PROCLAIM LIBERTY!
The
Lord has laid a Heavy-Revy on me recently and I want to share it with
you all this month. Revelation when it comes is hardly ever just for the person
receiving it. It is for all that you come in contact with. So let's
get started.
Let's
begin with Isa. 61:1. I really like the wording in the NIV for this portion of
scripture.
Isa 61:1 The Spirit of
the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good
news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
I believe
I previously shared with you that in July, I was allowed to be a chaperone for
the "Jesus Culture" conference, for youth, at Bethel Church in
Redding CA. While I was there we went on an outreach that had a deep
impact on me.
We
went to a city Skate Board park where we ministered to several people. We fed
some; at least one young boy was healed of a sprained ankle; and we witnessed
to several others.
What
happened to me was personal: As I left the car and walked over
to invite some homeless folks to come over for a free lunch, I looked
down. I immediately noticed some loose change on the ground and my
attention became focused upon the smallest of all the coins, a dime.
Later
that day as I returned to the church, in the parking lot I again looked down
and noticed, you guessed it, a dime. I picked it up just as I had the
other dime at the park. I walked into the church and once again I looked
down and noticed, of all things, a dime. Well at this point I am beginning to
think that maybe finding all these dimes isn't a coincidence so I found a
private place and sought the Lord. I asked Him, what is this all about?
He responded to my heart with a question.
What
is the largest word on the heads side of a dime? I looked and it is, "Liberty."
The Lord then spoke to my heart and said, "Everywhere you go I want you
to proclaim liberty." So I have been doing just that.
For
most of us the word liberty brings about thoughts of worship and salvation.
Those are very valid and wonderful thoughts; in fact they are the same thoughts
that I had. However, our liberty doesn't just stop there. It goes much
deeper. For the next few moments just follow me in a chain of thoughts that
will bring some deep revelation to your hearts.
#1.
Just as Jesus came to…
a) Preach
good news to the poor. Not just the poor economically, but primarily the Poor
in Spirit.
b) Bind
up the broken hearted.
c) Proclaim
freedom for the captives.
d) Release
from darkness for the prisoners all held captive by sin and the darkness
of evil.
e) Proclaim
the year of our Lord Favor. And may you all come into His Glorious Favor.
f) The
day of the vengeance of our God. God will have a day and a time when the enemy
of our souls will be judged and his evil will come to an end.
g) To
comfort all who mourn.
We
could go on and study the following verses and it would be good. But I have a point
to make and need to move on with my thoughts.
Take
your bible and now go to Luke 4:18-21. It is the same scripture, but
Jesus is now reading it and proclaiming that it is about Himself. In fact He
states that the fulfillment of this scripture is taking place right there in
their presence. How bold could He get? Man, now He really has the Religious
leaders all irritated and stirred up. But it was true.
Everywhere
He went, the fullness of this scripture was taking place. The dead were raised,
the blind could see, the deaf could hear, the lame walked, and we could go on
and on talking about all of the wonderful works that He performed. If you are
like me you have already asked yourself, how could they get upset over so much
good being performed?
Well
it's easy: Religious people don't like it when somebody outside their ranks and
ways of thinking and doing begin to perform mighty feats! Because it usually
means that their old ways and traditions are about to become overwhelmed by a
fresh move of God. They are afraid that they'll be left out. The problem
is that they wouldn't be left out if they would just lay aside their prejudices
and join in what the Lord is doing.
I
have discovered over the past seven to eight years that the Lord will always
allow us our preferences, But He will never tolerate our prejudices. How we
think things should be done often has little to do with how the Lord wants to
accomplish things. I have also discovered a very valuable concept. "He's
God and I'm not!" He doesn't check in with me on how He should do
things.
Now
go with me to James 1:23-25
23
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man
beholding his natural face in a glass:
24
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he
being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed
in his deed.
This
whole portion of scripture is important and could be expounded upon, But I want
to look at the phrase from verse 25, "whoso
looketh into the perfect law of liberty."
There's
that word LIBERTY again. Here in this text it is referring to moral freedom.
Many today are being held captive by moral problems of all sorts: Pornography,
wrong sexual relationships, and dishonesty on the job or in other dealings. All
of them are moral dilemmas, but as we walk in Christ and the Holy Spirit we
have the liberty to do the right thing at all times. Remember, doing the right
thing isn't always popular or well accepted, but it is always the right thing.
And we have the liberty to do the RIGHT THING!
Now
let's look at 2cor. 3:17
17
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
liberty.
We
have absolute, total freedom in the Holy Spirit. There should be no question
ever arise about our ability to make proper choices. Because we have the
freedom in the Holy Spirit to always make the right choice. That may sound
arrogant but it isn't. Because it requires that we always depend upon the Holy
Spirits guidance to enable us to make those choices, not our own human wisdom.
It also means that we do have freedom in every area of serving the Lord. My
worship can be freely expressed without any hesitation. My giving unto the Lord
of my time, talents, labors, and finances have also been set free in Christ. So
that I am free to give.
Now
I want to conclude this article by going to John 8:32 and 36.
32
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John
8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
The
word free here has a very powerful meaning. These two verses are a bit short,
but the power that is contained in them is extremely significant for our lives.
First
let's establish that the Living word, Jesus, is truth. He said: "I am
the way the truth and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me."
He is the foundation for all truth. The written Word is also truth. For by the
Living Word, the written Word comes alive. So we shall know the truth and the
truth shall make us free.
It
is important that we know exactly what this word free means here.
Ø
It means “to be made exempt”. We are made
exempt from the sins of our past. We are exempt from the bondage that once held
us bound.
Ø
To be exempt means that you owe nothing to
whatever it was that had a hold on you!
Ø
You owe nothing to your past!
Ø
You owe your the enemy of your soul nothing.
Ø
You owe this world and its ways, nothing.
Ø
Because the Son has set you free and because He
has, you are EXEMPT from all of the baggage and heartaches of your past.
If
you don't make a certain amount of money every year, you become exempt from
paying taxes. This is a feeble illustration, but it works. The past has no
holds on you when the Son sets you free!
Now
follow me. The Son sets you free. He brings you into His perfect Law of
Liberty. So now you are free from and free to. Free from the past and free to
do the things that He has for you to do. But how do we do these things.
1. We
walk in the Kingdom, (The Kings Domain)
2. We understand that when we are Born Again the
Holy Spirit come into our lives. But too often we stop there. Why does the Hoy
Spirit come into our lives?
3. TO
REVEAL JESUS TO US AND IN US.
4. If
Jesus is living in us by the power of the Holy Sprit we then are free.
Here's
the Heavy Revy that I promised you. Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one.
Because He, the anointed one lives in us we are His ANOINTED! We
have the anointing in us.
Now
two more thoughts and we're done.
A. The
anointing comes as poured out, smeared all over and rubbed in.
B. Poured
out is good.
C. Smeared
all over is even better.
D. But
the best comes when it is rubbed in.
Again
let me give you a very feeble illustration of what I am saying.
>
When you pour out sun tan lotion it is good. When you smear it all over
you it is even better. But it doesn't become as affective until it is rubbed
in. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to rub the truth into us that we
are His anointed, because the Anointed one by the working of the Holy Spirit
abides in us.
1. We
must have the Holy Spirit Poured out upon our lives.
2. Which
means that He is, above us, about or surrounding us and beside us at all times.
Thank
you for letting me share this bit of revelation with you this month. I trust
that you have been blessed. Now go and do the Works of Christ. Because…
Pastor Larry
…
