I Cor 7:22-24
NLT22 And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, the Lord has now set you free from the awful power of sin. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.
23 God purchased you at a high price. Don't be enslaved by the world.
24 So, dear brothers and sisters, whatever situation you were in when you became a believer, stay there in your new relationship with God.
NIV 22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave.
23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
INTRO:
One of the very special days, holidays, of the summer season in the United States is that great day of leisure and relaxation, the Fourth of July. We take off from work, pop fireworks, go to the lake, make hambugers, grill hotdogs, and have a carefree time. Is that what your Fourth is?
For many of us, we take time to remember, even commemorate, the reason for this celebration. Over 200 hundred years ago our ancestors threw off the yoke of tyranny. They decided that it was time to tell the King of Great Britain that they would no longer live in bondage. It was time to be free.
Then, and down through the years, there has been a misconception of what freedom really is. It is not anarchy. When a person is truly free, he is not free to do without consequences. There is always responsibility. Freedom is not free. There is always a cost. Freedom is not whimsical. There is no sense of chaos in true freedom. Free people have a purpose.
This definition of freedom was not written first by our 18th century leaders. They wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” They believed that what they sought began in the heart of God.
In this morning’s text we see true freedom. For those of us who know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we are reminded of three important aspects of spiritual, and true civil liberty. We have an Expected Responsibility that was purchased with an Extreme Cost for an Expedient Purpose.
I. Expected Responsibility – v22
NLT And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, the Lord has now set you free from the awful power of sin. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.
NIV For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave.
Slave - doulos {doo'-los}
Meaning: 1) a slave, bondman, man of servile condition 1a) a slave 1b) one who gives himself up to another's will those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing His cause among men 1c) devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests 2) a servant, attendant
Freeman - apeleutheros {ap-el-yoo'-ther-os}
Meaning: 1) a slave that has been released from servitude, a freeman
Free - eleutheros {el-yoo'-ther-os}
Meaning: 1) freeborn 1a) in a civil sense, one who is not a slave 1b) of one who ceases to be a slave, freed, manumitted 2) free, exempt, unrestrained, not bound by an obligation 3) in an ethical sense: free from the yoke of the Mosaic Law
Application: It is our responsibility to live our lives serving others in the continuance of true freedom.
II. Extreme Cost - v 23
NLT 23 God purchased you at a high price. Don't be enslaved by the world.
NIV 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
Bought; Purchased - agorazo {ag-or-ad'-zo}
Meaning: 1) to be in the market place, to attend it 2) to do business there, buy or sell 3) of idle people: to haunt the market place, lounge there
Price; High Price - time {tee-may'}
Meaning: 1) a valuing by which the price is fixed 1a) of the price itself 1b) of the price paid or received for a person or thing bought or sold 2) honour which belongs or is shown to one 2a) of the honour which one has by reason of rank and state of office which he holds 2b) deference, reverence
Application: True freedom bought with Blood.
III. Expedient Purpose – v 24
advisable, desirable, judicious, politic, prudent, tactical, wiseRelated Wordsadvantageous, beneficial, profitable; useful, utilitarian; feasible, possible, practicable, practical; opportune, seasonable, timely; opportunistic, self-seeking
NLT 24 So, dear brothers and sisters, whatever situation you were in when you became a believer, stay there in your new relationship with God.
NIV 24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
Stay; Remain - meno {men'-o}
Meaning: 1) to remain, abide 1a) in reference to place 1a1) to sojourn, tarry 1a2) not to depart 1a2a) to continue to be present 1a2b) to be held, kept, continually 1b) in reference to time 1b1) to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure 1b1a) of persons, to survive, live 1c) in reference to state or condition 1c1) to remain as one, not to become another or different 2) to wait for, await one
Became a believer; Called - kaleo {kal-eh'-o}
Meaning: 1) to call 1a) to call aloud, utter in a loud voice 1b) to invite 2) to call i.e. to name, by name 2a) to give a name to 2a1) to receive the name of, receive as a name 2a2) to give some name to one, call his name 2b) to be called i.e. to bear a name or title (among men) 2c) to salute one by name
Application: Freedom is not ours to do nothing with.
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