LEARNING DAILY

John 8:34-36, Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Pastor Jonathin Moore of NorthRock Church asked the question, “What does freedom look like to you?” He said, “All of us want to be free of something. Perhaps you thought you would be free when you got your driver’s license, or went on a cruise, or when you went to a new location. But you found you had the same problems because you brought ‘you’.”  Read the verses above and you will see the only real freedom is found in Christ. Galatians 5:1, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Pastor Moore shared three areas the Believer has been set free.

The Believer has the “freedom from paying for [his/her] sins.” 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (NLT). Audrey wrote in her notes, “Because we are all sinners, we all owed a payment, a sacrifice of death for it. Since creation, through the Old Testament, there was animal sacrifice to pay for sin.” 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” “Jesus took our place, a substitute for the payment of our sins” (Audrey). All sin! “Sin has the propensity to bring shame and guilt into one’s life” (JM). Jesus came to pay the ultimate sacrifice for whosoever would believe in Him.

The Believer has the “freedom from the pain of his/her past.” Pastor Moore said many, if not most believers have experienced something that has happened in their past – emotional or physical pain, perhaps rejection. Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” “Jesus knew rejection; He was bullied, mocked, laughed at, and said in the Garden of Gethsemane He did not want to do what He knew He had to do. He did not deserve punishment, but He took our sins that we might be free. In doing so, He took the brokenness of our past and makes it beautiful” (JM). I know the difficulty of forgetting and forgiving the things done in our past. It is important to know that Jesus has redeemed every Believer from their sinful past. That is part of what He did at the cross. As a Believer, you and I need to know that and give our past to Him and move on. I know – it seems too simple.

The Believer has the “freedom to find purpose for your future.” Pastor asked, “Why are you here? What is your purpose? Are you aiming at the right target for your life?”  He said, “Don’t be successful at getting to the wrong destination.” Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jesus has a purpose, a plan for each Believer! “You are not an accident; He did not mess up when He made you. He knew what He was doing!” (JM). Ephesians 1:11-12, “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” 2 Corinthians 5:15, “He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.” He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. Jesus wants every Believer “to thrive and not just survive. He made you for more than just a good life – He made you for significance!” (JM).