FREEDOM IN THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

July 6, 2003am

I believe in the Holy Spirit. To believe otherwise would mean that I would have to throw out a good portion of my Bible. The Bible is very clear that there would be a Counselor who would come to be with us after Jesus returned to the Father. And yet we are told by Jesus that he would be with us to the very ends of the earth. And then we are told that the Holy Spirit is a seal guaranteeing our salvation.

Perhaps, the greatest distress in the Christian movement is the little lack that we give to the Holy Spirit. We have no problem addressing God as Father and Jesus as Savior, but how comfortable are we with the Holy Spirit as Counselor? Do very many of us like to go to counselors? Or is there another issue? What is our struggle?

I believe that God has given the Holy Spirit so that we can live a life full of freedom from sin and despair. You see, we are called not to live a static life but a spiritual life. I believe that too many Christians fail in their journey because they try to walk without power. They figure if they only believe then they got all they need. If they only have faith. But God has much more. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.

Friends, we need the Holy Spirit to be free and live a life of freedom. And so on this 4th of July weekend I want to share three points about Freedom in the Spirit.

1. The Freedom to Believe.

There are nations in this world that do not want their people to have the freedom to believe. They are given no options and they have no choices. The liberty to believe allows us as Christians the freedom to understand what the Christian faith is all about. Christianity does not have some kind of hidden agenda. God is not trying to hide reality from you. He wants you to have the liberty to believe in Him throughout your entire life.

So how does the Spirit work in this aspect of your life?

First, God will not limit your potential to understand truth. In the context of these verses, the veil represented the blindness of all who try to understand God without Jesus Christ. The reality can also be said that no one can truly see unless they have come to Jesus Christ first. After coming to Jesus Christ, the blinders are lifted, the cataracts are removed, a laser beam has been cast on the sinful heart and the new Christian can now begin to understand the truth about the scriptures, who God is and their personal spiritual needs. And in the Christian’s quest for truth, God will not stand in your way.

Second, God will not hinder you from spiritual growth. There are too many Christians who are not growing Christians. Now we can blame the lack of devotions, or Bible reading or prayer as reasons. These things can be very good reasons for lack of spiritual growth. But so is disobedience. When a Christian is disobedient to God they will not grow.

But there is more. God is doing everything he can so that you can grow weaker. Let me repeat myself. God is doing everything he can so that you can grow weaker. Only when the vessel is broken can the very life within be poured out. And only as your life is broken, can the very life of the Spirit that dwells deep within your heart be poured out as a fragrant offering unto the Lord.

Show me a Christian who is truly filled with the Holy Spirit, and I will show you someone whose eyes are not on the measurements of this world but on the total person of Jesus Christ. They realize that their power is not of themselves. They know that their real food is to do their Father’s will.

God will never hinder your spiritual growth. He has given you the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit wants to break loose like a fountain deep within.

2. The Freedom to Live

Your life should not be a life of slavery to fear. “He who the Son has freed is free indeed.” The devil wants you to live in fear. The Holy Spirit wants you to live in liberty.

There are four areas in which the Christian lives day to day. Each of these areas should be a place of liberty where Jesus Christ is proclaimed.

a. The Home Front. We should never be afraid or ashamed of mentioning Jesus Christ in our home. You have the right to lead anyone in prayer over dinner in your home. You have the right to invite anyone into your devotional time. When you are at home you are free. You should never feel like a slave in your own home.

b. The Church Base. It is here that you get your vital doctrinal needs, your Christian fellowship fulfilled, and some of your spiritual obligations taken care of. The Church is your base from which you operate your Christian life. The fellowship of believers is vital to your growth.

Other Christians- pastors, leaders or even family members- must allow you to live your life of freedom in the Spirit. True Christian freedom is not a yoke of bondage to a list of rules or regulations. This is what the Galatian church was fighting and so many Christians struggle with. But the Christian life is about freedom in the Spirit.

c. The Public Spectrum. In the public eye is where your life is seen the most. People in the church can be fairly unforgiving and at home they love you enough to put up with you, but in the public places people either can like you or hate you. And you can either make a positive statement about Jesus Christ with your life, or a negative statement.

In the public view others see your life in Jesus Christ. Be careful not to use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature. Just because you are a Christian does not make you better than others or more deserving of anything. In fact, in the Christian walk we are to serve freely just as Jesus.

d. The Private Quarters. This is the place that not even your spouse knows about. This is that private area of your life that only you and God knows about. And believe me, God knows every detail.

Is there freedom in your private life? Or is there a part of your life that is given to slavery to sin of some kind?

Our life in the Spirit should be a life of liberty. We are to standfast in the liberty and be entangled in a yoke of bondage again. Jesus Christ took all of our sin and shame so that we can live free and clean.

3. The Freedom to Shine

How much easier it is for us to live our Christian life if we can only realize that our liberty comes from the Holy Spirit. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.

And what a joy for us to be able to serve freely.

In verse 6 the Apostle Paul gives us these words- “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant- not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

What he is referring to is that the Old Testament covenant was a set of rules and regulations that could never save. Obey every command and you were still lost. Never commit one sin and you still failed. What the law did was point out the wrong in my life. Mere obedience does not bring life. It never could.

And what is more, God has made us competent as ministers. Remember, we are all called to a ministry of reconciliation. We are strengthened and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the work of ministry we are given. We should never fear.

So how are we free to shine?

a. We shine with an Unveiled face. We have Jesus as our personal savior. We no longer need the blood of goats or lambs to meet face to face with God. We no longer go to the holy of holies but we are to live our lives out of the holy of holies.

b. We are free to Reflect the life of Christ. As Christians we are to be reflecting the very life of Christ that now lives within. This life was sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:14).

c. We are daily being Transformed into the likeness of Christ. This the day to day process of entire sanctification. This that “working out” your salvation with fear and trembling. This is the metamorphis of the Christian into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

During the most intense bombardment of the Union lines during the battle at Gettysburg, the Union troops were hunkered down along Seminary Ridge. They were frightened because all over General Lee’s army had put a beating on the Union troops. And the same fate seemed to cloud over them on that hot sunny July 2nd. But riding back and forth on his horse, trying to rally his men’s spirits rode General Winfield Scott Hancock. His attitude of fearlessness and actions of courage strengthened the resolve of his soldiers. They waited out the bombardment to discover that to run would be far more dangerous than to just stay put. Why? The Confederate artillery, who were some of the best in the whole war, were over-shooting the Union lines.