Freedom
This was a sermon from Palm Sunday. The real Preacher was gone that Sunday and I got picked to do the Sunday Message. I am not a Preacher but I love any chance to tell a story and there is no better story to tell than Jesus.
Some of the things I found out
The future will not be what you expect but it will get here sooner than you think.
Don’t make fun of preachers. (The bad kids that picked on Elisha got eaten by bears!)
We are approaching a holiday! Yah! Paid time off if you are lucky enough to have it. Maybe a long weekend to do something special. The holiday I’m talking about isn’t Easter. It’s Good Friday. Something special happened on that long weekend around 2000 years ago. Jesus went to his death for my sins. Yes he went for all but I don’t ever want to forget it was for me. Most of the time this special day passes without comment but I think it deserves our respect. It was on Good Friday that the sacrifice was made. It was not a done deal till Jesus died. He was both fully God and fully man. He could have cried out from the cross “They are not worth this, let it end” and it would have been finished. That Friday was anything but good for Jesus
You hear a lot of things being attributed to the Bible. Are they really there?
1. Spare the rod and spoil the child? (nope)
2. I saw the handwriting on the wall? ( Yep)
3. God will never give you a burden you can’t bear? (nope)
4. The truth shall set you free? (Yep)
Jesus said the last one but like so many quotes it is best to know the whole conversation than to only remember one line. John 8:31
He was speaking to his followers that were Jews. He said
“If you continue in my ways then you are my disciples indeed; And (some say then) you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” What kind of freedom was he talking about? Jesus talked a lot about freedom. He made it possible on that day we call “Good Friday”
Then the Jews said something really dumb. They said they were Jews and they had never been in bondage to any man. Rather than giving them a history lesson:
Slaves to Egypt
Slaves to Babylon
Slaves to Assyria
Slaves to Greeks
Currently slaves to Romans
He simply said “Verily verily, I say unto you. Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” We know that sin is anything outside of God’s will. We know we are born in sin and will die in sin without God’s grace. We know sin is an appetite. An appetite is never satisfied. A little sin won’t ever satisfy anyone.
And we know it’s the truth! Nothing is easier than staying like we are. We ask God for change but we don’t want to be transformed, we want everything but us to change. Change is scary and forces us into the unknown. So how do we learn to trust God and be what he would have us to be? Maybe we have to learn what we are and how we work.
Millions of dollars have been spent on research into how the human brain works. There is a good reason for this. It might make you rich. What researchers found out is that you have three levels of consciousness going on.
First you have a conscious mind. If your brain were an iceberg this would be the tiny part that sticks out of the water.
Second you have a subconscious mind. This would be under water but you could look down and see it if you think about it (or something makes you think about it).
Third you have an unconscious mind that is on the bottom of the iceberg. It is everything that ever happened recorded and stored that you can’t remember, but it shaped who you are and it’s still there affecting your decisions.
Researchers also discovered that only 20 percent of the decisions we make are done with the conscious mind. That means that 80 percent of our decisions are made outside of the mind we stay in! Think you are in your right mind most of the time? Think again.
Remember the wizard of Oz? There was a man behind the curtain pulling levers and pushing buttons. When the man was revealed they knew the truth. It wasn’t pleasant and didn’t make them happy but once they knew the truth they could change.
Researchers have cataloged 40 different mechanisms that we use to deal with the problems we don’t want to face. These are called defense mechanisms. They have a long definition but the short version is “The way we lie to ourselves so we can live with ourselves.” Here are some of my favorites
1. Denial- No not the river in Egypt. This one gets used all the time.
IM NOT UPSET! THAT’S NOT WHAT I SAID! IM NOT SHOUTING! I was listening. I never thought of that.
2. Projection- This is putting your faults on someone else. Why are you being such a jerk! I will be glad when you get out of that crappy mood!
3. Rationalization- Tries to justify unacceptable behavior. I did it for your own good! It was payback! I took it from work but they don’t pay me like they should!
4. Distraction- Probably the Grandaddy of all for our generation. How long do you sit before the phone come out? Could you go a day without the phone? TV? Internet?
Others includes sexualization, deferment and lots more
The researchers say all of us are doing some of these.
Why do we do this ? For the simple reason that a lot of things are just too painful or dangerous to discuss or even think about. How many times have you seen a married couple argue of trivial items because the real problems were too scary? As long as we lie to ourselves our problems will stay with us. These old problems prevent us from the rich freedom God wants us to enjoy.
How can we ever escape the problems of the past? If it is just a memory then why is causing problems? It has already happened!
First with God’s help we have to own the problem. We have to admit the problem is ours and then we have to look deep to see what the problem really is and how it got there. Easier said than done. We lie! How many diets go from Monday morning till lunch? We lie not just to others but to ourselves. Use this quick test. If your answer gets you off the hook it’s probably a lie.
The Jesus quote of “Then you shall Know the truth and the truth shall set you free” is part of a conversation Jesus is having with his followers. The word “then” lets you know something that makes this statement true was said earlier. Jesus said “when you continue in my word Then”. You are not set free when you become a follower, you are set free when you continue to follow. This was the reason Jesus didn’t ask people to change, he simply asked them to follow like he did Matthew.
The conversion to the freedom God wants for us doesn’t happen at the snap of a finger when you become a Christian. It comes when you continue to follow and as Jesus said Then you will know the truth and the Truth will set you free!
The truth that will set us free starts with the truth about us. It starts with awareness. Awareness is knowing why. Why I feel the way I do. Why I react like I do. It requires us to look far beyond the surface and to be absolutely honest with ourselves.
Problem is we don’t like being absolutely honest when we look at ourselves. We will lie like a rug when we self-assess. Don’t do it! If your answer lets you off the hook for anything it is probably a lie. Oh you can call it a “defense mechanism” but in truth it’s just a lie.
We have certain things we need to get done by a certain time. April 15th is looming in my future. I know I have to get that check in the mail by then. Other things I need to do this week, some this month and some this year. The last category has always been the before I die category.
Just like I know I have to get that check in the mail April 15th I know I have to make my life right with God before I die. Sobering thought but it comes with good news. You don’t have to wait! Do it now and start on the path that will give you a life of freedom! You will become what you were meant to be and know the true meaning of joy! Do it now. Talk to Jesus. Accept his invitation to follow. You don’t have to change, you don’t have to tell anyone, you don’t have to do anything but listen to God. He wants you free from all that baggage you have been dragging around your whole life. There is no one that can accept the invitation for you and no one that can stop it. It is up to you.
The Real You:
Not the person they see at work. Not the person your friends see but
The person that talks to God. I call it the secret person. This is the
Person God wants to set free. When you change the inside you don’t
Have to worry about the outside.
I believe the real you is so much better than you realize. You have
Formed this image of a person inside Formed this image of a person
Inside you that you think doesn’t measure up. From the time you
Were a small child with every failure, every scornful jest, every
Rejection this personality you created to get you through life was
Damaged and changed by the lies you had to tell yourself to survive
The real you was formed by Almighty God in his image.
Think about that for a second! God want you to know the freedom like
You have never experienced. Freedom that is more than doing what
Want but the freedom to become what you were designed to be by God!
The Challenge:
Try this for just one day. If that is too much do just ½ day. This Friday
Don’t say anything negative about anything or especially anybody. I
Know there are lots of things that you need to point out but just wait till Saturday!
I Heard God Praying!
I met a man that needed help. He had lost his wife and was facing many challenges. He was depressed and it showed in his face and in everything he said. I listened to his story and told him I would keep him in my prayers. He didn’t seem impressed but I really pray for people and believe in the power of prayer.
This was my prayer: God only you are all powerful. With words you created all that is. God I know that there are no miracles for you because you can do anything with a whisper. This man needs your special touch. He needs to know he is not alone. He needs to feel your love and to know he is not forgotten. Please do something. Amen
After I prayed my prayed I sat in silence and I heard the voice of Almighty God in my head praying. God said: Tim I have given you far more power than you know. I had you raised by special people that taught you to love. I brought you through hard times so you would know to never place yourself above anyone. Everything this man needs I have given to you. Please do something.Amen