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Do Not Misuse Christian Freedom I. Study Texts:
1 Peter 2:11-17; Galatians 5:13-15 II. Theme: Jesus was God's perfect servant, but Jesus
was also free. Both statements about Jesus are true. Yet, how could he be God's servant (slave) and at the
same moment be free? He demonstrated this when He voluntarily died on the
cross. As Jesus said, "No one takes my life
from me. I lay it down on my own initiative" (John 10:17,18). God's
perfect servant surrendered to execution, but he was
free. Jesus had to decide how to use his
freedom. As Christians, we have to decide how to use our freedom. Jesus did
not use freedom to escape God's will. He used
freedom to do God's will. God freed us to enable us to do His will. Only the deceived Christian tries to use
freedom to escape servitude. That deceit destroys his or her freedom. God did
not free us to indulge ourselves. God freed us to
serve. III. Questions
and Application 1 Peter 2:11-17 1.How
did Peter address the Christians to whom he wrote (verse 11)? a. From what were they to
abstain (to refuse involvement)? b. Why? 2. What kind of behavior were they to have among
the people who did not follow the living God (verse 12)? a. How would these people initially react to their Christian
behavior? b. What influence would their Christian behavior ultimately have on
them? 3. How did he want those Christians in their
circumstances to respond to governmental institutions (verse 13, 14)? 4. In this situation, what was the will of God
(verse 15)? 5. How were they to act (verse 16)? a. In what way were they not to use their freedom? b. How were they to use their freedom? c. What did that mean? 6. How
were they to react to (verse 17): a. All men? b. Fellow Christians? c. God? d. The king (emperor)? Galatians 5:13-15 1. To
what were Christians called (verse 13)? a. They should not turn their freedom into an opportunity for what?
Explain what Paul meant by that statement. b. They should use their freedom to do what for each other? 2. The
law is fulfilled in what one word (verse 14)? a. Give the statement Paul quoted to verify that love fulfilled the
law. b. Read what Paul said in Romans 13:8-10 and explain how the
commitment to love our fellow man fulfills God's law given in the
Old Testament. 3. What
commonly happens when Christians bite and devour each other (verse 15)? a. Is that good or bad? b. Explain your answer. IV. Conclusion:
Why did God provide us
release from evil through propitiation, atonement, redemption, and
forgiveness? In propitiation, Jesus took our place to
pay the consequences for our evil. In atonement, Jesus' blood satisfied
justice for our injustices. In redemption, God used Jesus to buy us back from
Satan and evil. In forgiveness, God used Jesus' blood to destroy our sins. Why? God did all
this to free us and to allow us to live in freedom. Did God give us freedom so we could
live selfishly in any way we wished? No. God gave us freedom so that (a) we
could fashion our behavior on God's purity
and (b) we could treat other people in ways not possible when we were
enslaved to evil. God freed us so that our
behavior would be guided by love. God freed us so that we could serve people
in love. God freed us to love with His love. God
freed us to love with the love that guided and controlled Jesus. How have you demonstrated your freedom in Christ this week? |