Free Indeed

Text: “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Story: “Bought to be Freed”

A young girl who had one black parent and one white parent was being sold at an auction one day. She was a beautiful girl, tall and slender. The bidding was keen, and quickly mounted higher and higher until at last only two men were left bidding for her ownership: the one a low, uncivilized and bad-mannered fellow who swearing raised his bid every time to outbid the other, a quiet man of refinement.

Finally the bidding stopped, and to the gentleman who had bid so very earnestly was given the papers which made him the lawful owner of the young girl.

With a shove the auctioneer presented her to her new master. Proudly, defiantly, she stood before him, hating him with every part of her being; suddenly, a change came over her face: first there was a look of pure amazement closely followed by one of utter astonishment and disbelief.

Her owner was ripping up the papers of ownership, and, with a smile of kindness, said to the now trembling girl, “My dear, you are free. I bought you that I might free you.”

Too stunned for speech, the girl merely stared till finally, with a cry of happiness too deep for words, she cast herself at the man’s feet, and through her tears exclaimed, “Oh, master, I’ll love you and serve you for life!”

What the papers of ownership could not do, the man’s kindness had won completely. The Lord Jesus has loved you and has paid such a price that He might buy you from the slavery of Satan and free you. Will you now tell Him, “Master, I’ll love Thee and serve Thee for life?”

-------Evangelical International High School Quarterly

Did you ever really think what Jesus did for you? Is the story of the Passion and the Crucifixion just words to you? Do you know without a shadow of doubt the real impact Jesus could have on your life?

I believe that a true Christian and follower of Jesus has some understanding of what Jesus’ mission on earth entailed or involved. Every years Christians celebrate the Passion and remember the Crucifixion. Programs are set up and performances take place to illustrate the meaning of the Easter Season.

There are some people, and I would like to say non-Christians, who give little or no consideration to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. To these people this is a story that sounds as good as any story.

They have no understanding of why God sent His Son into the world. In fact, there are many who do not even believe the story. They do not believe because they have no faith in Almighty God.

If they do not believe by faith, then the story is like a fairy tale to them. If they don’t believe by faith that the Word of God is true and infallible, the Passion and the Crucifixion is just a make-believe story. Without believing in Jesus, there is no impact of His mission on their lives.

These are people who are in bondage and do not realize that they are. These are people who are living in slavery and are not aware that they are slaves. These are people who think they are in control of their life, but in reality, Satan is in control.

God’s Word says, “Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling” (Acts 16:16). Paul and Silas were followers of Jesus who went about proclaiming and preaching the gospel message. They were telling people about how they could be set free from bondage and live a life acceptable to the Lord.

As Paul and Silas were on their way to a prayer meeting, a young girl who was possessed by an evil spirit met them. Scripture tells us the young girl was a slave girl which indicates she was owned by someone. This girl had a human master she answered to, but in addition, she had another master named Satan.

One of Satan’s evil spirits had taken up residence in the inner-most part of this girl. Her earthly master used her to make much money for him by fortune-telling. This type of predicting events of the future was very common in the Greek and Roman culture of the time. The girl’s power or ability for telling the future was provided by the evil spirit that resided within her.

This young girl was in bondage and did not know it. She considered it a way of life. This very thing happens to people today. There are alcoholics who do not realize they are in bondage. There are people taking various drugs, legal and illegal who become slaves to those drugs and fail to see that they have lost their freedom.