Jesus wants to give you a gift today. That gift is healing and freedom.
Jesus came down the mountain with the cheers of the crowd still ringing in his ears. Then a leper appeared and dropped to his knees before Jesus, praying, “Master, if you want to, you can heal my body. Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there, all signs of the leprosy were gone. Jesus said, “Don’t talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed body to the priest, along with the appropriate expressions of thanks to God. Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done.”
Matthew 8:1-4 (MSG)
What freedom isn’t:
1. Simply relief
2. My way
3. Not penance or something I earn
What freedom is:
1. Freedom is permanent.
2. It is Him having His way.
3. It is a Person. Freedom is an encounter with Jesus.
Why does our life gets messed up
Our life gets messed up when we give the enemy (Satan) a place (foothold) in our lives.
“Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”
Ephesians 4:26-27 (NKJV)
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10 (NIV)
The enemy gets a foothold by stealing our identity and keeping us in secrets and shame. He gets a foothold by convincing us to believe lies. And also, he gets a foothold by convincing us to keep covering things up.
How we encounter freedom
Encountering freedom means:
We come to the light and be honest with God. We choose the voice we’re going to listen to.
“The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood in plain sight of everyone and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him.”
John 8:3-6 (MSG)
Jesus stood up and spoke to her. “Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?”
“No one, Master.”
“Neither do I,” said Jesus.
“Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin.”
John 8:9-10 (MSG)
Freedom means we stand in agreement with Jesus’ voice.
Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?”Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do.”
John 9:1-3 (MSG)
(…but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. - NIV)
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