Free Indeed

Free Indeed

Text: Jn. 8:31-36

PPHC – July 2, 2006 A.M.

Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

How Important is Liberty?:

· Every year, thousands come to Ellis Island to pledge their allegiance to the U.S.

· Enemy pilots have flown their MIG 23’s to the U.S. to seek it (Liberty).

· Cubans build makeshift rafts and drift 90 miles in search of it (Liberty).

We search for liberty for the here and now, while sometimes forgetting that we are created as spiritual beings and that we will live eternally. And more importantly than our bodies, let’s look to see what Scripture says about the part of you that will live eternally.

Areas of Bondage:

I. Slaves to Sin – Jn. 8:34

A. Sin Defined

• One that has transgressed - broken the law of God – 1 Jn. 3:4

1. “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” (an active participator – a lifestyle)

· Therefore, he stands at a distance from God.

B. The State of the Sinner

1. He can find no rest. – Eccl. 2:23

a. “All his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night.”

b. “SENSORY OVERLOAD” – Too much sight/sound stimulation causing fatigue.

1. 1954; 3 de Havilland Comet jets broke apart in mid-air and crashed.

a. Metal-Fatigue – Airline Industry term* – failure of metal by cracking from repeated tension

1. All metal-fatigue accidents are caused from what starts as micro-cracks.(paperclip)

2. He is destitute of peace.

a. 50 – 80% of all illnesses are the result of Psychosomatic Disorders – that is the effect of

the mind on the body’s health. (Ulcers, intestinal problems, bronchial asthma, eczema, psoriasis, high blood pressure, and heart attacks – Psyche => Psuche [mind] soul).

· There is nothing within the person that is apart from God to supply the peace that is needed in their lives.

2. Many take pills, drugs to get them through the day; uppers, downers…a vicious cycle.

C. The Hope That is Set Before the Sinner – Is. 26:3

1. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because….”

a. To “keep” – shamar – “to guard with a garrison” as a city may be besieged without, but

within, all is well.

• Target >>>> The Christian

II. Slaves to Self – 2 Cor. 5:15

• “And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

A. The Humanistic Mindset

1. A humanistic mindset is motivated by the soulish nature – it revolves around SELF.

2. Its earthly origin – in the Garden of Eden - Gen. 3:6

a. Satan appealed to Adam’s soul (mind, will, emotions) – prior to was Spirit-led

B. Prevalent in Much of the Church Today

1. There is an “Escapist Mentality” perceived by many regarding Church today.

a. There are going to be problems, difficulties, and trials to be worked through…and this,

AFTER committing your life to Christ.

2. Though one may receive Christ into their lives, a constant battle still rages for the believer.

· “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, [even] as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able [to bear it], neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” 1 Cor. 3:1-3

a. These Christians were wrapped up in themselves – Humanistic reasoning at the core (ME)

1. This brought on envying and strife…at the root of all…PRIDE! ME!!

3. “Why do Christians sometimes act the way they do?” – Are they really Christians? Yes

a. Teknon – a son that is born into the family – emphasis on “position” only.

b. Huios – a son that is born into the family – yet, it does not emphasize the position as much

as it emphasizes the character of the father that can be seen in the child.

· Many believers operate in the gifts of the Spirit, but do not give evidence of the fruit of the Spirit. “Fruit must be cultivated, and that requires time and effort. A cost is definitely involved in the development of the fruits of the Spirit. Many are simply not willing to pay the cost to produce that fruit. This is also the reason why many believers who serve and function in the gifts and even operate in them under a tremendous anointing, are sometimes some of the rudest people imaginable.”1