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Sermons PREACHED BY JOHN GAINES |
Free Indeed!
1. With the 4th of July at hand, it's a good time to talk about freedom. We enjoy a heritage of political freedom in our nation. In another time and place, it would be appropriate to spend time considering and appreciating that blessing.
2. However, there is a greater kind of freedom enjoyed by all Christians. Luke 4:18-19 (NKJV) says, "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." The text comes from Luke's record of Jesus attending the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth. Given the opportunity to read Scripture, Jesus chose the first part of what we call Isaiah chapter 61. Isaiah had written those words 700 years earlier as a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah. After reading, Jesus declared to the assembly, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." [Luke 4:21 (NKJV)].
3. Jesus described Himself as the One chosen (or anointed) for this mission. Various phrases are used to describe the mission -- preaching the gospel to the poor, healing the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty to captives, recovering sight to the blind, setting at liberty those who are oppressed, proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord.
a. These are all different facets of the same mission -- giving us freedom from our sins.
b. Jesus was a compassionate man. He was moved with compassion because of the hunger and sickness of the multitudes of people [Matthew 14:14]. He healed the sick. He gave sight to the blind. He fed the hungry.
c. However, these acts were all secondary to His main work -- seeking and saving the lost [Luke 19:10 (NKJV) "for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."]
4. The greatest freedom is to be free in Christ [Galatians 5:1 (NKJV) Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.]
I. Freedom can be abused.
There are numerous ways in which people abuse their freedom. We'll discuss three of them briefly:
A. Stubborn independence is an abuse of freedom.
1. Thinking for oneself is a good practice. Everyone ought to fairly examine the pros and cons of an issue and reach a conclusion for himself based on that evidence. It is not a bad thing to be independent-minded.
2. However, it becomes a problem when that independence turns into stubborn determination to have one's own way. "Nobody's going to tell me what to do" is an attitude which results in rebellion against authority. Life requires many instances where we have to "submit to those who have the rule over us" [cf. Hebrews 13:17].
3. This attitude is especially dangerous when it shows itself in a desire to make God fit in with our program. We're being awfully arrogant when we try to tell God what to do.
a. Colossians chapter 2 deals with the problem of following the commandments and doctrines of men instead of God. Verse 23 speaks of "will worship" -- literally worshiping according to one's own will instead of following the will of God. The New American Standard translated the thought as "self-made religion."
b. Paul faulted his Jewish brethren because they sought to establish their own righteousness rather than submitting themselves to the righteousness of God [Romans 10:3].
B. Sexual misbehavior is an abuse of freedom.
1. Within the last generation, public attitudes about sex outside of marriage have changed greatly. Many people subscribe to the idea that "consenting adults" should be free to do whatever they wish. "It's my body, and I am free to do whatever I want with it" is a commonly-expressed idea.
2. God's word disagrees with that philosophy. The Bible says, "Flee fornication." [1 Corinthians 6:18].
a. Fornication is an old-fashioned word that isn't used much anymore in general conversation. We may talk about people "living together" or "sleeping together," but don't usually refer to them "committing fornication."
b. We need to understand what is meant by fleeing fornication since the Bible commands us to do it.
(1) Many modern Bible translations say "sexual immorality" instead of fornication.
(2) The Greek word is porneia which means "illicit sexual intercourse in general" [Thayer]. Illicit means "unlawful." Sexual intercourse which is a violation of God's law is porneia -- fornication. [Hebrews 13:4 (NKJV) Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.]
c. A Christian's body is not his own. It belongs to God [1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV) Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.]
C. Laziness is an abuse of freedom.
1. There have always been people who were characterized by a lack of ambition. Once they were called bums. Now they may be described as "chronically unemployed." These are the people of whom the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NKJV), "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat."
2. The Bible has a great deal to say about laziness, particularly in the book of Proverbs.
a. Lazy people are good at making excuses for their lack of productivity. [Proverbs 26:16 (NKJV) The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can answer sensibly.] Proverbs 22:13 (NKJV) The lazy man says, "There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!"
b. The outcome for a lazy man is hard. [Proverbs 6:9-11 (NKJV) How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep; 11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.]
3. Someone observed that successful people either work hard or work smart. There's nothing wrong with working smart. We don't all have to be ditch diggers. However, we do need to work.
4. Happiness comes from a sense of accomplishing something worthwhile in life. The person who depends on parents, the government, or other people to carry their load for them through life cannot experience that satisfaction. While we ought to bear the burdens for those in need [Galatians 6:2], it's necessary for every person to bear his own burden when he can [Galatians 6:5 (NKJV) For each one shall bear his own load.]
5. Parents cannot make their children be ambitious, but we can refuse to be enablers of their laziness.
a. Every child needs responsibilities and chores appropriate to their abilities.
b. Adult children should not be allowed to "sponge" off their parents.
II. Freedom does not free us from all responsibilities.
A. Preserving our political freedom requires that we meet our obligations as good citizens. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
B. Spiritual freedom in Christ likewise carries responsibilities.
1. Since spiritual freedom is enjoyed only IN CHRIST, we must STAY in Christ to have that freedom. That requires that we continue walking in the light [1 John 1:7 (NKJV) But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.]
2. Choose to be a bondservant to Christ [Romans 6:17-18 (NKJV) But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.] It seems incomprehensible for one who has just been set free from slavery to turn around and voluntarily become a slave again. We should understand that the MEANS of our freedom from sin is available only when we are servants of righteousness in Jesus Christ. Everyone lives either a life of service to sin or a life of service to Christ. If you choose to be a Christian, you undertake the responsibilities of living the Christian life. That includes things we've already talked about in this study:
a. It includes submitting our wills to the will of the Heavenly Father. Not our will, but His be done in our lives.
b. It includes living lives of sexual and moral purity [1 Timothy 5:22 (NKJV) . . . keep yourself pure.]
c. It includes work . . . physical work to earn a living and spiritual work in the Lord's church [1 Corinthians 15:58 (NKJV) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.]
CONCLUSION
1. I don't always agree with Warren Wiersbe but I appreciate the sentiment in this quotation: "Freedom does not mean I am able to do whatever I want to do. That’s the worst kind of bondage. Freedom means I have been set free to become all that God wants me to be, to achieve all that God wants me to achieve, to enjoy all that God wants me to enjoy."
2. The tombstone of Martin Luther King, Jr. contains the inscription, "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last." Whether or not Dr. King is truly free at last, we'll leave to the judgment of the Lord. However that freedom is available to each of us . . . through Jesus Christ.
3. Invitation
Copyright ©2002 by John Gaines. May be reproduced for non-commercial purposes provided this notice accompanies any use.
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LEONARD STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST |
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