OUR CHANGE OF MASTERS – Charles Spurgeon

OUR CHANGE OF MASTERS

Introduction: The Reality of Our Servitude

“Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:18)

Man was made to rule. In the divine original, he was intended to be a king with dominion over the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea. He was designed to be the lord-lieutenant of this part of creation, and the form of his body, along with the dignity of his countenance, indicated his royal role. He walks erect among the animals, while they move upon all fours. He subjugates and tames them to perform his will, and the fear and dread of him is upon all creatures, for they recognize their sovereign.

Yet, it is equally true that man was made to serve. At his beginning, he was placed in the garden to keep it, to dress it, and thus serve his Maker. His natural feebleness, his dependence upon rain, sun, and dew—his instinctive awe of an unseen and Omnipotent Spirit—indicate that he is not the chief of the universe, but a subordinate being whose purpose is to serve.

Man’s Inner Struggle: Dominion and Servitude

We find within man various powers and propensities seeking to gain dominion over him. His mind, too, is capable of servitude. The appetites essential for the sustenance of his bodily frame—such as eating and drinking—endeavor to master him. And if they can, they will do so, reducing him to a state lower than that of the swine. Man is, in part, spirit, but also in part animal, and the animal within him strives to dominate the spiritual. In many individuals, the animal nature does so until they are utterly degraded.

There is nothing worse than a soul enslaved by such a body as that of man! The brute nature of man is the worst sort of brute. There is no beast in the wolf, lion, or serpent that is as brutish as the beast within man. Did I not tell you last Sunday that whereas, according to the Levitical law, one who touched a dead animal was unclean until evening, he who touched a dead man was unclean for seven days? For man, when his animal nature rules him, is seven times more a polluting creature than any of the beasts of the field.

The Conflict of Masters: Good vs. Evil

If evil aims to rule man, the good Spirit also strives with him. When God, in His infinite mercy, visits man by His Spirit, that Spirit does not come as a neutral force to dwell quietly within him and share his heart with the Prince of Darkness. He enters with full intent to reign! Therefore, there is a conflict that cannot end in armistice but must continue until the end. That end will be either in the driving out of evil or in the thrusting out of good—for either the Prince of Darkness or the King of Light will have dominion over man.

Man must have a master! He cannot serve two masters. Of all sorts of men, this truth has been most clearly seen in those who were evidently made to lead their fellow men. For example, Alexander—who was a true king of men, so heroic and great-hearted that one does not wonder that armies were fired with enthusiasm by his presence and drove everything before them—was, at times, the captive of drunkenness and the slave of his passionate temper.

The Unseen Master: The Battle Within

Look at the busts of the emperors of Rome, the masters of the world. Study their faces and mark how groveling they must have been! Rome had many slaves, but he who wore her purple was the most in bonds. No slave that ground at the mill or died in the amphitheater was more in bondage than the emperors who were slaves to their passions. High rank does not save a man from being under a master. Learning or philosophy does not deliver men from this bondage either, for the teachers of liberty have not been free themselves. As the Apostle says, “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption.”

Solomon himself, with all his wisdom, played the fool, and though he was the most sagacious ruler of his age, he became completely subject to his fleshly desires. Man is born to be a servant, and a servant he must be.

The Change of Masters: Freedom and Servitude

Our text proves the point with which I have started: “Being made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness.” There is no in-between. There does not appear to be a moment left for an independent state, but out of one servitude, we pass into another. The Apostle makes an excuse for using the figure and says, “I speak after the manner of men, because of the infirmity of your flesh.” He did not know how else to describe it, for when we go from under the absolute power of sin, we come at once into a like subjection to righteousness!

As we were governed by the love of sin, so we become subject to the forces of grace and the truth of God. As sin once took possession of us and controlled our actions, so grace claims us as its own, takes possession of us, and rules us with absolute sway.

The Servitude to Righteousness: A New Master

We must now turn our attention to the change itself: We became the servants of righteousness. By God’s grace, we have been set free from the dominion of sin, and in this freedom, we have been led into servitude to righteousness. We are now in possession of righteousness and under its rule. A righteous God has made us die to sin, has redeemed us, and has infused a new and righteous life into us.

We do not belong to ourselves, but we yield ourselves entirely to the Redeemer’s sway through His Spirit. The more completely He rules us, the better. The text says we are enslaved to righteousness, and so we wish to be. We desire to give ourselves up wholly and absolutely to the divine sway, so that the right, the true, and the good may hold us in perpetual bonds.

Reasons for the Change of Masters

Why did we make this change? We changed our old master because sin never had any rightful dominion over us. Sin did not create us, it does not sustain us, and it had no right to us. Our old master, sin, was as bad as bad could be. Sin is worse than the devil because it made the devil a devil; he would have been an angel if it weren’t for sin.

We ran away from sin because we discovered that it brought us nothing but loss. Sin, as the Apostle says, “What fruit had you then?” What gain did the drunkard or the spendthrift have in his indulgences? Sin is evil, and only evil, continually. Moreover, serving sin brought us shame. There was no honor in serving it; its work is something we are now ashamed of.

The wages of sin are death, and this is dreadful to think upon. But when we found out that sin led its servants to hell and unquenchable fire, we renounced its rule and took up with a new lord.

The New Master: The Source of Our Freedom

We took up with our new Master, Jesus Christ, because He set us free. It was He who bought us, and it was He who fought for us. By His grace, we were freed from the tyranny of sin, and we now belong to Him. We are no longer slaves to sin but servants of righteousness. This is the change we experience, and we now live in freedom under the reign of Christ, serving Him joyfully and completely.

The Liberty Given by Christ

It was He who brought us into liberty! Ah, if you could only see Him, you would not ask us why we became His servants! In the first place, we owe ourselves wholly to Him. And in the next place, if we did not, He is so altogether lovely, so matchless and so charming, that if we had a free choice of masters, we would choose Him a thousand times over, for He is the crown and glory of mankind! Among the sons, there is none to be compared to Him.

If you want us to justify our service to Him, we tell you that service is perfect freedom and supreme delight. We have had to suffer a little, sometimes, when His enemy and ours has barked at us and the ungodly have called us ill names—but we count it an honor to suffer for Jesus’ sake, for He is so sweet and so good. If we had a thousand lives and could give each one away by a martyr’s death, we would count Him worthy of those lives, for He is so sweet to our hearts’ love!

The Present and Future Reward of Service

Why have we taken our new Master? Why, because He gives us, even now, a present payment in His service! If there were no hereafter, we would be satisfied with the present delight He gives us. But in addition to that, He has promised us, as a future reward, eternal life at His right hand! We think, therefore, that we have more than sufficient reason for becoming the servants of Jesus Christ, who is made of God unto us, righteousness. Dear Hearers, how I wish that you would all enter my Lord’s service by faith in His name!

The Consequences of This Change

In the third place, and very practically, I want to talk to those who are servants of God, about the consequences of this change. You have become the servants of righteousness, and the first consequence is that you belong wholly to your Lord. Have you recognized this? I know numbers of Christian people—I hope they are Christian people, for in some points they seem as if they were—but if I were asked to look at their lives and give an opinion as to whom they belong, I should be compelled to say, “They seem mostly to belong to themselves.”

Who Do You Belong To?

To whom does their property belong? “To themselves.” To whom does their time belong? “To themselves.” To whom does their talent belong? “To themselves.” As far as I can see, they lay all out upon themselves and live for themselves. And what do they give to God? If they are rather generous, they give Him the candle ends, the parings of the cheese, and little odds and ends—three penny-bits and things they do not want and can give without missing them. There are hundreds of professors who never gave God anything that cost them self-denial—not so much as going without a dish on the table, or a picture on the wall, or a ring on the finger!

The Problem with Lukewarm Christianity

There are numbers of professing Christians who spend a deal more on the soles of their boots than on Christ, and many women who spend more on the feathers and the flowers which deck their bonnets than on their Savior! Yes, and I have heard of men who said they were perfect and yet they were worth half a million of money and were hoarding up more! Sinners dying and being damned, and missionaries without support—and yet these absolutely perfect men are piling up gold and letting the cause of Christ suffer for lack of means!

It is not my theory of perfection, no, it does not seem to me to come up to the idea of a common Christian who says he is not his own! If you are really saved, Brothers and Sisters, not a hair of your head belongs to yourselves! Christ’s blood has either bought you, or it has not! And if it has, then you are altogether Christ’s, every bit of you—you are neither to eat nor drink, nor sleep but for Christ—“Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Being Christ’s Completely

Have you ever got a hold of that? Just as a Negro used to belong to the man that bought him, every inch of him, so you are the slave of Christ! You bear in your body the brand of Lord Jesus and your glory and your freedom are therein. That is the first consequence of being set free from sin—you became the servants of righteousness.

Loving Christ and His Name

What next? Why, because you are Christ’s, His very name is dear to you! You are not so His slave that you would escape from His service if you could—no—you would plunge deeper and deeper into it! You want to be more and more the Lord’s. His very name is sweet to you. If you meet with the poorest person who belongs to Christ, you love him. And though, perhaps, some who are like Christ in other respects may have awkward tempers, you put up with their infirmities for His sake. Where there is anything of Christ—there your love goes forth.

The Sweetness of Christ’s Name

I remember when I left the village where I first preached. I felt that if I had met a dog that came from Waterbeach, I would have petted him—and such is the love we have for Christ—that the lowest and weakest thing that belongs to Him, we love for His sake! The very sound of His name is music to us, and those who do not love Him, we cannot endure.

The Impatience of Love for Christ

Haydn, the great musician, one day walked down a London street. Turning into a music-seller’s shop, he asked the salesman if he had any select and beautiful music. “Well, Sir,” he said, “I have some sublime music by Mr. Haydn.” “Oh,” said Haydn, “I’ll have nothing to do with that.” “Why, Sir, you come to buy music and will have nothing to do with Mr. Haydn’s composition! What fault can you find with it?” “I can find a great deal of fault with it, but I will not argue with you: I do not want any of his music.” “Then,” said the shopkeeper, “I have other music, but it is not for such as you,” and he turned his back on him!

A thorough enthusiast grows impatient with those who do not appreciate what he so much admires. If we love Jesus, we shall sometimes feel an impatient desire to get away from those who know Him not. You do not love Christ? What kind of person can you be to be so blind, so dead? You can be no friend of mine if you are not a friend of Christ’s. I would do anything for your good, but you cannot yield me delight or be my bosom friend unless you love my Lord, for He has engrossed my heart and taken entire possession of my spirit.

Devotion to Christ in All Things

If you have thus become a servant of righteousness, you will weary of that which does not help you in His service, and the name of your Master will be as the choicest music to you.

All Members Reserved for Christ

Now, dear Friends, let me mention another result. All your members are henceforth reserved for Christ. What does the Apostle say? “When you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness.” When Satan was your master, you did not care about Christ, did you? You had no respect for Him, and if anybody before you said, “Take them away—I do not want to hear them,” you wholly agreed for evil. Now, in the same way, yield yourself up wholly to Christ, and say, “Now, Satan, when I was yours, I did not yield obedience to Jesus. But now that I am Christ’s, I can yield no obedience to you.”

Christ’s Ownership Over Every Part of You

If Satan brings sin before you, say, “I cannot see it—my eyes are Christ’s.” And if he would charm you with the sweet sound of temptation, say, “I cannot hear it—my ears are Christ’s.” “Oh,” says Satan, “seize on this delight.” You answer, “I cannot reach it—my hands are Christ’s.” “But taste this sweet draught,” says he. You say, “I cannot take it—my lips are Christ’s, my mouth is Christ’s, ALL my members are Christ’s.”

Living for Christ Alone

“Well, but you can form a judgment, can’t you, about this error?” “My understanding is Christ’s.” “Oh, but listen to this new thing!” “No, I do not want to hear. I have found Christ, who is new enough for me. I do not want your novel discoveries. I am dead to them. I do not want to be worried with arguments which dishonor my Lord—take them away. When I was a servant of sin, I would not meddle with the Truth of God, and now that I am a servant of Christ, I will not trifle in the opposite direction. I have done with all but Jesus.”

Serving Christ with the Same Zeal as Sin

Think, my Brothers and Sisters! When we were servants of sin, in what way did we serve it? Just as we used to serve sin, so ought we to work for Jesus! I do not speak to all here present, but I speak to many who were sinners of an open kind. How did you serve sin? I will answer for them. They did not require to be egged on to it. They did not need any messenger of the devil to plead with them and urge them to unholy pleasures and unclean delights. Far from it! Some of their own companions thought them too imprudent.

Serving Christ with Zeal and Passion

Now, dear Friends, you ought not to need your ministers or Christian friends to stir you up to good works. You ought to be just as eager after holiness as you were after sin! Evil was very sweet to you once. You used to watch for the day when you could indulge in a sweet sin, did you not? When the time was coming round when you could take a deep draught of iniquity, you took the almanac and looked for it as a child for his holidays. Brother, Sister, serve Christ in the same way! May His Holy Spirit help you to do so. Watch for opportunities of doing good! Do not need whipping to do your duty.

A Call to Full Commitment to Christ

Instead of requiring to be urged forward in evil, we needed homing back, didn’t we? Our parents had to put the rein upon us! Sometimes Mother would say, “John, stop that.” And Father would cry, “My boy, do not do this evil thing!” We needed a great deal of restraint. I wish I had a band of Christians around me who needed holding back in the service of Christ! I have not met with that sort yet. I am prepared with many kinds of curbs when and if I meet with a high-mettled Christian who goes at too great a rate in His Lord’s service! For the most part, my Master’s horses are fonder of getting into the stables than out into the hunting field. I have not met with one who has done too much for the Lord!

Serving Christ with Unstinted Devotion

I shall never be guilty of too much work, myself! I wish I could go like the wind in serving Jesus. Brothers and Sisters, be just as hot to honor Christ as you once were to dishonor Him! As you have given the devil first-rate service, let Christ have the same. You remember, in the days of your sin, some of you, how thoroughly you went in for it, that you never stopped at any expense—did you? Oh no, if you needed pleasure in sin, away went the five pounds and the hundreds! How often do I meet with men, particularly those given to drink, who get pounds in their pockets and never know where they go—but they will never leave off till all is spent—be it little or much! Poor fools, poor fools! Yet I wish we could serve Jesus Christ thus unstintedly.

Complete Devotion to Christ’s Service

No expense should be reckoned so long as we can honor Him and bless His name! Bring forth the alabaster box! Break it—never mind the chips and pieces—pour out the oil and let Jesus have it all! It was thus I served Satan, and thus would I serve Christ! Yes, and the poor slaves of sin not only do not stop at expense, but they are not frightened by any kind of loss. Look at how many lose their characters for the sake of one short hour of sin! How many are wringing their hands now because none will trust them, and they are cut off from decent society because of one short-lived sin! They ruin their peace and think nothing of it. A quiet conscience is the brightest of jewels, but they fling it away to enjoy their sin! They will lose their health, too, for the sake of indulging their passions.

Martyrdom for Christ’s Glory

The devil says, “Drink, drink! Drink yourselves blind!” And they do it as eagerly as if it were for their good! They are martyrs for Satan. Never did a Zulu fling himself upon death for his king so recklessly as these servants of Satan yield themselves for his service. They will do anything! They will destroy their health and, what is worst of all, destroy their souls, forever, for the sake of sin’s brief delights. They know that there is a Hell. They know that the wrath of God abides forever on guilty men, but they risk all and lose all for sin.

In that same way should we serve our Lord! Be willing to lose our character for Him. Be willing to lose our health for Him. Be willing to lose our life for Him. Be willing to lose all, if by any means we may glorify Him whose servant we have become!

A Call to Serve Christ Wholeheartedly

Oh, who will be my Master’s servant? Here He comes! Do you not see Him? He wears upon His head no diadem but a crown of thorns! Running down His cheeks, you see the spit flowing! His feet are still rubied with their wounds, and His hands are still bejeweled with the marks of the nails! This is your Master, and these are the signs of His love for you! What service will you render Him? That of a mere professor who names His name but loves Him not? That of a cold religionist who renders unwilling service out of fear?

Conclusion: A Call to True Commitment

I pray you, Brothers and Sisters, do not so dishonor Him! I lift the standard this morning to enlist beneath the banner of Christ those who will be Christ’s men and women from head to foot! And happy shall the Church be! And happy the entire Israel of God if a chosen number shall enlist and remain true to their colors! We need no more nominal Christians—lukewarm Christians whom my Master spues out of His mouth! We need men and women on fire with love—consecrated all over, intensely devoted—who, by the slavery from which they have escaped and by the liberty into which they have entered, are under oath to spend and be spent for the name of Jesus till they have filled the earth with His Glory and made all Heaven ring with His praise!

The Lord bless you, Beloved, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Charles Spurgeon