Called To Freedom: Living In The Land Of The Free
======================================================== This file contains only a brief outline with a few notes to myself. It is not complete enough or refined enough to provide a ready-to-use sermon for someone else to use. It was, however good enough that I used these notes to present a sermon on at least one occasion, and it provides a good starting point should I need to use it again. ========================================================
SCRIPTURE:
Freedom of the Believer
5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.
5:4 You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace!
5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait expectantly for the hope of righteousness.
5:6 For in Christ Jesus -- the only thing that matters is faith working through love.
5:7 You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth?
5:8 This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you!
Practice Love
5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.
5:14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, "You must love your neighbor as yourself."
5:15 However, if you continually bite and devour one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.
5:16 But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.
5:17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want.
5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Living in a foreign land (Texas)
Many reasons for coming
- Economic necessity
- Fleeing violence
- Seeking greater freedom
There are many things I have to learn
- The foods
- Social customs
- How do I rent an apartment, find a job, etc.
I am a poor wayfaring stranger
Not a flag-waving patriotism
But our citizenship is in heaven – and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ -- Philippians 3:20
A recognition that Christ calls ALL people
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. -- Galatians 3:28
- Jesus doesn't love Americans
- Jesus doesn't love Jews
- Jesus doesn't love the church
- Jesus doesn't love The Salvation Army
- Jesus doesn't love Christians
- Jesus doesn't love Salvationists
- Jesus doesn't love women
- Jesus doesn't love men
- Jesus doesn't love children
- Jesus doesn't love all of you
Jesus DOES love each of you
Jesus DOES love individuals
It's PERSONAL with Him!
What freedom?
Freedom is not, and must not become, license to harm
Chico 2005-02-03 Mathew William Carrington, 21 died from water intoxication after a fraternity event.
https://www.npr.org/2005/11/14/5012154/a-fraternity-hazing-gone-wrong
Fraternities (and others!) encourage drinking.
RK: Why can't they learn to stop at a safe point.
RS: What do you expect, we're told to express ourselves, exercise our freedom.
JC: Isn't self-restraint a form of self-expression?.
I can't say when and where I presented this sermon. The only clue I have is that it was probably before 2011-08-28. Given the title and the theme I suspect I probably preached it at The Salvation Army on an Independence Day weekend, possibly in 2010.
July 2010
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2876 Aug 27 2011 'Archive/Desktop 2011-08-28/OldFlashDrive/TEMP/CalledToFreedom.txt'