Freedom In Christ

True Freedom is in Christ – Overcoming Temptation

Theme: To show how true freedom comes from overcoming the temptation of Satan

Text: Luke 3, 4

Introduction

Luke 4:14) Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. (15) And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. (16) So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. (17) And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: (18) "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; (19) To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." (20) Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. (21) And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

MSG 18 God's Spirit is on me; he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, 19 to announce, "This is God's year to act!"

Jesus comes and announces to the world that Freedom is here. True freedom. No longer obligation to the legalistic rules of the world. No longer trapped in the bondage of sin. True freedom has come to the world.

Joh_8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Joh 8:36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

2Co_3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

I believe that this is for us. Yet I also believe that this is what we give to the world around us.

Matthew 18:18 Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Jesus taught us before we can bring freedom to the world we must have freedom our selves.

This is where this chapter begins.

Temptation of Jesus

Yet there is a more important freedom that goes beyond what we celebrate as a nation. It is what we celebrate as a Christian. We read in this passage that when Christ came he came to bring freedom. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36 AV) He came to as to as Luke 4:18 says “set at liberty them that are bruised,”. He came to set us free. How many people are walking around this nation as a free citizen yet not experiencing true freedom. True freedom only comes from Christ.

How many people are walking in the bondage of sin? Let me tell you you may be an American and be free but true freedom is only through Christ.

True freedom is walking in Christ and in his ways.

Let us today allow Christ to set us free.

Luke 4:1-21 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into* the wilderness, (2) being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

Temptation of Jesus – Satan has only three strategies

1 John_2:16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.

Gen 3:1-6 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" (2) And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; (3) but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " (4) Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. (5) For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (6) So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of -0i