"Set Me Free" Series

“Set Me Free”

Allan H. Kircher

17 August 2008

www.planttheseedministries.org

Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I’m free at last

We’ve heard this said before and we heard this in song.

But what does it actually mean?

We hear it, but do we truly believe its meaning and its lasting effect on our life?

When you accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are free.

The bible says in 2 Cor 3:17, “the Lord is the spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Freedom from the bondage of sin, from the bondage slavery….

The slavery that you have been bound too.

Now this slavery can be idleness in your faith in Jesus Christ and his resurrecting power, or you may be bonded in slavery to your witnessing to the lost around you…….either way you have a bond of slavery at your door.

Think back this week and tell God how many you have told about His glory? About the freedom you experience today.

If you feel weary trying to remember to whom you spoke prophetic words too this week, Satan has you bound in the slavery of witnessing.

Most of us have had the absurd thought that we can hide from God.

That we can get away with some secret sin if we just don’t let him in on it.

But Scripture makes it clear that there is nowhere we go that is outside his reach, he will follow us even to the depths of our self-made will (Ps 139:7-8)ref.

You see, your deepest darkest is completely illuminated to him; we cannot hide in it. (Ps 139:11-12)Ref

Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Declares the Lord. (Jer 23:24)

This would be bad news indeed if our God dealt with us only according to our sin; none of us could survive his perfect justice.

But we serve a God of mercy, who sent his only Son to atone for everything we’ve tried to get away with in secret.

We have nothing to hide!

And nothing to fear if we sincerely repent!

Set me free from the baggage I carry…..

When my mother came to visit last month to visit I picked her up at the airport. She had a black suitcase that looked like everybody else’s suitcase. I kept picking up a suitcase from the beltway and having to open it up to see if her contents were in it.

After 3-4 tries we finally got the right suitcase.

Our baggage, hidden sins, habits are the same way.

We can’t see them sometimes unless they are revealed to us.

Other people have to open up our baggage to expose us of our weaknesses.

We sometimes do it so often, we can’t recognize it anymore.

My mother could not recognize her bag unless the property inside revealed it.

You see our baggage can be disguised.

Complaining is one of the pieces of luggage we need to recognize.

The bible tells us not to complain or argue about anything. Some of us complain so much it becomes our being.

So let us unload anything we’re trying to keep to ourselves and embrace the joyful relief that will surely come with divine forgiveness (Ps 32:3-5)

Take off the chains of sin…..some of us have those little chains that hang the chandelier in our house where one link is the size of a quarter and some of us have those massive heavy chains that anchor the cruise ships were one link is the size of a car…

But I assure you today….we all have chains of bondage. We all have a thorn in our side.

Jesus tells us in John that we will have trouble in this world. But take heart because in Jesus you have peace…..because Jesus had overcome all the trouble. (Jn 16:33)

When you get rid of one trouble there always seems to be one right behind it.

Perseverance is your freedom from that bondage.

But as Jesus overcomes the world and its sufferings and sin, so believers in him will stand firm spiritually no matter what the circumstances.

Did you hear that, believers in him will stand firm spiritually, no matter what the circumstances.

That means when someone hurts you you stand firm spiritually. Is it difficult...Absolutely but Jesus did. Jesus is in you.

We may have many problems, but our deepest sense of well being and spiritual security can never be threatened.

We are set free by the power of God’s grace and love. Soar like an eagle and enjoy the flight the Lord has given you.

Our emotions in response to sufferings may, like Job’s, run the gamut; but our abiding faith will glorify God and be remembered by those who watch us overcome.

We will always have those emotions of the world. Were human. But our faith will endure all understanding if we stand in the presence of the Lord.