The Missionary's Master and Teacher
Having a master and teacher means having a relationship of love and trust with God, where we are easily obedient and have no conscious awareness of being mastered.
Oswald Chambers emphasizes the distinction between having a master and teacher versus being mastered and taught. He delves into the depth of having Christ as our Teacher, who knows us intimately, satisfies the deepest longings of our hearts, and has resolved all our doubts and uncertainties. Chambers reflects on the reluctance to be controlled by God's mastery, highlighting the importance of understanding obedience in the context of a loving relationship, as seen in the example of Jesus' obedience to the Father.
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To have a master and teacher is not the same thing as being mastered and taught. Having a master and teacher means that there is someone who knows me better than I know myself, who is closer than a friend, and who understands the remotest depths of my heart and is able to satisfy them fully. It means having someone who has made me secure in the knowledge that he has met and solved all the doubts, uncertainties, and problems in my mind. To have a master and teacher is this and nothing less-- "...for One is your Teacher, the Christ..." (Matthew 23:8).
Our Lord never takes measures to make me do what He wants. Sometimes I wish God would master and control me to make me do what He wants, but He will not. And at other times I wish He would leave me alone, and He does not.
"You call Me Teacher and Lord..."-- but is He? Teacher, Master, and Lord have little place in our vocabulary. We prefer the words Savior, Sanctifier, and Healer. The only word that truly describes the experience of being mastered is love, and we know little about love as God reveals it in His Word. The way we use the word obey is proof of this. In the Bible, obedience is based on a relationship between equals; for example, that of a son with his father. Our Lord was not simply God's servant-- He was His Son. "...though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience..." (Hebrews 5:8). If we are consciously aware that we are being mastered, that idea itself is proof that we have no master. If that is our attitude toward Jesus, we are far away from having the relationship He wants with us. He wants us in a relationship where He is so easily our Master and Teacher that we have no conscious awareness of it-- a relationship where all we know is that we are His to obey.
Sermon Outline
- The Master and Teacher
- Our Lord's Relationship with Us
- The Relationship Jesus Wants with Us
- Easy, unconscious awareness of being His to obey
- A relationship of love and trust
- Conscious awareness of being mastered is proof of no master
Key Quotes
“To have a master and teacher means that there is someone who knows me better than I know myself, who is closer than a friend, and who understands the remotest depths of my heart and is able to satisfy them fully.” — Oswald Chambers
“You call Me Teacher and Lord...-- but is He? Teacher, Master, and Lord have little place in our vocabulary.” — Oswald Chambers
“If we are consciously aware that we are being mastered, that idea itself is proof that we have no master.” — Oswald Chambers
Application Points
- We should strive for a relationship with God where we are easily obedient and have no conscious awareness of being mastered.
- Our obedience to God should be based on a relationship of love and trust, not control or domination.
- We should seek to understand God's love and trust Him fully, rather than trying to control Him.