Please pray with me again before we get going.
Father,
just glorified tonight in every single person that is here.
And Father,
for those that are here that do not know you,
that are not following you,
whose life is not reflecting yours,
and who are spurning the grace of God,
who are cheapening the salvation they have received,
God,
I pray that you would just convict us,
and you would give us grace,
Lord Jesus,
to be free from these things,
and to glorify you as you are worthy to be glorified,
and to worship you as you are worthy to be worshipped,
and to just enjoy you as you are worthy to be enjoyed.
God,
you are the greatest thing that anyone can have,
and I just pray that you would help me to communicate that tonight,
for your glory,
Lord.
Amen.
About a year and a half ago,
a friend of mine was really going through some difficult things,
and some things that happened in his life that led to depression for him,
and just a lot of discouragement.
Some serious affliction had taken place,
and just a series of events that really kind of subverted his joy.
And this person,
while he was very much affected by it,
was a lover of Christ,
and he was a Christian,
and he would often,
I would often find him praying and appealing to God,
and he was groaning,
he was mourning,
he was sorrowful,
he was in pain,
but he was loving Christ,
he was going to Christ,
because that's what he knew was going to be the answer for him.
During that time,
he would say things like,
I only have a friend in Jesus,
he's the only one that I can go to,
he's the only one that I can find peace from,
he's the only one that can content my heart,
and if I'm not praying to him,
if I'm not with him,
then I'm just depressed.
I once asked him as well,
what do you pray for?
What is it that you pray for?
And he said to me,
I pray this,
Lord,
may my circumstances
not affect my relationship with Christ,
but may my relationship with Christ
affect my circumstances.
I thought that was
a really, really good word,
it was a good prayer.
It meant a lot to him,
and it meant a lot to me.
But essentially,
what he was saying was
he wanted the joy of his Lord
to overcome the joy,
or to overcome the sorrow of his flesh.
Right?
The joy that he had in Christ
to overcome the sorrow
that he felt in his flesh.
And during this time,
he had a keen sense of awareness
for the salvation
that he had received in Christ.
He was very much aware of it.
He would often quote this verse in John 16,
These things I have spoken to you,
this is Jesus speaking,
that in me you may have peace.
In the world you have tribulation.
But take courage,
I have overcome the world.
It was a long time before
my friend's situation improved.
But as time passed,
his heart did grow stronger
as God unveiled more and more
of the glory of that salvation
that he had received.
That salvation,
that ransoming work of Christ
in which he took on flesh,
he took on all the devil's temptations,
he took on the cross,
and he took on finally death.
That work that God did,
our salvation,
was the means by which God
redeemed us for himself
and for his glory forever.
When a man or woman
gains a real interest
in the real gospel,
the real gospel,
the tangible, felt, real gospel,
with true faith and tastes
of those delectable truths
and experiences
that effective power
to heal a broken heart,
to soothe an inflamed conscience,
to bring rest to a wearied soul,
to cleanse the filthy sinner,
to quench the thirst of the sojourner,
to strengthen the sick,
to enrich the poor,
to find the lost,
to free the slave.
When you taste of this gospel,
there's nothing less
that you can do
but totally surrender to God
who is that gospel.
Who is that good news
in loving obedience
and worship?
Some of you are characterized
by what I just said.
Some of you,
all of you,
if you're a Christian,
are sojourners
who are thirsting,
sojourners who need food,
who need sustenance
for the journey.
Some of you are sick
because of sin.
Some of you are poor
because of a lack of faith.
This gospel can change you.
It can renew you.
It can restore you.
And I pray that it does that tonight.
Let me say this statement.
The freest man in the whole world
is the one who's enslaved
to the greatest master.
The freest man
is the one who's enslaved
to the greatest master.
Everyone is enslaved to someone
or something.
Everyone.
I don't care what they say.
I don't care if they're an atheist
or what.
They're enslaved to something,
to an idea,
to their flesh,
to whatever they may be
following after
and serving.
Philippians says
that your God
is your appetite.
Many people are like that.
The freest man
is the one who's enslaved
to the greatest master.
I want to tell you
about my master
and what he's done tonight.
Number one,
he redeemed me.
He redeemed me.
You cannot rightly understand
the word ransomed
until you have an understanding
of the word redeemed.
For Jesus is our redeemer,
but he is also our ransom.
He redeemed us,
but he also paid the price
with himself
for that redemption.
It's kind of a paradox,
but it's not.
Jerry Bridges said this.
Listen to this.
This is a good definition.
To redeem
is to buy back
or secure
the release of
someone from slavery
or from captivity
by the payment of a ransom.
Redemption, then,
is the action
to secure release
and the ransom
is the price paid
to effect that action.
Does that make sense?
So you've got a redemption,
which is the buying back
of something
or someone,
and then a ransom
is the price you pay
to actually do that.
Bound up in the person
of Jesus Christ
is the unique ability
to be both redeemer
and yet to pay
for the redemption
with his own body
and with his own blood.
We were enslaved
as sinners
to sin
and as humans
to Satan.
Okay?
This is a way
that I'm going to try
to describe to you
what exactly
you were enslaved to
before you were ransomed
or redeemed from Christ
if you have been.
Again, I'm going to say this.
We were enslaved
as sinners
to sin
but as humans
to Satan.
It's kind of a tricky thought
but
because it's kind of like
splitting hairs.
It's almost one and the same
but there's some differences.
Sin
Okay?
This is the difference.
Sin ruled over
our interior.
Our insides.
Our desires.
Our personality.
Was all infected
completely by sin.
Totally and completely
affected by sin.
On the other hand
Satan ruled our exterior.
Or rules your exterior.
Your flesh.
Your outer man.
By provoking you
to bad deeds.
Kind of like
poking you.
Kind of like
a doctor
who may take one of those
tomahawk looking things
and hit you in the kneecap
and make you
kick forward.
That's
kind of in a sense
what Satan does.
He pokes.
He pricks.
He doesn't exactly
possess you
especially if you're a believer
he doesn't possess you
but he provokes you.
So he works on the external
side of things.
For evidence of this
biblically
you can look at Matthew 4.
That's
when Jesus was tempted
himself.
And you see a lot of
those kind of examples.
To use another analogy
envision a prison
a prison cell
and you in that prison cell.
Okay.
So you got the walls
you got the concrete
you got everything
in the prison cell.
The actual thing
that you are incarcerated
by is the cell.
Okay.
It's the
again
the walls
the iron bars
this is representative
of sin.
You are incarcerated
by sin.
You are enslaved
to sin
but at the same time
every once in a while
you are attended to
by a jail keeper.
Okay.
Who brings you food
and brings you water
and sustains you
in your poor position.
And that is representative
of Satan.
So you're incarcerated
by sin
but you're attended to
by Satan.
He keeps you
in that position.
He keeps you alive.
He keeps you doing
his bidding.
You are also
his prisoner
but he is not
your captor.
And therefore
the price
of your release
from that prison cell
or the blood
of our beloved
Jesus Christ
was not paid
to Satan.
Okay.
When you were ransomed
when God
made himself
a ransom
for you
it wasn't
to pay off
Satan
to free you.
He wasn't
your captor.
He was just
the simple
jail keeper.
But that price
was paid
to God
who could be
seen as the
warden
in this scenario.
Does that make sense?
The cell
and the jail
keeper
and the warden.
That make sense?
Now that's not to say
that God
has made you
a sinner
or that God
has enslaved you
into sin
but that he is
the ruler
he is the judge
he is the warden
over all matters
in the spiritual realm.
Okay.
And you must
directly consult
with him
if you wish
to be free.
So God
being holy
and just
cannot excuse
a single
transgression
he won't
do it.
It's against
his nature.
It's against
the idea
of being just.
All sins
have to be
accounted for.
All debts
have to be
paid.
Therefore
we learn
from Galatians
3.13
precisely what
it is
that we've
been ransomed
from
or redeemed
from.
It says this.
Turn there
if you want
to.
Galatians 3.13
This is a good
passage to go
back to
as you're
envisioning
or thinking
about this.
Everything's
got to be
paid for.
Every sin.
Every infraction
of the law.
So Galatians
3.13
says this.
Christ
redeemed us
from the curse
of the law
by becoming
a curse
for us.
Christ
redeemed us
from the curse
of the law
by becoming
a curse
for us.
So what is
the curse
of the law?
Because that's
what obviously
we've been
redeemed from.
Simply put
the curse
of the law
is that
perfect
zero sin
standard
that God
has
for all
people.
Perfect
standard
that cannot
be broken.
If you
wish to
appease a
perfectly
holy
and just
God
you have
to keep
that standard
completely
without any
infraction.
And have
you fallen
short of
this?
Have I
fallen
short of
this?
A trillion
times over
you have.
Ten times
a thousand
times a
day.
We all
do.
And yet
some of us
are still
trusting in
our goodness
and in
our faithfulness
to God
and in
our good
deeds
as a
means of
entering
into heaven.
Somehow
we think
and people
have been
deceived
that maybe
you're
around
think
that by
being good
enough
or earning
God's favor
through the
things that
I do
that are
good
that God
is going
to accept
us on the
last day
of judgment.
When he
looks at
our life
and he
says
although
you've
made all
of these
sins
against me
although
you've
hated me
in this
way
yet I'm
going to
forgive you
because
you did
this.
Serial
killers have
done good
things in
their life.
We don't
let them
off the
hook
though.
You're
dead wrong
if you
think that.
God
so not
one human
being can
ever do
enough to
achieve the
righteousness
that God
requires.
If somehow
we could
combine
Mother Teresa
Gandhi
and the
Apostle Paul
into one
person
one super
human
good person
and then
give them a
thousand lives
to live
to do all
the good
deeds they
want to
do
they would
still fall
short
of that
standard.
One
thing
one
thing
made them
fall short
of that
standard
and they
would still
go to
hell.
That
super
human good
person
would go
to hell.
So it's
an impossible
thing for us
to achieve
it on our
own.
Impossible.
Jesus said
himself in
Matthew 5
48
you are to
be perfect
as your
heavenly
father is
perfect.
Paul said
in Galatians
3 just
three verses
before this
one.
All who
rely on
observing the
law are
under a
curse.
So the
people that
put their
trust in
observing the
law and
doing the
things of
law,
they're under
the curse.
For as
it is
written,
cursed is
everyone who
does not
continue to
do everything
written in
the book
of the
law.
James also
says this
in the
New Testament.
Whoever
keeps the
whole law
and yet
stumbles at
one point
has become
guilty of
all.
So you
can't trust
in that.
I talked
to a guy
today,
I just
met him
sitting on
a bench
near the
drill field
and I
said,
hey man,
how did you
become a
Christian?
Or when
did you
become a
Christian?
He said,
I've
always been a
Christian.
I grew
up in a
Christian
home.
And I
just,
you know,
it was
baffled.
I mean,
again,
so many
people are
like that.
They don't
understand that
you aren't a
Christian because
you grew up in a
Christian home.
You're a
Christian because
you submit to
the lordship of
Christ.
Because you
love Jesus.
Because you
hate sin.
Because his
spirit's inside
of you.
You're not a
Christian because
you grew up in
it.
Because you
were indoctrinated
with it.
Because you
have been
baptized.
None of
those things
save.
Our
redemption
then,
so this
truth that
we're speaking
of right
now,
this redemption
truth,
is the
rock upon
which we
stand as
Christians.
It is the
deed that we
hold when we
die and we
go to heaven
and we say,
look here,
angels,
this is my
deed to the
property that I
have in heaven.
This is my
right to it.
I have
ownership of
property in
heaven.
Redemption is
that deed.
It's an
engagement ring
we wear to
signify our
union with
Christ.
It's the
wedding clothes
we dress
ourselves with
for acceptance
into the
wedding feast.
There is
not a
greater truth
in the
world than
this.
How are
you
redeemed?
Go back
to your
verse.
Galatians
3.13
It says,
Christ
redeemed us
from the
curse of
the law.
How?
By becoming
a curse
for us.
This is the
whole essence
of redemption
and the
whole essence
of being
ransomed.
Christ
became a
curse for
you in
your place.
He was
treated as
if the
curse
applied to
Him so
that the
curse might
not any
longer apply
to you.
He died
in your
place.
That
scripture that
Melissa read
earlier just a
second ago,
turn to 2 Corinthians
again.
Read this
slowly.
Read this
in faith.
God made
Him,
who's that?
Jesus,
who knew
no sin,
to be
sin on
our behalf
that we
might become
the righteousness
of God
in Him.
He made
Jesus Christ
incarnate
to become
sin for
you.
think about
that.
To become
sin for
you.
To become
sin for
you.
To take
your sin
on Himself.
And I'm
the same way
as you are
right now
looking at
me with
no tears
in your
eyes.
And no
fear.
And no
love.
We're so
weakened to
it.
We're so
dead to
it.
We've
heard it
so many
times.
And we
don't
think about
it.
We don't
meditate
on it.
We don't
read the
scriptures
to gain
more of
it,
to get
a grasp
of it.
We should
all be
crying right
now.
With joy
for thankfulness
for what
Christ has
done.
But we
sit here
and we're
just
same story,
same thing.
Give me
something new.
Guys,
we have to
pray to
Christ.
We have to
pray to
Christ to
get this.
When you
start seeing
Him,
when you
start drawing
near to
Him in
prayer,
when you
start looking
at His
Word and
reading it
and cherishing
it as your
food for
your day,
I promise
you,
this will
become real
and felt.
And it won't
feel like a
dead faith
anymore.
It won't
feel like
dead works
anymore.
And the
songs you
sing will
feel enlivened
and real.
will.
This is
convicting.
It should
be.
That
holy God
who sits
above,
whose name
we should
never even
be able to
say,
because we're
sinners,
has seen
fit to send
His only
begotten
Son to
earth,
to become
like us
in all
things,
to die a
wretched
and a
horrible
and a
nasty
death,
to experience
that indescribable
thing that we
call separation
from the
Father.
We don't
know what
that is.
We can't
fathom that.
He experienced
that in our
stead,
so that,
we might
become the
righteousness
of God
in Him,
so that you
could be
seen as
holy on
the day
of judgment.
When you
come before
God,
He looks
at you,
He won't
see you,
He won't
see your
deadness to
His
redemption.
He will
see Christ
in that
union
that He
has
with the
Father.
It's called
imputation.
That's the
name for it.
And that
means that
we get
Christ,
and all
that that
means,
all that
Christ is,
all of
Him,
and our
beloved
Savior gets
us.
all our
sin,
all our
shame,
all our
guilt,
all our
pain,
misery,
punishment,
He got
all of
it.
Why,
you say?
Why?
Why did
Jesus get
this?
Why did
He want
this?
I guess
the answer
to that
question is
love,
which is
simply a
word that
doesn't
describe it
accurately.
That's the
best our
English language
can do.
God did
this because
He loves
us,
because He
cares for
us,
because it
gives Him
more glory to
do so,
and that's the
most loving
thing that He
can do.
He loves
us so
much,
and if He
loves us
that much,
He must
hate sin
that much.
I was
reading
something
today,
out of a
book about
the voice of
the martyrs.
this guy
named Richard
Wurmbron
back,
I don't
know what
it was
exactly,
but it
was back
during the
communist
regime that
was going
on in
Russia and
Romania and
all that
stuff.
The wall
hadn't fallen
down yet,
so he was
a missionary
kind of
underground in
Romania,
and he
suffered a
lot of
incredibly
horrible
things.
Then he
started,
when he
got out
of it,
he didn't
die,
he started
this thing
called
Voice of the
Martyrs,
and it's a
newsletter now
that they send
out,
and it's a
ministry.
Clay
subscribes to
him,
and he
gets all
these
magazines,
and these
updates,
and things,
and I was
reading through
this update
today.
I don't
exactly know
when this
happened,
but this
is a true
story about
a true
person and
his wife,
and what
they went
through,
and the
love that
they had
for Christ.
So,
somewhere near
the Roman
area,
I'm not
exactly sure,
it probably
was back
a while
back,
I'm not
sure,
but he
was arrested
for passing
out leaflets,
like gospel
tracts,
basically,
and they
were torturing
him,
and his
wife was
arrested
with him.
They were
torturing him
trying to
find out
where the
Bibles that
they had
were,
because they
knew they
had Bibles,
they knew they
had more
Christian
propaganda,
and they
were going
to try to
extinguish
that from
their land.
They hated
Christianity,
they hated
Christ.
So,
in order to
torture him,
they put out
his eyes
with coals,
hot coals.
Then,
they hung
him upside
down,
and tied a
chain around
his neck,
and a big
boulder to
that chain,
and he
just was
pulling on
his spinal
cord,
basically.
And they
gagged him,
and his
wife was
screaming at
him,
stop it,
just tell
them where
it is,
just tell
them where
it is,
tell them
where the
Bibles are,
please,
I can't
deal with
this anymore,
I can't
take it
anymore.
They
finally
un-gagged
him.
He looks
at his
wife and
he says,
woman,
don't
ever
trade
your
love
for your
Savior,
for your
love
for me.
don't
ever
trade
that
love.
He
didn't
tell
them.
It
strengthened
her.
They
took
her
in the
back
room
to
show
her
a
lesson.
They
tortured
her
for
hours
on end.
Finally,
they
crucified
them
both
together.
They
never
relinquished
that
news
of where
the
Bibles
were.
That's
faith.
That's
real
faith.
that's
when
somebody
gets
this
stuff
in
their
mind
and
they're
willing
to go
to
any
length
to
glorify
the
God
that
saved
them
from
it.
Doesn't
matter
what it
is.
Doesn't
matter
if it
costs
them
their
life.
Oh,
by the
way,
that
couple
was
married
two
weeks
prior
to
that.
Newlyweds.
we
are
elementary
Christians
here.
Okay?
We
get
Christ.
We
get
Christ.
He
got
our
sin,
our
shame.
We
get
him.
This
is the
idea
of being
ransomed.
What a
redemption.
What a
glorious
thing he's
done in
paying our
ransom with
his own
blood.
That
man had
to be
thinking
something
like,
my
Savior
suffered
so much
more than
I ever
did.
My
eyes are
put out.
My
spine's
all
screwed
up.
My
wife's
getting
tortured
in the
back
room.
I'm
going to
get
crucified
soon.
And
God
did
so
much
more
for
me
than
I
could
ever
pay
him
back.
He's
worthy
of our
worship.
He's
worthy
of you
waking
up in
the
morning
early
to be
with
him.
!
He's
worthy
of you
honoring
God
with
your
relationships.
He's
worthy
of
everything.
Your
money,
your
time,
your
possessions.
God
has
bought
you
with
his
blood.
You're
not
your
own.
You
belong
to
him.
Who
or what
could be
better
than
Christ?
What
could be
better
than
that?
If
you're
wandering,
don't
wander
anymore.
Turn
back to
him.
If
you're
still
in
your
sins,
if
you
don't
know
this
Christ,
if
this
isn't
a
Jesus
that
you
worship,
that
you
know,
repent.
Don't
wait another
moment.
Repent
of your
sins.
Trust
in
him.
He's
done
this
already
for
you.
This
work
is
complete.
If
you
have
him,
but
you
are
neglecting
him,
why
would
you?
For
what
other
thing?
He's
worthy to
lose your
spouse
over,
your
child
over,
your
life
over.
There's
a woman
on this
magazine
as well.
This
is
horrific.
This
woman,
she's
been
burned
from
head
to
toe.
I
don't
know
how
it
happened,
but
she's
in
there
smiling,
trying
to
raise
money
for
more
Bibles
to be
sent to
her
village
so she
can share
more.
I don't
know what
happened to
her.
These
incredible
stories,
they don't
care about
the way
they look.
We do.
We
shouldn't.
The
writer of
Hebrews says,
how can you
neglect so
great a
salvation?
How can you
neglect this?
this is
priceless.
Repent,
return,
and rejoice
in Christ.
Let
him be the
source of
your joy.
Let
him be the
source of
your happiness.
Let
him be the
source of
your
contentment.
Not
sex,
not
drink,
not a
career,
not money.
Number
two,
he freed
me.
He freed
me.
Turn to
Acts 13.
Acts 13,
beginning in
verse 38.
Therefore,
let it be
known to
you,
brethren,
that through
him,
that's
Jesus,
forgiveness
of sins
is proclaimed
to you.
And through
him,
everyone who
believes is
freed from
all things.
from which
you could
not be
freed through
the law
of Moses.
Through
him,
everyone who
believes,
is freed from
all things from
which you could
not be freed
through the law
of Moses.
Understand this
from the
outset of this
verse.
Believing in
the Bible is
synonymous with
obeying.
Okay,
believing means
obeying.
It doesn't mean
intellectual ascent
to some truth
about Jesus
Christ.
It means a
total and
complete
surrender
mentally,
physically,
and spiritually
to the
lordship of
Jesus Christ.
When you
say,
I believe,
that means
you obey.
That means
I faithfully
trust in
Christ and
I will
follow him.
It does
not mean
you believe
in him or
that you
heard about
him and
that you
made a
profession
of him
when you
were seven
years old.
That is
not
believing.
Believing is
every day.
It's a big
difference,
believe me.
If you
don't believe
what I just
said,
turn to
John 3.36
and you
can see
that there.
I'm not
going to
go to it
right now,
but that's
a reference,
John 3.36.
So,
through Christ,
forgiveness of
sins is
offered as we
clearly see
stated in
our verse.
MacArthur
said,
referring to
the verse,
he said,
the atoning
death of
Jesus
completely
satisfied the
demands of
God's
law.
Making
forgiveness of
all sins
available to
all who
believe.
However,
this forgiveness
is accompanied
by a new
heart.
Okay?
With a new
heart comes
new desires
for new
things.
This is how
you know
you're saved.
This new
heart you
have,
that's been
given to
you,
it's a
spiritual
heart,
gives you
desires for
new
things.
If you
don't have
new desires,
you don't
have Christ.
And the
one thing
that is
primary in
terms of
what you
desire is
God's
glory.
You desire
to see
your Savior
who is
worthy as
we've already
determined,
glorified.
Glorified.
At any
cost to
yourself,
to your
family,
to your
friends,
to anything.
You want
to see
Jesus
glorified.
Freedom,
okay,
is found
in our
choices.
Freedom is
found in
your choices,
right?
We do
what we
want to
do.
And I
promise you,
you never
do what
you don't
want to
do.
You only
do what
you want
to do,
okay?
If you
get mugged
on the
street,
and the
guy points
a gun at
you and
he says,
give me
your money,
the only
reason why
you give
them your
money is
because you
don't want
to get
shot.
Or you
would rather
give them
your money
than you
would rather
get shot.
You only
do what
you want
to do,
all the
time.
No
exceptions.
You never
act contrary
to what
you want.
Sometimes
that means
wanting,
I don't
know,
to wake
up early
in the
morning
more than
you want
to sleep.
Therefore,
from God's
perspective,
which is the
only one that
matters,
a man is
in bondage
when he
cannot choose
to do
what he
originally was
created to
do,
a.k.a.
glorify God.
So you
are in
bondage
to your
sin when
you cannot
choose
freely
to do
what you
were created
to do,
which is
to glorify
God.
That's
the definition
of being
in bondage
to sin.
You can't
do what
God created
you to
originally do
to freely
do what
a Christian
only can
do,
which is
to glorify
God.
He is
imprisoned
by sin
to act
only according
to his
fallen
desires.
The sinner
constantly
throughout his
entire life
makes decisions
and choices
based on these
wicked desires
for wicked
things,
which never
result in the
things hoped
for,
like happiness,
like satisfaction,
like joy,
like contentment,
like lasting
pleasure,
like blessing.
It never
results in that.
Everything that
the sinner
experiences as
a result of
making these
fallen
decisions is
a fictitious
representative of
what God
really intended
that to be.
Only the
Christian,
only the
Christian can
experience true
joy,
true happiness,
true satisfaction,
true lasting
pleasure,
true contentment,
true blessing,
true thankfulness,
only the
Christian,
not the
sinner.
They get
fool's gold.
We get the
real thing.
You know this
is true,
don't you?
Those of you
that aren't
believers,
you know this
is true.
C.S. Lewis
said this,
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.
You know it's
true.
You're not
satisfied.
The last
girl was good,
but you need
another one.
The last
drink was good,
but you need
another one.
That last
show was really
funny,
but you need
another one.
You're never
satisfied.
That means,
according to
logic,
maybe we were
created for
something other
than this
world.
The freedom
that I have
experienced in
Christ is a
freedom from
sin and from
death and from
hell.
and from
the devil,
but contained
within that
freedom is a
freedom from the
normal life,
is a freedom
from worldly
pleasure,
which is weak
in comparison
with godly
pleasure.
I've been
freed from
the common
man's joy.
I've been
freed from
the common
man's peace
and his love,
which is
inferior to
what I get
in Christ.
Christ.
And I've
been freed
to all
those godly
fruits,
which the
Spirit picks
from the
trees of
heaven and
brings to
God's
earthly
children.
It's
conferred to
you by the
Spirit of
God from
heaven.
You can't
get it
through earthly
means.
What are those
fruits?
love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
gentleness,
self-control,
faithfulness.
Galatians 5
says,
against such
things there
is no law.
You've been
freed from
the law,
you've been
freed to
these things.
That's not
the motivation
for why you
come to
Christ.
You come to
Christ for
Christ.
But we've
been freed
from all
this lower
stuff to
Christ and
all these
higher things.
It's part of
our salvation.
God freed
you,
Christian.
He set you
free from the
ordinary to
enjoy the
bliss of the
extraordinary,
from the
natural to
the supernatural.
Is this
your experience?
Did you
experience this?
Believe me,
I've tasted.
If you're a
Christian here,
you've tasted
in some
way that
peace that
surpasses all
comprehension,
that you
can't explain
with words,
that joy that
is lasting,
that contentment
in the midst
of the worst
situation that
only Christ
could confer to
somebody.
do you know
him or do you
just know
about him?
Do you
live in his
love?
Do you
seek for new
ways to
relinquish all
your formal
ways of sin?
Or do you
find that you
still love
sin?
Not one
sin can you
keep.
You must be
done with all
of them.
He freed you
for himself.
Okay?
God freed you
for himself.
Not for you.
Not for your
joy.
Not for your
blessing.
He freed you
for himself.
For himself.
Never forget
that.
For his glory.
For his own
purposes.
For his own
pleasure.
Not so that you
can cheapen his
grace by doing
whatever you want
and then thinking
that if you pray a
small little prayer
then God's going
to forgive you.
Or my buddies
are doing this
so then I'm
good too.
That's cheap
grace.
That's not
comprehending the
ransomed
sacrifice which
was Christ.
That's cheap
grace.
That's an
immature thought.
God's salvation
should so
overwhelm your
heart with love
and ecstasy
that all your
affections turn
their gaze toward
him.
And the
direction of
your life
takes a
180 degree
turn towards
him.
Towards him.
He saved you
for himself.
For his glory.
We benefit from
that.
We benefit from
that.
We get the
things I talked
about.
We get those
fruits from
heaven.
But it was
for God
that he saved
you.
God has set
me free by
breaking the
chains of sin.
By stripping
all the authority
that Satan had
in my life
away.
And then
he enabled
me by a
bloodied
mangled
Christ and
by his
spirit to
live for
him.
And my
joy is
found in
living for
God's
glory.
You get
that?
That's
incredible.
The way that
God has
ordained things
to be is
that we get
the most
satisfaction as
human beings
living in
these still
fallen bodies
by focusing
all of our
attention,
all of our
love,
all of our
money,
all of our
affections,
all of our
life on
Christ.
When you do
that,
you will
experience what
God said
or what
Jesus said
himself as
this is the
life that
is abundant.
This is the
life that is
full.
You want that
life?
Come after
me.
Be willing to
deny yourself.
Be willing to
take up your
cross.
every single
day.
Be willing to
follow after
me.
If it requires
your wife,
if it requires
your husband,
if it requires
your money,
it doesn't
matter because
Christ is more
valuable.
And even if
they die,
they get
Jesus anyway.
What can
mere man do
to me,
says the
psalmist.
What can
mere man do
to me?
I love that.
It's just so
bold.
If he's going
to boast,
he's going
to boast
in Christ.
Listen to
Paul's words.
But may
it never be
that I
should boast
except in
the cross
of our
Lord Jesus
Christ,
through which
the world
has been
crucified to
me and
I to
the world.
I love
that.
I'm not
going to
boast in
anything.
I'm going
to reduce
all of my
conversation
with you
to Jesus
Christ and
Him
crucified so
that He
can get
the glory
and I
can get
the joy.
I want
it.
I'm
not going
to let
you stand
in my
way.
I'm
not going
to let
peer
pressure,
social
construct
stand in
my way.
I want
Jesus.
He was
resolved.
The cost
of our
ransomed
was the
blood of
God.
You are
not your
own.
You are
still a
slave of
someone.
But as I
said earlier,
the freest
man is the
one who is
enslaved to
the greatest
master.
You are
a child of
God in
Christ.
You are
a friend.
You are
a bride.
You are
an heir.
But you
are also
a slave.
You are
a slave.
We must
know what
the Bible
means when
it says
that we
can be
free.
Because He
says,
you can
be free.
He says
that I
ransomed
you that
you might
be free.
It was
for freedom
that I
set you
free.
Galatians
5.1
says,
you can
be free
from what?
free.
For what?
Free in
Christ means
free for
Christ.
Free to
Christ.
Free to
love Him,
to live for
Him,
to bless
His name.
Free to
claim Him
on the
last day.
Free to
sing to
Him and
to think
kindly of
Him.
Free to
worship
Him.
That's what
your freedom
is for.
not so
you can
go
sin.
Not so
you can
cheapen
His
grace.
Not so
you can
feel
content
when
you're
on
your
death
bed.
Free in
Christ means
free for
Christ,
free to
Christ,
free to
love Him,
to live
for Him,
to bless
His name,
to claim
Him on
the last
day,
free to
sing to
Him,
to think
kindly of
Him,
to worship
Him.
You've been
set free for
that purpose.
these are
glorious
thoughts.
My last
point,
number
three,
I
enslaved
me.
I
enslaved
me.
It's a
strange way
of saying
that,
but
grammatically
incorrect,
but I
enslaved
me.
Turn to
Romans 6.18.
And
having been
freed from
sin,
you became
slaves of
righteousness.
having been
freed from
sin,
you became
slaves of
righteousness.
I want to
end with a
story.
This was
related to
me this
week as I
was studying.
I could
read it,
but I think
it would be
more effective
if I just
said it,
so I may
leave something
out.
Back in
the 1800s,
there was
an Englishman
who came
across the
seas to
California,
and he
made a
fortune in
the gold
fields.
And he
wanted to
go back to
live with
his own
people.
And so he
sent his
money back
to England
by check,
and then he
started his
train ride
down through
Kansas,
down through
Missouri,
down into
Mississippi,
and then
ended up in
New Orleans.
Okay?
During this
time,
slavery was
still very
prevalent.
And so
slaves were
being sold
at these
blocks,
put up for
sale,
basically.
And then
from New
Orleans,
this Englishman
was going to
ship to New
York and
then to
England.
So,
as most
tourists do
when they go
to New
Orleans during
this time,
they went
down to
the slave
market,
and when
he went
to the
market,
he saw a
lot of
men there
gathered
around,
and there
was this
one young
girl that
was up on
the block.
She was
being sold.
There was a
lot of heated
discussion and
fighting going
on amongst
these men,
these two
evil men in
particular,
that were bidding
for her quite
heatedly.
And then he
heard what
they said they
would do to
her if they
bought her.
And his
heart just
revolted against
the whole
swinish evil
thing.
And finally,
as the bidding
prices rose higher
and higher and
higher and
higher,
he went to
the auctioneer
and he
said,
I will put
up a bid
for twice
the amount
of the
last bid.
He said,
you got the
money?
He said,
I got the
money.
So,
sure enough,
he purchased
the slave,
got the bill
of sale,
wrote everything,
signed
everything,
went back to
the block to
take the woman
that he had
purchased.
And as she
came down one
step,
she was
about eye
level with
them,
she formed
in her
mouth a
bunch of
spit.
And when
she saw
him,
she spat
right in
his face
and she
said,
I hate
you.
I hate
you.
He didn't
say a word,
just took the
back of his hand
and wiped it
off,
took her by the
hand and
led her back
kind of into
the street.
He walked
down the street,
crossed the
intersection,
through the
mud,
down another
street,
until he
came to a
little office
building.
She couldn't
read,
she didn't
know what
it said,
didn't know
what the
office building
was.
He went
to the
desk,
he began
to speak
to the
clerk,
he began
to insist,
I promise
you this
is the
law,
this is
lawful,
I can
do this.
Finally,
the clerk
relented,
came back
and the
man gave
him some
money,
the English
man gave
him some
money,
and got a
paper.
He then
walked over
to the
woman,
who was
like a
beast,
ready to
spring on
her,
or spring
on him,
I should
say,
she was so
upset,
and he
stretched out
his hand
with the
paper and
he said,
here,
here are
your
manumission
papers,
you're free,
you're free.
She said,
I hate
you.
He said,
don't you
understand,
I just gave
you your
manumission
papers,
you're free,
you're free.
she kind
of drew
back and
was puzzled,
and she
said,
I don't
believe it,
you're
giving me
my
manumission
papers,
you just
spent twice
as much
as anybody
had ever
spent
before
at that
block,
and you
bought me
to set
me free.
He said,
yes,
that's why
I bought
you,
to set
you,
he said,
yes,
that's why
I bought
you,
to set
you free.
Tears
came up
into her
eyes,
that
hadn't
known
tears
in a
long
time.
She
got down
on her
hands
and her
knees,
she
grabbed
his
miner's
boots,
she
put her
cheek
down
to
the
toe
of
one
of
the
boots,
and she
began to
say to
him
through
the
sobbing
tears,
oh,
you
bought
me
to set
me
free.
You
bought
me
to set
me
free.
You
paid
more
than
anyone
has
ever
paid
but
just
for
me
to set
me
free.
And
then
through
her
tears,
she
looked
up
and
she
said,
oh,
sir,
all I
want in
life
is to
be your
slave.
You
bought
me
to set
me
free.
Friends,
the Lord
Jesus
Christ
bought
you
with
his
own
blood.
He
didn't
just
pay
twice
what
it
was
for
the
last
guy.
He
paid
eternities
for
you.
And
when you
understand
that,
when you
grasp
that,
then it
becomes
the joy
of your
life
to be
his
slave,
to love
him,
to serve
him,
to give
up anything
for him.
He
bought
you to
set
you
free.
you to
set you
free.
Christ,
all that
we
have
is
from
you.
Everything
we
own
is
from
you.
And
is
for
you.
God,
we
don't
own
anything.
The
way that
we
look
is
yours.
You
can
take
it
away.
Our
health
is
yours.
You
can
take
it
away.
Our
money,
our
time,
our
friends,
our
family,
everything
is
yours,
Jesus.
We
so
often
want
to
live
for
our
self.
We
get
consumed
with
our
own
little
life.
We
lose
perspective.
You
have
bought
us
with
your
own
blood,
the
blood
of
God.
There's
no
small
price.
to
set
us
free.
Please,
Jesus,
within
this
little
body
of
believers,
and if
there is
anyone
here that's
not a
believer,
please
break
them
in
half
and
make
them
whole
only
in
you.
But
amongst
us,
Lord,
please
just
incite
worship
tonight.
Give
us
thankful
hearts
that are
lasting
in our
devotion
to
Christ,
Lord.
Please
don't
allow us
to become
self-absorbed,
don't
allow us
to become
self-centered,
don't
allow us
to become
greedy
and selfish.
Give
us
humility,
give
us
thankfulness,
remind
us of
what
you've
done
for
us.
Father,
every
morning,
every
noon,
every
night,
we need
you,
Jesus.
And
apart
from
your
grace,
we
would
die
in
our
sins.
We
would
be
cast
into
eternal
hell
justifiably.
But
God,
even if
we
were never
even to
get heaven,
I pray
that we
would have
such
loving
hearts for
Christ that
we would
serve you
anyway.
We would
love you
anyway.
You're
worthy of
all of
our
worship.
And
may we
keep no
sins for
ourself.
May we
release all
of them
to you.
May we
completely
cast all
of our
cares on
you,
all of our
hopes on
you,
all of
our
dreams on
you.
May our
joy be
only in
you,
God.
Thank you
for
fellowship.
Thank you
for time
to study,
to prepare,
to preach.
Thank you
for our
manumission
papers.
God,
please have
mercy on
us.
We are
so small.
We are
so foolish.
God,
give us a
love for
Christ that
endures.
even if
coals were
gouged into
our eyes,
we were
crucified next
to our
two-week-old
bride.
God,
I pray that
we would
love you
nonetheless,
we would
serve you,
we would
say,
the lamb
that was
slain is
worthy
of his
reward.
God,
I love
you so
much.
In
your name
I pray.
Amen.
Thank you.