Freedom In Christ
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Over the last few weeks we have been studying through the theme “In Christ” wherein we have been examining those passages that specifically use the phrase “in Christ.”
The goal of these lessons is to demonstrate and hopefully encourage each of us to not only remember why we are “in Christ” but why we should be telling everyone we know of how great it is to be “in Christ.”
Up to this point…
We have studied how one gets into Christ - Through obedience of God’s plan of salvation.
We have studied what it means to have “faith in Christ.”
We have studied what it means to have “redemption in Christ.”
Last week we studied what it means to be “alive in Christ.”
Today we are going to turn our attention to what it means to have “Freedom In Christ.”
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
If we are not free through the law of the Spirit we are in…
Slavery To Sin
Slavery To Sin
One Master.
One Master.
When we study the gospel accounts, we will come across familiar passages in Matthew 6:24 & Luke 16:13 where Jesus declares…
13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
The apostle Paul would say something very similar in Romans 6:16.
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
In other words if we embark on a journey away from God, like Jonah tried to do, then we are embarking on a journey of slavery in sin.
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
Being a slave to sin means being a…
Servant Of Sin.
Servant Of Sin.
When someone’s master is sin they are slaves to sin and what this actually means is that they serve the law of sin with the flesh.
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
They serve their master sin but how does this manifest itself?
Before we answer that let’s remember, sin is anything that takes us away from God by way of breaking the law of God through temptation or enticement.
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
If sin is temptation acted upon then sin manifests itself through anything we are addicted to or continually drawn to that is contrary to righteousness.
The key phrase here is “addiction to anything contrary to righteousness.”
It can be something as seemingly simple as violating our conscience with food (1 Corinthians 8:8-10).
It can be something as harsh as as any number of other sinful addictions such as tobacco use, pornography, gambling, etc.…
That’s the thing about sin it can get enslave us in so many ways.
Summary
Summary
The reality is we can only serve one master and if that master is sin we will be serving sin rather than righteousness and as we discussed last week we noticed how dangerous sin is in that “a sin” leads to spiritual death, or that which destroys the soul in eternity in hell.
So when we choose sin as our master, we are choosing hell as our eternity.
Thankfully, again as we studied recently, the Father, Son, and Spirit made way for our redemption.
This redemption brought with it…
Freedom From Sin
Freedom From Sin
Slaves Of God.
Slaves Of God.
As we just talked about we are going to be serve either sin or righteousness.
When we obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and are freed from our past sins (Acts 22:16) we then become slaves of God.
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
What does it mean to be “free from sin and slaves of God?”
Being free from sin and slaves of God means loving God with our all.
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
Being free from sin and slaves of God means truth is vital to us.
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Being free from sin and slaves of God means discipleship is vital to us.
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Being free from sin and slaves of God means loving my brethren.
10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
Being free from sin and slaves of God means knowing we have eternal life.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
Summary
Summary
In our modern times the word “slave” holds a very harsh meaning, which is to be expected, but let us not forget that this word does not have to hold such.
In fact we sing the song “Pierce My Ear” from Deuteronomy 15:16-17 wherein a slave is seen as “loving his master” and wants to stay forever with his master.
When we are set free from sin and made slaves of God we have “pierced our ear” showing our love for and allegiance to our God.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Sin devastates and devours the soul, but righteousness builds up and perfects the soul.
Today and from this point on let’s choose to make God and righteousness our master.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.