Freedom in Christ

Both my parents and my other 3 siblings all live together down in Poole in the south coast.

I have a younger brother, Daniel

Older brother, Nathan

Older Sister Hannah.

We all grew up going to church and learning from the bible, but my sister hannah, she always struggled with Christianity.

For her, she wanted to have a fun time, enjoy herself, but when she looked at what she was being taught at church, she would think things like:

“After living my life as I’m doing, enjoying myself and getting to do whatever I want, why would I want to believe in a God, a God who requires me to be restricted in what I can and can’t do, to have liitations, to be held back from really what I want to do.”

Maybe, for some of us here today, that’s a little like how we’ve been feeling.

Maybe if that’s you, you’ve been coming along these last few weeks, and you’ve been thinking roughly the same thing that my sister was feeling, Christianity, is it really THIS restricting?

Why would any of us sign up for a religion, an institution, be involved in a faith if it means giving up so much of what I may want.

Does it mean giving up my belief in Science, to follow Christianity.

Or does being a christian mean I’m restricted to what Genders or sexes I can love, or hang around with?

Does being a christian mean I’m only ever allowed to read a 2000 year old book and nothing else?

Is Christianity really a religion of rules and ritual, or of freedom?

No matter who you are, whether you’ve been a christian all your life, or never even heard of Jesus, here is a story that will be important for you in your journey of life.

This story takes place at the start of Luke’s account of Jesus’ life.

In Luke chapter 4.

Jesus has just been baptised and filled up with the Holy Spirit.

Been tempted in the Wilderness

And now had arrived back in his hometown of Nazareth.

It’s a typical Saturday and everyone has come to the Synagogue for the service.

Jesus was down on the rota to do the scripture reading and sermon for that day.

So he stands up and is handed the scroll of Isaiah to read.

He decides to read from the start of Isaiah 61 and says:

…

He then rolls up the scroll

Gives it back to the attendant and then sits down.

Why does he sit down, well he sits down on a special chair and this is how they preach.

Everyone was absolutely amazed, staring at him in complete anticipation

Completely alert to hear whatever Jesus had to say next.

I wish our Sunday sermons were like that sometime!

Now let’s look a little deeper into what was meant by what happened that day.

Jesus starts off with the first line of Isaiah 61 by saying:

“The spirit of the lord is on me”

Note straight away, the verse he chose to read

Although Isaiah is the one writing this, it is clearly referring to Jesus, and how he is qualified for this work.

He has come in the power of the Spirit.

“Because he anointed me”

He has been commissioned, sent.

He has been anointed because God has sent him, and sent the Holy Spirit along with him.

“To proclaim good news to the poor”

Not only has he been commissioned and sent for this purpose, but he is a great prophet.

He has been anointed to preach, and preach to the poor.

This reminds me a lot of the beatitudes in terms of those who God wanted him to speak to.

But out of this proclamation of the good news, he brings Hope.

Jesus brings hope.

And then what was he to do, and I’ve just got a three short statements to look at as to what he said.

Jesus jumps around now quite a bit with the passages he reads from, but in Isaiah, the first thing that is mentioned is that.

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted”

Jesus came to be a great Physician.

This word ‘bind’ isn’t so much about chaining up or restricting access, as we might tend to accosiate with christianity,

Actually, this means more about curing, healing a broken heart, a bit like babies like to be wrapped up, they feel secure.

He was sent to heal the broken-hearted, to comfort and cure those who are struggling.

We’ve all felt broken in heart at some point or another I think, whether that’s through the loss of a loved one, or seperation, or just that feeling of being unloved.

Jesus has come to heal the broken, just like a doctor, he says here that he is the great physician, the doctor ready to patch up our wounds and comfort us in the pain and brokenness.

He has come to heal us so that we can be free

“He has sent me to proclaim recovery of sight to the blind”

Jesus came to be the great optician. /great guider

This is also justified in his mentionning of bringing them out of darkness.

Just as we hear from John 3, we have this verdict.

We have all chosen the darkness, being blinded by the things around us.

And yet here Jesus says he has come to bring us out of the darkness.

To bring us into the light, by the power of his grace.

One book quotes it as saying that:

“Christ came to tell us that he has eye-salve for us, which we may have for the asking”

If our prayer is for our eyes to be opened, he shall answer “Recieve your sight”

Not many of us are physically blind here I don’t think, just looking around the room.

But I think a lot of us have been feeling like we’re living in the darkness

In the way we have concerns, anxieties about the future

It’s so easy for us to find ourselves walking in the darkness not knowing what to do or where to go.

Jesus has come to take our hand and guide us out of the darkness

And into his wonderful light

To see freedom from uncertainty, from anxiety, from blindness

For many years, I was held captive by the need to be better than others, to be the smartest in my class, to stand out above others in my intelligence and career.

But god did something dramatic with me at university, here I was scoring extremely high in my exams and assignments, on track for a first, easily expecting to get a very nice paid job as a maths graduate and work my way up the career ladder.

But God had another plan for me, up until that moment, I thought I was unstoppable, but the prospect of not being on top, of falling behind others, haunted me. I would’ve never thought of taking a year out, or gap year, I was younger than most of my peers because I had to get there first.

I took some of my A-levels before my older brother of 3 years older, and got better results than him.

And finally

“To set the oppressed free” and to “Proclaim freedom for the prisoners”

Jesus came to be the great Redeemer”

Not only could Christ Proclaim freedom as could other prophets, but he could also set them free.

Because he had the power and authority to do that.

He specifically added this line “To set the oppressed free” from two chapters earlier in Isaiah 58

Whether or not this was because of the scroll he was given had that, or whether he deliberately did it, or said it from memory, we don’t know.

These oppressed that are mentioned are more better translated as ‘Captured’

Or even held under captive, and captive by sin.

Jesus came to give forgiveness from captivity.

To set us free from sin.

We’re no longer slaves to sin!

And then he qualifies it all at the end of the passage by saying:

“Today, you have heard the scripture fulfilled”

Galatians 5:1 – It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

It’s absolutely incredible what Jesus has done for us by dying on the cross

John 3:16

Having a faith in jesus, having a living and active relationship with Jesus isn’t limiting, instead it brings even greater freedom

John 10:10

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Jesus has come to give us freedom, true freedom, and that means life in all it’s fullness.

If you think you’re satisfied with your current life, wait and see what plans God has for your life, prosper you, hope, future

Far greater than we could ever imagine

Maybe tonight you need a pysician.. maybe, heal broken heart, maybe direction, guidance, sight, maybe forgiveness from something you’ve done, Jesus gives us freedom, as an outpouring, freedom births joy, 

Davvid! 

What does the outpouring of freedom look like

Total submission to him, are we like that in our worship time? Are we experiencing an outpouring of freedom in the way we … give, serve, come, belong, 

Freedom in the way we love others

Freedom in generosity

Freedom in worship

Freedom in evangelism

Freedom in faith

Because we have Freedom in Christ

Jesus is offering us freedom, and that’s a process

God was the one who put this particular topic on my heart, and I think it was prophetic, because I think it’s speaking to many of us here today.

Something that I think God also wanted me to share about today was of some flowers.

Don’t know if we have many flower enthusiasts here at the moment.

Or anyone interested in going to the Chelsea flower show, or Hampton Gardens.

But outside our vicarage over the last year has been growing this flower

Spirit of Freedom

The flowers of this rose start as small rounded buds that slowly open to form cup shaped flowers with lots of petals, which are slightly clustered in the centre. It turns from a soft vivid pink colour to a lilac pink on maturity.

Very resistant to disease. 

A rose with a beauty that is reminiscent of old fashioned roses.

It gives off the smell of myrrh

Isn’t that incredible, that a flower representing freedom, when we smell it, we are reminded of the sacrifice that was made for our freedom, jesus, who died on the cross for us, and his body anointed with myrrh, now brings us freedom

It is because of Christ that we have freedom

Freedom to choose how to live our lives

Freedom to chose the light or the darkness.

And we can receive freedom through Christ in the way he 

Heals the broken

Gives sight in the darkness/to those in uncertainty

Forgives those in captivity

How do we respond to this?

For some of us here today, that might mean us saying YES to Jesus for the first time, letting him come into our lives and breaking off any chains that were holding us back from true freedom

Or for many others of us here today, maybe God’s calling us, if this is for you, ….. 

to seek the freedom in Christ in some other area of our life 

and maybe that involves being healed from something in your heart, 

maybe that involves being given sight in an area of uncertainty or darkness, 

maybe that involves being forgiven from something that has held you captive for too long, 

and by doing this, it will allow us to truly experience god’s presence in an even greater level of freedom toinight, in the way we worship (different ways to worship), in the way we pray… come belong….. give, serve, live our lives

 

I’m willing to bet that most of us here are struggling in one of these areas, blocking us from expereincing the true freedom christ offers us.

If you’re feeling broken at the moment, Jesus says to you, come to me and I will heal you, bind up your wounds, and give you comfort

If you’re feeling confused, uncertain of the future at the moment, afraid of what’s to come, Jesus says to you, come to me, and I will give you sight, clarity to see where I’m taking you, my perfect and pleasing plan for your future

If you’re feeling crushed, overburdened by sin, the feeling that it’s weighing you down, Jesus says to you, come to me, and I will give you freedom from sin.

Let’s pray
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of His love, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.