Living Free in the Kingdom

On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. With sweeping legislation, the president ended slavery in the United States of America, but regardless of the declaration—it took years for the slaves to actually enjoy the freedom that had been decreed. They were set free in terms of their position, but for many of them slavery was still their day-to-day reality. Unfortunately, there are many Christians living the same way. They have been declared to be free in Christ. Free, but they are still living defeated lives. They are free but still shackled to sin. Free, but living in bondage. They are free, but still dependant upon their former master. What is the secret to living a victorious life? What must be done, believed, practiced, or acted upon for us to live in the truth of Galatians 5:1?

Let me remind you that we must first understand the truth of God’s word. Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”…(JN 8:31-32) This comment caused the religious leaders to say, “We have never been salves of anyone.” They had forgotten their history, but we don’t have time for that. They thought their freedom came from their nationality, but Jesus teaches us that freedom starts with truth.

Do you ever think that you are free just because you are an American Citizen? Having been overseas several times and having spent time in communist countries I know that we enjoy a means of freedom that causes the world to envy, but did you know that there are people in prisons in places like China, Vietnam and Pakistan who enjoy more freedom than many of our fellow Americans who are living in the lap of luxury? Take for example Vu Thi Muoi, a Christian in prison for his faith in Vietnam. The jailers would seem to be the ones who had the freedom, but as they questioned him for hours, he demonstrated the peace of Jesus. The jailers wanted to have what He had. The authorities stopped letting him talk to just one guard because he was leading them to Christ. True freedom has nothing to do with nationality.

It has nothing to do with circumstances. You can look at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the middle of the blazing furnace, or Daniel in the Lion’s Den. You can turn to Peter in a prison cell, or Paul and Silas in the dungeon singing praises to the King. Freedom has nothing to do with circumstances, and it has nothing to do with nationality, but it does have everything to do with truth.

First, the truth about who you were. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” Because we are born dead in our sin we are slaves to our sin—it is just what we do by nature. We are slaves to sin—and the result of that slavery is a bondage from which we cannot free ourselves. Jesus went on to say, “Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed…” I must see what I was, but in Jesus I must also see what I have become in Jesus. Romans 6,7, and 8 go into great detail about this—I was once a slave to sin, but now we can say with Paul, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Did you hear that? In Jesus I am free—talk about an Emancipation Proclamation—in Jesus I am free and not just free, I am free indeed. So let me ask the question—free to what?

You are now free in Jesus to be what you were designed to be. You are free in Jesus to do and be and live just as He planned for you to live when He created Adam and Eve in the Garden. It all starts with redemption. It all starts with Jesus’ finished work upon the cross. Listen, Salvation is liberation—it is freedom. We often think of freedom as not having any master at all and to live as you see fit, but the Bible calls that a myth. Your liberation is not finished until you are ravished by, bowed down in, astounded before the beauty and glory and presence of God. Unless you are absolutely centered in God you are not free. You cannot have personal or spiritual freedom without God. Everyone lives for something—something that brings them security, something that brings them hope, something that will bring them love, but anything that you must have, that is anything that you must have to feel good about yourself, to feel like you are significant, well you heart in chained to that thing. You are only happy as long as that thing goes well, but when God is not only the most important area of your life—when God is your life, you can walk at large and be free and unafraid regardless of what you may face.

How? How can I move from what is positionally true to seeing it practically true in every area of my life? How can I live in the freedom provided at the cross and through the resurrection of our Lord, and in the indwelling presence of the Spirit? How does that bring freedom to me here and now?

First you must see that it is God’s will for you to be free.

We have reduced Christianity to such a powerless exercise of the will that we actually think it is normal to be in bondage to sin. Look at the distance He was willing to travel to set you free—from the throne of heaven to the cross. That in and of itself should bring rest to your soul—the God who brought freedom to you will enable you to live in it. If He wanted you to work through a series of legalistic do’s and don’ts He would have told you—that is what Paul is writing against in the letter to the Galatians, but what we see is Paul writing to a group of people who had been set free, but now they were trying to yoke themselves again in slavery. Are we like that? Are we so yoked by our traditions, our personal likes and dislikes, our man made systems that we can’t live freely? I am afraid that the life of the average Christian proves that to be true. If it is God’s will for you to be free—then you must understand secondly that it is only in God that you can be free. You cannot do it!

The result of being set free allows Paul to say, “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” God’s desire is for us to walk in total freedom in Him, but the Deceiver will do all that he can to make it all about us rather than all about Jesus. Because of what Jesus has done—because of the Truth—we are now to respond in faith and allow the transforming power of the Spirit to make us become what He has declared us to be.

That goes against the grain of what we want to do in the flesh. The flesh says, I must work to obtain my freedom—Jesus obtained it, but I must work to keep it. Do you see how insane that is? Suddenly the Christian who is saved by Grace is now working to keep his or her salvation. You see that in verses 2-4—they fell from Grace—not in the sense of losing their salvation—they fell in the sense that they left grace and moved back to works, but Paul says, “But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.” You see the key to freedom is rebuking the idea that it comes from what we do and believing that it comes from what He has done and from what He is doing and in having faith in what He is going to do—that will bring Freedom!

The secret to our freedom is in understanding what He is doing right here and now. He is working in us to will and to act according to His purposes. We need to get out of the way and let Him work—we need to abide in Him and let the Vine produce His fruit through His branches. Our salvation is totally a matter of God’s grace and our freedom is totally a matter of His grace—our works come as a result, but they never serve as a source or a cause of freedom.

How do we walk in this freedom? Listen to Paul—first we are to live through the Spirit rather than in the flesh. So much of what is done today in the name of Christianity is fleshly—we must live through the Spirit. That means we must live controlled by the Spirit. Do you remember Galatians 2:20? “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” He lives in me by His Spirit; therefore Paul is able to say, “Live (walk) by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” You life must be under the control of the Spirit to live in freedom.

Second, we are to live “by faith.”

“Without faith is it impossible to please God.” You cannot live the live you are called to live outside of a life of faith. This means you will have to follow the Spirit’s leading when it doesn’t make sense, when you are not comfortable, and when it will cost you everything. You don’t live by sight—you don’t live by common sense—you live by faith. Faith that He did what He said He would do. Faith that He is doing what He said He is doing. And finally you are live in faith that He will do what He said He would do. Your entire life is lived by resting your entire self on Him—once again it is through abiding in Him—not working for Him.

Finally you are to live in hope.

With Jesus there is always hope. She had been bleeding for years, but just one touch---there was hope. His daughter was dead, but just one word from Jesus and there was hope. He was blind from birth, but just a word from Jesus and he could see. He was a tax collector—the bottom of society, but Jesus came by and called him—there is hope. She had been married five times and was living with a man—Jesus spoke to her about her sin, but offered her living water—there was hope. Lazarus has been dead for four days, but Jesus was there—there was hope. Jesus had been in the grave for three days—but He said that if He laid down His life He could take it up again—there was hope.

Things may look bad—the rent is due and the money is gone. Things may look terrible—the doctors have done all that they can do. Things may be really sour—your life has just been one problem after another. Things are terrible, but as the old preacher once said—it is only Friday—Sunday is coming. Paul said live free by walking in the Spirit, living by faith and knowing that there is always hope—you see He is coming again and not only is He coming again—He is working in your circumstance right now, even when you can’t see it He is working!