FREE TO FOLLOW
Acts 5:17-25
Intro: On this weekend of Independence Day, most of us will at least give passing thought to the freedom we enjoy here in America. Amid the screams of illegal airborne bottlerockets, and the frequent explosions of more illegal firecrackers, many Americans will pause at some point and show some appreciation for the freedom we enjoy.
-In fact, I think it would be good for us to pause for a moment and recognize every person who has been in any branch of the military. If you have been in the armed forces, will you please stand so we can honor you for serving our country? [applaud]
-Now, people have many different ideas about what freedom is all about. Some believe freedom means being free to do their own thing. Others believe it means freedom to accumulate personal possessions, rather than everything belonging to the government. Still others would say that freedom is simply the right to be who you are. These aren’t right or wrong, necessarily, but what is really the point of freedom? Why did God allow the United States of America to separate from England and become the most prosperous and powerful nation in the last couple of centuries?
-Though everyone might not agree on this point, I believe God made America a free nation and blessed her abundantly so that more people would come to know Him as their Forgiver and Leader. More missionaries and more mission and relief dollars have gone out from this country than any other country (in fact, more than several countries combined). God has blessed America so that America could be a blessing. Unfortunately, there is also much sin going on in America, and we need to be praying for our nation that we as a people will turn to the One who made us and ask Him to forgive us and help us.
-How does this relate to us and to our text today? Well, God gave the apostles freedom from the prison they were in, so they could keep on doing what He wanted them to do. God wants to do the same kind of thing in our lives today. And this is the main truth I’d like to share with you:
Prop: God gives us freedom so we can be free to follow His plan for our lives.
Interrogative: In what kinds of areas is God willing and able to give us freedom?
TS: Let’s look at a few areas in our lives where freedom can be more than a song.
I. We Can Find Freedom from the Past (No more guilt!)
-2 Corinthians 5:17-18 “…those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! 18 All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did.”
-Regardless of our past, we can find forgiveness and freedom by repenting, and trusting Jesus to take care of it all.
-1 John 1:9 “…if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”
-No sin is too big for God to forgive! Listen to the kinds of people the apostle Paul was writing to: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
-God forgives the sins of the past when we humbly ask Him to. He will wash us and make us right.
-There is a story that when the Moravian missionaries first went to the Eskimos, they could not find a word in their language for forgiveness, so they had to compound one. This turned out to be: Issumagijoujungnainermik. It is an intimidating-looking group of letters, but a beautiful expression for those who understand it. It means: “Not-being-able-to-think-about-it-anymore.”
-God does not think about our sins anymore after we confess and repent of them. How far does He remove our sins from us when we repent? Psalm 103:12 “He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west.” We may bring up our past sins, and our enemy will try, but God will never rub our faces in the failures of the past. Someone said, “When the devil reminds you of your past, you need to remind him of his future.”
-TS: We can have freedom from the past, but we can also find freedom to live in today.
II. We Can Find Freedom in the Present (No more bondage!)
A. We Can Be Free from a Sinful Lifestyle
Galatians 5:19-21 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
-When a person turns to the Lord, the 10 Commandments are no longer out of reach. A sinful lifestyle involves breaking one or more of the commandments. However, with God’s help, we can worship only Him, we can avoid idolatry, we can honor His name, rather than abusing it, we can set aside a day to rest and honor the Lord, we can honor our parents, we can avoid taking another person’s life, we can stay sexually pure, we can avoid taking what does not belong to us, we can tell the truth, and finally, we can learn to be content with what we have, not coveting what belongs to someone else.
-God wants to set us free from a sinful lifestyle, and He will free us if we ask Him to.
B. We Can Be Free from Personal Addictions
-Unfortunately, many people in our world become slaves to things that begin to take more than what a person is willing to pay, and take them farther than they ever wanted to go. There is no shortage on things to get addicted to. Some of the common addictions might include alcohol, drugs, tobacco, pornography, other sexual addictions, and food addictions. And I hear there is even such a thing as a shopping addiction. Some people, when they are depressed, get their fix by going out and buying something. Let’s not forget caffeine and sugar addictions. It seems there is no limit to the addictions that people allow themselves to be bound to.
-Now I know how easy it is for someone like me to stand up here and tell you that God can set you free from all of your addictions. But when it comes to working it all out, most people feel like they are left high and dry. So, let me just give you a couple of things that might be helpful if you are battling with an addiction.
-First, I’m going to say what you probably expect me to say: Prayer will help you overcome your addictions! The trouble with this claim is that it does not work the same with everybody. I’ve known people who have prayed or been prayed for, and they immediately overcame their craving for their addiction. God touched them and miraculously delivered them from whatever form of bondage they were in. I’ve heard of alcoholics becoming completely sober after just moments in the presence of God. I’ve heard of people getting physically sick when they tried to smoke another cigarette, after being prayed for.
-So, what I’d say to you first of all is PRAY!!! And if it doesn’t happen in a moment, don’t give up, but keep on praying! Never underestimate the power of God to break the power of an addiction in your life!
-Second, let’s talk about someone who has been praying and trying for years to break an addiction and it just has a death grip on them. Is there any hope for them? Do they just have to live with it? When prayer does not seem to bring deliverance, where can a person turn?
-In a word, addictive behavior can be overcome by support. What do I mean by support? I mean that you have an open and honest relationship with a person or small group of people who accept you without judging you and love you in spite of your addiction. These are people you can be totally honest with and bare your soul to. It is humbling, yet freeing. The body of Christ, the church, should really be one big support group where people find healing from their hurts and addictions. However, too often those in the greatest need do not find total acceptance and unconditional love from churches.
-Let’s purpose that Christian Life Center will be a church where people are loved and accepted just the way they are. If someone comes in who is living in sin, remember what Paul said to the Corinthians: “…and such were some of you.” They will not be drawn to a Jesus who frowns and scowls at them. They will not be drawn to a Jesus who expects them to clean up their act before daring to show themselves in the house of God. However, they will be drawn to the Jesus who was a friend of sinners when He walked this earth. Let’s show hurting people what Jesus is really like. Then they will come to Him and be healed and set free!
TS: Finally, being free from the past and living free in the present…
III. We Can Find Total Freedom in the Future (No more sorrow or pain)
-The day is coming when Jesus will return to this earth to claim those who love Him and are living according to His plan. See, some people make the mistake of thinking that everybody will go to heaven. After all, how could a loving God send anybody to hell? Well, the Bible is very clear that heaven is only for those whose hearts are right with God.
-Romans 10:9 “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” But just calling Him Lord with your mouth is not enough. He must be Lord of your actions as well.
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me, ’Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
-Matthew 7:21 21 "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ’Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven.”
-We can find total freedom when our life is over, but only if we are trusting in Jesus for our salvation and aiming to do what God wants us to do. When you boil it all down, love is the greatest commandment. God wants us to learn to love the way He loves. That will bring freedom to our lives, as well as to many people around us. Love does no wrong to another person. Love seeks the best for others. Love compels us to share the good news of God’s grace and forgiveness, knowing that without it, our family and friends will not make heaven.
NLT Romans 8:21 “All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.” That day is coming. We don’t know when, because that is not ours to know. Our job in the here and now is to live free in Christ, and help others find that same freedom.
Conclusion: We have been set free in order to obey God, sharing His great love with everyone around us. The apostles were set free from prison so they could go back and teach the people about Jesus. Our freedom is not our own. Our lives belong to the One who freed us from the past, is with us in the present, and will be with us always.
-Today, if you need to experience the freedom of God’s forgiveness, He can free you from the past, and help you live a life of freedom in the present. Whatever you may be dealing with today, God can handle it. Nothing will shock Him, because He already knows everything about you anyway. He loves you just the way you are and wants to help you become the free person He created you to be.
-If you would like prayer, that is the best place to start today. I will be available after we close in prayer, and would love to talk with you and say a prayer for you. Maybe somebody here needs freedom from fear. God will give you the boldness you need to face whatever is ahead.
-Let’s pray.
