Freedom in the Most Unusual Places // You Have Been Set Free, Part 4

Christianityworks Official Podcast

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our freedom is dictated by our circumstances. But like the Apostle Paul, you can be locked up in a dungeon on death row, yet still experience the freedom that you have in Jesus Christ. That’s the incredible power … of the freedom that God has ready and waiting for you.

Your Freedom is Secure

This probably isn’t going to be any shock to you, but your enemy the devil does not want you to be experiencing the freedom that Jesus came to bring you. Now, let’s not get confused about this. He’s happy for you to know about that freedom, in a vague sort of way, he’s even happy for you to see other people living in God’s freedom. That’s not a bad thing from his perspective. But he definitely ... definitely does not want you experiencing God’s freedom.

Because, you see, here’s the thing: if freedom, God’s freedom, is something out there, something that’s a great theory, something that preachers preach about, something that a handful of super–Christians out there can maybe have, but something that is quite simply, completely and utterly unattainable for you, then he knows, he has you.

And let me tell you, there are a lot of so–called Christians in that very boat. They know about freedom, they’ve seen others apparently living in freedom … but it just doesn’t seem as though it’s ever going to happen in their lives. 1 Peter chapter 5, verse 8:

Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.

It’s a powerful picture isn’t it – and deliberately so. In the book of Job we're told in Job chapter 1, verse 7:

The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’

So there he is, prowling around, walking up and down, just waiting to attack someone who is weak in their faith. Someone who doubts the promises of God. Someone who has come to the conclusion that the freedom they’ve heard about, probably isn’t for them. It’s just never going to happen.

Just like the lions in the wild, he’ll pick on the weakest victim and take them down to devour them. But ... and this is a big but ... this is what God says about that, 1 John chapter 3, verse 8:

The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

So when you feel powerless, when you feel weak, when you feel as though the devil is on your case … man have I got some good news for you today! This Jesus in whom you believe is right there, next to you, in fact in you, to destroy the works of the devil on your behalf.

In your weakness, in your doubt, in your failings, all you need to do is to turn to Him, to ask Him, to look at Him and He will, He will send the devil packing. He will breathe His freedom into your heart by His Spirit. He will stand for you, He will protect you. It’s just what Jesus does.

I have some good news for you today. You need never, ever, ever be afraid of the devil. To be sure, there is a battle going on in the spiritual realm for your soul. Jesus came to save you, and the devil wants to snatch that gift of eternal life, that gift of grace, that gift of freedom right out of your hands. That is absolutely true. There is a battle going on! This is how Jesus puts it, John chapter 10, verse 10. He says:

The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly.

Someone asked me once: What does it mean to have an abundant life? Well, let me first say, that the word Jesus used there, literally means ‘super-abundant’, it’s just that we don’t have an English equivalent for that. Suffice to say, it’s a really strong word, it’s a word that’s really over the top.

So the question should be: What does it mean to have a super-abundant life? It’s a life of freedom. If you read the rest of the parable in that chapter, Jesus talks about His sheep being able to come in and go out, in safety, in protection, in freedom. John chapter 10, verse 9:

I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.

That’s a great picture, it’s a picture of that abundant life. It’s a picture of freedom and safety, to come in and to go out and to find pasture.

But this battle Jesus is talking about here between the thief and the true shepherd, it isn’t a battle of two equal and opposite forces – one of evil and one of good. Don’t for one moment imagine that. Jesus goes on to make the point – He’s not some hired hand who runs away at the first sign of trouble – no. John chapter 10, verse 11. He says:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

And so He did – He died and rose again to set you free. We go looking for freedom in all sorts of different places. Sometimes we let the devil lead us by the nose, being tempted into this or that. Sin always tarts itself up to look good. Otherwise it wouldn’t be tempting.

But Jesus … Jesus is the true shepherd and His sheep know His voice. I’m certain you can hear Him speak as I share His Words with you today. And because He is the good shepherd, because He laid down His life for you, because He was raised again to give you a new life … you need never, ever fear the devil. Your freedom is secure. That’s the good news.

Maybe that’s still a bit difficult for you to believe. Well, let’s think about it this way: Let’s imagine that God loves you every bit as much as He tells you. After all, the evidence for that is pretty strong. John chapter 3, verse 16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

If that’s true, do you think He’d allow the devil to rob you of the freedom that Jesus purchased for you on that cross? Do you imagine for one moment, that God would allow that incredible act of sacrificial love to go to waste? There are people who believe in Jesus with all their hearts and yet, they’re afraid that something they’ve done or something they might do one day … will rob them of their freedom.

Come on – you haven’t found yourself wondering at some point, I wonder "… if, I’m in ... or not. You know, I wonder if God’s really forgiven me. I wonder if, when I finally stand before Him, I’ll pass the judgement." And can I tell you, the devil loves that. Because if he can get a toe-hold in your mind, he’ll work a way to undermine your faith. And truly, that’s why I believe God has brought us together today. Because He is not going to allow that to happen. Jesus said that if you continue in my word, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. So let’s do a bit of continuing, a bit of knowing, to set you free from any doubt. Romans chapter 8, verses 31 to 39:

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not even withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?

Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is going to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor anything present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Hey, that is powerful stuff isn’t it? Nothing whatsoever can separate you from the love of God in Christ. That means your freedom, your salvation, are absolutely secure.

Freedom in Practice

It’s amazing, just over my lifetime, how many changes have taken place, as oppressive regimes have fallen. The Berlin wall came down in 1989. The Soviet Union came apart in 1991. Apartheid ended in South Africa in 1994.

Of course there are still plenty of oppressive regimes around the world, there are still more than enough conflicts and wars, but there has been a lot of change, even in my short lifetime. And hopefully we’ll see a lot more. The good change happens, when countries move from oppression towards freedom. When, instead of looking after a privileged few through oppressive power structures, governments and leaders start to look after their people.

The bottom line is that you and I were created to be free. To be equal. To be able to live out who we’ve been made to be – of course, within the rule of law – but then without that, there can be no real freedom. And yet, as individuals, we all too often squander that freedom. We all too often throw it away, through our own tyranny, our own selfishness, our own tendency to want to look after ourselves, at the cost of everyone else.

The Apostle Paul makes an interesting, almost blindingly, glimpsingly obvious point, about freedom. Galatians chapter 5, verse 1. He says:

For freedom Christ has set you free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

In other words, wake up, get a revelation! This isn’t just talk this thing about freedom, there’s a point – God actually wants you to be free! Jesus put it slightly differently in John chapter 8, verse 36. He said:

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

I love that – free indeed. Really, truly, free from the slavery of sin. This is every bit as amazing as the Berlin Wall coming down, as the Soviet Union and communism coming to an end, as apartheid coming to an end – even more so because this freedom is available to every last human being on planet Earth.

You can be a prisoner in a dungeon on death row, as in fact the Apostle Paul was when he wrote many of the books of the New Testament, and still be free indeed. You can be in the middle of the worst imaginable circumstances of your life and yet, in Christ, still ... be free indeed. This is not just a theory lesson. It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. He means for you to be free. Free indeed. Free from the sin that has ravaged your life. Free from the shackles of bondage. And given the price He was prepared to pay for your freedom, with all my heart, I believe that He doesn’t want you to settle for anything less in your life than being … free indeed. But exactly what does that look like?

The freedom that Jesus purchased for you and me on that Cross is something that we can never earn for ourselves. Now, many Christians know that in their heads, but only a few live out that truth out in their hearts. I want to come back for a moment to one of my favourite verses about freedom in the Bible. Galatians chapter 5, verse 6:

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.

In other words, none of the rules in the old rule book (in this case the rule if circumcision) count for anything. The only thing that counts in the Kingdom of God, is your faith working through love. Now there’s a powerful truth here about actually living out the freedom that we have in Jesus Christ. There is an incredibly powerful truth here about how to lay hold of this freedom, how to experience this freedom firsthand in our lives.

The first part is faith. I’m a simple guy ... and you know what, God’s Word says that Jesus died for me and because of that I am set free from my sin, and because of that I have the gift of eternal life. I am going to believe in Jesus for my salvation. I am going to believe in Jesus for my freedom. And I am going to believe, just as the Bible tells me to, that these are the free gifts from God, through the sacrifice of Jesus. Full stop, end of story. I believe. How about you? But then ... then God wants us to put that faith to work ... in love. And the sort of love He’s talking about here, is sacrificial, unconditional love – the very sort of love that Jesus showed towards you and me on that Cross. Agape love.

Look, without work and exercise, your muscles are going to waste away. If you sit there on the couch you’ll just become weaker and weaker. And without works, faith is dead. Unless we take our faith out for a walk, unless we exercise our faith in sacrificial, unconditional love, it becomes empty, hollow … dead. I think you know what I’m talking about here.

What does freedom look like? How do we lay hold of God’s freedom? By having faith in what God says, and by living out that faith, day by day, by showing the same unconditional, sacrificial love that Jesus showed towards us on that cross.

It’s by living that sort of a life that you experience freedom. A sense of freedom that we’re all so desperately looking for, comes when we surrender our lives to God, believing in Him, trusting in Him, and working out that faith by loving others in Him. Rules? Nah. The only thing that counts is faith working through love. And when we live like that, other people’s failings and weaknesses will no longer rob us of our freedom.

All too often we set out at the beginning of a day, with all good intentions of living in God’s joy and God’s peace. Living in the freedom that Jesus came to give us. After all, as the Apostle Paul writes, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. That’s why God sent Jesus – to give us that freedom.

But then, it’s almost as though the devil deliberately wants to rob you of your sense of freedom. Someone comes along and argues with you, to fight with you, to be angry with you, to stab you in the back, to … right? And it’s like, in an instant, your sense of freedom, your peace, your joy, they just disappear. In an instant you go from living in victory, to being a victim. Freedom – great! What happened to that?

But God has an answer to that. He has a solution for that. Because He doesn’t want anyone or anything robbing you of your freedom. Again, the Apostle Paul, Galatians chapter 6, verses 1 and 9:

My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. … So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.

Did you catch that? Instead of adopting a victim mentality, instead of going on the back-foot, get out there on the front-foot by exercising your faith through unconditional love. Look, when they came to arrest Jesus, when they tried Him, beat Him, spat on Him, when they nailed Him to a Cross, not at any point in that process did He adopt a victim mentality. He knew what He was about. He knew what He was called to – to save us through sacrificial, unconditional love. In fact, at one point He even said, in John chapter 10, verse 18:

No one takes my life from me but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the power to lay it down and I have the power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.

There is freedom of choice. There is faith working through sacrificial love. So, when people come against you, don’t throw in the towel, don’t become the victim. Don’t grow weary in doing what is right, don’t let them rob you of your victory, your peace, your joy and your freedom. Don’t grow weary of doing what is right. Love them, correct them, admonish them, sure. But do it in love. Whenever you have the opportunity, show unconditional, sacrificial love.

Will it hurt some days? Absolutely. Going to the cross always hurts. But you will reap that harvest … at harvest time. That’s freedom.

Freedom is Not an Excuse for Sin

Whenever you hear some guy like me talking about the freedom that you have in Jesus Christ, it’s very easy to get the wrong idea. Yes, through Jesus we have been set free from the obligation to follow a bunch of rules, the way God’s people had to in Old Testament times. The check list of six hundred and thirteen do’s and don’ts in the Old Testament law doesn’t apply to you or me anymore. That’s great news, because neither you nor I are all that good at keeping a bunch of rules anyway.

But at the same time, the freedom that we have in Jesus, isn’t our excuse to go and live the life of Reilly. It’s not our excuse to say, well you know, I can do anything I want. You start using your newfound freedom in Christ that way, and any sense that you may have had of freedom evaporates just about as quickly as the steam coming off a hot cup of coffee. It’s there one minute and gone the next. That’s what happens to the joy we get from our sense of freedom, if we start using it for the wrong things. Galatians chapter 5, verses 13 to 15:

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by each other.

It’s a good point. Freedom doesn’t really become freedom, until you and I use it to love others. Can I tell you, one of the greatest revelations that I had when I became a Christian twenty something years ago, is that serving other people, using your gifts and abilities to bless others in love – that’s where the freedom is. That’s where the contentment is. That’s where the joy, that you’ve always been looking for, is.

I always thought it came from getting the things I wanted … no wonder, in that old life, I never found what I was looking for. Do yourself a favour. Don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do the wrong thing. That attitude: Oh, it’s okay, God’s going to forgive me anyway, that’s is going to rob you of your freedom quicker than I can say Jack Robinson. So:

As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. (1 Peter 2:16)

It’s amazing how we allow the little foxes to come in and spoil the vine. We justify them to ourselves and to others … but one day you’ll wake up, and not only has the vine stopped bearing fruit, it’s dying. Don’t squander your freedom.

Instead, live in it with great joy, with a complete surrender of your life to Jesus, to go out and to serve others, with the incredible gifts, the abilities that God has given you. You are so special. You have abilities and insights that are completely unique. You’re one of a kind. And the joy, the satisfaction that comes from spending your gifts and your abilities, your time and your resources, on other people, on pouring God’s love and grace and mercy out on those other people is absolutely incredible!

Maybe you already know that … but isn’t it so easy to lose sight of what God put you on this earth for, when the mundane things of life, the basic busyness of making it through each day, takes over? It is, isn’t it? I just feel that God wants to give you a nudge today, a reminder today. If the joy of living your freedom in Christ has kind of, well ... evaporated, it’s time for a reality check.

What little foxes have crept in and started spoiling your vine? Hmm? What sin do you need to deal with and repent of? And what opportunities has God set before you to use your gifts, your abilities, to pour His love out to a lost and hurting world? What people has God placed around you, who desperately need to experience His love … through you, hmm?