Date: 09-Mar-2025
Name: John
Topic:
BONDAGE FREE LIFE
Content:
Testimony Sunday.
Bondage free life
As Christians we are called and commanded to walk His ways and that we are redeemed by Christ blood and therefore we are new creation the old (sinful nature) is gone and the new (spirit) is alive.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Therefore, we consider of flesh (sinful nature) to be dead and we identify our new life with Christ and the fruits of the spirit. This is our new reality and identity in Christ as the bible declares. The resounding Victory of the cross and Jesus resurrection paid the wages of sin and that includes all the curses that comes with it.
Romans 8:10-11 NLT ”And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”
Galatians 2:20 NLT “20My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 3:13-14 (NLT): "But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith."
Colossians 2:13-15 (NLT): "You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."
But in our walk including Apostle Paul, struggles to die daily with our old self. Apostle Paul says that the things I wanted to do I cant do and Ido the things I don’t want to do. And as we dig deeper in the book of Romans Paul is telling us that our sinful nature was empowered by the Law but he explains that the answer is Jesus.
Romans 7: 14-17 NLT “18And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.”
Failure is inevitable while we are living, for the flesh (sinful nature) always go against our spirit wants.
Galatians 5:17 (NLT) The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
The temptations, testings and sinful desires that we battle today will determine the size of Territory that God will entrust us. If we don’t fight to enforce the freedom of Jesus in our struggles our sons will have to deal with same demons.
Steps that can help us break from bondage that easily chokes us in a cycle is lies and condemnation despite that we are supposed to be free already.
We all know what happened to David when he was not in the battle field and while he was walking in his balcony, he saw Bathsheba that attracted him and he took the next step to find out who she is. Called her to the palace and slept with her even knowing that she is married and when finding out that she is pregnant, he tries to cover up his adultery by sending her husband Uriah to go home to his wife hoping Uriah will sleep with Bathsheba and when that did not happen because he does not want to go home for his concern is in the battle field. David arranged his death in the battlefield to get away with his sin.
2 Samuel 11:1-22
1. Recognition and Repentance– David when he was confronted by Prophet Nathan about his sin, David try to play it cool at first but when cornered he confessed his sins against the Lord a godly sorrow not a worldly sorrow that is based on selfish intentions. God used Prophet Nathan to wake up David from his blindness to recognise what he had done and then repentance followed, without recognition repentance is impossible and without repentance forgiveness/restoration/freedom/healing is impossible. If no sin or wrong is recognised why change? And if change for selfish reasons you rob yourself of freedom in Christ. Godly sorrow uproots the roots of the tree.
2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT): "For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death."
2 Samuel 12:1-11 1So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. 2The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. 3The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. 4One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.”
5David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! 6He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.”
7Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. 8I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. 9Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. 10From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.
11“This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. 12You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.”
2 Samuel 12:13 Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, through your Holy Spirit open my spiritual eyes to see and recognise the real condition of my heart, whether it is hatred, fear, unforgiveness, pride, addictions, self-pity and sinful patterns of lies. So that I can repent from it and trun to You. Forgive me Lord for I have sinned against You. Jesus name Amen.
2. Choose God – we don’t stop in repentance or godly sorrow alone; we move towards obeying God that leads to righteous living. The slavery bondage of sin that cripples us did not happen overnight, it became a bondage for it have been repeated many times to a degree that is creates a pattern in your life that is automatic. No amount of your personal strength can break that wicked pattern that enslaves as Apostle Paul explains. Destructive behaviour of sin won’t be able to enter your house (inner person) without your permission, regardless of your ignorance due to deception and lustful desires of your flesh. You still have a freewill to choose although it appears to be not accessible due to the padlock of guilt, condemnation, fear, self-pity and many more. After repentance, only a whole hearted obedience to God is the key to unlock your freewill and choose God.
Romans 6:16-18 NLT 6Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to wholeheartedly obey Your words and may your teaching be the delight of my heart not obeying it because of obligation but rather may it be revealed to me what you have done in my life and the magnitude of the fullness of Your love for me that will compel me to love you back. In Jesus name Amen.
3. Maintain freedom by Renewing your mind – As our theme this year, renewal of our minds are vital in keeping the freedom we have in Christ. For Satan will come back from time to time to remind you of who you are used to be. He is the father of lies and the accuser of us, he will be on us in hopes that we will come back to the patterns of this world.
John 8:44 (NLT)
"For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies."
Revelation 12:10 (NLT)
"Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, 'It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night.'"
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."
In book of Ephesians commanded us to put on the Armour of God that will be able to resist him in the time of evil and all these instructions are in the word of God. And it is the word of God that renews our minds, washing it daily, keeping it aligned to the truth of God’s word in relation to our identity in Him. You will only go back to the pattern of this world when you stop renewing your mind with the word of God that teach us to focus on seeking His kingdom and righteousness, praying at all times and honouring the council of Godly men to keep is cleansed and ready for God to use.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT): "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
Ephesians 5:25-26 (NLT): "For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word."
Romans 12:2 (NLT): "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."
Prayer: Lord Jesus, create in me a desire and appetite to meditate on your word till it becomes flesh in my life and continually manifesting the freedom that You have for me. Help me not to conform in the patterns of this world but transform me to a person that you want me to be ready to obey You.In Jesus name Amen.
4. Testify – I cannot emphasis more of the power of our testimony, as Ptr Lakers beautifully put that testimonies are stories of our encounter of God that leads to manifestation of His power for His glory. The clear testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy meaning if God had done it for you He can do it again. Our testimony is one of the combo that defeated Satan in the book of revelation. So testify and share your encounter with the living glorious God. Like the woman in the well, she encountered Jesus and her sins where forgiven then she felt the freedom without any hesitation she run and testify boldly to the people that she hiding from prior.
Revelation 12:11 (NLT): "And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die."
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I declare for more encounter of Your glorious presence that births transformation and miracles so that boldness will consume me to testify Your faithfulness to me life for Your glory. In Jesus name Amen.
John 8:36 (NLT):
"So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free."
2 Corinthians 3:17 (NLT): "For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
Romans 8:1-2 (NLT): "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death."
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