Summer Series 3 | What is Freedom? Part 1

Wonderful. Wonderful.

Thank you Freya. It's so good here in all that's

happened. The life of church.

Can I just encourage you? You know, the restore course is

just an amazing opportunity if there is some stuff going on in

your life. If you need restoration, then

I'd encourage you to think about signing up more information is

on our website as far as said, sign up to close this coming

Friday. So get on there.

I think there are a few more places left.

So do. So the thing.

I want to mention as well is connect groups.

You know, we are a very large church and connect groups are so

important to do life with each other.

You know, judge is not just about Sunday's it.

It's about fellowship and doing life together with fellow

Believers. And so, if you're not going to

connect group, can I encourage you to get into one?

You can find out more information on our website.

The Vineyard Church of credit, UK forward slash connect.

All right. Well, we're going to continue.

We've been in our summer series and essentially our summer

series is It doesn't have a theme as such we just give it.

Leave it to the preachers to bring whatever they feel led of

the Lord to bring. And I launched this a couple of

weeks ago, looking at the story of the woman at the well, and

the invitation that Jesus gives to each one of us and what that

means for us. And then last week, Jenna

continue to theme actually, the richest started a couple of

weeks ago, which was been in that weight in place.

Who knows? That waiting is hard hands up.

Yeah. Okay, it's not just me.

And especially, you know, waiting for a promise of God and

Jenna did an amazing job just unpacking that for us and

encourage us how we can wait. Well, and how we can press in in

that time. So if you missed that talk or

any of our talks, you can get them on our mobile phone app,

but equally on our website, The Vineyard Church to Kodiak a

forward slash talks. So what am I going to talk about

this morning? What I really want to pick up a

topic or a theme that Jenna introduced before her talk.

Actually, she came up and said, you know before I talk I really

felt the Lord. Once me just mention about

freedom and interestingly enough that's been a theme of our of

our worship time, hasn't it? Just experiencing that freedom

of God. And Jenna said, you know,

Freedom days has the much-lauded Freedom Day is now upon us, but

for some of us, we might feel a little bit deflated, you know,

am I really free, you know, the virus is still out there and

and, you know, I still feel that I'm restricted and she just felt

those saying. Listen, the Lord is saying that

you are free. Indeed.

You are free in me. And you know, I really felt the

breath of the Lord on that and then this previous week.

I spoke to two very Godly people.

Had an opportunity to meet with and pray with very mature people

in the Lord, and both of them as we pray together, met them

separately talked about the freedom of the Lord, and the,

and the joy. And we talked about Joy earlier

that the that freedom brings and I was very blessed that they

prayed for me, and they prayed into that for me.

And, you know, I just got the sense from the Lord, the Lord

saying To speak on freedom. I want you to speak on freedom

and that's what we're going to look at actually over the the

next two weeks. This is part 1.

Part 2, I'm going to be doing that.

You'll be pleased to hear that over the course of the summer

series. We got some other amazing

speakers lined up. We got our wonderful.

Chris Lane are found in past that we speaking.

We've got Wendy Heusen, looking forward to her speaking as well.

We've got Chris Birch Evans who leads step, some of you may

know, he is a member here at church as well.

He'll be all be speaking. So we got some really exciting

speakers coming up. But for the next two weeks, I

want to focus on the question of freedom and I've had this song

going around in my head. For those of you that were in

church during the early 90s, you might remember this one.

It goes like this. It was for Freedom that Christ

has set us free. No longer to be subject to a

yoke of slavery, anyone. Yeah.

There you go. And I think the core is Jesus

Denton to do. We celebrate your Victory.

What are you gotta love those early 90s?

Chains, everything you really, really good, but that's been

going around and around, and around in my head and that that

verse is actually taken straight out of lifted.

Straight out of Galatians, chapter 5 verse 1.

Galatians 5:1

And we're going to look at that together, but I think before we

do that, I want us to ask the question.

What does freedom really looked like?

What is it actually? Really mean, I mean as

Christians, we often say that don't worry.

We're free in Christ. We are free indeed, or you can

be free, but do we really know what we're talking about?

And so I want to do a bit of a deep dive on what Freedom truly

is. And then I want to look at the

question of. Okay.

So what has Jesus set us free from then.

And then lastly, we could look at how can we walk in this

Freedom? Those are the three things we're

going to look at. Now.

I'm gonna ask you a question. Now.

Here is a question. You don't have to answer it,

answer in your head. What do you want to be free

from? What is it in your life that you

want to be free from have a think about that?

Let me pray, Lord, as we spend the next two weeks, looking at

the freedom that you provide for us.

I pray that this would be two weeks of complete breakthrough

for us. Lord I pray each one of us who

are in the room or at home or watching it catch up.

That you would speak to our hearts.

And that your truth would set us free and I declare it now that

this is a season of freedom and a breakthrough.

I declare it. Now the truth of God that we can

be free and free indeed. I say no more bondage.

No more shackles in the name of Jesus.

I declare those habitual sins that have been ravaging, you

will be broken in Jesus name. I pray the fear that has

blighted. You would be broken off you.

In Jesus name. I pray the health concerns that

have been going around and around and around would be

broken off you. In Jesus name.

I pray for the guilt that has held you back would be broken

off you. In Jesus name, I pray for the

shame that you Been under would be broken off for you.

In Jesus name. I pray for the lie that you have

to perform for people's love would be broken off you, in

Jesus name. I declare that.

This is a place of freedom. In the name of Jesus.

I speak freedom and life and I can see the Holy Spirit moving

over to you. Some of you right now.

Come Holy Spirit. I'm happy to ditch all these

words, if it means a staying and being here as a the Lord

ministers to us, Come Holy Spirit. listen, engage Don't let

cynicism stop you. Don't think about what you're

eating for lunch tempting though.

That is. Come Holy Spirit, what is it

that you want to be free from now?

Take that put it in your hand and your mind's eye and drop it

at the foot of the cross? Come Lord Jesus.

Come Lord, Jesus. Set us free.

And so we thank you, Lord, that this is a season of freedom.

I thank you, Lord, that there will be breakthrough.

I declare that now in Your Name, Lord open our eyes, and our

ears, and we thank you that your word, says that your your word.

What always bear fruit that it would accomplish that which is

set forth to do. And we thank you for your

promise in Jesus name and everyone said, amen.

Amen, right? Okay.

Let's ask the first question. What is freedom?

It's a good question. Because in culture, freedom is

often band around of course in this season very much.

So freedom from restrictions freedom from not being able to

do that, which I want to do. I mean, songs about Freedom that

famous George Michael song. Do not fear.

I'm not going to sing it. Don't don't encourage me.

Seriously no enough, but freedom is you know that songs all

about. I want to be who I want to be.

We have movies about Freedom. Do we not freedom from our

inhibitions freedom to be who I want to be Freedom From Slavery,

Freedom. What about Braveheart?

Great movie, freedom. Well, that kind of stuff freedom

is is is something that is just permeates all of us.

And so let me ask you a question.

When you think about Freedom. What do you think about maybe it

goes like this for some of you. This is sometimes how I think

well, freedom is. I've got my beautiful wife here

and one of my children, Lucy, so, don't take this the wrong

way. Freedom is I just wish I could

have a peace and quiet. You feel the same?

I'll Charming. You know, I often joke.

The only problem we locked down was, I had to spend it with

other people. That's a bad joke, isn't it?

But, you know, if only I was free and I had a big bank

balance. I would be free to do whatever I

want. You know, if only I was free so

that I didn't have to be accountable to somebody.

I could do what I want. If only I was free, etc.

Etc. Etc.

Maybe that's how you think sometimes.

Well, you know, we hear a story in the Bible, a parable indeed

called The Prodigal Son, which is a perfect example of that

kind of Freedom, isn't it? What did The Prodigal, Son

saying? You can find that story?

We're not going to read it now in Luke 15, Dad, I want to be

free, give me my money now and I could be free.

So what does the dad do? Give him all the money?

Okay, son. You want to be free.

Go free. Let me ask the question.

How did it go? Well, did it go?

Well for him? Was it free?

Was he free while he comes to the end of that journey and

there were years with no money left and having pigswill for

dinner because he didn't have any more money left, and he

thought, what am I doing? This isn't freedom.

Freedom is being with my father and he gets up and he runs home

and even before he gets home. What a beautiful picture of Our

Lord who loves us, no matter what and accepts us.

No matter what. He's already halfway there and

Embraces him come. I've got a banquet for.

You. See, that's freedom.

And so what is freedom? You see.

Freedom is not the right to do what we desire.

Listen. It is the desire to do.

What is right. Let me say this again.

Freedom is not the right to do what we desire.

It is the desire to do, what is right, put it another word.

Freedom is living a life free of the constraints and the shackles

of sin to be all that God has created us to be.

That is freedom. And that is the picture that we

see of Adam and Eve. Don't we before the fall, they

were free. See, they didn't have the

constraints of sin that we that we have and you see the enemies

lie. Then is the same to us.

Now, which is this, you can be like God you can disobey God and

be free from the limitations that God has placed on you.

You can know all things God is your limiting factor here.

But it was a lie. It was a trap.

And we actually find that when we move outside of God's best

for us rather than experience Freedom.

We become slaves. How many of us in our own lives?

See that our behavior and attitudes are in large part

based on the things that we feel tied to and compelled by?

I mean, let me give you some examples.

I have a weakness when it comes to money.

I'm very fearful about lack. I've shared this with you

before, when we looked at money and the treasure series and so

because, you know, it says in the scriptures, you can't serve

two Gods. You can't serve money and God

and serving means anything that you put up on an idol new

worship. You become in bondage to that.

Which you worship. You know, that when you worship

God, which will create do, you become free, but anything that

you worship that tonight or you come in bondage to and I know

that my my actions around money and my attitude are impacted by

the fact that I have. I'm fearful about lack, or maybe

you act out of a position of guilt and you overcompensate and

you wear yourself out because you're so guilty that you didn't

spend enough time with. So and so on.

Maybe there's bitterness in you about a situation.

Person. And because of that, you know,

that you're holding back love and compassion and forgiveness

to someone. Now, you might be free to do

what you desire. But are you truly free, you

truly free? So, let's dive into this a

little bit more detail as we as we carry on.

Then if true Freedom, then is not about doing whatever we want

to do, but true freedom is being all that God created us to be

and to desire. What is right?

What has therefore Jesus set us free from?

Is that a fair question. Are you following me just nod.

Thank you. First thing, I'm gonna give us

three things. The first thing is this Jesus

has set us free from the law. Now.

This is really important. This is really important and we

can read it in Romans and Galatians and whatever about

that. We are free from the law.

But if we're honest, do we really know what that means.

Because we need to understand what that means.

There's a reason that Paul went to Great Lengths to explain

this. And, and, you know, you might be

thinking what you're going to go really deep in this.

Yes. I am because there comes a point

where we need to meet. There comes a point where we too

need to meet because it's going to Bear much fruit.

So let's look at Galatians 5:1 then because this is where I'm

Galatians 5:1

going to jump off from turn to in your Bible.

If you have it, otherwise would be on the screen.

And for you at home. It will be on your screen.

It says this and it's under the section.

It says in my Bible. I am reading the ESV Christ has

set us free. It says it's for Freedom Christ

has set us free stand firm. Therefore, and do not submit

again to a yoke of slavery. What an earth is Paul talking

about Christ has set us free. Do not submit again to a yoke of

slavery. What does that mean?

Well, To put it another way. Before we accepted Christ.

We were under a yoke of slavery. We were wheel that was our

position. And if you haven't accepted

Jesus as your savior, that you are in that position right now.

Now, what did yolk a yoke is not the thing you get in an egg?

Although, that is a yoke. What it's talking about here.

Is that beam that went across to animals, maybe a couple of oxen

were used to constrain them to go down a particular path and to

for to There was an external force on them to act in a

particular way, and they were yoked with the other oxen.

And in the Bible often a yoke is used in the context of being

yoked to slavery. Like it would the Jews that are

in Egypt and you see what Paul is saying here?

Is that the old Covenant? What's that before Jesus came?

The coven of the law of Moses was a yoke.

It was a yoke of slavery. Mark.

Are you saying that God's law was bad?

No. I'm not saying that.

But in the old Covenant, the law.

You see was a structure. It was like a Yo, which required

full adherence to fulfill the requirements of the law?

But here was the problem without a change in the heart without

being freed from the sinful desires.

It was always going to be impossible to achieve the Law's

requirements. Are you following me so far?

Now you might say to me. Okay, Mark if that's the, if

that's the point. What was the point?

Isn't that just rather crawl of God?

No, you see? Because as the apostles point

out in the New Testament, it pointed it to us.

And showed us that we need a savior who could fulfill the law

on our behalf. It was always going to be

impossible for us to fulfill the law.

But there was one man, that fulfilled it for us and on bar

behalf. Jesus.

And so, what that means is, when we accept Jesus, we move from

being under the law and its requirements and therefore being

judged by those requirements. And we move to being under Jesus

and being set free from the law. And you might say, why is this

important mark? Because Paul says, this, as we

continue in Galatians 5, and you'll get to your get to see

why this is important in a moment.

He says, listen inverse to look like Say to you that if you

accept circumcision, and he was speaking to the church here

because there was a whole thought that came and said you

might have accepted Jesus, but you still need to be

circumcised. You still need to do something.

And Paul is saying, listen, Christ will be of no advantage

to you. If you go get circumcised.

What's the point I testify again to every man who accepts

circumcision that if you want to do that you make that choice

that you're going to be obliged under the law.

To fulfill all the Law's requirements, if that's what you

want to do. You are there for severed from

Christ? I so what that means for us.

This is where I want to get to is that we have been freed from

performing and doing Works to be saved.

We are no longer under the law. We are set free.

And if actually, we realize that this feeling that we need to

perform to God, and for God, and that our works are the things

that justify us in sight of God, that lie that the enemy comes

in. You see and says, well look at

you. You're a terrible Christian.

Look at what you've just done. If we realize that we are set

free from the law, and we're under Christ was saying, I'm not

going to listen to that. Jesus has forgiven me.

So when we say we are free, the first thing we need to

understand is we are free from the law.

We are free from performance, and from works.

And when you realize that the enemy, all of a sudden, his

arrows and his lies start falling away.

The one of the biggest issues. I find when I pass from speak to

people, is that there is an in there if you like for the

enemy's lies because they if you like a still, sometimes walking

back into a law and thinking that their works, Justify

themselves in front of God. Now I am, I saying that works

are unimportant. No works are a fruit as it says

in James of our belief in Christ as we walk closely with him.

Those Works, come there are fruit, but we are not justified

by the law. We are free from the law and

that's such an important point. Okay, next one.

We are set free from sin. Let's look at 1, John 1 19.

It says, this if we can set of confess our sins, he is faithful

and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all

unrighteousness. Did you know that you are free

from your sins? Did you know that you have been

cleansed from those, the sin that you have done and

committed? What does that mean?

It means that you are free from the guilt.

That comes when you've committed sin.

We've all sinned. Just means fallen short of the

mark the target. We've all fallen on sure.

We've all sinned. But what this means is that we

can be cleansed and forgiven from that.

It means that you can be free from the bondage of the LIE.

The God is going to look at you and think well, there are

sinner. I don't love them.

It means that you can be set free from the guilt that you

might carry for some that you have once done.

It means that you can be set free from the shame that you

carry and the shame. Or the happens is you just get

back into sin again because you just move further and further

away from God, but you're set free from that limitation

because Jesus is blood has cleansed us from all

righteousness. But here's the good news, you

see? Being free of sin is more than

just been forgiven for it. It is being free from it and the

effects of it. Being free from sin means that

we can be free from it. This is a really interesting and

difficult topic how we can be free from sin from committing

sin continually and habitually and it's a very interesting

topic and a difficult one when we talk about how we can be free

from the effects of sin such as you know, the things that we all

experience. And so what we're going to do

next week Steph and I are going to lead this and we're going to

have a conversation about how we can be free from sin.

And you know, this is a place where we need to be real.

You know, God doesn't say that we're going to be free from

Life, trials and troubles. But he does say we can

experience the freedom that comes from knowing him that we

can experience healing. We can experience joy in spite

of our circumstances and that warrants much more time that I

have this morning. And so, next week, in part 2,

I'm going to, we're going to unpack that in a bit more

detail, how we can be free from sin and the effects of sin.

But let me just say right now as a taster, you know, I've

experienced it in my own life that those habitual sins.

You can be set free from. How as you walk in his truth?

And did you spend time with him? You find that as his Spirit

Works in you that desire to sin Falls away over time.

That offer is there for us, but we need to make a choice to

number one, realize that's the case.

And number two to take hold of that promise and walk in it and

for some of you, you might be in habitual sin as it relates to

pornography. You might be an habitual sin as

it relates to drunkenness. You might be in a habitual sin

as it relates to gossip and be whatever it might be.

And you might say, Mark, you're telling me about this, but I had

tried. And I have tried, and I have

tried and it hasn't worked. I understand.

But we take God's word for truth that says we can be free.

And I know in my own life and my own experience that if we if we

number one, say God, I accept your truth that you said I can

be free and say but I can't do this on my own.

Would you help me by your grace as you press in every day to God

and make wise decisions and seek Him?

You can be set free. And that is the freedom that God

promises and we're going to have some Ministry time in a moment.

We're going to allow the law just to come and minister to us.

But as I said next week, we're going to spend more time on that

subject on how we can be free from sin and from the effects of

sin, but lastly, as I bring this plane into land because in some

ways, this is a bit of a very broad subject, and I'm only got

a few minutes on each one of these and he, you might want to

do some more research yourself and dig in.

Should I study and dig into the word for yourself?

But the last one is this. We are set free from death.

Whoa, now you're getting really heavy mark.

I got the law bit. Just I got this in peace.

I'm excited about that, but death.

You know, we are all born into a fallen world.

Are we not and into what we call, a sin nature?

You know, sin came through one man, Adam, but life comes

through the second atom, which is called Christ as it says in

Romans. And so, in many ways, when we

are born, we are born into a death sentence.

What does that? That's Eternal separation from

God. That's what sin in us has done.

You know, we're not before we know Jesus.

We're not Sinners because we're sin, we sin, because we are

sinners. We are born into a sin nature.

But the promise of God is that we do not need to experience the

penalty of that sin. Why?

Because Jesus took it for us. The reality of Hell, let me just

say bless you is as real as the reality of heaven.

And can I just say that's good news?

Because it means Heaven is a real place and Jesus has paid

the price that you can get there.

You don't need to pay the penalty of sin.

Here's the thing. I want to tell you right now.

There will come a point where we will all be judged.

It's not a question of whether we will be judge.

It's a question of how you will be judged.

If you say, well, I don't accept Jesus.

That's fine. But you're going to be judged

under the law. And you'll be fine wanting

because none of us can fulfill the law.

But if you say, you know, what? I accept Jesus, you'll be

judged. By Jesus and through him, you

know, when you get to those pearly gates and the Apostle

Paul, they say this, I don't think it's not in the Bible.

So, you know, whatever. He's at the Pearly Gates and

this is how you're going to get in so well because I've done

this that and so and I've done good and I've been a good

person. I'm sorry, that's not good

enough. You haven't fulfilled.

The Law's requirements because God is a holy God.

But if we say, yeah, because Jesus died for me.

His blood was shed for me to cleanse me, and he fulfilled the

law on my behalf. And you come that officer is

here for everyone of us. And this is the most beautiful

thing about the gospel. What is the gospel?

The good news? You do not need to do anything

to earn salvation. Whew?

Every other religion listen, is a religion of works.

You have to be better. You have to perform better.

And when you get to a certain point by your works, then you

might get in Christianity is the only religion that says it's by

grace and it's a free gift. All you got to do is believe in

Jesus and that's it. I don't know about you, but that

is total freedom freedom from feeling.

Like I have to work for my salvation, that is good news at

the world. Right now needs to hear as we're

talking about death and we talked about it, and it's

serious and we talk about people that died, you know, there is an

eternal perspective on this. And the reality is we have a

choice daily. Every moment every second about

where we're going to spend eternity.

And the good news is that we can be free from the death penalty

because Jesus died on the cross for each one of us, and I don't

know about you. But if that isn't good news, I

don't know what is Yeah, there's a whip.

Thank you. Can I invite you all to stand

and I want to get the band up and what I'm going to try and do

is just bring some of these threads together as we just

allow the Lord to minister to us and I recognize that some of

this stuff might feel heavy. I get that and some of this

stuff might feel a bit deep. I recognize that.

But listen guys, they're cut. There are moments in our lives

and Seasons where God presents some really deep truth to us

because he wants us to walk in true Freedom, not superficial

Freedom, which is So in our circumstances, and how we feel,

but a true Freedom that protects us from our circumstances, our

freedom. That means that we can sleep in

the boat as Jesus did. Amongst the storm that is H

promise that God has given us. That we can have the joy of the

Lord. In spite of the difficulties

around us, that we can set be set free from the guilt and the

shame. And the sin that entangles us,

that brings us down. And I believe, as I said at the

start of this message that this is a season of Shifting.

This is a season. Of breakthrough.

And I believe that for many of you, you're going to see a

complete difference in your lives, over this next season.

I believe that and I don't say this flippantly.

I say that by the unction of the holy spirit in me and through

me. Let us bow our heads as we just

allow the Lord to minister from Holy Spirit.

And the first thing I want to do is give an invitation.

If you were here right now in this room or at home and you

have yet to experience the freedom that Jesus has purchased

for you on the cross that freedom to be with him for

eternity. And you think, you know what, I

want to be with Jesus. I want to be set free.

Then with every head bowed and eyes closed.

Can you just raise your hand where you are?

Not going to ask you to say. Embarrassing, bless.

You bless you. There's anybody else that has

yet to say yes to Jesus and they want to give their lives to him.

It's A hand bless you, bless you.

If there's people online, you can raise your hand, the team

will come pray with you. Okay, you can put your hands

down. Thank you.

I'm going to pray a prayer. And then in your heart.

Why don't you repeat after me? Lord Jesus.

If that we could all pray this out loud with it, doesn't

matter. If you're already set free,

you've set. You can pray this Brook game.

So let's pray. This Lord Jesus.

I just say yes to you and I thank you for the freedom, you

purchase for me on the cross. I say, you are my Lord and my

savior and I choose to walk in the freedom.

That you have for me. In your precious name, would you

just forgive me for my sins and wash me clean?

As your righteousness is put upon me in your name are man.

Thank you. Lord.

If you just prayed that prayer at the end of this service,

might the ministry team. My right, your left would love

to pray with you. Let me just pray as we worship.

Lord. We thank you that you are doing

a deep thing in us. We thank you for the Salvation

that have just happened this morning.

The people have walked from Darkness into light and I pray

Lord that Holy Spirit as we worship you now.

You would come and do a deep thing in our hearts.

That we would leave this place in breakthrough.

Come, Holy Spirit as we worship. I pray in your precious name.