Understanding Our Freedom in Christ

The New International Version Chapter 6

9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?o Do not be deceived:p Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterersq nor men who have sex with mena r 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlerss will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were.t But you were washed,u you were sanctified,v you were justifiedw in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Sexual Immorality

12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.x “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.”y The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord,z and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead,a and he will raise us also.b 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?c Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”b d 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.c e

18 Flee from sexual immorality.f All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.g 19 Do you not know that your bodies are templesh of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;i 20 you were bought at a price.j Therefore honor God with your bodies.k

The New International Version Chapter 6

9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?o Do not be deceived:p Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterersq nor men who have sex with mena r 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlerss will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were.t But you were washed,u you were sanctified,v you were justifiedw in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Sexual Immorality

12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.x “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.”y The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord,z and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead,a and he will raise us also.b 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?c Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”b d 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.c e

18 Flee from sexual immorality.f All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.g 19 Do you not know that your bodies are templesh of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;i 20 you were bought at a price.j Therefore honor God with your bodies.k

English Standard Version Chapter 6

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.

15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!

16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.”

17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

As human beings we hate to be ruled.

We don’t like to be told what to do and we like things our way.

Even from childhood we hate to be ruled. When a child resist to eat his or her vegetables or to go sleep at a certain time, its not because they have studied healthy eating habits and made a conscious decision not to eat vegetables or because they have done a sleep study and recognized and made the decision that they don’t have to go to sleep; they are just resisting being told what to do and when to do it. They don’t want to be ruled.

Which is why many teenagers can’t wait to move away to college to get away from the authority of mom and dad. They want to be able to do whatever they want to do, whenever they want to do it, how they want to do it and to whom they want to do it to. And the sad part is that when they move away, that feeling doesn’t go away, but it gets stronger and they carry that into their adulthood, just like many of the adults in this room.

When I was a child, I had to go to sleep at a certain time.

When I was a child, I had to be in the house by a certain time.

When I was a child, I had to do chores.

When I was a child I had to eat whatever mom or dad made that night.

When I was a child, I had to ask mom and dad if I could go to the movies or to that party with my friends.

When I was a child and all the other children were chilling, I had to go to work with daddy. And if I said no, when I needed some summer money to go to the movies with my friends, daddy would mind me how I said no to going to work with him.

When I was a child I had to go to church. Of course, I actually wanted to go to church, but regardless if I wanted to, I had to go to church.

When I was a child we couldn’t go to the ice cream truck because my older brother had gotten hit by a car on the way to get ice cream.

When I was a child I couldn’t go spend the night over someone else’s house. They could come spend the night over my house, but I couldn’t go spend the night over theirs.

When I was a child, I had rules.

But then came college (or adulthood)

And it seemed like I was introduced to whole new world of freedom.

I could go to sleep whenever I wanted.

I could stay out all night.

I could make my bed and clean my apartment whenever I wanted.

I could buy fast food every night I wanted.

I didn’t have to ask anybody for permission to go to the movies or to go to a party.

I was making my own money and I could do whatever I wanted to with it.

I could choose if I wanted to go to church on Sunday morning. Of course, I wanted to go to church, but nobody made me go to church.

Santa Barbara didn’t have ice cream trucks, but if they did, I could go to it.

If I wanted to go over to somebody’s house to spend the night, I could. If I wanted to invite someone over to my house to spend the night, I could.

If I wanted to get drunk every night I could.

If I wanted to get high every day, I could.

I could do whatever I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it, how I wanted to do it, and to whom I wanted to do it to… as long as nobody got hurt.

I was in a whole new world of freedom.

And so here is the question: When life transitions us from childhood to adulthood and we are exposed to a whole new world of freedom, what do you do?

Does freedom become the license to carry out whatever your mom or dad told you not to do, or does freedom become the grace to carry out what your parents put in you?

As Christians we also have a new found freedom. We are no longer under the law that brought guilt and that brought shame, but we are under the law of Christ which is the law of grace.

But here is the question: When we transition from sinner to justified, and we are exposed to this whole new world of freedom, what do you do?

Does freedom become the license to carry out whatever the Bible said you could not do, or does freedom become the grace to carry out what your Parent (capital P – God) put in you?

When you think of the word freedom, what comes to mind?

Is it the Bill of Rights? The freedom of speech, the freedom of religion?, The freedom of press? The freedom to bear arms, the freedom of a speedy and impartial trial...

Is it the freedom from oppression? Freedom from racism and sexism; tired of being discriminated against because of the color of your skin or your gender.

Is it freedom from social norms and institutions? I don’t want to be subject to what everyone else is doing or what has been done in the past. I know its normal for man and woman to get married, but I want to marry whoever I want to marry. I know its normal for a man to take on traditional masculine qualities and for a woman to take on traditional feminine qualities, but I am a man that is very in touch with his feminine side or I’m a female that is very in touch with her masculine side. I want to be able define what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman, not society.

Is it the freedom from Parents? Tired of mom and dad always looking over your shoulder all the time; tired of them telling you to study when you want to go out to party, tired of them telling you to go to church, when you rather be doing something else, tired of them telling you to wash dishes or do the chores when you really just want to get on social media, binge watch a tv show or play a video game.

Is it the freedom from mom and dad looking over your shoulder all the time; tired of them telling you to study when you want to go out to party, tired of them telling you to go to church, when you rather be doing something else, tired of them telling you to wash dishes or do the chores when you really just want to get on social media, binge watch a tv show or play a video game.

What do you think about first when you think about the word freedom?

Or is it the freedom from authority? From restrictions? The freedom from rules, restraints and boundaries.

When I typed freedom in google, the first definition that pops up defines freedom as “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.”

And I think this definition encompasses what most human beings believe.

We don’t like to be told what to do and we like things our way.

Even from childhood we hate to be ruled. When a child resist to eat his or her vegetables or to go sleep at a certain time, its not because they have studied healthy eating habits and made a conscious decision not to eat vegetables or because they have done a sleep study and recognized and made the decision that they don’t have to go to sleep; they are just resisting being told what to do and when to do it. They don’t want to be ruled.

Which is why many teenagers can’t wait to move away to college to get away from the authority of mom and dad. They want to be able to do whatever they want to do, whenever they want to do it, how they want to do it and to whom they want to do it to. And the sad part is that when they move away, that feeling doesn’t go away, but it gets stronger and they carry that into their adulthood, just like many of the adults in this room.

To give some background of our text, Paul, as in many of his letters, has been talking to the Corinthians about their freedom from the law and in Christ Jesus. He taught them them that were free from the guilt of sin, from the penalty of sin and the power of sin.

The problem though was that they only heard the first two. They rejoiced in the fact that they were free from the guilt and penalty of sin, but placed little to no emphasis on being free from the power of sin.

They had completely twisted Paul’s teaching. This is why Peter (one of Jesus’ three close disciples, the one who denied Jesus three times, the one who Jesus said “on the rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail, the one who took sliced the Roman’s soldier’s ear off when they came to get Jesus, the one who walked on water, the one who preached on the Day of Pentecost where 3,000 souls were saved) why he writes in that some things in Paul’s letters that are hard to understand and that the untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction.

You see the Corinthians were very unstable (we can probably tell this by the fact this is Paul’s longest letter he had written to any church and he wrote them twice(2 Corinthians)…lol) . There was always something going on with the Corinthians. There was division in the church. Some people liked that preacher and some people liked another preacher (Paul & Apollos). They were known for sleeping with prostitutes and fornicating and getting drunk, they were doing it up.

The Corinthians had interpreted being free in Christ or being free from the law as meaning they could do whatever they wanted to do, sprinkle a little of God’s grace on it, and they were good.

They were the type of people that would pray for forgiveness right before they did the sin.

The Corinthian people were the type of people that would commit fornication or do something they knew was wrong and if someone called them out on it, they would say so what, I’m saved.

The Corinthians were the type of people that when someone would call them out on their sin, they would say, well I’m saved. They were the type of of people that looked at justification like a Jesus sticker that you get to put on your unchanged heart, so when God comes by to check out your heart, he would see the name Jesus and He would say alright you are in.

The Corinthian people were the type of people that would live unrighteous lives, but claim they were justified and made right before God as if justification was God sending His only son to die a criminal and brutal death so we could get a Jesus sticker, slap it on our unchanged hearts and call ourselves saved. So when God came along and evaluated their lives, it could spiritually trick God into thinking that our dirt is clean.

They were the type of people that would say they were sanctified, meaning they were progressively becoming more like Christ, but yet their lives didn’t look much different than before they so called “gave their lives to Christ.”

The Corinthian people were the type of people that took advantage of God’s grace.

Which is why in verses 9-11, Paul gets on their case and says:

9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men

10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And that is what some of you were (that’s past tense). But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were (that’s past tense) justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

But watch this, it’s not that justification and sanctification is the result of us eliminating our sin, but it is the cause of eliminating our sin. In other words, it’s not my effort to stop sinning that makes God loves me, but rather it’s the fact that God loves me that makes me want to stop sinning. Paul was trying to get them to understand that the gospel was not about sin management, where everyday we had to wake up with a sin checklist, “I didn’t cuss today, I didn’t fight today, I didn’t get an attitude today.” It wasn’t about being legalistic and asking what can I do and what can’t I do as a Christian. The gospel is about knowing that you are loved by God no matter what you do and that God has given you the Holy Spirit and his grace and His mercy and His power to live a life that is worthy and pleasing to Him.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), . mentions all of these sins (drunkeness, adultery, robbery, jealousy) and he says some of you were like that, but now you have been cleansed, sanctified and justified.

But watch this, it’s not that justification and sanctification is the result of us eliminating our sin, but it is the cause of eliminating our sin. In other words, it’s not my effort to stop sinning that makes God loves me, but rather it’s the fact that God loves me that makes me want to stop sinning. Paul was trying to get them to understand that the gospel was not about sin management, where everyday we had to wake up with a sin checklist, “I didn’t cuss today, I didn’t fight today, I didn’t get an attitude today.” It wasn’t about being legalistic and asking what can I do and what can’t I do as a Christian. The gospel is about knowing that you are loved by God no matter what you do and that God has given you the Holy Spirit and his grace and His mercy and His power to live a life that is worthy and pleasing to Him.

Turn to your neighbor and say, You are loved and you are free in Christ Jesus.

Now give God some praise.

How many of us can identify with the Corinthians?

Now I wanted to do that because it’s important for there to be a balanced understanding in your freedom in Christ. I try to live in the tension between grace and repentance, love and judgment. Because on one end you don’t want people to doubt their salvation every time they sin and on the other hand you don’t want people thinking sin is ever okay. It’s when we polarize ourselves to focusing on one end or the other where our faith becomes based on a half gospel. And when you try to communicate it, it comes off as either you can earn your salvation or you can do whatever you want and still go to Heaven. And neither one of the things are true.

And you see while Paul, coming from a strong Jewish background, was trying to preach against a “earn your salvation” type of theology, the Corinthians interpreted that as “I can do whatever I want.” Which is why they always said, and as Paul quotes them in verse 12 “I have the right to do anything.”

So if freedom in Christ means that we have grace, but it also means we can’t do whatever we want to? How do we walk in our freedom?

There are three key points I see in this text that can help us develop a healthy understanding of our freedom in Christ.

The Corinthian people were the type of people that took advantage of God’s grace.

How many of us identify with the Corinthians?

The first key that I see in this text that can help us develop a healthy understanding of our freedom in Christ is that we now have the freedom to love others.

In quoting the Corinthians, Paul says “You say I have the right to do anything,” but Paul says not all things are helpful, not all things are profitable, not all things are beneficial are advantageous.

When you first read this passage, its easy to make this about ourselves. As if what Paul was trying to say was that “I can do whatever I want to do, bit not all things are helpful to ME, not all things are profitable to be ME, not all things are beneficial to ME, not all things are advantageous to ME.

And though that is true, there are some things you shouldn’t do simply because you would hurt yourself, but that’s not what Paul is trying to get at.

What Paul is trying to say is that “I can do whatever I want to do, but not everything is helpful, beneficial, profitable or advantageous to other people.”

What Paul was trying to get at was that if everyone took their freedom and said “I have the right to do whatever I want to do,” then no one would ever be free because we would all be subject to each other’s freedom.

If you thought you had the right to go through the door first and you thought you had the right to go through the door first and you thought you had the right to go through the door first, then now you got three people all trying to go through the door first, but when they try they get stuck. And guess what? No one get’s the go through the door.

Paul is trying to get them to a point where they use their freedom in Christ to love other people in such a way that before they do anything, they think about how it’s going to impact other people.

And I can hear someone asking “Well, is it ever okay to act without thinking about how its going to impact other people?” And as much as I wan to say yes, the answer to that is no. Because essentially, the question is “Is there ever a time where it’s okay to be selfish? And scripture says do nothing out selfish ambition, but in humility regard other’s interests as more significant than your own.

Paul really highlights this well in . He repeats himself in the letter but in a different context. He says,

23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. (you see that right there)

25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”

27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. 29 I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. (Watch this) For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience?30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

(Explain the verse)

Let me give you some examples.

When I was in college, I was in this black dance group called black reign. If anybody knows me, I like to dance. But it got to a moment where we begin to dance to music with very vulgar language and we started to use slightly sexual moves. So I thought to myself, everybody knows I’m a Christian and everybody knows I am souled out for Christ. What will people think if they saw me dancing to vulgar music and doing sexual moves? It didn’t matter if I thought it was sin to dance to the song or not, what mattered was if there were other people that thought it was sinful.

Lets’ says I wanted to have a drink. I’m over the age of 21, and the Bible doesn’t necessarily say that it’s a sin to drink (A sin to get drunk but not drink). But when I’m hanging around certain people I don’t have a drink. Not because I think it’s a sin, but because other people may think it’s a sin.

Well why should my freedom be judged by another person’s conscience?

The answer is love.

Our freedom in Christ will cause us to love people in such a way that we begin to care about what they think.

But watch this, its not about caring about what they think about me, but its about what they think about Jesus when they think about me.

Ask yourself that: What do people think about Jesus, when they think about you.

The second key that I see in this text that can help us develop a healthy understanding of our freedom in Christ is that we have the freedom to be free.

In quoting the Corinthians slogan, Paul says “You say I have the right to do anything,” but Paul says I will not be mastered by anything.

In other words “I will not be controlled by anything or be enslaved by anything.”

The question is not “What do I have the permission to do as a Christian?” The question is, "Am I a slave to this act? Is this food or drink or sex or hobby or work becoming my master instead of my servant?"

As human beings, we naturally move towards spiritual enslavement. It’s hard for us to just enjoy God’s Creation. But we become so obsessed with God’s Creation that the creation becomes more important than the Creator. And this leads to spiritual enslavement. In Genesis, God created the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God says to Adam you can eat from any other tree, but do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But the texts says that when Eve saw the tree, and that it was good to eat and that it was pleasing to the eyes and that it was desirable to make one wise, she bit of the fruit and gave some to Adam too. And one could say that it was okay for them to desire the fruit, but it became problematic when their desire for the fruit became more important than their desire for God. That is spiritual enslavement.

There is nothing wrong with desiring lots of money, but when our desire for lots of money become more important than our desire for God, that we will do in and everything to get it, there is spiritual enslavement.

There is nothing wrong with desiring a job, but when our desire for our jobs become more important than our desire for God, there is spiritual enslavement.

There is nothing wrong with posting a picture on social media and desiring people to like it, but when your desire for likes become more important than your desire for God, that you will post in and everything, there is spiritual enslavement.

There is nothing wrong with desiring to be in a relationship, but when the desire to be in a relationship becomes more important than God, that you will do anything to get some attention, there is spiritual enslavement.

And because of our natural inclination to move towards spiritual enslavement, in order to get control, we must allow the Holy Spirit to take control.

So how do we gain control by giving away control?

Every free moment I get, I’m doing something on my phone, but I’m in control.

So how do we get in control? The way we get in control is by allowing the Holy Spirit to take control?

When I find a TV show I like on Hulu or Netflix, I binge watch tv for hours, but I’m in control.

Picture our lives like trains, except the train has the tendency to derail or to be off the track. When its off track, it looks like its free and it may look like its in control, but its not until it is placed on the track of the Holy Spirit where it can be truly free to fulfill its purpose.

We were freed to be freed.

Every time I go out with friends there has to be drinks involved in order for us to have a good time. But don’t worry, I’m in control.

You have heard me point out in a previous sermon, that one of the first things we learn as babies is how to be selfish. We don’t know that we’re selfish, we just are. Now I want you to imagine all of the bad habits we have picked up since then. Out of those experiences, our character is shaped, our personality is shaped and our identity is shaped.

Paul says in , "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death."

You can always tell if you are operating in freedom because you always have the ability to say no. Your desires are strong masters, which is why its always easy to say no to Jesus but its hard to sya no to your desires.

Freedom and the Law of Liberty

The first two are found in verse 12. He repeats the phrase they had formulated “All things are lawful for me.” In other words, I have the right to do anything! But Paul corrects it by saying, but not all things are profitable or beneficial. Not all things are advantageous.

You can always tell if you are operating in freedom because you always have the ability to say no. Your desires are strong masters, which is why its always easy to say no to Jesus but its hard to sya no to your desires.

stomach was made for food and food for the stomach

Slavery disguised as freedom. The drive to to get from under your parents or authority. It’s one thing if your desire to get away from you parents is because home is a toxic environment thats one thing, but its another if you just want to get away because you just want to do whatever you want to do.

It’s Not Just What You Are Free From, But What You Are Free To...

Slavery disguised as freedom. The drive to to get from under your parents or authority. It’s one thing if your desire to get away from you parents is because home is a toxic environment thats one thing, but its another if you just want to get away because you just want to do whatever you want to do.

You can always tell if you are operating in freedom because you always have the ability to say no. Your desires are strong masters, which is why its always easy to say no to Jesus but its hard to sya no to your desires.

When you think no one is watching, God is.

You can always tell if you are operating in freedom because you always have the ability to say no. Your desires are strong masters, which is why its always easy to say no to Jesus but its hard to sya no to your desires.

The difference between the law and the law of Christ is not is what you do, but now you got grace help to actually do it.

The third key to developing a healthy understanding of our freedom in Christ Jesus is knowing that we are free to use our bodies for the Lord. Your body is not your body, but it is the Lord’s body.

To justify their overeating, drunkeness and sexual immorality, the Corinthians would say, “The stomach was made for food, and food for the stomach.” In other words, its NATURAL! Whatever my body desired, is what it needed to be satisfied. If my body desired to get drunk, it was alcohol that was going to satisfy it. If my body desired sex, it was sex that was going to satisfy it. If my body desired food, it was food that was going to satisfy it. “The stomach was made for food, and food for the stomach.”

Paul’s corrects them by saying the body was made for the Lord and the Lord for the body. In other words, if the body is made for the Lord and the Lord is for the body then that means then whatever desire that my body feels, its not food that can solve it, its not sex that can solve it, its not drugs that can solve it, but the only one that can truly fill the desires of body is Jesus.

Whenever your body desires food, Jesus says, man must not live on bread alone, but by every word that precedes out of the mouth of God.

When the body desires something to drink, Jesus I will quench your thirst and give you living water that never runs out.

When the body desires sex before marriage, Jesus says let me know you in an intimate way.

When the body desires to get drunk, Jesus says get drunk on the spirit. I guarantee you He will be the best Hennessey and Jack Daniels that you will ever drink.

When the body desires to get smoke and get high, Jesus says take one puff of me and I will take you higher than ever before. I will take you from glory to glory to glory to glory. You thought you were seeing things and imagining before. I will take you so high where I will do things that are exceedingly and abundantly above all that you can ask or think.

When your body desires sin, Jesus says the body was not made for sin and sin was not made for the body, but Jesus was made for the body and the body was made for Jesus. So when your body desires sin, Jesus says you have been cleansed, you have been washed, you have been justified, you have been made right, you have been sanctified you have been set apart, you are loved. It is finished, you have been set free, you are free from the power of sin.

Turn to your neighbor: Now that you know what it means to have freedom in Christ Jesus, ACT LIKE IT.

Freedom and the Law of Love 1 Cor. 10:13

Freedom and the Law of Liberty

The first two are found in verse 12. He repeats the phrase they had formulated “All things are lawful for me.” In other words, I have the right to do anything! But Paul corrects it by saying, but not all things are profitable or beneficial. Not all things are advantageous.

stomach was made for food and food for the stomach

They were the type of people that would be quick to call Jesus Savior, but He wouldn’t be Lord, because that would mean Christ would rule their lives.

So now if that is how I define freedom in my everyday life, what does it mean to be free in Christ? Does being free in Christ mean I have the power or right to act, speak, or think as I want without hindrance or restraint? Does being free in Christ mean that I don’t have to operate under any authority?

Well, the Corinthians seem to think so....

It’s Not Just What You Are Free From, But What You Are Free To...

Bill of Rights - God, but they are all subjective ( Kansas woman, freedom of religion and miller vs. California on obscenity)

Most people would define freedom as the ability to do what I want, when I want, how I want and to whom I want, as long as nobody gets hurt.

Slavery disguised as freedom. The drive to to get from under your parents or authority. It’s one thing if your desire to get away from you parents is because home is a toxic environment thats one thing, but its another if you just want to get away because you just want to do whatever you want to do.

It’s not so much about caring about what other people think about you, but what other people think about Jesus when they think about you.

The Corinthians were the type of people that when someone would call them out on their sin, they would say, well I’m saved. They were the type of of people that looked at justification like a Jesus sticker that you get to put on your unchanged heart, so when God comes by to check out your heart, he would see the name Jesus and He would say alright you are in.

The Corinthian people were the type of people that would live unrighteous lives, but claim they were justified and made right before God as if justification was God sending His only son to die a criminal and brutal death so we could get a Jesus sticker, slap it on our unchanged hearts and call ourselves saved. So when God came along and evaluated their lives, it could spiritually trick God into thinking that our dirt is clean.

They were the type of people that would say they were sanctified, meaning they were progressively becoming more like Christ, but yet their lives didn’t look much different than before they “gave their lives to Christ.”

The Corinthian people were the type of people that would commit fornication or do something they know was wrong and if someone called them out on it, they would say so what, I’m saved.

The Corinthian people were the type of people that took advantage of God’s grace.

They thought they could have the best of both worlds.

You can always tell if you are operating in freedom because you always have the ability to say no. Your desires are strong masters, which is why its always easy to say no to Jesus but its hard to sya no to your desires.

Freedom and the Law of Liberty

The difference between the law and the law of Christ is not is what you do, but now you got grace help to actually do it.

The first two are found in verse 12. He repeats the phrase they had formulated “All things are lawful for me.” In other words, I have the right to do anything! But Paul corrects it by saying, but not all things are profitable or beneficial. Not all things are advantageous.

stomach was made for food and food for the stomach

It’s Not Just What You Are Free From, But What You Are Free To...

Slavery disguised as freedom. The drive to to get from under your parents or authority. It’s one thing if your desire to get away from you parents is because home is a toxic environment thats one thing, but its another if you just want to get away because you just want to do whatever you want to do.

It’s not so much about caring about what other people think about you, but what other people think about Jesus when they think about you.

You can always tell if you are operating in freedom because you always have the ability to say no. Your desires are strong masters, which is why its always easy to say no to Jesus but its hard to sya no to your desires.

The difference between the law and the law of Christ is not is what you do, but now you got grace help to actually do it.

Understanding Our Freedom in Christ

Scripture: (NIV)

Introduction

Introduction

Context

Context

Context

Free to Love for Others

Freedom and the Body

You are Free to Be Free

You are Free to Be Free

Freedom to Be Free

Free to Use Our Bodies for the Lord

It’s Not Just What You Are Free From, But What You Are Free To...