{"id":47,"date":"2010-07-04T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2010-07-04T16:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=47"},"modified":"2017-03-29T10:09:45","modified_gmt":"2017-03-29T17:09:45","slug":"freedom-use-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2010\/07\/04\/freedom-use-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Freedom! Use it. Don\u2019t abuse it."},"content":{"rendered":"

Galatians 5:1,13-25 | July 4, 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

I get my haircut by a lady who has a shop in Petaluma. Now before I go on I want to make something clear.\u00a0 Your pastor does not have\u00a0 a hair stylist cut his hair. I think of her as a barber.<\/p>\n

Now let me tell you about her.\u00a0 She grew up in Vietnam.\u00a0 Because her dad supported South Vietnam, her family was made to live in poverty.\u00a0 She told me that many a night she went to bed hungry.\u00a0 One man complained.\u00a0 He disappeared never to be seen again.\u00a0 They couldn’t live in the city. They couldn’t get a good education.\u00a0 She was able to come here about 12 years ago.\u00a0 Then she said something that really caught my attention.\u00a0 If someone could spend one day in my country, they would really appreciate living here in the United States.<\/em><\/p>\n

We who have grown up in these United States with all the freedoms this country bestows\u00a0 can learn something from people like that.\u00a0 Here she has found freedom and opportunity she did not know in Vietnam.\u00a0 She can live where she wants.\u00a0 She can build her business.\u00a0 She doesn’t have to worry that the police are watching her every move.<\/p>\n

It’s easy for us to take those freedoms for granted. Don’t.\u00a0 They came at a terrible cost of blood and life.\u00a0 But it’s also easy to use our freedoms in ways we shouldn’t.<\/p>\n

Well today the apostle Paul talks about freedom.\u00a0 A freedom that is far more precious than any other.\u00a0 The freedom that is ours in Christ.\u00a0 How do we use that freedom?\u00a0 The inspired apostle\u00a0 speaks very directly.\u00a0 In so many words he says:<\/p>\n

Freedom!\u00a0 Use it. Don’t abuse it.
\n<\/strong>I.\u00a0 \u00a0Christ has set you free
\nII.\u00a0 Serve one another.
\nIII\u00a0\u00a0 Follow the Spirit’s lead<\/p>\n

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery<\/span>.\u00a0 Paul paints a grim picture of life without Christ. He calls it a yoke of slavery.<\/em> You know what a yoke was.\u00a0 It’s a heavy wooden bar that hitched an animal to a heavy load. But Paul is not talking about animals. He’s talking about people. He’s talking about life without Christ, a yoke of slavery<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Here Paul must have been scratching his head.\u00a0 These Christisns were allowing some false teachers to steal their freedom and yoke them up again to a terrible burden – God’s law.\u00a0 You see, without Christ we are slaves to that law which tests our every word, which examines every motive in our hearts.\u00a0 We are slaves to the 10 commandments which hold us accountable for every loveless action, every careless word that comes from our lips. We are slaves to a standard that we cannot keep and the Law’s just verdict on us all.\u00a0 The wages of sin is death.<\/p>\n

That’s the burden we once bore. But here is the good news . Christ has set you free.\u00a0\u00a0 Think about it this way.\u00a0 I need someone to come up here.\u00a0 (Signs hung around the neck) What did Jesus do?\u00a0 He took our guilt.\u00a0 (Signs now on my neck)\u00a0 He took it to the cross where he suffered for it all.\u00a0 Then God raised him from the grave to announce, your sin is forgiven.<\/p>\n

So Christ has set you free.\u00a0 Think about your freedom. \u00a0Instead of gnawing doubts and fears, he offers you peace and hope.\u00a0 The peace of knowing that we are God’s children whom he will never leave or forsake.\u00a0 Instead of slavery to death, he gives you to right to look death in the eye and say:\u00a0\u00a0 No.\u00a0 I will live because my Savior lives. <\/em> And when you were baptized into Christ, the Holy Spirit set you free from something else.\u00a0 Sin shall not be your master.<\/span>..\u00a0 Paul writes in Romans 5.\u00a0\u00a0 For Christ has set you free to live a new life.<\/p>\n

I’m thinking about a room filled with anxious men.\u00a0 They were anxious because they had just composed a document that declared their freedom and independence from the King of England. They were anxious because they knew by signing it they could be hung for treason.\u00a0 I wonder how it went.\u00a0 The time had come to sign the document.\u00a0 Was there a pregnant pause when each man hesitated.\u00a0 If there was such a silence, it was broken by a man came forward to sign his name in big bold letters.\u00a0 John Hancock was standing firm in the freedom he believed was his.<\/p>\n

Well, you stand firm.\u00a0 Stand firm in the good news of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Don’t let anything or anyone trip you up.\u00a0\u00a0 Don’t let Satan make you a slave again to guilt or fear.\u00a0 No matter how you feel or how things seem you , say with the authority God gives.\u00a0 I belong to Christ and in him I am free.<\/p>\n

But that freedom brings us each day to choices.\u00a0 Choices to honor and obey God or dis<\/em> him.\u00a0\u00a0 How am I going to use my freedom. That’s what Paul speaks of here. Freedom. Use it. \u00a0don’t abuse it. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Think about this great country.\u00a0 We enjoy many freedoms.\u00a0 But sometimes those freedoms are used in ways our founding fathers never intended. We have freedom of speech and the press.\u00a0 That freedom is used to put all kinds of smut on the internet. It ‘s used to fill the airwaves with programs that showcase violence and the stinking sewerage of our society.\u00a0 We also have the freedom to go from place to place.\u00a0 How sad to see that freedom abused to traffic drugs like meth that destroys so many lives.\u00a0 Those freedoms were never intended to be used that way.<\/p>\n

The same can be said with the freedom we enjoy in Christ. 13<\/sup><\/span><\/strong> For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh..<\/span>.\u00a0 How does my sinful nature abuse my freedom?\u00a0 Think about it.\u00a0 We can treat God’s forgiveness \u00a0like a license, some kind of permission to sin.\u00a0 I know its wrong to divorce my spouse, I know it’s wrong to live with my boyfriend, I know its wrong, but God will forgive me<\/em>.\u00a0 That’s twisted.<\/p>\n

We also abuse our freedom when we don’t control our tongues.\u00a0 Jesus suffered and died for the ugly things we have said.\u00a0 Things that have hurt and torn down others.\u00a0 In Christ, You are forgiven. \u00a0\u00a0Don’t abuse that freedom by biting and devouring<\/em> the people around you with ugly gossip and rumors.\u00a0 Instead he warns us.\u00a0 You’ll destroy each other.<\/p>\n

Rather use your freedom as God intends.\u00a0 And that starts with an attitude.\u00a0 Not the attitude of what’s in for me.\u00a0 Rather this attitude that Paul says sums up the whole law. Love<\/span>.\u00a0 Love that looks to the needs of others.\u00a0 You and I have \u00a0been on the receiving end of God’s awesome love.\u00a0 Be on the giving end.\u00a0 Freedom, use it. Use it as God intended.\u00a0 Serve one another in love<\/strong>.\u00a0 Serve one another and follow the Spirit’s lead.<\/strong><\/p>\n

16<\/sup><\/span><\/strong> But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17<\/sup><\/strong> For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do<\/span>.\u00a0 We are free yet we are in a struggle. Every one of us still has a sinful nature that pulls us away from God.\u00a0\u00a0 Paul says that direction is obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20<\/sup><\/strong> idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21<\/sup><\/strong> envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these<\/span> Each of us can find ourselves here.\u00a0 Too often we have abused our freedom to give into our sinful nature. But the Christian does not just go with the flow.\u00a0 We\u00a0 struggle.\u00a0 We repent.\u00a0 We crucify our sinful nature with its passions and desires. We slam it to the mat\u00a0 with \u00a0words like these: I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God<\/span>.<\/p>\n

You \u00a0see, the Holy Spirit has given us a new heart, a new spirit that pulls in such a different direction:\u00a0 22<\/sup><\/span><\/strong> But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23<\/sup><\/strong> gentleness, self-control; <\/span>So use your freedom as God intends. Follow the Spirit’s lead. For He points you to Jesus where God drenches you with\u00a0 his love and forgiveness.\u00a0 He points you to his Word where God comes to you with so many precious promises.\u00a0 Like this one. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.<\/span> Or this one: I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, I will help you<\/span>.\u00a0 (Is 41: ) Or this one:\u00a0 To live in Christ, to die is gain.<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s freedom, dear friends, even better than the freedom of July 4th.\u00a0 That’s freedom.\u00a0 Stand firm in it. Use it, don’t abuse it.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Galatians 5:1,13-25 | July 4, 2010 I get my haircut by a lady who has a shop in Petaluma. Now before I go on I want to make something clear.\u00a0 Your pastor does not have\u00a0 a hair stylist cut his hair. I think of her as a barber. Now let me tell you about her.\u00a0 She grew up in Vietnam.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":857,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47\/revisions\/857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}