5th of June 2011
Text: Acts 21:17-24.26.
Shave your head for Jesus and be free!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Today I want to speak about the freedom of a Christian. Or as I was preparing this teaching and thinking of the theme I thought I also could name it: “Shave your head for Jesus and be free!”
So choose whichever appeals to you more.
Can you finish this verse for me:
“If the Son sets you free, ………………….” (you will be free indeed - John 8:36)
Or maybe even Galatians 5:1:
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us ………” (free)
And what about this one - Hebrews 13:5:
“Be free from the love of ………….” (money)
And one more from Proverbs 19:5:
“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.”
Yes, the Bible speaks a lot about freedom, being free, setting free, binding and loosing demonic powers, cutting the chains of bondage, forgiveness, taking away the sin, opening the doors for prisoners, etc.
We are free and that is the reason why we come every Sonday* together as a family of God to worship and celebrate the One who made us free – our Lord Jesus Christ! The freedom that we experience is not a metaphorical figure of speech or just some emotional episode, but it is the foundation of our new life that we all have in Jesus. When someone who lived in sin meets Jesus, his life changes and when all the people around him see the change you cannot explain, you know there is something very real happening. We are all witnesses of the real freedom that we all have in Jesus. Hallelujah!
But today I want to speak specifically of one aspect of our Christian freedom. We are not only free from, but also free for! Every one of you here should be able to give a testimony what you are free from; what did Jesus take away from you. If you do not know, or if by any chance there is somebody who is still not free in Jesus, you have your chance today; right now this morning you can be set free. We surely want to invite you to come forward here and give your life to the Lord and to be free once for all.
So we are free from the things of the past.
But what would you say if I’d ask you: What are you free for? What do I mean? Let me explain it through the story from the Bible.
I want to read a story from the life of apostle Paul from Acts 21:17-24. 26.
17. When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.
18. The day following, Paul went in with us to James; and all the elders were present.
19. When he had greeted them, he reported one by one the things, which God had worked among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20. They, when they heard it, glorified God. They said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.
21. They have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children neither to walk after the customs.
22. What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.
23. Therefore do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow.
24. Take them, and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses for them, that they may shave their heads. Then all will know that there is no truth in the things that they have been informed about you, but that you yourself also walk keeping the law.
26. Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purified himself and went with them into the temple, declaring the fulfillment of the days of purification, until the offering was offered for every one of them.
I am sure if you are regular Bible readers, that you have come across this story before, so you might wonder now what does it have to do with our Christian freedom.
Well, I believe that “all Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16).
So it is with this story from Paul’s life. It is good for our training purposes. So get ready.
So what is the story? After number of years of successful mission activities and as far as we know at least three major mission journeys, Paul came to Jerusalem reporting to the church elders and leaders of the things that happened among the gentiles. They all rejoiced, but they also knew that Paul, being the reason for many Jews becoming followers of this Messiah Jeshuah, is in grave danger here in the centre of the Jewish religion. So they made a certain suggestion to Paul.
‘Go to the temple and observe the Jewish purification ritual and not just for yourself but also pay the expenses and appropriate sacrifices for four other men that we have here so that they can shave their heads. They are under a vow’ – they are talking about the Nazirite vows. You can read about them in the book of Numbers 6:1-21.
These vows involved abstinence from alcohol (during the time of the vow!) and also you did not cut your hair during this vow. Of course the best Old Testament example of this vow was Samson who was not under a temporary vow but was supposed to be under it for life. Samson was a lifetime Nazirite.
Nazirites were not supposed to touch any death thing, drink alcohol and cut their hair. Samson broke all three. First he touched dead lion, then he attended the drinking parties and cutting Samson’s hair was the last straw, the end of his anointing and breaking of the covenant, thus loosing God’s protection over his life. (Judges 13-16)
Here though in Acts 21 we speak of temporary vows. Jews made vows either in thankfulness for past blessings or as part of a petition for the future blessings. Apostle Paul himself shaved his head during one of his journeys - Acts 18:18 for one of this reasons (or both).
During this vow people did not drink and did not cut their hair, but after the vow purification was finished, they shaved their heads as a symbol of the finished process, fulfillment of the religious obligation according to the law. Proper sacrifices were offered in the temple.
Interestingly Paul agreed to this idea and did what the church leaders suggested.
Now my question is: WHY?
These vows, these things were old Jewish rituals, which cannot bring us any closer to God. These rituals and sacrifices are the old ways that - as Paul himself says - were bringing nothing but burden upon burden and no freedom. So why do something that is so vain, so unimportant for a follower of Jesus Christ?
Any answer?
Do you think he did it because he wanted to protect, to save his life?
Come on! In Acts 21:10 when Paul was in Caesarea a prophet named Agabus came and prophecies over Paul that the Jews in Jerusalem will “bind him and deliver him to the hands of the Gentiles”. People urged him not to go there – it was genuine word of the Lord. Was it a warning or rather something that had to happen?
What is a purpose of prophecy? Is it to tell what is going to happen, or is it to tell what might happen if….???
Good question as well, but it is not our theme today – so I have to preach about that some other time. (And I am not prophesying now either.)
Paul did not want to save his life. Just read 1 Corinthians 11:24-28 where he speaks of beatings, stoning, shipwreck, persecutions, opposition… His life was in danger all the time. It was his daily bread. He was not afraid to suffer even to lose his life for the Lord.
He did not observe these rituals to keep himself safe. He was willing to suffer. He knew very well the price of being a follower of Jesus. He suffered in every single place wherever he went anyway. It was no different in any of the cities he visited elsewhere so he knew if anything Jerusalem will be at least the same if not worse.
There must have been some other reason behind that decision here to be so traditionally Jewish. What could be that reason?
Any suggestions?
He was free to do so because he loved.
Do we really understand our freedom in Christ? We are not only free from, but we are also free for. Paul knew very well what he is free from. He explained that in so many details in his 13 letters that we have in the New Testament that I do not have to add to than anything at all. Yes he was free man. But as you can see his freedom let him do something that is – we would even thing – against his own convictions. To observe the law, to undergo the ritual in the temple – and quite costly, mind you – without blinking his eye. He did it. Why again?
Because he loved. And that is the only law that he knew and acknowledged. Is there anything you would not to if you truly love? What is the limit of love? Are you really a person of love? Then freely shave your head as Paul did – now I am talking figuratively, ok?
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
“For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. Now I do this for the sake of the Good News, that I may be a joint partaker of it.”
What a freedom there is in love! And what is the power of such a love! Are you free like this?
Do you know where in the Bible is something that is free mentioned the very first time?
Genesis 2:16
“You may freely eat of every tree in the garden.”
God created us in His image and that image included the freedom. Adam was created a free man. And he used his freedom and ate it. He had a free choice. After that no one was ever free.
In the beginning we live in perfect freedom of the paradise. Adam and Eve walked with the Lord, saw His face and could not to sin (posse non peccare). But then they rebelled and everything changed. Ever since we are not able not to sin (non posse non peccare) because we are all slaves of sin (Romans 6:20).
And do you know where the Bible speaks the last time of something that is free?
Revelation 22:17
“He who desires let him take the water of life freely.”
In the beginning we were free. In the end we will be totally and forever perfectly free.
And everything in-between is the struggle to get back to that freedom. All religions, all witchcraft, all human attempts for satisfaction, peace, joy, love… are expression of that desire to be free.
This happens in Jesus. The blood was shed, the price was paid, hell, sin, devil, death defeated and dealt with and we are declared free again by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah.
Paul teaches in Galatians 5:13:
“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather serve one another in love.”
It is interesting to observe how often in the Bible the word ‘free’ is spelled as L O V E.
So what does it mean for you today that you are free in Jesus? Does it mean that you do not go to hell? Yes, but there is more. As we’ve heard being a Christian, being free means that again we can choose what we shall do.
In James 2:12 we read:
“So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom.”
It sounds like a contradiction: freedom and law. If there is freedom, then you can do what you want. If there is a law you cannot do whatever you want. Law means restrictions, limits, boundaries. Freedom means no boundaries (at least according to human (mis-)interpretation of freedom).
Do we hear what James says? Freedom means some action. It involves some speaking and some doing. I am free to act the way I was not able before that. Paul spoke a lot about being free from the law. But as we’ve seen, James uses the same word: We will be judged by the LAW OF FREEDOM.
If you are under the law you are free, so what kind of law? It sounds like nonsense. But it is not.
What is this law of freedom? Do you live by the law of freedom? What are the rules of this law? He is the lawgiver of this law? How will the judgment look like? When is it going to happen?
I will explain this by the means of one Old Testament Scripture.
Yes even there we can learn about his wonderful law of freedom.
Psalm 119:32 in the NIV goes like this:
“I will run in the path of your commands for you have set my heart free.”
The original Hebrew says:
“The way of your commands I will run you for (because) you shall enlarge my heart”.
Or if you really want to hear it in Hebrew it sounds something like this:
Derek mitzoteka arutz ki tarchiv libi.
I love this verse.
The Hebrew word translated ‘enlarge’ (rachab) means to broaden, to make room, to make open, to make wide, to enlarge!
I will run, I will do what you say, Lord, I will behave according to your word, according to your commandments, e.g. I will love, because I know that you make it possible for me to do so. It is you that make my heart so big that I can actually obey your word. I am a small-hearted man, but I am giving you my heart. Make it big, Lord.
We use to pray with Jabez: enlarge my territory (1 Chronicles 4:10). But today Lord I pray, enlarge my heart!!! Make me a big-hearted man, big hearted woman of God. I want to live according to the law of freedom. I want to walk in your paths, in your commands. But it is possible only with a big heart.
Paul had a big heart. He did not mind to anything for the Lord. He did not mind even observe some rituals that were not important but if he could bring some more people to the Lord by being a Jew to the Jews, he was more than happy to do so. And I believe he was not pretending. He was genuine in everything he was doing.
Are you willing to so free? To have a heart like this?
‘I am free to love’ – do you know that song? You see, we usually rejoice that we are free FROM sin, FROM the devil, FROM hell, FROM the past way of living, FROM former evil that was ruling our lives. But we are not only free from all that. Praise God that we are. But if we keep on focusing on what we are free from, it means we are always looking backwards. What is behind is behind. So leave it there and: Behold! Look what is ahead of you! So many opportunities to walk in the paths of His commands! So shave your head for Jesus and be free! Just like Paul did. Well he probably did not shave his head in this case but he did it previously anyway.
Did he have to? No!
Did he want to? We have no idea. But he loved his fellow Jews and although he was completely free from the observances of the law he did what he did because of the law of love, which is law of love (Romans 9:1-5 10:1).
Romans 13:10
“Love doesn't harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.”
So your freedom is only limited by how much you are willing to love.
So what then is love?
Good question! Yes, even the teacher of the law (Jewish scribe) asked Jesus the same question when he tried to put Jesus to test asking Him how to inherit the eternal life (in Luke 10:25-37)
It went something like this:
Jesus asked him: “What does the law say about that?”
Scribe: “Well, it says, that I should love God with all of my heart and soul and strength and mind
and to love my neighbour as myself.”
Jesus: “Very well. Perfect answer. Do just that and you shall live. Forever and ever.”
Scribe: “Well, yeah, but… but who is my neighbour? Can you clarify just this one little detail for
me, master?”
So then Jesus tells the famous parable of …………………………… (good Samaritan) which basically turns the question upside down. Instead of asking who is my neighbour, the question is: who are you neighbour to? In other words do you love the people that are around you? Do you show God’s love, God’s compassion, God’s forgiveness, God’s care and concerns to people that God sends your way ON DAILY BASIS!!!
How does this look like in practice? What does it mean for you?
Are you willing all things to all men for the sake of the kingdom? How is it going to look for you I am not going to tell you. It is between you and the Holy Spirit. Consult Him.
I do not have one rule, one command for you today, what you should do. But we have just heard a story from the life of maybe the greatest apostles from the early church era. So I just hope and pray that we’ve heard the Holy Spirit talking to us, and maybe teaching us, because as we have already heard, every word “all Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Romans 8:28
Amen.
* Why Sonday and not Sunday? Because we worship Son and not the Sun.
