Jentezen Franklin - I Love My Master
If you have your Bibles, I'd like for you to open them with me to Exodus 21, and I'll begin reading with Exodus 21:5, for the sake of time. "But if the servant plainly says," notice that, if the servant plainly says: "I love my master, I love my wife, I love my children; I will not go out free. Then the master shall bring him to the judges. And he shall bring him to the door," notice that: "to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl", it's a piece of iron, against the door: "and he shall serve him forever". What a beautiful type and picture that we'll show you in just a moment.
In Revelation 3, Jesus said to one of the seven churches: "I set before you an open door, that no man can shut". And usually, when we think about doors, we think about new opportunities, open doors. Open opportunities. Blessings and benefits of new, exciting, unknown doors, open, and we kinda have positive vibes from that. But really, in this text, what Jesus was really saying, He was addressing people who were in the church, in the Kingdom of God, and they had repented, they had been baptized. They had been filled with the Holy Spirit. They had joined the Body of Christ. And then, He makes this profound statement to them. He said, "I set before you an open door," not just to come into the church, but you have the power of choice, you can leave. You have the divine option to choose whether you stay or whether you leave. Whether you serve Me, or you decide to go back to what you were living, before you met Me.
Jesus was saying, God was saying, "I will never demand anybody to love Me. If you do it, I want you to do it". The door is still there. Jesus established an open-door policy that you can come into the Kingdom, but nobody's gonna make you serve the Lord. Serving God is a choice. This is a choice, not a cult. You can leave any time you wanna leave. You can decide that any time you wanna do it. This, today, I wanna be bold about it. I wanna declare it to everybody under the sound of my voice, at all of our campuses, wherever you are, those of you online, all over the world. I wanna boldly say, it's my choice to be here today. Because I love my Master. I love my Jesus. I love what He did for me on the Cross. And you know what else? I like what the text said, I love my wife, and this makes me a better man when I'm in church. It makes me a better husband, it makes me a better father. It makes me love my children and my grand... I'm not just living for my generation and my time, but I understand my influence is being passed down for generations. I'm here because I choose to be. But it's an open door.
In Exodus 21, the text that I read, I didn't have time to read it all, but if you read Exodus 21:2, it says if the servant decides. You see, in the Bible days, they had slaves, but not like the oppressive-type slavery. It meant that if you could not pay your debt, you had to go to work for that person, for seven years. And in the seventh year, he had to bring you to this point of Exodus 21. And you had to decide to stay there and work for that person, and be there, or you could leave, and the Bible said he would take 'em to the door. Isn't that interesting? That Jesus said, "I set before you an open door". And you can choose, if you want to stay here or not, and they would take that servant at his seventh year, and they would say to him, "If,", Exodus 21:2, he said, "If". Exodus 21:3, he said, "If you choose to stay". Exodus 21:4, "If you choose to stay". Exodus 21:5, "If you choose to stay".
If, if, if, if. Even after being purchased, there was still an if. There was still the possibility of departure. It's John 14:15: "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments". What commandments? Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not commit sexual immorality, adultery. Thou shalt not dishonor thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother. I'm gonna stay on that one awhile. Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother. And you know, if you'll do the Ten Commandments, you will honor your father and your mother. But lemme keep moving, I felt stuck on that one for a minute. Jesus preached one of His strongest messages in the Book of John 6, and it's interesting. It's 6-6-6, because it's chapter 6 and verse 66, He preaches this powerful message, and He says, "Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood, then you have no part with Me". And then, the Bible said, "And from that time, many of His disciples went back".
Jesus introduced 'em to the door, and He said, "You don't have to stay with Me," and they went back and walked with Him no more. The very next verse, then Jesus turns and He introduces His holy disciples to the door, and He says to the 12, "Do you also wanna go away"? Notice, He didn't say, "Oh, let Me preach another sermon, 'cause I don't wanna lose any more people". He didn't start apologizing and saying, "Lemme preach a lighter gospel". No, no, no, no. He said, "Will you also go away"? Because there is a door. You don't have to follow Me. You don't have to serve Me. You don't have to love Me. You can choose. Let's be honest. Let's tell the truth. I like what Simon-Peter's response was, he said, "Lord, where shall we go"? In North Carolina, we have a different way of saying things, and we would say it in North Carolina language. "There ain't nowhere else to go".
Some people just always looking for a way out. How can I get out of devotion? How can I get out of consecration? How can I get out? But I'm telling you that I love the way that I think, I love the way that I live. I love the way, the things that I give up, I give up because I love my Master. Not because I can't do this, and I can't do that. I love my Master, and I love my wife, and I love my children, and I wanna bring glory to His name. I'm not here about me. In Acts 16, when Paul and Silas were in prison, and their backs lacerated, beaten, tortured for preaching the Gospel, and speaking the mighty name of Jesus. And the Bible said at midnight, they sang praises, just like what we were doing in here. They began to sing praises. Beaten, tortured, pain, and they start singing praises to God. And suddenly, here's how you stay, they got in the middle of a move of God, because the Bible said God heard their praise, and sent an earthquake.
And it was not a normal earthquake, but it was a move of God that started shaking the foundation of that prison, and the Bible said two things happened, the chains fell off of the prisoners, because when you get in a move of God, chains start falling off. Chains of fear, and depression, chains of addiction. Chains of hopelessness, chains of guilt and shame and condemnation. They just start falling off. But not only that, there's an interesting verse that said, and immediately, all the doors... do you see it? Immediately, all the doors were opened, and everyone's chains were loose. Every prison door, every prisoner, then, had a choice. I can stay, the chains have come off, the prison door's open, and the jailer started having, basically, a heart attack. Because he starts realizing that all of my prisoners, well, they're gonna run. The door's open. The only thing that's been keeping 'em here is all the rules and regulations of this prison.
Kinda sounds like church, all the rules and the regulations, and jailers and guards, but when you've really got a love for the Master, you don't need bars, you don't need chains. You don't need jailers, you don't need preachers telling, watching, you all the time. Checking up on you. You don't need mom and dad. When you really love the Master, see, that's how I know I'm not a prisoner. 'Cause prisoners leave, but people who've really been freed by the liberty of Jesus Christ and His Spirit, we don't leave. And Paul said, "Listen. All are here and accounted for. Nobody wants to move. Nobody wants to leave. We're free, we could go back to the life we had, but we're not leaving, 'cause we're in a move of God".
No matter what doors open, I'm not leaving my marriage. I'm not leaving my children. You will never get me to do that. I may make some dumb decisions, but the smartest thing I ever did was marry that girl, and nothing's gonna get... no door open, I don't care what she looks like. I don't care how she flirts. I'll shut that door myself, I don't need the Lord to shut it. Because, I love my Master, and when I love Jesus, it makes me love her, and it makes me love my family, and my grandchildren, and it makes me a better man. It's called character. It's called integrity. It's called purity. It's called holiness. And I don't do it 'cause it's a bunch of rules, I do it because I love my Master, and when He hung on the Cross, He proved His love for me with His physical body. Now, watch this, I'm almost done. He said, "Make it plain".
Too many Christians are trying to camouflage and cover up their faith. They're ashamed. I'm different and I wanna be different. I don't apologize for my convictions. I'm gonna say it plainly. I wrote this down. I'm saved, I'm born again. Do you understand that? I'm blood-bought. I'm Bible-believing. I'm devil-chasing. Anointed with oil. Spirit-filled. Do you understand that? I'm not ever going to be ashamed of that. make the Rapture. You're gonna say it plainly, or you're gonna be left behind. So lemme close. The master would take the servant to the door, and he would explain to him, "There's no law that dictates that you have to stay here and serve me the rest of your life". If you do it, it'll be your own free will.
There's no list of rules that you can follow that can make this happen. If you do it, there will be one reason that you consecrate your life to me. Not your will, but my will be done in your life, and the only reason you would do that is because you love your master. And he would take him to the door, and he would say, "Look out on the city lights out there. Looks like Las Vegas. Boy, they're having a party. Look at the clubs. Look at the beds of adultery, and look at the hotel rooms, and look at the sin, look at the immorality, look at it. If that's what you want, there's a door. Go for it. You're a free man". Took him to the door. The lust of the eyes, the pride of life. The lust of the flesh. This is the world. Go for it. But then, he made this profound statement. The decision is yours, He said, "There's one stipulation. The only thing you can take with you," if you leave the house of faith, leave the Lord and your relationship with Him, "The only thing you can take with him is what you brought in".
Isn't that amazing? And, if you got your wife in the house of God, or in the Master's house, you don't get to take her. And your children, you don't get to take them. But if you plainly say, "I love my Master, I love my wife, I love my children, and I'm not going anywhere". You know, think about what you brought. You brought depression, you brought guilt. You brought shame, you brought addiction. You brought broken marriages. You brought a wasted life. You brought failure. You brought hopelessness and despair and anxiety and fear. And he said, "The only thing you can take with you is what you brought". So when you leave, take all that back. It goes with you. And peace stays here. Listen, favor stays here. Mercy stays here. Protection stays here. But you can go. You're free to go.
And if he said it that moment, "I love my master, I love my wife, I love my children," then watch this. Then he would take an awl, an A-W-L, and drive it through his ear, to make a public statement so that everyone who saw would know whose side he was on, and who he really loved. That's what water baptism is, it's a public statement of an inner-work. It's going public with it. You can pray, and your faith can be private, but when Jesus commanded that we be baptized, it's saying publicly, "I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I'm coming up out of this grave, just like Jesus did". With newness of life.
And listen. He drove the awl through his ear, but I wanna play with that word a minute and say, in other words, you serve the Master, it's all or nothing. It's A-W-L, or nothing. It's not you can kinda have some of my life, and I'm gonna do my thing, and I'll do this, and I'll go in-and-out of the door. He said, no, no, no, no. If you give me your life, then I want you to serve me with all of your heart, all of your mind, serve me with your all. All of your strength. And in doing so, for the rest of your life, I will order your steps and I will bless your life. Everybody, in this room, would you say, "I love my Master". What's His name? What's His name? Jesus. And that's what these people are saying. They're saying publicly, they're saying in front of all of you who are watching, and all of you who are here, in this room. I love my Master.
This is one of our wonderful deputies that watches over us every week. You usually would see him in a uniform. I love you. And I love what you represent and the people that you represent, the men and women who guard our lives, who have been done so wrong, quite frankly. We stand with you, 100%. Thank you for risking your life every day for our lives, and our families. Give your name, why are you doing this today?
Franklin Marrow: I'm Franklin Marrow, and I just love the Lord, and you know, sometimes, when you're in a position like what we're in, you're struggling because you have to make some decisions, and sometimes, they're hard decisions. And I realized that no matter what I'm doing, I have to live for God, because every time you don't live for Him, it turns back around. You're right back where you started. And I've chosen to give Him everything. Everything in me. And, I just love Him, and I thank you so much for your dedication as a pastor. I've been under you a long time, since 1996, and you have been my rock when I was right, when I was wrong, and I thank you so much, just for your dedication for the church, and for all you do for us.
Jentezen Franklin: I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Bless him, Lord. Beautiful, beautiful, Franklin. Beautiful. Good morning. What's your name?
Mary Ligette: Mary Ligette.
Jentezen Franklin: Well, thank you for being here. Why are you doing this? How did you come to Free Chapel? Did somebody invite you?
Mary Ligette: Well, I actually came to the Forward Conference about ten years ago. And I moved up here recently, I got saved about three months ago. And I've been on my walk, I moved here to go to school, and I found out you were, like, right up the road, so I came. And then, I should do a baptism, so. Yep.
Jentezen Franklin: You're going all the way with Jesus?
Mary Ligette: All the way.
Jentezen Franklin: What would you say to people who are searching and something's missing, there's an emptiness that you felt?
Mary Ligette: Well, I was actually looking for it in other areas. I started watching tarot cards, New Age, I even have a tattoo, you know. But nothing worked.
Jentezen Franklin: There's nothing like this. There's nothing like this. It's the peace, the joy, the love that Jesus gives. And, you know, that's so important that you acknowledge that, because the moment you acknowledge and repent of that, every curse is broken off of your life. The Holy Spirit is the only Spirit that's gonna lead your life, and I baptize you, in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Thank You, Lord. Somebody needs to rejoice for her mother. Somebody needs to rejoice for her family. I know they prayed a long time about that. What's your name?
Lauren: Lauren.
Jentezen Franklin: Lauren? You got friends and family?
Lauren: I do, yeah. I'm in the Free Chapel mentoring right now. I graduated school discipleship, so now, I'm being mentored so I can mentor other women, so.
Jentezen Franklin: So great. So great. God will absolutely use you. How did you end up here?
Lauren: I've probably been coming here straight for about three years. Five years ago, my mom's always watched you, and she, you know, wanted our family to come. I'm a single mom, and my son is in remission from cancer. He... yeah. He's over there, too. He's watching...
Jentezen Franklin: How old is he?
Lauren: He was not supposed to live through the night of August 6th, 2009, or to the age of one, and he'll be 13 in two weeks.
Jentezen Franklin: Where's that miracle at? Stand up, son. We wanna give God praise. That's a miracle right there. That's amazing. That is amazing.
Lauren: He's the first-known case with the type of cancer that he had. He had muscle cancer of the heart. We moved here in 2009, I slept at Englestead before I did my own bed. And he had flu-like symptoms, and that night, he was on a heart transplant list for a little bit, and I had to make the decision at 21 for them to do an emergency surgery the next day. They said he wasn't gonna live through that night. They took out the crib, and put in a bed, so I could hold him as he passed away. He made it through the night. He made it through that surgery. And I'm here to give my life to Jesus because He could've chosen to take my son from me. He could've chosen for that journey, for it to be in heaven, and not be here on earth. So I'm doing everything I can to set that example for my children, to also set that example for single moms out there. With God, there is no rejection. With God, you are worthy. And He has a plan for you. So that is why I am here, because...
Jentezen Franklin: You love your Master, and you love your children.
Lauren: I do. I do. And I wanna give this chance, 'cause I won't ever get to thank you, I feel like, again in-person, but thank you. You've put a light in my family, my father, my mother, who are here. We are the strong knit that we are, but especially the last five years, with the things we've gone through, because of you and the light that you've placed in our house and our home, and God using you. So I just wanna thank you. And the worship team, because y'all are amazing, and I just... I thank you, and I love my Master.
Jentezen Franklin: We know you do, isn't that powerful? I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Let's really give God a mighty praise in this room. My goodness.
I'm so thankful, today, that you've watched this program. And I don't think that it's an accident that you're viewing right now. Because right where you are, it can become a powerful place where you invite the Lord Jesus Christ into your home, into your family, into your pain, into your heart, into your trouble. Pray this prayer today, say:
Jesus, I'm coming home. I'm so sorry. I really need your grace and your mercy. I really need you to change me. I can't do this without you. I need you. Save me, heal me, help me, deliver me, and restore my life in every area. I give you the broken pieces. In Jesus' name.
Now, I praise God for this moment because the Spirit of God is doing a miracle in your life. You know, I want to declare boldly, Jesus is still your healer and he can move the mountain of cancer. He can move the disease. He can turn around a COVID case in a bad place that seems unchangeable. He can get your relative off of that oxygen and that vent that they're connected to. And, Lord, we pray that you would release healing across the land in Jesus' mighty name. We would love, today, to agree with you for your miracle. And if you just prayed that prayer, I want you to let us know by calling the number on the screen. We just enjoy hearing back from you so much. There's also a website that you can visit and we will send you our Salvation Journey Kit and it'll get you on a path for the next 21 days of devotion to God and you will begin to grow immediately in your new walk with Jesus Christ. Thank you so much. We'll see you next time.