Let Freedom Reign In You

Let Freedom Reign In You!

Pastor Glenn Newton 6-30-02

2 Cor 3:17-18

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being

transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord,

who is the Spirit. (NIV)

This morning I want to tell you that You can know what True Freedom is in your life.

True Freedom. What is that anyway?

Is true freedom being able to eat Ice Cream anytime you want? Is True Freedom the

absence of all rules? I think that’s called Cayaus`.

Is True Freedom defined by our rights and our pursuit of happiness? Is True

Freedom related to our finances, free from Creditors?

There’s so many ways we can define Freedom this morning, and many of them do point to

a certain kind of freedom. But this morning I want you to know a Freedom that you can

possess that Sets you free regardless of your circumstances in life, it supercedes what the

Government is doing or not doing, it goes over the head of dictators and kings.

True Freedom sets you free from a 9th circut Court in California that has decided that the

Pledge of Alliegiance is unconstitutional, Why? Because of the phrase, One Nation Under

God. These secular humanist judges would have us take God out of every area of life,

what they don’t care to understand is that our founding Fathers did understand that if God

wans’t with us as a nation, we would’nt last for long, and so references to God are all

through their writings and in our history as a nation.

This morning I have two points I want you to consider.

1. True Freedom is only gained through Jesus Christ!

This morning we need to look at the passage that we find our scripture in and try to

understand what Paul is teaching to this church in Corinth. What he has to say is very

important, it’s important for you and I to understand how God has went out of his way to

Give you True Freedom.

How many of you know this morning that God wants you to be Free? Let’s examine the

evidence, can you tell I’ve been watching Court TV again?

READ v.7-11

Paul is talking to his readers about the difference between the Law of God which we know

was given to Moses to give to the Israelites. This law came with Glory, remember

watching the 10 commandments on TV, and when Moses came off the mountain with the

two tablets with the Law written on it, his face was radient, why, because he had been in

the presence of God.

But we are told that Moses put a veil over his face to hide the radiance from the people.

Here’s what I want you to know about the Law. When God gave the Law to Moses and

he read it to the Isrealites, that Law brought death and condemnation upon everyone who

heard it. Why?

It was kind of like they were sitting there listening to what Moses was saying, “Thou shall

not steal.”, Thou shall not covet, Thou shall not commit adultery, Thou shall not lie and

give false testimony, and as he continued to read these off, each person there realized

that they were guilty, they were condemened by this law, and now they were going to

need a way to get on the right side of the Law.

How many of you have ever lied? Anyone here ever stolen anything? Coveted your

neighbor’s possessions, their money? Worshiped a false God? Anytime you are not

putting God 1st in your life, you are putting something else in His place, and that becomes

false worship before God.

So we all sit here and realize we are all sinners, right? So did the Israelites, this law

brought condemnation - they knew they were sinners- but of coarse God provided a way

for their sins to be forgiven - A sacrificial Lamb - A sin offering - A blood offering would

be offered for each family every year, to represent the covering of thier sins.

Remember Paul is talking to people who were still living under this Old Covenenat, and

now what he is saying is that God has provided a New Covenent.

The New Covenenat is what God has promised you and me today - This covenent

is an everlasting Agreement between God and man -- It’s an agreement that was initiated

by God, He has offered it to us, our part is to accept what He has offered us.

What is this new Covenent that God has offered us? Thanks for asking.

The New Covenent is the Gift of Jesus Christ, God sent his own Son to be our