I want to carry on with my new mini-series called “The Path to Freedom”. Let me start by giving you a very quick recap on where we were last time:
At the very start of our lives, when we’re born we’re kind of like a brand new car that’s just off the show room floor. all clean and shiny and it with that ‘new car smell’. Bit like a new born baby – all clean and shiny – with that new baby smell…
But over time, that new car has a tendency to pick up some dents and some dings and the older the car gets, unless you really look after it, the worse looks. Over the years - all that wear and tear turns that bright shiny brand new car into a beat up old rust bucket…
Well, Life’s like that too. .It has a way of bringing dings and dents and rust into our lives. And those scratches, bruises, and hurts we pick up along the way can literally wear us out! Then we wind up looking pretty much like that worn out, beat up old car:
Now, we’ve all been through situations that have left us with emotional pain. And we’ve all got hang-ups that we’d like to say goodbye to. And it’s all those hang-ups, and those hurts, and those habits that makes us like that old rusty old car.
Now, God has plans for our Christian lives’. And one of them is to get us back to showroom condition. That’s what we might call a restoration project. But the Bible says He calls it transformation. And so today I want to look at the next couple of stops along the way to freedom
One of my favorite verses of scripture comes from Mathew 11: 28 - 30: Jesus is talking:
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
We talked last time about how Life has a way of wearing us out and bruising us…and if we don’t allow ourselves to be cured and recover we’ll only get worse. And we talked about healing from bruises and how that Jesus declared in Luke 4:18 that a vital part of His mission was to set at liberty them that are bruised.
The Greek word for bruise in that verse means to oppress. to break in pieces, or to shatter. So here, Jesus is talking about more than just a dark blood spot under the surface of your skin. He’s talking about spiritual and emotional bruises….bruises of the soul. Those bruises that we can’t see – but cause us so much pain.
To be emotionally bruised means to be emotionally downtrodden, emotionally crushed, and emotionally broken down by the trials we face. See, when you’re oppressed and bruised, it takes a tremendous amount of emotional energy just to get out of bed ….If you’re emotionally downtrodden, it seems like each day’s going to be another drag….There’s nothing to look forward to. And life itself becomes a burden that’s too heavy to bear
So, this whole series is about recovery from the bruises. Remember how we talked about Isaiah 57: 18 and how that the Lord said:
18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.
If you’re bruised on the inside, ask yourself this question: what could keep me from taking the step to accept Jesus’ invitation to come to Him and be restored?
I think that there are several answers:
How about Pride:
That’s the attitude that says I never admit that I need help. But lets look at what the Word says about pride:
Proverbs 18:12: Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor
I Peter 5:5 says, And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”
So, maybe pride’s not in your way – but What about Guilt ?
Its really easy for those feelings of guilt that we cant get past to keep us from coming an accepting Jesus offer of help
Psalm 40:12: For troubles surround me— too many to count! My sins pile up so high I can’t see my way out. They outnumber the hairs on my head. I have lost all courage.
That leads us right up to the next stumbling block: Fear
If you’re controlled by fear, it’ll stop you dead every time. All the time people make the excuse: I would come to Jesus, I really would BUT I am afraid of what I’d have to give up: Jesus has something to say about that too!
Mark 8: 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Here’s another road block that stops people accepting Jesus invitation: Worry
See, when we’re worried, we tend to confuse decision phase with the problem solving phase.
I Peter 5: 7: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
This word care is equivalent with anxiety and we all know what this feels like. Have we not come across your road block yet?
OK, then what about Doubt?
Doubt gets in the way when you believe that your faith is too weak or small for the task
Mark 9: 23: Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
So, if I can get past all those road blocks’. All those things that would get in the way of my personal restoration project.
How do I take the step of accepting Jesus’ invitation to come to Him?
Well, first and foremost you have to be sure you’re born again.
God can’t do anything with you while you’re still in the world. Is anyone reading this NOT born again?
2nd part of the deal is that we accept God’s word as my standard for living.
You would be amazed at how many Christians have their own translations of the Bible Translations that give them the exception to be able to live how they want….
II Tim 3:16 tells us: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
You know what that means - even the genealogies (family trees) are inspired!
In Luke 9: 26Jesus said: 26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.
3rd thing we have to do is to accept God’s will as my strategy.
Psalm 40: 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
I get my strength from Gods power: What does that mean? Simply this. Instead of trying to do everything in your own power you confess the scripture in Phil 4: 13 that says
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
NOW: when you’ve done all that
- You’re saved
- You’ve accepted Gods way as the rule for your life’
- You’ve accepted Gods will as the strategic plan for your life
- And you’ve stopped trying to do everything in your own strength
- There’s something else very important that you need to do
- And that’s this
Its time to come clean
Now, most people have heard of Barbara Streisand….She’s a well known singer and actress, but just suppose that she struggles terribly with stage fright….You’d never know it, but just maybe each time she goes out on stage, she’s afraid that she won’t sing well and that she won’t do as well as people expect and that everybody will find out….
Now, that stems from an internal fear and insecurity….And internal fear and insecurity are born from internal guilt…People like this are always worried what if somebody finds out…they may reject me….and this hammers their self-confidence…
So the critical reason for this step for coming clean…..is simply to deal with our guilt!
Sir Author Conan Doyle was the guy who wrote the Sherlock Holmes books…Now, he was a bit a prankster and one day he decided to play a trick on some people. He wrote an anonymous letter to 5 of the most prominent men in the city of London. It simply said, ‘all is found out, flee at once.” Within 24 hours all 5 of them had left the country!….And that is a true story.
It's sort of like being high and being near a cop and even if the cop doesn’t come near you. You kinda know that he knows that you’re high….or you think he knows, but because your sense of guilt is so powerful an guilt emotion….you think he must know.
So, for the righteous ones in here, it’s the same as being followed by a cop when you’re driving……
Our emotions are so powerful that we tend to think that everybody’s feeling what we’re feeling…it's not true, but our emotions can make us so miserable that we need to deal with them before they ruin our lives.
So guilt is a powerful emotion…..and we are talking about the path to freedom. The definition of the word guilt is remorseful awareness of having done something wrong. Here’s the thing: without remorse there is no guilt
Our Guilt causes us to hide from God. (Adam and Eve)
Genesis 6:7 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Guilt causes us to flee and run. Guilt destroys our confidence…And Guilt damages our relationships….Sometimes when parents feel guilty for neglecting time spent with their kids. They’ll try and make up for it by buying the kids an excessive amount of material things. Now, that stuff will never be able to make up for the neglect…but guilt is a powerful emotion and it causes people to behave in peculiar ways. When Christian people have sex outside of marriage they carry the guilt of that into the relationship and it has a negative effect.
Guilt keeps us stuck in the past. Guilt is like trying to drive your car while looking in the rear view mirror….it’s necessary to glance at it once in a while, but if you keep your eyes only on that rear view mirror, you’ll crash…That’s exactly what happens when we try to live our lives always looking in the mirror of past guilt….
That’s why I’m teaching this stuff, so that we all know why it’s so important to come clean with God and how to go about accomplishing the goal of coming clean with Him.
Did you know that Guilt is so powerful that it can actually make you physically sick.
Proverbs 28:He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
How do I do that? Well, that’s where the courage comes in. It means I have to take a long, hard, objective look in the mirror. But so often people don’t do that cos they’re afraid of what they might see. Now, we all fight fear at some time or other but courage is about doing the right thing in spite of our fear and anxiety. So, we have to start by getting alone with God, we need a pen and a notepad and then we say to God, search me and tell me what I need to fix in my life….its just you and God, but if you really do this…I m[promise you it’ll make a big difference.
Ask questions like: what am I feeling guilty about…ask God to bring some things to mind…what are some things I feel unconsciously guilty about…
Lamentations 3:40: 40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. 41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
Psalm 139: 23: Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Do you have the courage to quote that verse back to God, Can you be open and honest enough with Him to allow His love to really have a no holds barred view of the internal condition of your soul? It takes some sincerity, but I promise if you will do this that by this time next week you’ll have more freedom in your life that you have right now
So, how do we accept responsibility for my faults.
Well, we can start by refusing to play the blame game.
I John 1: 8: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
So to get guilt free we must Ask God for forgiveness. This is basic to salvation, but it’s fundamental to being free from guilt….
I John 1: 9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
When we really love Jesus - we don’t run from Him when He comes to help us.
Isaiah 1:18 tells it like this: 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Here is how not to get forgiveness from God:
· Don’t beg
· Don’t bargain
· Don’t bribe.
The next stop along the path to freedom is making some changes
Romans 12: 1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Change can be a scary thing…even when it’s positive and Biblical change.
We all want spiritual and emotional freedom and God’s made provision for that to happen. But we have to understand that new freedom always requires change to some degree. Even the most spiritual and upright people sometimes resist positive change. why? because by nature change makes us nervous. So do get pas that we have to keep our eyes fixed on the benefits of the on the change.
Have you ever rearranged the furniture in a room, and you grunted, sweated, it forced you to do some extra dusting and vacuuming, but when it was all said and done, you were glad you made the change? It gave you a fresh feeling when you walked into the room…it gave you a feeling of freedom from the same old same old!
Biblical changes take submission. it only happens when we voluntarily submit to every change that God wants to make in my life and when humbly ask Him to remove our character defects.
So, where do my character defects come from?
Well that depends on whom you ask. Some people will tell you its all in the chromosomes or the genes (nature).Now, Genetics may explain predisposition (tendency), but genetics can never excuse sin! Example: laziness may be in your family history, you may be surrounded by lazy people but that doesn’t excuse it in your own life: that’s true for any sin: addictions, lusts, greed, dishonesty, etc.
The there are those who will tell you that character defects come from our circumstances (nurture). And that character defects are often attempts to fill unmet needs.
Both of the above are codswallop!
Character defects come from Our Choices
The defects in our character come to the surface when we choose to misuse our positive qualities and we choose a lifestyle not based on God’s Word.
So, Why is it so hard to change them?
Because we’ve had them so long. Because we identify with them. And we’re afraid that if we really let go of this defect, will I still be me?”See, character defects have an instant payoff, but they’re just cheap imitations. It's sort of like the difference between a genuine product that is well made vs. a cheap counterfeit substitute that may look good at first glance but it falls apart in a short amount of time. It's like the difference between a genuine leather chair and a cheap vinyl chair that may look good and shiny at first glance, but won’t last nearly as long as the genuine leather chair with double stitching.
The good news is that Jesus paid for the real thing!
It was a heavy price to pay, but you and I don’t have to pay that price….He already did it for us with His own blood.
Another reason why it can be so hard to change character defects is because Satan discourages us. He does this through:
- Fiery darts (Ephesians 6: 16)
- Satan is the Accuser of the Brethren (Rev. 12: 10)
- Satan is a liar: (John 8: 44)
SO, then I accept God want to do the restoration and transformation in my life but how do I cooperate with God’s change process?
Romans 12: 2 be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind
II Cor 3: 17-18: 17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Focus on changing one defect at a time
Proverbs 17: 24 MSG: “The perceptive find wisdom in their own front yard; fools look for it everywhere but right here.”
Focus on victory one day at a time.
Mathew 6:11 Jesus instructed the disciples how to pray: “Give us this day our daily bread”
Mathew 6:34: 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Focus on God’s power, not your own will power.
Jeremiah 13: 23: 23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
John 15:4: 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
At the same time, with the Lord’s help:
Philippians 4: 13: 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
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