Encounter Church
Sunday September 20, 2020
Free to Be Me
Breaking Free
John 8:31-32- “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
INTRODUCTION: Free to be Me who God created me to Be! Have you ever just struggled with something that wouldn’t let go and you didn’t feel so free!
The Bible says that as children of God we’re no longer slaves of fear yet I really struggle with fear. In fact I feel paralyzed. Maybe it’s some secret sin in your life.
Today we’re talking about BREAKING FREE!
Romans 7:15- “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”
AND WHEN WE CAN’T SEEM TO BREAK FREE
- It becomes part of your identity. This is just who I am.
2. You feel increasingly hopeless! There’s no use.
3. You become defensive. No-one is going to touch this part of my life.
4. You become a slave.
5. You begin to lose your life.
Romans 6:12-14- “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.”
HOW CAN I LIVE IN THE FREEDOM OF GOD’S GRACE?
- Don’t Limit God
“There’s nothing impossible with God! His grace is unlimited and all powerful!
Grace- The unmerited love and favor of God! God’s unmerited favor and supernatural enablement and empowerment!
There’s nothing in your life to big or to hard for God! Nothing to small or insignificant!
Romans 5:20- “…..But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.”
Whatever you can’t seem to break free from, God is much more!
2 Corinthians 3:17- “For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
DON’T LIMIT AN UNLIMITED GOD
2. Don’t Make Excuses
Luke 14:18-20- “But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.”
Don’t limit God with your excuses!
God said it, I believe it, that settles it for me!
Mark 9:23- “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
3. Don’t be Influenced by the Wrong Sources
1 Corinthians 15:33- “ for “bad company corrupts good character.”
GARBAGE IN GARBAGE OUT!
James 4:7- “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.”
James 5:16- “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
When you’re influenced by the right people it produces wonderful results!
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT BREAKING FREE AND BECOMING WHO GOD CREATED US TO BE!
4. Get Full of It
Ephesians 5:18- “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,”
- Be filled with the Holy Spirit
b. Be filled with God’s Word
Hebrews 4:12- “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
c. Be filled with Prayer
Hebrews 4:15-16- “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
IF I REALLY WANT TO BREAK FREE AND BECOME ALL GOD HAS CREATED ME TO BE:
5. Serve Others
Romans 12:21- “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”
Galatians 5:13- “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”
FREE TO BE ME WHO GOD CREATED ME TO BE!
CONCLUSION: Jesus Christ is our perfect example! A man who walked in freedom! Yet he said “I didn’t come to be served but to serve. And He have His life so you and I can live in freedom today! What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?