Sunday 25th August – AM Meeting @ Kingdom Life Church, Northampton UK
EXERCISING FREEDOM
Across the world, many people are fighting and giving their lives in the cause of Freedom!
Egypt, Syria and many others are experiencing uprisings as people strive for freedom.
ARAB SPRING! – Across the Middle East the people are crying out for freedom!
I love WW2 History
• January 5, 1942 - Airey Neave and Anthony Luteyn successfully escaped from Colditz Castle, Germany, Neave being the first British officer to accomplish this feat.
COLDITZ
Although it was considered a high security prison, it boasted one of the highest records of successful escape attempts. This could be owing to the general nature of the prisoners that were sent there; most of them had attempted escape previously from other prisons and were transferred to Colditz because the Germans had thought the castle escape-proof. One lavish scheme even included a glider that was kept in a remote portion of the castle's attic, although it was never used because Germany surrendered to the Allies before the scheduled date of the planned escape.
Stalag Luft 3 – The Great Escape – Nearly 70 years ago!
3 men dug a tunnel 30m long using a home-made vaulting horse as a cover during the day! They succeeded in escaping.
A short time later, 71 escaped through the tunnel named “Harry” in the Great Escape. That was 100m long! During the effort to dig “Harry”, they concealed from the guards the use of:
200 tonnes of sand removed.
4000 bed boards
90 double bunk beds,
635 mattresses,
192 bed covers,
161 pillow cases,
52 20-man tables,
10 single tables,
34 chairs,
76 benches,
1,212 bed bolsters,
1,370 beading battens,
1219 knives,
478 spoons,
582 forks,
69 lamps,
246 water cans,
30 shovels,
1,000 feet (300 m) of electric wire,
600 feet (180 m) of rope
3424 towels.
1,700 blankets had been used
Unfortunately most of the escapees were caught and some were executed – but what a great effort!
Squadron Leader Roger Bushell RAF injected into every man a passionate determination to put their every energy into the escape. He declared,
"Everyone here in this room is living on borrowed time. By rights we should all be dead! The only reason that God allowed us this extra ration of life is so we can make life hell for the “Enemy”…
There are two points I wish to make:
1. We LONG for Freedom in our lives.
2. We are experts at HIDING things. (But, no one can hide anything from God)!
God wants to do two things:
1. Give a New Start to anyone who wants it.
2. Inspire New Energy in tired souls.
Character
“The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”
― John Wooden
New Start
Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life, and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven (1 Peter 1:3–4 MSG).
“I want to make sure you thoroughly understand that Jesus is in the business of giving people a fresh start. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done; it doesn’t matter where you’ve been; it doesn’t matter how bad you think you’ve blown it: Jesus will give you a fresh start.
The apostle Peter says several things happen once you give your life to Jesus:
• You open up your life to God and get to know him.
• You’re given a brand new life, which gives you everything to live for.
• You get a future in heaven.
You can say it this way: You get your past forgiven, you get a purpose for livin’, and you get a home in heaven. What a deal! You’re past, present, and future are taken care of as you put your trust in Jesus. A fresh start!
Rick Warren
“Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:30 MSG).
I am convinced that when atrocities happen, as they do so often – it is because men (and sometimes women too) think that they will never have to pay for their actions.
The root of sin is “I”.
But there is a better way to live.
Let’s look at two examples of how Jesus makes a difference!
Acts 16:16-40
New International Version (NIV)
Paul and Silas in Prison
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.
35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” 36 The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”
37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”
38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.
Key Points: Arrested, severely beaten with rods and locked in inner cell!
1. They were singing and the other prisoners were listening. SINGING at Midnight! They had something.
2. They were released supernaturally but didn’t leave – WHY? Other prisoners were listening. This was more important – this was TRUE freedom.
3. Nothing can stop God – he wants to use you to cause this kind of chaos in the enemy camp!!
Peter is the key character in this next passage – he is so demoralised. He has denied Jesus three times. Despite the resurrection he is so down that he has gone back to fishing – back to what he knows!
John 21
The Message (MSG)
Fishing
21 1-3 After this, Jesus appeared again to the disciples, this time at the Tiberias Sea (the Sea of Galilee). This is how he did it: Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the brothers Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter announced, “I’m going fishing.”
3-4 The rest of them replied, “We’re going with you.” They went out and got in the boat. They caught nothing that night. When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn’t recognize him.
5 Jesus spoke to them: “Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?”
They answered, “No.”
6 He said, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens.”
They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren’t strong enough to pull it in.
7-9 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Master!”
When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren’t far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it.
10-11 Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore—153 big fish! And even with all those fish, the net didn’t rip.
12 Jesus said, “Breakfast is ready.” Not one of the disciples dared ask, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Master.
13-14 Jesus then took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus had shown himself alive to the disciples since being raised from the dead.
Key points:
1. Peter needed restoration from Jesus to live again. (Had seen Jesus but not enough).
2. Peter dives in and runs to get to Jesus.
When that moment comes and you see Jesus is still reaching out to you despite your sin. You just want to go to him!
Ephesians 4v 17-24
Romans 6v 1-4
Zephaniah 3v17
The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
You see many people think God is some stern father who just wants to give us trials to make us better people – this is a misunderstanding.
God is happy this morning.
God is in a good mood this morning!
God loves you unconditionally.
Jesus (God’s Son) is reaching out a hand offering you
NEW LIFE,
A RESTORED HEART,
COMPLETE FORGIVENESS,
A BRIGHT FUTURE IN LIFE
And ETERNITY IN HEAVEN WITH HIM!
What a deal!
NOW is the time to take that offer.
God is asking for two things this morning:
Those who want to invite Jesus into their lives for the first time. THE PRISONERS & JAILER.
Those who want to be restored and given a new start. PETER.
