There are many freedoms that we enjoy today. Living in the United States, we embellish ourselves in the joys of freedom. We have the freedom to say whatever we want whenever we want, we can worship any way we want, and to the chagrin of some politicians, we have the freedom to own a firearm.
As Christians we have many freedoms and liberties as well. Praise God that through the blood of Jesus we have liberty from death, hell and the grave. We have been set free from the power of sin, and as Christians, the enemy no longer has dominion in our lives. But there is one thing that we are never really truly free from – choices.
We make decisions everyday, some major and some minor. Just this morning you have made decisions, some conscious, and some unconscious. Every one of us woke up this morning and made a choice as to what we would wear to church. Now in some families, that is a major battle, but in others, it’s no big deal. When you drove to church, you chose to stay in your lane (at least I hope you did). There is nothing magical keeping you from going across that line except you. But you probably didn’t even think twice about it, it just came natural because that is how you were taught to drive. When you walked into this sanctuary, you were faced with at least 150 choices as to where you wanted to sit.
When you leave this place today and go out into the world and back to the workplace tomorrow, you will be faced with many choices. Some may affect your life in a major way, some could cost you your life. But I believe you get the point. There will always be decisions and choices as long as we are in this life. So I feel it is important that for the next few weeks we should take a closer look at these choices, and how to make good ones, and how to bounce back from bad ones, and how the choices we make affect others around us.
This morning, however, we need to have a basic foundation of understanding regarding the power of choice. It’s important that we remember that God created us to have a free will. Adam and Eve were not mindless robots. And it is out of their free will that they choose to disobey God and allow sin to permeate the earth. And we being the offspring of Adam, we too have the freedom to make our own choices.
In our everyday lives, we are faced with so many choices. I liken it to going to McDonalds.
Illus: You will go to McDonalds and stand starring at the menu for twenty minutes because you don’t know what to choose. It’s the same menu that’s been around practically for 15-20 years, but for some reason you’ll flip flop between a fat ridden Big Mac or a less fat and more healthy grilled chicken sandwich. Why is that?
You see, we are made up of three parts – the body (flesh), the soul, and the spirit. Our flesh is our old sinful nature, and its desire is to do what is natural to us: sin. Now the spirit is the part of us that is made in the image of God. And when we come to Christ, our spirit is made alive and is controlled by the Holy Spirit. Now your soul is where your emotions and your free will reside. And as we will see in our Scripture text, your flesh wants to go one way and your spirit led by God Himself, obviously, wants to go another.
“So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.” – Galatians 5:16-18 NLT
I like the New Living Translation how it describes that our choices are never free from the conflict between the spirit and the flesh. Isn’t it true? Just a minute ago, I used an illustration using food, and so let’s do it again.
Illus: After church, let’s say you go out to eat. Again, more choices. As you gaze over the menu, a conflict begins. Should I have the double-decker bacon cheeseburger with extra mayonnaise, or should I have the garden salad with fat free dressing? Now for some of us, it’s a no brainer. We’d go for the burger. Why? Because it tastes better. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like the occasional salad, and maybe I’d go with it if it weren’t for the fat free dressing. Fat free stuff just doesn’t taste good. The fats in most foods are what gives it its flavor. When scientists somehow alter the food to make it fat free, some of those flavorful fat morsels are removed. But I have heard when you’ve grown accustomed to fat free foods and garnishes, and your palette has adapted to it, it’s difficult to eat anything else.
Choices between doing what the flesh wants and the spirit wants can be the same way. Sin tastes good to us, and can be very appealing to the flesh because that is what the flesh craves and desires. The things of the Spirit don’t “taste good” to the flesh. But once you have adapted your appetite for the Spirit, those fleshy things are repulsive.
The desires of the flesh repulse the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit repulse the flesh. Either way, one thing remains constant – there is a decision to make.
Like I’ve said before, we are surrounded by these decisions.
~ I don’t have any cash on me but I sure would like something from the office snack bar. No one will miss one candy bar, after all everyone else in the office does it.
~ I don’t need to report all of my income on my taxes. After all, Uncle Sam sticks it to me all year, this one’s for me.
~ Should I pay my tithe or go and get that new tool set at Sears that goes off sale tomorrow?
~ You are in a group setting and your friends are talking about a certain family in the church. One of the family members shared something with you in confidence, and sharing it could really devastate your trusted relationship. But sharing it with your friends really could spice up the conversation.
I could go on and on, but these are just a few examples of the choices in our everyday lives we find our selves in. The choice you make is strictly up to you. Your flesh wants to do what comes natural, to be self-seeking and self-satisfying. But the Spirit of God is leading you to do something that is opposite of what your flesh wants. What are you going to do?
I want to share with you another Scripture where the people of Jerusalem found themselves at a point of decision. Let’s read from Matthew 27:15-17.
"Now it was the governor’s custom to release one prisoner to the crowd each year during the Passover celebration—anyone they wanted. This year there was a notorious criminal in prison, a man named Barabbas. As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” – Matthew 27:15-17
Here the people of Jerusalem found themselves faced with making a decision. Do we want a thief and murderer released in our midst, or do we want this “prophet” who has done incredible miracles and help hundreds of people. Now, we know what choice they made, but I would like to draw one application from this passage for us this morning. The application comes in the form of a question.
* What do you want released in your life? *
As you have heard me say time and time again, I am a firm believer in the Bible’s teaching of reaping and sowing. If you sow corn seeds you will reap corn, if you sow seeds of beans, you will reap a harvest of beans. The same applies to what you allow to be released in your life. If you release the flesh and allow it to have priority in your life, you will reap the effects of the flesh, and likewise releasing the Holy Spirit in your life, you will reap the fruit of the Spirit.
* Barabbas represents a life submitted to the flesh
Again, the people of Jerusalem had a choice. And what they chose was to have a felon released into their midst. Of course, this was all God’s plan because we know that Jesus had to be betrayed and crucified for us to come into relationship with God.
But, the choice these people made was representative of our decisions to follow the desires of our flesh. And, true to form, you will reap what you sow. Let’s continue to look at the book of Galatians to see what kinds of things we will reap if we choose to follow the flesh.
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 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, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.” – Galatians 5:19-21
Now we look at the list of things that flow out of being under the control of the flesh. Perhaps you look at some of these things and realize you have been experiencing or exhibiting some of these characteristics. If so, then a red flag should go up. Because if you are exhibiting one or more of these traits, then it won’t be long before your ship is going to sink. A life that is submitted to the flesh will eventually spiral into a deep dark hole that only Christ can pull you out of.
Now you may say to yourself, “I don’t have wild parties, or participate in demonic activities, or get drunk. I might be hostile or like to argue a lot and perhaps look at a porn film from time to time, but nothing major. It’s no big deal.” Let’s look at it this way.
ILLUS: Going back to the food analogies once again, there has always been a rivalry between Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Some prefer one over the other, and there are a select few who enjoy both just the same. I happen to be a diehard Coca-cola drinker. But if you look at the label, both have the same calories the same amount of caffeine, and both have the same affects on the body. Sin is the same way. You may indulge in one more than another, but in God’s eyes, it’s all the same.
So, do you want to release Barabbas, who represents the flesh in your life or Jesus?
* Jesus represents a life submitted to the will of God
Yes even Jesus was faced with choices. In the garden as He prayed just before His betrayal and arrest, He cried out to God, “Let this cup pass from me, but not My will, but Thy will be done”. He could have called thousands of angels to come and rescue Him from dying upon a cross (Matthew 26:53), but He chose to die for your sins and mine.
Although Christ was presented with choices, He decided to be completely obedient to the will of God. He wasn’t looking out for His best interests or had selfish motivations when He made His decisions. He knew the will of God and He obeyed it to the letter.
When we look at Jesus, we should realize is our ultimate example. We call ourselves Christians, which means, “Christ like”. If we truly are Christians, then we should strive to the best of our ability to be conformed to His nature and character. One of Christ’s many character traits that we are to have is to be fully subject to the will of God, and let every decision we make flow out of His will.
So then, what characteristics flow out of the Holy Spirit?
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” – Galatians 5:22-23
Someone once said that Christians are like teabags. If you want to know what’s in them, put them in hot water. For those of us in this room who know Jesus as Lord and Savior, and have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, are these the characteristics we exhibit?
Nevertheless, when we allow the Lord to completely have control over our lives, we will be able then to abide by His will. That doesn’t mean that all my decisions will be good ones, because I’m fallible, I will make mistakes from time to time. But when I allow God to rule in my life, and I am faced with many choices, it makes it easier to know which way to go.
One thing that we realized this morning is that we are bombarded with choices. We can choose to love our neighbor as ourselves, or not. Husbands, we can love our wives as Christ loves His church, or not. Wives, you can submit to your husbands demonstrating your submission to Christ, or not. I could go on, but I believe you get the point.
You can allow the flesh to control you which will lead to death and destruction, or you can choose to allow the Holy Spirit to lead and control you which will produce a bountiful harvest of joy everlasting in you life.
The choice is yours. Barabbas or Jesus. Which is it going to be for you?
