Radical Living Free to Die

Free to Die What is the right use of our freedom? It was for freedom that Christ set us free Gal.5:1 For you were called to freedom, brethren Gal.5:13 American Freedom “We live in a culture that so totalizes freedom that anyone who presents an obstacle or becomes a hindrance to what I want is attacking my freedom. I will perceive intrusions on my way of life as the enemy, whether it’s a family member, a foreign militant or a government regulator. Whether they’re trespassing on my property or regulating the size of my soft drink or rifle clip, impositions on my freedom are considered offensive and immoral—attacks—because my personal autonomy (self-rule) comes first.” Brad Jerzak American Freedom “We live in a culture that so totalizes freedom that anyone who presents an obstacle or becomes a hindrance to what I want is attacking my freedom. I will perceive intrusions on my way of life as the enemy, whether it’s a family member, a foreign militant or a government regulator. Whether they’re trespassing on my property or regulating the size of my soft drink or rifle clip, impositions on my freedom are considered offensive and immoral—attacks—because my personal autonomy (self-rule) comes first.” Brad Jerzak American Freedom “And we modern people adore personal power above almost anything else. Our society, in brief, is built on the presumption that the good society is that in which each person gets to be his or her own tyrant (Bernard Shaw’s definition of hell: Hell is where you must do what you want to do). What we got was not self-freedom but self-centeredness, loneliness, superficiality, and harried consumerism.” Stanley Hauerwas The Objective of Satan Destroy the sense of human connection of community by going independent Initial Effects: Suspicions, Blame, Accusations, Alienation—damage to the community And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you? And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Gen.3:8-12 Long Reaching Effects-Death and Violence Adam's Descendants to Noah This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. and he died…. and he died…. and he died…. and he died…. and he died. Gen.5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…. Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. Gen.6:5,11 What is the leading cause of death in the history of humanity? True Freedom Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. Jn.8:34-36 Freedom in Christ, ironically, is freedom from the tyranny of our own paranoiaproducing self-will and fear- driven self-preservation, which we’ve tragically mislabeled ‘freedom.’ Brad Jerzak What IS the Gospel This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Jn.17:3 Eternal Life is not meant to be merely explained, but experienced daily “Life with Christ doesn’t just have to do with forgiveness, but more than anything, it has to do with relationship to real life.” Dallas Willard “Christianity is an invitation to be part of an alien people who make a difference because they see something that cannot otherwise be seen without Christ. Right living is more the challenge than right thinking. The challenge is not the intellectual one but the political one—the creation of a new people who have aligned themselves with the seismic shift that has occurred in the world since Christ.” Stanley Hauerwas Resident Aliens While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Mt.4:18-19 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? Mt.16:21-26 Now some Greeks (God seekers) were among those who had gone up to worship at the feast. So these approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew, and they both went and told Jesus. Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the solemn truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain. The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards it for eternal life. If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? ‘Father, deliver me from this hour’? No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard the voice said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, “This voice has not come for my benefit but for yours. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (Now he said this to indicate clearly what kind of death he was going to die.) Jn.12:20-33 (NET) “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Mt.4:18-19 The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards it for eternal life. If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me Jn.12:25-26 “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” ― Deitrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship “We would like a church that again asserts that God, not nations, rules the world, that the boundaries of God’s kingdom transcend those of Caesar, and that the main political task of the church is the formation of people who see clearly the cost of discipleship and are willing to pay the price.” Stanley Hauerwas For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. Gal.5:13-15 What keeps us from serving one another? And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Rom.8:28-30 “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” ― Deitrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death Phil.3:10 How does this “dying” happen? “ What one regards as interruptions are precisely one’s life.” C S Lewis Salvation is a life, not a destination