For Freedom
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1 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.
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.
3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
4 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?
8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.
9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”
10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.
1. Christ died to set you free
1. Christ died to set you free
We are sinners in need of The Savior
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
The Good News will set people free
Unfortunately, many are more interested in bad news
Watch television for a few and will you notice that bad news sells
However, in the House of God, Good News must be proclaimed
I was blind but now I see — Good News
I was lost but now I’m found — Good News
I was a nobody but now I’m somebody — Good News
I was weak now I’m strong — Good News
I was poor now I’m rich — Good News
I was out of my mind but now I’m in my right mind — Good News
My penalty was death but now I have life — Good News
I was bound but now I am free
32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
2. We have freedom from religion
2. We have freedom from religion
Religion and religious people set restrictions
Religion is man made
We are not preaching religion but relationship with Jesus
13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
Jesus abolished religion
Man, like religion, looks at the outside (appearance) God looks at the heart
Many are great actors in the church
They act like a Christian but their fruit reveals something different
Religious people are too spiritually minded that they are not earthly good
Religious people are judgmental
Religious people repel others from Christ
We have been set free from religion
28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:
29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
It is not difficult to become a Christian
Let the Holy Spirit do the work of transforming people
You live the Authentic Faith
3. We have freedom from the captivity of sin
3. We have freedom from the captivity of sin
Jesus came to set the captives free
The religious people don’t see themselves as sinner; they only see others as sinners
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we claim—we deceive ourselves
23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
We all have sinned and have been imprisoned
Jesus was anointed to set captives free
Captivity: the condition of being imprisoned or confined
In the U. S. we have freedom
Today, we celebrate our freedom
In 2020, the government attempted to imprison or confine us to our homes
The enemy used the virus to imprison many to fear
Fear still masters many believers
Jesus set the captives free
Don’t allow yourselves to be imprisoned by fear
4. We have freedom from the burden of sin
4. We have freedom from the burden of sin
Sin is a burden
Burden is a heavy load or heavy weight
We are guilty of sin
Sin may bring temporary enjoyment, however, sin will eventually kill you
14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Temptation is not the problem
Intimacy with temptation is the problem
After desire has conceived, it give birth to sin
Many are carrying around a new born sin
The more you nurture your sin the stronger it becomes
Let that new born sin die
Repent and you can start again
There is a process to death
Temptation
Intimacy with desire
Nourishment of sin
Full grown sin
Death
Repentance breaks the cycle of temptation that lead to death
Temporary happiness is not worth the long term pain
13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Look for the way out
You are experiencing what is common to man
God is better than sin
Choose God
5. We have freedom from the consequences of sin
5. We have freedom from the consequences of sin
Every action has a consequence
Good actions result in good consequences
Bad actions result in bad consequences
We can’t escape the consequences of our actions
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The consequence of sin is death
Death is not merely the end of our physical being
Death is eternal separation from God
Sin required a consequence
Therefore, Jesus died for all
When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we accept the gift of God—eternal life in Christ
Death has lost its sting
Death is not a threat to us
We are free from the consequences of sin because Jesus paid the price
You have been set free
It is for freedom that Christ died for you
He was anointed to set the captives free
You are free
If the Son has set you free, you are really free
Enjoy your freedom in the Lord
Raise your hands—you’re free
Clap your hands—you’re free
Shout with a voice of triumph—you’re free
Jump for joy—you’re free
Serve Him—you’re free
Go to church and worship with other believer—you’re free
Jesus is King and you are free