Whom The Son Sets Free
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Say that with me - "I am free!"
The creation account describes the way things were meant to be. Man was in the Garden of Eden, a place of perfection. There was no sickness - no pain - no death - no sorrow - no stress - no struggle - no hostility. Everything was provided. There was no lack. God took care of every need. Everything was perfect.
Then Satan came along and introduced sin and everything went sour.
Jesus came to redeem things - to restore the original plan. Now that doesn't mean we'll go back to the Garden of Eden in this existence. We still live in a fallen world. But, Jesus came to set us free from the falleness of the world.
Through salvation, you are set free from the curse. God does not want you living under a curse. We are no longer to live in bondage to anything.
You are free from the expectations of others
1Co 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
You are free from having to please people. Approval is something we all desire. It's a natural need. But as long as you have God's approval, you don't have to prove anything to anyone else.
Men get into great bondage when they seek the approval of man. You become manipulated by everyone's expectations. You don't have to be arrogant about it, but you don't have to please everybody.
If we serve people, we do it in order to win them - to show them the love of God.
You are also free from the opinions of man. Realize when people size you up or cut you down to size, that's only their opinion. God also has an opinion of you.
Ps 139:17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
Ps 139:18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
You are free from fear.
Fear will paralyze your faith. Fear will keep you in bondage. Fear comes from ignorance - when you don't know something or when you are unsure of something. We fear the unknown.
We fear when we don't know the answer - when we don't know the future - when we don't know the outcome - when we don't know if we can win or survive.
But, God has given us assurance - even against the unknown.
Ps 27:3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
Ps 46:2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Ps 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
Mt 10:31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Ro 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Break free from fear. God has promised to take care of us.
You are free from guilt and shame.
Just as fear comes from what we don't know, guilt and shame come from what we do know. We know that we have sinned. We know that we are guilty. We know that we deserve punishment. We are shamed when we are found guilty.
But Jesus came to remove guilt and shame.
Ps 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Eze 18:22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Ps 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
You are free from depression.
You may get down from time to time, but you don't have to stay down. Rule your emotions; don't let them rule you.
Ps 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
Even when there seems to be no hope, you can hope in God.
Ps 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Ps 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Heb 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Heb 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Satan loves depression. He loves discouragement. But if you can lift up your hands and praise the Lord, you just might get the devil discouraged and depressed.
You are free from poverty.
Now God has not promised to make us all rich. He has promised to meet all of our needs.
Php 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Ps 104:24 O LORD . . . the earth is full of thy riches.
Ne 9:15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.
Ps 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2Co 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
Now, Let me tell you how to get out of debt and have financial freedom.
Pr 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: Pr 3:10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Pr 11:25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
Mal 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Lu 12:31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Some people have an attitude of poverty - they think poor. Others have poverty habits - they live from paycheck to paycheck because of poor spending habits. Some people are lazy. Others fail to plan wisely. We need to change our thinking.
God has promised to meet our needs if we will trust Him. He has not promised to give you everything you want, but everything you need.
You are free from failure.
2Co 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
Ro 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
This doesn't mean you will never fail and never make mistakes. But it means that you can overcome - you don't have to give up. You may have set-backs, but they are not total defeats.
Ps 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
God doesn't make losers. He made us all to be victorious. With God, everyone is a winner, even when it doesn't appear so.
You are free from mediocrity.
Christians should never do anything halfway. Either be committed or don't bother. Be convinced of what you do or don't do it.
Ro 14:23 . . . for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
1Co 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
1Pe 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
God deserves your best. You deserve your best! You don't have to 'just get by'. God made you for excellence. That doesn't mean you have to be the best at everything. It's not a competition. But you should always do your best. Do everything "as unto the Lord".
You can be free from sickness.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Remember, there was no sickness in the Garden. It was not part of God's plan. Sickness came as a result of the fall, and so, as Jesus died to redeem us from the curse, and sickness is part of the curse, then we should be free from sickness.
Now we have done a lot of things to bring on sickness and spread it through sin and carelessness and bad habits. But you can be free.
Jesus went around healing the sick. That was part of his ministry. He was anointed to " preach the gospel to the poor … heal the brokenhearted, … preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."
You are free from ignorance.
(Darkness - spiritual blindness)We don't have to be in the dark about spiritual things. "Sight to the blind" he said. We are free from spiritual blindness.
Not only that, but we have the "mind of Christ".
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
We can know the things of God.
Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Col 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Furthermore, God instructs us to ask for wisdom when we don't understand things.
Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Pr 2:6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
But there is a wisdom and knowledge that goes beyond ourselves.
Pr 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pr 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
The best thing you can know is that God is in control. "I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow."
Avoid every kind of bondage
Ga 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Stay out of bondage. We are free from every bondage, even bondage to the law. The law dictates how things should be. But what is our natural response to restrictions? Rebellion! If we are free from the law, then we have nothing to rebel against.
Note this, however - you are not free to break the law. You are just free from the bondage of the law. The law won't get you to heaven. It is a voluntary obedience - not a salvation issue. Salvation is by grace, not by law. Therefore, the bondage is removed.
Ro 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Do you have any idea how many people are limited in their usefulness to God because of their feelings of unworthiness? But none of us is worthy. That's the beauty of it. God uses us anyway, through his grace. Men have always been the most greatly used when they have fully recognized their own unworthiness.
You are free from sin.
Ro 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
Ro 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Ro 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Ro 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Ro 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ro 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Until you break free from sin, you will be in bondage to everything else. In the Garden of Eden, man was free from all the trappings of the world. The world was made for him; not he for the world. He didn't serve things, he served God. That is true freedom.