Message 6: Freedom
William Wallace – played by Mel Gibson in the movie BRAVEHEART – wanted one thing: To live free. When that freedom was threatened by the tyranny of England, a warrior awoke in Wallace that is still remembered some 700 years after his murder.
FREEDOM is a powerful force. As American’s we know that our country was founded upon the principle of freedom. Wars are fought over freedom. Men and women freely give away their lives in order to protect and defend freedom.
Satan and his demons HATE FREEDOM. He wants you to be ensnared and enslaved in his web of deceit and destruction. He wants you to live captive to sin and death.
But GOD loves freedom. FREEDOM is what brought Jesus to earth. Galatians 5 says…
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is required to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Galatians 5:1-6
The New Christian gets this message loud and clear: The 21st Century Christian has been SET FREE to put their faith into action!
What does this mean?
1. The 21st Century Christian Has Been Set Free By Christ From The Past!
We all have skeletons in our closet.
We are have things we are ashamed of.
Most of us carry within us that fear that on the Day of Judgment, God will have giant video screens in Heaven showing all of our secret sins. That wouldn’t be Heaven – that’d be Hell!
Are you a Christian? Have you placed your faith in the blood of Jesus Christ?
You see – the 21st Century Christian isn’t held back by his past – because his past has been FOREVER FORGIVEN AND FOREVER FORGOTTEN BY GOD!
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13, 14
Your past is not relevant, because you have been changed by the blood of Christ! The 21st Century Christian has been set free by Christ from the past. They do not sit around grieving over their past sins – instead they…
"…walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:7
The 21st Century Christian has been set free by Christ from the past – will you accept this freedom?
2. The 21st Century Christian Has Been Set Free By Christ From the Religion of Negativity!
The religions of man place a heavy burden of rules, regulations and laws. “Do this, don’t do that.”
The Jews of Jesus day were really into rules and regulations.
The Talmud – a collection of writings with the Laws of Moses included some 613 laws! And get this – 248 were positive laws and 365 were negative laws. Can you imagine waking up everyday trying to remember 613 laws to obey?
For far too long, Christianity has been known more by what we are AGAINST than what we are FOR! Churches have created long lists of “Do’s and Don’t’s” for their people.
But, just because a person keeps rules, doesn’t make them holy! You can take all the negative things out of your life – but what do you replace them with?
Jesus illustrated this in Matthew 12:43-45…
""When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."" Matthew 12:43-45
You see, it isn’t enough to stop doing evil, you’ve got to replace it with something positive! Way too many Christians today are very proud of how they’ve stopped ‘doing this, or doing that’ but what have they filled their lives with?
The 21st Century Christian can’t be satisfied in simply stopping doing the negative behaviors – they need and depend upon the FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT to produce SPIRITUAL FRUIT in their lives! WE WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THIS NEXT WEEK.
The 21st Century Christian Has Been Set Free By Christ From the Religion of Negativity!
Now, look again at Galatians 5…
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1
Look at the word ‘freedom’ – or in the King James – ‘liberty’ – The Greek word literally means to ‘live according to design’.
True freedom is when you live according to God’s design for your life! God created you to be the Highest Creation, to rule over the earth, to have dominion and control over all other created beings, to live in true fellowship with Him and with each other. God created your Spirit to rule over your Body and Soul.
But sin crept in and ever since then there has been a power struggle within each and everyone of us. The Flesh wants control. Your emotions want control. Your Intellect demands leadership. You want what you want when you want it.
But this isn’t who you really are. This isn’t your true identity. Which is why Christ came to earth. “It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free!”
The word “FREE” means to ‘set at liberty’ or to ‘make us free from sin’s dominion’ over our lives!
The very purpose Christ came to earth to fulfill was to bring you back to place of true freedom! That your life would be restored to ‘pre-sin’ condition.
Freedom is costly. It cost Jesus His life. But, when He looked at you, He decided that you are a good investment. YOU ARE WORTH IT!
Paul writes:
“Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery…”
Freedom can be easily lost. We must stand in our freedom. We must fight for our freedom. Paul says ‘don’t let yourselves be burdened’ – do you get that? You cannot allow anyone or anything to make you a slave again! Christ gave you freedom – now stand in it!
There was quite a controversy in the early church about whether Greek converts to Christianity needed to become Jews prior to becoming Christians. Circumcision represents the keeping of the Old Testament Law. Paul says: “NO! The Law is of no value! The Law cannot create salvation.
LOOK AT VERSE 2…
"Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is required to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace." Galatians 5:2-4, NIV.
And as we read the next verse…
"But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.” Galatians 5:5-6a
Righteousness comes through GRACE! God’s grace is all you need. Place your faith in His Grace and you will be FREE! You don’t need to obey the Law – you need to trust God! The Blood of Christ is all you need!
Look at the last part of verse 6:
“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Galatians 5:6b
This answers the question:
WHAT IS OUR PART IN THE DEAL? Our part is FAITH that is expressed in love!
Jesus said in Matthew 22…
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40
The 21st Century Christian is FREE to live in FAITH that is expressed in LOVE! My freedom in Christ isn’t so that I can run around sinning like a madman. If I do that, I have missed the point of the Gospel entirely.
Paul wrote: "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." Romans 13:8, KJV
Faith that is expressed in love in action means that you – the 21st Century Christian rise up and you make an impact on those around you. Your life matters. You are Christ to this world!
Let me illustrate what I’m getting at by reviewing the first four characteristics of the 21st Century Christian:
I. I possess an IDENTITY that is unshakable! (Proverbs 4:23, Romans 1:7, John 14:12, Philippians 1:27, 2 Corinthians 10:5, John 8:32, Philippians 1:27)
When I came to Christ, He gave me a new identity. I am not who I used to be. I have been born again. There is nothing this world can do to me – including take my life – that changes the fact that I belong to God! I am a Child of the King! You can take my life, but you cannot take my identity!
II. I am EMPOWERED to do the impossible! (1 Corinthians 4:20, Matthew 17:14-20, Romans 12:2, 1 John 5:4-5)
No longer do I go through life ‘doing the best I can under the circumstances’. I am filled with the Holy Spirit of God. His power resides in me. It is true that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It is true that because of my faith in Christ, I will be empowered to do greater things than Christ did! Whatever I may face, by faith, I will be victorious!
III. I have spiritual AUTHORITY over evil and illness! (Matthew 9:35-10:8, Matthew 18:1-4, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Mark 16:15-18)
Evil spirits and illness are no match for God. And because I have the Holy Spirit within me, I, along with my brothers and sisters in Christ, will rebuke Satan and His demons as they seek to destroy me and those Christ loves. Not only that, but I’ll pray believing for this sick, asking God to heal and restore them to fullness of health and live, in order that Christ would be glorified. When I show up on the scene, it is that same thing as Christ showing up! Evil spirits will run! Illness will be healed! I will operate in the authority granted me by Christ to stop Satan and to promote God’s Kingdom!
IV. I take RESPONSIBILITY to reclaim what belongs to God! (Psalms 24:1-2, Ezekiel 22:30-31, Ephesians 4:14-15, Acts 16:18, Romans 10:8-10)
Realizing that I am Christ to this lost and dying world, I will take RESPONSIBILITY to actively seek after that which is lost and to help them find their way back to God. I will speak the truth in love. I will rebuke the liar in Jesus Name. I will speak faith in life. I will bring the priorities of God to the problems of today. In all of this, I desire to be used of God to reclaim what belongs to Him!
V. I am FREE in Christ to express my faith in love towards others! (Galatians 5:1-6, Colossians 1:13-14, 1 John 1:7, Matthew 22:37-40, Romans 6:1-3, 13:8)
Fully rejecting the ‘religion of negativity’ that Satan seeks to impose upon me, I will not be held captive to the rules and laws of man. Instead, I fully appreciate and embrace the freedom that Christ has given me through His blood shed for me on the Cross. And, having been restored to freedom, I will walk in love towards those around me, in faith that they too would be restored to right relationship with God.
CONCLUSION: We are free. The gods of men would hold you back. But, Christ sets you free. And…. "…if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36
Today is the day of freedom.
Let go of that which holds you captive, and embrace the One who sets you free.
Who here needs freedom? Who here has areas of death that are holding them in chains?
Your new identity and empowerment depend on your willingness to accept your new freedom and run with it. You have to be willing to step out in faith and use your freedom, often at some risk.
A group of house church members in China’s Anhui province sensed the leading of the Holy Spirit to go to the hospital and pray for those whom the Doctors had given up on. “You have to take risks for God,” says one believer. “We prayed for 20 days for one patient, and he was only healed at the very last.” A friend added, “We were sweating, because the family was telling us to go away because we were angering the gods. They were beginning to threaten violence against us.” In one year they prayed for 20 terminal cases, and all were healed, mostly of cancer. The church grew from zero to 200 members.
Today – it is time for you to become a 21st Century Christian: Stand - pray this prayer with me: Lift up your hands to Christ:
Jesus – I accept your gift of freedom from the past.
I will no longer be held back by my past.
Jesus – I place your blood over me as a sin offering
and I receive the purity that You give.
I am not who I used to be.
Now, I am yours. Now, I am forgiven. I am clean.
Now, I am a new person thanks to you!
Now, teach me to live in this freedom you’ve given!
Jesus, I give you (Name it)
I no longer want it. I submit it to you.
Instead of clinging to that which I know, I release it to You.
And as I release, I worship You.
For You are far greater and are worthy of my praise.
Jesus – everything I need is found in You.
Jesus – everything I long for comes from You.
Holy Spirit – fill me. Holy Spirit baptize me. Holy Spirit empower me.
Holy Spirit enable me to Worship!
Jesus – Jesus – Jesus – I worship You!
FREEDOM is a powerful force. As American’s we know that our country was founded upon the principle of freedom. Wars are fought over freedom. Men and women freely give away their lives in order to protect and defend freedom.
Satan and his demons HATE FREEDOM. He wants you to be ensnared and enslaved in his web of deceit and destruction. He wants you to live captive to sin and death.
But GOD loves freedom. FREEDOM is what brought Jesus to earth. Galatians 5 says…
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is required to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Galatians 5:1-6
The New Christian gets this message loud and clear: The 21st Century Christian has been SET FREE to put their faith into action!
What does this mean?
1. The 21st Century Christian Has Been Set Free By Christ From The Past!
We all have skeletons in our closet.
We are have things we are ashamed of.
Most of us carry within us that fear that on the Day of Judgment, God will have giant video screens in Heaven showing all of our secret sins. That wouldn’t be Heaven – that’d be Hell!
Are you a Christian? Have you placed your faith in the blood of Jesus Christ?
You see – the 21st Century Christian isn’t held back by his past – because his past has been FOREVER FORGIVEN AND FOREVER FORGOTTEN BY GOD!
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13, 14
Your past is not relevant, because you have been changed by the blood of Christ! The 21st Century Christian has been set free by Christ from the past. They do not sit around grieving over their past sins – instead they…
"…walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:7
The 21st Century Christian has been set free by Christ from the past – will you accept this freedom?
2. The 21st Century Christian Has Been Set Free By Christ From the Religion of Negativity!
The religions of man place a heavy burden of rules, regulations and laws. “Do this, don’t do that.”
The Jews of Jesus day were really into rules and regulations.
The Talmud – a collection of writings with the Laws of Moses included some 613 laws! And get this – 248 were positive laws and 365 were negative laws. Can you imagine waking up everyday trying to remember 613 laws to obey?
For far too long, Christianity has been known more by what we are AGAINST than what we are FOR! Churches have created long lists of “Do’s and Don’t’s” for their people.
But, just because a person keeps rules, doesn’t make them holy! You can take all the negative things out of your life – but what do you replace them with?
Jesus illustrated this in Matthew 12:43-45…
""When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."" Matthew 12:43-45
You see, it isn’t enough to stop doing evil, you’ve got to replace it with something positive! Way too many Christians today are very proud of how they’ve stopped ‘doing this, or doing that’ but what have they filled their lives with?
The 21st Century Christian can’t be satisfied in simply stopping doing the negative behaviors – they need and depend upon the FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT to produce SPIRITUAL FRUIT in their lives! WE WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THIS NEXT WEEK.
The 21st Century Christian Has Been Set Free By Christ From the Religion of Negativity!
Now, look again at Galatians 5…
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1
Look at the word ‘freedom’ – or in the King James – ‘liberty’ – The Greek word literally means to ‘live according to design’.
True freedom is when you live according to God’s design for your life! God created you to be the Highest Creation, to rule over the earth, to have dominion and control over all other created beings, to live in true fellowship with Him and with each other. God created your Spirit to rule over your Body and Soul.
But sin crept in and ever since then there has been a power struggle within each and everyone of us. The Flesh wants control. Your emotions want control. Your Intellect demands leadership. You want what you want when you want it.
But this isn’t who you really are. This isn’t your true identity. Which is why Christ came to earth. “It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free!”
The word “FREE” means to ‘set at liberty’ or to ‘make us free from sin’s dominion’ over our lives!
The very purpose Christ came to earth to fulfill was to bring you back to place of true freedom! That your life would be restored to ‘pre-sin’ condition.
Freedom is costly. It cost Jesus His life. But, when He looked at you, He decided that you are a good investment. YOU ARE WORTH IT!
Paul writes:
“Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery…”
Freedom can be easily lost. We must stand in our freedom. We must fight for our freedom. Paul says ‘don’t let yourselves be burdened’ – do you get that? You cannot allow anyone or anything to make you a slave again! Christ gave you freedom – now stand in it!
There was quite a controversy in the early church about whether Greek converts to Christianity needed to become Jews prior to becoming Christians. Circumcision represents the keeping of the Old Testament Law. Paul says: “NO! The Law is of no value! The Law cannot create salvation.
LOOK AT VERSE 2…
"Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is required to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace." Galatians 5:2-4, NIV.
And as we read the next verse…
"But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.” Galatians 5:5-6a
Righteousness comes through GRACE! God’s grace is all you need. Place your faith in His Grace and you will be FREE! You don’t need to obey the Law – you need to trust God! The Blood of Christ is all you need!
Look at the last part of verse 6:
“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Galatians 5:6b
This answers the question:
WHAT IS OUR PART IN THE DEAL? Our part is FAITH that is expressed in love!
Jesus said in Matthew 22…
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40
The 21st Century Christian is FREE to live in FAITH that is expressed in LOVE! My freedom in Christ isn’t so that I can run around sinning like a madman. If I do that, I have missed the point of the Gospel entirely.
Paul wrote: "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." Romans 13:8, KJV
Faith that is expressed in love in action means that you – the 21st Century Christian rise up and you make an impact on those around you. Your life matters. You are Christ to this world!
Let me illustrate what I’m getting at by reviewing the first four characteristics of the 21st Century Christian:
I. I possess an IDENTITY that is unshakable! (Proverbs 4:23, Romans 1:7, John 14:12, Philippians 1:27, 2 Corinthians 10:5, John 8:32, Philippians 1:27)
When I came to Christ, He gave me a new identity. I am not who I used to be. I have been born again. There is nothing this world can do to me – including take my life – that changes the fact that I belong to God! I am a Child of the King! You can take my life, but you cannot take my identity!
II. I am EMPOWERED to do the impossible! (1 Corinthians 4:20, Matthew 17:14-20, Romans 12:2, 1 John 5:4-5)
No longer do I go through life ‘doing the best I can under the circumstances’. I am filled with the Holy Spirit of God. His power resides in me. It is true that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It is true that because of my faith in Christ, I will be empowered to do greater things than Christ did! Whatever I may face, by faith, I will be victorious!
III. I have spiritual AUTHORITY over evil and illness! (Matthew 9:35-10:8, Matthew 18:1-4, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Mark 16:15-18)
Evil spirits and illness are no match for God. And because I have the Holy Spirit within me, I, along with my brothers and sisters in Christ, will rebuke Satan and His demons as they seek to destroy me and those Christ loves. Not only that, but I’ll pray believing for this sick, asking God to heal and restore them to fullness of health and live, in order that Christ would be glorified. When I show up on the scene, it is that same thing as Christ showing up! Evil spirits will run! Illness will be healed! I will operate in the authority granted me by Christ to stop Satan and to promote God’s Kingdom!
IV. I take RESPONSIBILITY to reclaim what belongs to God! (Psalms 24:1-2, Ezekiel 22:30-31, Ephesians 4:14-15, Acts 16:18, Romans 10:8-10)
Realizing that I am Christ to this lost and dying world, I will take RESPONSIBILITY to actively seek after that which is lost and to help them find their way back to God. I will speak the truth in love. I will rebuke the liar in Jesus Name. I will speak faith in life. I will bring the priorities of God to the problems of today. In all of this, I desire to be used of God to reclaim what belongs to Him!
V. I am FREE in Christ to express my faith in love towards others! (Galatians 5:1-6, Colossians 1:13-14, 1 John 1:7, Matthew 22:37-40, Romans 6:1-3, 13:8)
Fully rejecting the ‘religion of negativity’ that Satan seeks to impose upon me, I will not be held captive to the rules and laws of man. Instead, I fully appreciate and embrace the freedom that Christ has given me through His blood shed for me on the Cross. And, having been restored to freedom, I will walk in love towards those around me, in faith that they too would be restored to right relationship with God.
CONCLUSION: We are free. The gods of men would hold you back. But, Christ sets you free. And…. "…if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36
Today is the day of freedom.
Let go of that which holds you captive, and embrace the One who sets you free.
Who here needs freedom? Who here has areas of death that are holding them in chains?
Your new identity and empowerment depend on your willingness to accept your new freedom and run with it. You have to be willing to step out in faith and use your freedom, often at some risk.
A group of house church members in China’s Anhui province sensed the leading of the Holy Spirit to go to the hospital and pray for those whom the Doctors had given up on. “You have to take risks for God,” says one believer. “We prayed for 20 days for one patient, and he was only healed at the very last.” A friend added, “We were sweating, because the family was telling us to go away because we were angering the gods. They were beginning to threaten violence against us.” In one year they prayed for 20 terminal cases, and all were healed, mostly of cancer. The church grew from zero to 200 members.
Today – it is time for you to become a 21st Century Christian: Stand - pray this prayer with me: Lift up your hands to Christ:
Jesus – I accept your gift of freedom from the past.
I will no longer be held back by my past.
Jesus – I place your blood over me as a sin offering
and I receive the purity that You give.
I am not who I used to be.
Now, I am yours. Now, I am forgiven. I am clean.
Now, I am a new person thanks to you!
Now, teach me to live in this freedom you’ve given!
Jesus, I give you (Name it)
I no longer want it. I submit it to you.
Instead of clinging to that which I know, I release it to You.
And as I release, I worship You.
For You are far greater and are worthy of my praise.
Jesus – everything I need is found in You.
Jesus – everything I long for comes from You.
Holy Spirit – fill me. Holy Spirit baptize me. Holy Spirit empower me.
Holy Spirit enable me to Worship!
Jesus – Jesus – Jesus – I worship You!
posted by Doug Love at 8:34 PM
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