Isn’t It Supposed To Be Easy: Freedom

Freedom isn’t a feeling to chase… its a life to fight for

INTRO:

We live in a world addicted to EASY and convenience. And it is doing more than shaping efficiency… its shaping our mindset

DoorDash, instacart, on click purchasing… overnight delivery… viral success….

Simply put, we have become consumed with the EASY LIFE… the EASY WAY…. Certainly there is an EASIER way

But what happens when it’s NOT EASY

Marriage gets difficult

Healing takes time

Temptation doesn’t go away… it keeps fighting

Growth feels painful

Relationships are hard

Faith takes endurance

And we ask ourselves… quietly in the back of our mind…

“Isn’t it supposed to be EASY”

But what if the struggle doesn’t mean your failing…. Rather it means you are fighting!

**Difficulty is not always destruction… sometimes its development**

**hard doesn’t mean wrong… sometimes its means growth**

Faith doesn’t mean EASY

In fact the “HALL OF FAITH” - Heb 11 is full of individuals who’s lives were anything but easy…

Abraham, Moses, Noah’s, rehab, David…. NONE of them had it EASY, Yet they are the pillars of FAITH

then Heb 12 opens like this

Hebrews 12:1–3

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Simply put… Faith life isn’t bout avoiding resistance… it about trusting GOD through resistance

TRANSITION:

And maybe nowhere is this tension stronger than the conversation/thought on FREEDOM. So many people misunderstand freedom and just think “isn’t freedom supposed to be easy”

FREEDOM always cost more than we think

**MEMORIAL DAY **

This weekend we honor men and women who paid the highest price for freedom.

Freedom is valuable because freedom is costly.

Nobody honors cheap freedom.

Freedom always requires sacrifice.

And spiritual freedom is no different.

Jesus paid for our freedom with His life… and we walk in that freedom through surrender and endurance.

1.) Freedom is a PROCESS not a MOMENT

This maybe the biggest misunderstanding that we will address in this entire series… We are set free in a moment, and choose to live free for the rest of our lives…

Think about the Israelites… (EXODUS 14) God delivers them from EGYPT in ONE NIGHT…. But the wrestled with the effect of living in Egypt for decades to come… Set free and living free… the fact is freedom is a process and one that requires trust in GOD

-The Israelites were physically free, but mentally enslaved… in fact they said “we were better off in Egypt”

**God can bring us out instantly, but transformation happens gradually**

And this is where we think “isn’t it supposed to be easy?”…. While we find our selves… in the wilderness, not in Egypt which we knew, and not in the promise which we long for… rather in the wilderness…

Philippians 1:6

“6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

My confidence isn’t in the PRODUCE… isn’t in the feeling… isn’t in it being EASY…. My confidence is in the ONE WHO CALLED ME OUT… the ONE WHO SET ME FREE…

-the process prepares us for the promise-

2.) Freedom is a fight for the MIND

Romans 12:2

“2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Notice it says RENEWING>…..not RENEWED.. meaning it is in PROCESS

Freedom isn’t simply about changing your behavior… it’s about changing YOUR THINKING, and often this is harder.

You cannot live free with broken thinking

So many people are SAVED but thinks broken, think rejected, thinks ashamed, think hopeless, think enslaved…

And this is where the frustration comes in… because we think “isn’t it supposed to be easy”

2 Corinthians 10:4–5

“4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

So many of us are living with CHRIST without making our thoughts obedient to CHRIST…. Thus we walk in frustration not faith…. Take EVERY thought captive… or they will take you captive…

3.) Freedom is not the absence of authority

This is probably the greatest misconception in this message.. that freedom means NO AUTHORITY…

Culture tells you freedom: No one tells me what to do

Scripture tells you: freedom is ONLY possible under the right authority

Where HIS RULE… WHERE HIS AUTHORITY is

2 Corinthians 3:17

“17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

We Iike to associate “the spirit” with a feeling…. Notice it says the LORD is spirit…. The LORD means supreme authority, the one who reigns over all… where the LORD is there is freedom….

If we trade experience for faith, we will walk around saying “isn’t it supposed to be easy” because we feel the spirit but don’t submit to the spirit

Biblical freedom isn’t rebellion against an authority, its surrender to the right authority

Romans 6:18

“18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”

Here is the contrast… you cannot feel the spirit of GOD in this room, but you will not experience the freedom of GOD until you SUBMIT to his authority in your daily life.

We love the the scripture on freedom that if the son sets you free you will be free indeed

John 8:34–36

“34 Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it for ever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Freedom isn’t not found in doing whatever you want…. It’s found in real SURRENDER

Sin promises freedom and produces bondage

Jesus ask for surrender and produces FREEDOM

Salvation:

There is an enormous difference between feeling the PRESENCE of GOD and choosing to surrender your life to the authority of JESUS. In fact I would say the most frustrated people in the world are those that know the presence of GOD without accepting the LORDSHIP of JESUS…. Because they can see freedom but don’t live in it…

Today I won’t promise that it is easy… but i will tell you it’s the only way.

Confess JESUS IS LORD

CHARGE:

Don’t let the fight discourage you… disappoint you and certainly don’t let it stop you…

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