True Freedom - The Nature of True Freedom

[00:00:00] We're going to read everything's well known this evening. A very well known story. In one Samuel, chapter 17, the first book of Samuel, chapter 17. [00:00:12] I'm going to read in the new English Bible, one Samuel 17. [00:00:24] The Philistines collected their forces for war at mast. At Succor in Judah, they camped between Sokor and Ezekar. At Ephes, Damim, Saul and the Israelites also massed and camped in the Vale of Ilah. They drew up their lines facing the Philistines. The Philistines occupying a position on one hill and the Israelites on another, with a valley between them. A champion came out from the Philistine camp. A man named Goliath from Gath. He was over 9ft in height. He had a bronze helmet on his head and he wore plate armor of bronze weighing 5000 shekels. On his legs were bronze greaves and one of his weapons. [00:01:12] I'm sorry. Yes. On his legs were bronze greaves and one of his weapons was a dagger of bronze. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam. And its head, which was of iron, weighed 600 shekels. And his shield bearer marched ahead of him. The champion stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, why do you come out to do battle, you slaves of Saul? I am the Philistine champion. Choose your man to meet me. If he can kill me in fair fight, we will become your slaves. But if I prove too strong for him and kill him, you shall be our slaves and serve us here and now. I defy the ranks of Israel. Give me a man, said the Philistine, and we will fight it out. [00:02:03] When Saul and the Israelites heard what the Philistines said they were shaken and dismayed. [00:02:10] David was the son of an ephrathite called. Called Jesse, who had eight sons. By Saul's time, he'd become a feeble old man. And his three eldest sons had followed Saul to the war. [00:02:22] The eldest was called Elia and the next, Abenadab. And the third, Shama. David was the youngest. The elders. The three elders followed Saul while David used to go to Saul's camp and back to Bethlehem to mind his father's flocks. Morning and evening for 40 days, the Philistine came forward and took up his position. Then one day, Jesse said to his son, David, take your brothers and if out of this parched grain and these ten loaves of bread and run with them to the camp. These ten cream cheeses are for you to take to the commanding officer. See if your brothers are well and bring back some token from them, Saul and the brothers and all the Israelites were in the vale of Allah fighting the Philistines. Early next morning, David left. Someone in charge of the sheep, set out on his errand and went as Jesse had told him. He reached the lines just as the army was going out to take up position and was raising the war cry. The Israelites and the Philistines drew up their ranks opposite each other. David left his things in charge of the quartermaster, ran to the line and went up to his brothers to greet them. While he was talking to them, the Philistine champion, Goliath, came out from the Philistine ranks and issued his challenge in the same words as before, and David heard him. When the Israelites saw the man, they ran from him in fear. Look at this man who comes out day after day to defy Israel. They said, the king is to give a rich reward to the man who kills him. He will give him his daughter in marriage too, and will exempt his family from service due in Israel. [00:04:02] Then David turned to his neighbors and said, what is to be done for the man who kills this Philistine and wipes out our disgrace? [00:04:10] And who is he? An uncircumcised philistine to defy the army of the living God. The people told him how the matter stood and what was to be done for the man who killed him? His elder brother, Eliab, overheard David talking with the men and grew angry. [00:04:27] What are you doing here? He asked, and who have you left to look after those few sheep in the wilderness? I know you, you impudent young rascal. You've only come to see the fighting. David answered, what have I done now? [00:04:42] I only asked a question typical of a younger brother. What have I done now? I only asked a question, and he turned away from him to someone else and repeated his question question. But everybody gave him the same answer. What David had said was overheard and reported to Saul, who sent for him. David said to him, do not lose heart, sir. I will go and fight this Philistine. Saul answered, you cannot go and fight with this Philistine. You're only a lad, and he's been a fighting man all his life. David said to Saul, sir, I am my father's shepherd. When a lion or bear comes and carries off a sheep from the flock, I go after it and attack it and rescue the victim from its jaws. Then if it turns on me, I seize it by the beard and batter it to death. Lions I've killed, and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine will fare no better than they. He has defied the army of the living God. The Lord, who saved me from the lion and the bear, will save me from this philistine. Go then, said Saul, and the Lord be with you. He put his own tunic on him, placed a bronze helmet on his head, gave him a coat of mail to wear. He then fastened his sword on David over his tunic. But David hesitated because he had not tried them, and said to Saul, I cannot go with these because I have not tried them. So he took them off. [00:06:15] Then he picked up his stick, chose five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which served as his pouch. He walked out to meet the philistine with his sling in his hand. [00:06:30] The Philistine came on towards David with his shield bearer, marching ahead. And he looked David up and down and had nothing but contempt for this handsome lad with his ruddy cheeks and bright eyes. He said to David, am I a dog, that you come out against me with sticks? And he swore at him in the name of his God. Come on, he said, and I will give your flesh to the birds and the beasts. David answered, you have come out against me with sword and spear and dagger, but I have come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the army of Israel, which you have defied. The Lord will put you into my power this day. I will kill you and cut your head off and leave your carcass and the carcasses of these Philistines to the birds and the wild beasts. All the world shall know that there is a God in Israel. [00:07:28] All those who are gathered here shall see that the Lord saves neither by sword nor spell. Spear. The battle is the Lord's, and he will put you all into our power. [00:07:42] When the Philistine began moving towards him again, David ran quickly to engage him. He put his hand into his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell flat on his face on the ground. So David proved the victor. With his sleeve and stone, he struck Goliath down and gave him a mortal wound, though he had no sword. Then he ran to the philistine and stood over him. And grasping his sword, he drew it out of the scabbard, dispatched him and cut off his head. Philistines, when they saw that their hearer was dead, turned and ran. The men of Israel and Judah at once raised the war cry and hotly pursued them all the way to gath. And even to the gates of. Of Ikron. The road that runs to Shaarim, Gath and Ikron was strewn with their dead. On their return from the pursuit of the Philistines, the Israelites plundered their camp. David took Goliath's head and carried it to Jerusalem. Leaving his weapons in his tent, Saul had said to Abner, his commander in chief, when he saw David going out against them. That boy there, Abner, whose son is he? By your life, your majesty, said, Abner, I do not know. The king said to Abner, go and find out whose son the lad is. When David came back after killing the Philistine, Abner took him and presented him to Saul. With the Philistines head still in his hand, Saul asked him, whose son are you, young man? And David answered, I am the son of your servant, Jesse of Bethlehem. [00:09:31] Well, I want this evening just to dwell a little more upon the last point we made on Sunday morning. I do hope all of you were there on Sunday morning. [00:09:47] However, even so, it doesn't in one sense matter, because the last point is quite important and stands on its own. I was talking about freedom. [00:09:56] What is true freedom? We talked of false freedom. Freedom is a word now used everywhere, I suppose it's one of the great key words of the 20th century, and it certainly is a word that is much used amongst Christians at this moment, that we should be free. What is our freedom? And so on. I spoke a little about the fact that Christ died to set us free, and then I spoke of false freedom. I'm afraid there's an awful lot of that amongst us Christians. It's just simply the permissive society, christianized christian yippies, that's all. [00:10:34] And then we finally began to speak about true freedom, but we were unable to spend too much time on that. And what I want to do this evening is to go back over that point, starting just there. In Galatians, chapter five and verse one, we read these for freedom did Christ set us free. Stand fast, therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. Verse 13. For ye brethren, were called for freedom only. Use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through love be servants one to another. [00:11:31] The very meaning of our salvation is freedom. [00:11:36] It is inherent within our new birth. We are born free spiritually. We are not born slaves to this world, or slaves to one another, or slaves to circumstances, or slaves to Satan or those dark hosts. We are born free. And this is the very air Jerusalem breathed, the Jerusalem which is above, which is the mother of us all. The air of that Jerusalem is free. It's in the bloodstream of all her sons. You will remember we spoke about that. We quoted the previous chapter to this verse 26 of chapter four of Galatians. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother. And verse 31. Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the free woman. [00:12:29] We're not children of the slave, but we are children of the free woman. It's in our blood. [00:12:38] And that's the very meaning of our conversion, the very meaning of our salvation. The very meaning of our birth. From above. We are free. Now, what is this freedom? [00:12:51] What does it mean? [00:12:54] There are five things that it's freedom from. [00:12:58] From sin, from self, from Satan, from this world and from fear. [00:13:12] Perhaps you can remember that the fingers of your one hand. [00:13:16] Freedom from sin, freedom from self, freedom from Satan, freedom from this world, freedom from fear. [00:13:33] Now, all these five things, this fivefold freedom is given to us at our salvation. [00:13:45] It is inherent within our birth. Let no one tell you that you've got to wait for some wonderful day in the future to be free from Satan or free from fear or free from this world or free from self or free from sin. Of course not. [00:14:05] The very meaning of your conversion is that you have this fivefold freedom. [00:14:12] Now let's just look at a few scriptures and ask ourselves what we mean. First, freedom from sin. [00:14:20] Romans, chapter six. [00:14:23] Romans, chapter six, verse 18. [00:14:28] And being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness. [00:14:38] Verse 22. But now, being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification and the end, the object, eternal life, being made free from sin and become servants of God. [00:15:07] Freedom from sin. [00:15:12] If you turn to revelation, chapter one and verse five, the last part of verse five, we read unto him that loveth us and loosed us from our sins. Now, that's a lovely word. In the authorized version, they have gone by another manuscript, and you have the word washed us. Isn't that right? [00:15:42] But you'll see in your english revised, your american standard version, your revised standard version. Phillips and the new English Bible, that they have all translated either as loosed from your sins or freed from your sins. [00:15:59] And the whole thought is that the blood of Christ not only washes us from the stain, it looses us from the whole burden. [00:16:09] We are actually separated from our sins. [00:16:14] Someone else has borne them, and someone else, like the scapegoat, not only died, but carried them out into the wilderness, into oblivion. Do you remember on the day of atonement, one goat was slain and the other went out into the wilderness into oblivion. And the idea was, you watched your sins going into oblivion. [00:16:40] It was as simple as that. Loosed from our sin. Now, you may think this is kindergarten stuff, spiritual, but believe me, I am now old enough in tooth to have discovered that amongst christians, I would say 80% of their troubles come from an evil conscience, a conscience of evil. [00:17:08] In other words, I would put it as high as 80% of the troubles that bother christians. Rob them of their joy, rob them of their rest, rob them of their peace, rob them of their inheritance, are the fact that they have never fully realized or seen that God has justified them. [00:17:33] We think of justification as something that belongs to the kindergarten in evangelical circles. So often we go on to deeper things. [00:17:42] But unless we have, as Luther was at pains to tell us again and again, the solid foundation under our feet of justification, our sanctification will be very wobbly as soon as pressure comes on us, as soon as the enemy turns his attention upon us, he can show up the weaknesses loosed from our sins. Do you know it? Do you really know it? Have you ever seen the Lord Jesus Christ not only dying in your place, but bearing away your sins into oblivion? [00:18:19] Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. [00:18:31] Think of it. That's God's promise to us. They your sins shall be as white as snow. Is there anything more different than crimson and whiteness of snow? But God says, the crimson sin will become as white as snow. [00:18:51] Or again, in Isaiah, that was Isaiah one and chapter 18. But in Isaiah 44 is the chorus we used to sing at Sunday school goes, and verses, verse 22 and three, the Lord says, I blotted them out as a thick cloud. [00:19:08] I blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins return unto me. For I have redeemed thee, I have blotted them out. And the apostle Paul says that the Lord Jesus, in his death on the cross, blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us. All those things that accused us, blotted out. [00:19:32] Why, it's inherent within your birth. If you have taken the lamb of God, if you have received the Lord Jesus Christ into your life, you are justified. God has acquitted you. Not just reprieved you, he's acquitted you. It's just as if you never sinned. It's just as if your whole record was perfect, as perfect as the Lord Jesus Christ. It's as if God says, let me see that man's tasteful. Let me see his history. And there he has the history of the Lord Jesus Christ, who went round doing good, in whom there was no sin. God says, I find no sin in him. I find no sin in her. I have only the case book of my son. This is your history. God has exchanged your history for his son's history and made your history, his son's and his son's history, yours. [00:20:23] You're freed from your sin. [00:20:28] We could spend a lot of time perhaps talking about this, but oh, my, what a lot of problems come up. However, we'll wait till a little later, if we get to it, and we'll talk about one or two of those kind of problems that do come up. The second thing you're freed from, it's inherent within your salvation itself. Ah ha. Now this is where our problem is. [00:20:51] Our sins have gone. But what about that old self? Because we all make the mistake that it's the ugly part of self that's been dealt with and that that beautiful, noble self of yours has now been released to trot along happily in the path of life. [00:21:07] But we discover if we're going to go on with the Lord, that it's a total crucifixion. And it's not just a sweet, noble, beautiful little part of I that is allowed to, but every part of I has been crucified with Christ, the good and the bad. Because it's like leaven that, leaveneth the whole lamp, the things in the whole thing. Once you've got yeast in the flour, you can't separate the yeast and the flour ever again. [00:21:35] And God says, it's no good. Out with it. And so we read in Galatians 220, I have been crucified with Christ. [00:21:44] Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live. I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Think of that freedom from self. What has God done? What has God done? He's not only freed you from sin, he's freed you from self. If you could only see it with the eyes of your heart. If you could only just see what God has done with that old self. Always trying to serve the Lord, trying to flog things, you know, pushing you into this and that and the others. The old self life. If you could only see that it's been dealt with. [00:22:29] There's not a question of christianizing the old self, dressing it up and giving it nice vocabulary and then introducing it into christian work and into christian circles and into christian service. But God has said, I've dealt with it. It's finished now. It is Christ in you. Ah, but you sort of say to me, just wait, I don't understand this. Of course, I have got this suspicion that the christian life is all death. I got that idea. I don't know where I got it from. But somehow it seems natural to us all to believe that the christian life is a bit of a miserable thing. [00:23:03] That is, only if you're going on. [00:23:06] If you're prepared to flit around in the shallows and have a good whale of a time, it can be quite happy. That's what the devil tells us. But you get into the deeps and all, you're in for trouble. Misery upon misery, sorrow upon sorrow, suffering piled upon suffering. A way of darkness without relief. Well, we all got this idea, and often this verse is sort of. We feel subconsciously, as evidence for it, I have been crucified with Christ. But, you know, listen to it. That's just the way. Like, you know, we like sticky paper. We catch everything. You know, that cello tape, if you've ever tried. I'm no good at it. I always leave it to Margaret because if I start, I get it stuck here and here and here and here and around on everything. And many of us are just like that. Everything sticks to us. [00:24:01] But listen, the dark side sticks to us. Everything that's dark sticks and everything that's glory departs. But listen, I have been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. [00:24:23] And then it goes on. Just help me with you. In my mind. I'm getting old. I forget. Now I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. [00:24:39] Liveth in me and the life which I now live. I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. The whole emphasis is life. [00:24:55] It's freedom from self, which always brings death. [00:24:59] So to the flesh, you of the flesh reap corruption. That doesn't just mean physical, it means sow to self centredness. And you of self centredness reap corruption. Sow to the self life and of the self. Life. You will weep. Death and corruption. It's so simple. [00:25:18] You're freed from that awful law of sin and death so that you might know eternal life. The life of God in Christ, the life of the spirit. You might know fullness of God. [00:25:32] What does it mean? The Lord Jesus said, he that loseth his life the same shall gain it. And he that holds on to his life. The saints will lose it. [00:25:44] He said, if any man follow me, come after me. Let him take up his cross, deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Then he said, if any man lose his life for my sake, in the gospels, the same shall die. If you hold on to it, you lose it. [00:26:08] Inherent within your birth is the fact that yourself, freedom, there is freedom from yourself. [00:26:15] So the more you hug yourself, the more you are living a contradiction. You come under condemnation because you are living something which is a contradiction to your very birth and salvation. [00:26:30] All right. So simple. Well, you say yes, but that's the problem. She. I don't. Well, there you are. You're not free. If you could only see what the Lord Jesus has done. It's not that. It's got to be done. It's been done. [00:26:46] I have been crucified. Not as in the authorized as now. Yam. That's right. But it's in the past, continuous. I have been crucified. [00:26:58] I am crucified because I have been crucified. [00:27:02] When Christ was crucified, I was self centredness, self consciousness, self dependence or independence. We often call it self aggrandizement. All these things belong to the self, life and how they come into christian work and how they become the source of irritation. [00:27:24] Some people go so down. Why? Because they feel they should be something. See, they've got ideas, ambitions. You see, they want to be something. And then when they see others going up, oh, then see others going forward, they get so upset, become dark and moody and heavy and irritable. And it all comes from this whole self. [00:27:48] Much more. [00:27:50] Well, we must go on. And there's freedom not only from self, but there's freedom from Satan. Colossians 113. [00:28:00] Colossians 113. [00:28:05] This is inherent within your conversion, within your birth, spiritual birth. Who delivered us out of the power of darkness and translated. Translated us into the kingdom of the son of his love. Transferred is the revised standard version. Transferred into the kingdom of his dear son. You're out. [00:28:26] So it's a lie to say that the devil just says you do so and so and so and so and you can't do anything about it. You're not under. If you're a child of God, you're not under the power of darkness. The very meaning of the cross is that you have been transferred from the authority or power of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear son. [00:28:55] So do remember that. Never take on the devil in a slanging match. [00:29:01] But remember the devil has no place or hold on you at all. Now, we've got to be realistic. You may say to me, yes, but he has. Right, but he has got a hold on you. Just so long as you believe it. [00:29:20] Just so long as you believe that the devil's got a hold on you as a child of God. He's got that hole. But the moment you say he hasn't, the blood of Jesus Christ cancels out that hole. The finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ frees me from his domain. I'm not under his power or authority. That moment you're free. Now someone may say to me, ah, but isn't that rather trite? [00:29:44] Surely if someone's given ground to Satan, they can't just say, ah, I'm not under bondage. I'm not in bondage. Quite right. But the first step is to get you free. [00:29:55] You've come into bondage. The first thing is for you to be free. The second thing is to close whatever ground has been given to Satan. Now, let me explain as an illustration, supposing in your office, you. I'm thinking now, the christian brother, he's in an office and he gets very friendly with one of the girls also working in the office. She's a married woman. [00:30:22] And gradually they get attracted to each other. Before long, a relationship developed into an elicit relationship. [00:30:34] That brother loses all his testimony. We don't know what's happened, except that we see that he just is miserable. Whenever he comes to anything to do with the work of God, he's under a cloud, but we don't know what it is. [00:30:55] He's come under bondage. He can't pray, he can't praise the Lord. Rightly, quite right. He's under condemnation every time. If the Lord is present in the gathering, every time the Lord's present, he feels awful, yet he can't break it. [00:31:14] Every day he goes deeper into the bondage. He just cannot break it. [00:31:23] Now, the first step out of that is to see that he's not in bondage, that the Lord Jesus has cancelled out the bondage. That's the first thing. The second thing is the power to break the illicit relationship. [00:31:40] Absolutely like that. But he can't do it till he's free. [00:31:45] You ever heard of a captain being able to really do anything? Of course not. He's got a chain. First the chains got to go, then he's free. [00:31:54] How can any man fight if his hands are chained? [00:32:01] Do you understand now what I mean? Free from Satan. [00:32:05] So don't wait. Let the devil whisper. I always marvels at this, he whispers in your ear, if there's anything wrong in your life, wait for some sudden marvellous flash of light. [00:32:16] It would come. [00:32:19] And what it means is, in the meantime, enjoy yourself. [00:32:24] You can't do anything. Rubbish. The first thing you know in your heart. I know in my heart what is wrong. The first thing is to say, I'm in bondage. [00:32:35] But I'm not in bondage. I've been transferred from the. The authority of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son. [00:32:44] The blood of the lamb cancels that out. Then look to God for power to break. Whatever it is. [00:32:54] You are free. [00:32:56] You are only in bondage to Satan for as long as you believe it. [00:33:05] This is exactly what the law meant when he said, stand fast. Therefore, in the freedom with which Christ has set you free, you see, so long as you believe you're free, you are free. [00:33:21] Well, Satan, then. This world. [00:33:25] Freedom from this world. Let's look at one John, one John, chapter two. [00:33:33] I might, perhaps I ought to add, but I shall say in a moment that sometimes bondage to Satan comes from our past. [00:33:40] Sometimes we become christians and we're not even conscious of things that have come from temperament, background, history, circumstances before even our birth. [00:33:50] A lot of times when we suddenly become aware that this oppression or depression or whatever it is, is something that comes from the past. It's got to be cut off in the. The name of the Lord. Now you're free, you may need the ministry of the church. In that matter, you may need to go to the church. I don't mean to the whole church necessary, but to the brothers, to elders and so on. And to say, I believe that something from my past is oppressing me. [00:34:18] All they do is they don't do anything. Some people seem to think that certain brethren have magical qualities. You know, waiver one sort of overview and immediately it happens. What rubbish. All we are are mouthpieces for God. We tell you what's already been done. We say, of course you're free. Of course you're free. And in the name of the Lord Jesus, we free you. [00:34:41] It's no magic. We are declaring something which is truth and the devil can't bear the truth, for the truth frees. [00:34:52] It's as simple as that. [00:34:54] And so it is with that now, the world, freedom from this world. That's also inherent in your salvation. One John, chapter two, from verse 15. [00:35:07] Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life is not of the father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away and the last thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. [00:35:31] Now, many of us, we have some basic bondage to this world. [00:35:39] Now will you please make sure that you've got the clear distinction? Love not the world, neither the things that are in it. Do not make the terrible mistake of lumping the two things together. There are things in the world we could speak of the cinema, the theater. [00:36:01] We could think of objects that we possess. We could think of money. We could think of a home. We could think of a house. We could think of a car. These are all things of the world. [00:36:13] We are not told not to have the things of the world. What we are told is not to love the things of the world. In other words, to put them before God. [00:36:23] For the scripture says, covetousness is idolatry. [00:36:30] So get that clear now. What is the world then? Because most people think of. Ah, believe me, I remember when I was a young hearing again and again things about separation from this world. And I lived in an atmosphere where no one smoked, drank, went to a cinema, theatre, even opera, anything. Ballet. My word, that was sin. You didn't even go to a rugby international. The whole thing was this world and you were separated from it as Philip Stick, rouge or anything like that was out. Earrings were absolutely from hell. Although strangely enough, necklaces were somehow or brooches were absolved from this condemnation. It's a most strange sort of business. I remember the very first occasion when a missionary film was about to be shown and two of our deacons resigned on the spot and never again entered the door of the church. [00:37:30] What a rumpus there was over the first missionary film we had because it was of the devil. It was introducing the devil into the church. [00:37:38] I remember our poor old pastor Alan Redpath standing up and saying, how can cellular be either evil or good? [00:37:49] How can a projector be either evil or good? Surely it's what we show on it and who's behind it that's either good or evil. Well, of course now today the same people all trot off to watch Billy Graham films. Those days we would have all been excommunicated for the very thought of even enacting Billy Graham film. [00:38:11] However, I'm just telling you, we thought of that as the world. Yet I'm afraid to say, no fault of the ministry, but I'm afraid to say that the world was as much present amongst us and in us. [00:38:31] I saw people go for each other in church meetings and nearly throttle each other. [00:38:37] Now, that may seem a dreadful thing, but it's exactly true. Why? I was so shaken as a youngster and went into darkness for two years. Because of some of the things. It was the world. The very same. People never smoked. They hardly knew how the world thought or ticked. [00:38:55] But the world was there. Don't tell me that separation from the world just means that you stop doing a few externals, chuck out the television and the radio and even a newspaper and then you're otherworldly. [00:39:09] The world is inside. Jealousy, hatred, envy, lust, duplicity, deceitfulness. All those things. That's the world. No, it says love, not the world. [00:39:26] That is the principle of the world. [00:39:30] The system by which the world lives. The basis for its life. Self centredness. Again, self aggrandizement. Here, you've got it. [00:39:39] The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life. [00:39:44] That's the principle of the world. Don't love it if you do. The love of the father's not in you. [00:39:51] But then we come to the problem, don't we? That though we agree with this, all of us up here, there's something in here that draws us to the wall and we all say, quite right. Quite right. I was disgusted by that poster I saw the other day on the bus. Or I was disgusted by that review of that film fancy showing and things like that. And then in our own home, we lose our temper or we find jealousy inside our own hearts. It's the world. [00:40:32] If we take John's interpretation of this, the world passeth away and the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. He is just saying that anyone who doesn't do the will of God, it's a world thing and that finds us all out. [00:40:49] Anyone that doesn't do the will of God is a worldling. Why don't they do the will of God? Why don't they do the will of God? Why don't they joyfully, willingly, voluntarily from the heart, do the will of God? Because they love the world and the things they do in the world. That's why. [00:41:09] Because there is a battle between God and mammon. [00:41:17] They're trying to serve both equally. And there's a battle. [00:41:21] Their loved one despise the other. [00:41:31] But inherent within our birth, in our salvation, is freedom from this world. [00:41:37] God will do the work for us. Now, don't get me wrong. But God will do the work for us. If once there comes into our heart a recognition that the world, the. There's something wrong with the world, we've got to be free. Well, God will do the work for us and free us from that thing. You understand? [00:41:56] It's again a recognition and fear. Freedom from fear. [00:42:01] Look at two Timothy, two Timothy one seven. [00:42:09] For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness, but of power and love and discipline. Oh, what a word that's needed everywhere today. I'm afraid he didn't give us a spirit of fearfulness, but of power, of love and of discipline. [00:42:30] So anyone who speaks of any real experience of the Holy Spirit, and there's not discipline very soon in that life, it is hogwash, absolute hogwash. [00:42:45] The Holy Spirit is the spirit of power, of love and of discipline. [00:42:50] And as soon as the Holy Spirit starts to come into a life and has his full sovereignty and way in that life, power, love, discipline. [00:43:04] By this we can judge it by their fruits. You shall know the Lord Jesus gave us the unfailing law. Romans chapter eight, verse 15. [00:43:14] Here we have it again. [00:43:17] For ye receive not the spirit of bondage again unto fear, but ye receive the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. You haven't received the spirit of bondage to fear. [00:43:33] As if God loves his children to be in a perpetual state of cringing all the time underneath. No, no, no. You have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Relationship. [00:43:54] Look at chapter, same chapter, verse one. There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walks not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Do remember that the authorized version has that in. And all the other versions have cut it out because they say that some dear Christian added it in for the sake of clarity, because he recognized that christians could come under condemnation and live under condemnation unless they walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. Is absolutely true. [00:44:28] Don't think it's this. There is therefore now no condemnation. That is the fact. [00:44:33] But the practice is this, that if you walk after the flesh and not after the spirits, you will know condemnation. For there's something. All that I'm saying to you in your own heart, this isn't right. This isn't right. This isn't right. So you're under condemnation and then the devil. It's not the Holy Spirit. The devil comes to you and says, Humph, you're a contradiction. And something in you says, yes, right, your condemnation. [00:45:01] And with condemnation comes fear. [00:45:04] For if you turn to one John chapter four and verse 18 we read, there is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath punishment or condemnation of the word. [00:45:19] And he that feareth is not made perfect in love. [00:45:23] Fear complexes, inhibition, our background, our circumstances. Oh, so many things. Fear. [00:45:37] Oh, the fears of God's people. [00:45:40] How some little tiny fear can hold a person in absolutely bondage for a lifetime. How some complex or some little inhibition can hold a person absolutely in bondage. And doesn't the devil know it? If he can't get you any other way, he'll get you on that complex, he'll get you on that inhibition, and he'll magnify it and blow it up. He'll inflate it until it fills your whole vision and you feel, I can't serve the Lord. I can't prove praise the Lord. I can't pray in public, I can't go out fishing, I can't do this, I can't do that. Until finally he's put a wall right around you and you're absolutely finished. [00:46:22] Fear. [00:46:26] The more negative you and I become, the more fearful we become for you notice in all these scriptures that you don't receive this spirit of fearfulness or fear that you have received. [00:46:44] Well, now then, that's a fivefold freedom. You're free from sin, self, Satan, the world, this world. And fear. [00:46:57] If you'll only believe it, you're free. [00:47:02] You will fear just so long as you believe you're in bondage to it. [00:47:09] But the moment you believe and know that the Lord Jesus Christ has broken that bondage to fear, whatever it may be, you'll be free. [00:47:22] But now let's just look on the other side. What are you? Free. What is this freedom for, freedom from, but freedom to. And here is the most important part of all five things again. First, you're free to serve the Lord. [00:47:41] You're free to lay down one's life, your life for God and for others. [00:47:49] Thirdly, you're free to be changed into his image. [00:47:54] Fourthly, you're free to be yourself in Christ. [00:47:59] And fifthly, you're free to glorify God in your life and circumstances. [00:48:06] Now just let's quickly, in our remaining moments, look at these, and perhaps if the Lord will talk next week about this whole problem of complexes and causes and symptoms to serve the Lord. Exodus, chapter seven, verse 16. You remember how again and again Moses had to go to the pharaoh and say, let my people go, that they may serve me. [00:48:36] Their freedom was for service, that they may serve me. Matthew, chapter three, verse 16 and 17. You remember when the Lord Jesus went down into the waters of baptism and as he was baptized and was coming up out of the water, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit came down like a dove upon him. And the voice of God was heard saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. What was it all about? [00:49:05] The Lord Jesus Christ knew the ministry of the Holy Spirit in order to serve God. [00:49:15] Simple as that. [00:49:17] Now then, what is this freedom for? It's not freedom just to sit around and enjoy ourselves. Freedom from responsibility, freedom from discipline, freedom just for self satisfaction. This kind of thing that's running all over the country at present. The idea being that like christian yippies, we just come together simply and only cast out everything else and just enjoy. I believe there's a place for enjoying the Lord more than just a little place where men to enjoy them. But do you really mean to tell me that the christian life is so self centered that all it is is a question of just please yourself, alleviating every bit of discipline, whatever it is, corporate or personal? Of course not. We know very well and something in us tells us it's false. [00:50:07] This freedom is that we might serve the Lord. [00:50:11] And what does that mean? It means that you are free to own his lordship. Do you, have you ever known that bondage? All of us do at the very beginning. We're just absolutely bound. We cannot somehow make him Lord. We know we ought to. We know he should be lord. But we can't do it, we're bound. [00:50:30] Freedom to own his lordship. Freedom to do his will. [00:50:37] Never had a battle about the will of God. Something holds you back. You know jolly well well you should go that way or that way or that way. You know it. [00:50:45] But something holds you back, you're bound. Freedom to do the will of God. [00:50:52] And then again, freedom to testify. [00:50:58] Just to be able to open your mouth at the right time and speak for him naturally, spontaneously, normally, freedom to function. It's all part of service. [00:51:11] When you know that the Holy Spirit wants you to contribute something in a word of praise or prayer or some other way, you're just free to do it. [00:51:22] Now. Don't say ah, the Lord's got to do it. Just wait. The Lord's done it. This is part of your freedom. This is part of your salvation. If you'll only believe it, you're free to serve the Lord. Has the Passover lamb been sacrificed or not? Of course he has. 2000 years ago. Then you're free. [00:51:42] You're free. Don't wait for some blood to be spilt. [00:51:46] It's been spilled for you. [00:51:49] You're free to serve the Lord. How much more we could talk about there? Just the question of building one another up. Just free to do it. Instead of all bound up inside one thing will so and so think this will. [00:52:01] And all the rest of it, all tents up inside, bound, free to serve the Lord. [00:52:12] Isn't it interesting? Again and again it freed from sin that ye become servants of righteousness, free being made free from sin and become servants unto God. Or again here, brethren, ye are called unto freedom in Christ. Only. Use not your freedom to for an occasion to the place, but by love. Serve one another, free to serve like that. And then secondly, you're free to lay down one's life. Now look again at some of these scriptures. John 1224. [00:52:50] John 1224. [00:52:55] Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone. But if it dieth, bringeth forth much fruit. Verse 25, he that loveth his life loseth it. He that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me. And where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will the father honour. Now surely if you've gone a little way in the christian life, you've known one thing, that there's a situation somewhere. You can't have gone very far as a Christian if you haven't come up against this. You're in a situation where, you know you should fall into the ground and die, but you can't. [00:53:42] You know you should go the way of the crops. You know you should let go. You know you should just die if you like, but you can't. [00:53:55] True freedom is the ability to die in any situation at any time, anywhere. [00:54:02] Wouldn't you love that kind of freedom? Well, it's yours. [00:54:06] Don't wait for something, it's yours. Christ has died to give that to you. Just that his life is in you. How did the Lord Jesus go into the waters of that when he committed himself to the cross? [00:54:19] By the life and nature of his father in him, he just simply went in and accepted it. And all the way through he said, I don't do these things. My father in me, my father in me, he went right the way through. Now listen. The same life's in you. [00:54:35] The life that chose to be born at Bethlehem is in you. The life that chose baptism is in you. The life that went through three years of incessant service is in you. The life that endured the contradiction and gainsaying of sinners is in you who, being reviled, never reviled again. It's in you, this same life by the spirit of God. [00:55:01] Now think of that. [00:55:05] The life that went into Gethsemane faced the worse and said, not what I will, but as thou wilt is in you. Oh, I say it. I trust before God. Humbly. I've had to find that time and again. I couldn't make the decision myself, but I just had to say, lord, you went through Gethsemane and you said it. You're in me. [00:55:29] We'll go through on this. I can't, but we're going through because I've got another life. My old life would say not, certainly not back. Let them all suffer anyway. [00:55:42] But no, there's another life and another nature that says you can't do that. [00:55:48] You commit yourself the ability to die, the ability to deny yourself, to have no rights or proof, privileges, to take up your cross and follow him. You see, people say, I can't, I can't, I can't. There's no such word. You don't want to. [00:56:11] It's not I can't. It's I shan't. [00:56:14] Which isn't in the english language, but it's a good word for many. I shan't. [00:56:21] It is true, because the Lord in your birth, and you know it in your heart, in your birth, inherent in your spiritual birth is the ability to die. [00:56:32] If a God could open your eyes to this freedom, it would change your circumstances. You'd go back to those circumstances in this, thank God I'm dying. [00:56:42] And there's such a lot to come out of it. The ability to let go, the ability to let. To just die, the ability to be nothing. [00:56:50] So and so says you're not. [00:56:53] Everything in you rises up and says, how dare. [00:56:59] And then at the next prayer meeting, you say, lord, we are nothing. [00:57:05] Now you can say, it doesn't mean, of course, anything at all. Let someone else just simply say, you're nothing. And everything in you rises up. It's the ability to really be nothing, to step back and say, well, all right, the ability to be anything. I sometimes think that's harder than to be nothing. [00:57:27] To be nothing is one thing, but the ability to be anything. Someone wants to stuff you there or push you there, and they get you to do the work, they get the glory. [00:57:39] And you say, I'm not going to be treated like that anymore. [00:57:44] It's not right. [00:57:46] It's devaluing human dignity. [00:57:50] We all feel like this at times, but the Lord sees it. My word. One day, the first is going to be last. The last are going to be first. Why? Because the Lord says, now, then so and so got the glory for that. It has nothing to do with them at all. We're going to reverse that up here. [00:58:08] Well, of course, because God is righteous. [00:58:11] God was. Have we reversed that? Oh, sir, a lot of empty wind. All that adulation of so and so and so on, as if they. It was so and so who did it all. And I saw it, and I saw the spirit, and I saw the way that they took it. And now they're going to have the glory. [00:58:27] Oh, yes. Be no, make no mistake about that. [00:58:33] Freedom to be anything. Freedom to take responsibility. [00:58:38] Freedom to take responsibility. [00:58:42] Some people are frightened of responsibility. [00:58:45] Oh, the wonderful thing. When the Holy Spirit comes upon us and we're free for the first time, to be responsible. Instead of sitting there on the periphery, waiting for everyone else to do the battle, we go out like David and say, who has defied the army? [00:59:03] We're in it. [00:59:06] Not cheering from somewhere high up on the crest of the hill, ready to flee down the other side. If the battle goes the other way, we're in it. [00:59:18] Freedom to take responsibility. Freedom free to be in a ministry of Travail. Now, this doesn't come to war, but, oh, what a wonderful freedom it is that God gives us a freedom to voluntarily, in a free, willing way, go into a ministry of Travail with him. [00:59:38] This is the freedom that God has given us. [00:59:43] I don't hear much of this kind of freedom preached, I'm afraid. But it is real freedom. This is the freedom we see in the Lord Jesus, who said, I laid down my life. Authority to lay down. I have authority to take it again. [00:59:56] It wasn't that he was being pushed into the cross. He said, no, no. I faced it, and I taken it. [01:00:06] I'll travail both, Marco. Soon my flesh shrinks from it, but I'll go through. Now that life's in us, there are something of the afflictions of Christ to be filled up for his body. [01:00:19] There's that fellowship of his sufferings to be entered into willingly. Because you're free, not because you're. Oh, let's finish this once and for all. This kind of idea that some people give. Oh, you know, oh, it's terrible. Whenever they come in and go out, you smell burning. It's singeing clothes and singeing here. They've been in, in the fiery furnace and you can smell it a mile off. They sit there and after a while you get the impression of the christian life is the most fearful thing, especially the young ones. They look at some of these older ones and think, oh, no wonder. Some of them wonder, is it worth going on? [01:01:07] Is that what lies ahead of us? [01:01:11] I don't just mean older in age, I mean older in Lord. [01:01:16] I mean, it's a tragedy because in actual fact, that's not so. It's not that you've been cornered by the Lord into some dreadful ministry that you hate from the depths of your heart, but like Jeremiah, you've chosen it because God has chosen you. [01:01:36] You can't get away. There's a fire in your bones. [01:01:41] Don't think that anyone will ever get to heaven and say, oh, Lord, I did suffer terribly down there. I really did everything for you. And my word, it was dark. [01:01:53] Not at all. The Lord will say, well, you've got your reward. [01:02:01] You saw to it that the. The whole church saw your condition. And so they all said, dear, so and so, how he. How she bears the burden. Well, you've got your reward. [01:02:15] No, the Lord said, when you fast, and this is the same thing when you fast, see that you wash your face, comb your hair and look as bright as a button. [01:02:28] So that people think about you and say, what a nice cushy time so and so has. [01:02:35] They're always so bright and cheerful. Never have a bad time. You know you do that, says the Lord, and I'll give you such a reward one day when we draw aside the veil and people say, never. [01:02:51] I never thought she had a care in them. Well, no, I mean that that's the kind of freedom, free to be able to enter into something where the Lord is the help of your countenance and your God. [01:03:06] And of course, freedom for sacrifice and freedom for discipline. [01:03:12] That's a wonderful thing, isn't it? To be able to enter into discipline freely and then freedom to be changed into his image. We read in two corinthians 318 that we be changed into his likeness by the Lord the spirit. [01:03:26] We've already read in verse 17 that where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And what is this liberty for? It's to change us from glory to glory. As we watched the glory of the Lord reflected as in a mirror into the same image changed. Freedom to be changed. Now, some people, they don't mind being saved so long as it's all in the past. [01:03:54] I've got it all. [01:03:56] So now you can just sit pretty, sing lovely hymns and look forward to that rosy, blissful picture when one day you're going to be in heaven and when all that's wrong in life is going to be put right. [01:04:12] Oh, my dear friend, that's not freedom. Freedom is to forget the things which are, are behind and to press on toward the things that are before. To lay hold on that for which you have been laid hold on by Christ. That's it. To press on toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. That's the freedom we've got, freedom to run a race, freedom to be changed from glory to glory, so that we're all the time moving, moving with God and discovering more and more deeply what is our ours in him. Oh, if God could only do such a thing. This means a deep facing up to realities. It says in Romans 829 that we've been predestinated to be conformed to his image. What a wonderful thing, the whole predestinating power and authority and sovereignty of God behind changing me. Why should I step out of that? [01:05:10] Why sidestep the predestinating power of God? And you can do it and say, no, no, no, I don't want to be changed. [01:05:24] I want my own little complexes. I want my own little problems. Some people are like hermit crabs. They've got so used to the shell they've crept into when they were young that to yank the shell off first would do the most terrible damage. [01:05:39] You know the kind. I remember brother Shaw years ago writing a little thing which was going to become a book, which I don't think ever has, on the relationship of parasites and the creatures they live on. Oh, it was fascinating. That little bird that picks out the bugs in the rhinos hide and elephants hide and the hippo, what a loving relationship they have. Do you know that even a crocodile keeps its mouth and opens it wide so that little bird can go up and down and pick his teeth? [01:06:15] Anything else he does. [01:06:18] But there's such a relationship between this little parasitical bird and, you know, oh, there are so many other things where the parasite so has the parent, or not the parent, but the host has got so used to the parasite that they can't do without it. Now, some christians are like that. They've got so used to their complex, so used to their problem, that they spend the whole time saying, oh, if I could only be delivered. If I could only be delivered. And everyone runs round and round in circles, poor so and so, poor so and so. And they come to oh God, see, to bypass me. I've tried everything, I've gone here and I've gone, ah, it's a lot of rubbish, it's lot of nonsense. [01:07:05] The point is this, God knows in his loving mercy that to take away that complex would nearly kill him. [01:07:14] I mean, we laugh but it's absolutely true. God knows in his loving mercy why it's a lot of, it's just all facade. If I really stepped in and took away that complex, they would weep. [01:07:32] And in actual fact they don't really want it to be touched. Freedom to be changed. [01:07:39] And yet we've got to be, you know, to go on, we've got to be. And it's the freedom to say, yes, lord, all right, it means you've got to face up to realities. [01:07:49] Now, I shall not mention this brother's name, but there was a brother here who has come for years who has a most colossal problem. He cannot accept the divinity of Christ. I'm sorry, not a brother. [01:08:02] He cannot accept the divinity of Christ. But he comes and he comes and he comes and he comes. And every visiting speaker we've ever had, he's come to see him. And I have been present. Sometimes I've heard the same old things, all the experiences of the past, all the problems and how I think these people are so dear people, and I would love to come but, but I cannot, I cannot, I cannot accept the divinity of Christ. And I shall never forget he met his waterloo with Paco Tarvianus. He went in and I spent 1 hour pouring out the whole story to Pak Octavians who listened because he couldn't get in a word in edgeways. For 1 hour we were there for part of it. I had to go because of others to be able to get others done. [01:08:51] And then when I went back, I was just in time to see the door open and this gentleman out and I went in and pack. Octavianus was on the mantelpiece weeping with laughter. And I said, whatever's happened? Well, he said, he went on and on and suddenly I said, now listen here, you don't have to go on for one moment longer in this terrible misery. I can put you out of your misery right now. He said, you can't leave. Right. He said, I'll bind this spirit of unbelief. And he said, within one moment without him shouting out the door, now that's an unsaved person. But this just shows us what we're all like. [01:09:38] You see, once we came near to anyone who thought, we thought, oh my goodness, they're going to do it. [01:09:46] Oh, and we're all like that. That's one of the reasons why every time the spirit of God moves, it's quenched. [01:09:52] Because so many are violent. All. [01:09:56] Maybe. Maybe now it'll happen. [01:10:01] Oh, God, he's so merciful and so loving. He understands us all. And I have no doubt that times a smile must go pass over the Lord's face when he sees the antics of his dear children that he loves so much. [01:10:17] Well, I mention this, it is the freedom to be changed. But look, our time's gone. I will just mention these other two things. [01:10:26] It's freedom, of course, to be changed. And that means deep seated complexes dealt with education, discipline. [01:10:36] You can't be changed. That discipline. You know, God doesn't do it for you. [01:10:41] He comes right in. But my word, there's freedom to be yourself in Christ. [01:10:47] Just to be yourself. One corinthians 15, verse ten says, Paul said those words so often, I'm afraid used for support of something quite wrong. But here it is. But by the grace of God, I am what I am. [01:11:03] By the grace of God, I am what I am. And he amplifies that in Romans, chapter twelve and verse three, he says, for I say through the grace that was given me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think by, but so to think as, to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to each man a measure of faith. Be what you are. [01:11:27] Don't try to be a loser. [01:11:31] If you're not, be what you are in Christ. [01:11:40] Now, we have to be careful here. In revelation, chapter one and verse nine, John knew something that many christians would be frightened to introduce into any message or any ministry. I John. Or we would say, now, that's very wrong. Should have kept himself out of that fancy, bringing himself in like that. I John. But it's even more wonderful if you look at the verse before. I am the alpha and the omega, saith the Lord. Isn't that lovely? The Lord says I am, and John says, I am. [01:12:12] And you know, in the relationship, the saved relationship of those two, you have the gospel. [01:12:21] I am I John. [01:12:25] God doesn't obliterate your personality. [01:12:29] God doesn't obliterate the real I. He just makes the big I a small I in Christ. C h r I I esteem I the big eyes being crucified. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ. [01:12:46] The big eyes become a small eye. [01:12:49] Be yourself. [01:12:51] Oh, if only you could be yourself. That's why I read that marvelous story of David. [01:12:58] What a wonderful lady was. [01:13:01] I've always wanted to meet David. [01:13:03] I shall one day. [01:13:08] I would very much like to have seen him as he was. Of course, not as he is, because it interests me. I'd love to have seen what kind of lad he was as he went out. When you read the new English Bible version, it's just terrific, isn't it? And he was obviously a very normal lad. [01:13:26] What have I done now? He says to his elder brother, who evidently was used to getting on to him. Impudent young rascal, he called him. So that shows you. That's a little window into David's sort of soul, life character. [01:13:44] But how wonderful it is when he goes out, he's free to be changed. [01:13:52] Paul drapes on him all his arm and, you know, poor Saul was. That was a six footer, probably about six foot four, huge man, hidden shoulders above everyone else. So he puts on his tunic and it must have almost draped. [01:14:11] Then he pulls it up, probably tied it. [01:14:16] Then they put on the coat of mail. [01:14:18] Can you imagine? [01:14:21] And then the sword might have quant and poor old David starts to sort of move if he can. [01:14:33] But he hesitated. He was ready to be changed if it was God's will. He'd been used to a sling, he'd been used to stones. He didn't say out of none of that. That's arrogance. [01:14:45] No, no, no. He let the king, he let old Saul dress him all up in this stuff and he hesitated. It says in the new English Bible, he hesitated because he hadn't tried it and then finally came out with it. Do you mind, he said, very much, if you take all this off. I've not proved it. I've never tried the stuff. [01:15:07] What he was, it was the enemy's cunning plan to send David out in secondhand armour in something that wasn't his. [01:15:21] But David was saved by his openness to the road and he went out, what he was just a shepherd lad with his sling and his pouch and his few stones. [01:15:38] Oh, there are so many christians in the armor of another, dressed up in the clothes of another, draping all round, tripping up over them, completely impeded by them great soups of mail that weigh them down. You can almost see it. [01:15:57] They can hardly lift their hands up for prayer. And as for getting the sword out, the. I see that it says of David when he cut Goliath's head off, that it says he. He grasped it, which means it was pretty big, and threw it out. You say, well, I'm a. We read that story because it's a picture of being yourself. [01:16:22] Some people think that if they could put on Spurgeon's armor and go out against the devil, they'd win the battle. Rubbish. A lot of them are trying to do it, unfortunately. Some people think that if they put on the Puritan's armor and go out, they'll win the battle. [01:16:37] Not so. Other people think that if they put on some dear person that's meant a lot to them, put on their armour, they'll win the battle. I just look like them, talk like them, act like them, I'll win. Must do they fight the devil, so if I look like that, I must. Do you think the devil is so unintelligent? [01:17:01] He knows when he sees a saul in his armour and he knows when he sees a David in a saul's clothing, he says, what's this? [01:17:13] Don't you see that? [01:17:15] Now, this freedom to be yourself doesn't mean that you're free to just be a boar. [01:17:23] Free to be an awful weight and burden. Oh, I've heard this used again and again. Someone's got a bad temper and they've picked up about it. They're pulled up by it and they say, oh, well, that's me. Well, that's disgraceful. [01:17:45] Or someone was sort of loose in some way. They said, oh, that's me. [01:17:49] That's disgraceful. [01:17:53] There's no excuse. You can't hide behind this. [01:17:58] It's what you are in Christ. [01:18:02] You must be yourself in Christ. Unfortunately, all of us are ourselves in the flesh. [01:18:11] That's the tragedy. [01:18:14] It's being ourselves in Christ. We've got a wacking spiritual inferiority complex. We're quite sure that if we, if I'm sort of little timmy, just on myself, no, no, no. I must be, like, wrong. [01:18:33] But if I'm wrong, I'll get somewhere. [01:18:37] I can't be Timmy. But I was born Timmy and I was saved Timmy. [01:18:44] God didn't save Ron in Timmy, he saved Ron in Ron and saved Timmy and Timmy. Don't you get it? [01:18:55] And now God says, oh, dear, dear, dear. Now what's happening? Timmy is trying to be wrong. As if I hadn't got not enough. [01:19:06] One wrong, one Timmy, one love. [01:19:13] But you know what I mean. Forgive the just playing, but you understand what I mean. The point is, God says, well, I've got Ron. I've saved Ron. Now I can deal with Ron because Ron is Ron. But if Timmy's going to become Ron, I've got to spend half my time trying to get Timmy to be Timmy. [01:19:29] Now you laugh, but this is half the problem with us all. God spend such a lot of time just letting us to be ourselves. [01:19:37] You, God can never be himself till you are yourself and just to be yourself what you are in Christ. If you've got only a little bit, thank God for that and say, this is all I am. I haven't got much, but I've got this little bit of the Lord. Praise God for that. That's the measure of faith you've got. Well, I think we must leave it there just simply to say, to glorify God. Freedom to glorify God. Oh, what a lot we could say, but we'll perhaps leave it till next week. [01:20:10] It's so wonderful to glorify God. Freedom to glorify. Some people can't glorify God. I don't just mean with the lips. That's wonderful. Oh, yeah. [01:20:20] But to glorify God in your conduct, your behavior, so that through all the vicissitudes of life, you're actually glorifying God. Free to do it. [01:20:34] That's wonderful. [01:20:37] It says that God may be glorified in all things. That's how the apostle Peter put it in chapter 4417 of his first letter, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, free to glorify God. Like that. [01:20:56] The psalmist Moses, in only one psalm he composed said, let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us. That's glorifying God. [01:21:09] What it means is that other people look at you and I say, oh, isn't the Lord wonderful? [01:21:17] That's a lovely thing, isn't it? Don't be too discouraged. It comes in wonderful ways. [01:21:23] The Lord himself said, so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father, which is in heaven. And the Lord Jesus prayed in his great prayer that I may be glorified in them as being in the world. Glorified in them. And, oh, we could go on and we go. Don't be too discouraged. Let me just close with an experience that I had some years ago. I was going through the most terrible experience up to that point I had ever gone through things wrong. The devil seemed to be in charge of everything. So it seemed to me the work here seemed to be forsaken by God. We seemed to just see decrease on every side. We had. Some people who seemed to be inspired by Satan were just out to destroy everything. Oh, it was terrible. [01:22:25] I had a very dear friend who was very, very concerned and an older sister, and she was so concerned lest I break under the strain. And so she phoned and said, you must come and stay with me for a few days. Well, as it happened, it was just right. And I went to stay for these few days. And one morning she said to me, would you care to come with me for lunch today? My sister would be joining me. I think it would be nice. We'll take a drive. And so off we went. [01:23:00] Oh, what conflict there was in my heart and mind in every way. [01:23:06] In her study, she had one little thing by Amy Carmichael. [01:23:11] My peace. [01:23:13] I give up. [01:23:17] But I'm afraid I didn't feel I had much peace at that point. Well, there we were sitting down at lunch, and this sister of my friend suddenly said, just as we're about to begin, she said, you know, I can't help but say I've never seen such peace in the face of a young man. Well, I must tell you, I nearly swallowed my soup. [01:23:55] I sort of just blinked. [01:23:58] And she just put her hand on mine and said, how do you do it? [01:24:05] Well, she might ask, because at that point it was really. I was not conscious of peace at all. Now, some of you had the same experience last week when some friends of Bill Richards came in, one of the big meat importers in Old street in London then came in for a cup of tea, and they wanted just to see Val. I remember sitting there, his wife said. Well, she said, the piece in this house is incredible. I remarked upon it to my husband the moment we came in. But she said, the things that bah. Excels at, the thing that's so stuck with us is the peace in all of you. [01:24:45] I'd never seen even those two young men upstairs, she said, speaking of Bob and Paul. They had peace in their faces. Now, that had been a dreadful day here, full of tensels and everything else. Isn't that amazing? That's for your encouragement. You see, we grow used to the peace of God in such a way that it's only as one dear brother once said to me, when you'd only know you how great it was, how deep it was if it was taken away. [01:25:17] Isn't that wonderful? [01:25:19] Now, that's what the Lord does for us all. Freedom to glorify him. Now, if I believe the enemy, I would say I've got no peace. I've got no peace. I've got no peace. I've got no peace. And before long I would start to see but I had got peace. It took an unsaved person to remind me and I was so amazed when we got back to my friend's home, I said, do you know I'm amazed? Yes. She said, wasn't that wonderful? [01:25:47] That's the law, I said. You could say that again. [01:25:54] It was. [01:25:58] You see how wonderful that is? Well, there we are. Freedom. We've got this freedom where there are problems. Let God deal with the problems. Don't let's get all bound up in unbelief. But let God deal. Next week we'll just talk perhaps a little bit about the complexes and the symptoms that we see that have got causes. And where sometimes we want the symptoms removed are not the causes. And the whole point of the truth shall make you free is we have to face the causes. The truth, not about symptoms, but about the causes. And when we face that truth, we're free. [01:26:35] Well, now, let's just pray, shall we? Our Lord, we've gone on rather long tonight, but, oh, we do pray that thou wilt write this upon our hearts. We are a free people. But, o Lord, how few of us really enjoy our freedom. Thou saidst stand fast, therefore, in the freedom wherewith Christ to set you free. O Lord, do help every one of us to believe what is true. [01:27:02] And if, dear Lord, we are strangers to freedom practically. O, may thy holy spirit come upon us. May we know that where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. [01:27:16] And where the Lord the spirit is at work, there is liberty. O Father, we just together lift up our hearts to thee now in praise and in prayer and ask thee that thou wilt take these words and write what is of thyself upon our hearts and lives. We ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus.