How would you explain to a person who has known nothing but a life of slavery...what it’s like to be ‘free’?

I can only imagine what some of those conversations had to have been like in the ‘slave quarters’ that existed in this country years ago, when parents talked to their children who were ‘born into slavery’...trying to describe to them what it was like before they had become slaves themselves and brought to this country and forced to serve their white ‘masters’.

Or better yet...imagine being a member of those federal troops who made their way into Galveston, TX in 1865 to free the approximately 250,000 blacks who were still being held as slaves, despite the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation that freed them two years earlier...and informing them they no longer had to live as slaves given the fact their freedom was granted. Meanwhile...people scoff at folks who want to celebrate Juneteenth Day, while they themselves love to celebrate Christmas; go figure.

I bet some might think I’m getting confused talking about another ‘holiday’ that is celebrated in June...while we are only a day away from celebrating Christmas. I would simply make the case that the ‘good news’ those troops brought to those enslaved blacks in 1865 is along the same lines of ‘good news’ that the angels announced to those shepherds who were tending their sheep at night. And it’s the same ‘good news’ found in the gospel of the kingdom which Jesus came preaching. The very word ‘gospel’ literally means...’good news’.

Friends- that good news is: Freedom Has Come! The sad news is: Many if not most have not been enlightened to what that good news is or even means. You don’t have to live as ‘slaves’ anymore. And what a hard and challenging message that seems to be ... to convince people who have known nothing but 'slavery' their whole life.

Picking up where I left off yesterday, there's a statement made by Jesus who wanted to go on record saying ‘most assuredly’...” whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36)

The very definition of a ‘slave’ is: ‘a person who is forced to work for and obey another and is considered to be their property; an enslaved person.’

Care to guess what the difference is between a ‘slave’ and a ‘son’ (child of God) that Jesus refers to there? A child of God, one who is ‘born of God’...no longer sins. Says so right there in your Bible- 1 John 3:9 and 5:18. A child of God is one who is ‘led by the Spirit’ (Rom. 8:14) and whoever abides in Jesus ‘walks as He did’ (1 John 2:6) and ‘no longer sins’ (1 John 3:6).

So the majority of ‘Christians’ today will openly admit they continue to ‘sin’ on a regular basis, yet call themselves ‘children of God’...might have some explaining to do. And if you think Paul was admitting to continuing to practice sin based on what he wrote in Romans 7, you might want to re-evaluate what has been the common misunderstanding on that text. (Message me and I can offer you another look at that point from some previous postings of mine)

Seeing yourself as a ‘saint who sins’ or a ‘child of God that still sins’ might make you feel better about yourself, but according to Jesus...you’re still a slave (John 8:34). So if you are still a ‘slave’, then the question needs to be asked: Who really ‘owns’ you? And this is where it gets interesting, because it takes us back to that verse I mentioned a few days ago, as being the one verse that I would want to share to start a conversation with anyone who seeks truth... in understanding why we find ourselves in the mess we are in today...as a world and as ‘messed up individuals’. John writes: “We know...the whole world lies under the influence or power of the wicked one...” (1 John 5:19). So let’s start there. Since we are told that ‘all have sinned...and fallen short of God’s glory’ (Rom. 3:23)...it stands to reason that we were all...’slaves’; which means we were ‘owned’ by another ‘master’.

Look what Jesus told Paul as to why he needed to go preach this ‘good news’ to the Gentiles: “to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God...” (Acts 26:18). Whose power do you think you are ‘under’ before you have your eyes opened and you turn to God?

Now look over Ephesians 2:1-3 where Paul is addressing those who have been ‘made alive’ who were once previously ‘dead in sin’. He points out that those who have indeed turned to God...”once walked (past tense)...according to the course of this world”. A world, I will remind you that remains to be under the influence/power of the ‘wicked one’ as John pointed out. He goes on...those who were still ‘dead in sin’ walked “according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works IN the sons of disobedience.” (2) I don’t think he is implying that is God’s ‘spirit’ at work in them either. And how do such people ‘conduct themselves’? They continue to ‘fulfill the lustful desires of the flesh and of the mind and are by nature...children of wrath’ (3).

Oh...and those who actually do...’belong to Christ’...have done what, according to Galatians 5:24? (Go look that up and read one more time, please). Do you know why or how that comes to be? Because that is the very first thing the Spirit of God leads His children to do, according to Romans 8:13-14, that is...if you are following Him (Luke 6:46; John 10:27)

Since while we are all singing ‘Joy to the world...the Lord has come...let Earth receive her King...’ consider that the promised Deliverer and King came to set all men free, which means we no longer have to be slaves...provided you surrender to the Lordship of this Risen King. The fact of the matter is...we’re going to serve one or the other, and you can’t serve both (Matt. 6:24). You simply get to choose who you will serve; so how long will you falter between the two choices? (1 Kings 18:21; Joshua 24:15; Deut. 30:15-20)

One last thought: If you claim to have been set free by the Son (John 8:32,36) and yet continue to ‘sin’...then you have another problem to deal with; which is explained in Hebrews 10:26-31. But don’t despair....yet. Have you ever received a ‘gift’ before, but for one reason or another forgot to open it because it got set aside or buried in all the clutter and distractions of the day? And then you find it much later and are excited to have another present to open? Maybe this Christmas, you too can have an encounter with the One who came to deliver you from your ‘enemies’ (Luke 1:71). Our freedom truly is the greatest gift...because our freedom...has always been our greatest need.