November 24th 2022
Does Your Free Will Really Set You Free?
John 8:29-34 (NIV)
The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him. Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him. To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
During your lifetime you can chose to live life your way (will), or you can chose to live it God’s way (grace). Many people look at their life as a struggle with God every day to try and gain their independence. Most of us believe that independence is obtained by doing everything our way. If we decide to go it alone, God will allow us to do it, which opens us up to the leading of Satan! This “will or grace” choice puts us at odds with God, and makes us be aligned with Satan, and thus we can become disciples of evil. Some have given in totally to this choice of will, and thus, have missed the blessing covered by grace!
True freedom does not ever exclude God from our life, and is rarely ever attained by anyone. Most of us struggle everyday with trying to first lean on our own will, and then, lean on someone else’s good will, and when that seems to fail, we finally ask God to help us out of the mess! This is still a “will or grace” plan that is always going to fail to set you free!
Jesus told His disciples (us) to always allow God to be with us, “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” Then Jesus told us the secret of how being His disciples would set us free, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Notice Jesus first said that while being a man He always had God with Him, “he (God) has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”
Becoming more Christ-like is therefore, accomplished by coupling your will with Jesus’ will for you through His offer of grace! When you were born again you were enabled to take on the Holy Spirit, and this acquisition put you into a mode which allows you to converse with God on a different level, somewhat as Jesus did, while He walked this earth as a man! When you were accepted by Christ and truly became His disciple, then your will was turned toward Him, and then your will became more like His. In other words, you now wanted to follow His commands, therefore, your will became more like His will.
This then is where your will and His grace aligned to increase your faith. When Adam sinned by disobeying God, mankind was separated from God because of our sinful nature. When Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice for all our sins we were positioned to be set free from these sins by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. For just as through the disobedience of the one man (Adam) the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man (Jesus) the many will be made righteous. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:19-21)
Therefore, when Jesus died on that cross, you were put into a position to grasp freedom through His sacrifice. When you accepted His offer, and elevated Him to the position of being on the throne of your life, replacing yourself, you went from being a slave to sin to being a freed person, and into the family of Christ. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son (or daughter) belongs to it for ever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:35-36) His grace is truly amazing and it is very liberating. Its freedom started “The hour I (YOU) first believed!”
“Amazing Grace”
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
Now go and tell someone about your freedom, and today celebrate you freedom with you earthly family, knowing you also belong to the family of God, and have a
Happy Thanksgiving!
John 8:29-34 (NIV)
The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him. Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him. To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
During your lifetime you can chose to live life your way (will), or you can chose to live it God’s way (grace). Many people look at their life as a struggle with God every day to try and gain their independence. Most of us believe that independence is obtained by doing everything our way. If we decide to go it alone, God will allow us to do it, which opens us up to the leading of Satan! This “will or grace” choice puts us at odds with God, and makes us be aligned with Satan, and thus we can become disciples of evil. Some have given in totally to this choice of will, and thus, have missed the blessing covered by grace!
True freedom does not ever exclude God from our life, and is rarely ever attained by anyone. Most of us struggle everyday with trying to first lean on our own will, and then, lean on someone else’s good will, and when that seems to fail, we finally ask God to help us out of the mess! This is still a “will or grace” plan that is always going to fail to set you free!
Jesus told His disciples (us) to always allow God to be with us, “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” Then Jesus told us the secret of how being His disciples would set us free, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Notice Jesus first said that while being a man He always had God with Him, “he (God) has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”
Becoming more Christ-like is therefore, accomplished by coupling your will with Jesus’ will for you through His offer of grace! When you were born again you were enabled to take on the Holy Spirit, and this acquisition put you into a mode which allows you to converse with God on a different level, somewhat as Jesus did, while He walked this earth as a man! When you were accepted by Christ and truly became His disciple, then your will was turned toward Him, and then your will became more like His. In other words, you now wanted to follow His commands, therefore, your will became more like His will.
This then is where your will and His grace aligned to increase your faith. When Adam sinned by disobeying God, mankind was separated from God because of our sinful nature. When Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice for all our sins we were positioned to be set free from these sins by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. For just as through the disobedience of the one man (Adam) the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man (Jesus) the many will be made righteous. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:19-21)
Therefore, when Jesus died on that cross, you were put into a position to grasp freedom through His sacrifice. When you accepted His offer, and elevated Him to the position of being on the throne of your life, replacing yourself, you went from being a slave to sin to being a freed person, and into the family of Christ. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son (or daughter) belongs to it for ever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:35-36) His grace is truly amazing and it is very liberating. Its freedom started “The hour I (YOU) first believed!”
“Amazing Grace”
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
Now go and tell someone about your freedom, and today celebrate you freedom with you earthly family, knowing you also belong to the family of God, and have a
Happy Thanksgiving!
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