A Heart Set Free
A HEART SET FREE
2/23/2002 AND 2/24/2002
(Solving Your Identity Crisis # 1)
Psalm 119
32 I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.
-I am beginning a series called, “A Heart Set Free”.
-You might ask, “Set Free From What?”
-A heart set free from the lies and deception of the world, the flesh and the devil about you.
-Who are you anyway? How did you arrive at the conclusion of who you are?
-They tell you in Psychology that you are an accumulation of what you think and what others think.
-The truth is that you could all be wrong.
Maxwell example of Victor Seribriakoff
-The only place to find the truth about you is from God.
-As I prepared this sermon and meditated on who I would be speaking to, I realized that many people have gone or are going through an identity crisis.
-You may be just out of high school, in junior high, at mid-life, or just facing some major changes.
-We are conditioned to judge ourselves by external things: looks, money, background, or even who is most spiritual.
1Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, `Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
Galatians 2:6 As for those who seemed to be important--whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance--those men added nothing to my message.
-I don’t want to create a good feeling about who you are by cheerleading….I want to build a Biblical case based on the truth.
-We need to come to a place where we fully love and accept ourselves because God fully loves and accepts us.
-It can’t be based on what others think about us or how we feel, it must be based on God’s assessment of us.
2 experiences:
When I was called to Scotland the Lord answered my fears about the future by telling me that He loved me.
Recently in prayer on a Wednesday morning the lord spoke to my heart and I was aware of the Scripture where Jesus is affirmed at His baptism. I realize with Jesus that it was for others but we all need affirmation.
Mark 1
11 And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
1 Corinthians 7
23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
Ephesians 3
8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
-In order to understand God’s value of you, you have to see what He did to get you.
-The terms here that we have to remember are mystery of the ages and eternal purpose.
-Here is the short version of that incredible truth.
THE ETERNAL PURPOSE
-God had a plan for man before He ever said let there be light.
Ephesians 1
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
1 Peter 1
20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
Revelation 13
8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
-In order to understand what has happened on the earth you have to see what happened before we were here.
-Satan was created and was an angel like Gabriel and Michael.
-He became proud and led a rebellion against God. He didn’t want to direct worship to God anymore, he wanted to get it himself.
-Some of the angels followed him and they lost their place with God.
-Oddly enough, God didn’t respond with the death sentence. He is a good steward and always uses every opportunity.
Romans 9
22 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath-- prepared for destruction?
23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory-
24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?
-In other words, what was the real issue? Is God good or not? Can He be trusted or not?
-Satan said no. He also told mankind that in the Garden of Eden.
-The entire Bible is a story of God revealing Himself to man.
-He would reveal another aspect of Himself in every encounter with man.
-He would reveal Himself as healer, deliverer, all-powerful, etc.
-God revealed Himself in:
CREATION
MANKIND HAS A REMNANT
JESUS
Hebrews 1
3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being,
John 1
15 ¶ John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'"
16 From the fulness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No-one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
-Jesus perfectly expressed the Father’s heart.
-Then He went even further and died for man revealing the remarkable sacrifice that God paid for man.
Matthew 13
44 ¶ "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
-That gives these parables a new twist. It wasn’t just us selling everything for a treasure.
-It was God trading everything for you.
-The result is a demonstration to the universe for eternity of the truth about God.
-You have been chosen to represent God by being an object of His mercy. WHAT A JOB DESCRIPTION!!
Ephesians 3 NLT
9I was chosen to explain to everyone this plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
10God's purpose was to show his wisdom in all its rich variety to all the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. They will see this when Jews and Gentiles are joined together in his church. 11This was his plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 2 NLT
4But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, 5that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that you have been saved!) 6For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms--all because we are one with Christ Jesus. 7And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus.
-God created us and saved us in order to demonstrate His true character.
-He that comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a REWARDER of them that diligently seek Him.
-Here is the object lesson of the ages:
GOD IS GOOD, YOU CAN TRUST HIM
THE DEVIL LIED ABOUT HIM BUT JESUS DEMONSTRATED HIS LOVE BY HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION
THE MYSTERY OF THE AGES
-How did God carry out this plan according to the Bible?
-The way I look at it is oddly enough from the point of view of angels or even satan.
-They saw it as it was being carried out.
-We think the angels saw the whole thing or Moses and Isaiah got the big picture but that’s not true.
Ro 16:25 ¶ Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past,
1Co 2:7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
Eph 3:9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Col 1:26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.
-God kept the secret in Himself.
-Only as He acted in history did we see what He was doing.
-God always planned to save man.
-Jesus knew He would have to come before the Garden of Eden.
-We see the clues come together through the Bible.
Genesis 3
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
Genesis 15
1 ¶ After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."
2 ¶ But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"
3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir."
5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
-We see satan trying to destroy the seed of man at every turn, with Moses, with Cain and Able and every chance he got.
-We see more clues: This deliverer will be from the tribe of Judah. He will be the son or seed of King David.
-He will be born in Bethlehem-the house of bread.
-He will be born as a man but He is really the ancient of days.
-Nobody is looking in the right place for Him.
Galatians 4
4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,
5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.
-The world was made ready. In the fullness of time, about 4 B.C., Jesus was born.
-We see all sorts of angelic activity and dreams. Herod tries/really satan tries/ to find and kill the King of the Jews.
-He escapes and grows up. Nobody could figure out quite what He was up to.
-He began to tell His disciples what was coming. They couldn’t grasp it.
-The prophets, angels and demons, and even the disciples didn’t understand it.
-I like to think of it as a game of chess or checkers where someone lets you win a few then destroys you.
1 Peter 1
10 ¶ Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,
11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
1 Corinthians 2
6 ¶ We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--
10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
Acts 1
4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
5 For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit."
6 ¶ So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
-The secret wasn’t out.
-The mystery of the ages was carried out to accomplish God’s eternal purpose…to create a new people…those who would choose to follow Him and be transformed into objects of His mercy in order to behold His goodness and reflect His goodness.
-Why is this important?
-What has this got to do with your identity crisis?
Psalm 36
9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
Colossians 3
1 ¶ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
-Your identity is tied completely to Jesus.
-My parents genealogy is coming to light and we are discovering a lot of interesting things like those who participated in the Revolutionary war and civil war.
-The facts just create more questions. I want to ask WHY they left England. I want to know about the guy who was captured by the British.
-That is the way it is with God.
-We need to see His heart and what He is really like in order to see the truth about ourselves.
Ps 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
