# 5 A New You 4 The New Year: Breaking FREE to become the person God wants you to be (2)

Introduction: On a return flight from Seattle, I was on standby, which meant that if a seat opened, I could be on that flight heading home. However, flight one was full, and I had to then move to a different concourse – on the other side of the airport. Yes, a concourse on the other side of the airport! The problem I had was that I had a bad hip back then, and it hurt walking. The other problem I had was the baggage I had with me. I had a large suitcase (not on wheel), and a large backpack. Now, picture in your mind your Pastor trying to make his way across the airport. And don’t forget that I am on standby. Flight two was full, and I had to then move once again to a different concourse. And get this, it was on the other side of the airport. So, once again, bad hip Kim was trying to make his way to another gate carrying a large suitcase with a large backpack. That day was very long – I finally did catch the third flight out. I can tell you that as I crisscrossed the airport that day I wished I didn’t have any baggage with me. Being baggage-less would have been wonderful that day.

  Like me, far too many people struggle because of the baggage they are carrying. In this sermon I want us to learn how we can break FREE and become the person God wants us to be. John 8:36 says, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” I will be using the acronym FREE in this sermon because it not only summarizes the key points but makes them easy to remember for practical application. Are you tracking with me? Do you want to get rid of the baggage in your life that is holding you down? What steps do we need to take to truly FREE in Jesus Christ?

1. F- Find Your Baggage – Hebrews 12:1

   Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

 A. Identity what is weighing you down – Hebrews 12:1

 Marathon runners don’t race by putting on additional sports gear (baggage). No, weight is their enemy. Marathon runners strip down to the bare minimum. However, there are a lot of people (saved and unsaved) today carrying unnecessary weight in the marathon of life.  We live in what many call: “The Human Race”. Scripture has a lot to say to us regarding the spiritual race we are in (I Corinthians 9:24-27; Galatians 2:2, 5:7; Philippians 2:16; 2 Timothy 4:7).

   How can we remove the baggage that is weighing us down? I want to suggest the following two steps:

B.  Walk through the following checklist to discover what is weighing you down:

 1.  Emotional baggage – grief, guilt, shame, regret, anger, resentment, fear, unresolved trauma, insecurity.

2.  Mental baggage – negative self-talk, overthinking, perfectionism, self-doubt, anxiety, unrealistic expectations, limiting beliefs, obsessive thoughts, uncertainty.

3.  Relational baggage – unhealed heartbreak, toxic relationships, family conflict, betrayal, co-dependency, jealousy, trust issues, lingering attachments to ex-partners, and lack of closure in relationships.

4.  Physical baggage – clutter and hoarding, unused possessions, unhealthy lifestyle habits, unresolved health issues, overwork or exhaustion, debt-related stress (financial clutter).

5.  Social baggage – peer pressure, cultural or societal expectations, judgment from others, pressure to conform, comparisons with others, social media envy.

6.  Identity baggage – identity crisis, struggle with self-acceptance, lack of purpose or direction, difficulty reconciling personal values with external demands.

7.  Spiritual baggage – crisis of faith, unresolved moral conflict, guilt over spiritual or ethical failings.

 C.  Commit to releasing what is holding you down:

1.  Acknowledge and Identify – Recognize the burdens you are carrying and become aware of their impact on your life.

2.  Address and Resolve – Take intentional steps to confront and process the underlying issues, committing to the necessary work for healing and growth.

3.  Surrender to God – Release the weight of your burdens by entrusting them to God, fully letting go of control, and trusting in divine guidance.

4.  Seek Inspiration and Hope – Find encouragement through Scripture that provides hope and strength during the healing process.

5.  Embrace Truth – Walk in alignment with truth, applying the insights gained to transform your mindset and behavior for lasting change.

   Charles Spurgeon wrote, "The grace that does not change my life will not save my soul. Let go of the old to receive the fullness of what Christ offers."

2. R- Recognize Sin’s Power – Romans 6:12

   Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

 A. Acknowledge how sin entangles and limits growth – Romans 6:12

 This is a very real struggle that each one of us faces. Sin lives within us, and it desires to rule over us (God said this to Cain in Genesis 4:7). Sin must not be allowed to rule over our mortal bodies. We do not want to obey its lusts. Romans 6 teaches us how to put sin to death (you should go and study that chapter in its entirety.).

    One of my favorite preachers, Adrian Rogers has said, "Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”

   When we sent a mission team to Kentucky, we discovered that there was a wild vine that was taking over the entire state.It is called, Kudzu. It is known as “mile-a-minute” and “the vine that ate the South,” this creeping, climbing perennial vine terrorizes native plants all over the southeastern United States and is making its way into the Midwest, Northeast, and even Oregon. Kudzu—is native to Japan and southeast China (Show pictures).

   Repeat – Kudzu terrorizes native plants! Sin works the same way—it entangles us, limiting our ability to grow and thrive spiritually.

B.  Confess, believe, and cut sin at its root – 1 John 1:9

   How do we deal with the Kudzu “sin” in our lives? The sin that wraps itself and entangles us. Here is a simple method and it is all biblical:

Practice 1 John 1:9 - Confess any sin that has a hold on you.  Anger, bitterness, laziness, resentment, profanity, drunkenness, etc.

Memorize 1 John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Believe 1 John 1:9 – He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

   I went online and searched how to kill Kudzu and discovered that the only way to deal with it is to cut it just below the root crown and remove it from the soil. Kudzu cannot regrow from below the root crown.

   Hear me - You must cut the Kudzu “sin” out at the root crown before it consumes you. In other words, sin must be put to death (again, go and study Romans 6).

3. E- Embrace the Present and Let Go of the Past – Philippians 3:13-14

  13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

A. Forget what’s behind and press forward – Philippians 3:13-14

   I grew up attending the Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey Circus (The Greatest Show on Earth). Large colorful tent with the three rings and the circus master – a different act taking place in all three rings. Elephants, lion tamer, trained dogs.  It was amazing to see all the different circus acts. One of my favorite acts was the trapeze artist. Before they could swing to the next bar, they had to release their hands from the one they were holding. They had to make a quick decision – timing was everything!

   Hear me – Holding onto the past prevents us from reaching what is ahead – the future. You will never have a future if you continue to hold on to the past. You will be miserable.

B.  Replace negative patterns with godly behaviors.

·      Pray for God to give you the courage to let go of the past – all failures and disappointments.

Learn from past failures – don’t repeat the same mistakes.

Replace negative patterns with new behavior. You must change what is not working.

Claim Scripture – Mark 8:34 - When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

  I have a verse that I chose early in my Christian life – John 15:2, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” That verse is my life verse. I want God to take out of my life anything that doesn’t please Him.

   Debbie and I have done a lot of counseling here at SLBC over the past thirty years. We have heard a lot of horror stories and have seen families devastated in the wake of bad decisions. One thing we will often say to those we are counseling is that you are the only one who gets to write your story. What type of story do you want to write? Do you want to write a love story full of romance? Do you want to write an adventure story full of excitement? Do you want to write a drama full of suspense? Do you want to write a comedy full of laughter? Do you want to write a mystery full of intrigue? Just what type of story do you want to write – we then hand them a blank book. And we say to them, “Start afresh today! Write your story and write it well. You see, only you get to write the chapters of your life.”

   Zig Ziglar said, "You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one."

4. E - Entrust Your Burdens to God – Matthew 11:28

   Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 A. Cast your cares upon Him – Matthew 11:28; 1 Peter 5:7

 Years ago, I read about a small boy in his backyard trying to pull a weed out of the ground. He pulled and pulled with all his might but couldn’t pull the weed out of the ground. His dad was watching him from the distance, and then came over to his son and asked him what he was doing.  The boy said, “Dad, I’m trying to pull this weed, but I’ve got the whole world pulling against me.” The father leaned over his son, and the two of them took hold of the weed and pulled it out of the ground. What the boy could not do alone, he could do with the help of his father.

    Please hear what I am about to say to you – God invites us to seek His help. Our Father is just waiting for us to ask for His assistance.

   1 Peter 5:7 tells us,

   Casting all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.

   Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us,

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

    So, what are you going to do today? Are you going to take hold of the weeds, burdens, and baggage and pull them yourself, or are you going to call out for the help of your Father?

   I would suggest you take the following steps:

Ask God to show you what you are trying to carry on your own.

    David did this in Psalm 139:23–24,

    23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Mentally lay down your burdens at the feet of Jesus.

  Throughout the New Testament, we see individual after individual falling at the feet of Jesus. They were bringing the burdens or their sin to the feet of Jesus Christ. We can do the same.

Meditate and memorize Psalm 55:22,

   Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you.

   Dr. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “You don’t have to carry your burdens alone. God’s grace is sufficient to lift what you cannot." Isn’t that a great quote?

B.  Embrace Freedom in Christ – Galatians 5:1

   Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

  Imagine someone having chains removed from their wrists. Though they are free, they hesitate to move, still acting as if they’re bound. That’s how many of us live after Christ sets us free—we hesitate to fully embrace our new identity.

Here are some steps we can take:

 ·    Every Christian needs to understand who they are in Christ. Your identity as a believer is important!

   We already know that according to 2 Corinthians 5:17, we have been made new. Do you view yourself as a new creation in Jesus Christ? You should. This is a vital step in living the Christian life.

·    Keep scripture truth before you daily.

   Truth like what we find in Galatians 2:20,

    I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

   Or what we read in Romans 8:1,

   Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

·    Encourage others by sharing your testimony of how God has freed you from what once held you back.

   How many of you have heard the story of John Newton? John was an English evangelical Anglican cleric, but previously he had been a captain of a slave ship. In 1745, he became a slave in what is now Sierra Leone. In 1748 he was rescued and on the voyage home aboard the merchant ship Greyhound the ship was caught in a storm. Newton began to pray asking for God’s mercy, after which the storm began to die down. It was this experience that marked the beginning of his conversion to Christianity. He began to read the Bible and other Christian literature. By the time he reached Great Britain, he had accepted the doctrines of evangelical Christianity. The date was March 21, 1748, an anniversary he marked for the rest of his life. Although he has said that he didn’t think his true conversion happened until later in his life – when he began to see the evil of the slave trade. John Newton was the author of the hymn that is so popular – Amazing Grace. He joined forces with William Wilberforce and the two of them were leaders in the campaign to abolish the African slave trade. He lived to see the British passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.[1] Here is what John Newton wrote about his life. He said, “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.”

   Friends, you can be FREE in Jesus Christ! Grab ahold of the FREEDOM! Never let your past keep you from who you are in Jesus Christ.

   Charles Spurgeon wrote, "You are no longer bound to the old life. Walk as a child of light, for you are free indeed."

Conclusion: Are you F.R.E.E. today? You can be. My friends, let go of what is holding you back. You can’t carry yesterday’s baggage into tomorrow’s transformation. Identify what’s weighing you down, release it to God, and embrace the freedom Christ offers. Let go of the old (the past) to step boldly into the NEW (the Future)!

Closing Prayer: Lord, we ask for Your help in identifying and releasing everything that hinders us. Give us the courage to let go of sin, fear, and past mistakes, and to fully embrace the freedom we have in Christ. May we run the race You’ve set before us with joy and perseverance. Amen.

 [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Newton