Sermon Central
-
Freedom In Christ - A Declaration Of Independence
Contributed by Steve Malone on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: Today we will be studying Romans chapter 7 and chapter 8:1-4. Paul in these verses writes what could be called a Christians Declaration of Independence. In these verse Paul declares that in Christ we have been set free from three things.
1) We need to be alert and we need to recognize our own vulnerability.
2) And we need to pray and depend on the leadership, power and protection of God.
That night in the garden Jesus was the only one who watched and prayed. And he was the only one to stand firm in the crisis of temptation. The others panicked and fled.
Jesus sets us free from the frustration of the flesh.
Are you free? Christ can set you free.
III. We are free from CONDEMNATION [8:1-4]
What is condemnation?
The word actually means "the result of judgment". So a good way to understand this term would be the sentence a Judge pronounces at the end of the trail.
If you are still in your sin when you stand before God. God will bang the gavel and pronounce you guilty and sentence you to eternity in the depths of Hell.
Who made it possible for our freedom from condemnation?
JESUS CHRIST.
Jesus was sinless AND He fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law. Therefore God offered Him as a sin offering and He bore the sins of the world as He died on the cross.
How are we set free?
We are set free from condemnation when we are "IN" Christ. How do we get in Christ?
"for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
CONCLUSION
Our society doesn’t even have a clue to what freedom is. They think freedom means, that they are free to do what ever they want. It means they are free to do drugs, drink, have sex with whoever or what ever they want, it means that kids are free to do whatever they want to do in school "go not go" "study not study", and it means adults can do to what ever is necessary to get ahead..and you could probably add your own to this list, etc etc... etc...
And tragically the things that are supposed to be evidence of their freedom have in reality enslaved them, and are now a heavy ball and chain around their neck.
Drugs and drinking has led to an addiction, a lost home-lost job lost family. Sex anytime, anyplace, anyone has led to AIDS/DEATH, STD, unwanted pregnancies, a broken heart from being used, and the inability to enter your marriage bond pure and undefiled. And kids who use their freedom in school find them selves uneducated and flopping hamburgers or washing dishes the rest of their life.
IN CHRIST WE HAVE FREEDOM--TRUE FREEDOM!
We are free from the law "Do to Be"
We are free from Condemnation
We are free from the frustration in life.
{ILLUST}
Your ice skating in the Olympics your about to go up for your last performance. And before you do the judges inform you that you have already won the Gold Metal. You already have enough points before this last skating performance.
How do you think you are going to skate? Are you going to hold back, be nervous or inhibited. NO! You will probably skate your best ever , you will be free to skate as never before because you have already WON. If you are in Christ YOU ARE FREE. We are free to skate like never before because we know that through Christ the victory is already ours. NOW that’s FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!
