Our Freedom Is Based On The Freedom That God Gives Us If We Want To Be Free

OUR FREEDOM IS BASED ON THE FREEDOM THAT GOD GIVES US IF WE WANT TO BE FREE.

We are the ones that choose who we want to be. In newspaper items this week you could have read about Jose Delos Santos. When did he decide to kill those two people? A second item, “Gay Quest for Freedom take turn” Two men were reported to be fighting and instead the police found they were making love to each other. They were arrested, fined and jailed. Now because of a Supreme court ruling says the law invaded their rights to privacy. In 1960 every state had a law against sodomy. Now only 13 states do. When did we decide to have this freedom? Someone decided this was a freedom. So we have taken a step further away from the freedom that God wants us to have. I want us to look in the book of Ephesians and see what the freedom that God gives us if we choose to be free.

1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ: 1. Blessed from a Greek word that means speaking well of God. Are you listening? We bless God because He has blessed us. We choose to be in Christ. By doing so we share all the spiritual benefits of his resurrection, the union of his spiritual body and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. We share all the blessings of the person of Christ. We are justified, sanctified and built up in the most holy faith. Our feet are still on this earth but our minds are on heavenly things. Moses had this when he came down from the mountain. Only those who accept their spiritual election can receive the spiritual blessings.

Eph. 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 1. God’s choice for us is that we should be transformed and purified from our status as servants to sin. That we be separated from fleshly desires and sin and consecrated to God having no spot or inward imperfection. Our love is proof of this. Holy deals with our inner spiritual being and blameless refers to our outward conduct of life as others see us. As you act it affects what others think of me and what they think of this church, so it is not just your reputation at stake.

Eph. 1:5 having predestined or foreordained us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 1. I do not believe in predestination as some do. I do believe that God knew what He wanted us to be and that is part of His predestination. Having marked out beforehand. I know that God has a fixed purpose for all to be saved. Yet we can not become a part of that until we choose to be free from sin through the New Birth. Confirmation, baptism, singing in choir, teaching Sunday School and even becoming a member of the church is not the New Birth. One must know Jesus as Savior and lord through confessing and repenting of sin and believing in Jesus to be Born Again. Then it is that we become adopted as his children in the pleasure of His will. E Stanley Jones was once chosen by his church to become bishop but he declined for he sensed God had called him to missions and thus disqualified for such an office. So God has chosen every person to be a child of God but not all have to accept that call. Moses could have been an heir to the Egyptian throne but chose to follow what God wanted. Our adoption is solely on the merit of God’s good pleasure. It is an overflow of God loving character that comes to us as we believe on his Son Jesus Christ. We were created to have fellowship with God. Sin has ruined that so God sent Jesus Christ that we might be restored to what we were meant for.

[6] To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 1. The purpose of our life is to praise God. IS 43:21, MT 5:16. God’s purpose is to redeem, restore and unify lost people into a spiritual family. Col. 1:13 Rev. 5:9. There is no way we can know the redeeming grace of God apart from Christ.

[7] In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 1. Redemption came only at the cost of Christ dying and shedding his blood on the cross. It is through the riches of His grace that we find forgiveness of sins. We are slaves to sin with no chance of being free except by Jesus Christ. We are prisoners to sin convicted and sentenced to everlasting death for our sins against God. Out of his mercy He gave us His Son who did for us what we could never do for ourselves. With no faith in Christ all of life is dismal and dark and without any hope. Christ sets us free. He and He alone does and will forgive us from our sin. It is in Christ our guilt is gone.