Spiritual Liberty Galatians 6:14-16; 1 Kings 20:1-4; Luke 1:26-38 Prisons arent always physical buildings. People can create jails for themselves out of many kinds of sin. But Jesus went to the cross to purchase our freedom. In thinking about the cross, some people assume salvation’s effect is limited to a one-time release from sin’s hold. As a result, they pray repeatedly to receive Jesus, hoping they will finally be good enough to avoid wrongdoing. Salvation is not a “get out of hell free” card, good only until we make another mistake; instead, the forgiveness of Christ covers past, present, and future sins. In addition, we receive a full measure of His Spirit to dwell inside us. Paul explains the idea this way: “The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). Daily enticements to do wrong, which at one time seemed so alluring, hold little interest for the Spirit-filled believer. We are liberated to pursue God’s purpose and the joy that comes from serving Him. Spiritual liberty is a choice. Our sins are wiped away at salvation, but temptation is not erased. Instead, a believer continually makes decisions to be crucified to wrongdoing—or as Jesus says, to “take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). The cross is not a burden, but rather a symbol that we are free and forgiven followers of Christ. The freedom found in salvation is not a secret to keep to ourselves. The Lord gave His followers the Great Commission of reaching others because His is the only message that can transform a slave into a liberated soul destined for heaven. The cross is our only hope for spiritual liberty. Giving absolute power over our life to another human being would be a scary proposition. But to accept and acknowledge the Lord’s authority over us is fitting and right. It is called Unconditional Surrender. Unconditional surrender means: • Yielding ourselves—including all we have and all we are—to the lordship of Christ. It is an identification with Him in which we decrease and He increases. We first experience surrender in our attitude and then live it out in obedient action. • Placing no limit on what we are willing to do or become. This means we have no restricted areas in our life where Jesus is not invited, nothing set aside for our own exclusive use, and no place where we tell Him, “Hands off.” We make ourselves totally available to His will—whenever, wherever, and however He chooses. • Transferring ownership of our body, soul, and spirit to Christ. By doing so, we embrace as our own values the principles of the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-12), the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), the hierarchy of the kingdom (Mark 9:35), suffering for Christ’s sake (1 Peter 4:13), and dying to self (Gal. 2:20). One reason we tend to hold back is fear: What will the Lord require of me? Another stumbling block is selfishness: I like having control over my own schedule and long-range plans. A third obstacle is pride: I know what God wants me to do, but can’t He see how that could hurt my reputation? What keeps you from abandoning yourself to the Lord Jesus and crying, “Please take total control over my life” Do we fully understand what it costs the kingdom of God when we live with a restricted commitment to Christ? Countless souls may never hear the good news, much-needed Christian workers may never put feet to their faith, and prayers that would have been answered are never uttered. But we are wholly surrendered to God . . . 1. When we say, “No matter what I want, Lord, Your will be done.” We start by acknowledging His right to be in control of our lives. Then we follow, even if He leads us where we don’t want to go. 2. When we stop bargaining with God. Our prayers often sound like this: “Lord, I am willing to do what You say if only You first help me [or heal me, or give me success in this venture . . . ]” As sinners condemned by our own nature and helpless to save ourselves, we have no basis for negotiation with God. He redeemed us with the shed blood of His Son and made us part of His family. Our allegiance to Him is to be wholehearted. 3. When we let go in order to receive from God. Complete surrender means we willingly give up our independence, self-determination, and personal preferences (Matt. 10:39). By doing so, we position ourselves for an outpouring of God’s maximum blessing, full usefulness in His service, and deep fellowship with Him. Because we are an open channel ready for God’s use, nothing obstructs the flow of His Spirit through our life and work. We will receive more than we ever give up. What has the Lord brought to mind that you haven’t truly yielded to Him? Won’t you kneel and surrender it today? People in the world over desire to be accepted and appreciated. Generally speaking, all of us want our peers to express approval so we can experience the feeling of acceptance. Though Christians understand that emotions are unreliable indicators of truth, believers also fall into this pattern of searching for approval. Truthfully, one of our most priceless possessions is God’s acceptance of us as we are now. Thanks to Jesus Christ, we own a full measure of God’s grace. The Father does not say, “When you clean up your life, I’ll accept you.” Grace plus performance is not a workable formula in God’s economy. If being a Spirit-filled believer meant achieving some lofty standard of behavior on our own, we would all wear ourselves out in the attempt. Performance-based faith is a worldly idea. People alter their clothes, habits, finances, and jobs to gain acceptance from peers. The only problem is that the people who like your appearance today won’t like it tomorrow. It is true you can’t please everybody, but you can please the Lord by recognizing that He accepts you unconditionally. We have all the status we need: We are children of God and ambassadors of Jesus Christ, living in the kingdom of light! If we ignore our acceptance by God, then we will end up in the world’s cycle of effort and activity, attempting to earn the Lord’s acknowledgement. Freedom and intimacy are rooted in His freely given acceptance. Instead of shielding ourselves from His judgment, we can bask in God’s gracious love. God’s simple requests are often stepping-stones to life’s greatest blessings. When Simon Peter said yes to Jesus’ two small requests, his whole mission changed from fisherman to fisher of men - Luke 5:1-11 An unproductive night’s work no doubt left Peter weary. Yet he willingly brought Jesus on board and then pushed his boat out from shore so the Teacher’s words would carry to the crowd. When the Lord finished speaking, He told the experienced fisherman to head out to deeper water. Peter knew the timing for a good catch was wrong, but he obeyed and was blessed with not one, but two boatloads of fish. Often God’s blessings result from our compliance with seemingly insignificant requests. Though we prefer He ask us to perform great tasks that will impact large crowds, obedience in small matters is our proving ground. If we refuse His prompting to perform some minor action, what reason have we given Him to trust us with a more important responsibility? Had Peter refused to lend Jesus his boat or to risk a midday fishing expedition, he’d have missed the immediate blessing of a big catch and perhaps also the even greater opportunity to be Jesus’ disciple. Walking with the Lord every day for three years, Peter witnessed miracles more spectacular than anything he saw that first day: A blind man received sight, Lazarus was restored to life, and at Jesus’ urging, Peter himself walked on water. The disciple’s courageous step off the boat and onto a raging, stormy sea was the result of saying yes every time God had made a small request. People often associate the word obey with raising children—particularly when they see ill-behaved youngsters. Submission to God’s will, however, is important at every stage of a believer’s maturity. As our faith grows, obedience becomes a cornerstone of fellowship with our Father—He teaches us more about His love and precepts while drawing us ever closer to Himself. Oddly, as Christians get older and more mature, their obedience can diminish. A believer may tell himself that he has learned to live righteously and therefore no longer needs to make a concentrated effort. In a short time, he will find himself far off the path God intended, wandering around with a pile of rags he thinks are righteous acts (Isa. 64:6). Disobedience says to the Lord, “I know better than You how to govern my life.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Scripture and church members are full of stories to prove that obedient submission is the only way to joy. Nothing good can come from rebelling against the Lord, and nothing bad can come from obeying Him. Obedience is the pathway to wisdom and blessing. When we conform our will to God’s, we place our hope and trust in the One who created us and loves us without condition. A life well lived is one in which our eyes are focused on the Lord, our ears are open to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit, and our hearts feast on Scripture. When we choose this existence, we guarantee ourselves the finest that God has to offer. There is no second best for the obedient child of the Father. Believers do many wonderful things in the name of God. Sometimes, though, service becomes more important in the worker’s mind than the Master Himself. Hosea 6:6 makes the Lord’s priorities clear: “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” He wants our attention more than any gifts or works. Unfortunately, too many Christians never press beyond an occasional good work or Bible reading. They ignore the Holy Spirit’s nudges to spend time in prayer and Scripture meditation because it’s too much work or doesn’t fit their lifestyle. Also, they tend to worship out of duty. Does this sound like your life? If so, you should know that deepening your relationship with God requires time and commitment but is immensely rewarding. Human beings are created to know God. He instilled a thirst in us that won’t be satisfied until we reach out to Him for companionship and love. Paul said, “I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]” (Phil. 3:8 AMP). We were created to have an intimate, loving relationship with the Lord and to bring Him glory. Paying homage with our gifts and good works is a natural extension of that design, but our foremost responsibility is to spend time with Him. As believers, we long for a fruitful life that pleases the Lord. To live this way, we need a guide who will help us. Imagine having this conversation with God, and then aim to follow Him closely: Lord, won’t You be our guide? Yes, I am willing. As we travel, I want you to remember that I know where I am going. Every stop along the way is designed to make you into the fruitful branch you long to be. Dear one, the way may be through snow-covered mountains, over rock-strewn paths, or down into green valleys that will tempt you to linger. Will you keep your eyes on Me and follow whether it’s easy or hard? Yes, Lord. Then let’s begin your first lesson: You need to step where I step. But, Lord, Your footprints are too far apart for me. I will adjust them for you. I know You’ll walk too fast. I’ll never walk faster than I know you can travel. I get tired easily. I’ll lend you My arm when you need help. What if I stumble? I’ll pick you up and heal your hurts. The second lesson is this: You are to follow Me even though you cannot see Me. Lord, how will I know where to walk? Use My Word, the Bible. Refer to it often for direction and for reassurance that I am with You and continue to guide you. Lord, what if I become confused? Remember My teachings - Ephesians 1:5-9; Proverbs 3:5-6; John 17:1-3; Matthew 28:16-20. Remember who I am and trust Me. Call out to Me, and I will answer you.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 07:58:02 +0000