Sermons About Liberation
Before Anything Else (Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20)
Christians will never make complete sense of the Ten Commandments if they forget how they start. They are not meant as a burden, but a description of the "life that prevails" under God's liberation.
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Were Not the Right Man On Our Side
Liberators. We are promised again and again, that this or that political figure will come along and set us free. Promises are made, we pin our hopes on some promising hero, but then their performance falls short, hopes are dashed, and we are disillusioned. This has happened all through history. It happens in every national election cycle. We think if only we have the right person in office, things will be made right. To be sure, some perform better than others. But all come up short. This is precisely why the Bible warns us from putting all our eggs in the political basket. Simply put, the political solution is not enough. We need more. We skipped over Romans 5, a few weeks back during a missions Sunday. So this morning we will back track a bit. Today in the Word we will consider how the Bible points to something higher and deeper than a political solution.
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Refusing Defeat
...and every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:2) The Lord is with us. Do not fear them. (Numbers 14:9) Issues that contribute to our spiritual defeat 1. Pruning in our lives is misunderstood, so we do our own pruning. 2. We are consumed by the present. 3. A misunderstanding of our present situation causes rebellion to be born in our heads. 4. We learn to remain in what was to be a temporary/transitional place. 5. If we continue to live in personal defeat we may not want to be liberated. 6. If going forward doesn't seem to work we accept defeat as a way of life.
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Liberated To Liberate
The gospel calls us to live missional lives. This means that we are to incarnate the gospel to our neighbors in order to liberate their suffering. Who are our neighbors? How much should be willing to sacrifice in order to liberate them from suffering? Why should we do this? Only when we understand the gospel will we truly understand that we have been liberated to liberate.
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