Breaking Free
John 8:31-36; Galatians 5:1; 13-15
First Presbyterian Church,
Brownsville, TN
January 11,
2009
Dr. Will Jones
Summary: Jesus
promises his followers that they will be free. In the book of John, he
promises to set us free from spiritual slavery and from sin. Freedom through
Christ is a major theme of Paul’s writings as well, especially in the books of
Romans and Galatians. Being a Christian brings freedom and security that
nothing else can provide.
Outline:
I.
Freedom!
a.
Braveheart,
the movie.
i.
Filmed
in
ii.
Climax
of movie: execution scene: “Freedom!” Rallying cry.
II.
New
Sermon Series on freedom.
a.
One
of the central themes of the Bible: OT & NT
i.
God
promises and delivers freedom.
ii.
Freedom
brought by Christ to his followers
b.
Foundational
verse: Jesus’ promises of freedom:
i.
“If
the Son sets you free, you are free indeed!”
1.
Setting:
new followers; where he is leading us? Believe in him, but still aren’t
sure of his benefits.
2.
Jesus
says, “If you hold to my teachings….” They reply “Wait a minute…”
3.
Jesus:
diff. kind of freedom for diff. kind of captivity; different release for diff.
slavery. Enslaved here (head) and here (heart). Enslaved to
ideas/ways of thinking; enslaved to sins and desires. “If the Son sets
you free, you will be free indeed.”
III.
God
& Freedom
a.
Jesus
reveals larger Biblical theme of freedom from God: God actively works in
people’s lives and in the world to bring freedom.
i.
Exodus:
“Let my people go!” Foundation of the OT: freedom for his enslaved people."Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will
bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being
slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty
acts of judgment” (EX. 6:6)
ii.
List
of other selected verses (below)
b.
Human
aspirations for freedom
i.
Political: democracy; peaceful transfer of power
from one government to another; many countries have coups and revolutions, not
elections.
1.
50th
ann. of Castro; leaders don’t keep power for 50 years by being nice guys and
promoting freedoms. Heavy hands. Robert Mugabe: intimidates and
oppresses all opposition
ii.
Social:
related to the political, but includes even more of life: freedom for learning
and work;
1.
Taliban
destroys schools to keep people uneducated, easier to control and exploit;
people who can read and learn and know outside world….despots kill and banish
teachers and professors
2.
Slavery: our own legacy of slavery; modern day
thriving slave trade and slave industry
3.
NYT
series by William Kristoff last week;
4.
International
Justice Mission: today
over 15 million slaves in Asia and Africa; US State Dept.: 800,000 people
trafficked over international borders, inc. many into the
iii.
Spiritual
Freedom: related to
political and social; external and internal aspirations for freedom. God
wants people to be free; outside and inside, totally free. But what does
“free” mean, esp. spiritual freedom?
c.
Contemporary
misunderstandings of freedom
i.
Free
means independent: independence at the expense of others
1.
Free
for me and my desires; I’ll do whatever I want regardless of how it affects
others
2.
“Let
me go, so that I can worship me!”
a.
Independent
from obligations to God and others
IV.
Biblical
Freedom: freedom from one thing means freedom for another
a.
Freedom
from sin and for God & others: “Let my people go,
so that they may worship me.”
i.
Freedom from
selfishness and for generosity
ii.
Freedom from
anger and for peace
iii.
Freedom from fear
and for hope
iv.
Freedom from envy
and for celebration of others
v.
Freedom from
shame and for renewal
V.
Free
indeed!
a.
Freedom
for Christians is God’s gift
b.
Freedom
always entails obedience and responsibility