says you can't read that
Bible, you read it. If he says you can't worship
God, you worship God. If he says you can't go down
there and hear the gospel, you go hear it. That's right. In the Lord. Now, if a woman's
married to a man who's an unbeliever, and he's willing for her to love
Christ with all her heart, and serve Christ, and fellowship
with God's people, let him not leave her. And let her not leave
him, if he's willing. Verse 14, now watch this, for
the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving
wife is sanctified by the husband, else were your children unclean,
but now they're holy. What does that mean? Well, some
people got the idea back here that if they are believers married
to an unbeliever, they're not really married. That's the Catholics
come up with that, you know. If you're Catholic and you're
married to a non-Catholic, you're living in adultery. If you're
Catholic and you're not married in a Catholic church, you're
not married at all. That's foolishness. That's what Paul says here. Paul
says if you're legally married before God, even if one of you
is an unbeliever, you're legally married. Conversion doesn't dissolve
a marriage. A person being saved doesn't
dissolve a marriage. If that were so, your children
would be illegitimate. They'd be born out of wedlock.
But when two people come together in love before God and they have
an agreement to be married before God, they're legally married.
I don't care if one of them's a pagan, one of them's a believer.
One of them's a believer and one's a nun, they're still married.
They're still married. Now watch verse 15. But if the
unbelieving depart, if he departs, Let him depart. In other words, if that unbelieving
husband, if that unbelieving husband is not willing for that
wife to love Christ, worship Christ, be happy and peaceful
in her relationship with God, and he makes that an issue in
the home, let him go. Let him go. That's what Paul's
saying. And if that unbelieving wife
Here's a man, a believer, married to a woman who's an unbeliever,
and she is continually agitating and aggravating and troubling
him, and refuses to serve in her capacity as a wife, her duties
as a wife, her life as a wife, and makes his life miserable.
Let her go. That's what Paul is saying. Now
then, he says, I speak this by permission. This is my judgment. This is my wisdom. This is my
counsel. I'm not giving a commandment.
Because people are prone to interpret commandments in a wrong way.
Folks, I got a commandment to kick you out. No, you don't have
a commandment to kick anybody out. But you have permission. If that person will not live
in happiness and joy, submission to Christ, let them go. Well,
what's the consequences then? Well, read on. A brother or a
sister is not under bondage in such cases. You're not the servants
of men. You're the servants of Christ. You're not that man's slave.
You're not in servitude to that unbelieving husband. You're Christ's
servant. You've been set free by Christ.
You're not that woman's slave. You don't have to bow and scrape
and cater to her to keep her there. You're God's man and God's
free man and God's servant. Let her go. You're not under
bondage. You're no longer under bondage
to such a person and you're free to marry, but only in the Lord. You see,
verse 15, the last line says, God has called us to peace. Peace in the home, peace in the
church, and peace in our relationship. And that's the way it ought to
be and that's the way it must be. We're not the servants of men.
We're the servants of God Almighty. We're the servants of Christ.
Well, here's the thing in verse 16. Now, there's no commandment
to put anybody out. There is, I speak this, he said,
I speak this, not the Lord. This is not a commandment. This
is my judgment. This is my wisdom. That if such
a situation exists, it cannot be changed in any way, then let
them depart. We're called to peace in God.
But now look at the next verse. But what knowest thou, O wife?
Here's a woman married to an unsaved man. You may save your
husband. you may by some way influence
him to look to Christ. If you see some hope, if you
see some possibility of that man hearing the gospel and loving
the gospel and coming to Christ, it would be worth it to endure
whatever you have to endure for Christ's sake and for his salvation,
if you can do it. And what knowest thou, O man?
You may save her, she may be You may be brought to a knowledge
of Christ if you can be patient and you can endure. You see what
he's saying? But we're not the servants of
men. And if we stay with someone or
stay with a situation and patiently, long-suffering, put up with a
situation, we're doing it for Christ's sake. We're doing it
as the servants of the Lord. We're doing it for His glory.
You see that? But we're not the servants of men. We're not in
bondage to them, we're not in slavery to them, we're a bond
slave of Jesus Christ. Whatever can be done for His
glory, for His glory, then we'll do it. But, he said in verse
17, watch this now, in verse 17, whether you're single or
married, whether you're married to a believer or an unbeliever,
God has called you to Christ, and God has distributed to every
man as the Lord hath called every one, and so let him walk." In
other words, whether you're married or single, whether you're married
to a believer or an unbeliever, wherever you are, it doesn't
matter whether you're married, you're married to Christ anyway.
We're the Lord's servant. Whatever my condition, whatever
my state, whatever my place, my allegiance and obedience is
to him. He's my Lord. He's my master. He's my sovereign. Or verse 18,
is any man called being circumcised? In other words, suppose God calls
a Jew to Christ, and this Jew has been circumcised in religion. He's been circumcised as an act
of religion to make him acceptable and purified before God. Don't
let him become uncircumcised. He doesn't have to worry about
that. Now this is important here. He doesn't have to be concerned
with trying to erase the mark on his flesh because it has been
fulfilled and abolished by Christ. Did God call you and you were
divorced? Don't worry about it. Don't try
to change it. I hear people saying now, if
God saves you, you've got to go back and straighten all this
out. No more than a circumcised man has to get rid of his circumcision. Leave it alone. Leave it be. You don't have to change that.
Or he said, is there one called in uncircumcision? Then don't
let him be circumcised. Suppose God calls a heathen.
Don't allow men to talk you into some kind of situation or tradition
or circumcision. It's nothing. Uncircumcision
is nothing. Circumcision is nothing. We're
just sinners saved by the grace of God. And whatever I was and
whatever I am and whatever I've done and whatever I've been in,
good or bad, forget it. Christ has saved me. He has redeemed
me. I don't have to go out back and
straighten up anything. Just get in trouble trying to
straighten things out like that. Leave them alone. They're under
the blood of Christ. That's right. You're not the
servants of men. What you've got folks doing is
trying to please men. Trying to straighten out situations
and reconcile. I had a friend. This is a true
story. You businessmen, this will almost
be unbelievable, but this is a true story. I had a friend
back in World War II. He was a big businessman. He was a lumber man. He was a
promoter. And he did a lot of jobs for
the government during World War II. He made a lot of money, and
he made a lot of money under the table. He did some things that were
underhand. And so in 1949, he got converted. And he sat down and wrote the
U.S. government, he got all his papers, and he wrote the U.S. government, and he said on all
these different deals, I cheated you, and I want to make it right. And they set the wheels to going
in Washington, and you can imagine what it did. It put 14 or 15
people to work. They had to search out all these
records, and ins and outs, couldn't find most of them. They sent
representatives to California. And all these things. Finally,
one of the department heads wrote him and said, Next time you're
saved, just leave us out of it. That's a true story. Next time
you get saved, just leave us out of it. No statement. That's what he said. Well, you
call circumcised. Don't try to change it. Were
you called uncircumcised, heathen, pagan? Don't try to be like the
religious world. Don't try to learn to say hallelujah
like they do. Just don't try. Just let that
rest. Were you called having been sprinkled? Forget it. Confirmed? Forget it. Were you called having
been married, divorced, whatever? Forget it! Start where you are and walk
with Christ. You're His. You're not the servants
of men. You don't have to please me.
You don't have to straighten up situations. Don't tell folks
to do that. You're His servant. That's right. You're His servant. You're not
the bond slave of me. Religion or no religion, it's
nothing outside of Christ. Nothing. Alright, verse 20. Let every man abide in the same
calling wherein he was called. Where were you when God called
you? I'm married to this sweet woman. Stay with her. Where were you when God called
you? Well, I was here, there, there. Walk with Christ now. Walk with Christ. Forgetting
those things which are behind, I press forward toward the mark
of the... And here's the thing about it. If you start changing
that, you're trying to please men. You're trying to serve men.
That's what you're trying to do. You're obligating yourself
to do what they think you ought to do. And that's not my business. If I please men, I'm not the
servant of Christ. I'm telling the truth here. And
old Paul is saying in verse 22, this is it. Verse 21,
are you called being a servant? When God called you, were you
a slave, a lowly servant, on the bottom of the ladder, your
life, your work, your existence, to do the bidding of others?
Don't pay attention to that. Care not for it. You're God's
free man. But now he said, if you can better
yourself, Verse 21, if you can be made free, use it. If you
can better yourself, do it. But where you are makes no difference.
What you are makes no difference. You are God's free man. Are you
called, he said, verse 22, he that is called in the Lord being
a servant is his free man. Likewise, he that is called being
free is Christ's servant. We are all the servants of Christ.
We're free from the law, we're free from the curse, we're free
from the farm and ceremony, we're free from slavery, we're free
from the bondage of the flesh. Don't get back under it. We're
free in Christ. We're His servants. We're His
servants. I belong to Him. Verse 23, you're
bought with a price. You know, when I see this statement,
you're bought with a price, I think about those old slave blocks. Those old slave blocks, there's
a slave, a man, a woman, got the shackles on them, their feet
and hands and arms, and they belong to their old master. Their
old master's got the whip over there, and here a compassionate,
affectionate man comes and buys them and sets them free. And that's what Christ did for
me, under the bondage of the law, under the bondage of flesh,
under the bondage of the world, under the bondage of religion,
under the bondage of tradition. He bought me with his blood and
he set me free. But by love, I'm his servant
forever. You know, be not, and he says
here, be not the servants of men. See, all this fits right
into that. Whatever Well, when a commandment
comes, it's a commandment. But these areas, these areas
where there's judgment to be exercised and wisdom to be applied,
let this be your guide. You're not the servants of men,
you're the servants of Christ. Let this be your guide. See what
he's saying? I think that's the reason that's
the key verse. Whatever, marriage or business or whatever. Whatever. When a man comes to faith in
Christ, he doesn't have to change his business unless it's unlawful,
unless it's dishonest, unless it's detrimental to his walk
with Christ, but let that be your guide, your walk with Christ.
When a woman comes to Christ, they don't have to change their
marriage unless it's unlawful, unless it's dishonest, unless
it's detrimental to their walk with Christ. If a man or woman
comes to Christ, wherever they're living, unless it's unlawful,
dishonest, or contrary, detrimental to the walk of Christ, stay where
you are. You know, I don't admire the
judgment and reasoning of Amish people. You know who I'm talking
about, the Amish people? The folks that wear the black
hats and ride the buggies and live on farms. I don't admire
their judgment. I think we can use things without
abusing them. I don't admire their reasoning
for doing these things. They're doing it for righteousness.
But I do admire their courage to be different. I admire their
courage to be different. I admire their courage to refuse
to be brought into conformity to this world. They are the servants
of whatever their servants are. Well, a person who is a servant
of Christ ought to have that same courage, shouldn't he? Here's a poem. Let me give you
this and then make a comment and I'll quit. In Christ I have
my soul's desire. His word doth my heart inspire. With boundless wishes, large
and high, Christ will supply. All my needs supply. Christ is
my hope, my strength, my guide. For me He lived, for me He died.
He's my son to give me light. He's my soul's supreme delight. Christ is the source of all my
bliss. He's my wisdom, my righteousness. He's my Savior. He's my brother.
He's my friend. On Him alone I depend. That's it. Now, let me give you
these things right here, and I'll quit. And I want you to
think about this. Be not the servants of men. We're
the servants of Christ. Be not the servants of men in
matters of faith. Now, I believe the Word of God. I believe the Gospel of God's
free grace. You do too. I believe what we call the doctrines
of grace. I believe the doctrines of John
of the Old Reformation. And I'm not going to cooperate
with or conform with popular religion. I'm not going to do
it. I'm his servant. I'm not the
servant of man. I'm not going to conform. Secondly, be not servants of
men in style and dress. as a few designers in New York
and Chicago decide what I'm to wear and how I'm to look. You ever go in a store, this
is my pet peeve, you ever go in a store to buy a pair of shoes
and somebody, a clerk looks at it and says, that's not what
they're wearing. Or you want to buy a shirt and
they say, that's not, they're not wearing that anymore. I don't
care what they're wearing. Don't be servants. in style and
wear what glorifies God. Don't be the servants of men
in matters of music and entertainment. My relationship with God determines
what I do and where I go and what I like and what I don't
like. I don't have to listen to junk
or watch junk or talk like the world or get along with the world.
You know, you ask someone, you say you like a certain song,
that's not That's not what people like.
That's what I like. And I like what I like. I'm not
the servant of men, or to please men. I'm the servant of God.
Do not be the servants of men where your children are concerned.
Peer pressure. They say, this is what they're
doing. Well, son, that's not what we're doing. Or the young
girl comes home and says, this is what everybody else is doing.
But that's not what we're doing. Don't you be the servants of
men. Isn't that what he's talking about? You're the servant of
Christ. Don't be the servants of men in a matter of status.
If we're the servants of God, we don't have to keep up with
the world. We don't have to impress the world. We can live in our
means. We can live with what God gives
us. I don't care if I'm low, I'm high in Christ. Or if I'm
high in the world, I need to be brought low in Christ. Don't
allow conformity to put you in debt. Don't try to impress anybody.
It's too late for that. And I'm not telling the truth.
Don't try to impress this world. Don't let men dictate to you
how you live. And I would try to impress them.
Don't be servants of men and traditions. You know, one of
our ladies whose husband passed away and we were out talking,
she said, I don't have to conduct this funeral like other people
do. I said, no you don't. No, you
do it just exactly like you feel it can be glorifying to God and
like you want to do it. You don't have to get married
in one of these pagan weddings like everybody has. You don't
have to do that. You're not just, well, mother
won't like it. Well, who cares? We're not servants of men, but
we want to impress everybody. Not I. I'm going to do it the
way God leads me to do it. That's what I'm talking about.
Find out what's glorifying to God and do it. and do it. Get the shackles off. He bought me with a price. I
am not the servant of men. Be not the servants of men, and
this is what he's saying all the way through here, in any
arrangement, in any arrangement, in any situation where your true
spiritual convictions are compromised. That's right. Be not the servants
of men, the slaves of men, in any situation or any arrangement
where your true spiritual convictions and your relationship with God
are compromised. Young people, think about that.
Don't you let them dictate to you. Don't you do it. Don't you do it. Married people,
don't you do it. Business people, political alliances,
it doesn't matter what it is. If the Son will make you free,
that's what we got on the board isn't it? And you're free indeed. Free to what? Serve the Lord.
And after all, that's what we want to do. Free to serve the
Lord. It's like this congregation here.
You know, I'm trying to coin a word descriptive of you. I
think conquered rebels might be pretty good. Conquered rebels. That's what we are. Conquered
by the king. But where this world's concerned, they're not going
to do it like they do it. They're not going to be like
them. They're not going to please them if he compromises his gospel. Okay? You're bought with a price. Belong to the king. Be not disservice of me.

Be Ye Not the Servants of Men

What does the Bible say about being a servant of Christ?

How do we know that Christians are free from the bondage of sin?

Why is it important for Christians not to serve men?

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Be Ye Not the Servants of Men

What does the Bible say about being a servant of Christ?

How do we know that Christians are free from the bondage of sin?

Why is it important for Christians not to serve men?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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