Christian Liberty #06

The point: Do not make accurate judgments about 'adiaphora' (things indifferent) until you understand the foundational biblical data of bondage in Adam and freedom in Christ.

Quotation of Patrick Henry's famous words to illustrate the passionate human desire for political liberty, setting a contrast with the deeper spiritual liberty Christ offers.

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the desert till the day of his showing unto Israel. Give me liberty, or give me death. Those famous words of the fiery statesman and patriot and orator Patrick, Henry, were the words that galvanized many to seek liberty from the British crown, leading to what we now call the Revolutionary War, or our War of Independence.

3:54 - 4:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not make accurate judgments about 'adiaphora' (things indifferent) until you understand the foundational biblical data of bondage in Adam and freedom in Christ.

Mention of 'liberté' as a watchword of the French Revolution, further demonstrating the universal human longing for freedom.

At the head of the three words that were the watchwords of the French Revolution is the word liberté, liberty.

4:33 - 4:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not make accurate judgments about 'adiaphora' (things indifferent) until you understand the foundational biblical data of bondage in Adam and freedom in Christ.

Quotation of Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic speech to highlight the desire for social freedom, again contrasting it with the spiritual liberty Christ brings.

Some years ago, when some of us were actually alive, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood amidst thousands in Washington, D.C., and concluded his now famous speech, I have a dream with these words, free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty we shall be free at last.

4:45 - 5:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not consider questions about specific actions (movies, places, food/drink) until you have answered the more fundamental question: What is the goal for which Christ has set me free?

The imagery of snapped chains and an open prison door is used to visualize the freedom Christ brings and to pose the question of the purpose of that freedom.

When we stand with all of our chains at our feet, snapped by the power of Christ and His redemption, when we see the prison door open, and we ask the question, Why have my chains been taken off from me? What lies outside the open door of the prison? For what purpose has Christ set me free? That's a very crucial question.

11:11 - 11:41 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The salvation that delivers us out of the hand of our enemies, Luke 1, 74, here's the goal, that we should serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness, before Him all our days.

The 400 silent years are likened to a dam of prophetic utterances, with God's breaking in through John and Jesus as the opening of the sluice gates, emphasizing the significance of the redemptive events.

Why has He broken our chains? It is to this end that we should serve Him, and serve Him with this fourfold qualification, without fear, in the realm of holiness and righteousness, before Him, that is before His face, and to do it all of our days. Now before we plunge in and seek to open up this text, consider with me for a few moments, the context in which these words come to us, the setting in which they come to us. Most of you are aware of the fact that, from the close of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi, until we pick up our New Testaments, and we read the events surrounding the conce...

13:21 - 14:47 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin applies this understanding, asserting that true Christian liberty is not about asking 'what's wrong with it?' or pushing boundaries, but about embracing the purpose of…

Examples from the Mosaic Law (fabric, menstrual cycles, unclean foods like shrimp, birds, pigs) are used to illustrate how God intended to 'own' every part of Israel's life, pointing to the comprehensive nature of worshipful service.

I mean, God touches every single area of their life. He tells them what kind of fabric they can make a shirt of. Mama goes to make an apron, and she's got to remember what God says about this material. Oh, oh, that's a no-no.

37:19 - 37:34 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He traces the theme of worshipful service from the Garden of Eden, where all of life was 'latruo,' to the description of heaven in Revelation 22:3, where God's servants perfectly…

A direct address to engaged couples, reminding them that Adam and Eve were the first and only 'perfect' couple in a perfect environment, to underscore the ideal of life as perpetual worship in Eden.

What was it like? God made the man, God made the woman, made them in His own image with the capacity to commune with Him, to fellowship with Him. And He put this perfect man, with this perfect woman, and remember you starry-eyed engaged couples, that's the first and only ones. Okay?

39:15 - 39:33 Read in full sermon

The point: If you can say that the passion of your heart is to live for Christ, then Jesus has broken your chains; rejoice and serve Him, living out your freedom.

Contrasting those who 'hear the rattle of chains falling off' in dramatic conversions with those whose conversions are quieter, to assure young people that the evidence of true freedom is the heart's desire to serve Christ, regardless of the conversion experience.

Don't struggle with, well, I don't know if I, forget where and when and how in the particulars. Some people, they have such a vision, they have such a vivid memory. When Christ came to them and broke their chains, they can still hear the rattle of the chains falling off their hands and feet. Their conversion was dramatic.

51:06 - 51:27 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin shares the story of an eagle with a healed wing that continued to waddle among turkeys, using it as a powerful metaphor to exhort believers, who have been freed by Christ…

An Indonesian pastor's story of an eagle with a healed wing that continued to waddle among turkeys is used as a powerful metaphor to exhort believers to 'fly' in their Christian liberty, living holy and abandoned to Christ, rather than conforming to worldly ways.

Hadn't thought of it for a long, long time. I went over it with my wife this morning. She thought it'd be good to resurrect it. She was with me.

52:04 - 52:12 Read in full sermon

The point: Jesus Christ has come to open the prison and break your chains so that you might serve; this is what you were made for, and you are never truly human until you are a Christian.

The analogy of using a kitchen mixer to mix concrete is used to illustrate that humans are made for a specific purpose (to serve God), and using them for other purposes (serving sin, the world, the devil) will result in both bad 'concrete' and a ruined 'mixer.'

And for the purpose for which they're made. You had to use your kitchen mixer to mix concrete. And you'd get bad concrete, and you'd end up with a bad mixer. It wasn't made to mix concrete.

57:37 - 57:50 Read in full sermon