March 10, 2019 FREE INDEED
John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
1 Peter 2:16 “Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.”
In a tract entitled, “The Freedom of the Christian,” Martin Luther wrote, “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” What a blessing it is to be free, but what a tragedy it is to misunderstand freedom. As Americans, we are blessed to be able to live as a free people. However, the freedom we have in Christ and the freedom that He gives us is far greater than the freedom granted by governments-as great as that is. There are many aspects of the freedom we have as sons and daughters of God. One of the primary freedoms we have as believers is that of being set free from the power of sin; before we were joined to God, we were bound to sin. Jesus also sets us free from other bondages, such as living with a poor self-image, fear of sickness and death, regrets over past failures, harmful addictions, depression, a feeling of rejection, and other bondages. The freedom we have in Him is personal, but it’s also more than personal. A very important aspect of freedom is that we are free to serve and bless others. In Mark 10:45 we read: “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” We are free indeed when we see that the freedom we have in Christ is greater than ourselves. All though it may be inconvenient and it may cost us in time or money, there is no greater freedom than the freedom to serve and bless others-that’s what Jesus did. It is life-changing to realize and to embrace the truth that God has made us His ambassadors-His representatives-in this world-in our sphere. Even though one may be imprisoned or may live in a country where there is little or no freedom, they can nonetheless experience the freedom that Christ gives to all who follow Him. It is possible to be a believer but yet not experience this freedom we have in Him. This freedom comes as we come to know our true identity in the Lord-what it means to be made new creations. For this reason, it is imperative and necessary to read and study the scriptures in order to know God and to learn of His ways and to discover who He says we are. There is no shortcut to this process; hearing one message a week at church or on TV or internet is not sufficient. The absolute key in all of this is to have a heart to know God and a hunger for Him. He said that if we seek Him with all of our heart, we will find Him. May we learn of our true identity and let us live in the freedom He gives.
Galatians 5:13 “You, My brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Blessings,
Buddy
John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
1 Peter 2:16 “Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.”
In a tract entitled, “The Freedom of the Christian,” Martin Luther wrote, “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” What a blessing it is to be free, but what a tragedy it is to misunderstand freedom. As Americans, we are blessed to be able to live as a free people. However, the freedom we have in Christ and the freedom that He gives us is far greater than the freedom granted by governments-as great as that is. There are many aspects of the freedom we have as sons and daughters of God. One of the primary freedoms we have as believers is that of being set free from the power of sin; before we were joined to God, we were bound to sin. Jesus also sets us free from other bondages, such as living with a poor self-image, fear of sickness and death, regrets over past failures, harmful addictions, depression, a feeling of rejection, and other bondages. The freedom we have in Him is personal, but it’s also more than personal. A very important aspect of freedom is that we are free to serve and bless others. In Mark 10:45 we read: “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” We are free indeed when we see that the freedom we have in Christ is greater than ourselves. All though it may be inconvenient and it may cost us in time or money, there is no greater freedom than the freedom to serve and bless others-that’s what Jesus did. It is life-changing to realize and to embrace the truth that God has made us His ambassadors-His representatives-in this world-in our sphere. Even though one may be imprisoned or may live in a country where there is little or no freedom, they can nonetheless experience the freedom that Christ gives to all who follow Him. It is possible to be a believer but yet not experience this freedom we have in Him. This freedom comes as we come to know our true identity in the Lord-what it means to be made new creations. For this reason, it is imperative and necessary to read and study the scriptures in order to know God and to learn of His ways and to discover who He says we are. There is no shortcut to this process; hearing one message a week at church or on TV or internet is not sufficient. The absolute key in all of this is to have a heart to know God and a hunger for Him. He said that if we seek Him with all of our heart, we will find Him. May we learn of our true identity and let us live in the freedom He gives.
Galatians 5:13 “You, My brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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