Give Us Free

With thanks Pastor JD for that reminder that we are part of a broader body of Christ here across all of our campuses.

In fact, this call to come together into just lock arms with one another. A communal leader faster believe God together is a great joy of mine.

In fact, just over the years from the sweetest times we've had as a family is just being a part of these kind of communal corporate fast on one's arm and her kids were young, they were real little, and we're just preparing ourselves one is fast and how it should be sacrificial and I was just laying it out and what that looks like in the our middle son miles that I think want to fast from lucky charms that I think that's an idol in my life, and we agreed because he had just punched his brother and in the nose for eating the last of his lucky charm.

So it was just a great way for him to lean into the grace of God and for him to sacrifice in that way. So I'm just glad that were able to come together and and do that for the reminder that God we serve is sovereign. He is income control, no matter how chaotic things may look the other Bibles please meet me in Luke chapter 3 as we continue on in our series in step just kind of jogging through various passages in the book of Luke want you to pick me up in verse one of Luke chapter 3 look at the first six verses of Luke chapter 3, Luke says these words in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch that means ruler of the fourth part of Galilee and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Korea and track tinnitus in life same.

Yes, I tell you, man. This passage will elongate your vocabulary tetrarch of Abilene during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas make note of this phrase the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness and he went into all the region around the Jordan proclaiming a baptism. Make note of this word of repentance for the forgiveness of sins as it is written. Now he's quoting from Isaiah in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled in every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight and the rough places shall become level ways and all flesh all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Several years ago there was a movie that came out that was based on a true story. Maybe some of us can recall seeing this this movie. It is a story of a group of Africans were on the ship and they they decide to just kind of take over the ship from those who were sailing it and so they they rest control out of their hands. They take it now into their hands and they now think they are sailing east into freedom when in reality there there sailing north into bondage. That ship known as the Amistad washes up on American shores there now accosted taken into custody in the great question that our nation begins to wrestle with over the next several months is what do we do with these individuals. They thrown him and in the captivity. Do we keep them there or do we release them into freedom and one poignant moving scene as they're sitting there debating this question in this issue what one of the African who has been in bondage just begins to yell out, give us free give us free give us free might be bad English, but it is good theology, for in that statement give us free, and it really puts a finger on the pulse of humanity. There is this longing in all of us for freedom. It is one of the felt needs of our hearts. And I don't care where you may be on the spectrum of spirituality that you may have grown up in the church and learned of the truth of Christianity.

From those wonderful flannel board kind of layouts and given my age or or you may be here and say I wouldn't call myself a Christian, a part of what it means to be made in the Amado day the image of God is this incredible longing that we have freedom recently. Rolling Stone magazine released a ranking of the top 500 albums of all time. Number one on their list is an album that was released in 1971 by Marvin Gaye simply entitled what's going on Smokey Robinson, one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Because that album prophecy and holds it is still relevant for today. I'll let you cast your vote in on whether or not that's true.

Here is Marvin Gaye in 1971, three years after Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior has been assassinated right on the heels of the aftermath of the civil rights movement.

He is serving the sociological scene he is looking at what's happening over in Vietnam. He's he's downcast about what's taken place in the urban centers.

The ghettos of our nation and in the middle of all this. He says in the title track to the album. Look at these lyrics with me. Mother mother mother.

There's far too many of you crying brother brother brother. There's far too many of you dying and he would go on to croon and belt out the rhetorical question what's going on in his own way. It is his way of saying give us free. It is the longing of freedom. If there's one word I want to unpack with you over the next 29 minutes and 31, 30 seconds that we have with the Holy Spirit to move I would unpack with you that word freedom maybe you want to write in your notes at that these three words really summarize our whole text.

Give us free. We are now going to turn our attention to an enslaved people who are laboring under the tyranny of captivity and oppression exacted upon them by the Roman empire.

Our text opens up with Luke pinpointing the exact moment in history, we find ourselves in.

When we come to this text. Look at it again with me in verse one.

Luke writes in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, who was the Emperor of Rome so that we can pinpoint with a certain degree of certainty that the events that Luke is alluding to in our text is taking place around A.D. 29 A.D. 29. Here's the nation of Israel. You read the Old Testament the story of the nation of Israel is his stubbornness is as being stubborn and being obstinate over and over and over again.

They have chosen to go their own way and over and over again. God in his grace since his prophets trying to get them to repent and yet over and over and over again. Israel refuses I don't know about you but that's my story of a God, full of grace, who keeps coming to me and yet so many times I just find myself Auburn holding on to my own sin. Finally, God sends them away into the Babylonian captivity and exile and now when we come to our text, they are under the tyranny of Rome.

Next Luke decides to lay out for us a series of seven leaders you read scholars.

Scholars are bantering back and forth kind of what this list is all about. And one thing they do agree on is that all of these leaders are horrible leaders who have been instruments of oppression in captivity on these Jews. Tiberius was especially cruel, going as far as to begin deporting the Jews pilot took money from the temple treasury Herod was despised by the Jews for being a friend of Rome, and turning his back on his own people. Philip was also seen as being partial to the Gentiles, while we know little to nothing about lysine yes we do know that Annas and Caiaphas the high priest of the Jews were not humble, gentle leaders and instead they were seen as being harsh as well on their own people.

So why does Luke mention these leaders hear me. He is painting a picture of oppression. Don't you see the longing in the Jews hearts give us free. We long for freedom as we survey the wrong sociological landscape.

II think there are pockets of 2020, where in our own way. We just felt as if our spirits were experiencing up a level of claustrophobia. There was justice since there were these moments in 2020, where we had that all that own longing of of give us free. We just long for freedom. Maybe it was literally as were living in quarantine life. It's as life as we've known it just totally changed and here we are in the confines of our own home and life as we know it is long gone. And there's something inside of us that just a freedom that others of us. If you're just kind of looking at the racial landscape in the stuff that's that's going on, especially aftermath of George Quarterman were sitting there with my family and in one of my sons in tears just ask where is God in his own way is his way of saying that I just I'm sick of this, this rinse wash repeat cycle that were in my little home for it to be over. No matter what your color maybe if you're a follower of Jesus Christ. Hopefully you felt that as well. The political divisions that I don't need to rehash the justice turmoil of 2020, which we just long for freedom friends that only touches the tip of the iceberg on a much deeper soul level. That is the longing of our hearts. We long for freedom. And there's nothing in this world that can satisfy it. In fact, are turning to idols. Those good things and become ultimate things. It is our start our way of trying to find identity, meaning, value, purpose, freedom, in this life negotiated on our own terms. Yet the reality is idols always overpromise in always under deliver returns that may be food or money or status, or success, or family or whatever it may be the tribe freedom but but none of those things are going to satisfy back CS Lewis argues that the reason why we can never find long-term satisfaction and things of this world, independent of Christ is because those things in their own way, are not just designed to disappoint us, but to turn us to the only one who can satisfy us and give us freedom which is Jesus and a well used quote I love that saying a man to attack a preacher keeping comments and I will use." It says CS Lewis says this when you look at it with me. If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world, such as were mine. Those of us were followers of Jesus Christ. That new car is never going to do it. That new will is never going to do it.

Only Jesus never get one right my dear friends in life.

I worked on a show using executive on the show. This show and getting syndicated which is which is the dream so he goes with the creator of the show to pick up their syndication checks as it how to go might my friends a strong believer because the creator of the show who's not a believer gets a check for hundred and $37 million as is men I checked in with them. Some months later in the euphoria was gone.

There was no joy there some your iBook. Can I just try to hundred 37 million in just kind of report back to you about how I'm doing. The friends that's the book of Ecclesiastes in real time for solid just looks at everything and this is vanity vanity Hebrew word about its emptiness.

Nothing in this world can give us freedom independent of Christ. So we are followers of Jesus Christ and you have freedom, you're just not walking in its you long for freedom in your marriage long for freedom in your finances. You long for freedom as relates to that besetting sin, the sin that so easily entangles you you you been granted victory through the cross. But you're not walking in victory. What does it look like to thank you Pastor for talking to us about freedom but but I need you as my grandma used to say to put some shoe leather on this. What is it really look like for me to walk in the freedom that Christ has secured Luke helps to show us there's three ways.

The first way is found in verse two. Here's Luke he's painted this bleak picture of oppression and bondage. This this longing to be free and then a glimmer of hope shines through in verse two looked at it with mates during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas here.

It is the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah on. Don't miss this.

Here's Luke writing on the tail end of the Old Testament given the story of the Old Testament is this vicious cycle in which the people of God would be in sin, God would show up graciously give them prophets the prophets get a bad kind of image because we see them as messages of of of condemnation and blog about their extensions of the grace of God in which God is giving them and begging them time to repent. Finally book of Malachi.

The last book laid out in the Old Testament God stopped speaking between Malachi and the four authorized Gospels are rather biographies known as the Gospels on the life of Jesus.

God doesn't speak.

It's the inter-testament will.

It's 400 years of silence for hundred years. God doesn't speak and now Luke says this again the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah 900, here's the questions were asked only to spend the day in seminary totemic Tommy Bryant what what did Israel do to deserve God speak to the change their ways. Note did they repent of their sins to deserve that note what date and what did they deserve to get the voice of God through the prophet, John the Baptist, nothing God opens his mouth and speaks to a people still living the same life that we call that grace. I love my friend Matt Chandler says about grace Matt Chandler says grace means you didn't eat your dinner but you still get dessert.

It is God's unmerited favor.

It is God giving his people something they did not deserve. How in the world do I walk in this freedom doesn't come by my performance or my moral strivings work or me saying you know it New Year's him or make some resolutions. I'm really going to change. it begins on a note all grace some years ago, maybe read it. I read the New York Times best-selling book just mercy. True story a about an incredible guy by the name of Brian Stevenson. Maybe you actually saw the film as usual film ever to live up to the book. Basically the ark of the book is story after story after story of individuals who have gotten locked up for things they didn't do that they did have the means or the resources to hire a lawyer. Somehow, someway, Brian Stevenson, this Harvard trained long-haul lawyers shows up.

Here's their story investigates their story comes back and says I'm going to help you, to which they respond.

I don't have the resources to pay you to which he responded I'm going to do it pro bono grace.

I'm going to get you out grace you can't pay me grace. Now here's where my illustration falls short, my illustration fall short is because these individuals didn't do the crime.

They got grace when the truth of the matter. We all did the crime.

All we like sheep have gone astray. We've all seen and we've all got our own way and our advocate as John calls him in his epistle, Jesus shows up and says you've got yourself a mess. You can't get yourself out of.

I'm going to get you out of it, not by your moral strivings or performance, or church attendance or fasting or tithing to put solely by Margaret.

We never get so sophisticated in our faith that we neglect to be amazed by the grace of God freedom begins by swimming deeply in the waters of grace. But that's not all.

How I walk in this freedom. Like I walk into this thing called grace. This amazing grace and then look at verse three. Speaking of John the Baptist. This prophet, the mouthpiece of God. It says and he went into all the region around the Jordan so this is a heavily Jewish populated region. These people living in sin. Here it is proclaiming a baptism. Here's the key word of repentance. If you're new to the Scriptures, or you wouldn't call yourself a Christian, you need to know that the New Testament which is a section of the Bible that were in it is written in a language called Greek Ridgely is not written in English. So when I talk about the Greek I'm talk about the original language. The Greek word for repentance is a method Noya Metro Noya the idea of a method Noya. It simply means a change of mind that leads to a change of direction. Hear me, repentance Metro Noya is not the same thing as confession confession means to say I'm sorry Metro Noya or repentance means to show I'm sorry and notice if you will, a thoroughly biblical truth. Often times when you see repentance in your Bible lurking closely in context is grace, grace and repentance are conjoined twins. In fact, friends, grace always stimulates repentance. So if you just say I got a repent. I got a changeup and gone the wrong way.

I won't do this friends that's a law that's condemnation, that's your own works.

That's your own striving for what stimulates repentance is always grace. That's why Paul would say it's a verse, my wife and I have tried to hang our hats on, Inc. in parenting she's been such a better job at it than me. But Romans to forces. It is God's kindness that leads to repentance. It is not a repentance that leads to God's kindness so that God's kindness doesn't stimulate license. It's not me saying okay God's grace is God's time. I do what I wanted to know.

Paul did say that in Romans 626 shall we continue in sin that grace may abound now when I really did grace when I really understand that God in his infinite grace and mercy sees me as its accepts me as it's loves me as this saves me as is when I really swim in those waters it induces in me a desire to want to be like him and live like him several years ago there was a wealthy businessman in the California community who was looking around his community and there's pockets of his community. He didn't like is that there's just all this kind of crime and drugs and poverty and mental health issues and sizes. Minutes that's gotta change it to begin wrecking your brain is rain how I do it again with his crazy idea, thereby laughed at about is what I just gave a certain group of individuals in this community discuss $500 a month then I'll not put them on my payroll and hiring them and giving them a job, not give them out of my grace $500 and so he try that for 18 months in a group of these individuals.

Five dollars a month then have to do anything just gave it to me for 18 months.

A study was unleashed. The Internet study. Here's what they found crime and drugs went down emotional, mental health went up and they began to see change� Don't hear that, as this is a great economic policy that our government should try this to miss the point completely. What brought about Shane was grace and even more so friends, this is what God does to you and I how does God stimulate change in the heart of the believer's not by condemnation, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ's grace, grace, grace, freedom is here. He's offered it to us freedom begins not with my moral strivings it.

It begins in a note called grace, what, when I really get grace that stimulates repentance. Repentance is in a 360 or I'm right back where I started from his 180� turn on going one way to headed in another. Not because I'm resolving it because I'm motivated by the grace of God is one more point freedom is only possessed in one person's name is Jesus look at how Luke ends our Texan time of study around God's word.

Luke chapter 3 verse four. Luke writes, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, here it is the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled in every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight in the rough places will become level ways in all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Here is Luke pulling on a Hebrew idiom back then and towns when when it was when it was deemed that that town was was worthy to have a dignitary like a king come months in advance. They would send a courier that courier would go into that town would say look on such and such a date. The King is coming and immediately they would get to work.

Kind of laying out smooth roads to prepare for the kingdom to come in much pomp and glory and circumstance. There is Luke quoting from Isaiah pulling on that imagery and he looks at Jesus and it was announced centuries in advance. The King of Kings and Lord of lords is coming and now the way is being prepared specifically in this text through his prophet, John the Baptist. I probably should share this but you know I love the cunning abruption share this because, in general, in general, African-Americans were not very outdoorsy people. If you want to test my hypothesis watch the Discovery Channel and count how many quiches and Tyrone's you see on the Discovery Channel some garlic and I laugh at that. Yes, you can laugh at that, but I thought I thought, in love with the cutting reason why the place that I go duck hunting.

One of my best friends. He owns a duck hunting club and what's called Stuttgart Arkansas never Stuttgart Arkansas until I went duck hunting there. Come to find out. I just ducks pretty much you know a fly the same migration pattern, year in and year out out in Stuttgart Arkansas kinder it's it's a major thoroughfare. As the story goes well this is a very coveted and desired duck hunting club. So much so that that Dick Cheney when he was vice president decided to go duck hunting that I wasn't there during that that time and it just comes to find out that his office because my friend it's his vice president wants to come and go duck hunting in and what's interesting is even just make a phone call in the next they show up. My princes know over the next couple of months over 80 White House staffers, government employees, Secret Service agents and even some people in the Navy they come to our property and they begin to just prepare for the vice president coming. The run telephone lines. They actually get into our ponds and and just see if there's anything dangerous there. Months and months of preparation for exists is exponentially more true when it came to Jesus Christ coming. In fact, Paul would write in Galatians chapter 4 verse four. Would you look at it with me.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law.

The Greek word therefore fullness it it it it it it was used to speak of a pregnant woman in the final days of her pregnancy. Here Paul is picturing time as a pregnant woman about to give birth to Jesus.

In fact, friends, remember we talked about the inter-testament will. Between the end of Malachi, and the start of Matthew.

400 years of silence, not activity. God was silent but God was working setting the stage for the perfect moment for when his son Jesus would come races of Alexander the great was prophesied about in Daniel chapter 8, who conquers the then known world, and Alexander the great's unique contribution is the unification of language one language so that when Jesus shows up. The world is just ready for the advancement of the gospel. Not only that, after Alexander the great immigrates there come the Romans in the Pax Romana so that when Jesus comes he doesn't come at a time of war, but at a time of peace, just the right moment for the gospel to be unfurled friends. God was working behind the scenes, setting the stage for the sky. Roddick opportune moment. Hear me and that God is not confined to the history Channel, that same God is working in your life right now. Setting up the scene so that there's no wasted experience in your life, and he has brought you here today that you might hear the freedom that is ours that we might walk-in it, for whom the son sets free is free indeed. Who can make us free, not our money not our moral strivings's one person.

Christ and Christ alone. In March 2019. II had the most enriching ministry ministry experience outside of the local church in my life I was invited to go with a group of people to Angola State prison, just outside of Baton Rouge.

I'll never forget it didn't.

Angola State prison. This this legendary president used to be a plantation called Angola plantation.

They called it that because they got most of their slaves from Angola, Africa, right around the start of the 20th century. They decide to turn it over into a penal farmer penitentiary where some the worst criminals ever brought their became the most violent prisons in the world that in the 1990s, the new warden comes in and he's a strong believer follower of Jesus Christ and he says we gotta make some changes here and he decides the way that were going to change. It is not by introducing some more royalties is not enough. We've got to get the gospel here so you bring some professors from New Orleans Baptist theological seminary. The Bible is taught the gospel is preached. Revival breaks out in so many prisoners come to know the Lord. They said what we do in the words that I don't know. Let's plant churches name planted over 100 churches inside of Angola prison.

These prisoners are being trained their learning the Bible and their experiencing while incarcerated. The freedom of Jesus Christ. One of my friends there when the guys I met and I got to know them since then. Is was an inmate there will call his name Jason.

Jason is locked up for murder.

He murdered his his wife and trying to murder his infant son locked away for 30 years. Recently, Jason was recommended by the parole board to be set free house asking Jason how the going is still sitting here so are you still singing or human recommended rate is is yeah but in the state of Louisiana, how does in other states. They can recommend volume want big, declare you free all you want, but until one man signs the paper. You ain't free and that man is the governor friend made me think of Jesus going one man who can make us free surprises in Christ alone. You can't make yourself.

Only Jesus can make interesting friends is part of the reason he got recommended for freedom is because of the total life transformation that took place while he was in prison he came to know the Lord is Lord and Savior and it interesting he was in a place that had his body incarcerated, but his spirit was free friends.

Right now you can know the freedom of our Lord and Savior. I don't care how bad your home life may be I don't care how miserable your circumstances are right now you know the freedom of Jesus. When you pray with that. I believe you have been swinging my feeble attempts at articulation will not move the needle. There are Lord God all across the trying right now who have sat under this word in vain do not know the freedom cuts amazing and this makes me think of great moment in American history when the amendment, ratified in one open and most slaves leave their slaves decided today on the plantation.

There are still some souls know there is a side room and that race race is that they would find Jesus as Christ name we pray