Sunday morning message 24th March 2024
Nick Jenkins
Objective:
To discover freedom in Jesus and join Him in spreading this freedom with others
Scripture
Luke 4:16-21 16 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Year of Lords favour = Jubilee year
Once every 50 years
Party - no work for a year.
All debt cancelled
All slaves set free - identity restored
All inheritance restored
Exciting +++
Jesus missions wasn’t just forgiveness of sins (as if you were going to be perpetually stuck in a sin cycle) it was about freedom from sin. Total freedom from being tarnished by sin.
Leader questions:
1. How does it go wrong?
2. Why might we stay captive and oppressed?
Scripture
As Jesus spoke these things, many believed in Him. 31So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.… 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8 30-32, 40
The devil's main tool is deception.
Spiritual warfare is about believing Gods truth over the devils lies.
What lies are you believing? Keeping you captive? Often, they will be subtle, and we don’t realise we have been deceived.
Three big areas
Fear:
Fear is a lie It is based in deceit - magnifies a problem and shrinks the person
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Proverbs 29:25
It is the enemies plan to keep us in fear.
A fearful church is a weak church.
It squashes us.
WHAT DO WE DO?
Identify it and reject it.
We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor 10:5
The first thing is realising these thoughts are not from God, the opposite actually. Don’t allow it to dictate how you live. We take it captive.
The truth is what sets free.
“you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Jesus in the desert - using Word as truth to combat the lies of the devil.
Word of God is living and active.
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18
Love. It would be easy to think “courage” drive out fear. Or boldness. But no, it’s love. Why is that?
Fear of people and what they think of me. My own insecurities - I’m not good enough, self-doubts, fearing people's negative opinions, self-image worries.
These are all identity issues. our sense of who we are, our sense of worth.
Perfect love casts out fear because love remedies our identity issues.
I’d suggest that if we are insecure in who we are, then we have some identity issues that need addressing. These fears reflect an unhealthy degree of letting other people decide our worth.
Because our identity and worth is not defined by what other people think of us. It’s not defined by our popularity, or coolness, our looks and image. It’s not determined by our job, our fitness, our funniness, our Facebook feed. Other people do not have that right, and you don’t have that right either. Only God does.
“But now, this is what the Lord says…Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1
Shame:
That feeling of not being good enough, of not being worthy, that once you start sinning you may as well keep sinning.
Accuser of the brethren.
Speaks to who you are.
Conviction and guilt appropriate.
Sin shame cycle is not to fight shame - look at the cross, that defines your worth. You’re good enough for Jesus to go to the cross for you.
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death" Romans 8: 1-2
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1
Sorrow:
Depression, but walking around in a gloom.
Don’t know joy.
To fight sorrow = Fruit of the spirit - Joy
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
ALL joy and peace.
What would that look like!?
DECLARE May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
Freedom not just for us - it’s to help free others.
Proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour" Luke 4;18
His mission is our mission
We need this to be a house of freedom.
We need to be free ourselves, to praise without restraint, louder than a sports game, to preach and evangelise boldly.
What does freedom look like for you?
PRAY:
That Jesus would help identify areas of bondage in our lives
For freedom for one another
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