That is what we are after. Real free. Freedom in its deepest and fullest meaning. As the Lord Jesus as the Source and Content of the True freedom.
Today many boasts of being broadminded but are too lazy to think about what is right or wrong, blinded mind and not open minded. A mind is like a parachute that it doesn't work if not open. To have a sound mind, here observe the two offers from Psa. 37 & John 8.
A. Counsel for the afflicted people of God. (Psalm 37:1-4)
1. Don't worry about the ungodly. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of inquiry. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, & wither as the green herb.
a) Prosperity without God is false security. Richest is not permanent and full of troubles. For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also. (Matt. 6:21) He is that greedy of gain troubleth his own house. Love of money, the root, (1 Tim 6:10)
b.) story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31)
2. Put your trust and delight in the Lord. (v3-4) Trust in the Lord and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
a) David's praises awake the dawn. (Psa. 57:7-8). His prayer was swallowed by praise and worship, afterward the darkness inside cave was his tear & extended his life 15 years.
B. Jesus invitation for freedom to those believing in Him.
1. This is a most dangerous spiritual state (John 8:30) King Agrippa (Acts 26:28) almost is hanging and dangerous. It might be the start or it might be never.
A. Jesus offers discipleship and freedom. He spoke to those who had that beginning of belief, telling them what they needed to continue in belief.
B. This offer is for those who believe, yet do not believe. They know it was true, but they weren't prepared to yield Him the far reaching allegiance, a real trust in Him implies.
2. The clarity of an offer. (John 8:31) If we will be Jesus' disciples, we must abide in His world. There is no other way. To be a follower of Jesus (the Word made flesh), is to abide (to live in, to dwell on, to make your home in) His word.
3. The protest. John 8:33. The reaction of the religious leaders wasn't, "that's wonderful! Tell us more about what it means to be free by trusting in Your word." Instead they reacted, we don't need this. We are good people.
4. Bondage of sin (John 8:34), Sin in this passage is in a verb tense indicating a habitual, continual action. The person in habitual sin is a slave of din.
5. Jesus Abide forever. (John 8:35) Slave does not abide in our house forever. Slavery to sin is the worst kind of slavery, because there is no escape from our self. A Son must set us free and the Son of God, sets us free and brings us into the household of God.
6. Free indeed (John 8:36) if we're set free from our slavery to sin, set free by a Son, and set free by abiding in Jesus' word and being His disciple, then we are free indeed, having a true freedom that contrasts to the freedom , the Pharisees blindly claimed in John 8:33.
C. Jesus Christ Death and Resurrection make us free indeed. We have no manmade parachute. We have a Savior. Because He died for us, there is no condemnation.
1. He break the chain. The inexorable, deadly, and gravitational pull of our sins is broken. He has caught us in mid-fall and has become our supreme Treasure.
2. Brand New Man. Our destiny and our desires are new. He is our Source of Blessing according to His riches in glory, and He is our contentment and satisfaction.
3. He is the New Desire. He gave us the new desire to accept His powerful invitation, "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!"
D. Story: a picture of Freedom. Let us take skydiving example. What we want is to experience the fullest possible exhilaration of freedom in skydiving.
1. Freedom of opportunity. You are on your way to the airport for your first real jump, but your car hits a pothole and have a blowout. You are no longer free to jump, whether you have the ability or not, as the opportunity passes because of that delays. You lack the freedom of opportunity.
2. Freedom of Ability. But suppose that you make it to the airport & you went to all the classes and have all the abilities needed. You take off in the little plane, but as soon they open the door and you look down, all your desire vanishes and in its place comes a paralyzing fear. The opportunity is there, the ability is there, but you don't have the freedom of desire.
3. Freedom of Desire. But suppose that you make it to the airport and you went to all the classes and you have all the abilities needed. You take off in the little plane, but as soon they open the door and you look down, all your desire vanishes and in its place comes a paralyzing fear. The opportunity is there, the ability is there, but you don't have the freedom of desire.
4 Perfect law of liberty. But there is one last requirement for full freedom. Suppose you get to the airport with no obstacle you have the freedom of opportunity; you have all the knowhow (you have the freedom of Ability) you're excited looking out the door at the tiny barns and farmhouses a few miles down and just can't wait to jump. You have the freedom of desire. So you jump and as you free fall, enjoying every second of it, unknown to you, your parachute is defective and is not going to open no matter what you do. Are you free, fully free, free indeed? No, what you are doing so happily and so freely is going to kill you. Even though you don't know it her, you are in bondage, to destruction. It feels like freedom. But very soon the whole thing, all the exhilaration, will prove to be an illusion. In thirty seconds, you will be dead.
Conclusion:
In order to be fully free, free indeed, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ must set you free.
Is it not then utterly foolish for a Christian to envy the so called freedom of those who pitch themselves out the skyscraper window of sin and exult for a season in the exhilaration of free fall greed, or free fall drugs or free fall fame, or free fall sex. Or free fall power, or free fall luxury oblivious of Jesus. All this freedom is like a vapor, but those who trust in Jesus and treasure Him above all is the one who is truly free. Free indeed!
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!