Freedom Through Slavery to Righteousness [Part 1]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan Wright the modern age think that what freedom is it when you have no requirement upon you, no restraint, no constraint and no need to submit to honor anything. That's what freedom is. This pastor welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new life. I'm being deliberate excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series called unbleached is presented at renewal the church in North Carolina.

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So as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer@pastor.org find out more about it and make your request or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 begin our website pastor Alan.org. More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright during Christ you have just been released from the penalty of sin, you have been released from the power of sin. So much so that you're invited to count yourselves dead to sin and alive to Jesus. The move from enslavement to sin to freedom is starkly pictured in Romans chapter 6 by Paul as a move from slavery to sin to bond service to righteousness, and today we will hold a mystery how being a slave to righteousness is the greatest freedom you could ever imagine. Where in Romans chapter 6, I want to read starting at verse 15, but later through this message. We can look at passages that run all the way through Romans six, 615.

What then Paul writes, are we to San because were under law not under law but under grace. By no means do not know that you present yourself to anyone as obedient slaves or slaves of the one whom you obey either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience which leads to righteousness. But thanks be to God that you were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you are committed and having been set free from sin have become slaves of righteousness speaking in human terms because they are natural limitations just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness. So now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification of after Bob Dylan wrote in the form to his song. You gotta serve some body and made a simple claim in the song it might be the devil or it might be the Lord, but you're gonna have to serve somebody. He not only want a Grammy for that, but it stayed in the top 25 for weeks and then 500 for 12 weeks of songs became a famous song, but interestingly afterwards John Lennon asked beetle wrote a angry profanity filled song in response called serve yourself it was so angry at the song and the refrain of Lennon's song was you gotta serve yourself.

Ain't nobody gonna do it for you. You gotta serve yourself while in many ways Lennon's notion angry and so profanity filled healing will look up that song by in many ways was speaking ahead of its time with the whole spirit of the age seems to say and that is that we have this huge value on freedom. In fact, is one spiritually armored recently cited freedom may be the only the only moral virtue that everybody is agreed on the still exhibits everybody wants to be free.

But there is a misconception about freedom that we been exploring in a series we call unleashed because the the modern age think that what freedom is, is when you have no requirement upon you, no restraint, no constraint and no need to submit to anyone or anything that that's what freedom is and so Dylan song and all that simplicity actually summarizes much of Romans chapter 6 that what Paul is saying is that in actuality you are serving somebody that there actually is no such thing is just going through life without serving something or someone, or some some thing or some God and by the way the Bible speaks about worship is that whatever it is that you adore and look to for meaning in your life.

That's what you worship and whatever you worship you, sir, is a very real sense if if if your idea of success or wealth or prestige is something that you think gives you life in your serving that if it's even sometimes in a particular relationship for the idea of being married. Derrida idea of not being married.

Whatever it might be if you think that's what I give you life. In essence, you worship that what Paul says in chapter 6 is that everybody is either really a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness, and this is absent absolutely exquisite and wonderful news because ultimate freedom.

Paul is saying here comes when you're ultimately submitted and worshiping Christ. So throughout Romans chapter 6 he's talking about what real freedom is. We have been learning that in the first place.

Freedom doesn't come through rebellion it comes to submission. We been learning the frequent, five having less commitment, but having more commitment. We've even seen Jesus saying that freedom comes to narrow gate that what looks like a very restricting actually leads to less expensive life.

So now we come to the most stark of the images were Paul actually just compares it to a form a bond servant hood or slavery and I want to just talk to you this morning about a couple of the myths of the modern age about about the idea of freedom and then we can go through Romans and see what Paul is actually saying here. That's so powerful and and and such wonderful such wonderful news that it'll set you free.

The first method is that I think we tend to believe what comes to so San that sin is in bondage because sinning is easy but that righteousness is hard and upright living hard and sending is easy as kind of the way that we tend to think about it some years ago guest preacher here preach a sermon.

I'll never forget to change my view about this is that it was hilarious but he also a highlight of the wonderful truth. Any preach a sermon called being a sinner is hard and we can talk about some of the sinful behavior Zohar. They are one of which you know I'll admit some of our been identified with from early on in my college years, I saw my buddies and friends and classmates and and that people lived in my dorm I saw what happened to when they go out and get drunk and it didn't look fun at all to me watch him come back to their own sick stomach.

Sometimes they be thrown up in the next morning they had felt terrible and they they led Celia did silly things while they're going.

I thought that way. That's probably not fun. That's a lot of hard work. You gotta really work at that. I hate being sick to my stomach. Don't you I hate that guy's hard work and thinking about all of that always all kinds and you name one thing about how you look at Embassy honestly is hard work was hard work coveting on his hard work.

It would be a good solid covetous person. You got to really spend some mental energy focusing on how much other people have you got investigate what they got.

You gotta find out with a guy you got a study on it is hard work, and in the same time you gotta do the hard work of minimizing everything that you do have. This is tough. This is tough stuff I made you cut it, you gotta get committed to that and you can't you can't let yourself be satisfied with your own stuff in your own people in your own place in life you got it you got even in a good feeling comes across it were your feelings when you get that out of your mind. There, that's Allen will have more teaching moment from today's important series. This is what size I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's times and have compassion on his dwellings. The city will be every time her parents will stand in its proper place as homeless words from general authority for the heart of God loves to us the way. Time cities would often be read out on top of the ruins of the former city city withstand higher with central walls and a greater perspective pastor. Our night since the lab on the Billings document.

Build your life gloriously, yesterday's disappointments to get to Alan Wright ministry said I will send you Pastor Alan's messages, and attractive. See through digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership, six 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and dialect. Today's teaching now continues here once again is Alan Wright, lying is hard work. Lying is hard work and I tell you what you know I got a lot of a lot of faults, I'm sure, but lying is not one of them I can't. I have so much going on in my life that I'm not sorry for everything I forget things not because I just am not as yet too much. I still remember some rain didn't work that way to remember everything that idea of talent so my son is not true in Intel smiles a different version of the two until the third person some other version of the truth, and then I got a remember what I told person a and when I told person C and person B so that when I'm with them I got a remember that piece and I remember this but that is way too hard work for me. I just am too lazy to do that. I'm too lazy to lock and IT know was hard hard work is bitterness.

Bitterness is hard work. I mean no to be better. You gotta have a memory on you. You got to remember everything anybody ever did you wrong I'm using an example that you better study up on this better write it down.

See you letting your mind and make sure and I'm telling you in when you take offense at that bitterness and it makes you feel awful and will make you feel awful. It robs you of all your joy but you got to be willing to do this hard work, bitterness now you just gotta go through issues here and go is a myth to think that sin is easy and righteousness is hard.

Now Paul is saying in Romans six is San is slavery Oakcrest of bondage that picture correct. The other myth that we have to address from Romans six is that freedom means you can be free from serving anybody that it's the absence of all restraint. In other words, that freedom is according to the modern definition you been able to do whatever you want to do out here so here's the bottom line to this is that what Paul is saying is no you don't get to do whatever you want to do.

There is no such scenario and whether you realize it or not you're serving somebody that what you have, apart from Christ where you are. A quote doing whatever you want to do, and serve yourself. It looks like freedom.

But what he saying is that it's bondage and what he saying in contrast, is it and being united with Christ you find yourself like a slave to righteousness, but that's freedom. So what looks like it would be enslaving is actually free, whereas in the life of San what he says is what looks like freedom is actually enslaving and you can have freedom.

If freedom means that there is no restraint on your life because it it it doesn't. Life doesn't work that way. Only does use few natural examples. If I get the point across by, for example, I like I like dessert I like sweets I like I like chocolate I like ice cream with hot fudge sauce on and whip cream on top of a brownie. I like that I like cake factory cake and I could list the flavors of Ben & Jerry's that I like the most that we shall not go into all of that and for some reason is sweet like that taste even better to me. If I can eat it at 930 at night while watching a TV show just feels like it's just gotta be right. But what now that I'm in my 50s. I am I've discovered a scientific principle and I don't have you know a large scientific study on this actually just my own study by them just absolutely true and is a very simple formula you might want to I will write this down one dessert at night equals 1 pound.

The next day. That's what the formula is for May. I found that out one dessert 1 pound that's and so the fact of the matter is I want to be able to say I am free to eat whatever I want.

It was one of the things when you're little boy and you grow up in your mom's telling you what you got a and if you get a hassle. Like you, whatever, and in so but then there's some point you live your yeah can eat whatever I want, but one does articles 1 pound and I won't be free.

If I do that every night and will be as free as I want to because the poundage will increase which will limit. I bet they actually learning in science now too much sugar is bad for you. Sure July. Blood pressure and AAA can. In other words identity kills you. So I got to competing things going on. I want a long and happy and healthy life. I want to be free to live a long time in a healthy way. But I also want to be free to either dessert as much as I want every night twice and I are three times so there are two competing freedoms on its amiss to think you just do whatever you want and you have freedom, no you can do whatever you want, but you're only getting one version of what that freedom looks now is talk about talk about some other examples of might be little more self.

So here's a here's one I like to build a fly only did airplane fly man like Bill Meyer had a dream we are fine but wonderful dreams just fine. Just file for I want to beautify like Superman can flout or I could be the new flying nine I could be the flying pastor, I could fly just black, brown, preach the gospel wherever all I know just find their you could say I will be free. No I don't. Tell me what to do and go up on your roof and jump often because you're going to fly.

What you will find out real quick.

You are not free to do whatever you want to do is you want to fly what's going happen is you will fall down and break your face on your own long because of gravity because you are designed you didn't make it.

This is just what you but you are designed to live according to gravity on this earth, and so much you may not like it. You are not afraid of freedom cannot remain know by tell me what to do.

I'll do whatever I want to do is take something will be briefer than that. What about something that we really need and want and that is to have friend, you know that your design for friendship designed for human relationship, you know that science is shown us that without friends, without human relationships that you will not be healthy, department emotionally healthy will be physically healthy.

Many studies are shown or shorten your life. And so we are designed for friendship. We can no more live without other human beings and we can live without oxygen, we cannot thrive without friends you need friends but is I want free and I'll do whatever I want to do whenever I want to do it. Guess what different because it is what do would you want to do all time you want to do it let go find some. I was different. It is that we will be friends will meet for lunch every week and you say all right why would I want to me is that the Mexican restaurant. That's why like I like Mexico present ally Maxine upsets my stomach is I'm sorry, do I want to do, but I swear I will meet when you're free to do that, but you're not to be free to have that person is your friend. You might find some. I also want the Mexican every single week. Also, the same spot within USA but I like to play golf in this analyte off a golf and a person is a sad person and that my golf but I mean it is. I'm just saying as you say I do whatever I wanted no no I don't.

Tell me what to do. I am free but you will not be free because you will not have a friend must go deeper than that in married people know get married at older now and marriage is not held in as high as the material is still almost thereby will want to get married says they want to get married and why, because there's a rich reward.

The demeanor if you have to marry some people called me thing about saying there's a rich reward to get a marriage that is working well. Where are now what you guys not to the friendship your friendship and you covenant the covenant.

You covenant here yet to people that in a covenant like that and there's a lot of trust there, would you hold all a lot of trust there beautiful things.

It can happen in well. But to be married, you give up a whole lot you can't sample be Mirabella do what I want to do when I want to do it. I will keeping other people I want.

I want to go places and do things not tell you where I am when I will, I just want you to always be there for me, loving me EP I'm saying is that there is a myth that it just if you think about it, it just doesn't even make sense to say what the modern age is saying is that I don't have to serve anybody that's with, that's with the version of freedom is in Paul's same no that's not it at all. One is that he's saying is that the freedom that you have in Christ is not a transfer from being in slave to Santa now. Just do whatever you want without serving anybody say no it's not like that right freedom through slavery to righteousness rental. More about that in a moment with Alan sporting good news thought for the day is our series continues on. At least this is what the facts I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's times and have compassion on his dwellings. The city will be rebuilt on who remains powerless.

In its proper place as timeless weights from general authority for the heart of God loves to us the way. Time cities would often be read out on top of the ruins of the former city city withstand higher with central walls and a greater perspective pastor. Our night message Seattle and out of the ruins help document build your life gloriously, yesterday's disappointments to get to Alan Wright Ministries to listen to pastor outlines messages in an attractive city through digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership, six 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and dialect blessing your life, discover God's grace filled vision for your rights, free grace and encouragement for daily blessing. It's free. Just a click away. Pastor I got away Alan Baker this to you and put a bookmark your freedom through slavery to righteousness. Whatever big good news take away here.

Well Bob Dylan was right. You gotta serve somebody. One of my favorites. It's it's a great truth in the and we think we have the illusion that real freedom would be serving nobody but in the end you're serving some and so this is a profound but paradoxical image that is when you really are following Christ something in you becomes a servant to righteousness something changes inside of you and I in that sense he uses image of being a slave to righteousness. So really it's not a move from know from having an allegiance to master and then having no allegiance is a new allegiance that is the measure of true Christian freedom.

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