Today, I want to talk to you about freedom. Freedom can be the most wonderful virtue or it can be the most debilitating life situation.
Freedom as a country is something we send our sons and daughters off to fight and die for. Freedom is something we cherish and wear like a badge in America (I'm free to do whatever I please)
However as we will see today - that is a misunderstanding of Freedom. You need to understand some key features of biblical freedom in order to appreciate and truly experience what freedom can be!
Read Gal. 5:13-18.

Are You Truly Free?

I want to start out with this question, because we have such a warped view of freedom in our society. If I took a poll today as to how many of you think you are free you would all raise your hands! I mean we live in America right? In a couple of weeks we celebrate our freedom!
However, I submit to you that most of you are probably the furthest from freedom, and rather you have come to misinterpret your current situation as "free".
Financial debt, addiction, pride, pursuit of success, these qualities that our culture puts such a great value on are nothing more than chains that bind you and keep you from being free. As a Christian, it may be that you aren't free because of one of these situations. However, if you are here today and you are not a Christian, there is no way you can experience freedom.
How can I make such a bold statement - Gal. 5:1, Gal. 5:13, Gal. 5:17.
Unbeliever, you only have one nature in you and it is sinful, and it will control you. Why? It is contrary to God and it will lead you so you end up doing what you don't want to do. Before you can begin to experience freedom you have to realize you are a slave to sin, and when we have the opportunity in a few minutes to make a decision, make the decision to follow Christ, to see what true freedom is all about!

The Dangers of Bondage

Just as the unbeliever you don't loose your sinful nature when you are saved, you now have internal conflict and you have to learn how to manage that in your life. It's a guarantee.
The Bible says that if not cared for on your part, your sinful nature is going to lead you to do what you don't want to do. How many of you are frustrated because you want to be a good example for Christ, you want to be close to Him, but you keep getting snagged by a sin you just can't beat. You know your about so sin, but you do it anyway?

v. 15 says you are in danger of being destroyed by one another. This destruction is not the losing of your salvation but rather the destruction of your effectiveness in the kingdom of God. You can become the thorn on the stem rather than the rose on the end. Do you know Christians like this? They say one thing and do another. They treat others with disrespect, or my particular pet peeve, they push people away from the church.

So how can we experience and exercise our freedom in Christ? Let's look at what freedom is for us.

V. 13. Don't use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature but rather, serve one another in love.
I don't know about you but the most spiritually gratifying times in my life are when I am serving someone else.
So serving others is the first quality of frreedom, but it's more, it's serving others in love. Not with an ungrateful heart, but with joy!
the Greek word here is the verb form of the noun "bondservant". It speaks to a religious obligation. If You love God, then you should be excited about serving Him. But how do you serve Him? By being His hands and His feet, by serving others.
Are you experiencing freedom by serving? If your not serving others in love then your not experiencing freedom in Christ Jesus. Get there today.

v. 16. to live by the Spirit means to submit to the Spirit. It means to be led by the Spirit (v. 18).
You may not be faced everyday with a huge sin-decision. I mean being tempted by a really bad sin. But daily you will be faced with little thorns in the side, "I don't feel like reading my Bible today." "I deserve to loose my temper, so-and-so really made me mad". Everything that is contrary to God, leads you down a road to sin.
Everyday you have to make a concious decision to follow Jesus Christ, to be led by the Holy Spirit. You bet it's going to be tough, but to live a life of freedom in Christ is worth it.
Each day just give yourself over to the Holy Spirit and let Him make the decisions for you. If you are conciously aware of His presence and seek His advice, you will be led in the right direction.
Let's say you constantly deal with the sin hate. You absolutely get furious when you think of this person in your life. You see them and your skin crawls and your tempted to walk the other way. Yes, that is a sin. Next time you see them, stop, talk it over with the Holy Spirit, tell Him how you feel, and then say, but you are God and you love them with a supernatural love, help me to express that now. Then approach them, and see if it doesn't change your outlook, or better, do something to serve them.

I am trying to show you something very important. As an unbeliever, you are completely bound / tied up and there is no freedom for you no matter how many lies you tell yourself to convince yourself otherwise. Come forward today during the invitation and accept Christ as your Lord and let Him take the shackles off your hands and feet - give you freedom.
Believer, maybe you have been bound by your old nature, put your hands and feet out for Christ to bust the shackles off your feet and hands, begin experiencing true freedom by submitting and serving. That's where the joy is.
Your life in Christ is not easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. If you are not free in Christ, you are not free at all. Committ today to be led by the Holy Spirit, talk to Him daily, pray to Him always.