Friday, July 26, 2013

Glorious Freedom, verse 3

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Freedom from pride and all sinful follies;
Freedom from love and glitter of gold;
Freedom from evil temper and anger;
Glorious freedom, rapture untold!

Today we continue to look at and meditate on what Christ has set us free from - and I hope you will rejoice with me that we do not have to be slaves to these things! It is for freedom that Christ set us free!

We have freedom from pride. The Bible warns us about pride, and exhorts us to embrace the opposite: humility.

When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor. Proverbs 29:23

Jesus, our Savior, was the ultimate example of someone who could have been proud, but was not. Paul tells us that Jesus, even though He is God, did not consider being equal to God as something to crow about. Instead, He humbled Himself.

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8

Jesus' humility led Him to the cross, where He paid the price for our sin. Because of His death, we are set free from sinful follies. It won't take you long to find a list of sinful follies in God's word. As humans, we are apt to participate in any number of them, whether thought or deed.

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man. Mark 7:21-23

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. I John 2:16

Paul, in his letters to the new churches, encourages believers with how to think and act now that they have been set free. Instead of succumbing to sinful follies, believers are called to reject sin and embrace actions that show that we belong to Christ. These are good verses to consider memorizing so they are hidden in your heart and can be recited when you are tempted to sin.

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices. Colossians 3:8-9

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:29-32

Christ has also set us free from the love of glitter and gold. Again, the Bible warns us about this folly.

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity. Ecclesiastes 5:10

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. I Timothy 6:10

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

As Christians, we have the privilege of being stewards of the gifts God has given us - and that includes our jobs that provide our income. It's all God's money - and He entrusts it to us to make good decisions. And because of our faith, we can trust that God will provide for us what we need. We don't need to worry about what we will eat or wear - God cares for us and will provide, as Jesus told us!

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:25-33

We must first seek God's kingdom, making that our first priority. That, in itself, will set us free from the love of money and all that glitters. Another sinful folly is a hot temper and anger. Proverbs has much to say about anger, wisdom and prudence.

A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back. Proverbs 29:11

He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly. Proverbs 14:29

A fool’s anger is known at once, but a prudent man conceals dishonor. Proverbs 12:16

Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man,or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself. Proverbs 22:24-25

I really appreciate how King Solomon encourages us - do not be eager in your heart to be angry! He makes it clear that anger is a choice - a sinful folly.

Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:9

There is a dire consequence for these sinful follies, including anger and its ripple effects of disputes, dissensions, factions and envying - those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21

James provides us with a great alternative - be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.

But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20

James reminds us that getting angry doesn't achieve anything - most importantly of all, it does not achieve righteousness. "Quick to hear, slow to speak" is a mantra worth repeating!

Today, I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude that I have been set free. I am no longer a slave to these things, these sinful follies, because Christ has set me free. Thank you, Lord!

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Romans 8:20-21

Glorious Freedom
Words by Haldor Llineas

Once I was bound by sin’s galling fetters;
Chained like a slave, I struggled in vain.
But I received a glorious freedom,
When Jesus broke my fetters in twain.


Refrain
Glorious freedom! Wonderful freedom!
No more in chains of sin I repine!
Jesus the glorious Emancipator—
Now and forever He shall be mine.

Freedom from all the carnal affections;
Freedom from envy, hatred and strife;
Freedom from vain and worldly ambitions;
Freedom from all that saddened my life!


Freedom from pride and all sinful follies;
Freedom from love and glitter of gold;
Freedom from evil temper and anger;
Glorious freedom, rapture untold!

Freedom from fear with all of its torments;
Freedom from care with all of its pain;
Freedom in Christ, my blessed Redeemer—
He who has rent my fetters in twain.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Glorious Freedom, verse 2

Jesus, through His death in my place has set me free. That is an amazing truth. But I think it's even more amazing to dig a little deeper and think about what He has set me free FROM - the writer of this hymn reminds us of just that - and it is QUITE a list.

We are free from carnal affections. This means that we are not slaves to fleshly sin - we are free! Paul reminds us what we were like before we had this freedom.

Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. Ephesians 2:3

We all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging ourselves. Can you relate to this? The continual indulging of our flesh only leads to death -- but great news -- because we now belong to Christ we can kill that flesh, the very flesh that is full of passions and desires can be held in check because we are not slaves to sin.

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24

We have also been freed from our slavery to sin in regards to our relationships to other people - we are free from envy, hatred and strife. Again, before we had Christ, we were foolish, not only indulging our flesh but also hating one another!

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. Titus 3:3

That's a horrible way to spend a life isn't it? Aren't you thankful that God freed you from that slavery? Luckily, the next few verses from that passage in Titus provide us with the good news. And it starts with one of my favorite words from the Bible: BUT.

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7

We were spending our lives being disobedient, slaves to passion, and hateful BUT then the kindness of our God and Savior appeared. And He saved us, according to His mercy.

Even though we were spending our life being slaves to sin, He didn't hesitate to demonstrate His love for us.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Paul gives us some great alternatives to the way we used to live. Here's what we do now, since we belong to Him.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Romans 12:9-11

Let all that you do be done in love. I Corinthians 16:14

Love. Cling to what is good, give preference to one another, serve the Lord, and love. Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called!

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3

The Lord has set us free from worldly ambitions. These are things the world desires and aspires to. These worldly ambitions lead to desires of the flesh - and the Word promises us that those who participate and practice these things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21

Instead of worldly ambition, we have a different kind of ambition. As the result of being freed from our slavery, we have our ambition to be pleasing to the One who set us free.

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. II Corinthians 5:9

In our old selves, when we were worldly minded, we didn't have the Spirit, and we caused divisions.

These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. Jude 1:19

BUT. Since through God's grace we have received salvation, He instructs us to deny our inherent worldliness and to live godly in our present age.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. Titus 2:11-13

This truly is freedom from all that saddened my life. Glorious freedom, wonderful freedom, no more in chains of sin I repine! Hallelujah.

Glorious Freedom
Words by Haldor Llineas

Once I was bound by sin’s galling fetters;
Chained like a slave, I struggled in vain.
But I received a glorious freedom,
When Jesus broke my fetters in twain.


Refrain
Glorious freedom! Wonderful freedom!
No more in chains of sin I repine!
Jesus the glorious Emancipator—
Now and forever He shall be mine.

Freedom from all the carnal affections;
Freedom from envy, hatred and strife;
Freedom from vain and worldly ambitions;
Freedom from all that saddened my life!

Freedom from pride and all sinful follies;
Freedom from love and glitter of gold;
Freedom from evil temper and anger;
Glorious freedom, rapture untold!

Freedom from fear with all of its torments;
Freedom from care with all of its pain;
Freedom in Christ, my blessed Redeemer—
He who has rent my fetters in twain.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Glorious Freedom

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

As we get ready to celebrate the freedoms that we have in our nation this week, I thought it would be beneficial to also look at the freedom that was bought for us with Jesus' blood. Everywhere around our country this week, people will gather with family and friends to eat, launch fireworks, watch a parade, celebrate independence and hopefully pause to remember what that means for us as citizens. We have freedoms in our country because people fought for them - and because many people lost their lives in order to guarantee them for us.

But more importantly, as Christians, we also are free! Before Jesus paid the price, we were slaves to sin, but His death on the cross has purchased our freedom. Now, THAT is something to celebrate!

When we were dead in our trespasses and sins, we were like the prisoners described in Psalm 107:

There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in misery and chains, because they had rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High. Psalm 107:10-11

As slaves to sin, we struggled in vain because we could never live up to God's holy standard for our lives.

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. James 2:10

But God had a plan. He would send His sinless, perfect Son to die a cruel death that belonged to you and me. His atoning work on the cross ensured our freedom from slavery - slavery to sin that had us bound up in chains.

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Romans 6:5-7

Jesus broke my fetters in twain! Hallelujah! This glorious, wonderful freedom breaks the bonds of sin. Jesus is my emancipator, having freed me from my former life.

So what is my response? Now and forever He shall be mine! I will live for Him for what He has done for me. Let's celebrate freedom!

(Join me back here in the next week or two as we look at the next verses of this hymn and more closely meditate on what we have been freed from - and what we are set free for!)


Glorious Freedom
Words by Haldor Llineas

Once I was bound by sin’s galling fetters;
Chained like a slave, I struggled in vain.
But I received a glorious freedom,
When Jesus broke my fetters in twain.

Refrain
Glorious freedom! Wonderful freedom!
No more in chains of sin I repine!
Jesus the glorious Emancipator—
Now and forever He shall be mine.

Freedom from all the carnal affections;
Freedom from envy, hatred and strife;
Freedom from vain and worldly ambitions;
Freedom from all that saddened my life!

Freedom from pride and all sinful follies;
Freedom from love and glitter of gold;
Freedom from evil temper and anger;
Glorious freedom, rapture untold!

Freedom from fear with all of its torments;
Freedom from care with all of its pain;
Freedom in Christ, my blessed Redeemer—
He who has rent my fetters in twain.