Freedom 3 … overtaken by the living stream
We’re talking about freedom
It would be good for you to develop your own definition of freedom
A Biblical definition of freedom that is.
Mine is forming around … Galations 1:3-5
An initial response could be
Freedom of choice …. but
The bible talks about another kind of freedom
freedom from captivity
freedom from tyranny
freedom from entanglement
freedom from obligation
freedom from intimidation
we may secure freedom of choice in our day and age
but as we react to the issues of our daily lives
we still suffer from captivity, tyranny, obligation, intimidation and entanglement.
But I want to talk to you about Michael J Fox.
Michael J Fox (back to the future, spin city) said that
when he reached success in a movie
he became very fearful and anxious and depressed
because he was worried about bettering it.
to the extent that it was wrecking his life
He was tyrannised by his reaction to the issues of his
own life
The bible calls this condition ‘living lost’
living apart from God
Strangely enough as Christians we also experience this
Michael Fox’s lostness was just to live apart from God in the issues of his life.
He had a disconnect between the daily issues of his life and his life with God.
In this case his issue was success but it could have just as easily have been
failure.
The result of that was that Michael faced the issues of his life on his own and
so was tyrannised by his reactions to his life issues.
It’s not so much our issues that wreck our lives
but our reaction to them
When we live apart from God in our day to day issues
We become subject to our reaction to those issues
We are exposed, alone and vulnerable
Freedom is thrown away as we become captive to every wind that blows our
way.
Freedom came to Michael J Fox later when he got Parkinson’s disease
Read his book .. ‘the lucky man’
Once he got parkinsons disease he could no longer succeed or fail
The issue of success was dealt a death blow
It no longer held him captive
No longer tyrannised him
Freedom came when his life was overtaken by this disease
Like a river that his life river had run into
It took away his options, took away his say so.
We might say took away his freedom
but he found freedom
Michael says
'If you were to rush in this room right now and announce that
you'd struck a deal with God, Allah, Buddha, Christ, Krishna, Bill
Gates, whoever - in which the ten years since my diagnosis could
be magically taken away, traded in for ten more years as the
person I was before, I would, without a moments hesitation, tell
you to take a hike.'
Personal Quote: "The biggest thing Is, that I can be in this situation, and still
love life as much as I do. Life is great. Sometimes, though, you just have to put up
with a little more crap."-Michael J. Fox
He didn’t know that the freedom that came from being overtaken by a river of
disease could have come to him by the living stream
Where his life stream could have been surrendered into Gods life stream
And he could no longer be subject to the effects of success or failure .. and so be
free to live.
In the living stream there is life but no success or failure, no winning or losing
There is no difference between us when we do well and when we mess up.
There is no difference between whether we are in need or independent
There is fruit in all seasons …
There is healing and deliverance
There is fulfilment whatever the outcomes in life
God makes good of all circumstances for those who love Him
Slide the bible verse Galations 1:3-5
Michael didn’t know the good news, the gospel as we call it.
That grace ( the living stream of God’s life)
could come to him from the Father and the Son
that his life stream could run into God’s life stream.
That living in God’s life stream would end his living apart from God
That he could be rescued from the experience of this ‘apart from God life’
Paul put’s it like this when introducing the Galations to freedom
Gal 1:3-5
‘Grace ( the living stream) and peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord
Jesus Christ
who gave himself for our sins (ignoring God)
to rescue us from the present evil age (apart from God age)
according to the will of our God and Father. (God wants this for us)
We too experience a tyranny coming from the issues of our lives
But the tyranny we experience comes not so much from our issues
but the way react to our life issues as we experience them apart from God.
The rescue from this present evil age .. the present ‘apart from God age’
is a rescue from the tyranny of facing life’s issues on our own.
The freedom we experience comes by our connection to God
We live with God connected to all of our life as opposed to alone in the world
with our daily issues.
The connection is by means of God’s Grace … the living stream
Paul says …. ‘Grace and peace to you from the Father and Jesus’ …
Grace is charis .. the gift
Not the gifts of the spirit but the gift of the spirit of God
Jesus talked about this with the woman at the well
The gift of God … the living waters
Grace being the gift of the living stream,
the actual life of God flowing into our lives like a river
as we give opportunity for it.
So freedom from the tyranny of life’s issues
Comes as we make way for the living stream of God’s grace
To flow daily into every part of our lives
This connects our lives to God’s life .. our stream is in his stream.
Delivers us from our ‘apart from God experience.’
we are intimately connected like two streams that join
the effects of our sins, whatever they continue to be
are overwhelmed by Grace .. the waters of the stream
what ever we have done or whatever has been done to us
we are rescued from the tyranny of this present ‘apart from God age’
instead of having to react to the issues of our life … which wrecks our lives
we automatically respond to God about those issues
the freedom then comes
no more tyranny.
hence Paul says Grace and peace to you.
the outcome is fruit … peace
note as we give opportunity for the living water to flow daily into our lives.