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Tag: Free indeed

Are you/I free – truly free?

In the worldly sense, freedom implies that one is devoid of any subjugating force, but the Bible teaches us that true freedom indeed comes from subjugation; subjugation not in the sense of slavery, but in the sense of surrendering – total surrender. The created world is already in a state of slavery, in bondage to sin, because of the willful fall of man (Adam) by which sin and death entered the world (Romans 5:12). All of creation groans and travails in pain to be liberated and we groan to be adopted by God (Romans 8:23), no longer subject to sin (Genesis 4:7), but to the Savior Jesus Christ.

Points to ponder:
True freedom comes from being subject to Jesus Christ, who is Lord and Master (John 13:14). Are you/I subject to sin or the Savior? In other words, are you/I still under the slavery of sin or have we totally surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ, the Savior? The answer to this question would determine if you/I are truly free or not. True freedom comes by subjugation (total surrender) to Jesus Christ, for he/she whom the Son of God makes free, is free indeed (John 8:36).

Romans 8:21-23 (KJV)
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 

Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Jesus in the NT :: Luke

The book of Luke gives us a glimpse of who Jesus is in the  New Testament (N.T)

It is written by Luke, a physician by profession, who writes about Jesus, THE PHYSICIAN.

Jesus healed
– the possessed to show that those who are in bondage can be made free and he/she whom Jesus makes free is free indeed (John 8:36)
– the blind to show that darkness is dispelled by the Light (of the World)
– the deaf to show that the good news can be heard
– the mute to show that even the dumb can proclaim the good news
– the paralytics to show that that invalid can be made valid
– the lepers to show the unclean can be made clean
– the shriveled hand to show that the withered can be made whole/stretched to serve
– the lame to show that one can no longer have a lame excuse to not walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4)
and even
– the dead to show that In him is life, life abundant and those who believe in Him, though they are dead yet shall they live (John 11:25).

The one verse summarization of who Jesus is, as portrayed by Luke can be found in the story of Zacchaeus (the seeker) that is recorded in Luke 19:10 which reads “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that  which was lost.Not only does this verse inform us of the PERSONALITY of Jesus Christ, but it also informs us of His PURPOSE and POSITION. Jesus’ personality is a SEEKING personality for He is the Good Shepherd that will go after even the One who is lost (Matthew 18:12) so that His purpose, which is to SAVE all  (2 Peter 3:9) who believe is fulfilled and even though He is the Son of God, He took on the form of man, as the Son of man to SEEK and to SAVE.

In Luke, Jesus is portrayed as the Son of man, but what does that title mean. Before we delve into exploring what the title “the Son of man” means, it is interesting to note that the book of Luke is the only gospel that records the childhood of Jesus and gives us a model of how our own children should be raised. The two verses that speak of Jesus’ childhood are Luke 2:40 and Luke 2:52. Luke 2:40 informs us that as Jesus grew, he grew strong in Spirit and was filled with wisdom (the reverence/fear of the Lord) and God’s grace was upon him. Luke 2:52 lays down the four-fold development model as to how we should raise our own children. It states, And Jesus increased in wisdom (mentally) and stature (physical), and in favour with God (spiritually) and man (socially).  We must raise our children in the fear of the Lord as well so that they can grow mentally, physically, spiritually loving God and socially loving their neighbor as themselves.

So what does the title “the Son of man” mean? To answer this question, we need to go to the Book of Daniel. Recorded in Daniel 7:13-14 in a vision which gives us a clue. Daniel 7:13-14 reads
13
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven (Mark 14:62), and came to the Ancient of days (Psalm 90:2), and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory (a Name above all names – Philippians 2), and a kingdom (the King of the Jews), that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him (all knees should bow to Jesus and confess that He is God): his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom (the kingdom of the King of kings) that which shall not be destroyed.

In Luke, Jesus is the Son of man, which means He is the King of kings, with an indomitable indestructible kingdom, who first came to SEEK and to SAVE (heal) all who are lost (dead without God), and who will come with the clouds of heaven to be SERVED.

Points to ponder:
The sheep that refuses to fall into the seeking hands of the Good Shepherd cannot be saved. Jesus is seeking you! Have you placed your life in his hand by believing in Him. If you do, he will place you on his shoulders (Luke 15:5) and lift you up out of the horrible pit/abyss and place your foot on a strong and sure foundation (Psalm 40:2), which is Himself.

And for those who have been Saved by His Grace, are we practicing to serve Him here on earth, for we certainly will be serving him in heaven, when He returns and it may be a good idea to get some practice now.

The Pre-requisite for Holiness

The first requirement of man is to be Holy as God is Holy (Leviticus 19:1-2).  From Christian upbringing, I was given to understand that to be Holy is to be sanctified or set apart; to be blameless and righteous and pure. But while researching on what the word “Holy” exactly meant, I came across many words that are synonymous to the word Holy, some of which are adored, among the angels, consecrated, divine, enthroned, glorified, inviolable, redeemed, resurrected, revered, rewarded, sacred, sacrosanct, saved and unprofane.

The one word that caught my attention is the word “resurrected“. This means that to be Holy is to be resurrected. Every one needs to be spiritually resurrected in order to fulfill the very first requirement of God. The good news is that everyone who is in Christ Jesus is a new creature, resurrected to walk in newness of life, relinquishing the ways of death. The prophet Obadiah writes that upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness (Obadiah 1:17). Only those who are washed pure by the pure blood of Jesus, are those who are delivered from the power of the devil and the fear of death, and are resurrected (Holy) to eternal life. Without deliverance (from the bondage of sin), there can be no holiness. The pre-requisite for Holiness is Deliverance, i.e., belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, for him whom the Son (of God) delivers (sets free from the bondage of death) is resurrected (Holy) indeed (John 8:36).

Obadiah 1:17 (KJV)
17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

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