CHOOSE FREEDOM
Scripture: Gal 5:1,13, 16-26
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self–control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Introduction
Allow me to read for you again verse 1. This time from the “The Message” by Eugene Peterson. It says, “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you”
Christ has set us Free… did you hear that!
Our Freedom
• Was bought and paid for by Jesus Christ
• He died a ransom for many (Mk 10:45)
• He is our Redeemer (see Isa 47:4)
• “Jesus Paid it all, all to him I owe” wrote the song writer
• You are not your own, you were bought with a price (1Cor 6:19,20)
Yet we must understand the true nature of Freedom. It is not freedom to do what you want, but freedom to do what you ought!
• Freedom to do what you want is not freedom at all.
• It is to go back to what you were under before Christ set you free
• It is to return to listening to you old carnal nature
• It is to become entangled again in the yoke of bondage
To which Paul exhorts us to “Take a Stand! Never let anyone put a harness of slavery on you!”
• Take a stand / stand fast
• Draw a line in the sand
• Establish a point of no return in your life and hold your ground
• Don’t let anyone or anything move you from it
Real freedom is experience only by doing what you know you ought to do! It is obedience to the voice of the Spirit of God.
Paul says, “It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows.
Before us lies the year 2008 and God’s will is that we live in Freedom! AMEN! Not just on the occasion – but all the time. And the only way we can do that is to abide in him all the time. We must learn to “Walk in the spirit and not in the flesh”
Listen to what Paul said in vs.16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish”
Paul then tells them that the works of the flesh are evident. In other words, you really don’t need anyone to explain to you what they are because you can easily see them for your self. However just to make sure they understand he lists some of them for them in vs. 19-21.
They are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Note he says, “those who practice such things!” It is one thing to fall into temptation or into sin. John says, “these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (1Jo 2:1)
For the children of God, who has been born again and set free by the redeeming power of Jesus Christ, sin is the occasion, not the practice!
Listen to what Paul goes on to say in contrast.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self–control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Now I had hoped brother Frank Pugliesi would be here today, but unfortunately he has to work. I spoke with both he and his wife yesterday and they have granted me their blessing to share this with the congregation.
Over 4 ½ years ago, Sis. Anna and her husband came to seem me in my office. They were going through a very difficult time in their personal lives and in their marriage. I had just been in the church about a month or so and really didn’t know either of them very well at the time but God gave me a scripture for Frank. I read Frank (who was not a born again believer at that time) Gal 5:22-23. I said, Frank listen to these two verses of God’s word.. For the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and temperance or self-control. And then I asked him a simple question. Would any of those help you and your marriage. He looked me right back in the eye and said… “All of them Pastor.” Then I told Frank, “God wants you and your wife to have all of these in your life.” We prayed right then and there for Frank to open his heart and receive Jesus and his Holy Spirit. And God has been a doing a work in their lives and their marriage ever since. Hallelujah!
Now allow me to let you in on a little secret, You see, this truth isn’t just for Frank and Anna, or someone else who may be passing through a crisis. It is for every one. For verse 24 says “those who are Christ’s.” If you are a child of God this is God’s will for your life. To be totally free and your life filled with the fruit of His Holy Spirit.
Paul said it this way, “24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
In other words every day we have to use our liberty – our freedom from the bondage of sin and the flesh, to choose to obey the will of the Holy Spirit. It is to deny the desire of our fleshly carnal nature and to fulfill the desire of the Holy Spirit born nature within us.
And what is His will you say? Its right there! To do those things which manifest his presence in your life and your submission to Him. The greater our submission to Him, the greater the manifestation of His fruit in our lives
My wife shared with me something that she came across in her devotions at the beginning of the year and would like to share it with you, in the hope that it will bless and inspire your heart as it has mine these past several days. It is taken from a small devotional book by Max Lucado entitled, “Grace For The Moment.”
‘Each Day….
It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.
In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.
For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary; I’m free to choose. And so I choose.
I CHOOSE LOVE. . .
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I CHOOSE JOY. . .
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical . . . the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I CHOOSE PEACE. . .
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I CHOOSE PATIENCE. . .
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
I CHOOSE KINDNESS. . .
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I CHOOSE GOODNESS. .
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.
I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS.
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.
I CHOOSE GENTLENESS. . .
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself
I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL. . .
I am a spiritual being. . . . After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. : choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.’
Conclusion:
Before us lies the year 2008 and God’s will is that we live in Freedom! If you would do His will then you would choose each day and every day to obey the voice of the Holy Spirit. You will submit to His inner transformational work and choose to die to the flesh in order that you might walk in the Spirit
Even as Paul says under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, “: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh”
How many of you would stand and say, Pastor I choose to live this year in the Freedom of Christ. I choose daily to crucify my old nature so that the new nature of Christ might be manifested in me the by indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. I choose to surrender fully daily to Christ Jesus and to His will.
All you who choose this stand together and sing this song as your prayer today, “Holiness, holiness is what long for.”
