STAND FAST – STAY FREE!!!

What is your concept of freedom? 
Is it based on some political definition? 
Is it based on some empty promise? 
Please understand true freedom and how to maintain it. It has nothing to do with where you live, where you are politically, how rich or poor you may be, where you work or your education. Freedom has nothing to do with how evil your leaders are or how hard your circumstances may be. Freedom comes from God and it is for every person on the planet who will accept it. 

These verses say everything that needs to be said about it. Read them and then I want to help you make it personal. (All verses are NLT version unless noted otherwise noted.)

John 8:36   So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

Galatians 5:1   Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (KJV)

I have long said that the verse that puts the Gospel in a nut shell is

Matthew 4:17,   From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent:  for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The freedom these verses refer to is the freedom from the penalty of sin (IE eternal death) and the freedom to live a life in God’s kingdom. Every concept of freedom in the New Testament is relative to God giving people the power to live free from what leads to eternal death and to live as His kids in His Kingdom. It is even first in the list of the primary characteristics of His Kingdom,

Romans 14:17   For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (KJV)

Just think about Matt. 4:17 and Rom. 14:17. Take your hand and pit it over your face. Let your fingertips touch your for head and your palm cover your mouth. That’s how close God’s righteousness, and peace, and joy are to you. 

Unfortunately, too many people, Christians included, do not appreciate the magnitude of this freedom, nor the cost. The cost was explicitly displayed in the movie, “The Passion” that was in theaters some years ago. I encourage every person to see that movie at least once and let it get deep into your heart. In 2009 I spent about five weeks in a hospital, bed ridden and unable to function or sleep very much. This gave me too much time to “channel surf” day and night. I saw an old “religious” movie that showed Jesus on the cross. My mind and heart were greatly troubled because He was clean, there was no blood in the image and there was no indication of the horror of the torture and of His crucifixion. Though the medications that were giving me were messing with my head, the Lord spoke very clearly to my heart, “You cannot preach a bloodless Gospel.”

With Christ’s righteousness becoming that of the believer through repentance and forgiveness we begin to experience the personal magnitude of real Freedom – peace and joy in the midst of all of life. Even in the midst of the worst adversity or sorrow His peace and joy are available. Again, too many people try to mistakenly substitute the concept of peace for absence of war. They also make the same mistake by using joy and happiness as synonymous. God’s peace and joy are available even on the most horrendous of battlefields or adversities of life.

Psalm 23:5   You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.

Psalm 31:20   You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues

This verse from Psalm 31:20 uses the phrase, “   shelter of your presence…” This verse is the key to experiencing the magnitude of the freedom and the key to maintaining it. Look where that joy and peace are found,

Psalm 16:11   You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

One fall day in 1975 I was sitting in a car with my pastor Dale Hunter. He led our small country church in the middle of New York State. He was one of a few men I am eternally grateful for because God used them to shape me in those early years of my life with Christ and as a newlywed. That day he said something to me very strongly, and with hindsight I can say prophetically, “Andy, TAKE A STAND.” At the time I had little idea of what he meant but as life progressed, and still today, taking a stand has many important applications in all areas of life, especially in standing against the enemy of our soul who persistently tries to cause us to stumble into sin, tries to provoke us to say or do something stupid, something that will have bad, long term repercussions. After all, wasn’t that what the devil did in the Garden with Adam and Eve? In today’s America, it is more crucial than ever that we take a stand for what is right, for Biblical principles to again permeate our government and that those who will serve in the fear of the Lord get elected.

Galatians 5:1   Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (KJV)

Eph. 6:13   Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

OK, MY BAD

Part of that stance is that our personal integrity be beyond challenge. There’s an expression way over used in today’s culture. When it becomes obvious that someone made a mistake, big or small, they’ll say, “OK, my bad.” This is like an easy way of getting out of full admittance of guilt then quickly moving on, ending the conversation. I found this as bad, or worse, than making excuses. Do you know the definition of

excuse? “The skin of a reason wrapped around a lie.” These are big reveals of the lack of integrity or trustworthiness. Professionally, these kinds of attitudes will jeopardize your job, stop any chance for advancement and you will lose customers. I don’t do business with those I can’t trust and don’t hesitate to warn others to stay clear of a merchant lacking integrity. As a Christian, these detract from your testimony, you are not able to point people to Jesus, they see through it and consider you a hypocrite. This doesn’t appear to be the freedom Christ died to give you does It?

In this paragraph I just described an unacceptable behavior. You either thought “Amen,” or “Oh Jesus help me” or both. It’s just like the 10 Commandments, the law of God. If we try to live 100% using our own capabilities we mess up. Let’s look at how the Apostle Paul puts in Romans 7

WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

Rom. 7:21   I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.

22   I love God’s law with all my heart.

23   But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.

24   Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

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25   Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Can you feel Paul’s frustration? If you’ve say you’ve never experienced it too your lying. When I mess up I am my own worst enemy. I usually don’t need someone to “call me on the carpet” because I am already busy beating myself up. The next chapter in Romans will relieve that frustration and set you free.

TEXT SLIDE

THERE IS NO EXCUSE TO STAY IN THE BONDAGE OF SIN.

LIVE IN FREEDOM, TAKE YOUR STAND
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Rom. 8:1   So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

2   And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

3   The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.

4   He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

5   Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.

If realizing the magnitude of the freedom we have in Christ, cost of it, and  understanding the that we are in a battle to STAND FAST IN THAT LIBERTY, I ask you to make the following commitments. Share what you vow with someone you trust to be accountable in confidentiality to concerning these vows. I'll be glad to respond to any comments you put below, they are not public unless I publish them. 

  

    1.   I fully accept the freedom Jesus died that I might have.

    2.   I fully intend to live a life pleasing in the sight of the Lover of My Soul

    3.   I refuse to surrender to the lies of the enemy

   4.   I will not make excuses for shortcomings, mistakes, or the sins I commit but rather repent and thankfully embrace forgiveness at the foot of the Cross.

    5.   I will walk in the reality of:

          Galatians 5:1   Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath          made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage 

LIVE IN FREEDOM, TAKE YOUR STAND.

Further reading – Romans 8, whole chapter.