Finding Freedom From Bondage Series

Health Hearts Happy Homes

“Finding Freedom from Bondage”

Sunday February 1, 2004

Intro: In this series we are calling Healthy Hearts and Happy Homes we are focusing on a few of the main issues in life that either make your life good or make your life miserable.

Already we have talked about seeking healing for the lives most crippling hurts.

Last week we talked about how God actually wants you in control of your life.

This week we want to focus on one of the most fundamental of all human issues. Bondage to Sin

- How we can be free from destructive thoughts and behaviors.

- And focus on behaviors that will cause good things to come into our lives.

The Key to understanding the conflict in our hearts and in our behavior is to understand that as Christians we have two natures at work within us (Spirit or Sin nature)

- We are driven buy one of these two “command centers” at all times.

- Every thought, decision and action comes from one of these two command centers.

o These inputs develop our thoughts, motives, beliefs and therefore our behavior.

o We are receiving these messages loud and clear, but they don’t always agree.

o How do we know which to follow?

- One will lead to freedom in Christ and the other to bondage in sin.

- And both affect every single one of us sitting here today constantly. Constantly!

Main text:

Galatians 5:16-18 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

Other Scriptures supports the presence of these two natures: Romans 6,7,8 and Ephesians 3,4

In all of these passages the writer is speaking to born-again believers AND he writes to them to acknowledge these two natures and our need to CHOOSE to live by the one that will bring life!

I. Can you hear me now?

Mixed messages from the “The Flesh” and “the Spirit”

- Upon receiving Jesus Christ as Savior of our lives, His Spirit regenerates our spirit

- The problem arises when we realize that although our sin nature (or Body) is dead, it isn’t silent. Dead here means unregenerate.

- These two are “Contrary” to one anther. Contrary in devotion, desire, and direction

- Which one will lead our decision-making?

a. Living by the flesh:

a. Every bad day, bad feeling, temptation and evil thing that comes your way will be able to drag you away, blow you off course or distract you from you calling.

b. The Bible says, if we live this way we will die.

b. Living by the Spirit

a. Romans 8:6 But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace.

b. The Spirit MUST call the shots!

c. Living according to the Spirit is Listening and doing what the Spirit says.

Which of these two natures is tempted, feels isolated, gets offended, and produces sinful desires?

And which one wants to follow God?

Spiritual Alignment – when you set a train on a track and you connect the cars they are aligned on that track and they will be following one after the other, moving in the direction that the engine lead them. What happens when the train cars decide to go it’s own course? Derailment! A train can only operate safely by having one destination, one captain, and the engines pulling in one direction.

We would call this derailment a disaster. Something broke down and caused a lot of damage.

Now understand that our lives (Thoughts and behaviors) are also on a course.

- We have direction and a destination.

- We also need to be under one captain and all engines pulling in one direction.

- However, one of peoples KEY struggles is that they are being pulling in different directions.

- Opposing directions, living with opposing goals and not really understanding why,

“If they are Christians are their lives still miserable?”

- Not all misery comes from our own sin, but much does

What is difficult is that the messages that seem to be the strongest pulls are the ones you must ignore the most. What you see, hear and sinful desires and patterns of sin in our lives. We need to know how to determine the input’s source and then choose the right action and follow through in behavior.

I. Use your caller ID

a. Who is talking to you?

i. What you feel is not always Godly