Freedom of Choice

Open with prayer.

Talk about the 1,000 flavors ice cream shop to open discussion on choices and how everyone likes them. Ask whether or not they believe Christianity is a faith of nothing but rules or a faith that gives you freedom.

John 8:36

Many people don't want to become Christians or believe in any faith or religion because they view faith/religion as a constrictive institution that is nothing but a bunch of rules. They would rather be free to do whatever they want. But the Bible speaks about Christ setting us free from sin because sin is actually what puts us into bondage:

2 Peter 2:19

So what about all this talk of us being free in Christianity? What about all the rules ? Well, let's take a look back to the beginning. Whenever I want to know what is God's ultimate will for us, I look to the way things were before man was separated from Him by sin, i.e. the Garden of Eden.

Bring someone up and talk about how they're dressed. Ask why they chose the certain selection. Ask why they didn't pray about it first. Aren't we supposed to pray about everything?
Read Gen 2:16 (NIV) - And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free…"

Set up the scenario and explain how free they actually were. Describe the garden and the vast landmass. Point out that even though they had the entire world to explore, they somehow came back to this one tree…the one they knew they shouldn't.

God is all about freedom. He doesn't want us to feel confined. He does set rules out there for us and we do need prayer in order to know what's best for us, but when it comes to many things in our lives, God gives us freedom of choice. Our lives in Christ are a lot like the lives of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden…we have a ton of "trees" that God has said we can choose to eat from, but only one that we can't. In our lives, we have so many choices that are available to us that are perfectly fine as far as God is concerned. Only a few things are restricted or unavailable to us, and God has made it that way for our own good.

Examples: Food restrictions of the Old Testament; bathing and cleanliness regulations of the OT; guidelines about proper sexual conduct.

God does not want to simply restrict you and make your life un-enjoyable. He wants the best for you, so he gives commands and guidelines for us to follow in our lives, but he's also given us a whole garden full of good trees. When it comes to how we live our daily walks with Jesus, take the whatever approach.

Philippians 4:8

If you want to do something, whether it be a small thing or a life decision, check with God's Word to make sure its not displeasing to God, and if its not, DO IT. You don't need to pray about every little thing that comes along. The Bible gives us clear-cut guidelines for most things, and if there ever is a gray area that we need chose between and the Bible doesn't specify what to do, then you can pray for God's guidance. Even though we should always be in prayer and always speak to God as our best friend, father and savior, we should also take advantage of the great freedom we have in Jesus.