Text: “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (Romans 6:22).
Story: “Bag of Candy”
A young boy was arrested and brought before the judge for taking a bag of candy from the shelf of a local store. The owner of the store pressed charges because he wanted the boy to learn a lesson.
After a lecture from the judge, the judge asked the young boy if he had anything to say before he passed sentence.
The boy sat very quietly with his head hung low and then slowly raised his head and focused his eyes on the eyes of the judge.
The boy said, very slowly, “Judge have you ever stolen anything?”
The room was very quiet and finally the judge said, “Case dismissed, you are set free.”
What does it mean to be “set free”?
If you are “set free” from something, indicates that you must have been imprisoned or enslaved, or incarcerated, or perhaps locked up. In other words, you were not at liberty to do what other people were permitted to do. You were held under the strict control of someone else.
Your freedom or liberty, or independence had been withdrawn. If you are in a cell at the Orange County Jail, you have lost your privilege of freedom. It is not possible for you to open the cell door and walk out the front door as do the corrections officers.
Most people will say they have never been confined in a cell of a jail; therefore, they have never had a need to be “set free”. Each one of us has many freedoms that are guaranteed by our national and local governments.
Our US Constitution guarantees us five freedoms. Do you know what those freedoms are? They are: freedom of religion; freedom of speech; freedom of the press; freedom to assemble; freedom to petition. These are listed in Amendment I of the Bill of Rights.
Many people in this country take their freedoms for granted. They fail to realize that abuse of their freedoms and rights can get them into deep trouble. For example, we have the freedom to purchase material items and call them our own, but we do not have the freedom to steal items from other people and call them our own. This will get us into trouble with the law.
Our children have the right and freedom to go to public or private school to obtain an education, but they must abide by the rules and regulations set forth by the school. They are not permitted to abuse other students and they are not allowed to cause a disturbance within the classroom. If they do cause problems, they are sent to the principal’s office and are reprimanded.
People who reach a certain age are eligible to obtain a driver license to drive a vehicle. This is a privilege that can be lost if the person does not obey the laws set forth by their state. They are not entitled to run people off the road, run through stop signs or red lights driving in a reckless manner. They are free to drive their vehicle providing they follow the laws. Abuse of the laws and injury to other people can lead to this driver being incarcerated or put in jail.
I am trying to tell you that we have freedoms, but abuse of those freedoms can cause us to be locked up in jail. Once that happens, we have lost our freedom. Once an individual loses freedom someone steps in, usually an attorney, to help that person regain their freedom.
Story: “Bought to be Freed”
A young girl was being sold at auction one day. She was a beautiful girl, tall and slender. The bidding was keen, and quickly mounted higher and higher until at last only two men were left bidding for her ownership: the one a low, uncouth foul-mouthed fellow who raised his bid every time to outbid the other, a quiet man of refinement.
Finally the bidding stopped, and to the gentleman who had bid so very earnestly were given the papers which made him the lawful owner of the young girl.
With a shove the auctioneer presented her to her new master. Proudly, defiantly, she stood before him, hating him with every part of her being.
Suddenly, a change came over her face: first there was a look of pure amazement closely followed by one of utter disbelief.
Her owner was ripping up the papers of ownership, and, with a smile of kindness said to the now trembling girl, “My dear, you are free. I bought you that I might free you. You are set free.”
Too stunned for speech, the girl merely stared till finally, with a cry of happiness too deep for words, she cast herself at the man’s feet, and through her tears exclaimed, “Oh, master, I’ll love you and serve you for life!”
What the papers of ownership could not do, the man’s kindness had won completely.
---Evangelical International
High School Quarterly
The words, “Not guilty, free to go” are the words that the accused person wants to hear.
Every person born is a prisoner sitting on death row. God’s Word says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
When the sin of disobedience entered the world, every person born thereafter is born in sin. The mistake that Adam and Eve made is inborn in each one of us. Disobedience separates us for a right relationship with our Maker. Disobedience is a sin and is no larger or smaller than any other sin.
One sin is no less or no more hurtful than another. It is easy for us to look at murder and see right away that it is something that God does not accept. Then on the other hand, we might project hate toward someone and give no thought as to the sin we have just committed.
Adultery has been an issue from the beginning of time and most people realize that it is a sin. This is a known fact because God’s Word says, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Someone might think that adultery is a worse sin than lust. Jesus said, “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).
We all sin and thus we are sinners. We might not murder or commit adultery, but when our pride is inflated or our anger surfaces and hurts another person or jealously ruins a relationship: guess what, we have committed a sinful act. Whenever these sins are present, our relationship with our Father has been hampered.
Adam and Eve had a wonderful relationship with God. They talked to Him and walked with Him. When Satan intervened and convinced them to disobey God their relationship with God was different. Instead of talking to Him and walking with Him, Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened and they realized they were naked, and they tried to hide from God.
The same thing happens to us when we sin. That little voice, the Holy Spirit, within our hearts tells us that we have to repent of our sin and ask God to forgive us of sin. We cannot hide from God and we cannot run away from God. God is everywhere and knows our very thoughts.
We are very lucky and fortunate that God wants to give each of us an opportunity to continue in a right relationship with Him. God send His Son Jesus into the world as the means or the way to get back into His good grace. If Jesus had not made His appearance upon the face of the earth, mankind would have no hope.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1,2).
We, who have accepted the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, have confessed our sins and invited Him into our hearts, are no longer on death row. We are not condemned. We are no longer guilty. We are free from sin. We have the power to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Before Jesus ascended from this earth, he promised us a wonder Helper and that Helper is the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was present before the creation of the world. Genesis 1:2 says, “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
Jesus said, “He, the Holy Spirit, will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…He will guide you into all truth…He will glorify Me…” (John 16:8, 13, 14).
The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins and calls upon us to repent of our sins. Next, the Holy Spirit reveals to us what God expects of us based upon His standards. Finally, the Holy Spirit will help us understand that we are set free from judgment of our sins.
“For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteousness requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3,4).
Before Jesus came, animal sacrifices were offered for the sin people committed. The sacrifices were brought to the temple and the priests did the sacrificing. All the animals offered had to be perfect, that is unblemished. The shedding of animal blood was God’s way of impressing upon the Israelites the serious nature of sin.
God had His plan all laid out for the redemption of mankind. The unblemished animal sacrificed was forerunner to the sinless Son of Father God.
The Day of Atonement was a day set aside for people to gather and offer a sacrifice for their sins.
This was a time when guilt reminded them of their past sins. The shedding of an animal blood could not take away their sins. Hebrews 10: 1 says “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.”
The animal sacrifice was only a temporary way to help the people deal with their sins. Old Testament animal sacrifice was a command set forth by God and when the people followed the command their sins were forgiven through their faith. The animal sacrifice was pointing to what God had in store for the people when He sent His Son into the world.
Sin is so serious that God offered the sacrifice of His Son upon the Cross for the remission of our past, present and future sins. This was a one-time sacrifice whereas animal sacrifice was an ongoing ceremony. The sacrifice upon the Cross was the only real means of cleansing us of our sins.
Hebrews 10:11-14 says, “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right had of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
Through one sacrifice, Jesus has made us perfect in the sight of the Father. When I say we are made perfect that does not mean we are holy. The work that God started in us is not yet finished.
We, Christians, need to continue to apply God’s Word in our daily living. By placing Him first in our life, we will be able to attain the goal God has in store for us.
When we confess our sins, repent of our sins, and accept Jesus as our own personal Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live within our heart and assures us a room in the Heavenly Mansion of God Almighty.
Conclusion:
Yes, we are all sinners and we “…fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23, 24).
The word “justified” means we are not guilty – we are set free. We have been forgiven. Our sin or sins have been blotted out and forgotten. There is now no record of our sins. We have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
Story: “A Clean Slate”
A little boy was told by his mother not to play near a certain pond. One day the temptation was too much, and, venturing too close, he fell into the water. He was very conscious of his wrongdoing, and most uncomfortable. So he wrote on his school slate: “Dear mother, I am sorry I have been bad. If you forgive me, please rub it out.” Back came the slate, perfectly clean!
How like the love of God who said, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins” (Isaiah 44:22)
-----King’s Business
Story: “Set Free”
A man said to his pastor: “I am a miserable sinner and there is no help available for me. I have prayed to God, I have tried to be good and I have tried to do the right thing at the right time, but I always seem to fail.”
The pastor asked him: “Do you believe in the life, the death, and the resurrection of God’s Son Jesus Christ?
The man said, “Yes I do.
“If Jesus came and stood right here beside you at this very moment, what would be your words to Him?” asked the pastor.
The man said, “I would look up into His face and confess my sins to Him and then I would tell Him that I feel like a lost sinner and that there is no hope for me.”
“What do you think Jesus would say to you?” ask the pastor.
The man thought for a few moments and them a change came upon his face. The change went from a look of worry to a look of peace and tranquility.
And then the man replied: Jesus would say, “I have forgiven you of all your sins, you are under no condemnation, you are ‘set free”.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16, 17).
Amen.
