Title: Master of Disciples
Contents: Ladies and gentlemen, the members of the church are not products from factories. Items from the factory can be of the same kind in every way. Same size, same shape, same color, same weight. On the other hand, we who make up the church cannot be the same in every way. You may have a different opinion on some events. Opinions may differ on some issues. You may have a different opinion on something. Because we are diversely created people.
This is also true of the Roman Church in today's text. In the Roman Church, there are those with strong faith and those with weak faith. Are you going to eat about food? Should I not eat? Opinions differ. For example, there are people who say you can eat sundae. There are those who argue that sundae should not be eaten. Also within the Church of Rome, opinions about a certain date were different. Some consider this day better than the other. Others see every day the same. In this way, people with different opinions and different judgments are gathered in the Church of Rome. Our Adventist Church, like the Roman Church, has diverse opinions.
Brothers and sisters, what are we doing in this case? We make it very easy for us to align our judgments and opinions with those of God. Whose opinion, then, will belong to you and the other person? Whose is it? Mine belongs to God, so the opinions of others who oppose me belong to the devil. How can God and the devil not be together? So we fight each other in anger for the glory of God, considering the other as the devil. They judge, criticize, criticize, and hurt each other.
Brothers and sisters, the Apostle Paul handles matters differently than we do. The point is that there may be different interpretations of something. I admit that opinions may differ. That is, opinions and judgments may differ. Therefore, it is important to respect each other's opinions. That is, do not judge your brother too easily.
1. We are not the masters of our lives.
Verse 7. “Not one of us lives to himself, and not one dies to himself.” Opinions differed on other matters within the Roman Church, but they all agreed on the content of verse 7. Therefore, it could be said, "Not one of us lives to himself, and not one of us has died to himself." Not all Christians live for themselves. He does not die for himself. Those who have changed their purpose in life are Christians who believe in Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, we do not live for ourselves. do you believe What do you want to do? What do you not want? What are your wishes? What is your life goal? Hope? dream? Dear saints, if you are a believer, you are saying that these things have nothing to do with your life. Because you are not the master of your life.
We are not even dying for us. We can't do what we want when we die. We can't die when we want. We cannot die as we wish. Because we are not masters even in our death.
Dear saints, a Christian is a person who has given up being the master of their own life. A person who insists on being the master of his or her life may not be a Christian. I want you to admit that you are not in control of your life. I want you to confess that you are not the master of your own death.
2. If we are not the masters of our lives, who are our masters?
The apostle Paul answers in verse 8. “If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”
Jesus Christ is the Lord of our lives. Our purpose in life is for Jesus Christ. We have to do what he wants. We must obey what he commands. We should do what pleases him. We must not do what he forbids. Don't do what he doesn't like.
The apostle Paul goes further. Jesus Christ is Lord in our death. We cannot die for ourselves, but only for Christ.
Folks, you are not yours. It is the Lord's. Because the Lord created you, you are His. Also, you are yours because the Lord bought you with the price of His blood. I hope you believe it. Then who is the saint next to you? It also belongs to the Lord. Whose saint has hurt you? It also belongs to the Lord. Who owns the person who disagreed with you? It also belongs to the Lord. I hope you believe it. May we all believe that it is the Lord's. I hope you believe that God has accepted us all.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, please do not judge other people's servants, other saints that belong to the Lord. The Lord asks us who judge the saints, “Who are you?” You are challenging yourself.
First, the Lord bought us with His blood and made us His own. Acts 20:28 speaks of the church as “the church that God bought with his own blood”. 1 Corinthians 6:20 also testifies that “you were bought with a price”. We want you to believe that Christ paid the precious blood price to make us His own. May you believe that the Lord has given you the precious life and bought us back to be yours. We want you to believe that we are precious and noble beings who gave our blood to the Lord.
The Lord has bought us back to own us. The dead cannot be Lord. The risen Lord ascended to heaven and became the Lord who rules heaven and earth. All things have not yet obeyed the Lord. But the risen Lord already has control over our hearts through the Holy Spirit. He is still taking care of us. are guiding us. I hope you believe it. This is the meaning of the Lord's resurrection.
Brothers and sisters, we are not the masters of our lives. Then you are no longer the masters of other saints. Jesus Christ is my master and you. And we know in part. Our opinions and judgments based on partial knowledge may be partly right and partly wrong. Would you still insist that your opinion is absolutely right? He may not be among us, but if he does, he is claiming to be God. To such a person, the Apostle Paul warns with Romans 14:10. “Why do you judge your brother? Why do you despise your brother? We will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”