FREEDOM IS ONLY IN CHRIST.....

1 Peter 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

After the meetings these last few weeks at city hall and having listened to some who would argue that Freedom is Freedom to do anything you want. I thought it might be time to show just what it is to be Free and to experience Freedom.

First of Freedom can ONLY be achieved when one is no longer bound by forces he is in no control over. The Word of God states plainly that man is, without Christ BOUND, whether he recognizes the fact or not, and that until he is unbound he is NOT FREE either to think rightly or to understand his bondage.

The Bible declares that Satan ( the Devil) has brought lost folks into Bondage and that only the teaching of the Word of God and God's gift of repentance through hearing the word can bring forgiveness and freedom from that bondage:

2 Timothy 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Not only Lost folks but even Christians can be brought into bondage through he snares of the Devil: In Relation to Pastors( Bishops) the Apostle Paul tell Timothy

1Timothy 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
1Ti 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

And Peter also declares:

1Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

And So Jesus States to those who thought Freedom was a natural birth right:

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

As you can see .. SIN is a Slave Master, those who are unforgiven or in rebellion are not FREE and have NO Freedom because they are the SLAVES to SIN. The Drunk can not understand Freedom until he is FREE to serve GOD through being SET FREE from the service to sin though the redemption which can only be found in Christ Jesus.

So Paul describes:

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

And

James Declares:

Jam 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death

Therefore the LORD told Brother Paul that the reason he was saving him and sending him to preach was:

Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me

.

So understanding that Freedom is being made free from the law of sin and death, and being Free from Sin ruling all your decisions, it is easier for the Christian to understand that Freedom is not Freedom to Choose sin and depravity. The Sinner who blithers on about his freedom of Choice has no concept that he is choosing as his master demands, he has chosen to reject the truth and so blindness has over come him and he has lost the ability to do anything other then serve sin. The Bible even declares that the very prayers of the wicked are SIN.

Psalm 109:7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

He may even have so rejected the Truth that sets a man free that God himself will send the a delusion;

2 Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

You wonder how a person can do and say things that are completely contrary to all that you as a Christian knows is right and obvious.

Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

They have chose their master and so in many cases God will simply allow them to continue in blindness, a delusion.. they are so deluded that they think that they are in fact Serving God! Even when the persecute you for really serving God. Look what Jesus said about them:

John 16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
John 16:3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

They think, in their Blindness that they see ; however Jesus warns

Mat 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

The delusion that Darkness is Light!

Jesus said that many would say unto him LORD LORD... but they would not enter into the Kingdom of God. They would profess to him that they sat with him and worked miracles and cast out devil and did many wonderful works and yet Jesus will profess to them that he never knew them... you see their Light was really darkness ( Matt 7:21)

So Freedom is being Set free from Sin by Forgiveness of Sin through the redemption of you from the Sin that you were sold into. Sin was your master. Death was your reality and Satan was your KING and Captor. So Jesus Christ Came and Died in your place to pay for your sin with his blood and life. a Ransom for all who call upon him.

Jesus put it THIS WAY:

Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

and Paul explained through the Inspiration of GOD:

1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Heb 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

FREE to Serve Christ . To Be Christ's Slave_ IS to be FREE.

Man was Created to BE Free however Sin changed that.

Free to walk with God. Free to BE with God. FREEDOM was therefore part of Mans nature.
Sin corrupted that nature. Satan/ the Devil/ the Thief , Brought man out of Gods Freedom of LIFE and PEACE into his Slavery where SIN and DEATH rule. Jesus came that they might have that Life restored!

Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

When folks attempt to convince you that freedom is means unbridled ability to do as they please and accuse you of being a hypocite for standing up for Gods law and standards what they are really being told to do by their MASTER is to tell you to TURN OFF THE REAL LIGHT so that they can continue in their sin undisturbed by true TRUTH, FREEDOM AND LIBERTY that can only be found in Jesus Christ and Service to him.

Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

The preacher











Barns Notes on 1 Peter 2:16 :

They were not to submit to the chains of slavery; not to allow their consciences to be bound, or their essential liberty to be interfered with; nor in their subjection to the civil magistrate were they ever to regard themselves otherwise than as freemen. As a matter of fact, Christianity has always been the friend and promoter of liberty. Its influence emancipated the slaves throughout the Roman Empire; and all the civil freedom which we enjoy, and which there is in the world, can be traced to the influence of the Christian religion. To spread the gospel in its purity everywhere would be to break every yoke of oppression and bondage, and to make people everywhere free. It is the essential right of every man who is a Christian to be a freeman - to be free to worship God; to read the Bible; to enjoy the avails of his own labor; to train up his children in the way in which he shall deem best; to form his own plans of life, and to pursue his own ends, provided only that he does not interfere with the equal rights of others - and every system which prevents this, whether it be that of civil government, of ecclesiastical law, or of domestic slavery, is contrary to the religion of the Saviour.....The apostle has reference to an abuse of freedom, which has often occurred. The pretence of these who have acted in this manner has been, that the freedom of the gospel implied deliverance from all kinds of restraint; that they were under no yoke, and bound by no laws; that, being the children of God, they had a right to all kinds of enjoyment and indulgence; that even the moral law ceased to bind them, and that they had a right to make the most of liberty in all respects. Hence, they have given themselves up to all sorts of sensual indulgence, claiming exemption from the restraints of morality as well as of civil law, and sinking into the deepest abyss of vice. Not a few have done this who have professed to be Christians; and, occasionally, a fanatical sect now appears who make the freedom which they say Christianity confers, a pretext for indulgence in the most base and degrading vices. The apostles saw this tendency in human nature, and in nothing are they more careful than to guard against this abuse.
But as the servants of God - Not free from all restraint; not at liberty to indulge in all things, but bound to serve God in the faithful obedience of his laws. Thus bound to obey and serve him, they could not be at liberty to indulge in those things which would be in violation of his laws, and which would dishonor him.