Freedom

Posted by anointedplace on October 29, 2010 · 5 Comments 

Luke 16:12-14

12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18

16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

What we consider as being freedom, having freedom or whatever gives us freedom is also our master and we the servant. How can I say such a thing? When we feel free or have a sense of liberty by doing something, having something, being apart of something or being with someone; we naturally long to keep it. Our desire to have that continued feeling drives us to do whatever it takes to maintain that freedom. It’s almost like an addiction. Whatever has given us this freedom can quickly take that freedom away, exchanging joy for bondage. When truth starts to chip away at it we will exchange the truth for a lie just to keep this “freedom” (Romans 1). We will shed off whatever hinders us from enjoying this “freedom” even our conscience.

Reading this you would think that everything that brings joy or happiness is evil. No, that’s not necessarily true in fact every good gift comes from God above (James 1:16-18). It is when the love of this thing or source of freedom gets out of hand. Its when the focus shifts away from Christ. Once freedom becomes the center of worship, that’s when we are in danger. This is when God is no longer our true love and no we can’t have our cake and eat it to. This thirst for this “freedom” rips away at our contentment with the blessings and timing of God.

1 Timothy 6:5-9

5and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. also see Job 36:10-12

This not having enough leads us to covetousness and idol worship of freedom and the source of it. Our sinful nature pounces on this like a loin and feeds off it.

Worship
S: (v) idolize, idolise, worship, hero-worship, revere (love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol) “Many teenagers idolized the Beatles”
S: (v) worship (show devotion to (a deity)) “Many Hindus worship Shiva”

Adjective
S: (adj) adored, idolized, idolised, worshipped (regarded with deep or rapturous love (especially as if for a god)) “adored grandchildren”; “an idolized wife”

a feeling of profound love and admiration

When we begin to work at being free or work to obtain freedom; the lack of freedom or the search for it becomes the master. As it now dictates our lives and how we live it out. Don’t servants serve their master by fulfilling his will? Don’t they do whatever the master wants? Doesn’t a good servant’s desires become like his master’s desires. Don’t the servant wish to make the master happy or to please him? So doesn’t freedom say obtain more freedom? Doesn’t freedom tell us we are not happy enough yet? Freedom then says, to be truly free you must serve yourself. This type of freedom urges us to be our own god ( Genesis 3).

Romans 6:13-22

13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

If we are by nature sinners (Romans 7, 8, 13, Galatians 6 and Ephesians 2) how can we expect not to crave a freedom who’s foundation is not in sin? We were born only knowing sin until God the Father called us out of bondage. To truly be free we must establish our ways in Christ so that we can be free from sin. To be free from sin is to have the power to freely be what we were created for. 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

If there is anyone among you who still feel that salvation, justification, redemption, atonement, love, grace, mercy, hope, faith, and freedom is about them doing their will don’t know Christ. Neither do they know Christ but they don’t have the Holy Spirit, as His duty is to glorify Christ. And in us, He (the Holy Spirit) works to transform us into Christ’s image. Freedom is about being able to be who you are and to act on your purpose for being without hindrance. Sin blocks that, wanting to be god blocks that, wanting to follow after the world blocks that and to desire to be apart of what those who do not know God are doing also blocks that. It is like being on the Ark with Noah watching the world drown in their sin and the wrath of God yet we are trying to just ship to join them. Better yet we question God as to why they are drowning and call Him unjust. All because we lust after their temporal things. We prefer temporal blessings over eternal blessing. Because temporal and momentary success equates to freedom in our minds. But they are just yokes leading us to hell and eternal separation from God.

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