The Freedom of the Christian Life
What’s It Like being “Free
Indeed”?
Romans 6
November
27th 2011 AM
Pastor
Craig Ledbetter
I.
Introduction (Psalm 119:133)
“Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.”
A.
What would it be like to
live free of the grip of sin in our lives?
B.
It has been given to us!
C.
Two basic ideas on preaching
thoughts for this month:
1.
Taking Orders! and,
2.
Freedom in Christ!
D.
Both concepts are tough for
modern Christians to accept.
E.
The first being that freedom
comes not because we have no master, but that we have the right Master. And the
second concept being what freedom from iniquity means! Freedom from sin should
mean more than freedom from slavery, debt, health problems, troubles, and
enemies!
F.
I preached last week on
Taking Orders from God – and I mean ORDERS, Commandments!
G.
This week, I want to show
you just how free a Christian is, and how to stay that way!
II.
Message
A.
What is Victory to a
Christian?
1.
The opposite of defeat!
2.
The opposite of the way you
naturally are. No matter how good you may seem to be, you are in bondage (John
8:44)
a.
You are related to the devil
(not to God) – HE is your father
b.
You are doing what HE lusts
for – not what you want
3.
The Christian’s life is
freedom from the devil’s grip – from the devil’s dominion
a.
There was no freedom under
Josef Stalin, or Adolf Hitler
b.
There is no freedom under
religious tyranny
c.
But there is freedom in
Christ
4.
It is freedom from the
bondage and grip of sinful desires
a.
You never stop being
tempted, and pulled by sin
b.
But the Christian life is
free from sin’s control – of your thoughts, and reactions, and feelings
5.
It is NOT the freedom to do
as you please – that is the LIE of the devil
a.
He taught that lie to Eve
b.
Satan taught that lie to the
children of
6.
But the freedom to finally
live as you were designed
a.
IN the will of God
b.
Doing right
c.
Being just like Jesus
d.
THAT’S the life of victory!
7.
Freedom from sin, and
Victory over sin go hand in hand! You cannot be free, until you have victory
over sin! And the amazing truth is that Christ offers us all victory over the
dominion of sin at His own expense!
B.
God’s Promise of Freedom and
Victory over Sin
1.
1John 5:4 “whatsoever is
born of God overcometh the world”
2.
Rom 6:14 “Sin shall not have
dominion over you”
3.
1Cor 6:12 I will not be
brought under the power of any
4.
Romans 6:17, “ye were the
servants of sin!”
5.
2Cor 2:14
6.
Rom 8:37
7.
John 8:32, 36
8.
Apply these promises
a.
To all your SINS, not to
your situations
b.
To the BIG sins: drink,
drugs, porn
c.
AND to the small ones too –
as if there are small sins:
Like pride, jealously, envy, anger, laziness, stubbornness, arrogance
d.
You need victory over ALL
those sins!
C.
So, what does a Christian’s
Life of Victory look like?
1.
It is a Spiritual Freedom –
it is not visible. The root problem with all our bondage is not our environment,
not our economy – it is sin in us being defeated, and overwhelmed!
a.
An inner peace that passes
all understanding in the midst of disaster
b.
A joy that is unnatural and
unhindered by any circumstances
c.
A love for others in the
midst of such great need yourself
d.
A person who has all of
that, is a “free indeed” person!
2.
Spiritual Freedom looks like
a man who enjoys praying when it is against the law and his life is in danger
3.
It looks like three young
men smiling while they are being bound and thrown into a fiery furnace for not
bowing to an idol
4.
It looks like two men
preaching about a risen living Saviour, getting in trouble, and standing before
the very same men who crucified Jesus, and not being afraid or backing down!
5.
It looks like an old man
building a boat with his 3 sons for a hundred years against all mockery and
persecution – fully convinced it was going to rain!
6.
It looks like Paul getting
stoned and left for dead, only to see him get back up and walking right back
into the very town that stoned him!
7.
It looks best of all, like
Jesus Christ – who owned nothing, who wrote nothing, who in the end was rejected
by the majority of the people, and yet was freer than any man who ever lived!
8.
FREEDOM LOOKS GREAT! When
you know what it looks like!
9.
Would ANYONE in this room
like to be free from…
a.
The fear of failure? Noah
was!
b.
The fear of death? Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego were!
c.
The bondage of the past?
Repetitious cycles that people are locked into!
d.
The bondage of guilt and
shame for sins that so easily defeat you?
e.
Those are things you can be
free indeed from! Jesus promised it!
10.
Such Freedom is available to
EVERY Christian, but ONLY to Christians – people who CHRIST has made free (John
8:36)!
D.
The Ingredients of a Life of
Victory instead of Defeat.
1.
God’s Grace
(Romans 5:17-21; 6:1,2)
a.
It starts with God – with
HIS attitude towards your condition!
b.
Grace is more powerful than
Sin’s power – and we all know the power of sin to lure, and pull and trap, and
crush a life – GRACE is more powerful
c.
Grace is God’s attitude
towards your sinful habits – He SHOULD want to judge you and destroy you for all
of them, but instead, wants to change you for the better, and make you righteous
and clean, and forgiven!
d.
If it weren’t for God
wanting to fix you, wanting to save your soul from His wrath, then you would
have no hope at all, no matter how hard you tried to fix yourself
e.
Grace is when someone is
kind when they shouldn’t be
f.
Grace is when someone
sacrificially gives when they instead deserve to be given to!
g.
Grace is when God loves
someone who doesn’t love Him back!
h.
THAT is the first ingredient
of Victory!
i.
God’s grace is greater than
your past, than your failures, than your weaknesses!
j.
Live under His work grace in
your life as it changes you, NOT you trying to change yourself by trying to
satisfy His laws and expectations!
2.
God’s Substitute
(Romans 6:3-7)
a.
This was how your freedom
was obtained – at what cost!
b.
Jesus’ death – so that you
don’t have to die
1)
Baptized not by water, but
by faith in Him
2)
When a person trusts Jesus
to save them from the wrath to come, you are participating in His death
3)
And His death was a
punishment for YOUR sins by the way
4)
He paid for every sin you
will ever commit
5)
So, according to God, “I”
died with Christ! That took care of MY punishment! It’s a done deal!
6)
Our “old man” is crucified
with Him (6:6)
c.
Jesus’ burial (6:4)
1)
Burial is a final act of
death – it closes the book on that life
2)
A Christian has been buried
WITH Him
3)
When they carried Jesus’
body into that tomb and left it there, they carried your sinful body I there
WITH Him
d.
Jesus’ resurrection (6:5)
1)
Did any of you notice that
it was ALL Jesus’ efforts being talked about here?
2)
HIS death, HIS burial, and
HIS resurrection!
3)
Just as Jesus got up out of
that tomb 3 days later, so we should NOW live with nothing having a grip on our
lives but GOD!
4)
Death has no more dominion
over Jesus! Sin should not have any more dominion over us!
e.
Jesus didn’t just die as a
good show, but as a valid, substitute in our place. Everything He did was for us
and was applied to our account!
f.
When we get baptized into
some water down at a river, we are just illustrating all this – we are acting
out what happened 2,000 years ago, and telling the whole world that is has
finally taken effect on us now!
3.
A Reckoning
– a Confidence (Romans 6:8-12)
a.
Add everything up and what
is the conclusion? That we are now free
b.
To reckon is to firmly
believe
1)
Add up two numbers (2+2) and
you firmly believe without a doubt the answer is 4
2)
Add up 4 billion, 3 hundred
and 92 thousand different numbers, it is a little more difficult to believe that
all your math is right and reckon that your answer is correct
3)
But a Christian adds up all
that Chris did, and puts it against all the debts that we owe, and we walk away
debt free!
c.
Reckon/believe that death
has no more dominion – I have eternal life
d.
Reckon that sin has no more
dominion – Jesus is my Lord now!
e.
Reckoning is when FAITH
takes over and believes what God says, instead of what I feel, and instead of
what the world says
f.
Faith rests in what God says
(Rom 1:17; 1John 5:4)
1)
It is the an inner
confidence that overcomes discouragement, doubt and unbelief.
2)
It is the assurance that God
is in control, and as we love the Lord and live a life in obedience to Him, we
know all things and circumstances are somehow working together for our good
(Romans 8:28).
3)
A victorious life of faith
no longer lives by feelings, emotions or circumstances.
4)
It is no longer manipulated
by the emotions of discouragement or depression.
5)
As believers, we live and
react according to what the Word of God says, not by what our circumstances say.
"We walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).
6)
This way of living (a walk
of obedient faith) is what brings victory.
7)
Most people are living in
hope, but not by faith
a)
Hope wants to be victorious
b)
Faith goes ahead and lives
victorious
4.
A Surrender and Yielding
(Romans 6:13-16)
a.
The Concept of Dominion
(Romans 6:14)
1)
Mankind once had dominion
over this entire world (Gen 1:26,28) but lost it! Was tricked out of it!
2)
Dominion by outside forces
(like being controlled by sinful habits) happens because we are in bondage on
the inside
3)
We need to EXCHANGE the
dominion of sin for the Lordship of Jesus Christ
4)
Freedom requires surrender
to a greater force – an exchange of dominion
5)
We need to become servants
of righteousness
6)
Ye are not your own… (1Cor
6:19,20)
7)
Take a good look at your
life and see what is in charge!
a)
Worry? Then it is not Jesus
Christ in charge
b)
Fear?
c)
Anger? Constant, rage and
being upset? Then JESUS is not in charge!
d)
Sorrow?
e)
Self Confidence? Arrogance?
Then Jesus is not in charge! You are!
f)
Drugs? Cigarettes? Can’t put
them down? Then they are in charge, and not Christ!
g)
Friends?
h)
The pillow? Laziness?
i)
Depression?
8)
All of that stuff has an
affect on you!
a)
You only become more and
more a servant and a slave of every one of those things! It never lets up!
b)
It only gets harder and
harder to get free the longer you wait! That’s not a cop out, but a reality!
b.
Surrender – to a New Master
1)
Walking in response to the
Spirit, not the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16)
2)
The Problem With a
Christian’s Life…
a)
We want to conform to the
world around us – we want to be just like the fashions and the habits
b)
God challenges us to come
out and be separate
c)
To put away childish things
d)
Can’t be free, and still
hold onto what we really want
e)
You have to choose one or
the other – both are MASTERS, Lords of your life
3)
Be led of the Spirit (Gal
5:18) – listening and OBEYING! We know how to obey our feelings…
a)
Giving out to people -
Lashing out
b)
Striking back
c)
Attacking, rejecting…
4)
Crucifying the fleshly
desires (Gal 5:24) – allowing yourself to be hurt
a)
Christ did not kill Himself
b)
He DID allow others to
crucify you
c)
Will you allow God to put
you through some tough times?
c.
Yielding - Trusting, Not
Trying (Romans 6:13,16)
1)
Starting over – a thousand
times if necessary
2)
Perfected in weakness, not
strength and ability (2Cor 12:9)
3)
Build your life, your
thoughts, your concerns on a ROCK
4)
Did you know that Jesus is
alive and quite well?
5)
Do you realise that he is
quite able to defeat any enemy you face?
6)
Well, he can and will defeat
any bondage AS you yield to His presence in your life
7)
EX: Yielding to someone in
the room who has authority – let HIM speak, and act on your behalf!
d.
Yield specifically to the
Will of God (Gal 5:13)
1)
Not to our own will anymore
2)
3)
How many of you EVER say,
“not my will?” ANYONE?
4)
Your own will may be great
looking, but it is a trap
5)
The will of God may look
terrifying – but it is absolute freedom and joy and peace
5.
A Burying
(Romans 6:17,18)
a.
Like burying an old,
drunkard, abusive husband – you are now free
b.
Not to go marry ANOTHER
drinking, abusive husband, but to marry a godly, kind, compassionate, loving
one!
c.
Put all the past in an
unmarked grave, and bury it all, and then keep it buried!
d.
If you are not willing to
bury some things and make them part of your PAST, then you are doomed to
struggle and lose the fight with sin!
6.
A Steadfastness
(Romans 6:19-23; Gal 5:1).
a.
Stand Fast – it won’t just
be active unless you stand in it!
b.
Stay this way – KEEP
yielding
c.
Salvation was a one time
event that forgave you
d.
Yielding is a constant work
to make sure you stay free from sin’s dominion
e.
It is worth the effort (Rom
6:20-23)
III.
Conclusion
A.
What is Victory to a
Christian?
1.
The Christian’s life is
freedom from the devil’s grip – from the devil’s dominion
2.
It is freedom from the
bondage and grip of sinful desires
3.
It is NOT the freedom to do
as you please – that is the LIE of the devil
4.
But the freedom to finally
live as you were designed
B.
Thank God for showing us
what a Christian’s Life of Victory looks like
1.
Such Freedom is available to
EVERY Christian, but ONLY to Christians – people who CHRIST has made free (John
8:36)!
C.
The Ingredients of a Life of
Victory instead of Defeat.
1.
God’s Grace
(Romans 5:17-21; 6:1,2)
2.
God’s Substitute
(Romans 6:3-7)
3.
A Reckoning
– a Confidence (Romans 6:8-12). Faith rests in what God says (Rom 1:17; 1John
5:4)
4.
A Surrender and Yielding
(Romans 6:13-16)
a.
Under the Dominion of the
Lord Jesus Christ
b.
Surrendering to Him as our
New Master
c.
Yielding - Trusting, Not
Trying (Romans 6:13,16)
5.
A Burying
(Romans 6:17,18). Put all the past in an unmarked grave, and bury it all, and
then keep it buried!
6.
A Steadfastness
(Romans 6:19-23; Gal 5:1).
D.
The Prayer of Freedom
1.
Let not any iniquity have
dominion over me (Psalm 119:133)
2.
Keep me back from
presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me (Psalm 19:13)
3.
Lord, lead me not into
temptation, but deliver me from evil! (Mt 6:13)
4.
Help me overcome the world
like you promised I could in 1John 5:4
5.
Let me live no longer like
the servant of sin
6.
You promised those things to
me!
7.
And I now believe them!
8.
But don’t just “believe” all
that… live like you believe it!