As you go about your last minute preparations for Christmas I want to remind you of something.
The Word became flesh and lived among us.
As you ready the house for guests or pack to be one let me remind you that:
Christ Jesus made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
As we celebrate the birth and gift of Christ allow me to point your mind not to the end at the cross but to the beginning.
God became man
The Creator became the created.
The infinite became the finite.
Isaiah 53:2-3
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
He was despised…the original Hebrew carries these meanings as well:
to be despicable
to be vile, worthless
Rejected…..or:
transient, fleeting, lacking
A man of sorrows….also:
Pain, sorrow
Physical pain
Mental pain
From whom men hide their faces…as in:
hiding, act of hiding, one who causes people to hide
It is easier to look at the cross, with all of its pain and anguish, than to look at the Christ who made himself nothing.
You see even the horror of the cross can be tolerated because it has a hero’s end.
I am not trivializing the cross, but I think we have trivialized the birth of God as man.
We have cleaned it up and portrayed it in beautiful wood carvings and crystal shapes.
The nativity was and is a glorious event.
“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God…”
However, we often times forget to see in it God lowering himself. We forget to see that Jesus was not a hero.
Christ was not born to a king or even a wealthy family. He was born to a laborer and a poor family.
Jesus was homeless, a transient. When others saw him they pretended not to see him.
As Jesus grew and lived and walked this earth he was not beautiful.
His appearance caused people to hide.
To others he was despicable, vile and worthless.
He lived in pain.
It is hard. You see, that is my God and my Savior. I do not want to see Him that way. The pictures tell me he is tall and lovely with a look of peace on his face. The movies show him to have a nice easy gate and to move swiftly about. He is smooth voiced and well spoken.
However, scripture tells me that God did not just become a man. He became a lowly man.
When we look from the nativity straight to the cross we miss the humility and lowering of God.
We miss the God who became nothing and took the very nature of a servant.
We miss the God who had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
We miss the God who was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. We miss the God who was one from whom men hide their faces.
Before you continue the activities and demands of Christmas reflect on the true picture and nature of the nativity and the true nature and picture of the Christ.
As you do remember the words of that Christ:
You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am.
I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master… John 13:13, 16
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
freedom in forgiveness (3 of 4)
Over the first few messages we have looked at this verse:
Galatians 5:1
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. MSG
I have talked about the yoke of slavery being the bondage to sin that we are each born with.
This bondage came to mankind as a result of Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden. Since that time we all have had in us a desire to go against what we know is right.
Our freedom from this yoke was paid for BY CHRIST through his sacrifice.
We have been set free from condemnation
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
We have been set free from the lies of Satan when he tells us we are worthless
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
In order to be free we must first acknowledge that we are slaves to our sin and we need to be released.
The story of the Pharisee and the prostitute (LUKE 7) gives us a good picture of this.
Jesus forgave the prostitute of her many sins because she came to him broken and realized her love and need for him.
Last year my family and I, through our church, were delivering Thanksgiving groceries to families in the neighborhood. We took with us a man called “Crazy”, a friend of ours from church. Crazy – for all practical purposes - was homeless, but he made it to church more often than most of us. He rarely failed to tell someone, “Jesus loves you!”. Crazy believed it and wanted you to know it and believe it too. At some point during the evening while in our car I asked Crazy if he would pray. I don’t remember much of what he prayed. However, I do remember that I was near tears when he finished. I also remember this line, “Lord you know that I take much more than I ever give…”
We do not have to be homeless to be broken. God wants each of us to realize that it is not because of any great thing we have done or not done that he accepts us. It is because we go to Him broken and honestly say I take much more than I ever give.
Hebrews 8:12 tells us that we have been set free from living with the guilt of our sin
For I will forgive their wickedness
And will remember their sins NO MORE
In the last message/post I wrote about this total forgiveness being a difficult concept to fully grasp.
It is difficult because we look at GOD”S FORGIVENESS through our human experience of forgiveness.
HUMAN FORGIVENESS OFTEN HAS STRINGS ATTACHED WE SAY THINGS LIKE
“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”
OR
WE DO NOT FORGET THE OFFENSE
“that’s not what happened last time”
“you keep doing this”
OR
WE FORGIVE WITH RESERVATION
“I shouldn’t forgive you of this”
“you don’t deserve a second chance”
Our human examples are not examples of true forgiveness at all.
Our example should be God who says, “For I will forgive their wickedness, and will remember their sins no more.”
This is the God that offers you forgiveness and freedom.
· The God that used Abraham, who did not trust God, to build a nation
· The God that called David, an adulterer and murder, “a man after my own heart”
· The God that redeemed Peter after he denied Christ 3 times.
· The God that TRANSFORMED Saul who was persecuting and killing the Christians to take the Gospel to the non Jewish world.
This struggle to understand and accept forgiveness is not a flesh and blood battle or a mental battle but a spiritual battle.
EPHESIANS 6:12
For 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.
This week we are going to look at living in freedom and forgiving others.
Matthew 18:21-35
21At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?"
22Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
23-25"The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.
26-27"The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.
28"The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, 'Pay up. Now!'
29-31"The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' But he wouldn't do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
32-35"The king summoned the man and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?' The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy."
MSG
MATTHEW 6:14-15
14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
We can acknowledge our need for forgiveness and accept it and live in it, BUT if we do not choose to forgive others as we have been forgiven WE ARE NOT FREE
WE HAVE CHOSEN TO PICK UP THAT YOKE AND PUT IT RIGHT BACK ON
WHY
What good does it do any of us to keep from forgiving somebody?
We get wrapped up in thinking that they do not deserve to be forgiven and forget that neither did we.
OUR DESIRE SHOULD BE TO FORGIVE LIKE GOD WHO DELIGHTS IN SHOWING MERCY
Who 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. Micah 7:18
The passages in Matthew are pretty straight forward. We cannot be forgiven if we refuse to forgive. When God says things like this through His word we often want to ignore it and pretend it isn’t there.
Instead we need to deal with the unforgiveness no matter what happened, how long ago it happened, or how many times it happened.
Mercy is unmerited forgiveness.
Follow the example of God. Delight in showing mercy.
Stop reading now and begin to forgive and remember it no more.
Allow healing to take place in your life and the lives of the others.
DELIGHT IN SHOWING MERCY
EXAMPLES
Exodus 23:5
If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it.
Proverbs 25:21
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
Matthew 5:44
But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you
1 Thessalonians 5:15
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
WHO SHOULD WE FORGIVE
Luke 23:34 – JESUS ON THE CROSS
34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Stoning of Steven Acts 7:54-60
54When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
It is clear from these examples that we should forgive all even those who do not ask to be forgiven
SEARCH OUR HEARTS GOD THAT WE MAY LIVE IN FREEDOM
Galatians 5:1
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. MSG
I have talked about the yoke of slavery being the bondage to sin that we are each born with.
This bondage came to mankind as a result of Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden. Since that time we all have had in us a desire to go against what we know is right.
Our freedom from this yoke was paid for BY CHRIST through his sacrifice.
We have been set free from condemnation
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
We have been set free from the lies of Satan when he tells us we are worthless
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
In order to be free we must first acknowledge that we are slaves to our sin and we need to be released.
The story of the Pharisee and the prostitute (LUKE 7) gives us a good picture of this.
Jesus forgave the prostitute of her many sins because she came to him broken and realized her love and need for him.
Last year my family and I, through our church, were delivering Thanksgiving groceries to families in the neighborhood. We took with us a man called “Crazy”, a friend of ours from church. Crazy – for all practical purposes - was homeless, but he made it to church more often than most of us. He rarely failed to tell someone, “Jesus loves you!”. Crazy believed it and wanted you to know it and believe it too. At some point during the evening while in our car I asked Crazy if he would pray. I don’t remember much of what he prayed. However, I do remember that I was near tears when he finished. I also remember this line, “Lord you know that I take much more than I ever give…”
We do not have to be homeless to be broken. God wants each of us to realize that it is not because of any great thing we have done or not done that he accepts us. It is because we go to Him broken and honestly say I take much more than I ever give.
Hebrews 8:12 tells us that we have been set free from living with the guilt of our sin
For I will forgive their wickedness
And will remember their sins NO MORE
In the last message/post I wrote about this total forgiveness being a difficult concept to fully grasp.
It is difficult because we look at GOD”S FORGIVENESS through our human experience of forgiveness.
HUMAN FORGIVENESS OFTEN HAS STRINGS ATTACHED WE SAY THINGS LIKE
“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”
OR
WE DO NOT FORGET THE OFFENSE
“that’s not what happened last time”
“you keep doing this”
OR
WE FORGIVE WITH RESERVATION
“I shouldn’t forgive you of this”
“you don’t deserve a second chance”
Our human examples are not examples of true forgiveness at all.
Our example should be God who says, “For I will forgive their wickedness, and will remember their sins no more.”
This is the God that offers you forgiveness and freedom.
· The God that used Abraham, who did not trust God, to build a nation
· The God that called David, an adulterer and murder, “a man after my own heart”
· The God that redeemed Peter after he denied Christ 3 times.
· The God that TRANSFORMED Saul who was persecuting and killing the Christians to take the Gospel to the non Jewish world.
This struggle to understand and accept forgiveness is not a flesh and blood battle or a mental battle but a spiritual battle.
EPHESIANS 6:12
For 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.
This week we are going to look at living in freedom and forgiving others.
Matthew 18:21-35
21At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?"
22Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
23-25"The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.
26-27"The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.
28"The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, 'Pay up. Now!'
29-31"The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' But he wouldn't do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
32-35"The king summoned the man and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?' The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy."
MSG
MATTHEW 6:14-15
14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
We can acknowledge our need for forgiveness and accept it and live in it, BUT if we do not choose to forgive others as we have been forgiven WE ARE NOT FREE
WE HAVE CHOSEN TO PICK UP THAT YOKE AND PUT IT RIGHT BACK ON
WHY
What good does it do any of us to keep from forgiving somebody?
We get wrapped up in thinking that they do not deserve to be forgiven and forget that neither did we.
OUR DESIRE SHOULD BE TO FORGIVE LIKE GOD WHO DELIGHTS IN SHOWING MERCY
Who 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. Micah 7:18
The passages in Matthew are pretty straight forward. We cannot be forgiven if we refuse to forgive. When God says things like this through His word we often want to ignore it and pretend it isn’t there.
Instead we need to deal with the unforgiveness no matter what happened, how long ago it happened, or how many times it happened.
Mercy is unmerited forgiveness.
Follow the example of God. Delight in showing mercy.
Stop reading now and begin to forgive and remember it no more.
Allow healing to take place in your life and the lives of the others.
DELIGHT IN SHOWING MERCY
EXAMPLES
Exodus 23:5
If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it.
Proverbs 25:21
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
Matthew 5:44
But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you
1 Thessalonians 5:15
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
WHO SHOULD WE FORGIVE
Luke 23:34 – JESUS ON THE CROSS
34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Stoning of Steven Acts 7:54-60
54When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
It is clear from these examples that we should forgive all even those who do not ask to be forgiven
SEARCH OUR HEARTS GOD THAT WE MAY LIVE IN FREEDOM
Thursday, December 11, 2008
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.
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.
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