7.20.11 "The Bondage of Freedom or Bound to Be Free"

"The Bondage of Freedom or Bound to Be Free"

2 Chronicles 1:1- 3:17
Romans 6:1-23
Psalm 16:1-11
Proverbs 19:20-21

Romans 6:2 "Should we keep sinning when we don't have to?"

The trip through Romans is very interesting. Paul writes with such a logical process to the Roman Christians. It reminds me of some of my early computer programing classes. Many of the calculations were "if-then" statements. (IF this is true, THEN this is true...) I had a Logical Philosophy class in college which Paul would have been a great teacher of, based on his teachings in Romans. I'm not as eloquent logically, so this DEVO may be hard to follow.

The concept of freedom is very paradoxical. For example, look at America. We are so proud of our freedom, but as individuals "do what's right in their own eyes", their freedom leads to bondage. In legal terms, Americans are "free" to drink alcohol, but how many are bound by alcoholism. When an alcoholic took his first drink and you asked him why, I'm sure there may have been a response something like, "Because I can! Nobody's telling ME what to do!" Yet if you ask him now it would probably be "Because I must!" Freedom? I don't think so.

Romans 6:16b says, "The one to whom you offer yourself - he will take you and be your master and you will be his slave."

Why is it that the "freedoms" of sin are so tempting? We love to please the flesh. We fool ourselves into thinking that our flesh is not really a master. Yet you know in your heart, that pleasing the flesh is exactly what satan hopes we do. As we please the flesh, we become a slave to it's desires.

So where is freedom found? Freedom is found in becoming a slave to God. Romans 6:16a says "Don't you realize that you can choose your own master? You can choose sin (with death) or else obedience (with acquittal)." verse 18 says, "and now you are free from your old master, sin; and you have become slaves to your new master, righteousness."

Where is the line drawn between legalism and slavery to righteousness? That's a really tough question. Were we to legislate the conduct and behavior of every individual, it would be yet another form of bondage. But at the same time, being a slave to righteousness will dictate our conduct and behavior.

Bob Dylan sang the song, "You Gotta Serve Somebody". The line was, "Well, it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody!"

The fact is this: you ARE a slave. But, you have a choice to whom you will be a slave to. Look at the benefits package of both sin and righteousness. Make no mistake. If sin wasn't fun, no one would do it. It does please the flesh. So, why not sin? Because you become a slave to it. Period. There's no exception.

We must commit ourselves to be slaves to God. In doing that, it becomes like Romans 6:6 "Your old evil desires were nailed to the cross with him; that part of you that loves to sin was crushed and fatally wounded, so that your sin-loving body is no longer under sin's control, no longer needs to be a slave to sin."

A friend of mine who was freed from an addiction wrote the following:

Sometimes my body aches, but my heart, spirit, mind, and conscience
rejoice. This makes the score 4 to 1 against the flesh, as I see it.
Yet the flesh is a heavy hitter. It will try to get me to trade scores:
"I can make you feel great!" When we're a slave to sin, this lie works
so well, and I often traded what I knew was right for what I knew was
wrong. After we're away from the flesh for awhile, though, the mind,
heart, spirit, and conscience not only recognize the lie (I recognized it
even when I was in the middle of sin, but still made the trade) but they
now begin to ask, "Is this worth it?" The spirit gains more and more
strength as time goes on and soon says, "It's not worth it today, this
week, this month, .... this year?!!??? " To me the key to no longer
being a slave to sin is to get away from it for awhile completely. Time
is the key to growing stronger, with the Lord's power, of course. The
devil will try to sift as wheat, but if we can make it through a sifting
or 2, suddenly we see a faint light, a spark at the end of the tunnel.
For me, when I saw the spark, I lit out for it, wanted the light. Now
the light shines, and the flesh is no longer the slave driver. Christ
bought me as His slave and offers me the papers of freedom. I don't want
them! Keep me as yours, Lord!

Psalm 16:8 says, "I am always thinking of the Lord; and because he is so near, I never need to stumble or to fall." Keeping our mind on Christ keeps us from sin.

Christians need to be reminded of this. Too often there is a flirting with the slavery of sin. There is willful bondage.

To truly be free, find freedom in Christ your master. On the outside, it may seem that your conduct is constrained, but your heart will be free, and there is nothing like that feeling! This is a daily choice. Romans 6:22,23 "But now you are free from the power of sin and are slaves of God, and his benefits to you include holiness and everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

I am free in Christ!



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

Pastor Greg Lathe

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