Untitled Sermon

Freedom - Lesson 2 (July 11, 2021)

Main Text: Romans 8:1-2

No person can keep the law of God perfectly. But unlike unbelievers who will be condemned for all eternity, believers are exempt from God’s judgment and condemnation. The Spirit within the believer gives new life and freedom—freedom to NOT sin, to enjoy the liberty in Christ that only salvation brings.

Freedom does not mean the absence of constraints or moral absolutes.

Suppose a skydiver at 10,000 feet announces to the rest of the group, “I’m not using a parachute this time. I want freedom!”

The fact is that a skydiver is constrained by a greater law—the law of gravity. But when the skydiver chooses the “constraint” of the parachute, he is free to enjoy the exhilaration.

God’s moral laws act the same way: they restrain, but they are absolutely necessary to enjoy the exhilaration of real freedom.

Colby Donaldson wore the immunity necklace more than any other participant in Survivor: The Australian Outback in 2001, yet didn’t win the final million-dollar prize. The one who wore the necklace was safe from being voted out of the tribe and was assured that he or she would “survive” to see another day. In the end, Colby had to face a jury of his peers, without the necklace, and in a head-to-head competition he lost to Tina Wesson.

Those who put their faith in Christ will never have to fear being “voted out” of God’s family or heaven. They are “immune” to condemnation.