“Free Indeed”
By Nicole McLeod
Pastor Chuck’s book “Why Grace Changes Everything” is such a great book to study. Grace is not only His Divine favor that saves us, but it is His power at work in our every-day Christian living – a power that is daily transforming us and changing us. We are all being daily changed by grace. And this is why we can draw near to Him with confidence, (Heb 4:16) at His “throne of grace”, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Let’s pray: Lord, thank you for this group of ladies who have come here today to learn more about grace. When we meet with you Lord, it changes us, it changes us in good ways, and we want to be changed and grow to be more like you. Help us Lord, for our help comes from You. May Your gracious presence be upon us as all we look at these chapters with open hearts and minds.
In Jesus name we pray, amen.
Chapter 9 is titled, “Free Indeed!”
On p.141, Pastor Chuck makes strong statement that, “No one in the world is truly as free as a believer in Jesus Christ.” And I would add that it is only in Christ that true freedom is found.
Before Christ came into our lives and saved us, most of us probably thought we were free - and we were free -free to sin- to live as we pleased, but over time, freedom to sin turns into bondage to sin, which leads to emptiness and an overwhelming sense of lostness.
As Pastor Chuck wrote, “there is no freedom to be found in such a dreadful condition!” And I think all of us would say, Amen!
“What a contrast,” Pastor Chuck wrote, “to the glorious liberty we have been given in Christ Jesus!”
In John 8: 36,Jesus declared this truth, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
“We are free in Christ,” Pastor Chuck wrote, “and the extent of our liberty is so vast that Paul could say, ‘All things are lawful for me’ (1 Cor. 10:23) …. But Paul also insisted that while all things may be lawful, (or legal) for us, not ‘all things are profitable’!
Galatians 5:1 “Standfast therefore in the liberty where-with Christ hath made us free and be ye not entangled again in the yoke of Bondage.”
The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians, to help them understand God’s grace and the gospel of grace in response to false teachers who were trying to “add-on” requirements from the law of Moses to their Christian faith. Paul wrote to tell them, to “Standfast therefore in the liberty where-with Christ hath made us free …”
Standfast!We need to remain steadfast in our freedom and against temptation to go back to whatever it was that Christ has saved us from. Going back (in the Bible) is a bad thing! Remember Lot’s wife! She was told not to look back as she and her family fled Sodom, but she did and was according to Genesis 19:26 turned into a pillar of salt. In her case, it was more than just a glance over the shoulder; it was a look of longing, or a desire to return. We don’t want to return to the sin that Jesus has made us free from, lest we again be “ entangled in the yoke of Bondage.”
Let’s read the verse in the ESV: Gal 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
We all deal with temptation and spiritual warfare, which can be overt or very subtle. I wonder if the believers in Galatia accepted some of this false teaching because they thought that following stricter laws might make them more spiritual or more pleasing to God in some way – and we too can get lured into legalism with that same thinking, so let’s stand firm in the freedom of God’s grace.
Point #1: Freedom can be misused or used well. Let’s look at two examples in the Bible.
1.First the example of Adam. In Eden, Adam was given great freedom indeed! “He could eat of any tree in the garden, but one – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God gave Adam freedom of choice – a free will. And Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree. Pastor Chuck wrote, “God did not physically prevent Adam from eating the forbidden fruit. Adam misused his freedom, and we still suffer the catastrophic consequences of his choice today. Sin came into the world through one man’s wrong exercise of freedom.”
2. By contrast, Jesus is the example of freedom used well.
In Matthew 28:18 He made this statement to his disciples, “All power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth…”And what did He do with this great power? Jesus took off His robe, girded himself about as a servant, and washed His disciples feet. And after He had washed their earth worn feet, he asked his disciples, in effect, So you know what I have done? I have given you an example. For if I being your Lord have served you, then so also ought you to serve one another. (Jo.13:12-14). And in verse 17he said, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” He also gives us freedom to choose…and the promise of blessing when we so serve one another in love. We don’t have to serve one another in love, we get to serve one another in love, with Christ, and we find great joy in it! This is how grace works.
1 Peter 2:16 “For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. ”
What are some ways we use our freedom in Christ to honor God?
1.We gather in fellowship and for worship and the Word… (like we are today)
2.We love one another. Pastor Chuck makes this point on p. 149 saying that “as free men and women in Christ, we need to walk in the Spirit – the Spirit of love, forgiveness and kindness. We must look to the Lord for His grace and empowerment…”
3. We serve one another in love, spread the gospel, use our time well, worship, fellowship, prayer, journal with God, acts of kindness.
Galatians 5:13 “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Paul was a great example of his teachings, and he is our example too. He was free indeed but used his freedom to live a life of devotion to God , and sacrificial service to his brothers and sisters in Christ. He daily kept on track with God’s mission for his life, to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and the grace of God. We want to do the same. May God help us use our freedoms to seek God’s best in all things and live in His grace and to fulfill the calling and mission He has for our lives. God is for us, and His grace empowers us onward and upward in the great purposes God has for us in Christ Jesus.
In Heb. 12:1-2we have a picture of the Christian, as a runner running a race, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
- Weights are things that are not sinful, but they hinder or burden our progress in our walk with Christ - whether physical, emotional, or spiritual – these are things that hold us back or down – can you even imagine a woman setting out to run a race carrying bags and suitcases, and loved ones, and all the things we tend to carry around with us that weigh us down?
On Page 143, Pastor Chuck wrote,“We are to avoid areas that would distract us from a simple wholehearted devotion to God. To remain free, we must not exercise our liberty in any area that will bring us back under bondage.”
- Sins which clings so closely – this describes the persistent and difficult nature of sin that can make it hard to overcome and progress in our walk of faith. It is right there to trip us up, so we need to remain steadfast, and look to Jesus all the time.
Point #2: We are set free fromsin, not to sin! We must watch and pray to resist the temptation to go back to those things from which Christ has delivered us.
Ephesians 5:8-11 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness but rather expose them.”
This is wise counsel to take to heart! Darkness stands for evil, and light stands for what is good and godly. “Live as children of light. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darknessand expose themfor what they are.
After walking with the Lord for a while, there is a problem that can happen. A Christian may relax and think that because they’ve grown strong in grace, that it’s okay to dabble in a little darkness… just a little compromise, they may think at first…and rather than dodge it, they dabble in it. They may think they are strong enough to not be taken in but that is a trick and a deception. Under the juicy worm that lures us is a hook! Mind the hook!!! And Jesus didn’t conquer darkness so we can come to the light and then go back to dabble in the darkness.
John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."
When Christ came into our lives, we left the life of darkness behind to walk in the light with the Lord, in a new direction - away from sin and towards light and life. It’s a step-by-step day by day walk by faith and in grace. As Pastor Chuck sums up this chapter he writes,
“Thank God we have been given freedom in Christ! Thank God we have been given the resources to maintain that freedom. May the Lord help us to freely love, freely serve, and freely seek the best interests of one another. For then, at last, we shall be capable of fully enjoying the incomparable delights to be found only in the freedom of God’s great grace.”
Chapter 10 is titled “Won’t they go wild?”In this chapter,Pastor Chuck tackles some tough questions and important subjects that I will summarize before we close.
First, he brings up the concern that if we preach grace, that some people will abuse it or misuse it, and some have. There may be a Christian who thinks, ‘I want to do this sin, and I know God will forgive me, so I will do it and say I’m sorry, and be ok’. That person needs to consider seriously that God sees the rationalizing attitude of their hearts… they are not fooling him. This one should seek God’s grace and strength to resist sin.
On the other hand, there is the Christian who is struggling and asking God for help to overcome sin and strongholds but has not yet gained victory. This is a hard place to be, as it may be a stronghold or an addiction, or an area they need help, counsel or more time to overcome. Their part is to keep believing and praying and never give up. The enemy would tell them they will never overcome, but with Christ, all things are possible. We must believe and persevere in the grace God gives, remembering:
1John 1:9-10 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”, Pastor Chuck wrote on p 158. “We long for the day we will be delivered from this body, and it’s fallen nature. In the meantime, we seek the Lord for His help and for His strength, for the power of the Holy Spirit, and we rely on the Lord Jesus to live the life He has for us to live”. Daily grace!
On p. 161, Pastor Chuck answers another important question for us. He wrote, “Now, if I am caught off guard and find myself again yielding to the flesh, does that mean I am no longer saved? Do I have to get saved all over again? No. I still believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, I still love the Lord, and it is still my faith that is imputed to me as righteousness. It is precisely because of my faith and my new life in Christ that I cannot go on being dominated by my flesh.”
P. 164, Pastor Chuck assures us, “God isn't close to us one moment and distant the next. And even if we fail, even though we are still weak in so many areas, our righteous standing before God doesn't vary with our shifting attitudes or changing moods. Our relationship with God is steady and secure because it isn't based on us or our performance.”
As we end here this morning, I want to ask, are you are growing in grace and are these truths about grace helpful to you as you walk by faith, and deal with your own personal struggles?
Always remember, we all have struggles. Always remember, God is for you. His grace is a free gift to us; it is not something earned through human effort and is there to help us in our weaknesses to not grow discouraged or weary in the fight. 1 Corinthians 12:9: "And he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'".
I love how this chapter closes, so I will end today by reading this last section.
“We can leave behind the mentality that says God only loves us when we are good and rejects us when we are bad…. (Jesus) gives us a beautiful stable loving relationship with himself. We enjoy the kind of standing that says come on in and sit down let me help you let me strengthen you. God loves you. You are so very dear to him that he chose you and called you to be his eternally that is why the grace of God does not lead to wild living there's infinitely more joy to be had in the savior than in sin. ”