The Joy of Freedom

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. Felt led this morning to share something along the area of joy of freedom in Christ. Now, I don't know, I don't suppose that any of us would say that we would prefer a life of bondage to a life of freedom. [00:00:37] If we would have a sign-up sheet, those that would prefer bondage to freedom, I think the list of names would be pretty short. All of us want to experience the freedom, a life of freedom. And so I would like to consider the scriptures that we'll be looking at this morning, the scripture passage, as something of a key to freedom. I have a friend, I don't know him really, really well, but this is a friend who in his youth acquired a habit that he found very difficult to shake when he got older. [00:01:22] And that habit was smoking. And he grew up in an Amish setting and smoking was not a problem where he was from. But it really, when he was converted, he was convicted that this is not right. And so he, for a good amount of time, he said he consoled himself that he was doing better. Instead of smoking two packs a day, he was down after a while to one pack a day. [00:01:56] And then it got so infrequent that he was down to maybe just several cigarettes a day or maybe even a pack or two a week. And he always told himself, I'm doing better. I'm doing better. And all at once he said, I understood that it's not enough for me to do better. And I just said, this is in his words, I just said, Lord, I can't do this. I can't get rid of this by myself. Here it is. Here it is. [00:02:37] And he, in that act of surrender, found freedom. He said, I haven't smoked a cigarette since. It was when he surrendered and gave up that he found freedom. And you know, I'm told that a Romanian pastor was one time asked, what's the key or what's the problem with the church in America? [00:03:11] And he hesitated and he said, well, he thinks part of the problem, or maybe a major problem, is the fact that the church in America focuses on commitment rather than surrender. And I realize that it depends on how you define the word commitment, because I think commitment does imply surrender. You remember when Paul was shipwrecked, he wrote that they, after they did what they could, they committed themselves to the sea. [00:03:45] They entrusted themselves, they surrendered to the sea and got to land. So I think relay commitment does mean surrender. But the commitment in the sense that we generally think of it begins inside of me and depends on what I do. And when I surrender, I put myself at the behest of someone else. And so, the key to a life of freedom is surrender. [00:04:16] And I would like to read, have you turn in your Bibles to Romans 12, the first two verses. Romans 12, 1 and 2. And think of these verses as the key to a life of freedom. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. [00:04:52] And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. That's as far as we'll read for right now. If you have time, sometime, if you're interested, I would encourage you to look up what I consider something of an Old Testament parallel passage to these Romans 12, 1 and 2. [00:05:28] And that is Exodus 21, 1-6 It talks about, and I won't be turning there necessarily, but it talks about the protocol that the Hebrews were supposed to follow for the slaves that they owned They could have, if you buy a slave, you have a slave, that slave will be with you six years, but the seventh year he should go out free But, but if the slave says, I love my master, I don't want to go anywhere else, and then he was supposed to go to the doorpost and have his ear pierced with an awl, and then he would serve him forever. [00:06:16] and that's what we're talking about in Romans 12, 1 and 2 serving our maker forever a living sacrifice and I don't know what living sacrifice means to you but I'm pretty sure that I don't understand it in quite the same context that the Jewish people would have in this day the sacrifices that they were used to were dead sacrifices But living sacrifice is maybe more difficult in some ways than a dead sacrifice. [00:06:50] Present your bodies a living sacrifice. Now, obviously if it's living, we go on living, but there's something that must die. A sacrifice does imply death, implies a relinquishing of control. So, a death to our will. Christ relinquished control of the situation and yielded Himself to the Father. And He's not asking anything of us that He wasn't willing to do Himself. [00:07:24] But this living sacrifice, this service is described here as a reasonable service. And I take note of that word, reasonable. And I don't know Greek very well. But it's my understanding that that word, the root word here, is a word that, excuse the pronunciation, but logikos, L-O-G-I-K-O-S, is the word here that's translated reasonable. [00:07:58] And many of you will recognize that as the same root from which we get our word logic. So he's saying now, in light of the reality that is, it's the most sensible thing, it's the most logical thing, that you and I present our bodies a living sacrifice. And what is the context of the reality that he was talking about? Let's go back and read the last verses of Romans chapter 11. Because Romans 12 starts out with, [00:08:29] Therefore, I beseech you, therefore, in light of what I just said, this is what you should do. So let's go back. Romans 11, 33 to the end. O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways, past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counselor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto Him again? For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen. [00:09:10] And then he goes on and says, I beseech you therefore, in light of the fact that we serve this great God that is the overarching truth that brings everything into focus. You know, what makes sense is that you and I present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. When we sign ourselves off, when we sign ourselves over to God, [00:09:40] we're not bidding farewell to our mind. It's something that's reasonable and makes sense. But we are bidding farewell to our will. And we're saying, you know, that now belongs to Him. So what does this living sacrifice look like? Well, there's a coin that we'd like to look at in verse 2. And this coin, brothers and sisters, has two sides. If I give you a quarter, you wouldn't get very far if I just gave you the head side of the quarter, or you the tails. [00:10:20] We need both sides of this coin. Those sides of the coin that I'm presenting this morning, or I'd like to talk about this morning, is the side of nonconformity and the side of transformation. Inseparable concepts for the life of sacrifice, for the life of surrender, the life of freedom. Don't be conformed to this world is the first one that's mentioned here in verse 2. [00:10:52] The gods with small g that we make. But you know, all of the little gods are serving the God of this world, or are sub-agents maybe of the God of this world. There are two systems. There is God, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the One who merits our allegiance. and there is the enemy of our souls and he's in charge of the systems of this world that's the way it is [00:11:23] now, two systems, two masters, two kingdoms and so we're exhorted here to not be conformed to this world nonconformity, we often have well, maybe I shouldn't say we Because I'm sort of putting you in together with me, I don't know. But I think that my tendency is to view this as sort of a negative thing. You know, I don't think it is necessarily that way. [00:11:55] Maybe it is, because it's a do not. But that's okay. However, it's scriptural. It really needs to catch our attention, because it's the Word of God. Be not conformed to this world Nonconformity to the world in and of itself Without transformation, that is But just on its own, just nonconformity Amounts to a reaction to the world's way of doing things [00:12:29] Which is actually an inverted form of being controlled by it You understand? So, when I say, okay Okay, everybody in Elkhart and LaGrange County is driving red cars, so I think mine should be blue. That's being nonconformed, but it's being controlled by the ones, by the red driving cars. The red car drivers is what I mean. And so we're still looking to them for direction. [00:13:01] That's not what we're talking about when we talk about nonconformity. We're not talking about an inverted form of control by the world's way of doing things in the world's system. The idea more here, I believe, is more consistent with this thought, Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold. You're a believer. Don't let the world, by putting pressure on you, put you into a mold that makes you look like a worldling. [00:13:34] Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold. Some of you who work in the kitchen understand that you can pour mushy cake batter into a bundt pan and put it in the oven for the right amount of time. And when you take it out and take the bundt pan off, then you have a cake that has acquired the shape of the pan. It's been formed and molded into a shape. Yesterday, I was at Laverne's house and he was talking about somebody who takes sawdust, dry sawdust, and applies extreme pressure. [00:14:15] And out of that sawdust, they get hard bricks of sawdust that you can burn. It acquires the shape of a brick because of the pressure that's exerted. Don't let the world shape you. Don't let the world shape you. And so I ask, do I think like the world? That's where it all starts. [00:14:46] It shows up in a lot of places, but that's where it starts. And at the risk of being overly simplistic, I would like to think that sort of the guiding principles The two principles that the world operates by is asking the question, these two questions. Number one, does it feel good? And number two, what will others think? What do others, what will others say? [00:15:18] What will others think? That's a worldly way of looking at it because they're essentially selfish. It says, does this feel good? And the reason that it's important to me what others say and think is because, well, it's selfish as well. You might ask, asking these questions, what will others think, is demonstrating a real propensity to be controlled by peer pressure. [00:15:58] It is. And that's a worldly way of thinking. However, you might ask, well, you know, here at church, we should do things the same. And I believe that it's possible that we comply in areas of expectations at church out of a sense of peer pressure. It's possible. It doesn't have to be that way. [00:16:30] I make adjustments, personal adjustments, to fit in at church because I love the brothers. I don't feel pressured. And so those changes we make out of peer pressure bring enslavement. Those changes we make because of love are freedom. We need to learn to ask the question, who's calling? Where is this coming from? [00:17:01] When I experience a desire to make some sort of a change, now, where is this motive coming from? Is this motive a response of faith? A response of love? Or is it, boy, what will he think? What will she think? We need to get good at asking those questions. [00:17:33] This pressure from the world to squeeze us into its mold comes in many, many different shapes and sizes and wears many faces. But I believe it basically affects us in a few ways. And it affects us that it's demonstrated our response to the pressure or nonresponse to the pressures that come to us are expressed largely, I'm going to say, in about four ways. And this is probably not a totally inclusive list. [00:18:07] There are probably other ways that you could describe it. But this is expressed. When we're influenced by the world and pressed into its mold, it finds expression in our fashions, in our houses, in our cars, and in our toys. And you say, fashions? No, we're plain people. I think if we just allow ourselves the luxury of thinking a little bit, [00:18:38] we would have to concede that in our beachy constituencies, there are fashions. There are trends that have very little basis in terms of utilitarian value or practicality. And so, when I observe my brothers in another community doing something, or sisters in another community doing something in a different way, and I'm inspired to make an adjustment, [00:19:20] am I not, if it is simply for what they will think of me, am I not letting the world in that sense squeeze me into its mold? This happened a number of years ago, but I'm told there was a meeting in Costa Rica, a business meeting of some sort, in which their undivided attention was essential. And so, the presenters at the meeting, the organizer said, when you come in, everybody leaves their cell phone here, and you can pick it up later, after the meeting. [00:19:57] Okay? Everybody left their cell phone. Somebody did a little checking in the drawer, and I think somewhere upward of half of the phones were fake. There was for somebody an important reason. Well, that cell phone didn't have any utilitarian value, but somebody wanted to be seen with one. So they carried a fake phone. But I think it's probably some of the things that you and I do might be just as silly when we think about it. [00:20:34] There's a, how we comb our hair, there's a, I'm going to read a sentence from our church discipline. I had nothing to do with the way this was written, but I think this is really pretty good. and inordinate attention to hairstyles often results in frequent changes and indicates a restlessness to please men, which has its origin in the flesh and the world. Isn't that kind of the way it is? I think so. [00:21:07] Anyway, our houses. What are the decisions that drive our decor choices? Our color of our houses, our landscaping I believe that the Lord has designed beauty He's designed order And I think He's glorified When our dwellings reflect that I don't think there's a problem with that But maybe the question that we need to ask Is rather than Do my neighbors think I have a nice place? [00:21:38] Or the visitors? Or maybe we should ask Does God like this place? Does He like this place? Is He at home here? Are cars, are our vehicle choices motivated by function? Or what will others think? Or our toys? And I think it's important what toys we have in our toy boxes at home. But I think those of you who aren't children anymore know that I'm not talking just, maybe not primarily, about the trucks and tractors that Junior plays with on the living room floor. [00:22:23] Our toys. For some of us bigger people, it might be our hobbies, or our guns, or our cameras, or our technology. Some of those choices, our toy choices, are motivated by fear of not wanting to be left behind or left out. That's a bad way to make decisions. Bad way to make decisions. So, the pressure from the world comes to us and finds expression in our fashions, our houses, our cars, and our toys, and maybe many other ways. [00:23:07] But are the choices we make in these regards a choice of listening to the world's way, the world's system, or do they come out of a transformed mind? A struggle in one of these areas or an area similar to this I think we would just be fair in saying that they are a symptom that we're listening to the wrong voice Let's in all of these considerations remember the concept of stewardship And stewardship is essentially a custodianship [00:23:37] Or taking care of something that belongs to someone else ultimately And that's who we are Stewards of what God has entrusted to our care During our time here, be ye not conformed to this world, but we have an alternative. Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Praise the Lord for His provision. [00:24:08] Now, nonconformity, like I said, is very important, but it's an empty form if it doesn't come from a transformed mind. Out of a transformed mind is where this should come from. Out of heart change. Nonconformity begins with replacing the questions of does this feel good and what will others think with the question of who's calling, what does God want, is He the one that is behind this, [00:24:43] is He through the voice of my brother, my congregation, through the voice of circumstances leading me to this, or is it because I'm scared of what others will think. Nonconformity is essentially saying no to a system of operation, but transformation is a surrender. A surrender to God and His will. It permeates our whole being. It affects everything we do, but it begins on the inside. [00:25:18] Transformation is a heart change. The prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 36, 25-27 said, Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness. and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and will give you a heart of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall keep my judgments and do them. [00:25:50] Be ye transformed. And if you like words, I'd like to talk a little bit about that word transformed. Those of you who studied biology or science in school, I don't know when it happens, in about the 5th or the 6th grade possibly, but understand that there's a process that a butterfly undergoes from being a caterpillar to a butterfly that is called metamorphosis. [00:26:26] I think that rings a bell with some of us, doesn't it? Metamorphosis describes a transformation that occurs as a result of specific genetic information that is present in the caterpillar form, goes into a cocoon, and when nobody is watching, there's all kinds of things happening inside that cocoon that result in a transformation to something beautiful, gorgeous. And I don't know about you, but that's pretty encouraging and exciting to me, because I'm not sure that I'm always such a beautiful demonstration of what God's wanting to do in me. [00:27:10] But as I surrender to this process of metamorphosis, of transformation, He is working His will to make something beautiful out of this vessel of clay. And you know, I wonder sometimes if there's not an eternal implication to this metamorphosis where the beauty of a Christian walk here is simply a little foreshadowing of the perfection that we'll experience over there. [00:27:48] That's when the full glory of this metamorphosis, of this transformation will be fully apparent and evident to us all. Praise His name. God wants us to experience change through the blessing of free surrender to Him. Sometimes He has a way of encouraging us to get to that point when we're not there. Bringing about pressures. And we can get to the point of surrender one of several different ways. It's better if we just do that voluntarily. [00:28:21] But there's this process, there's this pressure. There are some times I think of it as reform, reformation mode, where God is bringing circumstances to bear that make us consider favorably that we should surrender. Reformation is not a fun school, but some of us have to learn there. I'm told of a story about a young man who was experiencing some difficulties, went to a place, I don't know the name of the man, [00:28:52] I don't even know where the place was except somewhere in the Ozarks. I don't know much of this story, but some interesting details of it nonetheless. But one of the rules of this young man, I believe he was a teenager possibly, was that we don't use tobacco here. And there were retribution. There was things that needed to happen if somebody didn't follow the rules. And in this case, it was in the rocky Ozark soil, the penalty for being caught with tobacco was to dig a post hole. [00:29:30] Now, not just any post hole, but the post hole needed to be big enough to slide a five-gallon bucket clear to the bottom and five feet deep. That's a post hole. And the little fella, young man, got caught smoking. Okay? We're going to build fence. Here's the first hole. Okay? He went out and dug his first hole, and he got done. The way the system was set up was that each subsequent violation would incur the previous penalty plus an additional hole. [00:30:03] And so, he got caught again. But now he had one hole plus one. Okay? And he kept going on. And this young man was trapped in reformation mode. The Lord was trying to bring him to a point of transformation. But he didn't learn very fast. But they were building fence. They kept on going and going. Each time he got caught, the previous penalty, plus one. [00:30:37] And I didn't do the math and figure out if this number comes out right. But I was told that he dug 153 post holes before he all at once figured out, you know, surrendering is pretty simple. Digging post holes is hard work. And that young man experienced a transformation. And I'm told that today, out of gratefulness for what he learned at that place, he is an adult facilitator and a counselor at this facility. [00:31:08] The Lord has different ways to bring us to the point of transformation, of us seeking transformation, of allowing Him to have His work and will in us. Victorious, successful transformation involves not only a want to, but a can do. And I just praise the Lord for His provision, because He doesn't leave us hanging. He doesn't offer us something and say, now go figure out how to do it. He says, I will give you not only the desire, but the ability to do what I want you to do, to live how I want you to live. [00:31:47] One of my favorite verses, I believe, in the Bible is Philippians 2.13, and it simply says, For it is God which worketh in you both to will, that's the want to, and to do, that's the can do, of His good pleasure. Honor isn't that glorious. There's tremendous freedom in simply surrendering to a God that loves us so much that He gives us not only the desire, but the wherewithal to do His good will. [00:32:22] For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Nonconformity without transformation is dead legalism And reform is heavy Operating in reform mode rather than in transformation mode is heavy But if reform mode can lead us to transformation, that can be good But transformation is liberating, is freeing [00:32:53] And it is as we present our bodies A living sacrifice. It's in that surrender that we find freedom. And only then, I believe, can we, as it says in the last part of verse 2, only then can we prove, and prove in this case means to know experientially. Only then can we experience, can we know, can we prove what? [00:33:24] That's where we all want to be, that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. It's found through the joy and the blessing of a surrender. Sometimes it seems so complicated. Sometimes it seems pretty simple. God is saying this morning, I love you. I made you so I know how you work inside out. I have your best interest in mind [00:33:55] I want to provide for you metamorphosis I don't want you to have to stay in reform mode if that's where you are Do you want to experience my perfect will? I'll provide you with the want to and the can do That's my offer It's up to you And so, my question is, how will I demonstrate this? Let's stand for prayer. Our loving Father, we're so grateful to you for your gracious provision. [00:34:32] You have, in your infinite goodness, provided the means for us to live free, to experience freedom. And we understand that that freedom comes from a life of surrender, a living sacrifice. And we don't want to be conformed to the world. We don't want to do things like the world does. We want you to operate in and through us [00:35:06] and demonstrate through our lives what a transformed life So it's in that interest that we commit ourselves to you. In Jesus' name, Amen.