Freedom Part 2
Intro
Last time I spoke on Freedom and following some prophetic words felt there was more to say
Jane shared about understanding that we have been made clean already through salvation and that we were to believe this truth and be living as those who are washed clean. That we are a place for God’s Glory to come
Neal followed this by saying that we need to keep our lives free from the rubbish of sin that would hinder God's Glory in our individual and corporate life
What is the Freedom won for us?
●When Jesus sets you free, He takes away your death sentence. The penalty you deserved has been removed and you now have eternal life. He literally shifted your eternal destination. Today you can rejoice because if you have Christ then you have eternal life. You no longer have to pay the penalty for your sin.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/gal.5.1.ESV
Some believers, known as Judaizers, were insisting that Gentile converts must follow the Jewish law, particularly circumcision, in order to be saved. Paul's response is a passionate defense of the Gospel, emphasizing the sufficiency of faith in Christ for salvation and the freedom that comes through the grace of God.
He wants the Galatians to understand the importance of living in the freedom that Christ has provided, rather than returning to the bondage of the law.
As believers, we are urged to stand firm in our freedom and resist any attempt to be burdened by spiritual bondage. This may take the form of legalism, false teaching, or any other force that seeks to undermine our confidence in the grace of God.
How are we living ?
Peter was trying to be all things and fit in with the crowd, do we?
●We see this throughout Scripture, where God's chosen people live like they are not
●The Isrealites freed from slavery in Egypt yet lived like they weren't, 23K dying in the desert because of sexual immorality. Complainers. Worshipped Idols, committed theft, They had left Egypt and at times long to be back there and saying we would be better off back in Egypt.
●God did his part in freeing them from Egypt but in their heart they were still in Egypt.
●Are we living like those who are not of God?
●Are we different in or thoughts, Attitudes, Motives, and actions
●We have been chosen and called to be different.
Application
●Are there areas of your life where you still feel burdened by a yoke of slavery?
●Ask the Lord's help in identifying and breaking free from any spiritual bondage that may be holding you back.
●Stand firm in your freedom by cultivating a deep and abiding relationship with Christ, grounded in the knowledge of His love and grace.
●Resist any temptation to return to the yoke of slavery, and be vigilant in guarding your spiritual freedom.
●Be a living example of the liberating power of the Gospel, and let your life testify to the transforming work of God's grace.
"Life in the Spirit is not passive; nor is obedience automatic. We continue to live in the real world; we are, after all, both already and not yet. (an Eschatological People)
"Therefore, the imperative for the already is walk in/by the Spirit. That assumes that we live in a world very much controlled by the flesh; but it also assumes that we now live in that world as different people, led by the Spirit and empowered by the Spirit to produce the fruit of righteousness, rather than to continue in the works of the flesh."
Page 133 Paul the Spirit and the People of God - Gordon Fee
