FREEDOM!

Today, we celebrate a very important event in history. The day, that started the Reformation: October 31st, 1517 when Dr. Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the Wittenburg Church door. 
Today we look at a discussion between the Jews and Jesus. Jesus shares with the Jews who are following him in John 8:31-36

To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can You say that we shall be set free?” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

We as believers should listen very carefully to these words. Jesus shares with them the meaning of true "freedom". First he shares that when we are believers and followers we belong to him and therefore know the truth and are set Free!

It is always amazing to me that they respond the way we do. They say they are not enslaved! These people who have been enslaved by the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and now Romans only to mention the big ones. These people who are born sinful and continue to sin. Jesus says they are slaves to sin! Paul in Romans 3 makes this very clear when he states "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We are all in need of forgiveness. None of us are really "free." In the United States we like to talk about "Freedom" and "Liberty." On November 11th in British countries and here we will remember the sacrifice of Veterans and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Jesus would say to us "what about the sin of putting other things before our Lord, of coveting more things we don't need, pride, other gods, etc.....?" We have liberty and freedom as believers but the COST was and is huge! Just as so many have given their lives for our political freedom so Jesus shares that we are his family and therefore through Christ we are "sons" of God and because of Christ's death and resurrection we have been set free and we are free indeed! This is TRUE FREEDOM! It is as Romans 3: states 

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 

This word "freely" is the greek word "dwrea"= dorea meaning free, undeserved, unpaid, GIFT! Freely given!

This is one of the founding principles of the Reformation and this is what our Lord is trying to share with the Jews who are believing in him!

Do we this day understand that our TRUE FREEDOM is the gift of grace, forgiveness, redemption and adoption as Children of God to become the people God wants us to be as we live for him? I pray that today we would boldly live as we boldly proclaim THE SON HAS SET US FREE AND WE ARE FREE INDEED!!

"Vocation not Vacation" Oct. 16, 2011

Today we look at the introduction to St. Paul's letter to the Thessalonians. We hear St. Paul sharing his thankfulness for these Christians and their faithfulness:
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
 ² We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. ³ We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  ⁴ For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, ⁵ because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. ⁶ You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. ⁷ And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. ⁸ The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, ⁹ for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

These words are so encouraging because they remind us of the importance of living out our faith. The gift of faith given to us; leading to work, labor and endurance. We know that our relationship with God in the covenant he has made with us leads us to know who we are in Christ. This then leads to us moving forward by the power of the Holy Spirit and deep conviction, with authority and power! We are so encouraged by the example of the Thessalonians. The most important part of what we see in this triad of verse 3: "Work produced by faith, Toil or labor prompted by love and endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" is the theology of "vocation," or "calling" that Martin Luther introduced during the Reformation. Before Luther only the Vocations of the church were honored. These were the works that mattered. Luther reminds us Kingdom people that our calling, no matter what it may be, is our chance to glorify God and be imitators of Paul and of the Lord! It is so important that we live out our faith, not seeing grace as a call to vacation, although rest is extremely important, but vocation: our calling to do everything to the Glory of God. Then we will work, toil and endure by His power and not ours! Our whole life is living as part of the kingdom! As we pray "your kingdom come, your will be done!"

God richly bless you as you live out your faith every day!

Pastor Bryan