I Will Walk In Freedom!
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
INTRO:
Political or Spiritual Liberty (John 8:32) Taken from AMG Bible Illustrations
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress declared the 13 American colonies free and independent from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence is the only major national document of the United States that actually mentions the name of God. He is called “Nature’s God,” “The Creator,” and “The Supreme Judge of the World.” The fathers of our American freedom recognized that God’s hand was at work in the affairs of the new nation. But far more important than the political liberty that we enjoy is the spiritual liberty we have in Christ. Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
I feel much like Pastor Greg Laurie who is the senior pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California
Taken from the Christian Post
Also in Christian Post Are You Prepared to Engage a Post-Christian Culture?
Once again, we're confronted with statistics that may startle some Christians. The health of the Christian worldview appears increasingly bleak. According to the American Worldview Inventory 2021, nearly half of the millennials surveyed said they either don’t know, don’t care, or don’t believe that God exists. Only 26% of Gen X, and a mere 16% of millennials, understand and believe the basics of the Gospel. In addition, 31% of teens and young adults “strongly agree” that what is “morally right and wrong changes over time, based on society.”
With Socialism on our doorsteps I believe that we are slowly slipping into forming a country who’s freedoms are slowly slipping away.
Which Way, America? By: B. L. Harbour 2 Chron. 7:14
No one can honestly evaluate our country today without realizing that it is a dangerous time.
What is the heart of the crisis? Is it political? Economic? Sociological? No, it is a spiritual crisis.
TEXT:
45 I will walk in freedom,
for I have devoted myself to your commandments.
45 And I will go about freely,
for I have sought your precepts.
45 And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces
as I look for your truth and your wisdom;
I Will Walk In Freedom!
Freedom, What Is It?
Freedom, License and
Many people think that freedom is the license to do whatever a person wants, but true freedom is the ability to do what is right. It takes obedience in order to have true freedom. I can sit at a piano and be at liberty to play any keys that I want, but I don’t have freedom, because I can’t play anything but noise. I have no freedom to play Bach, or even “Chopsticks.” Why? Because it takes years of practice and obedience to lesson plans to be truly free at the piano. Then, and only then, does one have the freedom to play any piece of music.
The same is true of freedom in living. To be truly free, we must have the power and ability to be obedient.
At the University of Oklahoma, for many years a project was underway to teach a fifteen-year-old female chimpanzee named Washoe to talk by combining sign language with simple recognition. Since 1966, this chimpanzee learned 140 signs.
Finally, the project directors decided that Washoe was prepared to “conceptualize.” This meant that instead of merely imitating some human’s words, the chimp would express thoughts of her own. Now, understand, Washoe was a pampered animal in the university’s laboratory—well fed, physically comfortable, safe from harm. She had security. And yet, when she was able to put words together on her own into a phrase, these were the first three—and she has said them again, repeatedly—“Let me out.”
Freedom is the state that emerges after God has acted to remove all hindrances—social, spiritual (sin and death), economic, and institutional—that block our creational purpose. This purpose is to know, love, worship, and enjoy God forever. This is a freedom that has been won for us by the death and resurrection of the Messiah. By the power of the Spirit, the Christian seeks to live into this freedom and to join with God in freeing others, while we await freedom’s full realization at Christ’s second coming (Rom 8:1–39). Lexham Theological Workbook
True Freedom Comes From Seeking God and His Precepts
Many people have want God in their lives, without God’s precepts
Let’s back up to verse 41 and work through verse 48 and look at it in context
41 Lord, give me your unfailing love,
the salvation that you promised me.
Taken from a book “Rethinking David and Goliath”
In evangelical Christian terms, the cognitive domain is head knowledge, and the affective domain is heart knowledge.
Heart in the biblical and affecive sense means the will more than the emotions.
Head knowledge that does not advance to heart knowledge is useless in the crises of life, results in obedience from compliance, and is often legalistic.
Heart knowledge without head knowledge has no foundation and so is shallow, weak, and equally useless in the crises of life. It results in obedience based on emotion or desire and is prone to being heretical.
As Bloom pointed out, obedience to principles, rules, and information learned in the cognitive domain is usually only at the level of compliance, which is obedience motivated by the desire to avoid pain and enjoy pleasure. As a result, obedience tends to be dependent on the situation and the probability of being caught and punished or of receiving a reward. Obedience is therefore inconsistent, requires calculation, relies on memory of principles and rules, and tends to be mercenary and selfish. It is not obedience that does the right thing because it is the right thing to do. It is externally motivated by expected results rather than internally motivated.
The better motivation for obedience, and the one promoted and enabled by the God of the Bible, is internal. This obedience is motivated by values and beliefs rather than principles—essentially a change in perspective or worldview from human to divine. Christian formation requires knowledge-to-transformation thinking, a renewing of the mind (Rom 12:2), but also allowing oneself to be transformed by an act of the will (Pss 51:10–12; 119:29–42; Rom 8:5–7).
However, it is important particularly for those of us in low-context cultures to remember that the high-context culture of the Bible is relationship oriented. Therefore, while we must know the moral law of God to live according to his will, a primary motivator for obedience and positive changes in behavior is not the rule of law but the rule of relationship. People who learn about God and his grace through his word and choose to love him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength seek to obey him because of their understanding of who he is, their experience of him in their own lives, and their relationship with him (Mark 12:28–31; John 14:23). Their obedience is internally motivated because it comes from the will, or heart, that has chosen in advance to obey, and not the head. Believers who love, fear, and trust God obey him out of humility, respect, gratitude, and submission.
Psalm 119:41 (NLT)
41 Lord, give me your unfailing love, the salvation that you promised me.
Over time, this internally motivated obedience becomes more of an automatic response and requires less thinking and calculation, which is similar to what military and sports training tries to achieve in soldiers and athletes.
The result is that, generally, behavior becomes like good fruit from a good tree—which is a common biblical metaphor for a person who has allowed both mind and character to be transformed by the Word and Spirit (Ps 1:1–3).
Its when we really understand the unconditional Love Of God and Salvation that we have recieved from God, we begin to understand His Precepts
42 Then I can answer those who taunt me,
for I trust in your word.
Jesus said that They will hate you because of me
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.
29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.
God will Give us His Word at just the right time
16 “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. 17 But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. 18 You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. 19 When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. 20 For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
46 I will speak to kings about your laws,
and I will not be ashamed.
We should be able to speak to people who have questions about God.
Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks for a reason
15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
We should know how to reply to everyone
6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
43 Do not snatch your word of truth from me,
for your regulations are my only hope.
What is your truth?
Hedieh Mirahmadi was a devout Muslim for two decades working in the field of national security before she experienced the redemptive power of Jesus Christ and has a new passion for sharing the Gospel. She dedicates herself full-time to Resurrect Ministry, an online resource that harnesses the power of the Internet to make salvation through Christ available to people of all nations, and her daily podcast LivingFearlessDevotional.com.
Chaos broke out at a school board meeting last week in New Jersey when a group of disgruntled and courageous parents protested the decision to rename Columbus Day as Indigenous People's Day. Unfortunately, instead of reinstating the holiday's name, the board made the ridiculous decision to cancel the names of all the national holidays and instead call them "days off." This latest battle is further evidence of the alarming trend to indoctrinate the hearts and minds of our children with the idea that the foundations of American society are inherently oppressive, racist, and sexist.
It started back in 2019 with the fierce debate about sex education in our schools. Despite protests from parents, the California Board of Education approved the use of new textbooks and classroom discussions that included non-binary explanations of gender and same-sex relationships. As a result, regardless of the family's personal religious and moral beliefs, middle school children across America are now taught there are more than two genders, and same-sex relationships are a perfectly normal alternative to traditional male and female roles.
In 2020, we saw the violent uprisings to remove statues and rename schools considered offensive because they supposedly glorify a racist and painful past. One commentator claimed that "for this country to move beyond its tortured racial history, we have to deal with the symbols of oppression. We have to deal with the symbols of white supremacy."
This year, the battle rages over the imposition of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools, which provides the theory and justification for all these individual attempts to remake our society from the ground up, and it starts with the children.
People in positions of power throughout academia, the media, and local government are buying into the notion that "truth" is a matter of perspective. The idea that all applications of truth are actually applications of power, which can and should be changed, is simply a byproduct of "wokeism" gaining prominence in our society. "In other words, the truth is malleable, based on power and who drives the narrative of what truth really is. In effect, the truth is replaced by my truth."
When "truth" becomes subjective, how can a society uphold any semblance of law and order? Whose moral standard do we use to decide when life begins, how we define marriage or gender, and what is our path to achieving racial equality?
As a former Muslim, I can tell you that Islamic law explicitly allows its adherents to deceive others by not practicing the faith in times of war or conflict to gain a political or physical advantage. I believe that is why American Muslim congresswomen and many Muslim activists support the radical Left agenda despite it being antithetical to the religious tenets of Islam on issues of gender, marriage, abortion, and racial equality.
However, deception is NOT a prescription against worldly trouble as a follower of Christ. In the Bible, God's eternal truth and guide for humanity, all these questions have an answer, and it is immutable. We cannot compromise these principles we are called to defend and uphold.
We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. 1 John 4:6
God also forewarns us that such battles would arise and gave us a clear description of how to defend ourselves, holding fast to the truth.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6: 13-15
As Christians, we should have unwavering certainty in the answers to all these questions, despite the turmoil and upheaval we see around us. We are called to be set apart, not conforming to the patterns of this world. As a royal priesthood, we cannot succumb to political or social pressure to redefine God's Truth. Instead, we proclaim the excellencies of Him so others may be called out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Dr David Jeremiah-Sermon OVERCOMING FALSEHOOD WITH TRUTH
A simple way to illustrate what's happened to truth lies in a story I read about three baseball umpires who were debating their different style of umpiring. One of 'em said, "There's balls and there's strikes,and I call them the way they are.""No," said the second umpire, "that's arrogant. There's balls, and there's strikes, and I call them the way I see 'em.""That's no better," said the third umpire."Why beat around the bush? Why not be realistic about what we do? There's balls, and there's strikes, and they ain't nothin' till we call 'em."
Now, watch this. The first umpire represents the traditional view of truth: objective, independent of the mind and of the knower, there to be discovered as it is. What did he say? "We call balls and strikes as they are."
The second speaks for moderate relativism: truth as each person sees it. Here people say, "Well, I don't see that as true. You see it as true, but I see that as false. "So everybody has their own truth. Can I get a witness?
And the third umpire bluntly expresses the radical relativists, the postmodern position: Truth is not to be discovered. It's for each of us to create of ourselves. According to the relativists' position, all of us, we just get to create our own truth. There is no such thing as objective truth. What's true for you is not true for me. I get to have my truth, and you get to have your truth, as if there is no real truth. In the final analysis, truth corresponds to the first umpire's position, to what actually is, and that's why truth is found in God.
20 What sorrow for those who say
that evil is good and good is evil,
that dark is light and light is dark,
that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.
21 What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes
and think themselves so clever.
22 What sorrow for those who are heroes at drinking wine
and boast about all the alcohol they can hold.
23 They take bribes to let the wicked go free,
and they punish the innocent.
24 Therefore, just as fire licks up stubble
and dry grass shrivels in the flame,
so their roots will rot
and their flowers wither.
For they have rejected the law of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies;
they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
44 I will keep on obeying your instructions
forever and ever.
47 How I delight in your commands!
How I love them!
48 I honor and love your commands.
I meditate on your decrees.
What is the nature of the word of God?
8 The grass withers and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God stands forever.”
25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
4 For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything he does.
6 The Lord’s promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace,
purified seven times over.
29 Does not my word burn like fire?”
says the Lord.
“Is it not like a mighty hammer
that smashes a rock to pieces?
29 Does not my word burn like fire?”
says the Lord.
“Is it not like a mighty hammer
that smashes a rock to pieces?
36 Or do you think God’s word originated with you Corinthians? Are you the only ones to whom it was given?
17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
1 In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.
13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.
What effect does the the word of God have?
11 It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
6 The Lord merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water.
9 For when he spoke, the world began!
It appeared at his command.
3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
5 I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces—
to slaughter you with my words,
with judgments as inescapable as light.
26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
5 For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.
Will You incline your heart to perform His precepts?
112 I am determined to keep your decrees
to the very end.
33 Teach me your decrees, O Lord;
I will keep them to the end.
146 I cry out to you; rescue me,
that I may obey your laws.
167 I have obeyed your laws,
for I love them very much.
168 Yes, I obey your commandments and laws
because you know everything I do.
56 This is how I spend my life:
obeying your commandments.
Jesus said: I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love
10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
CONCL:
The Handbook of Bible Application
BIBLE READING: Psalm 119:1–176
KEY BIBLE VERSE: I am but a foreigner here on earth; I need the guidance of your commands. Don’t hide them from me! (Psalm 119:19)
The Bible is a map to guide us. The psalmist says that he is a “foreigner here on earth,” and so he needed guidance. Almost any long trip requires a map or guide. As we travel through life, the Bible should be our road map, pointing out safe routes, obstacles to avoid, and our final destination. We must recognize ourselves as pilgrims, travelers here on earth who need to study God’s map to learn the way. If we ignore the map, we will wander aimlessly through life and risk missing our real destination.
KEY BIBLE VERSE: I have more insight than all my teachers, for I am always thinking of your decrees. (Psalm 119:99)
The Bible gives us wisdom. God’s Word makes us wise—wiser than our enemies and wiser than any teachers who ignore it. True wisdom goes beyond amassing knowledge; it is applying knowledge in a life-changing way. Intelligent or experienced people are not necessarily wise. Wisdom comes from allowing what God teaches to guide us.
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)
The Bible is a light for our life. To walk safely in the woods at night we need a light so we don’t trip over tree roots or fall into holes. In this life, we walk through a dark forest of evil. But the Bible can be our light to show us the way ahead so we won’t stumble as we walk. It reveals the entangling roots of false values and philosophies. Study the Bible, so you will be able to see your way clear enough to stay on the right path.