For March, we’ve been in
a series called “People of
the Presence”. In this series we’ve been exploring the reality that
we are meant to be carriers of the presence of God in our own lives and to our
cities. We carry the Presence in every part our life and not just in the
areas that we deem sacred or religious. Today we’re going to conclude our
series with an interesting idea: (2 Corinthians 3:17)
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“Now
the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
This one verse has only
17 words, but there lies a profound truth about the nature of our Father… He is
Freedom! In His presence there is provision for our deliverance, for our
liberation, for our freedom. Today we want to unpack this reality that People
of the Presence live in Freedom!
Dilemma
But the truth is, I think most of us miss how much FREEDOM we are supposed to live
in. Most of us have missed the point of
this week (Passover/communion). We’ve celebrated it as a chance to
look at the death of Jesus… which is ok. But in my experience, most believers
have used it as a chance to be reminded of their sin(s). That totally misses the point!! This week is about reminding us of our
FREEDOM.
Today,
I’d like to take our time together and look at “4 Pictures of Freedom”
PRAYER
PICTURE #1 – THE LION **slide with pic**
One
of my favorite stories growing up was the Lion, Witch, Wardrobe. I was first
introduced to the story through a cartoon movie (Aslan and the flowers) my dad
gave me the book… PBS did an amazing miniseries… but the story came to life in
a new way a few years ago through the Disney Movies.
Set
the story – 4 children thrusted into a new world of magic – left war into war –
everything seemed hopeful as long as Aslan the Lion lived – but then He is
KILLED.
MOVIE CLIP
The
witch, the children, and all of Narnia did not understand that “even DEATH
would get turned backwards” on itself when the lion;s BLOOD was on the table for someone
else’s crimes.
Lucy
and Susan suddenly discovered the truth of the FREEDOM they had when Aslan
comes back to life. Think about it, they thought “wow a lion would be super
helpful in a war of men & animals.” But they’d missed the power and depth
of what he could do.
The
beavers had told them he was the King and the Creator, but they didn’t
understand. BUT, after His resurrection, they suddenly realized that Aslan had
power over everything… even the creative laws of the universe. His very
presence with them in this epic battle created a surety and a Freedom that was
unexplainable.
Which
leads us to…
PICTURE #2 – THE PASSOVER **slide w/pic**
At
the end of the 10 plagues of Egypt, God does an interesting thing. He plans a
dinner with His people…really. Think about it, the Jews have been in captivity
for 400+ years. They have no hope. God sends them a stuttering leader with a
stick. All of the sudden terrible stuff starts happening in their homeland…
blood, frogs, bugs, boils… some stuff hits them, but eventually it seems that
God is apparently ticked at the
Egyptians.
Then
Moses tells them this…
Exodus 12:3b “… every man shall take a lamb according to their
fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small
for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number
of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the
lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take
it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth
day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall
kill their lambs at twilight.”
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Got
it everyone? I know things look crazy, but before you freak out too much… let’s
have a giant BBQ… and just to make things weird, we’ll kill all the meat at the
same time…?
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Everything
in the OT is a picture for us… the picture is the same as the Lion… take this
meat that is “without blemish” and sacrifice it. But then God/Moses tell the
people to take it another step.
7 “Then, they shall take some of the
blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which
they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on
the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.
·
Think
about this picture. There were 100s of 1,000s of people having a giant BBQ over
roasted fires…
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but
the big kicker (this is not health code approved) … they smear the blood from
their raw meat all over the door of their homes… more like a horror movie than
a celebration of Freedom?
·
But
at this point, what it is is an act of Faith that Freedom is coming
soon!
11 In this manner you shall eat it:
with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your
hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. 12 For I
will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of
Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign
for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass
over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the
land of Egypt.
Here
comes this amazing promise of God: Death
& judgement are coming, but not for my children…
·
I’m
going to plague Egypt
·
I’m
going to judge their people
·
I’m
going to judge their animals
·
I’m
going to take care of all of the demonic strongholds of that world
·
I’m
going to do it quick, tonight, and I will jealously rescue my people
14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as
a feast to the Lord; throughout your
generations, as a statute forever,
you shall keep it as a feast.
The
Israelites were meant to live as a Free People… reminded yearly that even the Angel
of Death had no ability to destroy their lives. The PASSOVER was to be a
CELEBRATION!!! Why? Because it is easier to focus on your problems than your
FREEDOM. The Israelites had lots of problems after the Passover.
·
The
Red Sea
·
No
Water in the Dessert
·
Enemies
on every side
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Sometimes
they even carried their “slavery mindset” with them afterwards
And
here’s God… don’t forget what I CAN
DO… every year, sacrifice the lamb… every year, put the blood on the
doorposts… every year, take your focus off of your problems and put them on ME…
on the FREEDOM that I’ve given you.
Remember
that my presence is with YOU. Remember it is I, and I alone, that can FREE you
from even the worst situation.
Fast
forward a couple of thousand years, and you get to…
PICTURE #3 – THE SUPPER **slide w/pic**
Jesus
has been living his life for 30+ years. And, for the last 3, He’s been teaching
and healing and leading in public. He’s been marching towards Jerusalem with
1,000s of followers who believe He will be FREEING the people once again from
slavery… from the Roman persecution.
In
fact, the timing is just right. It’s Passover Week. It’s time for the Jewish
people to pull out the Lamb… get out the Unleavend Bread… its time to put the
blood on the doorposts of the house AND remember how God once did something? NO,
it’s actually time to remember their FREEDOM… but they don’t feel FREE.
At
the traditional Passover Feast, there are 3 Cups of Remembrance passed around
the table on that evening… on the final cup, Jesus does something different
this time…
·
Jesus
changes the covenant à 1 Corinthians 11
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23 For I received from the Lord what I
also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed
took bread, 24 and when he
had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25
In the same way also he took the cup,
after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as
you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Jesus
was telling the disciples… hey remember the Passover? We are going back to the FREEDOM
of that moment… in fact, this is even better than that… you’re celebrating my
sacrifice, not just the freedom of a spotless lamb, but the FREEDOM that will
come when I am sacrificed for YOU
MY BLOOD is going up for you!
·
Why
is this so powerful? Because Jesus’ sacrifice is eternal J
Hebrews
9 12 JESUS entered once
for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but
by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the
blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes
of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without
blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
You
remember how good FREEDOM from Egypt was?! This is Freedom for eternity!!!
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25
Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy
places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to
suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has
appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice
of himself.
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Do
you hear it?! This Pssover is a passover not just of death, but it is an
eternal Passover of everything you’ve done wrong
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All
sin, all condemnation, all worry, axiety, fear, disease, broken relationship
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I’m
making you FREE from everything!
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COMMUNION
FRIENDS,
We are free… we have nothing holding us back…
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The
author of Hebrews tells us not to spit in the face of the sacrifice made for us
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Rather
we live as those who have NO Bondage any longer
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Rather
we live as those who release the power of the covenant into every situation
Hebrews
10 tells us just how amazing our Freedom is… just how amazing it can be to be a
People of the Presence… just how amazing our NEW reality is on this side of our
slavery… on this side of our bondage… on this side of the cross.
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11 And every priest stands daily at his
service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away
sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand
of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool
for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
WE ARE the final PICTURE of Freedom!
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15 And the Holy Spirit also bears
witness to us; for after saying, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with
them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and
write them on their minds,”
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17 then he adds, “I will remember their
sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18 Where there is forgiveness of these,
there is no longer any offering for sin.
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Friends, Freedom is your birthright as people
of the presence.
We are meant to live FREE… walk FREE… act
FREE… and one of our favorite pictured of Freedom is this: PICTURE
#4 – BAPTISM *slide w/pic**
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This week is NOT about remembering everything
you’ve done wrong.
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This week IS about remembering everything
Jesus has done for you.
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This week is NOT about remaining conscience
of your sins.
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This week IS about remaining conscience of
your FREEDOM.
