Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Finding, and Keeping, Freedom
I want to talk to you about gaining and maintaining your freedom.
Many years ago the Lord showed me that I had an anger problem.
I would have moments where there would be outbursts of wrath—where I’d just explode internally with anger (cf.
Galatians 5:20).
I remember during that season that I would pray for God to move and set me free.
And there would be times I’d go to the altar for prayer and experience God’s touch.
Sometimes I’d leave feeling like a weight has been lifted but I’d also leave with a thought of “what if it doesn’t take.”
Thankfully, over time, I was able to be set free and keep my freedom from anger.
Have you ever had an experience like that?
Where you cried out to God to set you free and He responded to you with His grace and yet some part of you left hoping that it was going to last?
This is because we need more than just a touch from God.
We need His indwelling presence.
We need the Holy Spirit.
Prompt: This text also points to the idea that there is no neutrality.
You have to choose to embrace God or be filled of unclean spirits.
Commitment to Christ is a must.
We are called to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, the dwelling place of God in the earth (1 Corinthians 6:19).
But we need to choose to be the place where He will dwell and then we will abide in the freedom of God.
Living Free
Living free is a challenge.
There are at least three reason for this.
Some people do not want to be free
If you want to keep the status quo because of comfort or fear then you will not be free.
You have to choose freedom because if you don’t then things can get worse for you (as Jesus said about the 7 other spirits).
Some people do not want you to be free.
There are some people who want you to stay the way you are because it benefits them.
They will resist any work of God in your life.
The will try to undermine it or even try to get you to doubt it.
Don’t let others try to convince you to go back to the way things used to be.
Choose your freedom and fight for it.
Some people do not want to do it God’s way.
Some people want to take shortcuts to freedom.
They want to do it their way.
They don’t want to accept the process of God.
The problem with this is that our sufficiency is in God (2 Corinthians 3:5).
We are not able to make ourselves free.
Nor are we able to keep ourselves free.
The good news is that God has given us His Holy Spirit.
And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).
Living in Freedom
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free and we need to stand in that freedom (Galatians 5:1).
Here are three key ways to receive and walk in freedom.
Ask God for the Holy Spirit
We need to recognize the necessity of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Jesus let the disciples know that they needed to receive the promised gift of the Holy Spirit before they could go out and live as His witnesses in the world (cf.
Acts 2:38).
What do we need to do to receive this gift for ourselves?
We have to ask.
Illustration: Hudson Taylor, ship on the way to China, wind died and began drifting to the reef.
To make things worse, the reef was near an island known to hold cannibals.
They were close enough to see them building fires on the shore.
The captain said they had done all.
Hudson said we haven’t prayed.
The captain said, what good will that do?
He and the other Christians went to pray and ask God for the wind.
And God responded.
When it comes to the blessings of God often we have not because we ask not (James 4:2).
Ask God for the gift of the Holy Spirit and He will answer.
Follow the Leading of the Holy Spirit
Once we have received the gift of the Spirit we need to follow the lead of the Spirit.
Being led by the Spirit means that we no longer live according to the flesh.
How do we follow the leading of the Spirit?
Illustration: Thinking leads to doing…which is why marketers sell you a story and feeling so that you’ll buy their product.
To live in the Spirit we start by thinking after the Spirit.
We govern what we watch and read and listen to.
We set our mind above on the things of God (Colossians 3:2).
This is how we daily and practically position ourselves to be led by the Spirit.
Continue in the Holy Spirit
Finally, we need to continue in the Holy Spirit—keep being filled.
We do that through worship, gratitude, and serving others.
Illustration: Healthy environment leads to healthy people (physically, mentally, etc.)
We continue to position ourselves to be filled with the Spirit through regularly setting the environment that leads to His presence.
We walk wisely, redeem the time.
Make room for God to move and keep moving in your life through your praise, giving of thanks, and fellowship with the saints in the fear of the Lord.
Conclusion
Living in freedom begins with choosing it.
We choose the freedom of the Spirit by asking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
As God blesses us, we then follow the leading of the Spirit by guarding our minds and setting our thoughts on the things of the Spirit.
This is how we learn to live in the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).
To remain in the freedom of the Lord we need to continue in the Spirit.
We moment-by-moment choose to create an atmosphere that invites the Spirit to abide.
We give praise, offer worship, and we practice fellowship with other believers.
If we do these things we will live and walk in the power of God (Acts 10:38).
This is possible because of the true and lasting change that comes through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
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