freedom the beautiful life (2 of 4)

1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. NIV
Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. MSG
Galatians 5:1

I enjoy hiking. There is just something about it that I really love. I like to go to the top of the tallest point and look around as far as I can see. We often go hiking as a family, but sometimes I go alone – well the dog and I.
I think we all have a place of peace. Hiking is mine.
It is through hiking and in that place of peace that I re-connect with God.

There was a week not to long ago when I really needed that place of peace. I needed to connect with God. So I loaded up the dog and headed out to Palo Duro Canyon.
The first couple of days that week I was just down. I was in a funk and could not seem to pull out.
As I wrote about in my first message I knew I did not have to remain in that state.
When you live in freedom you are no longer tied to sin and Satan is no longer your master.
He wants to rip that freedom away from you. He wants to place you back in bondage. He wants you to be a slave.
It is key that each of us accept and claim our freedom.
It is key that we hold onto that freedom
Don’t hold on to guilt
Don’t listen to his lies that put these false labels on you
· You are unlovable
· You are unforgiveable
· God doesn’t want you – you’re not cool enough – you don’ have enough money
· Your too dirty for God to forgive – he knows what you looked at – he knows the things you’ve done in secret
· He does not want you
· You are trash

Even though I knew what to do I could not seem to let go and accept freedom.And like Galatians 5:1 says I let myself be burdened by the yoke of slavery. I was burdened down by all the thoughts in my head.
Thoughts of failure.
Thoughts of doubt.
The Bible refers to Satan as the father of lies. He deceives us with thoughts of failure and worthlessness. He leads us to feel like we have gone so far that we cannot turn back to God.

In the midst of my thoughts of failure and doubt that day God led me to this:Philippians 1:6
6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
God began to show me and remind me that I am His.
He started a good work in me. I am His creation, made in His image.
He is not going to give up on me and throw in the towel.
He is not going to try to return me to the store because I’m busted.
He began the work by creating me and calling me to freedom.
He will continue to pursue me and call me until the end.

The same is true for all of us.God created each of us. He gave us life. The good work began in us. That good work was continued when each of us is offered freedom.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Hebrews 8:12

Is the concept of total forgiveness – I will remember their sins no more - a concept we fully grasp and accept?

I don’t believe it is because we look at forgiveness though our human experience.

WE FORGIVE WITH STRINGS ATTACHED
“I forgive you BUT – don’t ever let it happen again”
“I forgive you BUT – you owe me”
“I forgive you BUT – you should not of done that”

WE DO NOT FORGET THE OFFENSE
“that’s not what happened last time”
“you keep doing this”

WE FORGIVE WITH RESERVATION
“I shouldn’t forgive you of this”
“you don’t deserve a second chance”

It is no wonder we struggle to understand and accept true forgiveness. Our human examples are not examples of true forgiveness at all.
Hebrews 8:12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins NO MORE

God is the God that offers you FORGIVENESS AND FREEDOM.
He is the God that used Abraham, who did not trust God to give him a son through his wife, to build a nation
He is the God that called David, who was an adulterer and a murder, “a man after my own heart”
He is the God that redeemed Peter after he denied Christ three times. The same Christ he followed and watched perform miracles for three years.
He is the God that transformed Saul, who was persecuting and killing Christians, and used him to take the Gospel to the non Jewish world.

Micah 7:18Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.

DELIGHT TO SHOW MERCY

Let me go back to my hike in the canyon. For those who have not been to the canyon or it has been a while. You drive down into the canyon down a winding two lane road. Once you are in the canyon the canyon walls are on both sides of the road. They are formed with different layers of colored earth. If you follow the road it eventually loops back around and sends you out of the canyon. From the road you do not see the whole canyon just a small part of it.
It was towards the furthest end of this road that Izzy, the dog, and I got out to hike.We began on a trail that was heading from the road up the canyon wall. As we began on the trail it was well worn and wide. It was obvious that many people had been on this part of the trail before. As we went further up and away from the road the trail narrowed. The cactus and mesquite encroached onto the path. We continued up until we climbed out of the canyon and onto the rim.
As we climbed out of the canyon it was difficult to find any trail at all. This particular place where we climbed out sits on a point. As you stand on this point you look back to your right and see where the road ends. You can see the road heading back out of the canyon.As you look back over your left you see and entire area that is not visible from the road. There is a whole other arm of the canyon that is not seen from the road. As you look straight ahead the canyon stretches out as far as you can see. Well beyond the road.

In our lives God sees the things we cannot see. He sees the places he is taking us. Off the road and up onto the rim of the Canyon. He sees the beautiful things that our lives will become if we would just allow him to lead us out of bondage and slavery and into freedom. HE DESIRES TO SHOWER US WITH HIS MERCY

However, sometimes we choose to remain in bondage and slavery. We see the big walls of the canyon. We see all the layers of junk and think or sins are too big to overcome. We see the narrowing paths and think it would be too difficult to forgive our sins.The price has been paid for our freedom but we listen to the lies. The lies begin to bring thoughts of doubt. From this we slip back into bondage. If we stay in bondage we will never get off the road. We will never see the beautiful things our lives could become.
That is what was happening with me at the beginning of that week. The reason I could not shake the thoughts and feelings I had that week was because as Ephesians 6 says our fight and struggle is not against flesh and blood.
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
You see I was trying to fight the thoughts of failure and doubt with my own thoughts, knowledge and understanding. I did not see the lies as lies. I thought they were truth. I did not see the real battle that was going on. Therefore, it was not until I claimed the truth of scripture, that Christ had set me free to live a free life, that I had freedom. It was not until I accepted freedom from slavery that I was free.

We each face a battle. We must first see our need for forgiveness. Once we see our sin we must accept that we can and will be forgiven. We must believe that God desires to show us mercy and will remember our sins no more.

Once we accept forgiveness we must stand firm and realize the battle still goes on. Satan will not give up on crushing each of us. He will continue to lie to us all. However, HE THAT BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL CARRY IT ON TO COMPLETION.

Stand firm. Trust God to lead you through the difficult path and over the canyon wall. Know that he has begun a good work in you. Believe that your life lived in freedom is a beautiful thing.



Verses of Freedom.

Hebrews 8:12For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

Romans 8:1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

2 Corinthians 5:17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Galatians 4:6-7Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

Galatians 2:20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

John 15:15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you

Philippians 4:4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Philippians 1:6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.2

Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.