Sermon Tone Analysis

Freedom:

1959 was the year of my birth – I am a child of the 60’s!

Although I was just a child, there was a great social movement by youth in the 1960’s – a reaction against what they perceived to be the failure of the older generation that had led to two world wars, corruption, oppression and a world that was poised to destroy itself in nuclear holocaust.

They wanted to break the chains: the three great watch cries of the 60’s were: [P] Love, Peace and Freedom.

Like all young people, they had all the answers; but, a decade down the track, when I was their age; their “love” had left a string of broken relationships; their “freedom” had them in bondage to drug addiction; and their “peace” had set them in rebellion, conflict against society.

A song of the time, “Me and Bobby McGee”, proclaiming their misdirected “wisdom” stated: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”.

I guess it meant “freedom” was when you no longer were held under obligation to meet standards imposed by others.

It didn’t matter anymore, you just did it, you had nothing to lose, no expectations to bind you.

Why aren’t we free to do what we want?

– because of society’s expectations and restrictions.

That’s how the hippies saw it.

But, [P] freedom proved elusive.

We all know the concept, we know what it means; but, when you actually pursue it; it becomes rather hazy as to what it really is – a mirage you never reach.

The “freedom” of the 60’s actually turned out to be bondage – bondage to sin, addictions, habits, destructiveness: misery!

I want to take a one-off interlude from Elisha to talk about freedom.

Can we turn to [P] [Luke 13:10–17 And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

[P] And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; [P] (she was in spiritual bondage!) and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.

When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, [P] “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”

And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.

(how wonderful to be set free from bondage!) [P] But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, [P] began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, [P] does not each of you on the Sabbath untie (the same root as the word “freed” in v.12) his ox or his donkey from the stall (set them free) and lead him away to water him?

“And this woman, [P] a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released (same root as the word “freed” in v.12) from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; [P] and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.]

This woman was bound, satan had bound her; and Jesus set her free!

Hallelujah!

Bondage is the opposite of freedom.

Being set free is a glorious thing!

That is what Jesus came to do [Luke 4:17–21 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. (i.e.

Jesus) And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, [P] “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me (that’s what made Him Messiah) to preach the gospel to the poor.

He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favourable year of the Lord.”

And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”]

This was Jesus – He came to set free! Bless His Name! Romans 8:21 speaks of [Romans 8:21 creation itself also will be set free from its servility to decay, into the glorious freedom of the children of God.] Freedom is a wonderful thing, glorious!

But, there are multitudes, yes even in the church, who, like this woman, are in bondage!

Even, spiritual bondage.

One of the things that made the early church stand out was their liberty, their freedom.

So much so, that people spied on them to find out about it!

[Galatians 2:4 But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty (freedom) which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.]

These were Jews, who were not true Christians, who were intent on bring believers back into bondage to the Law; in particular, that they be circumcised.

In fact, “freedom” is the major theme of Galatians.

I don’t believe in doing Bible study by statistics but it stands out: [P] three books above all others: 1 Corinthians and Romans mention “freedom” quite a bit; but not as much as the book of Galatians.

And they have 16 chapters, whereas Galatians only has 6.

So, Galatians is the book where “freedom” is by far the most prominent.

What was this “freedom” that they were spying on?

Freedom from what?

In both Romans and Galatians, the “freedom” that Paul is speaking about is “freedom” from the Law – it is quite a specific freedom.

The Jewish religion had many, and now has even more, rules that you were required to keep.

A Law full of restrictions, about what you must do and what you must not do.

Paul summed up the situation in [Romans 10:5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: “The person who does this will live by it.”]

It was based on DOING, on performance.

[P] If you did all that Law required then you would be righteous and you would live.

The only problem of course, was that this is impossible: only one human has ever done it: Jesus!

It was a religion based on DOING.

You were bound by all these things that you had to do.

It was an impossible yoke, a heavy burden.

People were bound to this impossible standard that they could not keep.

If only they could be set free from this impossible task!

Peter expressed it this way: [Acts 15:10 So now why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?]

But it is not Judaism alone.

I think that every religion, without exception, requires you to DO something.

In utter contrast was the way of FAITH – trusting/relying on what Jesus has done.

[Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.]

The way of faith is stated in: [Romans 10:9–10 that if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, (that is how righteousness comes, not by keeping the Law) and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation.]

This is what is unique about Christianity: instead of depending on what we DO, it depends on what has already been DONE!

[P] Relying on Jesus having DONE it perfectly, trusting in His righteousness, what He has already DONE instead of what I DO.

May I make a distinction between the righteousness that is by faith in Christ – let me call it “the Way” because that is what it was called initially – and Christian religion.

Because, tragically, Christianity has become a religion!

And every religion requires you to do.

It can happen subtly, but it happens none the less – that we can add requirements, things that have to be done.

In fact, it started very early in the church.

People were saying that you had to be circumcised.

The matter was discussed; and James wrote a letter setting out requirements: [Acts 15:20 but we should write a letter to them to abstain from the pollution of idols and from sexual immorality and from what has been strangled and from blood.]

He let them off circumcision but he set three other stipulations, one of which is not even in the Torah.

The church started setting its own rules.

Things that you must do and not do.

But it may not be written; it can be unspoken.

The impression is given that to make the grade you must do various things: pray a certain length of time, read the Bible, fast, tithe, attend certain meetings, not smoke, refrain from alcohol, swearing – all sorts of rules.

Now, they may be good practices; but, as soon as they become rules, things that you have to do to make the grade – it has become a religion of doing!

The giveaway is: who gets the glory?

If you get a warm fuzzy from what you’ve done, it’s a give-away.

You feel good about what you have done, what you have attained, it is pride, you are getting the glory.

I was speaking to a prisoner out at Rolleston – he said, “I know that there is nothing good in me; it is all what Jesus has done!”

He got it!

The glory went to Jesus, not to him.

Religion brings people into bondage; BUT, hallelujah!, Jesus sets FREE! Paul said to the Galatians: [P] [Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, therefore, and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.]

– of doing, of servitude!

Jesus set us free; BUT, we have to be careful, to stand firm, not be shifted so that we are not brought back into slavery again.

What did Paul mean by slavery?

– being back under the law – a system of rules of doing whereby you attained some status in righteousness or spirituality.

Gnosticism is insidious – it was a heresy that said that there were various levels of spirituality, you sort of moved up the spiritual ladder.

And, if we are not careful, we can do the same: there is the clergy, those who have been to Bible school, those who are mighty men of prayer, the super-spiritual, the gifted – without meaning to, we place men on pedestals!

We regard them as superior saints, then we try to attain to their level – before we know it, we are back under the bondage of having to perform!

Don’t let yourself be subject again to a yoke of slavery!

Paul used an extended metaphor: a picture from Sarah, who had a child born purely out of the promise of God, and Hagar, her slave, through whom Abraham had a natural son, by pure fleshly means.

Sarah was a picture of: the promise, the work of God, supernatural, of the Spirit; and Hagar was a picture of that done by purely human means, effort, the work of man, natural, fleshly, the Law.

[Galatians 4:30–31 But what does the scripture say? “Drive out the female slave and her son, for the son of the female slave will never inherit with the son” of the free woman.

Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the female slave but of the free woman.]

We are either sons of God who receive an inheritance, it comes to us as heirs; or we are slaves who have to work, but no matter how hard we work we will never get the inheritance.