Freedom in the Holy Spirit
Life in the Spirit • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 6 viewsChrist has set us free in the Holy Spirit. We were once in bondage and lived as slaves. Now that we are free, why do we so often live as though we are still in bondage?
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Liberty in Christ
Liberty in Christ
What does it mean to have freedom? What does the Bible say about freedom or liberty?
In the Old Testament, one of the central themes is Israel’s redemption from slavery or bondage. Beginning with the escape from Egypt on through all the times they were held captive or under the control of another nation, over and again God shows up and liberates them from their bondage. The focus was always to draw out of slavery and back into fellowship with God.
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ becomes the ultimate fulfillment of the shadow of liberty seen in the Old Testament. As He stood teaching in the synagogue He made the declaration of His anointing and purpose, to bring liberty!
Luke 4:18–19 (ESV)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Freedom: The state of liberty that results from not being oppressed or in bondage.
Imagine a bird confined in a cage, singing its heart out. One day, the door is left ajar, and the bird hesitates, unsure of its freedom. This is how many of us live with the Holy Spirit—we have the key to freedom but hesitate to step out. Just as that bird must choose to trust its wings, we must choose to trust the Spirit that sets us free.
Free Indeed
Free Indeed
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Why does Jesus specify that you will not only be free, but free indeed? Much like the bird in the cage, there are Christians walking around today who Christ has set free but they are still holding on to what once had them bound. Sometimes they hold onto some sin, or shame, or guilt, or addiction, or whatever it may be when Jesus is reaching out His hand, saying, just let me set you free indeed, to have liberty once and for all. Today, you are here to declare your liberty!! Today is your day to let go of everything that has you bound. Today is your day to stop leaning on your own strength and lean on the strength of the Holy Spirit to walk in freedom. Jesus is talking about Holy Spirit freedom, the same freedom spoken about by Paul in 2 Corinthians.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
There is a reason the first thing oppressive governments want to shut down is the churches. The spirits behind these governments, including our own at times, know that the most powerful force in the world is people who know they are free. And nothing frees people more than the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Freedom is power
Freedom with faith destroys fear
Freedom cannot be bound by walls or chains
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
When the Holy Spirit sets you free, you cannot be enslaved even if they lock you up and throw away the key. Paul understood this when he wrote in Philippians,
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Paul wrote this while in prison in physical chains. But the physical chains could not touch His spiritual freedom. The book of Philippians is called the book of joy and it was written by a man in prison. You cannot write about joy unless you know you are free. Jesus said freedom is found in knowing the truth.
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
When you know the truth, and Christ is the truth because He is the eternal Word of God. That is why He said, “If you abide in my word”. You cannot know the truth if you are never in the truth. We have a lot of people walking around who claim to know God and to even love Jesus but are never in the Word. How can you know the Jesus who is the Word if you never read the Word? Abiding does not mean to visit on Sundays, it means to stay or to take residence. Jesus is saying, if you truly want to be free, freedom is found in my Word. The truth of the Word will set you free. When you belong to Christ, freedom is your birthright but you can’t walk in it unless you know the truth.
Paul said where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom!!!
Freedom from sin
Freedom from worry
Freedom from anxiety
Freedom from fear
Freedom from your past
Freedom from trauma
Freedom from addiction
Freedom from depression
Freedom from oppression
Freedom from cancer
Freedom from diabetes
Wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!!
The freedom comes from the glory of God living inside of us! let’s read a couple more verses surrounding verse 17.
But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
When Moses returned from meeting with God on the mountain, he had to wear a veil over his face because of the glory of God made the people unable to look at him. But for Moses, the glory was temporary. The glory around his face faded over time and had to be hidden. But Paul tells us that the glory we receive is permanent. The glory we see does not fade but transforms us into the image of Christ, taking us from glory to glory. The freedom of the Holy Spirit takes us from one level of glory to the next. It is time to lift our veils and take off our limitations. We have the Holy Spirit and you cannot have the Holy Spirit and captivity at the same time.
The Holy Spirit not only gives us freedom from things but gives us
Freedom to live holy
Freedom to pursue righteousness
Freedom to occupy the blessing
Freedom to possess the promise
Freedom to go from glory to glory
Freedom to worship
Freedom to praise
Freedom to pray
Freedom to lay hands on the sick
Freedom to cast out devils
Freedom to walk in the gifts
Freedom to preach the truth in love
Freedom to be a New Creation in Christ.
Stop sitting on your perch in the cage staring out through the open door. It is time to step out and soar in the freedom that Christ died to give you.
Walk in Freedom and don’t look back!!
And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.
The enemy chasing you today cannot hold you any longer. You have been set free by the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit inside of you.
So, what’s next?
Free People Free People
Free People Free People
In a small village, a previously imprisoned man returned home. Instead of dwelling on his past, he shared his newfound freedom with those still trapped by chains. He went from house to house, lifting spirits and encouraging others to seek liberation. This is a picture of our Christian duty; as recipients of Christ's grace, we must extend that freedom to others. Just like Jesus released us from the bondage of sin, we are called to set others free through love and action.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.
Paul tells us in Galatians to use our liberty to serve one another. the freedom we receive is meant to be used to free others. Paul and Silas knew they were free even while in chains. The chains could not hold them. The chains could not stop them from praising and it was their praising that broke the chains. But it wasn’t only their chains that fell off, the whole prison got free simply because they decided to praise God when it looked like all hope was gone. Then when the jailer came around, he wanted the same freedom he saw coming out of them and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”Then they went and preached to his whole family to see them all set free.
Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 10:8
Matthew 10:8 (NKJV)
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
Are you walking in freedom today or are there areas in your life that still have you in bondage? The Holy Spirit desires to set you free from all that has you bound. Once you come to understand your freedom, use your freedom to free others.