TO SERVE YOU MUST FIRST BE A SERVANT (DOULOS), 8-24-25

Romans 1:1 - This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.

The Greek word used for "servant" here is the word doulos, which literally means, "bond-servant."

Deuteronomy 15:12 - If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free. 13And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. 14Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing-floor and your winepress. Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. 15Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.

But now look at verse 16 (DEUTERONOMY 15:16) - But if your servant says to you, "I do not want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your maidservant.

He became a servant who was permanently attached -- bonded -- to his master, a bondservant.

Bondservant means they had voluntarily given up their freedom to walk away from their Master.

To make it a little clearer what this "bondservant" stuff is all about, let's look at some more places in the Bible where that word doulos, bondservant, is used:

Matthew 20:25-28 - Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave -- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

In this passage, the first word "servant" in the NIV, or "minister" in the King James, is the Greek word diakonos, which is where we get our word "deacon."

But the second word "slave" in the NIV, or "servant" in the King James, is our word doulos, "bondservant."

Jesus used both words, in part to let us know that, if we want to be great in the kingdom of God, we can't just humble ourselves and be servants now and then. It's a lifelong thing.

Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the talents. We won't read the whole thing -- you can read it later if you need your memory refreshed -- but wherever you see the word "servant" there, that's a bondservant.

Luke 17:7-10 - "Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? 8 Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? 9 Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'"

*Don't go getting proud about your bondservanthood. That's like being proud of your humility.

Next stop, Romans 12:11 - Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Paul has just made the role of bondservant binding on us. It's not an option, it's not something for mature Christians to strive for when they've mastered everything else, Jesus told us to do It for everyone who names the name of Christ.

Philippians 2:5-7 - Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Jesus Himself became a doulos, a bondservant.

Ephesians 6:5-8 tells slaves to obey and respect their masters, and serve them wholeheartedly. Verse 9 says, "And masters, treat your slaves in the same way."

The opposite of "servant," Biblically speaking, is "selfish."

A servant says, "What can I do for you?" Selfishness says, "What can you do for me?"

Either you're a servant, or you're selfish.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:12)

Take it one day at a time starting today.

I challenge each of you to do something for every person in your life on a regular bases.

Servanthood isn't just a commitment. It's a way of life. It's a habit that can be learned.

Jesus asks you to be a servant for life. Start by committing to be a servant today.