Freedom to Act

Welcome Home

Good morning and welcome to Cross Creek Community Church. I’m Amanda Stiles, and I’d like to start by saying, “welcome home.” If this is your first time here, please take a moment to scan the QR code on the seat in front of you or fill out the contact card in your Welcome packet so we know how you found us and how we can be praying for you this week. Just drop that card in the offering box in the entryway.

We don’t take up an official offering here at Cross Creek Community Church, we believe that God blesses your faith in His work through your tithes and offerings. But if you are new here, we would love to get to know you better, so that card is the best offering you can put in that box today.

Today is part two of the sermon series, “Some Assembly Required.” We are honing in on the spiritual building blocks that Christ has delivered to us, and learning how to engage those truths in our every day lives. Because we know that although salvation is instant, transformation is a process. God does surgery on our hearts when we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but the healing and growth take time.

It’s a lot like physical therapy they give you at the hospital. We have a few people from our church in the process of healing from surgeries. I visited Shirley this week and she’s doing very well on the rehabilitation floor at Halifax. But, it’s a process! Anytime someone is injured or has surgery, the problem may be “fixed,” but they have to participate in the healing process by exercising and strengthening their muscles. This is seen in the animal kingdom as well.

Opening (Engage)

Just this past week, on October 20th, wildlife teams gathered in Tavernier down in the Florida Keys to release a young manatee named Cullen back into the wild.

Seventeen months ago, Cullen was rescued as an orphaned calf after a terrible boat strike. To save his life, marine biologists had to keep him inside a round, confined concrete medical tank. Day after day, month after month, his entire world was restricted to a 15-foot pool. He learned to swim in tight, predictable circles - automatically turning around the moment he sensed the hard concrete walls.

But this week, he was finally healed, legally cleared, and officially returned to his home turf. The team lowered him into the azure blue, wide-open waters of the Keys. There were no bars, no gates, and hundreds of miles of open ocean to explore.

But as the observers watched, they noticed something heartbreaking. When Cullen first hit the water, he didn’t swim out into the deep. Instead, he stayed right near the release point, swimming in those exact same tight, repetitive circles.

Biologists have a term for this well-documented behavior; they call it conditioned captivity. The concrete walls were entirely gone, but he was still acting like he was trapped inside that 15-foot tank.

Introduction (Tension)

This is exactly how so many of us live out our faith. We know Jesus saved us. We know He healed us. But we still act like we haven’t been rescued. We have been taken out of the tank of sin and released into the vast, open ocean of God’s purpose and grace, yet we still live with a mindset that is cramped, controlled, and dictated by our old life.

It is so easy to celebrate what Jesus did to pull us out of our worst messes, while we quietly slide right back into our own conditioned captivity. True freedom in Christ can feel intimidating because it’s unfamiliar. The muscle memory of the old, comfortable territory of the flesh doesn’t just disappear the moment we’re saved. We carry with us the imprint of the old guilt, familiar anxiety, and toxic habits - just like Cullen carried the image of that tank.

We are legally free, but we are still swimming in small, legalistic circles. We stop ourselves from moving forward because we think we’re about to bump into our past failures, our old labels, or the limitations of who we used to be.

Every believer in Jesus experiences this ongoing tension between living by the Spirit and giving in to selfish desires. It doesn’t matter if the prison door is unlocked if we choose to stay inside the cell. We have to take those steps of faith, take responsibility for our spiritual growth, take God at His Word, and intentionally throw off everything that tries to hold us back.

Because Freedom isn’t just something we receive. It’s something we learn to live!

Pray

Body (Truth)

When we look at scripture, we see that it is entirely by grace through faith that we are set free. Jesus didn’t stand at the edge of our captivity and tell us to try harder or swim faster. He shattered the walls completely. He paid the fine, He swung open the doors, and He called us out into the wide-open spaces of His purpose.

Just look at how Jesus announces His mission in Isaiah 61:1, He says:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”

Jesus stepped into history as our Redeemer to break the legal chains of spiritual imprisonment. We don’t talk about slavery much today, but the Bible is clear: if you’ve ever sinned, you’ve been a slave to it.

In John 8:34-36, Jesus confronts a religious crowd who proudly claimed they had never been in bondage to anyone. Listen to how He answers them:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Notice what He is establishing here: your freedom is a legal reality. When Jesus died on the cross, the judge’s gavel came down. Your fine was paid. The prison doors were unlocked.

Yet, we all know the daily struggle is real. We look at our lives and say, “If I’m legally free, why am I still struggling with this toxic habit? Why am I still turning around in the same tight circles of anxiety?”

Hear me: admitting that you battle with the flesh does not mean the concrete walls have reappeared. The enemy wants to convince you that you’re still trapped, but our legal reality is that we have been crucified with Christ, and we are no longer slaves of sin. (Romans 6:6–7) The walls are gone, we simply have to engage our freedom to push past the old muscle memory.

So how do we stop swimming in those old circles? We have to understand that true freedom is not just the absence of old walls; it’s the presence of a new Power. It’s the active, life-giving law of the Spirit.

Romans 8:2 reminds us that, “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” And 2 Corinthians 3:17 declares that, “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Think about Cullen the manatee. When he was in that 15-foot concrete tank, his environment forced him to swim in circles. When he was dropped into the open ocean, he had the space to swim straight, but he didn’t have the rehabilitation yet. He was missing the inner confidence to explore the deep.

That is what the Holy Spirit does for us. We cannot break our old muscle memory in our own strength. By the presence and power of Holy Spirit, we are given a brand-new internal compass. He is the one who helps us clean up our thoughts and stop listening to the old bully who wants to keep us captive. It’s only by surrendering to His leading that the muscle memory of the old life is broken, and we can be fully transformed and rehabilitated for our new life in Christ.

If you believe in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, you are entirely free from the judgement of sin. Jesus paid that price once and for all. But the Apostle Paul shows us that while Jesus handles our justification, the Holy Spirit partners with us in our sanctification.

There is an active part to play in our daily liberation. There is “Some Assembly Required” to our discipleship!

Just look at the active language Paul uses in Ephesians 4:22-24. He says that we must:

“Put off” the old man which grows corrupt.

“Be renewed” in the spirit of your mind.

And “Put on” the new man.

And the writer of Hebrews echoes this exact same active command in Hebrews 12:1-2:

“...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, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...”

Notice those action words: Put off. Lay aside. Run. Put on.

Church, this doesn’t happen automatically! The text is telling us we must take action. God opened the prison door, but He will not drag you through it. Christ didn’t just die to take us out of the tank; He died so we could live in the absolute fullness of the open ocean - the boundless, empowering fullness of the Spirit.

We aren’t just set free from sin; we are liberated for action.

Summary (Application)

This truth brings a direct challenge to each of us today. True freedom requires you to stop swimming in the circular dimensions of your old life and start taking responsibility for your spiritual growth. Jesus set you free, but you must engage with that freedom and be free indeed.

In order to lay these weights aside, you must first identify what is weighing you down. What old label, past failure, or burden are you still carrying? Is it people-pleasing? Is it a packed and busy schedule that leaves no room for God? Is it a lingering, familiar anxiety or a general agitation with everyday circumstances?

When we keep making the same mistakes over and over, it usually means a lie has trapped our thinking. Any area of your life where you are not experiencing the joy of freedom in Christ should be closely examined for a stronghold. And strongholds don’t just appear out of nowhere; they can usually be traced back to a seed of pain or trauma from our past - even from our formative years.

A seed starts small, and then grows progressively over time. Wounds become lies, lies become vows, and vows become strongholds. An old heart wound from a loved one or a difficult experience implants a seed of pain. To protect ourselves from getting hurt again, we buy into a lie about “why” it happened and how we should change something about ourselves to keep it from happening again.

That lie hardens into an internal vow - “I will never let anyone close enough to hurt me again,” or “I have to control everything to be safe.” That vow becomes the internal enforcement that drives the concrete strongholds of control, fear, or performance into place. It builds the walls of our metaphorical tank and keeps us swimming in circles.

While we would love to just instantly “quit doing” the destructive things that entangle our progress, Jesus wants to be invited into our transformation. Complete rehabilitation must go deeper than what’s happening on the surface. Freedom requires true inner healing. With Holy Spirit’s help, we have to seek the root of the stronghold and invite Jesus directly into the pain that planted the seed in the first place.

The healing that Christ died to provide us is not only for our bodies - He wants His children to be completely whole - body, soul, and spirit. Putting off the old man and laying aside every weight are actions that require extended time with Jesus and spiritual discipline to see through to completion.

In order to get there, we have to experience inner emotional healing, because the sin that ensnares us is often driven by the strongholds that have built up walls through years of living in bondage.

Inner healing is something that has been bought by the blood of Jesus as surely as your physical healing. Remember our point today: We aren’t just set free from sin; we are liberated for action. But you cannot act if you are still trapped inside a mindset of limitation.

To help you walk through this rehabilitation process step-by-step, I have provided a copy of “Four Tools for Emotional Healing” from DeeperWalk.com for you to take home today. These four frameworks - Building Joy, Forgiveness, Listening Prayer, and Taking Thoughts Captive - will show you exactly how to examine your missing joy, target deep-seated unforgiveness, and uncover hidden wounds.

My challenge to each of you is to take time this week to invite the Holy Spirit into your thought-life, ask Him to reveal any old mindsets that may still be influencing your freedom, and use the tools on the handout to engage your faith for complete and total healing.

(PRAYER REQUEST SLIDE) If you feel like you would prefer personal guidance through this prayer process, you don’t have to walk through it alone. Our trained prayer team is available to assist you. You can scan that QR code right now to connect with a prayer partner who can walk with you.

As we prepare our hearts to take this healing directly to the Healer, let’s stand together for Communion. If you haven’t received the elements yet, please keep your hand lifted for a moment so our greeters can make sure you are served.

Communion

The exchange of bondage for freedom is mirrored perfectly here at the Communion table. Remembering Christ’s broken body and shed blood allows us to bring our repetitive struggles directly to the Healer - declaring the old life finished and stepping into fresh spiritual renewal.

Go ahead and remove the foil on the smaller end of your cup that contains the bread.

As we lift up this bread, we acknowledge our daily struggle with the flesh. We admit our powerlessness over sin and death, and we accept the price our Lord paid to give us absolute freedom from both. By our faith in the Savior, who took the punishment that we deserved, we eat this bread in remembrance. It is finished, and by His stripes we have been healed.

Let us eat the bread together.

(Brief Pause)

Now, carefully remove the foil on the larger end of your cup that contains the juice.

As we lift up this juice of the vine, we remember the covenant of love made in Christ’s blood - a new and everlasting covenant that covers all our sins and reconciles us to God. By the final sacrifice of Jesus, the spotless Lamb who shed His blood to pay our bounty, we drink this juice in remembrance of our true victory. Because of this cup, the enemy’s lies are officially null and void.

Let us drink the juice together.

(Let the moment settle)

Cast Vision (Inspiration)

Church, the price has been paid. And Jesus didn’t set us free just so we could stand still! He calls us to live differently - to walk in faith, pursue righteousness, and experience the joy of a life no longer weighed down by the strongholds of the enemy.

As we engage our freedom and apply it to our everyday lives, we become a living breathing testimony. We become a walking example of a life completely changed by Christ.

Because here is the beautiful reality: your freedom is never just about your own comfort. God didn’t liberate you just so you could enjoy a peaceful swim by yourself. When we break out of our self-imposed limitations and step into the deep water by faith, we naturally become passionate about breaking the yokes of others.

A church full of people who are operating in true spiritual freedom becomes a rescue team for a captive world, extending God’s massive narrative of mercy to everyone around them. According to Isaiah 58:6 our collective objective is clear: “to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and [to] break every yoke.”

When you step out of your old mindsets and cast off the heavy weights, you clear the way for someone else to step out of theirs. We close the gap on our past, step out of the isolated tank, and become a wave of healing for our entire community.

Action (Challenge) - What do they need to do with what they have just heard?

Take time this week to identify the circle you’ve been swimming in. Name the weight, trace it back to the wound, and hand it to the Healer.

Stop turning around at the imaginary concrete walls of your past. You have been legally, officially and eternally set free.

It’s time to swim out into the deep.

Benediction

May the Lord God, who anointed Jesus to proclaim liberty to the captives and open the prison doors, fill you with the boundless power of His Holy Spirit as you go forth into the vast ocean of His purpose and His grace - knowing that He has set you free indeed.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank You that the prison doors are wide open today. Holy Spirit, right now, we invite You into our thinking. Reveal the hidden wounds, break down every lie, and shatter the strongholds that have held us back for far too long.

Give us the courage to step away from our comfortable, tight circles and trust the deep waters of Your grace. Heal us from the inside out so we can go change the world around us. We throw off every weight right now in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus.

And all God’s people said… Amen!