Tag: Freedom

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Bible Teaching

Bound but Free, Free but Bound

Stephen Kuntzman | 7/29/2025 | 7:00 PM

Text: Genesis 50:15-21 

(15) And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.  (16)  And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, (17) So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.  (18)  And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.  (19)  And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?  (20)  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.  (21)  Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

First time “Forgive” is found in the Bible.

<<Tell the story of Joseph and his brethren>>

He wept because his ten elder brothers had forgotten his forgiveness.

He had forgiven them 17 years ago, but they were in bondage to their own sordid past, fearful emotions and unbelief.

Joseph had released them, but they could not enjoy their freedom.

They were physically free, but spiritually bound.

“Joseph was a type of Christ in the Old Testament. The famine was an event designed to bring the brothers to repentance and a saving knowledge, both physically and spiritually. The tragedy of the famine created the circumstances that led to freedom for these men, for they had been in bondage to a wicked crime against their brother for many years. It was forgiveness from Joseph that led to that freedom.”

-Os Hillman

Freedom

-President Franklin D. Roosevelt named Four Freedoms in his State of the Union Address to the Congress on January 6, 1941:

  1. Freedom of speech, and expression—everywhere in the world.
  2. Freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere in the world.
  3. Freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.
  4. Freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor—anywhere in the world.

It was that last fear that bond those ten brothers.

The fear was, “Now that Dad is dead, what will Joseph do?”

They did not judge Joseph as he was, but as they were.

The reason so many people continue to live in bondage and cannot enjoy the freedom that Jesus offers is because they have never truly received His forgiveness.

When you are truly free your priorities change and you are no longer drowning in a quagmire of past regrets

True freedom means you trust God’s mercy and, grow in His grace, and your relationship with Jesus becomes intimate, close and full of trust.

When you have truly accepted the forgiveness of God the chains fall and you experience true freedom:

1. Freedom from hate, unconditionally. 

2. Freedom from self-pity. 

3. Freedom from fear of possibly doing something that may help someone else more than it would help you.

4. Freedom from the kind of pride that could make a man feel that he is better than his brother.[1]

Gal. 4:21-5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” 

  • Paul is referring to the bondage of the flesh versus the freedom of the Spirit referring to Ishmael and Isaac: “But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise…. we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.”
  • Then Paul refers to the liberty – freedom – Christ grand us with as He frees, liberates, and releases us from:
    • “…the yoke of bondage”
    • Liberty from the power and guilt of sin, which nothing but the grace of Christ can take away[2]

Romans 8:1-2, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

When you truly know Jesus – The Truth – you are free from sin:

(31) Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; (31) And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (32) They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? (34) Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. (35) And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. (36) If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.[3]

Bondage

Over the last twenty years, I have seen a rising infatuation with inspiration, but an aversion to real anointing.

“Inspiration does not break the yoke of bondage. Only the anointing breaks the yoke of bondage.”[4]

And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.[5]

You can tell how bound a person is by the way they speak. In 1956 Evangelist T. L. Osborn wrote Faith’s Testimony: and it is a true today as it was then:

The Importance of Confession

You said that you could not do it, and the moment you said it you were whipped.

You said you did not have faith, and in that moment, doubt arose like a giant and bound you.

Perhaps you never realized that, to a great extent, you are ruled by your words.

You talked failure, and failure held you in bondage.

You talked fear, and fear increased its grip on you.

Solomon said, “Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth. Thou art taken (captive) with the words of thy mouth” (Pr. 6:2).

Testifying – Witnessing – Confessing

Few Christians have recognized the importance of confession and the place it holds in their lives. Whenever the word “confession” is used, they automatically think of confessing sin, weakness, and failure. But this is only the negative side of the subject.[6]

Positive Confessions:

  • “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
  • “God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
  • “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).
  • “My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
  • “I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me” (Romans 8:37).

Forgiveness 

Scars (mentally, emotionally, physically) are reminders of

past hurts that have healed.

You carry the reminder as a lesson in life, but that reminder need not paralyze you.

Forgiveness releases you from the feelings and bondage associated with the pain. 

Forgiveness is not saying that what happened was/is ok, but it’s releasing you from the pain associated with the hurt so

that you can move on.

The scar then becomes a gentle reminder that you are a survivor and you can overcome anything.

It ain’t easy forgiving God, people, or yourself sometimes, but it’s a decision that you make and then keep.

So, when that old pain flares up you remind yourself, “Wait, I choose to forgive and I refuse to fall back into that trap of turmoil, pain, and hurt.”

You do that enough times and eventually all that remains is a scar, and as time passes the scar fades.

“One of my wise teachers, Dr. Orr, told me, ‘There is only one thing evil cannot stand, and that is forgiveness.’” 

-Fred Rogers

Forgiveness Doesn’t Allow Abuse

Joseph’s own brothers had attacked him, thrown him into a cistern and sold him into slavery (see Genesis 37:12 – 28) — causing him to be separated from his loving father for over 20 years.

And though Joseph had much to forgive, he did not dwell on the offenses. He gained grace from God and let go of what others had done to him.

His response is a healthy model for us when we’ve been hurt or sinned against: we need to let it go and then get what we need from God and people who can give.

That is a better life.

Unforgiveness destroys a good life. Forgiveness creates it.

Forgiveness is not denial. We need to name the sin against us to forgive it, as Joseph did (see Genesis 45:4 – 5; 50:20). He worked through it. He named it. He expressed his feelings about it. And then he let it go.

We need to watch out for the resistance that will want us to stay in the past, trying to collect a debt that will never be paid.[7]

Forgiving People have been put in positions where they had to learn forgiveness. Have you been betrayed? Hurt? Offended? 

“Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little” (Luke 7:47).

Forgiving is Releasing, you must learn to forgive and be free (Luke 6:27-38):

(27)  But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

(28)  Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

(29)  And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.

(30)  Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

(31)  And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

(32)  For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

(33)  And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.

(34)  And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

(35)  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

(36)  Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

(37)  Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

(38)  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

[1] Source: Duke Ellington. (4/29/1969). Four Major Freedoms to Live By and Enjoy.

[2] Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible. Galatians 4:21-5:1.

[3] John 8:31-36

[4] Lee Stoneking

[5] Isaiah 10:27

[6] T. L. Osborn. (1956). Faith’s Testimony : the Important Secret of Confession Unveiled and How to Keep Your Healing. https://archives.northwestu.edu/handle/nu/56853.

[7] Source: Forgive, Grow and Find God’s Path for You (21-Day Plan).  @YouVersion plan http://bible.com/r/Xv

Categories
Bible Teaching

Jesus is Jehovah

Apostolic Life Cathedral | April 16, 2024 | 7:00 PM

Text: Ephesians 2:19-22, “(19) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  (20)  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;  (21)  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  (22)  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

“When the Word of the Lord is properly delivered, the sinner gets evangelized, the saint gets edified, and the Lord is glorified. Because, when the name of Jesus is preached it establishes the house of the Lord.”

-Harold Hoffman

I have been revisiting the topic of the oneness of God recently in my studies and in my research I read a two-part article printed in 1926 in The Christian Outlook, and written by E. N. Bell, which is entitled: “A Glorious Tribute to Jesus Christ.”

Tonight’s study borrows from elements in that article that I think accomplishes what Harold Hoffman said preaching the name of Jesus does for the house of the Lord…establishes it.

Since you are the house of the Lord…I hope this lesson tonight creates a construction zone for you as you “are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:20-22).

And that “the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:10-11).

To be apostolic is to have a full apostolic vision of who Jesus is, and Jesus Christ is Jehovah.

Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ of the New Testament.

Jesus Is Jehovah

Isaiah 40:3-5

(3)  The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

  • LORD in the Old Testament (KJV) is Jehovah
  • Same rule applies with “Spirit” in the New Testament: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13).

(4)  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

(5)  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

  • 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, “(3) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:  (4)  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.  (5)  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.  (6)  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
  • Jesus to Philip: “…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9).

Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”

  • In Matthew 3:3, John the baptist is revealed to be “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.”
  • Jesus is the Lord or Jehovah whose way was being prepared for by John.
  • Lord here in Malachi is referring specifically to the Messiah.

Jesus is the King of glory…the Jehovah of glory:

  1. Psalms 24:7-10, “(7) Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  (8)  Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.  (9)  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  (10)  Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.”
  2. 1 Corinthians 2:8, “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
  3. James 2:1, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”
  4. James is identifying the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lord of glory.

Jesus is Jehovah our righteousness:

  1. Jeremiah 23:5-6, “(5) Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.  (6)  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
  2. 1 Cor. 1:30, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:”

Jesus is Jehovah above all:

  1. Psalms 97:9, “For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.”
  2. John 3:30-31, “(30) He must increase, but I must decrease.  (31)  He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.”
  3. John speaking of Jesus Christ

Jesus is Jehovah, the first and the last:

  1. “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6).
  2. Jesus speaking, “Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:17-18).
  3. Isaiah 48:12 & 16, “(12) Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last….Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me. 
  4.  Revelation 22:13, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

Jesus Is the Eternal God and Creator

Psalms 102:24-27, “(24) I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.  (25)  Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.  (26)  They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:  (27)  But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.”

The writer of Hebrews, in chapter 1, quotes this passage and applies it to Jesus:

(8) But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom….(10)  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:  (11)  They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;  (12)  And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

Jesus Is the Mighty God

Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Jesus is Wonderful in His person, in His glory, in His Beauty, in His mystery:

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).

 He is the Counselor in whom is hid all the wisdom and counsel of God.

He is Mighty God, One True God, God the Mighty One.

He is the everlasting Father, the Father of the everlasting age, the Father of eternity.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace: The word “peace” here is more than just being made whole, safe, prosperous, well or complete.

It also has to do with recompense, or payment given to make an action or transaction complete.

So, the atonement is the payment made by the Prince of Peace.

Revelation 1:7-8, “(7) Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.  (8)  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Jesus Is the True God

Jehovah is called “the true God”

Jeremiah 10:10, “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God…”

Jesus is called “the true God”

1 John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

He Is Emmanuel, God with Us.

Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

  • Immanuel = with us (is) God[1]

Matthew 1:18-23, “(18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.  (19)  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.  (20)  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  (21)  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.  (22)  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,  (23)  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

  • Emmanuel = God with us[2]

He Is Lord of lords

Deut. 10:17, “For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible…”

Revelation 17:14, “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”

1 Timothy 6:14-16, “(14) …keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:  (15)  Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;  (16)  Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.”

Jesus is the Lord from Heaven: “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:47).

Jesus is Lord of all:

  • Acts 10:36, “The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)”
  • Romans 10:11-13, “(11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.  (12)  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  (13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
  • The name of the Lord is Jesus.

Jesus of Nazareth

The Christ – the Anointed One – Messiah

Jesus Christ

Lord Jesus Christ

If you have the Name tonight you have life.

John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

If you have life in your body, then you have blood.

Leviticus 17:11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

If you have the blood of Jesus you have remission (pardon, freedom, deliverance, forgiveness, liberty)[3].

Hebrews 9:22-28, “(22) And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.  (23)  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  (24)  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:  (25)  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;  (26)  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.  (27)  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:  (28)  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

Jesus is our Prince of Preace – our atoning agent

He paid the price to complete the transaction that would redeem us from our sins and reconcile us to the Father.

That is why when we speak of Jesus being Jehovah, God manifest in the flesh, we also speak of His Name.

Philippians 2:5-11

(5)  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

(6)  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

(7)  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

(8)  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

(9)  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

(10)  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

(11)  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is Jehovah

[1] Strong’s. H6005.

[2] Strong’s. G1694.

[3] Strong’s. G859.

Categories
Bible Teaching

The Ultimate Expression of Redemption

Exodus 6:1-9

1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:

3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.

5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.

6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

John 1:1-14

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

The national sin of slavery existed within the boundaries of the present USA for over 200 years. 

It has been nearly 157 years since the slaves were set free in our nation in 1865.

It is nearly impossible for men and women who were born in this modern era in these United States to know what it really means to be a slave.

To Be A Slave

To be a slave…

  • There must be a slave master
  • An individual is forced, against their will, to serve another/others.
  • Force will be used, fear, and punishment
  • Deception will be incorporated to gain slaves
  • A price will be agreed upon to possess a slave
  • Lies told to cloud the reality of the horror of slavery
  • A slave master will use the way of the whip (to drive the enslaved), the threat of the auction block (to place more fear of loss), and murder (life isn’t precious only the commodity)
  • The slave’s mind is brainwashed to destroy his ability to think for himself… 
  • The loss of the sense of self
  • Slaves in the USA had no family names of their own, but they were known by their master’s name.[1]

To Be A Slave

They called it a “slave coffle.”  This was a line of slaves chained together and then marched by the slave trader to some town where these enslaved humans would be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Treated as merchandise – – as a thing, a unit of economic power – – men and women suffered at the hands of other humans because their skin color, their helplessness and their place of birth.

The children of Israel were enslaved by Pharaoh in Egypt.  The Egyptians kept these children of promise in bondage, and their cry, groans, & sorrows were heard by the Lord.

God sees your state. 

He’s aware of what it is that enslaves you.

He knows where you are right now.

He has heard your cries, seen your tears and is touched by your condition

Job said, “…He knoweth the way that I take…” (Job 23:10).

Hebrews 4:14-16

(14)  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

(15)  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

(16)  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

He knows what it’s like to be tempted by the false allure of sin.

Many in this room have face a harsh taskmaster…

They have felt the whip of the driver…

But…those same people are here today as witnesses to the freedom that Jesus gives. 

People who were once enslaved by:

JealousyEnvyHatred
DrugsAlcoholGambling
PornographyIllicit RelationshipsCigarettes
GossipingBack-bitingStrife
Digging up the pastTale-bearingLying
Playing the busybodyArrogancePride
LustSelf-righteousnessLooking down on others
Spiritual superiorityBad attitudesAnger
BitternessSicknessDisease

There are saints here right now who know what Jesus meant when He said, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Are you free? 

Do you really want to be freed from sin?

What do you want to be free from?  Hell?

Lust? Pride? Arrogance? Ditch Digging?

These chains of unrighteousness are indicators that you still need to be set free from sin’s enslavement.

Signs that while you may be free in some areas, you are still in need of deliverance in others.

Gal. 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

Do you groan out to God for freedom from the slavery of sin and satan? 

Do you want the bonds of sin to be broken from your life?

Do you cry out in your bed of oppression at night?

Does the oppression and overwhelming habit of sinful activities, habits, and behavior leave your mind with no peace?

The psalmist wrote (Ps. 6:6-7), “I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.”

The beautiful hope we have tonight is that Jesus has redeemed us out of the slave market of sin.

He has bought us, freed us, and declared us His people, not His slaves, but His adopted children.

And because we are His children we have access to the benefits of redemption.

When the Lord brought the Hebrews out of Egyptian slaver He declared Four Expressions of Redemption (Ex. 6:6-7):

  1. I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians
    • Jehovah brought the Israelites out of Egypt and took the burden of slavery from off their shoulders.
    •  Jesus will bring you out of the world of sin and lift the burden of guilt that sin has set on your shoulders.
    • You no longer need to suffer when Jesus frees you from sin.
  2. I will rid you out of their bondage
    • The LORD delivered the Israelites from the chains of slavery.
    • Jesus will deliver you from those addictions and behaviors that seem to hang on you like chains.
    • Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
  3. I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments
    • God showed Himself strong for the Israelites, revealed Himself to them by His redeeming name (Jehovah/LORD), and brought judgment on Pharaoh in Egypt and at the Red Sea.
    • Jesus wants to show you His love and compassion by freeing you from the penalty of sin, by revealing His true nature to you, and by bringing judgment on those things that have enslaved you for so long.
    • Isaiah 53:1-5, “Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
  4. I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians
    • The children of Israel are known as God’s people – – the children of promise.
    • Because of Jesus, we are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).

When Jesus redeemed you, He paid the purchase price for your release.  Your freedom was purchased by another and it includes:

  • Healing (Physical, Spiritual, & Emotional)
  • Victory over sin
  • Salvation
  • Eternal Life
  • Deliverance

Jesus frees completely and wholly, not partially or half-way.

Jesus wants you to be free in your spirit, soul and body: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

There’s no use trying to sidestep the issue. You’re either free, or you’re not – holy, or not – right, or not.

If you need, want, desire, long for freedom, Jesus is here to free you.

If you’re free then you need to remind yourself of who you are:

  • You are the head and not the tail (Deut. 28:13)
  • You are above only, and not beneath (Deut. 28:13)
  • You are more than a conqueror (Ro. 8:37)
  • You are a peculiar treasure (Ex. 19:5)
  • You are a citizen of a holy nation (Ex. 19:6)

Lionel B. Fletcher wrote, “The thoughts that are welcomed in our minds…are a reflection of our true selves as we appear in the sight of God.”[2]

Sometimes, the slave trader, that old enemy the devil, comes to kidnap a free born citizen of the kingdom of God.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Once you find freedom, don’t forget where God has brought you from.

Jesus met with some Jews one day and found that they’d forgotten their origin and who it was that delivered them from slavery. 

Jesus ignored their obvious mistake and went to the heart of the matter – – their slavery to sin.

John 8:30-36,“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Jesus properly identified satan when he said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). 

The devil is a slave master who wants to take from you all your strength, vitality, purpose, and destiny; but Jesus is The Ultimate Expression of Redemption for you today:

  • He alone is the spoken Word made flesh. 
  • He alone is the Savior and Redeemer
  • Isaiah 49:26, “All flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.”
  • Isaiah 43:11, “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”
  • The word “LORD,” refers to Jehovah.  This is the redeeming name of God in the Old Testament. 
  • When the angel told Mary that the child in her was to be called Immanuel he was signaling that He who was to be born was “God with us.”  This simply means that Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ of the New Testament.
  • He alone is the “express image” of God (Heb. 11:1-3).
  • “There is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Tim. 2:5-6).
  • 1 Tim 3:16, “…God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
  • “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)

Listen to me.

You are not a slave. 

You are a child of God. 

Your current condition is slavery. 

You were created and destined to have dominion over all the earth.

In the book To Be A Slave, Julius Lester shares this true story:

Eliza was a pretty girl.  Her master was her father and her mother was a slave.  When the girls in the big house had suitors come to visit them, they’d ask, “Who is that pretty gal?”  So they decided to get rid of her right away.  The day they sold her, at the auction block, they stripped her to be bid off and looked at.  The man that bought Eliza was from New York.  The slaves in the community had enough money together to buy her freedom, but they wouldn’t let that happen.  There was a big Swedish man there who bid for Eliza that day as well.  He always bid for the pretty slave girls and bought them for his own use.  He asked the man from New York, “What you gonna do with her when you get her?”  The man from New York said, “None of your business, but you ain’t got money enough to buy her.”  After the man from New York paid for her, he turned, looked at Eliza and said, “Eliza, you are free from now on.”[3]

Jesus is in the freeing business (John 8:36):

  • “So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free.” (NLT)
  • “So if the Son frees you, you will really be free!” (The Complete Jewish Bible)
  • “So if the Son of Man sets you free, you will really be free.” (New International Reader’s Version)

Jesus came to Nazareth one day and opened the scroll of Isaiah and read:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:18-21).

The Ultimate Expression of Redemption is Jesus for He came “to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28).

[1] Lester, Julius. (1968). To Be A Slave. Dell Publishing Co. Inc.: New York, NY.

[2] Fletcher, Lionel B. (1933). The Pathway to the Stars. Hunt, Barnard & Co., Ltd: London, England. p.25.

[3] Lester, Julius. (1968). To Be A Slave. Dell Publishing Co. Inc.: New York, NY.

Categories
Bible Preaching

Freedom’s Hope

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 7/3/2022, 10:00 AM

Text: John 8:31-38

(31)  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

(32)  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

(33)  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

(34)  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

(35)  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

(36)  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

(37)  I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

(38)  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

Freedom’s Hope

She is the Statue of Freedom and she is bolted to the top of our nation’s Capitol Dome.

FREEDOM: Achieved[1]

[A]ll persons held to service or labor within the District of Columbia

by reason of African descent are hereby discharged and freed.”

— D.C. Emancipation Act, April 16, 1862

T he Statue of Freedom was cast from Crawford’s plaster model at Clark Mills’ foundry in the District of Columbia. In 1859 an Italian craftsman demanded more money for the job. Mills then turned to one of his enslaved men, Philip Reid, to separate the five sections of the plaster model. Reid then worked on casting the sections in bronze. Once the casting was completed in 1862, workmen erected the statue section by section atop the Capitol Dome. The final section was bolted in place on December 2, 1863 with thirty-five guns firing a salute to Freedom. If Philip Reid was present on that day, he was there as a free man. The D.C. Compensation Emancipation Act had ended slavery in the District of Columbia on April 16, 1862.

FREEDOM: Phillip Reid and the Statue of Freedom[2]

“I have endeavored to represent Freedom triumphant.”

— Thomas Crawford, 1855

The nineteen-foot six-inch bronze statue of Freedom crowns the cast-iron Dome of the Capitol. Sculptor Thomas Crawford’s second design represented Freedom as a female figure clad in classical robes, bearing a sheathed sword and shield, and wearing a liberty cap.

Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, a slaveowner from Mississippi who would later become president of the Confederacy, objected to the liberty cap “as the badge of a freed slave” and suggested that Crawford change the statue’s headgear to a helmet. The sculptor followed Davis’s instructions, and Freedom wears a helmet composed of an eagle’s head and feathers. Neither Davis nor Crawford could know that an enslaved African American would play a critical role in casting the statue.

The statue of Freedom was cast from Crawford’s plaster model at Clark Mills’s foundry in the District of Columbia.  After an Italian craftsman in 1859 demanded more money for the job, Mills turned to one of his slaves, Philip Reid, to separate the five sections of the plaster model.  Reid then worked on casting the sections in bronze.

Once the casting was completed in 1862, workmen erected the statue section by section atop the Capitol Dome. The final section was bolted in place on December 2 with thirty-five guns firing a salute to Freedom. If Philip Reid was present on that day, he was there as a free man. The D.C. Emancipation Act had ended slavery in the District of Columbia on April 16, 1862.

What a juxtaposition, a contrast, an irony…

The sculptor, Thomas Crawford, designed her, and Jefferson Davis had him make changes to her because of the symbolism of freedom her first design represented to the slaves.

The Italian who cast her mold was greedy and demanded more money. So, Clark Mills, the owner of Mill’s Foundry, turned to his slave, and in between 1859 and 1862 this slave worked on Freedom.

Philip Reed, a slave, was responsible for separating the molds and then casting the five sections in bronze.

Those sections were then bolted, one section at a time, to the top of the capitol dome.

On December 2, 1863, the last section was bolted and Freedom stood “triumphant in war and peace.”

By the time the last bolt was tightened Philip Reed, and all the slaves in the District of Columbia were freemen and freewomen.

The U.S. Congress freed them on April 16, 1862.

Could the Hope of Freedom been the force behind Philip Reed’s careful and expert work of the Statue of Freedom.

Perhaps, Freedom as an ideal moved him along his given path.

He was enslaved bodily, but his mind and heart and soul were free.

I’m not free, yet, but one day…

Then that one day came and was free.

What does it mean “to be free?”

Thayer’s Greek Definitions:

  1. freeborn
    1. in a civil sense, one who is not a slave
    1. of one who ceases to be a slave, freed, manumitted
  2. free, exempt, unrestrained, not bound by an obligation
  3. in an ethical sense: free from the yoke of the Mosaic Law

Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries: “unrestrained (to go at pleasure), that is, (as a citizen) not a slave (whether freeborn or manumitted), or (generally) exempt (from obligation or liability): – free (man, woman), at liberty.”

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/free:

  1. enjoying personal rights or liberty, as a person who is not in slavery: a land of free people.
  2. pertaining to or reserved for those who enjoy personal liberty: they were thankful to be living on free soil.

Freedom is Liberty

There is a freedom beyond chains and physical bondage.

It comes only from Jesus Christ.

The Lord has planned our release, and it is foreshadowed in the Old Testament in the way:

“At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD’S release….And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day” (Deuteronomy 15:1-2, 15).

But, Israel didn’t keep the Law of Release, the Law of Freedom, and they were judged for it:

Jermiah 34:17, “Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.”

Isaiah 58:6, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?”

True Freedom has happened when:

  1. We are released from all the chains of wickedness, wrong, iniquity
  2. The heavy weights of sin and the burdens of the past are removed
  3. We free the broken, bruised, crushed, discouraged, oppressed, and the struggling.
  4. We break every oppressive bond of enslavement.

Freedom is here for you today: Luke 4:16-21

(16)  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

(17)  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

(18)  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

(19)  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

(20)  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

(21)  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

Today is your Day of Hope, your Day of Freedom – Freedom’s Hope

After his freedom, Philip Reid signified his new found freedom by changing the spelling of his last name to “Reed.”

Today, you can also have a name change as you receive your freedom.

John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

[1] SOURCE: https://uschs.org/explore/from-freedoms-shadow-freedom/. Accessed: 7/3/2022.

[2] Ibid.

Categories
Bible Preaching

When Two Worlds Collide

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 3/23/2022, 7:00 PM