Freedom In Christ

January 15, 2023 Sermon - Boundaries: Burdens and Loads

Freedom in Christ. I don't know how you respond to just those three words, but those words bring me joy.

They bring me joy because they remind me of my experience of coming to faith, leaving behind a way of living and thinking about life that felt meaningless and pointless.

This little phrase reminds me of the promises I received and sermons I heard and scripture passages and books that talked about freedom in Christ as the future for any and all new believers who would embrace Jesus with their whole selves.

I heard about it, began to believe it could be true, and then began to walk in that truth, in freedom in Christ, all the while still very much struggling with trauma from my childhood and struggling on a daily basis with sin.

So I love these three words. Freedom in Christ. This scripture in particular puts a very fine point to the idea on freedom in Christ: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free”. Galatians 5:1

It's odd, beautiful, and circular. God really wants us to be free - free of all that would weigh us down; free from all that would rob us of hope;

free from everything the world has to offer that would lie to us, that would tempt us, that would keep us from committing our lives to follow Jesus.

Now we know that there is a lot of suffering and hardship in life, which is just part of existing.

And on top of that, there are burdens and loads we can carry that can weigh us down. What burdens am I talking about?

Paul wants the truth of the gospel to affect the way Christians live. Part of that truth is what the Bible says about sin.

We’re not always fully aware when we are struggling with sin. It takes growing self-awareness and pretty consistent reflection to grow in our understanding of the impact of sin in our lives.

One definition of Self-awareness is this: "Self-awareness is the ability to focus on yourself and how your actions, thoughts, or emotions do or don't align with your internal standards”

Reflecting on our actions and attitudes, particularly when we feel the things have gone not so well in a conversation, or an interaction with another person - that kind of reflection, when done pretty regularly, can lead to us speaking and behaving more and more, the way we want to be speaking of behaving.

But generally, like I said, we’re not really aware when we become stuck in sin, or we might say, as apostle Paul, did, while referring to himself, when we are slaves to sin, or behaving as if we were slaves to sin.

But, as we already said, God wants us free. God wants us to live in what the scripture calls “the glorious liberty of the children of God” KJV Romans 8:21

And that liberty or freedom is for us, yes, but more importantly that freedom is intended to enable us to live fruitful lives. Jesus says in John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

That’s awesome. When we pray and ask God for things, things that align with His will and purposes, He will give us those things in order to bring glory to His name, things that will enable us to bear fruit for His Kingdom.

That’s amazing. That’s what God wants for us.

The Burden of Sin.

But as the apostle Paul, in Romans 7, says:

14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So we have this sinful nature, this thing every human has in common with every other human, this burden that can put up a barrier, a wall between the life we are leading and the life that God wants us to lead.