ALL OF GOD's CHILDREN ARE CALLED TO WALK IN "THE GLORIOUS LIBERTY OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD"

True liberty is found  in the revelation of our 'sonship'   .... and not in church membership. All of us are called to hear the voice of our shepherd....and to walk with Him.

Rom 8:19-21

19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.    NKJV

 

Could I suggest that creation (the people of the world) today look at the church and rather says ‘I prefer my freedom and no way would I exchange my worries for the bondage and control that the churches demand’

or 

‘Show me a Christian living the great free life they claim to have and I will become one’

 

So what is the problem ……

 

They see a church that is not living in the freedom that Christ came to bring but in the bondage to legalism and the LAW…under a heavy yoke of bondage (Acts 15:10)

Acts 15:10
10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?      NKJV
 

Religion focuses on legalistic piety which produces self righteousness rather than genuine holiness

A life governed by rules ie the "have to’s" rather than the "want to’s" that faith and love bring

Control ie by man and institutions rather than relationship with a loving Father God

A walk with God is a very different life to that of religion

 

Matt 11:28-30
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."     NKJV
 

The key is that as children of God we ARE free …. TOTALLY…... we either just don’t know it .... or cannot believe it!

(This was the subject of the first prophetic dream God ever gave me....and NO-one will ever rob me of this truth)

 

Luke 4:18

18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me

To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed;     NKJV

 

Gal 3:21-25

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by (NIV prisoners of..) the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. NKJV

 

Focusing on the Law....and what we 'must do' to please God  is the wrong emphasis ... focus on what Jesus has done to please the Father FOR US!

 

Jesus promised this freedom

 

John 8:31-32

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."      NKJV

 

Brethren if the end of a doctrine is not FREEDOM ...then it is NOT Truth!

 

John 8:36

36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.     NKJV

 

But the Jews could not see themselves as captives

 

John 8:33-35

33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"

 34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.     NKJV

 

How were they slaves to sin?

 

Rom 3:19-20

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.      NKJV

 

Rom 4:15

15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.     NKJV

 

Rom 5:12-13

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned —  13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.)     NKJV

 

The purpose of the Law is not to enable people to become HOLY but to bring them to their knees in humility before God and to accept that they needed Jesus as their savior ....BECAUSE NO-ONE CAN keep the Law

 

John 8:34-36

34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.     NKJV

 

It is only by receiving Jesus in faith as our righteousness that we become children of God and that we can be free from sin. Take your eyes OFF OF YOUR WORKS....and look to what JESUS HAS DONE!

 

John 1:16-18

17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.    NKJV

 

John 1:12-13

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.    NKJV

 

Many fall into the religious trap of 'trying to be good' ...or observing the Law to become holy....but salvation can only be found by believing in Jesus…ie receiving Him as OUR savior!

 

John 3:14-19

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.     NKJV

 

Through the rest of John's gospel there are about 20 more references which confirm that faith is all that is required

 

So what is the effect of going under the Law and trying to keep it as Christians?

 

2 Cor 3:3-11

3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, (yes, this is the 10 Commandments), was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.    NKJV

Brethren the law KILLS relationship and causes us to live under a sense of failure, guilt and condemnation! 

2 Cor 3:14-17
14 But their minds were blinded . For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.    NKJV

The Law today STILL blinds people to the message of grace...we then can only see religion and not relationship that Christ offers each of us of us 

Rom 7:7-12

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."   8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. 9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.  12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.    NKJV  

 

Gal 5:4-5

You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.     NKJV

 

Falling from grace is loosing the joy and freedom of your salvation. It is when you go from relationship back into RELIGION!

 

 

Gods way is not to give us a new set of Laws…no one could even keep the old ones!

 

Acts 15:7-11

8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they."    NKJV

 

Col 2:13-14

13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the un-circumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.     NKJV 

 

Gal 3:10-14

10 The Law Brings a Curse

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them."   11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."   12 Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."  

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.     NKJV

 

 

So how are we to live?….

 

Rom 8:1-11

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, (who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit…this is not in the early manuscripts and is contrary to the intent and context of the rest of the scripture!)

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh butaccording to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, butthose who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.     NKJV

 

Rom 8:12-17

12 Sonship Through the Spirit

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,"Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.   NKJV

 

You cannot live the Christian life without the Spirit having revealed to you that you ARE NOW a son or daughter of God….God is now your Father and HE LOVES YOU…all fear is gone (except the holy reverent awe of our gracious God and Father)

You will find yourself in a place of rest...where we are swept away with the GOODNESS of God towards us....rather than our own works.

 

Matt 6:9-13

9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.  10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.  11 Give us this day our daily bread.  12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.  13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.       NKJV

 

1 John 3:1-2

2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.    NKJV

 

Gal 3:26-29

26 Sons and Heirs

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.     NKJV

 

Gal 4:4-7

4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.    NKJV

 

How does a Son live? ….. with confidence, a sense of security, knowledge of being loved

 

Matt 10: 8

8 Freely you have received, freely give.      NKJV

 

Gal 4:31-5:6

31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

 

Galatians 5

5:1 Christian Liberty

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor un-circumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.    NKJV

 

Freedom brings a responsibility….1 only….to LOVE

 

Gal 5:13-14

13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."    NKJV

 

Freedom is from all other obligations

 

Matt 17:24-27

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"

25 He said, "Yes."

And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?" 

26 Peter said to Him, "From strangers."

Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free.  27 Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."     NKJV

 

This clearly applies to tithing as an obligation ...however there is nothing wrong with giving freely as you are able (note that as from AD 70 the temple no longer exists and Jews do not pay the temple tax of Exodus 30:11-16 either)

 

Acts 15:24-28

24 Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, "You must be circumcised and keep the law" — to whom we gave no such commandment —  25 it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: (Note tithing not included!)   NKJV

 

Matt 23:23

For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:    NKJV

 

Heb 7:5

The sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law

NKJV

 

As sons there will be discipline when we go ‘off track’…it is our Fathers work

 

Heb 12:5-10

"My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,

Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens,

And scourges every son whom He receives."  

7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.     NKJV

 

A personal word (even one of correction) from God leaves one with a strong assurance of sonship……and actually brings great joy....and an incredible sense of HIS love.

 

Mark 1:10-11

10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."    NKJV

 

The start of Jesus ministry came after the Holy Spirit came upon him and His sonship and the Fathers love and approval were emphatically stated

 

Rom 8:19-21

19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God    NKJV

 

2 Cor 3:17-18

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. NKJV

 

The world will see the Glory of God when we as His children start to walk and live in our glorious liberty of our sonship instead of the bondage of religion and the Law!

  

Characteristics of being a child rather than a servant

 

1. direct access to the Father….rather than through a chain of command
2. direct relationship with the Father….to KNOW him…not just rules
3. direct responsibility as a ‘son’ …to be about the Fathers business
4. secure relationship …a son abides in the house forever (John 8:35)

 

Why was Moses such a great man of God?

Why was Joshua the next leader?

Why was David ‘a man after God’s own heart? 

 

Moses would not move without the presence of God and sought to know His Glory (ie His heart...ie His very being)

Joshua never left the tent of meeting ...the place of God's presence (Exodus 33:11)

David sought to ‘know God’s heart’….what drives God….what He desires and why…and also to be constantly in His presence  (Ps 51)

 

SO who gets the most blessing?   

He who seeks to spend time in His presence most!

 

If you want to be ‘Abba’s’ favorite child …seek His face…spend time with Him…ask Him to reveal how great His love is for you

Our Father wants you to want to know Him!...and He wants to show you how much HE loves you!