Freedom in Christ

Good morning and welcome to CCC. I am thankful and grateful to have been blessed by being born in America. Even more so to be here in the mid-west and even beyond that to be here in small town USA. Thank you to all past, present, and future service men and women and much love and respect and thankfulness to those who paid the ultimate price for my freedom.

Let’s Pray

This morning as we celebrate Independence day I felt God calling me to preach about Freedom in Christ. As grateful and thankful as I am and as much as I try to honor those who bought my worldly freedom by being responsible and not taking it fro granted I still realize from a spiritual perspective it doesn’t matter.

It’s a blessing…I am thankful for it…I praise God for it. I have a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation to those who paid for it but my true Freedom is found in Christ and Christ alone.

Galatians 5:1, 13-15

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Christian Standard Bible Chapter 5

For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery

“For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.”

We see here freedom in Christ laid out. I want to walk you through what God walked me through this week

What is Freedom In Christ?

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The KJV uses liberty where the CSB uses freedom. They both come from the same Greek word

Using websters 1828 to look up and then combine their meanings we come arrive at “exempt from the power, control , or restraint of another.

In this case....Freedom in Christ.... means exempt from the power, control, or restraint of sin, death and the law

Freedom then also in this case is not

earned

worldly freedom

political freedom

religious freedom

Freedom in Christ can never be earned only given by Christ

The other freedoms listed are temporal and fleeting. They are only available in this world. They are not spiritual in nature

Freedom is

A free gift from God

Liberation from world, political and religious grips

Personal and spiritual freedom

Many Christians return freely to a yoke of slavery

They think they can please God enough to earn salvation and acceptance

They attempt to do this in many ways

church attendance and/or membership

working in ministries

tithing and giving to the poor

These are all a result of salvation not a way to earn salvation

So many believe they must clean up or get right before coming to God

If you could do it, clean up or get right, you would have already done it and wouldn’t need a Savior

Many become legalistic and are a slave to the law…don’t drink or smoke or chew and don’t date girls who do

They say things like

I don’t cuss

I don’t steal

You can’t wear a hat in church

You have to wear a suit and tie or dress to church

These are just a few examples.

I will be honest, as I always try to be with you, I struggle here. I can be very legalistic in my thinking and beliefs

The funny thing with those of us who struggle here is most of the the legalistic things we expect from ourselves and especially from others are nothing more than traditions and not sound doctrine

The other thing about legalism and those of us who struggle here. It is a heart issue

God did tell us in Hebrews 10:25 to not give up meeting together

God created us to grow and mature and live in community

Those things are true and because those things are true you SHOULD be in church every time the doors are open because Jesus died for you for your sins and you want to grow and mature in Him and you realize while you do some of that on your own it pales in comparison to how much you grow and mature in Christ when you are in the body of Christ fellow Christians.

In verse 4 of Galatians 5 God through Paul says You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.

This doesn’t mean fallen from salvation no it means falling from you relationship with Jesus

You are putting on the world instead of putting on Jesus that is fallen from grace.

You could be completely free and thriving in your relationship with Jesus but instead you are in bondage to the world and sin and strongholds and barely surviving

Churches are full of people who have fallen from grace…not fallen from salvation but fallen from Jesus

they are trying to be justified by the law instead of being justified by Jesus

If you are trying to earn acceptance

trying to justify yourself by keeping the law and by works your effort is useless let’s look to God’s Word about how and why we work

I Thessalonians 1:3

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“We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Because of God our Father

because of Jesus and the cross

because you deserve hell but get heaven

because of those things and many more then

you work because of your faith

you labor is motivated by love-God’s love

your endurance is from the hope you have in Jesus

You are free to live from Jesus and not for anyone or anything

Free to Stand only on the Gospel

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Look at what is happening here.

Jesus came to earth

He died

He was risen from the dead

Because of that salvation is now a free gift offered to everyone but some can’t buy that

They still believe salvation is an outward act

a physical act

a human act

something that can be earned or worked for or obtained by human hands

We tend to beat these guys up but if you are honest you are not much different

Hail mary’s,

confessions to priest etc

many believe that baptism saves

many believe works saves or at least they hope that they save

Christianity is full of fake gospels

Legalism.

Which we talked about earlier but legalist are doomed because you break 1 law and you are guilty of breaking them all

it is completely unattainable

Prosperity Gospel Health and Wealth

I got saved now I have no problems and God will bless me with money and health

What happens when cancer or bankruptcy strike

Your faith denigrates because it was founded on a lie not on the Truth who is Jesus

New age Progressive Gospel

God loves everyone so you do you

Whatever you feel is the truth so live however you want because God is love after all

As long as you experience God in music or feelings or emotions you are good

obedience and relationship don’t matter

There are so many here today. The mega-churches and many other churches are full of people seeking an experience instead of the Savior

They are seeking an atmosphere instead of the one who made the atmosphere

They are seeking to feel good and happy instead of seeking the loving conviction that God gives to all sons and daughters in Christ

They are seeking to be a consumer instead of seeking to be consumed by Jesus

Be very careful here. Be very careful only letting your roots grow shallow

Interfaith or many doors

Islam Buddha Catholic being a good person…there are many ways into heaven

John 14:6

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“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus just shot that one down didn’t He…praise God for His Word

The Gospel of Acceptance

Love without conviction is true love because you can’t love someone and hate what they do

you have to accept them as they are and never do anything to change their truth or actions

If you stand on God’s Word that homosexuality and gender confusion and assignment and abortion or sex outside or before marriage are sins then you are not of God and can’t love people because love is acceptance

These are all “truths” taught inside churches and religious groups or denominations

Here is where it gets tricky however

While many Christians today would reject the false truths as a whole

the problem is they accept parts of the truth

Joshua 24:14-15

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““Therefore, fear the Lord and worship him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the Lord. But if it doesn’t please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship—the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living? As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.””

James 4:4

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“You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God.”

many of you struggle with God’s Word because you buy fake gospels

you listen to the wrong teachers

You read or hear a truth proclaimed yet you don’t buy it.

Yeah but.....

That may have been true then but now........

God knew things like this would come

II Peter 3:17-18

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“Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stable position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.”

Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus.

Be grounded and founded in the Word and surround yourself with those who are also grounded and founded in the Word

You minster to those who are not but you never take counsel from anyone not grounded and founded in the Word of God

Freedom in Christ is found in Grace

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Grace is unmerited favor but it goes beyond that.

Max Lucado says this about grace

Grace is God as heart surgeon, cracking open your chest, removing your heart – poisoned as it is with pride and pain – and replacing it with his own. Max Lucado

Grace is freedom. Jesus is grace.

Who the Son sets free is free indeed and it is grace that sets you free.

So What does freedom do or mean for you?

Free from guilt and shame and the past

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II Corinthians 5:17

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”

Told you we would be back here again.....you are a new creation in Christ.

Jesus paid your price

You are also forgiven....not worldly forgiven where it will be forgiven until the one forgiving needs to hold it against you again

No Godly forgiveness…complete and forever

Psalm 103:12

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“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

This is also a wonderful definition or example of God’s grace and the freedom that you have in the grace of God

Your sin

Your past

Your shame

your guilt

are all removed as far as the east is from the west

You can never go east if you start west and vice versa

That means that your sin is forgiven and gone

That also means that the shame and disgrace and embarrassment you feel about that sin is gone as well

For some this takes longer that for others.

If God has forgiven you and your sin is now as far as the east is from the west you must also forgive yourself.

Many of you keep returning to the scene of the crime, keep returning to your vomit as Proverbs says

you keep returning to the same people, places and things associated with your forgiven and removed sin all because you have not forgiven yourself

God’s grace through Jesus Christ frees you to forgive yourself.

Forgiving yourself means you also have taken ownership of your sin and past failures and actions

Forgiving yourself means you have truly given that sin and shame and guilt to God

You can only forgive yourself through the grace of Jesus and because of Jesus’ death on the cross and the fact He freely gives grace to all who seek it that means you are free to forgive yourself

Live there in the new creation not dead in your old sinful guilt ridden past

How does one do just that?

Luke 9:23

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“Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Die to self daily so you can truly live from God

Christ is freedom but you must choose to be free by killing your flesh

By not giving into temptations

By being in the Word EVERY SINGLE DAY

By being in prayer constantly

By being involved in a bible preaching, believing, and living church not just attending

Grace give you the Freedom to love and serve others

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Serve to love and love to serve

Remember this is God’s love

It is a love that truly puts others needs

wants

desires

their true well being ahead of yours

Someone is sick you make a meal and take it over....don’t wait to be asked

Someone is hurting you be with them…be present…be available

Someone is sinning show them the gospel

love them and hate the sin but love them

seek ways to serve others

seek ways to love others

It is not about church

it is not about attending on Sunday mornings....those are important but again results…by products of someone being Free in Christ

Many miss this freedom.

You are free to make God’s church a priority

You are free to make this body a priority in your life

The world says

“You spend too much time at that church

You are doing to much you will get burned out

You spend all that time and money there and what do you get for it?

That church all they want is your time and money why even bother

Let someone else do that

Let someone else teach the kids

Let someone else be with those kids

Let someone else do children’s church

Let someone else mow the grass

Let someone else call on the elderly

Let someone else call on the sick

Let someone else visit those in prison

Let someone else start a small group

Let someone else

If everyone let someone else nothing would get done

Well nothing in this body Christ will accomplish His will the question is will it be through you or someone else

You are free to be someone else and free to serve

you are free to serve and love because you are no longer tied down to trying to figure out motives

you are free to love and serve because you no longer need to search to see if someone is trying to take advantage of you......seek God....the Holy Spirit will give you insight to discern

you are free to step out of the boat because the one who made the waters and controls the waters and wind and waves is in the water with you

you are free to serve outside of your calling because you know that God has got you....he placed you here for a reason so be all in and serve the areas we have ministries

you are free to serve others in ways we don’t currently have if God lays it on your heart lets talk about how we can make it happen

Serve

Love

You are free in and through Christ because He is in you and He has overcome the world.

I don’t know what bondage you keep returning to but you do and Jesus does.

Wont you love him enough this morning to come and lay that here at the altar so that you can leave here today Free in Christ?!?!?!?!?!?