The Freedom of Christ
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
I don’t know how many of you have read the book or watched the movie Twelve years a slave. But it a story of Solomon Northup who was born free but kidnapped and put into bondage as a slave for 12 years in Louisiana. He was eventually freed in 1853 and reunited with his family. Can you imagine the reunion?
The family embraced him with tears flowing down their cheeks but he described it as being RESTORED to happiness and liberty.
Slavery is horrific
Freedom is Wonderful
Moses is the liberator of God’s people in the Old Testament. He foreshadows Jesus the supreme liberator. As Moses set God’s people free from slavery, so Jesus sets us free from the slavery of sin.
Freedom is the best contemporary word used to define what the Bible means by Salvation.
The whole Bible is summed up as the history of salvation, the story of God’s desire and purpose to free His people.
You are set Free! Do you walk in that Freedom? Or are you bound in chains?
A free person:
Enjoys Freedom that comes through Faith
Marvels at how our freedom was acheived
Uses freedom to worship God
1. Enjoy the Freedom that comes through Faith
1. Enjoy the Freedom that comes through Faith
In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.
May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
May he send you help from his sanctuary
and strengthen you from Jerusalem.
May he remember all your gifts
and look favorably on your burnt offerings.
Interlude
May he grant your heart’s desires
and make all your plans succeed.
May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory
and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.
Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king.
He will answer him from his holy heaven
and rescue him by his great power.
Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,
but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.
Those nations will fall down and collapse,
but we will rise up and stand firm.
Give victory to our king, O Lord!
Answer our cry for help.
This text shows us that David was facing a time of great distress. This was due to an impending battle, where he calls out to God for help. His request for God “answer when you are in distress v.1
Give victory to our king, O Lord!
Answer our cry for help.
We will have days of distress where we will call out in prayer, asking for salvation and freedom in the midst of struggle. But we need to have faith. Realistic faith.
David recognizes God’s saving power and His power to bring freedom. He says “Now I know the Lord saves his anointed” (v. 6).
Six things you can ask for yourself, your family, your friends and your community.
Protection
In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.
May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
Cry out to God to protect you and keep you out of harms reach.
2. Help - v. 2a may He send you help from sanctuary
3. Support - v. 2b May He grant you support from Zion
4. Acceptance - v. 3 May He remember and accept
5. Victory - v. 5 When you win, we plan to raise the roof! To celebrate to rejoice.
Success and victory do not come from trusting in chariots and horses v. 7
Rather it comes through faith! Trust in the name of the Lord our God (v. 7b).
2. Marvel at how your freedom was acheived
2. Marvel at how your freedom was acheived
Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”
But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.
A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”
Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.
Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.
When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”
“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”
Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.
The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says,
“They took the thirty pieces of silver—
the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel,
and purchased the potter’s field,
as the Lord directed.”
Jesus is the supreme liberator. Salvation reaches its climax in life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Jesus did all the work for us. He paid the ultimate price. He went through so much to give us freedom.
The cost for Jesus:
Denied by one of His closest friends (26:69-75)
Betrayed by one of the disciples (27:10)
Handed over to the Roman authorities (v. 2)
Condemned (v. 3)
Not to mention bruise and beaten and the list can continue.
As Matthew sees it this was all to fulfill God’s plan (v. 9)
Jesus was taken captive so that you and I could go free.
He was bound (v. 2) to set us free from things that bind us.
Jesus can set you free from sin, guilt, shame, addictions and fears.
Have you ever messed up in your Christian life? Felt like a failure? Felt badly because you let the Lord down? Have you ever wept bitterly as a result?
Jesus was betrayed and let down.
Which brings me to two people that have some similarities but crucial difference that this evening we need to examine closely.
Similarities between Judas and Peter:
Both disciples of Jesus
Both were told they would let him down
Both fulfilled OT prophecy through their actions
Both deeply regret their actions
Crucial differences between these two men:
Peter - responded to failure the right way
Judas - responded negatively
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, worldly sorrow brings death.
For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.
Judas shows an example of worldly sorrow. He went to the religious leaders and confessed his sin, but they just weighed him down more with more guilt.
“I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”
“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”
Judas was seized with remorse but sadly he was not able to throw himself on God’s mercy and receive his forgiveness.
Peter is an example of Godly sorrow. Can you imagine how frightening it was to deny and disown Jesus three times. I am sure he wondered if he would be crucified right along with Jesus or he may have even doubted if Jesus was who he claimed to be. But once the rooster crowed it left him feeling distraught. He wept bitterly.
Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
Can you imagine the terrible feeling knowing he let Jesus down? It is terrible to let someone down but especially more so with Jesus.
This is not the end of the story for Peter (see John 21)
The point here is Godly sorrow brought Repentance and the Relationship with Jesus was RESTORED!!!!!
Freed from guilt, shame, and went onto become great, holy, powerful and anointed leader of the church.
Don’t be weighed down by guilt and shame.
So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.
This evening I want to tell you it does not matter how much you have messed up or how many times you have messed up and failed it is NEVER TOO LATE!!
Respond as Peter did and have a future in service to Jesus.
There is an old Chorus that says this:
I’m set free to worship
Set free to praise Him
Set free to rejoice around the throne
I’ll laugh, I’ll dance, I’ll shout and sing Hallelujah amen let His praises ring!
3. Use your Freedom to worship God
3. Use your Freedom to worship God
We are called to serve God, right? In service of God we find perfect freedom. We have been created to worship and serve God this is our purpose.
“Go back to Pharaoh,” the Lord commanded Moses. “Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me.
God loves you, He desires that no one should perish. He wants everyone to come to repentance and relationship with Him. The only way we will perish is if we get like Pharoah and harden our hearts and ignore all the warning signs that God puts in the way.
Often times the thing that gets in the way of Freedom is PRIDE.
Pride was the root of Pharoah’s sin
The more times he denied freeing the Israelites the harder his heart got and the more he felt he could not change his mind and go back on it.
My prayer for this church is that we not be people of pride. If God is exposing things in your life don’t block it out. The more I pray for this church the more the word RESTORE is brought forward.
Tonight I want to call us all out not to be people that are too pride filled that we cannot humble ourselves before God and ask for forgiveness. Another part of Freedom is to make things right when wrong doing has happened that is RESTORATION!!
Where we need to admit to making mistakes rather than going in the wrong direction regardless.
No matter how long you’ve travelled in the wrong direction guess what? You can always turn around!
God’s desire is for his people to be set free, totally free. Set free to worship. Free from guilt, shame, sin, addiction, and fear. Set free to love, serve and worship.
Tonight I am asking us the church to come together with cords that cannot be broken. We are going to spread out and hold hands and sing you’re my brother, you’re my sister. Because we are the family of God. Joined together with the common thread, our love and devotion to Christ. Allow that to wash over you. As your pastor I cry out to you tonight let the restoration begin, let the true freedom reign over your life!