Set Free 1 - Beauty from Ashes

Captivity. Bound. Stuck. Oppressed. Slave. Enslaved. Bondage.

These words surely evoke some strong emotions. If you are like most of us, probable one or more of those words brought to mind a specific memory, situation, or person in your life.

Now let’s try a new set of words on for size:

Freedom. Free. Deliverance. Liberated. Liberty. Voluntary. Choice. Gratitude.

Different feelings, right? So tied together but so very different. And if you’re like most, there are some in that second group that seem a bit intangible, even foreign.

But they don’t have to be.

Not with Jesus.

In the next several sessions we’re going to look at how. It is my prayer that many of you would find healing, deliverance, and know (maybe even for the first time) what it means to be free in Christ.

Please realize that, as I pen this, I am still a pilgrim on a journey. So much progress has been made in my heart, but there’s still a long way to go.

You are not alone. I have not arrived. And though they are becoming less, I still have days when I struggle in this area, and I know there still many ahead.

Mark 14:38 or Matthew 26:41 “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” NLT

That said, let’s dig in.

The first thing I notice is that all are in bondage to begin with.

Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” NLT

Romans 3:10 “As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one.”” NLT

Romans 5:12 “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” NLT

As soon as we are born, we are in bondage to sin. Born with a sin nature, we serve sin. We are sin’s slave.

But the next thing I noticed was Jesus. Look at Him in our base text for today.

Read Luke 4:14-21.

Then flip over to see His heart in Luke 13:16

“Isn’t it right that she should be freed?”

It is right. No one should ever have to stay in bondage. Jesus’s heart cries for our freedom, and He came that we might have it. He gave His very life for us to have it.

It pains Him when we remain in bondage.

Even after we accept His free gift of salvation from our bondage to sin and its final sentence which is Hell, we sometimes remain in bondage.

This type of bondage has perhaps a few sources. The main one I’d like to consider today comes in the form of a spiritual attack.

Turn to 1 Peter 5.

1 Peter 5:8 “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” NLT

Satan would like nothing more than to turn our minds and heart and hope away from Jesus. Sometimes he attacks strongholds – the strong marriages, solid churches, or the mature Christians who stand to fall farther and often would pull people with them – creating a bigger victory for himself.

But sometimes, he attacks the weak spots. A small victory is better than no victory, right?

That spot where it already hurts, he plants a doubt:

God can’t help you with this one. This will never go away.

That fear you’re struggling to give over to God:

God’s not listening anyway. Your fears will come true.

And the guilt you can’t let go, he rubs raw.

You’re awful. No real Christian would’ve done what you’ve done. You should feel terrible.

And he splashes a big bucket of burning shame on you.

He hates you.

But Jesus.

But Jesus doesn’t.

Jesus loves you!

And He always will. He always thinks you’re worth it!

Look at the verse prior to the one we just looked at in 1 Peter. (I like the Amplified version, but will include both it and NKJV, because a shorter verse is easier to memorize and tuck away in your armor.)

1 Peter 5:7 “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” AMP

1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” NKJV

For today, I’d love for you to prayerfully ask God to reveal any areas of bondage in your life.

It may be obvious. It may not. It may be something you thought you already dealt with.

Be open to what He reveals.

Read the rest of the 1 Peter passage. Slowly; digesting it little by little. It is so applicable.

1 Peter 5:5-6 “In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for God opposes the proud but favors the humble.  So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” NLT

This humility is what we need for Him to reveal any painful chains.

1 Peter 5:7 “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” NLT

Hand them over. They’re too heavy for you, sister. He cares for you enough to take them.

1 Peter 5:8-9a “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith…” NLT

Be wary, and put up your Shield.  (Ephesians 6:16)

1 Peter 5:9b “…Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.” NLT

You’re not alone. Satan may try to get you to feel like you are, but Scripture is Truth, because God is Truth, and it says there are others like you, with like struggles.

Even Jesus went through it.

Hebrews 4:15b “…for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” NLT

1 Peter 5:10-11 “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen.” NLT

This is temporary. God has the power to restore you. He has the power and desire to break your bondage.

Before we close, let’s look at the passage Jesus opened the Scriptures up to in our initial text in Luke 4. Drink it in.

Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,    because the Lord has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,    to proclaim freedom for the captives    and release from darkness for the prisoners,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor    and the day of vengeance of our God,to comfort all who mourn,    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty    instead of ashes,the oil of joy    instead of mourning,and a garment of praise    instead of a spirit of despair.They will be called oaks of righteousness,    a planting of the Lord    for the display of his splendor.” NLT

In fact, let’s memorize this together, over the next weeks of our study together.
You can get a free printable card of this passage here

Matthew Henry brings out the poetry of that exchange – beauty for ashes.

A play on words – rearranging the actual word ‘ashes’ (epher) and turning it into ‘beauty’ (pheer).

And isn’t that so fitting?

Pray now about your bondage – no matter what kind it may be – that God would reveal it, take it, and turn it into something beautiful.

Light of the World

Text: John 8:12-9:41

John 8:12 “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”” NLT

Light here is from the Greek word phōs, from the word phao meaning to shine, or make manifest. It also carries with it the idea of knowledge and truth; understanding with spiritual purity; the reason and mind; the power of understanding of spiritual things. Understanding truth.

This is the claim Jesus is  making here. And the people (namely the Pharisees, the deeply – or at least outwardly – spiritual ones) basically told Him “you can’t say that – you’re not God!” And what dangerous ground to tread upon.

And Jesus calmly puts them in their place, and even tells them that for all their spirituality, they don’t even really know God.

Darkness, you see, is the absence of light. Darkness cannot enlighten darkness, no matter how you try. Again, like our Bread of Life session stated, there’s no way around it. Light is the only thing. Jesus is the only answer.

Those Pharisees, for all the studying of Scripture they did, for all the head-knowledge they had, should have been able to recognize fulfillment of it through Christ.

Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walk in darkness    will see a great light.For those who live in a land of deep darkness,    a light will shine.” NLT

Isaiah 60:1-2 “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see.    For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth,    but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.” NLT

But they were probably in denial – especially since these following verses depict Christ as Salvation for the Gentiles – the Pharisees thought that only Jews were going to be saved.

Isaiah 42:6 “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness.    I will take you by the hand and guard you,and I will give you to my people, Israel,    as a symbol of my covenant with them.And you will be a light to guide the nations.” NLT

Isaiah 49:6 “He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.    I will make you a light to the Gentiles,    and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” NLT

Isaiah 60:3 “All nations will come to your light;    mighty kings will come to see your radiance.” NLT emphasis mine

So we understand what it means then, in John 1:4-5

John 1:4-5 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” NKJV

They did not recognize Him. They did not comprehend.

But they did not recognize, they did not believe, because they did not want to. They chose not to.

John 3:19 “And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.” NLT

At the end of our text, all the way in the last 3 verses of John 9, He re-emphasizes this. He says that because those people refused to admit their own weakness, that would be their downfall.

Let us not make that same mistake. We are weak. We are flawed. We are incapable –

Without Christ.

But with Him? With Him, all things are possible (even our entrance to Heaven!).

Mark 10:27 “Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”” NLT

But we must be humble enough to admit it.

And humble enough to accept Him.

James 4:6 “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”” NKJV emphasis mine

Let’s accept the grace and step into the Light. The light that leads to Life.

John 8:12 “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”” NKJV

Celebrate

Brides, let’s celebrate today. It is the day the Lord has made, amen?

Our text today comes from three parallel passages. Matthew 9:14-17, Mark 2:18-22, Luke 5:33-37

When this many of the gospel writers include an account of something, you know it is huge. For all of the three years of every-days with Jesus, this conversation stood out enough to be remembered and written down.

How much do you remember? Are you making practice of purposefully remembering Him? His word? I know for most of us, our 24 hours seem so full already – and they are; we each fill up our 24 hours with something. But do those somethings have eternal value? I speak to myself too.

Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” NLT

Joshua 1:8 “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” NLT emphasis mine

Colossians 3:16a “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives…” NLT emphasis mine

In our passages, Jesus had just called Matthew to be a disciple. Matthew – a tax collector. Tax collectors were known for padding their pockets. They were deceitful and hated. And Jesus called him straight from this life to start a new life with Him.

Don’t you just love that? I love that Jesus didn’t scour the world looking for people who were “better” or well liked, or less nasty than the rest. He picked the scum so that He could heal, cleanse and renew. That is what Jesus does best.

For order’s sake, we will look at one of the three passages – and even though they are nearly identical, I like Luke’s account.

So we pick up in Luke 5:33

I love this passage, because it is when Jesus introduces Himself as our Groom.

Read 33-34

Do you see it?

Be all here. I am here. Celebrate that.

Fasting often included an attitude of mourning – that word is even used interchangeably, if you’ll glance over at the Matthew account (9:15)

Now, this may be one of those times when the words were spoken to those people in that specific setting (He was physically with them, so that fits and makes good sense), but I believe it was included (3 times!) because we can apply it to our own lives.

We have Christ with us, because we have Christ in us. (Romans 8:9-10)

Is that not worthy of celebration? If that’s not, I don’t know what is.

In those days, the wedding celebration lasted 2 weeks. This was probably the only time in their lives when they would go that long without working. Life was hard for them, and this was a time of celebration. ‘Drop everything and celebrate now’ was the general attitude around a wedding. Christ is calling His disciples here to celebrate His presence. source

Sisters, life is hard. It is.

But.

This is a great time to insert ‘but’.

But we have Christ. Amen?

Philippians 4:13 “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” NLT

We are new in Christ. Life is new with Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Here’s where we tie it all together. Celebrate your new life in Christ. He hasn’t come to patch up and smoothe over your old life. Throw it away. Just accept the new life.

Read the rest of our passage. (If you’re in Luke with me, that’d be Luke 5:36-39)

God doesn’t fit like a band-aid over our old lives. He wants to offer complete renewal.

New habits. New delights. New favorites. New friends? New drinks. New movies. New music. New clothing. New words. New attitude. New forgiveness.

New.

All things are become new.

Do not mourn the loss of those old things; what are they, really anyway?

So I challenge you with me:

1) Pray about remnants you’re still wearing from your old life before you knew Him. Pray for Him to reveal them, and remove them.
2) Start a new habit – memorize. Remember the opening of our session today? Memorize His Word, for with God’s word in your heart, your heart, mind, and spirit are made new. New.

Ephesians 4:22-24 “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” NLT

Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” NLT

And let’s start with those verses, sound good?

3) Celebrate. You do have Christ in you if you are a Christian. Spend some time celebrating that, and watch your outlook renew.