Free Indeed!
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who delivered a speech that conveyed a powerful message to the nation at a time when it was needed. On August 28,1963, he gave his I Have a Dream! speech. That speech concluded with the topic we are going to discuss. Let me read for you the ending of that speech:
"And when this happens, and when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, Black men and White men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last."
What does it mean to be free? What is FREEDOM?
The definition of FREEDOM in the dictionary is:
the quality or state of being free: such as
a: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action
b: liberation from slavery or from the power of another
What were the people King referred to being set free from?
Can slaves free themselves?
Are you a slave now or have you ever been a slave?
Slavery is an evil practice that takes many forms. The type of slavery That Martin Luther King was talking about was when the African-American population was being controlled by the white population. That is the type of slavery most people think about when they hear the word slave. But that’s not exactly the kind of slavery we’re going to discuss.
For all of us the correct answer to the question that asked if you have ever been a slave is yes. At one point in our lives, we were all slaves. Slaves to sin. This evil was powerful & controlling us.
In John 8:34, Jesus tells the unbelieving Pharisees, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” He uses the comparison of a slave & his master to make the point that a slave obeys his master because he belongs to him. Those who are slaves to sin cannot free themselves from it. They can flea from bondage but they do not have the power to truly free themselves. But once we are freed from the penalty & power of sin through the cross, we become a different kind of slave, & in that slavery, we find complete peace & true freedom.
Slaves are in bondage to their masters. When sin is our master, we are unable to resist it. However, through the power of Christ to overcome sin, the apostle Paul writes, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:18).
What does it mean to be a slave to righteousness? What’s Paul saying?
The biblical model of freedom is the true freedom of the slave of Christ, or slave of righteousness, who receives love, joy, & peace; the products of freedom we will experience in this life. The slave of Christ is truly free. We have been set free from the control of sin by the Son of God who said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
Satan has been trying to steal, kill, & destroy God’s creations for many years & he is very good at what he does. Sin is tempting in any form. And it’s deceptive. There are sins that you feel nobody else will ever know about so it’s alright to commit that sin when you feel like it. Nobody’s looking so go ahead, it’s not hurting anybody. Those are what some people have called pocket sins. They pull them out of their pocket when nobody’s watching, commit the sin, then put it back in their pocket to hide it & nobody will ever know.
What’s the problem with that belief? Is everyone unaware that you committed it?
The answer is no. God knows all that we have ever done, are doing now, & will ever do. In spite of knowing we will commit these offenses He still loves us enough to sacrifice the life of His Son Jesus. Hallelujah!
Once we come to Christ in repentance & receive forgiveness for sin, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit who comes to live within us. We have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ in God’s eyes. It is by His power that we can resist sinning & become slaves of righteousness.
We are commanded by God to not let sin reign in our bodies, obeying its lusts, but instead we are to present ourselves to Him as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:12–14). In Romans 6:16-18, we’re told that we are slaves to the one we obey, either of obedience to sin or of obedience to righteousness. We are to be enslaved to God from whom we receive our gift of eternal life. We do this because the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Anyone have any questions or comments?
While we’re now set free from the penalty of sin, we still live in the presence of sin while we’re alive on this Earth. And the only way we can be free from the control of sin is through the strength of the Holy Spirit, who is given to believers the moment we come to God through faith to Christ (Ephesians 1:13–14). This seals us in Christ as a pledge of our inheritance as God’s children. In Galatians chapter 4, Paul tells us that once we come to Christ in faith, we are no longer slaves to the wickedness of the world, but we become the adopted children of God the Father. Galatians 4:4-7 reads, “4But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, …7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child.”
The first verse of the 5th chapter of Galatians tells us that Jesus has set us free & we are no longer under the control of sin. Galatians 5:1 reads, “For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
The type of freedom that Dr. King was writing about was physical freedom. Freedom from the physical bondage of slavery, of one group of people being held by another group of people. The type of freedom Paul is writing about is different. It is freedom in the spiritual realm.
The last verse of chapter 4 in Galatians describes the believer’s position—he is free. The first verse of chapter 5 tells us more about what he should do with this freedom; he should live as a free man. That verse says, “Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
How should we live as free men & women of God? What should we do with this gift of life?
In gratitude to Him, you should stand fast in the liberty with which Christ has made us free. Stand firm, do not submit to the slavery of sin, then we should praise & bring glory to God the Father!
In his book Advancing God’s Kingdom Agenda, renowned theologian Dr. Tony Evans wrote about the spiritual freedom that Paul proclaims in Galatians 5:1. Tony Evans wrote: "Sometimes people miss the obvious, so Paul sums things up for the Galatians: For freedom, Christ set us free. Why did Christ set them free? So that they could be free! Spiritual freedom is deliverance from the power and bondage of sin so that we can serve the living God as well as his people. It is freedom from legalism and the control of the flesh so that we can experience the substitutionary, resurrected life of Christ. It’s living a “thank you” life and a “want to” life (referring to relationship), rather than a “have to” life (referring to the law). We are to seek to please God and gain approval for our obedience because of our acceptance, not to earn it. Grace is accessed by faith to both motivate and empower our service."
Praise the Lord for setting us free from the bondage of sin!! Freedom is crucial for a society to thrive. It has been said that freedom is the very life-breath of democracy.
Benjamin Franklin was a great leader in America & he had wise words to say about freedom. He said, “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech; which is the right of every man as long as it he does not hurt or control the right of another… Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freedom of speech.” And because of its importance the first amendment to the constitution guarantees freedom of religion, speech, press, & assembly.
Let’s now take some time for open discussion on being a slave & being free.
• How does it feel to be a slave & how does it feel to be free? Which is better?
• What type of sin are many people slave to?
• What should we do to break free from this slavery?
• What are some “pocket sins” the devil might try to temp you with? Go over a few Pocket Sins
• How important is freedom?
• How should we live as free children of God?
Before we close what have we learned from this study of slavery & freedom?
Closing Prayer:
Dear God, I am praying for freedom from the bondage of sin that entangles my heart and hinders my relationship with You. I confess my sins and shortcomings, knowing that You are faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.
Father, I pray that You would grant me the strength to resist temptation and the wisdom to discern the ways of the enemy. Help me to surrender my will to Yours, dear Lord, and to walk in obedience to Your commands. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, that I may be empowered to live a life that is pleasing to You and brings glory to Your name. For it’s in the precious Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
