Freedom in Christ
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Intro:
Intro:
Good morning.
Two days from now we as a nation will be celebrating one of my favorite holidays, and in my opinion, one of the more underrated of our holidays, because without it, we wouldn’t even BE a nation!
Of course we’re talking about July 4th, our nation’s Independence Day!
Another term for Independence being … Freedom!
I love this nation! I love what this nation originally stood for! We have a lot of historical revisionists trying to downplay the good in this nation today, and it’s sad.
This isn’t going to be a sermon about the United States of America, but by way of introduction, since freedom is on everyone’s mind this week, I bring it up! (But for the record, I do love this country! And I want to see it turn closer back to God!)
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed ...” (And it continues!)
The Declaration … of Independence!
Freedom! And I’m thankful for it!
Thus, July 4th is about more than just hot dogs, flags and fireworks!
The results of our nation’s freedom has created one of the greatest nations’s this world has ever seen, a nation in which Biblical principles for most of its history have been able to flourish, a nation in which the Lord’s church has to large degree flourished as well!
The word “Freedom” has even greater meaning to the Christian, however!
Freedom not from tyrannical governments, but from the tyranny of sin!
Freedom not from the terror of the Quartering Act (can you tell I’m a history buff? Study it! [quick explain the Quartering Act], but rather from the terror of Quartering THE enemy the devil in our homes!
Freedom not from a time of uncertainty as a fledgling nation struggled for its very existence, but freedom from a CERTAINTY of an eternal existence in a place called Hell, were it not for what Jesus did for us!
Yes, I am thankful for FREEDOM — freedom of our nation? (Sure)
But more importantly — infinitely more importantly — freedom in Jesus Christ!
Let’s begin by looking at our main text for this morning, from which we can take 5 points …
Acts 26:16-18 - After telling Saul on the road to damascus “I am Jesus who you are persecuting,” Jesus tells Saul (Paul):
Acts 26:16-18 - After telling Saul on the road to damascus “I am Jesus who you are persecuting,” Jesus tells Saul (Paul):
But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
Focus in on verse 18 — From here we’ve got five logical points about the freedom that Christ brings!
Acts 26:18
to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
This is the promise of the Gospel message that was iterated to Paul on the road to Damascus, the Gospel message that he then obeyed himself, and then PREACHED himself, thus pulling a complete 180 degree turn and truly experiencing freedom in Christ, and thus, we can too!
“To open their eyes” ...
“To open their eyes” ...
The Bible describes in various places the condition of the lost as being spiritually BLIND.
Matt. 15:14, Jesus speaks of “blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, BOTH will fall into a ditch!”
Jesus referred to the Pharisees as “blind guides,” and “fools and blind” repeatedly (Matt. 23:16-24).
2 Pet. 1:9 - says:
For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
(These things — “add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control patience, to patience godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”)
These things come from where — From WHOM?
From God, and His Word!
And without these godly virtues, Peter writes that a Christian is “shortsighted, even to BLINDNESS.”
Blindness — Not being able to see.
Not being able to see where one is going through life.
Not being able to see the harm in sin toward one’s soul.
Not being able to see the consequences that sin wreaks on OTHERS.
And ultimately, not being able to see where one is going in the next life.
We often sing regarding our salvation, “I once was blind, but now I see.”
Back to Acts 26:18, Paul was told that by Jesus that the Gospel he would preach would open the eyes of the spiritually blind!
Psalm 19:8 says … “The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
Psalm 119:18 says
Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.
Psalm 119:105 says
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
A lamp and a light so we can what? (So we can … SEE!)
Freedom in Christ makes it possible for the blind to see!
“In order to turn them from darkness to light” ...
“In order to turn them from darkness to light” ...
That brings us back to what we just read in Psalm 119:105.
There are countless other verses in the Bible that talk about the importance of light — and light contrasted with darkness!
Psalm 43:3
Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your tabernacle.
Prov. 6:23
For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
Peter says in 2 Peter 1:19 (regarding the surety of the Gospel message) that we would do well to take heed to it, “as unto a light that shines in a dark place.”
The first chapter of John has a lot to say about the Light that is Jesus Christ:
John 1:4
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 1:5
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John the Baptist bore witness to that (capital L) Light - John 1:7 - John the Baptist was not THE Light, but he was sent to BEAR WITNESS of the Light - John 1:8
John 1:9
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
Fast forward to chapter 3 - John 3:19
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 8:12 - Jesus says “I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
And of course we read in 1 John 1:7 that we have to “walk in the light as he is in the light” and in verse 5 we read that “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all!”
It’s hard to come up with a bigger contrast than that between light and darkness!
And yet that is exactly the contrast presented to us when we are given the choice to either accept the Gospel (the light), or to REJECT the Gospel (and remain in the dark)!
So when we read in Acts 26:18 “in order to turn them from darkness to light,” we can see a clear contrast of options! And the lines of demarcation are clearly drawn between FREEDOM and light for the saved, and bondage to darkness for the lost!
“And from the power of Satan to (the power of) God” ...
“And from the power of Satan to (the power of) God” ...
Does Satan still have power today?
Just a brief point but an important one here:
(I preached on this at the Roanoke, TX summer series a couple of weeks ago).
Read with me Zech. 13:1-3
“In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. “It shall be in that day,” says the Lord of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the Lord.’ And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.
You know what that means? It means that the Devil’s power has certainly been limited.
I believe it means there are no demon possessions today — (Can you imagine there still being demon possessions today with no one with the miraculous ability to cast them out?!)
But does that mean that the devil has no power?
Because my Bible reads in 1 Peter 5:8 - “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may DEVOUR!”
Sounds pretty powerful, still, doesn’t he?!
And we have to ensure we are not ignorant of his devices! (2 Cor. 2:11)
Christians, we have been delivered (been granted FREEDOM) from “the power of Satan to (the power of) God.”
“That they may receive forgiveness of sins” …
“That they may receive forgiveness of sins” …
This is what it’s all about!
Freedom! Justification! Redemption! Sanctification! Purification!
Remission! Propitiation! Reconciliation!
All great words to describe our condition when we have been moved — by the precious blood of Jesus Christ — out of the camp of the condemned and into the camp of the saved!
Out of the camp of the stained, and into the camp of the sanctified!
Out of the camp of the unclean, and into the camp of the holy!
Out of the camp of the ones that are just like everybody ELSE in the world, and into the camp of the peculiar ones, the called out, the ecclesia — the church!
“That they may receive forgiveness of sins” — Certainly, the ultimate freedom that we have in Christ!
Acts 13:38 — speaking of Jesus, says — “Through this man is preached unto you ... the forgiveness of sins!”
Eph. 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Col. 1:14 - almost word for word the same as Eph. 1:7
in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Matt. 26:28, Jesus speaking of His blood and of the fruit of the vine in the Lord’s Supper representing it, says — “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins!”
Rom. 3:25 speaking of Jesus:
whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
Acts 10:43 - speaking about Jesus -
To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
And of course who could forget Acts 2:38 -
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Finally …
“And an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”
“And an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”
This is, of course, the promise of our inheritance that is laid up in heaven for ALL of those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ!
Talk about the freedom of MIND knowing that we can have an eternal home in heaven with Jesus when this life is over!
You see, the atheist doesn’t get to experience that freedom!
The one who is agnostic — not sure whether there is a God or not — doesn’t get to experience that freedom!
And so there can BE no peace of mind for the atheist, or for the agnostic.
But for the Christian — There can be a peace that comes from God that is a peace that surpasses all human understanding!
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
THAT is true freedom in Christ!
Freedom from worry about what comes next after death!
What about you this morning?