Freedom

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

                because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

                to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

                to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor….

                                --Isaiah 61:1-2

Let’s talk about freedom.

Freedom is, ultimately, what Jesus came to give us. He said so Himself, when He unrolled the scroll in the temple and read the verse above. He just stood up, read it, told them it was fulfilled in Him, and sat down again like it was no big deal (Luke 4:18).

But of course it was a big deal. This was the verse Jesus chose to use to reveal His identity. He could have used any verse he wanted—all the scriptures predicting the messiah were about Him. But He wanted to make it clear: I have come to set the captives free.

What does that mean?

Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39)

Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (1 Corinthians 15-17)

In a fallen world, people are captive to sin. Jesus came to free us from sin so that we could have a restored relationship with His Father. He fulfilled the law so that its accusing voice could be silent, and we could walk in relational freedom with our Creator.

I know, big concept. But let’s scale it down a bit and talk about the opposite of freedom—idolatry.

That’s right, I said it: idolatry. Idols. They’re not just little golden statues. They’re the comforts and pleasures your heart settles for in the place of God.

I know you don’t want to talk about them. Right now, you’re probably thinking about an idol you don’t want to face. ….Or you’re just confused about what idols are. So let me help you out: idols are anything that keeps you from concentrating on God—even things that appear to be good.

One of our pastors this Sunday gave me a spiritual kick in the face (although he was very nice about it). I am going to plagiarize the story he used (although I’m not sure you can plagiarize the Bible, because then God would have to sue you), because it was that good. He was speaking about the story in 1 Kings when Elijah challenges the worshippers of Baal to see whose god is stronger. Baal was the local neighborhood idol who (in this story) was in charge of fertility. Coincidentally, Baal also demanded child sacrifice.

Seems a little hypocritical, right? The pastor said, “Your idol will take from you the very thing it promises.”

“Baal” is a name that comes up throughout the Old Testament, and it can refer to any of the many made-up gods in ancient times. The Israelites repeatedly cheated on God with Baals, even though God sent prophets, did signs, and proved Himself to them time and again.

You may think, why would anyone do that, when they had all these signs and wonders to prove that their God was faithful to them? Why would they go off and worship something made up?

Well, why would I run to anything but God for comfort or security? Why would I want to think about anything but His goodness and majesty, when my life is a testimony to it already?

Maybe my idols are just as impressive as dinky little statues, but I can still see them. They’re easier to dedicate myself to than the all-powerful God of the universe. They’re easier because, when I worship them, it’s all about me; I don’t have to worry about them actually loving me back.

This brings us full circle to the subject of freedom. Before we are freed by the Messiah, Jesus, we are enslaved to sin. All sin boils down to idol worship at its core, because sin is a way to seek security, value, and pleasure outside of the One we were created to seek security, value, and pleasure from. Sin is placing your trust in anything that isn’t Jesus.

If you’re a believer, Jesus has set you free, and the ONLY way you can be enslaved is if you choose to be.

Listen to what Paul says:

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

This verse would not even be necessary if the early Christians weren’t willingly submitting themselves to other things that were not God. In their case, their idols looked good—righteousness and following the law. However, their good intentions devolved into judgment, exclusion, and strife—not to mention a gross misunderstanding of the complete work of the cross of Christ. Additionally, their relationships with God surely suffered, because they misunderstood their right standing with Him based on Jesus’ blood instead of works.

So…..even good things can be idolatry. One of the sneakiest ways the devil can get us is through idolatry in human relationships—especially Christian relationships.

It looks good, right? You are walking in fellowship with someone (a significant other, friend, mentor—any other believer), and he or she is helping you along in your spiritual walk, just as we are supposed to do in the body of Christ. But then that person slowly slips into the place where Jesus should be; after all, it’s easier, not to mention more tangible (usually) to receive appreciation, affirmation, and love from another person instead of God.  

This may have happened to me recently.

Relationship idolatry can be a crafty thing. You think, “It’s ok. It’s just a little pet idol. It’s not really going to hurt me.” Anyone who has ever looked at a cute kitten, reached down to stroke it, and had teeth sunk into his flesh can tell you it’s not just a pet. You’ll never shake it off without drastic measures. (I mean, I love kittens, but the metaphor fits.) And relationships aren't the only "good" idols. Performance, work, "fighting for a good cause"--all of these things can become idols when they begin to become your security and comfort.

You don’t just get to accept your pet problems if you belong to Jesus. You may think the things you struggle with aren’t that bad, and you’re willing to keep them around even though you have to fight them regularly. 

Saying, “Oh, that’s just something I’ll always struggle with” isn’t an excuse. Jesus is just as satisfied with that as He is when an alcoholic says, “Oh, I’ll always be tempted by alcohol”; or when a porn addict says, “Well, I’m going to fight this addiction my hardest, but I guess I’ll always be tempted by it.”

What part of “set the captives free” don’t you understand?

If you want to be free from those things that consume your thoughts, you can have freedom today, this very minute.

But you have to want it. That’s the tricky thing about freedom. Most people are perfectly happy to be enslaved to their idols. I have been, at least. 

Only when it gets to the point where slavery is more uncomfortable than sacrificing what we love are we willing to change. For example, I realized that my addiction to a relationship was actually interfering (for an embarrassingly long time) with my ability to talk to God. To me, this was devastating—I wanted to enjoy the communion with God that I have always enjoyed. So I had to take what I loved with my selfish, human love and throw it at His feet.

It's not easy, and it hurts. However, almost as soon as I (we—there are, after all, two people in a relationship) destroyed the idol, I experienced a kind of freedom that I have come to expect from a redemptive God.

Give God your idol, and He will give you a changed heart in return, so that you won’t even want the thing you wanted. In fact, He'll turn it around and redeem it, so that the very thing that was intended by the devil to take your relationship with God will drive you more and more toward Him.

THAT’S how Jesus sets the captives free.

I think the process of sanctification is simply just the process of becoming more and more free, one chain link or  padlock at a time. We tend to think of sanctification as God’s discipline, and it does lend itself to pain, but only because our deceitful hearts want something besides God. When He takes those things out of our hands, we are able to open our grasp and receive the love He wants to give us. We are able to receive Him.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes for the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.