Carly continued our series on "Sustainable Power", looking at the joy released when we move from control to freedom.
This week as part of our teaching series on 'Sustainable Power' we looked at how we can move from control to freedom. I wasn't the only one in the room who confessed to being a control freak!
I suggested that rather than allowing God to sit in the passenger seat of our lives we should let him drive and see where it takes us, trusting him even when the ride gets scary, the road gets bumpy and you start to feel travel sick.
Control is the counterfeit to self control, listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians. Good healthy boundaries bring freedom, control produces rebellion or servitude.
Looked at Mark 8:11-21 to see how Jesus challenged control, some of the symptoms and then some of the remedies:
1: Control is like yeast.
The Pharisees response to Jesus miraculous provision of food to thousands was unbelief and cynicism. Show us something more impressive! A little bit of yeast goes a long way. Beware the yeast of the Pharisees. How we respond to the wonderful things God does amongst us reveals something in our hearts. We need to celebrate!
2: Control never produces freedom.
It produces an attitude of servitude and slavery or rebellion. Adam and Eve created with incredible freedom to make really good and really bad decisions! Love cannot grow in the absence of choices. We are created for sonship not servitude and are changed through partnership and friendship with God. It is a mystery that the most powerful being in the whole universe is the least forceful.
Religious Control:
1.The Pharisees were attempting to control Jesus and men by imposing external rules and regulations that was beyond what was required or even possible.
Control says 'behave like this, say this, wear this then you are in the club' and makes you feel like this 'unless I tow the line I will be rejected and not accepted; unless I do what they say and do what I want I will be rejected'
It is not the way Jesus feels about you!
Romans 15:7
'Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God'
We need to accept creativity and diversity to fully reflect the character of God and more effectively expand the Kingdom of God.
2.The Pharisees limited their study of God to intellectual thought and study alone.
Knowing about God was never meant to be separated from encounter with God. God can never be fully understood, but he can be known and enjoyed forever. Alongside your study and enjoyment of the Bible, an open heart and simple prayer of "Holy Spirit, what are you doing today and can I partner with you?" keeps the door for the encounter open.
3.Self righteous behaviour...ouch! The Pharisees thought that external things mattered more than what was going on in the heart. Self righteousness treats others with contempt who don't have the same standard of holiness as themselves. We can do that so easily. God's response to this attitude is in Titus 3:5 'He saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness but according to his own mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
Gifts are given to each one of us that we can make other people great! Use them to build up, encourage and spur each other on.
4.Religious control characterised by a lack of accountability.
We have been placed in a family called the church so that people who really love you can tell you how things really are. A true test of freedom would be our ability to submit our lives to others. You might need to eat some humble pie, but this is how radical covenant relationships are made.
We are pursuing freedom in God so that we can be ourselves, dance with freedom even if it looks ridiculous, pick each other up when we fall and win others to following our God. Our God who loves and accepts us AND those around us completely as we are and is waiting for us to hand over the reins.
We also watched a few bits fro
