When you hear the word freedom, what surfaces in your thoughts?
Financial freedom?
Emotional freedom?
Freedom to do what you want, when you want?
Freedom is a funny thing because oftentimes what we personally define as freedom can actually become another form of slavery.
Noah Webster’s definition of freedom is to be exempt from constraint or control of another.
A slave, on the other hand, is one who has lost the power of resistance. The New Testament, however, introduces a new term for slave that wasn’t used in the OT: bond slave.
The term is used over 120 times in the New Testament (often by Paul!) with the highest dignity describing believers who willingly live under Christ’s authority as His devoted followers.
Y’all, we have to be oh-so-careful how we try to redefine freedom, because here’s the bottom line:
We will either walk enslaved to sin or as servants to our Savior-there’s no middle ground.
We might not recognize it, but we can become a slave to passion, Netflix, status, sweets, wine & wants of all kinds!
Just because we can freely DO what we want, when we want, doesn’t always result in BEING free. The freedom to choose just might land us enslaved by something we didn’t see coming!
Paul introduces himself to the Jews in Rome by drawing attention to the fact that he’s held in chains BECAUSE of his hope in Jesus.
We all have masters of some sort in our lives, but which of them would you die for?
Which of them has died for you?
Which of them binds your flesh like chains, but leads to true freedom?
Sin & Spirit are in constant diametric opposition to each other.
Sin leads to selfish ambition, division, immorality, hostility…
Letting the Lord lead, however, produces a fruit that can’t be bought - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self control.
What kind of fruit does your master produce?
Jesus, those who’ve received your gift of salvation know how much we’ve been given & forgiven! We nail our passions to the cross, no longer letting our mind, will, emotions or body lead. We will not become a slave to fruitless sin, but willingly surrender as servant to our Savior Who bought our freedom with His death.
1 CHRONICLES 11:1-12:18
ACTS 28:1-31
PSALM 9:1-12
PROVERBS 19:1-3
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