The Purpose of a Freed Will

Psalm 8 / Matthew 28:16-20

What you lost

Gen 1:28-29 “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”

Dominion:

Rightful / legal authority and stewardship

Ephesians 2:2 “in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—”

Matthew 4:8 “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.”

Safety

Our society seems to be at a boiling point

There are no tempering / de-escalating voices

There is a constant threat of attack (physical and otherwise)

The last time the world was not a scary place: the beginning of Genesis 3

The ability to not do wrong (Sin)

John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Romans 6:20 “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.”

PRAISE BE TO GOD THAT CHRIST JESUS WON BACK / PURCHASED BACK / FACED DOWN SATAN AND TOOK BACK ALL THAT HAD BEEN LOST IN THE FALL BY VIRTUE OF HIS RIGHTEOUS LIFE, HIS SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH, AND HIS VICTORIOUS RESURRECTION!

v18 is a Devil de-throning, Creation reclaiming, Kingdom Come proclamation of rightful power and authority!

v19 is an empowering, deputizing, and charge to those in Christ; especially as seen in the right ministry of local churches!

Now what do we do?

Many serve our fleshly desires

Treat soul salvation as a ticket already punched… no obligation, no purpose other than to serve our own need of escape of Hellfire

We still seek to be God, but justify it in shallow, false righteousness: “I’d make sure no murderers or abusers got away.” - then somewhere down the line, our list or prioritization doesn’t match up with someone else’s… because

John 3:19 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

Many make idols of good things, not unlike the brazen serpent of the Exodus - 2 Kings 18:4 - Hezekiah broke it into pieces

Family (My first ministry is to my family)

Self Care (caring for the temple of the Holy Spirit )

Employment (Paul said not to provide was worse than an infidel)

Part of our fallenness is displayed in the fact that our hearts are so often idol factories... Sometimes it seems even nothing good is safe from our twisting its use. May God continue to help us and keep us from this.

What are we meant to do?

XII. Of the Harmony of the Law and the Gospel

We believe that the law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of his moral

government; that it is holy, just and good; and that the inability which the scriptures

ascribe to fallen men to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from their love of sin; to deliver

them from which, and to restore [believers] through a Mediator to unfeigned (genuine, sincere) obedience to the holy law, is one great end of the gospel, and of the means of grace connected with the establishment of the visible church.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Exercise our newfound freedom to live Holy lives

Seek the salvation of lost souls

Seek the growth and maturity of the local church

Church Family, Christ Jesus is the victorious one. He alone has all authority in Heaven and Earth, and has now freed and empowered His People, His Church to live lives of holiness, continuing the same ministry Jesus exemplified for us when walking this earth, and to ensure this is not beyond our ability has promised to be WITH US to the end.