Steps That Lead to Freedom, Part 1

Even though he set us free to be free. We seem to prefer bonded therefore keeps standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery today on Insight for living with Chuck Swindoll. The price is been paid, the strings of been cut to have the wings to fly. You have a new nature with which to fly. Now go when the apostle cleared, it was for freedom that Christ set us free. What he mean his statement sounds redundant.

Furthermore, what kind of freedom, is Paul referring to freedom from our past enemies today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll addresses these questions and more. Find are so paralyzed by the haunting memories of mistakes you made, or if you're caught in the trap of unrealized expectations, you will be relieved by Paul's instruction. Ephesians 4 titled today's message steps that lead to freedom for such a great great time today. In spite of the message you are in for some wonderful music and I want you to turn to where it says worship service. I want us to read in unison. The words that appear in italics just below the date the sort of set the stage for this morning which begins in a rather creative way. I love the prayer of the old Presbyterian preacher who said, Lord, help something to happen that's not in the bulletin.

I always think the serendipity of the worship time is what keeps us on the edge of our seat. And that's the way it ought to be read with me these words let every instrument we go. Let every instrument be tuned for praise, but all joy to have a voice to raise and may God give us faith to sing all way hallelujah before a preliminary read for you from the last eight verses of Ephesians chapter 4 brought a Bible just follow along in verse 25 down through 32 Ephesians 4. Therefore, laying aside falsehoods be truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one body. Be angry, and yet do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer, but rather he must labor performing with his own hands, what is good so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification. According to the need of the moment so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all fairness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Father is. We hear the rainfall on this roof and as we look about us and then look within and look back we can do little more than bless the Lord give you our praise. Thank you for watering the earth and making it bring forth and but that it may give seed to the sower and prayed to the eater. And even so your word as it goes forth will never return empty, but it will accomplish what you please and will prosper in the thing for which you have sent it. You have watered us with your favor and grace and we bless your name. You have given us health sufficient to come to this meeting that protected us and miles of travel. You have cleared our heads and given us good eyesight, the ability to communicate, to listen, even the power to change all of these come from your gracious hand. The least we could do is to be kind tenderhearted, forgiving each other talk straight to us today Lord, and may we find nothing to hide behind, not even long-term excuses. As you expose us to truth, and as you help us find the steps that lead to freedom. It is only right also Lord that we not keep all the things you give us were good at hoarding were selfish by nature, you have begun to work a work within us, and you have begun to teach us something of generosity.

May these offerings today reveal that not because you ever had a need because you have never, but because we have a need to know how to do this consistently and hilariously, be pleased not only with our gifts and the motives behind them. But the praises that come from our lips as we bless the Lord, and give you our praises. In Jesus name.

Girlfriend had been a pretty fine Christian. Most of his adult life. It seems as though life had reached the end. And so the family was gathered with all Fred out of the hospital and they called the preacher down the stand close beside him. During those last few minutes of life.

The pastor started to read the Scripture and suddenly Fred motion for something to write on since he wasn't able to speak now, and he quickly scribbled out a note tend in any tort from this little tablet and he put it in the hand of the preacher and it just wasn't just seconds later Fred was gone. Pastor felt it wasn't appropriate that he either look at or read this note didn't know what it say in the uniqueness of the moment. He he simply prayed and everyone laughed and he stuffed a note in his pocket the day of the funeral. He was standing before the family and friends, some of whom had been at the hospital and it suddenly dawned on him as he was concluding his message that that same coat. He was wearing was what he was wearing the evening. He was with the family when Fred died and he thought it would be appropriate and probably inspiring for me to reach into my pocket and take out the note until people remember. Fred wrote this note in I think you want all of you to hear what he says in the note read quickstep to your left her standing on my oxygen hose.

Sometimes we do things inadvertently and we don't know that they're wrong times. In fact, more often than not the do what is wrong and we know it's wrong and because we have done it so long we don't have any plans to stop doing it, even though it hurts ourselves and sometimes hurts others. Old habits are hard to break, but I'm not speaking today about the inadvertent things we do as a mistaken cause harm to others. I'm talking about things we do. Knowing while renewing them that they're wrong but we feel almost unable to stop doing them because for so long we have practice them. I came across a true story recently that took place in the bizarre in a village in northern India that illustrates this whole point perfectly. Everyone brought his wares to the trade to sell one old farmer brought along to this bazaar will hold copy of quail he had tied a string around one leg of each bird. The other ends of all the strings were tied to a ring which fit loosely around the state in the middle of the group. These birds walked dutifully in a circle around and around as they were tied to the stake just like a mule that a sugarcane mill just monotonously in the circle until Amanda showed up who had a heart for animals. This devout individual said to the farmer that he respected life and he wanted to purchase these birds coming to. Do you want the farmer I want all of them, all of them said the merchant fine he paid him and then he said now I want you to set all of them free.

You want what I want you to set all of them free. You heard me cut the strings from their legs turn them loose.

Let them fly with a shrug of the old farmer had made the money he was looking for. Without an argument. He bent down and snipped the strings off the legs of each one of the quail. They were freed at last, what happened.

Surprisingly, the birds simply continued marching around in a circle, as if they were still tied to the stake as if the strings had never been cut free unfettered release.

Yet they kept going around in the circle as if they were still tied to the man walked up and he shooed them off, hoping that they would then fly and run free and fly free and wherever they landed, he noticed they landed and quickly formed another circle and went back to walking in the same way how hard it is to break old habits you and I both would be embarrassed if there were some enormous greeting that I could drop in front of this church this morning and put a name up there and it would be your name and then we would list the things that you still returned to even though you have been bought with a price and set free to live like that free from the things that once enslaved, you free to follow Christ in grace and to move in a whole another realm and to experience a whole another atmosphere of living if you will. Before we look at a list of some of those things that plague us in built in Ephesians chapter 4 go back to Galatians chapter 5 would you do that just diverse one verse in Galatians 5 came to my mind when I read that story from the village in northern India. Galatians 5 comes at the legalists when he writes Galatians with both guns blazing. He is not only righteously indignant against legalism. He is just turned that these Galatians, who have been set free the strings of been caught.

They been bought with a price and still when they land wherever they go there walking the circle living as though they must answer to those legalists who were watching their life. In fact he says in chapter 3, who has bewitched you, you who have been set free, who has ties you so that you keep walking in this circle is at work. Look at chapter 5, verse one. It was for freedom that Christ has set us free. Before you go any further.

Look at the words it was for freedom that Christ has set us free, is seems a little redundant. No, not if you know most Christians not if you know most who lived in Galatia who name the name of Christ. Even though he set us free to be free.

We seem to prefer bondage therefore he writes keeps standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

The price is been paid, the strings of been cut.

You have the wings to fly.

You have a new nature with which to fly. Now go you are free to obey Christ, whereas before you were in bondage to an old nature that captivated you and held you in check in Ephesians chapter 4 we have just read of the importance of laying aside the old self for verse 22 and putting on the new man for verse 24. In between the laying aside of the filthy garments and the putting on of the new clothing or the fresh clean clothing. There is the mention of the renewed mind.

Verse 23. Look at that Ephesians 423 that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind. There is nothing nothing more important for you and me than to operate with a renewed mind because the old nature is always there trying to make us think were still tied to the stake of the old master.

You cannot expect to live very long without sinning again and again and again and so quickly. We are taught in the Christian life. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The great verse of Scripture, but I call it corrective theology. It's as though we couldn't possibly live just a few minutes without sinning again drawl were tied to the stake. All were not tied to. We just gotten accustomed to.

We been set free.

I don't think first John 19 is the best verse for the new believer to learn.

I think it ought to be the one out of Romans chapter 6 verse 13 neither you and your members as instruments of unrighteousness under sin but yield yourselves and to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God the best illustration of that I think of driving along a curved road in the mountains. There are two different signs that could be placed on the road. One of them says hospital down below, and you take off around the road and you go over the side and you tumble down and you wind up in the hospital and they can fix you up. They got all the equipment necessary or the undersigned can say curve ahead, drive slowly. You don't have to go off the road.

If you do there's a hospital help but there's a better way to drive in that were not here to populate hospitals.

We are to make it to our destination were not here tied to the stake. We are here to fly for the glory of God, freed from what from what once bound us. I think I would probably not miss my guess, if I said and asking you before you heard these truths. How long do you think you can send me if you can live without sinning. I think most of you would respond only a few minutes, you know you can live days without sinning.

You give me that look like, where did this come from right out of Romans is just we been training wrong.

I think you can see Sam coming in, say, Lord, I am not able to face this or handle this on my own for years I couldn't get override the yield of this, but I ask for your strength right now is this temptation is appearing before me or as I have a chance to yield to it. I pray that you give me strength not to, and he will and you won't, that's true. That's why Paul wrote Galatians, who has bewitched you to make you think you've got a live like that. So I think God's hope for us is freedom, not slavery. That's the message of grace.

My job is to encourage you to fly free and quit yielding your members as instruments of unrighteousness as though you are helpless victim of the string and the stake. Now in Ephesians 4, verse 25 he says therefore one of the rules of great interpretation is always find out what that therefore is there for. And in this case. In this case, he is saying and light of the fact that you have laid aside the old garments and you have been renewed in your mind and you're now wearing the fresh clean garments. Therefore, here are some instructions regarding some areas of your life you once were unable to conquer you know what they are ready with your pin. Verse 25 lying verse 26 and 27 uncontrolled anger. 28.

Stealing 29 and 30 unwholesome words. 31 and 32.

Lack of forgiveness did you get if you didn't will go back over them and sort of take them apart and put them back together.

Okay, remember as a Christian you are not victimized by any of these don't let anyone ever convince you that you are you can keep from lying, but the power of the Holy Spirit. You do not have to have your anger get out of control. Don't tell me about your temper. That's the old life. That's the stake in the string you have to respond like that to situations that are difficult. Don't tell me that you been a thief most of your life and you can't expect and I can expect you to change now that you come to this age who says I can't, you're supposed to fly free from such things and you can but it takes a renewed mind and unwholesome words is a battle that as well as little unforgiving spirit was look at him, lying verse 25.

The Greek word is Su DOS PS PUD OS we get our words pseudo-from pseudo-something. It's the idea of deception or a false front in this case it's a falsehood.

Therefore, laying aside false hood speak truth, each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. You find it interesting that Paul uses the same colorful word picture here as he did in verse 22 lay aside the old self and while were laying aside the old self among them will be telling lies. He calls it here falsehood lies were different faces, something lies are all around us and they come in various forms. There are mild forms of deception. There is what I call diplomatic hedging stretching the truth not telling the whole story staying silent when we should speak that can be a lie. We know the truth but we don't say it. And so our silence relies. We have that word in our language making statements that deliberately mislead another person is alive different forms of exaggeration, hits me hard. Preachers love to make the story a little bit better than it was originally.

That's why when I travel and take my wife with me. My stories are much more accurate than when I traveled alone to Jerusalem is a form of lying. I write this in my material really. I got it from someone else and I lying to make you think that's original to me when in fact I learned it and read it from him from her plagiarism can be a form of line flattery is lying telling people what they want to hear rather than what they should hear can be a form of lying little white lies all the way to large and and unrestrained fabrication of truth. All that and so much more would fall in the category of a falsehood.

Freedom is granted to those who have the spirit of God within the gift of freedom doesn't stop there. Walking in the truth is a choice we make every day you're listening to Insight for living Chuck Swindoll titled today's message steps that lead to freedom and we encourage you to keep listening because there's much more to learn from Paul's letter to the Ephesians and to learn more about this ministry.

Visit us online@insightworld.org. If you looking for a resource that will guide you in your daily pursuit of spiritual freedom. Kinda Chuck described today then we are recommending a devotional book called good morning Lord. Can we talk it contains 365 devotions, providing a brief and refreshing oasis for every single day in the new year.

Walking is spiritual freedom requires that we stay focused on the truth of God's word.

This devotional book will help you do that throughout 20, 21, and it would make a thoughtful Christmas gift as well to purchase checks devotional book called good morning Lord go to Insight.org/store or call us if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 now it checks November letter has already arrived at your home, then you had the delight of reading his personal expression of thanksgiving for all God is accomplished in 2020, in spite of the forces of darkness pressing into our world today. It's been a remarkable year and in many respects it's drawing us closer together as followers of Christ because in times like these, we truly need each other. So from all of us at Insight for living ministries. Please accept our profound thanks for your support during this tumultuous year in your voluntary donations have allowed us to touch lives on across North America. Now all around the world. Eight languages to give a donation today. Call us listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or go online to Insight.or in 2020. The pandemic is swept indoor homes in ways we never imagined.

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