WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:02.980 Last week, we wrapped up our journey through 00:00:02.980 --> 00:00:06.519 Paul's letter to the churches in Galatia. We 00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:09.480 went through all six chapters of that letter 00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:12.199 and we kind of broke it down into sections and 00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:16.559 we focused on this theme that is titled, Freedom 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:21.059 is Here. Because I wanted us to look at the idea 00:00:21.059 --> 00:00:24.960 that now that we are in Christ, Now because Christ 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:27.960 has died for us, He lived for us, He rose for 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:30.559 us, He has prepared a place for us, or is preparing 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:33.240 a place for us, because of Christ, we are now 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:37.560 free. Free from the bondage of sin, free from 00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:40.500 the bondage of tradition, free from the bondage 00:00:40.500 --> 00:00:44.890 of slavery, we are free. Paul's been fighting 00:00:44.890 --> 00:00:47.329 for the gospel. He's been fighting for that message, 00:00:47.429 --> 00:00:50.649 that freedom, reminding us that salvation isn't 00:00:50.649 --> 00:00:52.609 about rule keeping. It's not about religious 00:00:52.609 --> 00:00:55.829 performance. But it's simply about the freedom 00:00:55.829 --> 00:00:59.950 that Jesus Christ won for us through his life, 00:01:00.030 --> 00:01:02.950 his death, his burial, and his resurrection. 00:01:03.590 --> 00:01:08.079 The gospel is what we have been exploring. And 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:10.420 as we close this series, I want to focus on one 00:01:10.420 --> 00:01:12.640 verse that I think ties it all together, and 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:17.379 that's Galatians 5, verse 1. For freedom, Christ 00:01:17.379 --> 00:01:22.180 has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do 00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:27.439 not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Never 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:31.739 again. Don't submit to the yoke of slavery. Today 00:01:31.739 --> 00:01:34.200 I want to ask a few questions. I want to ask 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:40.920 us, what has Christ done? How? Why? And then 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:42.719 what now? We start with what has Christ done. 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:45.959 Paul says it plainly. Christ has set us free. 00:01:47.140 --> 00:01:50.599 He's freed us. He's broken the chains. He's unlocked 00:01:50.599 --> 00:01:54.540 the cell. He has freed us. Free from what though? 00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:56.599 We just talked about it. It's freedom from slavery. 00:01:56.920 --> 00:02:00.840 Slavery to sin. You know those old habits. The 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:04.180 addictions that they once owned you. That they 00:02:04.180 --> 00:02:06.829 crept up every once in a while. and they took 00:02:06.829 --> 00:02:08.770 hold of your life, they took hold of your heart, 00:02:08.789 --> 00:02:11.770 they took hold of your mind, free from those 00:02:11.770 --> 00:02:18.889 sins. Freed from religion. The slavery that we 00:02:18.889 --> 00:02:24.250 have that binds us to a man -made rule, man -made 00:02:24.250 --> 00:02:26.449 traditions, it's freed us from religion. I do 00:02:26.449 --> 00:02:29.949 believe that God has called us to relationship 00:02:29.949 --> 00:02:33.009 more than religion. That doesn't mean rules go 00:02:33.009 --> 00:02:35.259 out the window. That doesn't mean that there 00:02:35.259 --> 00:02:37.219 aren't some laws that we've got to follow, right? 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:40.520 But God has called us to a relationship with 00:02:40.520 --> 00:02:43.159 Him. The way that I put it is, me and my wife, 00:02:43.240 --> 00:02:45.539 we have a relationship together. I have some 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:47.960 rules that I've got to follow if I want to keep 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:50.740 that relationship intact, right? I've got to 00:02:50.740 --> 00:02:53.479 do some things in a good way or in an appropriate 00:02:53.479 --> 00:02:55.560 way if I want to keep that relationship intact. 00:02:55.680 --> 00:02:58.159 That's what God has called us to. So He's brought 00:02:58.159 --> 00:03:01.819 us away from this checklist, this legalistic... 00:03:02.270 --> 00:03:05.129 And now we have relationship with him. It's a 00:03:05.129 --> 00:03:08.750 freedom from slavery to religion. And now we 00:03:08.750 --> 00:03:13.930 also have a freedom from slavery to guilt and 00:03:13.930 --> 00:03:17.830 a slavery to shame. Because when we keep wearing 00:03:17.830 --> 00:03:20.469 the chains, when we put ourselves back in the 00:03:20.469 --> 00:03:25.289 cell that Christ has opened, we allow ourselves 00:03:25.289 --> 00:03:29.139 to be held captive by the enemy. And Christ came 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:31.419 so that we would not be held captive by the enemy, 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:33.759 but that we could have freedom. For freedom, 00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:39.039 Christ has set us free. Whatever it is for you, 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:40.960 whether it's the addiction, whether it's anger, 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:43.879 whether it's fear, whether it's the rule keeping, 00:03:44.060 --> 00:03:47.139 whatever it is for you that has held you captive, 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:50.879 Christ has come to free you from it. And not 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:52.860 only has he freed you from it, he says, leave 00:03:52.860 --> 00:03:57.900 it behind. Jesus already did the work. Jesus 00:03:57.900 --> 00:04:01.699 has already put the nails in his hands. He has 00:04:01.699 --> 00:04:03.659 hung on the cross. He has received the beating. 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:05.879 He has received the ridicule, the persecution, 00:04:05.900 --> 00:04:09.560 so that you and I could be free. Don't go back 00:04:09.560 --> 00:04:12.539 to it. Don't go back to it. And you know what 00:04:12.539 --> 00:04:15.659 I mean because maybe you've been freed from an 00:04:15.659 --> 00:04:18.279 addiction, but for some reason you slip back 00:04:18.279 --> 00:04:21.759 into it. Maybe you found yourself free from those 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:24.220 thoughts or free from those feelings, but every 00:04:24.220 --> 00:04:27.850 once in a while, you go back to it. Paul says 00:04:27.850 --> 00:04:32.069 don't do that. Don't go back. Don't submit again. 00:04:34.009 --> 00:04:37.009 And the next question is how? How did he set 00:04:37.009 --> 00:04:40.889 us free? Well, I want us to see what Paul says 00:04:40.889 --> 00:04:44.589 about this in another one of his letters in Philippians 00:04:44.589 --> 00:04:48.110 2, verses 5 -8. What Paul says is Christ Jesus, 00:04:48.250 --> 00:04:51.250 who though he was in the form of God, did not 00:04:51.250 --> 00:04:54.370 count equality with God a thing to be grasped. 00:04:54.550 --> 00:04:57.110 He didn't hold on to it. He didn't feel like 00:04:57.110 --> 00:04:59.290 he had to hold on to it. But he emptied himself. 00:04:59.509 --> 00:05:02.550 He gave himself up by taking the form of a servant. 00:05:02.629 --> 00:05:04.509 Now we're talking about God, the king of the 00:05:04.509 --> 00:05:06.730 universe, the creator of all. In John chapter 00:05:06.730 --> 00:05:08.550 1, he says, In the beginning was the Word, and 00:05:08.550 --> 00:05:10.730 the Word was God, and it was with God, and through 00:05:10.730 --> 00:05:16.329 the Word. This is that Word. This is God. And 00:05:16.329 --> 00:05:19.149 he came in the flesh and lived this life, a life 00:05:19.149 --> 00:05:21.610 of a servant, being born in the likeness of men 00:05:21.610 --> 00:05:24.629 and being found in human form. He humbled himself 00:05:24.629 --> 00:05:30.750 by becoming obedient to the point of death. Even 00:05:30.750 --> 00:05:34.110 death on a cross. That doesn't sound like royal 00:05:34.110 --> 00:05:37.490 treatment, does it? That doesn't sound like the 00:05:37.490 --> 00:05:41.350 spot for the king of the universe, the lord of 00:05:41.350 --> 00:05:44.720 hosts. That doesn't sound like a place for the 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:49.220 ruler of all to be a servant, to be like us. 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:54.459 I know how filthy and disgusting and sinful I 00:05:54.459 --> 00:05:57.720 am. And I think maybe you know that about yourself. 00:05:58.420 --> 00:06:01.220 And he says Jesus came and he lived the same 00:06:01.220 --> 00:06:04.500 kind of life we live. Tempted by the same things 00:06:04.500 --> 00:06:08.000 we've been tempted by. Struggled with the same 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:11.939 feelings that we feel. He humbled himself to 00:06:11.939 --> 00:06:18.259 that, to the point of death for us. That's how 00:06:18.259 --> 00:06:24.120 he set us free. He came down. He lived in humility. 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:28.000 He walked among us. He lived sinlessly, even 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:29.639 though he was tempted by all the same things 00:06:29.639 --> 00:06:32.819 we've been tempted by. He suffered unjustly. 00:06:32.839 --> 00:06:34.819 He didn't deserve the beating that he took. He 00:06:34.819 --> 00:06:36.920 didn't deserve the death on the cross that he 00:06:36.920 --> 00:06:45.129 took. And then he died. Brutally. But he also 00:06:45.129 --> 00:06:49.730 rose victoriously. And that's how he shattered 00:06:49.730 --> 00:06:53.889 the chains that hold us. By defeating sin and 00:06:53.889 --> 00:06:57.129 death once and for all, Christ has freed us. 00:06:57.410 --> 00:07:00.329 He's freed us from those things that hold us 00:07:00.329 --> 00:07:04.730 in bondage, those things that they have a place 00:07:04.730 --> 00:07:09.300 of hostage in our mind. That when we're feeling 00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:12.379 good, we can't help but to sometimes think about 00:07:12.379 --> 00:07:14.439 those things that we've done. Remember those 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:16.319 things you did in the dark that you thought nobody 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:18.680 would see? Those things that you did that everybody 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:20.879 saw that you feel like you can never live down? 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:23.120 Those feelings that you feel about yourself? 00:07:23.379 --> 00:07:25.339 Those feelings that you feel about other people? 00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:29.459 Christ broke those chains by dying and rising. 00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:32.660 Our freedom isn't something we earn. It's something 00:07:32.660 --> 00:07:36.420 that He bought. Our freedom is something that 00:07:36.420 --> 00:07:40.160 was paid for with His blood. And we ask the question 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:45.560 then, why? Because I know how bad I am. And maybe 00:07:45.560 --> 00:07:47.860 you know how bad you are. Why would He do that 00:07:47.860 --> 00:07:51.699 for us? Because I've got to tell you, I'm not 00:07:51.699 --> 00:07:54.100 jumping in front of a bullet for somebody that 00:07:54.100 --> 00:07:57.920 constantly cusses my name. And I'm not jumping 00:07:57.920 --> 00:08:00.600 in front of a bullet for somebody that constantly 00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:04.120 just degrades me and degrades my family and goes 00:08:04.120 --> 00:08:06.660 against everything that I believe in. I'm not. 00:08:08.500 --> 00:08:13.879 Because I'm selfish. And I love and I hold very 00:08:13.879 --> 00:08:17.220 highly my values and my beliefs. And so if you're 00:08:17.220 --> 00:08:19.899 against me, I don't think I'm going to jump in 00:08:19.899 --> 00:08:22.540 front of the bullet for you. Because that's human 00:08:22.540 --> 00:08:28.620 nature. But Christ. Even though we do curse His 00:08:28.620 --> 00:08:31.959 name, and even though we do sin against Him and 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:34.360 go against everything that He's about and everything 00:08:34.360 --> 00:08:38.779 that He is, He still takes the cross for us. 00:08:40.980 --> 00:08:46.600 But why? Well, He tells us in John 10 .10, I 00:08:46.600 --> 00:08:51.159 came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 00:08:51.710 --> 00:08:54.809 We talk so much about eternal life, but Jesus 00:08:54.809 --> 00:08:57.669 talks a lot about the eternal life and the life 00:08:57.669 --> 00:08:59.730 now, the abundant life that he wants us to have 00:08:59.730 --> 00:09:05.950 today. The kingdom come. He came for us to have 00:09:05.950 --> 00:09:10.169 abundant and full eternal life. That's why he 00:09:10.169 --> 00:09:12.750 did it, because he wants us to know the life 00:09:12.750 --> 00:09:16.230 that God had designed for us in the garden. He 00:09:16.230 --> 00:09:18.210 wants us to be able to experience that perfect 00:09:18.210 --> 00:09:22.019 home. And the only way we could do that was for 00:09:22.019 --> 00:09:25.600 Him to die for us. I use this graphic to illustrate 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:27.559 the gospel message because it's so important. 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:29.879 From the moment that Adam and Eve fell in the 00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:31.799 garden that they sinned, they sinned against 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:34.720 God, God has been on a rescue mission. And Jesus 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:36.899 is the center of their rescue mission. If you'll 00:09:36.899 --> 00:09:39.340 notice in the graphic, the cross is the center 00:09:39.340 --> 00:09:42.100 of it. There's four on one side, four on another, 00:09:42.259 --> 00:09:44.580 but the cross is the center because Jesus is 00:09:44.580 --> 00:09:47.399 the centerpiece of God's mission. It doesn't 00:09:47.399 --> 00:09:51.710 work if not for Christ. He is the key that unlocks 00:09:51.710 --> 00:09:54.669 our way back to the Father. Without Christ, we're 00:09:54.669 --> 00:09:56.950 stuck in the cell. We've got the chains on us. 00:09:56.970 --> 00:10:00.190 We cannot go to God. But because of Christ, we 00:10:00.190 --> 00:10:04.330 have access to God. He didn't die just to make 00:10:04.330 --> 00:10:06.549 us better behaved people. He didn't die just 00:10:06.549 --> 00:10:09.529 so we could look pretty. He died to make us new 00:10:09.529 --> 00:10:12.830 so that we, the new creation, could live in the 00:10:12.830 --> 00:10:18.330 perfect home with Him forever. He died to restore 00:10:18.330 --> 00:10:22.149 us as sons, to restore us as daughters who can 00:10:22.149 --> 00:10:30.149 live in freedom with God now and forever. And 00:10:30.149 --> 00:10:35.529 so understanding that Jesus had to come and die 00:10:35.529 --> 00:10:39.330 for us to have the freedom here, to have the 00:10:39.330 --> 00:10:41.570 abundant life here, to have the eternal life 00:10:41.570 --> 00:10:44.389 there. Understanding that, what do we do with 00:10:44.389 --> 00:10:47.549 that? If you've been here throughout the series, 00:10:47.669 --> 00:10:49.509 we spent however many weeks, I think it's like 00:10:49.509 --> 00:10:53.730 12 weeks, looking at this idea of freedom and 00:10:53.730 --> 00:10:56.070 what Christ has done to free us. And we have 00:10:56.070 --> 00:10:58.809 to ask the question now, what do we do with that 00:10:58.809 --> 00:11:01.250 now? And this is what Paul says. He says, stand 00:11:01.250 --> 00:11:08.429 firm and don't go back. Don't go back. Those 00:11:08.429 --> 00:11:12.590 things that held you in bondage before, let them 00:11:12.590 --> 00:11:17.169 go. Leave them in the past. Those things that 00:11:17.169 --> 00:11:21.789 ruined your life before, let them go. Those things 00:11:21.789 --> 00:11:25.110 that made everyone around you hate being around 00:11:25.110 --> 00:11:28.190 you, let them go. Those things that made you 00:11:28.190 --> 00:11:31.830 hate being you, let them go. You are free from 00:11:31.830 --> 00:11:35.690 them. Don't submit again to the yoke of slavery. 00:11:35.929 --> 00:11:38.309 That's what Paul says. That's what Jesus is calling 00:11:38.309 --> 00:11:41.409 us to. Because every one of us has a pull toward 00:11:41.409 --> 00:11:44.330 the old life. It still creeps up on us sometimes. 00:11:44.570 --> 00:11:46.970 If you ask an addict why they don't go to the 00:11:46.970 --> 00:11:49.230 bar anymore, it's because they know they're not 00:11:49.230 --> 00:11:53.039 safe there. If you ask someone who has struggled 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:56.240 with their image why they don't just eat like 00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:59.019 crazy anymore, it's because they know they can't 00:11:59.019 --> 00:12:02.899 go there. If you ask someone why they don't hang 00:12:02.899 --> 00:12:05.100 around the same people they hung around with 00:12:05.100 --> 00:12:07.620 before they came to know Christ, it's because 00:12:07.620 --> 00:12:13.279 they know they are not safe there. And if an 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:16.279 animal has been captured by someone and it finally... 00:12:16.750 --> 00:12:19.629 Breaks out of the fence. Do you think that animal 00:12:19.629 --> 00:12:22.549 stays around the fence to see if the capturer 00:12:22.549 --> 00:12:24.850 is going to come and get him? No, that animal 00:12:24.850 --> 00:12:28.750 takes off. He doesn't look back. He doesn't think 00:12:28.750 --> 00:12:32.649 twice. He gets as far away as possible. You ever 00:12:32.649 --> 00:12:35.370 hunt? Anybody hunt? And you shoot a deer and 00:12:35.370 --> 00:12:38.169 you don't exactly get the kill shot that you 00:12:38.169 --> 00:12:44.870 need. And that deer takes off. And you go and 00:12:44.870 --> 00:12:47.179 you try to track it down, right? And you look 00:12:47.179 --> 00:12:48.960 to see if you can get some blood on the ground 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:51.500 and you look for it and you look for it and you 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:53.899 look for it and maybe you get some blood and 00:12:53.899 --> 00:12:56.980 maybe you find some fur and you get in the thick 00:12:56.980 --> 00:12:58.519 of the woods and you're like, there's no way 00:12:58.519 --> 00:13:02.360 this thing kept going. Yeah, it did. And it will 00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:06.419 run and run and run because it is not going back 00:13:06.419 --> 00:13:09.019 to the thing. It is not going back to the place 00:13:09.019 --> 00:13:12.179 that tried to kill it. So why do we do that? 00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:18.840 Paul says, don't do that. Maybe it's not legalism 00:13:18.840 --> 00:13:21.639 for you. You know, Paul's been fighting legalism. 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:24.019 Maybe it's not that for you. Maybe it's the website 00:13:24.019 --> 00:13:26.139 that you promised yourself you'd stay away from. 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:29.580 Maybe it's the anger or the pride or the urge 00:13:29.580 --> 00:13:31.659 to control everything around you. Maybe it's 00:13:31.659 --> 00:13:33.960 the comfort that you find when you drink that 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:36.679 thing or you smoke that thing. Maybe it's the 00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:39.620 peace that you feel like you have when you're 00:13:39.620 --> 00:13:42.039 around those people that seem to only drag you 00:13:42.039 --> 00:13:45.220 down. Maybe it's the comfort. That's numbed your 00:13:45.220 --> 00:13:48.960 passion for Christ. I don't know what your slavery 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:53.220 is. I don't know what your chains are. But Paul's 00:13:53.220 --> 00:13:55.580 message is the same across the board regardless 00:13:55.580 --> 00:13:58.620 of if it's an addiction or if it's legalism. 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:02.279 He says stand firm. And that's an action that 00:14:02.279 --> 00:14:04.419 he's challenging you to. It's not a passive thing. 00:14:04.559 --> 00:14:08.139 He says stand firm. Don't go back. Don't let 00:14:08.139 --> 00:14:10.620 those chains slip back around your wrist. And 00:14:10.620 --> 00:14:12.899 this, again, this is an active thing. It's not 00:14:12.899 --> 00:14:15.240 something casual. It's not something passive. 00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:18.600 Freedom in Christ is a precious thing. And it 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:21.340 is something to be fought for. It's not something 00:14:21.340 --> 00:14:24.639 we maintain passively. It is something we scratch 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:28.240 and we claw and we box our way through an army 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:32.620 of enemies to maintain. We just celebrated Veterans 00:14:32.620 --> 00:14:36.190 Day. And we honor those who fought to preserve 00:14:36.190 --> 00:14:39.450 our national freedom, and we do celebrate that. 00:14:39.889 --> 00:14:42.409 But we also are reminded that there are people 00:14:42.409 --> 00:14:46.409 that had to put themselves in harm's way so that 00:14:46.409 --> 00:14:51.370 we can maintain our what? Freedom. Because if 00:14:51.370 --> 00:14:55.250 we don't, we leave ourselves susceptible to being 00:14:55.250 --> 00:15:00.919 overtaken or run out. The same is true for spiritual 00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:03.980 freedom. It requires vigilance. We fight not 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:06.600 with anger, not with willpower, but with prayer. 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:10.120 We fight with community. That's why this place 00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:13.580 is so important. Again, this is a rally point. 00:15:14.179 --> 00:15:17.120 And every week we come here to find ourselves 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:21.019 encouraged. We find ourselves strengthened, prepared 00:15:21.019 --> 00:15:23.240 so that we can go out into the world and keep 00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:26.700 fighting another week or another day. We fight 00:15:26.700 --> 00:15:29.360 this fight with being in the word of God, with 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:31.960 staying with God. We fight by staying alert to 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:34.580 the things that want to enslave us again, to 00:15:34.580 --> 00:15:37.480 resisting the enemy. We fight by remembering 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:41.299 who we are and whose we are. C .S. Lewis said 00:15:41.299 --> 00:15:43.399 in his book, Mere Christianity, only those who 00:15:43.399 --> 00:15:47.120 try to resist temptation know how strong it is. 00:15:47.240 --> 00:15:49.419 If you think that this is something you can just 00:15:49.419 --> 00:15:53.539 passively do, you're wrong. The moment I get 00:15:53.539 --> 00:15:55.799 comfortable in my freedom is the moment the enemy 00:15:55.799 --> 00:16:00.299 comes and finds me in a cage. When we fight to 00:16:00.299 --> 00:16:03.419 resist, we realize, one, how strong the enemy 00:16:03.419 --> 00:16:05.600 is, but guess what? We also find out how strong 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:09.059 our God is. And I like my God's chances in this 00:16:09.059 --> 00:16:12.919 fight. If you're not resisting, you may not even 00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:16.259 realize how close you are to losing ground. But 00:16:16.259 --> 00:16:19.500 if you fight to stand firm, you will find Christ's 00:16:19.500 --> 00:16:23.250 strength holding you steady. And standing firm 00:16:23.250 --> 00:16:26.149 doesn't mean just holding your ground. It doesn't 00:16:26.149 --> 00:16:29.289 mean just fighting to stay in place. I want you 00:16:29.289 --> 00:16:32.649 to imagine the buffalo that when the winter storm 00:16:32.649 --> 00:16:35.870 comes on and it's snowing and it is pouring down 00:16:35.870 --> 00:16:38.269 on them and it's freezing and the wind is frigid 00:16:38.269 --> 00:16:41.149 and it's blowing hard, the buffalo goes against 00:16:41.149 --> 00:16:46.269 the grain. And he trudges on and he marches forward 00:16:46.269 --> 00:16:49.570 through all of the chaos, through the freezing, 00:16:49.690 --> 00:16:54.039 bitter. And that is our fight to stay free in 00:16:54.039 --> 00:16:57.840 Christ. Because if we'll keep going through it, 00:16:57.960 --> 00:17:00.200 the other side is a lot closer than we think. 00:17:00.440 --> 00:17:03.019 And the other side is a lot better than we can 00:17:03.019 --> 00:17:08.359 imagine. Fighting to stay free means using your 00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:12.299 freedom to love radically, to serve joyfully, 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:15.440 and to forgive. Completely. Freedom in Christ 00:17:15.440 --> 00:17:17.640 isn't a freedom from responsibility. We talked 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:20.680 about this. It's not a freedom to just live with 00:17:20.680 --> 00:17:22.980 no holds barred. It's not a freedom to just do 00:17:22.980 --> 00:17:25.339 what you want, to drink what you want, to go 00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:28.140 party like crazy, to live how you want, to say 00:17:28.140 --> 00:17:30.500 whatever you want. It is not a freedom to just 00:17:30.500 --> 00:17:33.200 go and do whatever. What did Paul say? He said, 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:37.200 do I just abuse this grace? No. Heavens no. I 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:42.480 fight. I keep going. It's a freedom not from 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:45.039 responsibility, but a freedom to finally be able 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:48.220 to live like Jesus because the chains are free 00:17:48.220 --> 00:17:51.359 and now I can walk freely. It means living a 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:54.640 life that is at peace and confident no matter 00:17:54.640 --> 00:17:57.920 what comes, knowing who holds the keys to our 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:00.279 life. But maybe you've been hearing all of this 00:18:00.279 --> 00:18:01.980 over the last couple weeks if you've been here 00:18:01.980 --> 00:18:04.279 or maybe just today, and it sounds like a lot. 00:18:04.940 --> 00:18:07.849 It is, but it's also really simple. Jesus Christ 00:18:07.849 --> 00:18:10.650 loves you, and because he loves you, he came 00:18:10.650 --> 00:18:13.309 so that you can have a full, free, and abundant 00:18:13.309 --> 00:18:17.269 life. That's simple. And the gospel is simple, 00:18:17.329 --> 00:18:20.609 and it is so good. But maybe you've been hearing 00:18:20.609 --> 00:18:23.890 that. And all of this talk about freedom, and 00:18:23.890 --> 00:18:27.009 deep down you know you're not there yet. You 00:18:27.009 --> 00:18:29.670 feel like you're not free yet. You don't know 00:18:29.670 --> 00:18:31.470 that the chains have been broken off. You don't 00:18:31.470 --> 00:18:33.549 know that the cell's been opened for you. You 00:18:33.549 --> 00:18:35.569 still feel the weight of guilt. You still feel 00:18:35.569 --> 00:18:38.549 chained to sin. You still feel far from God. 00:18:39.329 --> 00:18:41.670 You feel like maybe you've wandered too far to 00:18:41.670 --> 00:18:44.809 come home. But I want you to hear this, please. 00:18:46.109 --> 00:18:51.230 Christ has already broken your chains too. He's 00:18:51.230 --> 00:18:55.180 already opened the cell. He's already offered 00:18:55.180 --> 00:18:58.759 you freedom, but freedom or being set free isn't 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:01.119 this automatic thing. It's not something that 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:04.660 you just think about and it happens. It's not 00:19:04.660 --> 00:19:07.000 something that you just wake up one day and you're 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:10.720 like, oh yeah, I'm free today. There's some things 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:13.599 that have to happen. It's a gift that has to 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:16.880 be accepted and it has to be opened. Paul said 00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:19.099 earlier in Galatians, he says in chapter three, 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:23.119 verses 26 to 27. So in Christ, you all are children 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:26.420 of God through faith. OK. All right. So we believe. 00:19:26.519 --> 00:19:29.200 Yes. All right. Got it. For all of you who were 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:32.400 baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with 00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:35.319 Christ. That's how Paul describes it. He says 00:19:35.319 --> 00:19:37.180 when you're baptized into Christ, when you have 00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:40.259 put him on in baptism, you give your life to 00:19:40.259 --> 00:19:46.539 him. Now you are free. Baptism isn't just symbolic. 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:49.200 It is the moment where faith becomes embodied. 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:52.400 The moment you step into the freedom that Christ 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:54.740 offers. I mentioned the gift. I like to tell 00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:57.279 people, baptism is like if I hand you a Christmas 00:19:57.279 --> 00:19:59.200 present. It's got the pretty wrapping on it. 00:19:59.240 --> 00:20:02.160 It's got the pretty bow. I just need you to unwrap 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:05.480 it. Take that bow off. And now you get to see 00:20:05.480 --> 00:20:08.069 the gift that I got you. And you get to experience 00:20:08.069 --> 00:20:10.250 it fully. But if you take that gift I got you, 00:20:10.289 --> 00:20:11.650 you never unwrap it and you just put it on the 00:20:11.650 --> 00:20:13.569 shelf. Guess what happens? You don't get to play 00:20:13.569 --> 00:20:15.410 with the remote control monster truck that I 00:20:15.410 --> 00:20:19.210 just got you. You don't get to enjoy the gift 00:20:19.210 --> 00:20:22.490 that I got you. And that's the same thing here 00:20:22.490 --> 00:20:24.369 with baptism. It's got to happen. You got to 00:20:24.369 --> 00:20:27.930 unwrap the gift. It's free. You didn't pay me 00:20:27.930 --> 00:20:30.470 for the gift. You didn't earn the gift. I just 00:20:30.470 --> 00:20:32.329 gave it to you because I love you. And that's 00:20:32.329 --> 00:20:34.470 the same thing with God. But you got to take. 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:38.960 One simple step. Baptism's the moment when your 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:41.819 old self, that ugly self that we hate, that we 00:20:41.819 --> 00:20:44.660 talk bad about, that self, that bound by sin 00:20:44.660 --> 00:20:47.839 self that's got chains on it, baptism's the moment 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:53.039 when that self is buried in the water. Where 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:57.279 your new self, the washed clean self, the shiny, 00:20:57.380 --> 00:21:01.960 sparkly, fresh smelling self, clothed in Christ, 00:21:02.180 --> 00:21:07.099 rises up in freedom. This is not just a ritual. 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:10.640 It is rescue. It is the moment where I grab onto 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:14.420 the life preserver and say, pull me out. It's 00:21:14.420 --> 00:21:17.160 a reunion. It's redemption. When a prisoner's 00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:20.859 cell door swings open, freedom still requires 00:21:20.859 --> 00:21:26.380 one step, doesn't it? Got to walk out. Baptism 00:21:26.380 --> 00:21:29.559 is that step. It's the moment where you leave 00:21:29.559 --> 00:21:32.670 the cell behind and you don't look back. It's 00:21:32.670 --> 00:21:35.450 the moment where you take God at his word when 00:21:35.450 --> 00:21:39.849 he says you're free and you say, I am. And you 00:21:39.849 --> 00:21:43.069 walk with him. So maybe you've been standing 00:21:43.069 --> 00:21:45.250 just outside the water for a long time. Maybe 00:21:45.250 --> 00:21:47.690 you've been thinking, I'm not ready. Or maybe 00:21:47.690 --> 00:21:49.210 you've been thinking, I'm not good enough. Or 00:21:49.210 --> 00:21:51.190 maybe you've thought maybe later. Or maybe you've 00:21:51.190 --> 00:21:56.349 even asked, do I really need to? But you do need 00:21:56.349 --> 00:21:59.829 to. And the great news is you don't have to fix 00:21:59.829 --> 00:22:02.750 yourself first. You can come just as you are, 00:22:02.809 --> 00:22:06.329 just where you are, because the water is for 00:22:06.329 --> 00:22:10.569 just that. The water is there to clean. The water 00:22:10.569 --> 00:22:14.130 is there to restore. Not because there's magic 00:22:14.130 --> 00:22:16.049 in the water. I'd be lying to you if I told you 00:22:16.049 --> 00:22:17.569 you're going to feel some tingly feeling when 00:22:17.569 --> 00:22:19.549 you get in there, unless the chlorine levels 00:22:19.549 --> 00:22:26.170 are high. There's nothing magic about it. But 00:22:26.170 --> 00:22:29.750 there's something special and magnificent about 00:22:29.750 --> 00:22:34.650 the work that God does through it. I want to 00:22:34.650 --> 00:22:36.849 tell you a story that you may or may not be familiar 00:22:36.849 --> 00:22:38.890 with. It's a story that Jesus told. I've told 00:22:38.890 --> 00:22:41.289 it already since I've been here just a few months. 00:22:41.369 --> 00:22:43.029 I've told it a couple times. There was a father. 00:22:43.109 --> 00:22:46.369 He had two sons. And one of his sons asked his 00:22:46.369 --> 00:22:48.150 father for his inheritance early. He said, I 00:22:48.150 --> 00:22:49.950 want to go do my own thing. And the father said, 00:22:50.029 --> 00:22:52.069 yeah, sure. Gives him his inheritance. The son 00:22:52.069 --> 00:22:54.490 takes the inheritance. He goes off. He wastes 00:22:54.490 --> 00:23:00.140 it. He blows it on all kinds of dumb stuff. And 00:23:00.140 --> 00:23:02.500 one day he finds himself sleeping with some pigs. 00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:04.799 He has nothing to eat. He's starving. He's filthy. 00:23:04.900 --> 00:23:10.160 He stinks. He feels awful. And he decides, well, 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:12.079 maybe, you know, the servants in my father's 00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:13.920 house, they live better. So he thinks, maybe 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:16.059 I can go beg my father for a spot as a servant. 00:23:16.119 --> 00:23:19.549 I can work for him. So he gets up. He goes to 00:23:19.549 --> 00:23:21.589 his father. Before he even gets back, his father 00:23:21.589 --> 00:23:23.809 runs. He grabs him. He hugs him. He celebrates. 00:23:24.349 --> 00:23:27.569 Because my son has come home. And now that his 00:23:27.569 --> 00:23:29.650 son is home, he gets him the best robe. He gets 00:23:29.650 --> 00:23:31.569 him the best shoes. He gets him a ring. He says, 00:23:31.569 --> 00:23:33.950 go kill the fattened calf. Let's throw a party. 00:23:34.970 --> 00:23:37.769 Because my son who sinned against me, my son 00:23:37.769 --> 00:23:39.990 who disrespected me, my son who wished I was 00:23:39.990 --> 00:23:45.009 dead, he was dead. Now he's come home. That's 00:23:45.009 --> 00:23:48.059 what happens when we come back to God. When we 00:23:48.059 --> 00:23:50.940 give our lives to him, when we say, God, I want 00:23:50.940 --> 00:23:54.059 to be yours. I want you to clothe me with your 00:23:54.059 --> 00:23:58.079 finest robe. God doesn't make you earn your way 00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:01.839 back. He doesn't make you pay for it. He doesn't 00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:04.859 make you work for it. He embraces you. He clothes 00:24:04.859 --> 00:24:09.480 you. And he says, welcome home, son. Welcome 00:24:09.480 --> 00:24:14.490 home, daughter. So if you haven't yet taken that 00:24:14.490 --> 00:24:16.769 step, if you don't know, if you don't feel like 00:24:16.769 --> 00:24:20.990 you're free, if you feel like, I think I'm free, 00:24:21.069 --> 00:24:24.150 but I also sometimes feel bound by some chains. 00:24:26.130 --> 00:24:30.650 I ask you a question. Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 00:24:30.650 --> 00:24:32.650 asks the same question. What's holding you back? 00:24:33.569 --> 00:24:36.509 What's preventing you from taking that step today? 00:24:37.849 --> 00:24:42.539 If you haven't felt the freedom. that only Christ 00:24:42.539 --> 00:24:47.839 can bring. If you haven't felt the full, abundant, 00:24:47.940 --> 00:24:51.980 joy -filled, eternal life that only Christ can 00:24:51.980 --> 00:24:55.359 bring, I'm asking you, what's holding you back? 00:24:57.099 --> 00:25:00.500 Wherever you are today, whether you're inside 00:25:00.500 --> 00:25:05.920 the prison with the door open and you just don't 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:07.799 know if you're able to walk out or not, whether 00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:11.960 you've still got chains on you, or whether you 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:15.039 just are struggling to stand firm in your freedom, 00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:20.480 I want to encourage you, remember, trust, and 00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:23.940 live in this confidently that Jesus has already 00:25:23.940 --> 00:25:27.059 broken the lock. It's just up to you if you're 00:25:27.059 --> 00:25:31.259 going to walk free. For freedom, Christ has set 00:25:31.259 --> 00:25:37.559 you free. Stand firm, therefore, and don't submit 00:25:37.559 --> 00:25:43.180 again to the yoke. Freedom's here. Freedom is 00:25:43.180 --> 00:25:46.819 here because Christ is amazing. And because he 00:25:46.819 --> 00:25:50.759 loves you so much that he would not let you stay 00:25:50.759 --> 00:25:54.720 bound by the chains of this world. But he would 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:57.960 redeem you. He would restore you so that one 00:25:57.960 --> 00:26:01.380 day you could live eternally in the perfect home 00:26:01.380 --> 00:26:04.160 with the Father. And so that today you could 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:07.920 live abundantly in this amazing home with God's 00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:12.039 people. Wherever you're at today, I want to challenge 00:26:12.039 --> 00:26:15.759 you. Take the step. Walk out of that cell and 00:26:15.759 --> 00:26:19.319 run as far away from those chains as you can. 00:26:20.140 --> 00:26:22.259 If you need anything today, whether it's prayer 00:26:22.259 --> 00:26:27.440 or you need to unwrap that gift and experience 00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:30.319 the awesome gift, the free gift that Christ has 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:33.299 brought to you, wherever you're at, I hope you 00:26:33.299 --> 00:26:34.859 will trust in him and come.