1.
Define the cage.
1.
One of the
things that's disrupting Christianity today is the cage of "sin."
1.
I believe
it is our greatest enemy, sin.
2.
It's the
kryptonite of our superhuman strength, ability, prayer life, and future.
1.
Sin-an immoral act considered to be a
transgression against divine law.
1.
Sin of
commission-a sinful action, committed a sin. (Where you sin against God, a
person, or a principle.)
2.
Sin of
omission-a sinful failure to perform an action. (Where you know to do the right
something and refuse to do it or failed to do it)
2.
Defining
the cage produces fear in us because we believe somehow that no one could
rescue us from our dangerous, difficult and unfortunate situation.
1.
We have to
recognize that defining the cage is the very first part of achieving, and
obtaining our freedom.
1.
Your cage
is different than mine, your cage could be different than anyone else in this
room, maybe even in the world but pay attention it's still a cage and freedom
can still be yours.
1.
It's not
just your temporary entrapment the Devil seeks to have it's your eternal
entrapment he ultimately desires.
2.
Entrapment
without hope, entrapment without rescue, entrapment with the inability to overcome.
2.
Plan an escape route.
1.
When I was
trapped, I came to the realization Christ was my rescuer.
2.
I searched
for others, I searched in other things but never found freedom until I found
Jesus.
1.
You can
become caged by agenda, you can become caged by religion, you can become caged
by words, or the way people have treated you.
2.
You can
become caged in your past, caged to your present, or caged contemplating your
future.
3.
Jesus is
your escape route.
1.
Caging
happens within yourself, and caging happens from others and in many forms.
4.
Jesus is
your escape route.
1.
I've seen
so many people get released to only encage themselves by the very same
addiction!
5.
Jesus is
your escape route to God.
1.
Everyone
has felt trapped, been trapped in the cages that this life has set to place us
in.
2.
Jesus is
your escape route.
1.
He is the
way you must take to freedom, He is the truth that will lead you into your
destiny, He is the life that you'll be able to offer to so many others.
3.
Jesus is
an escape route for all.
1.
This is
why we say,"I once was lost but now I'm found, I once was blind but now I
see, I once was bound, chained, incarcerated but now I'm free."
1.
We now
understand freedom because in our cage where Christ found us when we felt as if
no one was looking, no one was searching, no one cared, He showed up.
2.
We no
longer feel sin's grip over our lives, sin's blindfold covering our eyes, nor
sin's grasp on our future.
4.
John 8:34-36 (NLT) "Jesus
replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. [35]
A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the
family forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free."
1.
You are a
son, you are a daughter of God.
1.
Live in
and with that promise.
3.
Remove all backup plans.
1.
Many when
they have identified their cage, even connected with Christ for release into
freedom continue to think, "well just in case I'll hang on to this secret
sin, secret challenge, or secret hurt for a rainy depressing day."
1.
What a
detrimental mistake.
2.
Many of
the disciples left all that they were doing when Christ called them to follow
Him.
1.
Suicide is
the 3rd leading cause of death for those aged 15-24.
2.
Most in a
state of depression.
3.
Depression
is a cage, Christ has the power to set you free from it!
John 19:30 Jesus
said, "It is finished."
1.
Jesus
announces that His work, atonement, is completed.
2.
That
humanity's debt to God is cancelled, that Jesus had finished His mission.
1.
"It is finished."
1.
He has
defeated the Tempter again.
2.
Despite
the agony, He has rejected temptation and cared for those around Him.
2.
His
temporary duty on earth is complete.
3.
He has
shown the way God wants us to live.
1.
He has
demonstrated the fact that faith, hope and love cannot be destroyed by anything
men can say or do.
2.
Jesus sees
in the event of the cross that He has secured closure.
3.
We often
speak of the work of the cross.
1.
This is a
good word ‘work,’ because it reminds us that there was
some effective spiritual activity taking place, something more than the
transparently obvious business of being killed.
2.
So it is
that when Jesus says these words ‘It is finished’ we know
that God has achieved closure.
1.
The 3
worded English statement, ‘It is
finished’ is a
single word translated from the Greek (τετÎλεσται) te-te-les-tai (from teleo)
1.
It’s the same word which people would
write on a bill after it had been paid.
2.
It means
that the debt is dealt with, ended, completed, executed, concluded, discharged,
accomplished, expired, filled up, gone over, paid, and performed.
3.
The price
has been paid.
4.
Debts settled,
worry no more.
5.
There is a
feeling of release, of achievement.
2.
The word
has the connotation of having fulfilled one’s obligation.
3.
The work
is now complete and we can only guess at how that must have felt for Jesus.
1.
“It is finished.”
1.
He has
bound himself by love, to both God and the human race.
1.
Refused to
save Himself so He could save humanity.
2.
Thus He
will continue to draw to Himself, and to heaven, everyone He can ... for as
long as it takes ... until “whosoever will” has come.
1.
Here,
Jesus is willingly giving up His soul into the Father’s hands, indicating that He was about
to die – and that
God had accepted His sacrifice.
Hebrews
9:14-15 (NLT) "Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify
our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by
the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect
sacrifice for our sins. [15] That is why he is the one who mediates a new
covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the
eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free
from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first
covenant."
1.
Jesus has
finished the work which His Father gave Him to do, He has accomplished the full
and final task."
1.
It is upon
that finished, complete work of Christ that we can now build our own lives.
1.
Jesus gave
His life as a ransom for us the many, so that we no longer have to fear the
wrath of God.
2.
We can
pray confidently because we know that there is no obstacle of sin between us
and God.
1.
He does
not consider our offenses but looks at us only through the eyes of forgiveness,
those same eyes through which Jesus looked at the soldiers, religious leaders,
mockers and still pronounced forgiveness.
2.
We need not
be weighed down by the pains and guilt of the past because Jesus has provided
the closure which we could never find by ourselves.
3.
Jesus’ last words meant that His suffering
was over and the whole work His Father had given Him to do, which was to preach
the Gospel, work miracles, and obtain eternal salvation for His people, was
done, accomplished, fulfilled.
1.
We owed a
debt we could not pay He paid the debt He did not owe.
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