1. Braveheart
In the movie Braveheart Mel Gibson plays the role of a man from Scotland whose name was William Wallace. Wallace was trying to win Scotland's freedom from the cruel rule of the King of England, Longshank. His hatred for both Scotland and Wallace grew as Wallace won many victories against England.
In the end, Wallace is betrayed by a friend and captured by Longshanks who is now older and very ill. It is Longshanks plan is not merely to kill Wallace but to have him beg for mercy and a quick death.
As the movie ends Wallace is brought to the court yard before a jeering crowd. And then the Kings executioner begins to torture him... telling him that if he begs for mercy they will make the death quick.
Meanwhile Longshanks is up in his room - on his death bed - waiting to hear his enemy Wallace beg for mercy....
After not responding Wallace tries to speak - though it is difficult because his throat is ruined from being tortured -- the man in charge of the torture gets the crowd to be silent so they all can hear Wallace beg - but instead of begging for mercy -- Wallace summons up what little strength he has left to scream with great force the word --FREEDOM!!!! Its sound penetrated the air - and reached the ears of Longshanks.
Freedom is a powerful word, it is a driving concept. Men have fought battles, gone to war and sacrificed greatly in order to gain or give freedom.
2. Jesus speaks of freedom as well -- John 8.31-32
a. Jesus may have been addressing Jews who HAD believed in him or had expressed superficial faith
b. Jesus separates the wannabe disciple from the true disciple
I. Genuine Disciples
A. Discipleship is Costly
1. Jesus is not interested in multiplying uncommitted disciples
2. He forces would-be disciples to count the cost -- Luke 9.23-26
And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
9.57-62 57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 60 And Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
3. Our tendency to waffle about our conduct -- compartmentalize our activities -- 1 Kings 18.21
B. Discipleship is Continual -- remains; stays; abides
1. A whole life experience -- Deuteronomy 6.4ff
2. Perseverance is the mark of true discipleship
a. Purpose of trials -- James 1.2-3
b. Key to running the race -- Hebrews 12.1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
1) Our perseverance (Noun form)
2) His endurance (Verb form) -- Bear bravely and calmly in mistreatments
II. Godly Doctrine
A. We Are to Know the Truth of God
1. Mental Understanding
a. That comes with memory and meditation
b. That comes by Obedience -- Exodus 19.4-8
2. It involves a Moral Commitment -- John 7.17
a. More than rigorous debate or sanitary observation
b. It is a commitment to carry out the teaching of God
B. Truth of God Leads to Our Freedom
1. Jewish people have believed that the study of Torah brings freedom (Pirkei Avot 3.5)
2. Torah points to Jesus -- John 5.39, 46
III. Gracious Deliverance -- John 8.32
A. The Presence of the Inner Struggle
1. Inclinations to Good and Evil
2. Origins with the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil
3. Results in the wretchedness we feel as in Romans 7
Cherokee Indian Wisdom
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
"The one you feed."
B. The Proof is in the Putting Off and Putting On -- Choosing to Obey God
1. Put off the Old, enslaving nature (John 8.32)
At a farmer's market in a little village there was a covey of quail walking in circles around a pole. They had strings attached to their legs, and they continued to walk around and around the pole hour after hour. A man came into the market and asked, "How much will you take for all of them?" He paid the owner the agreed upon price and then began to cut the strings off of their legs.
"What are you doing?" the owner asked in unbelief?
"I'm setting them free," said the new owner.
But in spite of the strings being cut giving the quail their freedom, they continued to walk around the pole in the same old circle. They didn't even realize that they were free and that they could go in a different direction (source unknown). Not until the man began scaring them away did they move from this set routine.
2. Put on:
a. The New self -- Colossians 3.10-14
b. The Armor of God -- Ephesians 6.11ff
c. By putting Christ on -- Romans 13.14; Galatians 3.26-27
1. Vicarious Replacement
Author, Max Lucado writes;
It happened too fast. One minute Barabbas was in his cell on death row playing tic-tac-toe on the dirt walls, and the next he was outside squinting his eyes at the bright sun.
"You're free to go"
Barabbas scratches his beard. "What?"
"You're free; they took the Nazerene instead of you."
Barabbas has often been compared to humanity, and rightly so. In many ways he stand for us; a prisoner who was freed because someone he had never seen took his place.
But I think Barabbas was probably smarter than we are in one respect.
As far as we know, he took his sudden freedom for what it was, "an undeserved gift." Someone tossed him a life preserver and he grabbed it, no questions asked. You couldn't imagine him pulling some of our stunts. We take our free gift and try to earn it or diagnosis it or pay for it instead of simply saying "thank you" and accepting it.
Ironic as it may appear, one of the hardest things to do is be saved by grace. There is something in us that reacts to God's free gift. We have some weird compulsion to create laws, systems and regulations that will make us worthy of our gift.
Why do we do that? The only reason I can figure is pride. To accept grace means to accept its necessity and most folks don't like to do that. To accept grace also means that one realizes his despair, and most people are not too keen on doing that either.
Barabbas, though, knew better. Hopelessly stranded on death row, he wasn't about to balk at a granted stay of execution. Maybe he didn't understand mercy and surely he didn't deserve it, but he wasn't about to refuse it.
We might do well to realize that our plight is not too different than that of Barabbas's. We, too, are prisoners with no chance for appeal.
Why some prefer to stay while the cell door has been unlocked is a mystery worth our pondering.
2. Irony: Barabbas is Aramaic for "Son of the Father" -- Jesus IS the Son of the Father; you and I can be sons and daughters of the Father.
3. Jesus provides the Way
