Need To Be Set Free?
God has an amazing adeptness and fondness for prison breaks.
Think about the prison breaks in nature for example:
-A butterfly bursts out a cocoon
-A chick from an eggshell
-Babies from the womb
-Sprouts and roots from a seed or a bulb and then they have to push through the earth
-Buds and blossoms from the branch or stem
Considering all that is it so hard to imagine Jesus coming forth from a tomb!
God�s amazing capacity for life defies the prisons of the natural world.
Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! (Romans 8:39, CEV)
But there are far tougher prisons than that in our lives. Physical prisons are nothing compared to the things that imprison our minds our hearts and our souls.
-The past with it�s guilt or shame or regret
-The things we don�t forgive in ourselves
-The things we fail to forgive in others
-Addictions and habits
-Prejudice and other harmful attitudes
-Misconceptions and half truths
-Believing only we have all the answers
-An unwillingness to see the possibilities
-Or a lack of confidence in ourselves, hope in others, or faith in God
How are we going to break out of these prisons that cramp our ability to live life to the fullest, to participate in the abundant life that God promised us? Jesus can show you the way. If Jesus can walk past a stone sealed tomb and the death that bound him inside, Jesus can certainly show you the way to new life!
We know that Jesus promised us life with him beyond the grave.
2There are many rooms in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you.
(John 14:2, CEV)
But Jesus also offers us new life this side of the grave.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
(2 Corinthians 5:17, CEV)
Jesus wants to help you break free from the prisons that bind you, that keep you from living fully in him.
31Jesus told the people who had faith in him, "If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples. 32You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32, CEV)
Notice two important things in this verse as we seek the truth:
-The message is to those who have faith in Jesus, start there
-Keep on obeying what Jesus says to be His disciples
33They answered, "We are Abraham's children! We have never been anyone's slaves. How can you say we will be set free?"
34Jesus replied: I tell you for certain that anyone who sins is a slave of sin! �.
So, who you are isn�t the answer. It�s who you become with Jesus� help.
36If the Son gives you freedom, you are free! (John 8 continued)
Where do we find that truth that sets us free? In Jesus who said,
"I am the way, the truth, and the life!" (John 14:6, CEV)
And where do you find Jesus?
-You can read about him in the Bible
-You can learn about him in Sunday School or Bible study
-You can hear about him in worship
But before he can set you free you have to ask him into your heart and accept him as Lord of your life. Do you mean it when you pray �not my will but yours�? That�s what it takes to let Jesus be Lord of your life. You have to give Jesus free reign to move some of the furniture around in there and clean out the cobwebs; let him help you throw away the useless junk and the stale supplies.
That�s what it�s talking about in this verse.
1Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God. 2Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him. (Romans 12:1-2, CEV)
Let God change the way you think!
Jesus changed the way 11 of the disciples thought and they were
-Stubborn and set in their ways
-They knew only their immediate surroundings
-They were devout to the faith as they understood it
-Some were arrogant or full of pride
Some were insecure and unsure of themselves
-Some wanted Jesus to follow their agenda
-Some had doubts
and look what Jesus did with them!
Jesus changed the thinking of others, too.
-A lynch mob of accusers dropped their weapons admitting their own sinful nature
-A cheating tax collector returned quadruple all he had stolen
-A couple of Pharisees found new life wasn�t just in following all the rules but in a heart of compassion.
-A thief found forgiveness and freedom in the midst of dying
& -A roman soldier found the son of God in the man he thought was a criminal
Jesus wants to set you free from the prisons in your mind. I�ve heard this truth so many ways in the past few days.
In the movie Chocol`at, Josephine is a woman who has been abused by her husband, but the mayor�s morals and the church�s teachings, combined with husband telling over and over how stupid she is, all of these have convinced her that she is worthless and that her life can never change for the better. And Vienne responds, Well of course, it that�s what you think, it must be true.
If you think something, if you believe it, it becomes it�s own truth in your mind, and it determines what you can and can�t do. If it�s not the real truth, if it�s only a half truth or an outgrown truth, it becomes the prison bars that hold you back.
It isn�t just the mayor, the church (both of whom in this movie are very much like the Pharisees of Jesus� day, following the rules for the rules sake and their own pride, not so much for the glory of God.) It isn�t just the mayor or the church nor even Josephine�s husband, Serge, holding her back. It is those well worn thoughts in Josephine�s mind where she believes she is worthless and nothing can change. But there is some corner of her mind that knows she is not crazy, and they are not as pure as they would have others think. To that part of her mind Vienne can begin to speak words of truth and Josephine blossoms with new life.
On a radio program was the story of an elephant held in place by a six inch stake pounded into the ground. That enormous powerful elephant could easily break free but never tries. He was trained when young with a stake and chain he couldn�t pull loose, so his mind was a well worn thought path that if he pulls against that chain the stake won�t budge. It didn�t work when he was young, so he simply doesn�t try anymore. It isn�t the chain and six inch stake holding that elephant prisoner, it�s the thought process.
There are things we have been told or we have told ourselves that hold us prisoner. You finish the sentence with your particular prison bars.
-I have to have...
-I can�t... .
-I�m not... .
-I can�t stand...
-It�s terrible if...
-I can�t be forgiven...
-I can�t forgive myself ...
-I will not...
-I could never...
-Don�t ask me to....
-I don�t believe...
The truth from God will tear down some of those prison walls you have allowed to build up inside you. And as Jesus sets your mind free from it�s tomb
-of sin and sorrow
-fear and doubt
-worry or envy
-harmful habits
-wrongful attitudes
-disgrace and death
let Jesus renew your mind by filling it with good things.
Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8, NLT)
Because of something said when I was young and again in my marriage, I have told myself for years and years and years that I am not good enough. I came to believe it, and it has kept me from trying many things, hampered my relationships, fueled self doubt and kept me from being all that God created me to be. In the past few years I have begun to replace that misconception with the truth that God is teaching me. Listen to the difference in these two statements
-The old me says I�m not good enough
-The new me says, There are a lot of things I�m not good at, and there are a lot of other things I am great at!
Twenty some years ago, God gave me a vision. I was sitting in a locked room. Jesus appeared in that room with a ring of keys. He unlocked the door and led me into the hall. It was a long hallway with a lot more doors. I knew he had the key for every door, but I wasn�t willing to go any further that day, but I have since then, mostly in the past couple years and especially the past few months. God has the keys for all the locked doors in your life, too. Are you ready to let him set you free?
When Jesus gave his life for us on the cross he unlocked a lot of doors to set us free from the burden of sin and all that goes with it. He set us free from eternal punishment in death, and from the living hell we sometimes experience in this life. He rose from the grave proving to us that he can conquer sin and death! If the tomb could not hold him, what could possibly hold you?
38 I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. 39Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39, NLT)
57How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord! (1 Corinthians 15:57, NLT)
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