Glorious Liberty
by Brady
Mathis
My concept of myself should agree with God’s concept of me.
If my self-concept is not accurate, I am restrained in my Father’s kingdom, but if my concept is aligned with God, then I am propelled to greater and greater faith by that place of understanding.
The thrust of this article is this: Sons should be free! Freedom from bondage, oppression, sin and darkness should be the mark of we who call ourselves Christian. Jesus, THE Son of God, lived in liberty and did so by overcoming the enemy through His Father’s authority – that is the same path we will follow: Liberty through Victory.
Point 1: Adoption
Romans 8:14-16
14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
We are not striving to attain a position as a child of God nor laboring to perform for our Father’s acceptance – we are approved of God and called “children” according to the working of His will.
Do I see myself as approved of God?
I don’t mean, Do I understand the idea of this teaching, but is my self-concept aligned with the scripture that says “the Spirit bears witness that I am His Child.”
New Perspective: Before I can live as a son in the earth, I have to live as a son before my Father (I must have this self-concept).
Jesus exercised His Father’s authority as a son, but what came first was his relationship with His Father
John 10:30 I and My Father are one.
This is a statement about intimacy and it illustrates the motive-force behind all that Jesus did.
Same-same for me: all the grand and glorious ideas about being a son can’t be unless there is the simplicity of intimacy between me and my Father.
Genuine intimacy is not possible unless I know my Father’s approval.
I can say that God’s approves me: maybe not all my choices or attitudes, but me – I don’t have to be perfect, just willing to be corrected.
If somewhere in my self-concept I have the image that I am more or less approved because of my performance, then when I come before my Father I come with boldness when I’ve been good and with hesitation when I’ve been bad.
On the other hand, if I know I am approved, I always come with confidence – that is a good indication of my own self-concept: how do I come before My Father?
As a son or daughter of God, first and foremost, I recognize my own adoption: I receive my Father’s approval and allow that to define who I am. When I know who I am, I can tell because I enter my Father’s presence with confidence – Liberty of Relationship
Point 2: My Father’s Will
Jesus, the son, (the prototype for us) lived a life of victory through His Father’s authority: He did some “stuff”. We will do some “stuff” too – simply, who we are will affect what we do. Here is something very important that Jesus said about the “stuff” He did:
John 5:30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
Before Jesus did the works His Father sent Him to do, He had a knowledge of His Father’s will.
Jesus understood that as a son, He could use His Father’s authority, but only to carry out His Father’s will.
To me, there seems to be a large gap between the way Jesus lived His life with regard to knowing His Father’s will, and the way many Christians (myself included) have dealt with knowing God’s will.
I remember times in my life pleading with God to know His will for me, and immobilized by the fear of not being in His will – and I don’t see that in Jesus' life. I don’t think Jesus always knew His Father’s will, but Jesus knew His Father’s heart. I think Jesus did what was in His heart to do and His Father’s will was made known to Him as He went.
I don’t have to have complete knowledge of My Father’s will to ensure that I am in it. If His will has not been revealed to me, I do what is in my heart to do and believe that He will direct my steps – because I know Him!
Psalm 40:8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.
If I have trouble finding “delight” in what is happening in my life now, then there are two things to do: Return to faith that God is my help and exercise authority over the enemy.
Point 2: Intimacy with my Father results in the knowledge that leads to life – when I know my Father I find DELIGHT in His will – Liberty of Delight
The “stuff” Jesus did He did by the authority His Father gave Him:
Colossians 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
Have you, like me, had no trouble comprehending how the fullness could dwell in Jesus, but never considered that the same could be true for me?
Jesus is the “firstborn among many brothers…” and what “pleased the Father” with Him will “please” the Father with me.
What did Jesus have but the Holy Spirit – the same Holy Spirit which is available to me 24 hours a day 365.25 days a year!
Do I recognize that in me the “fullness” dwells? I don’t, unless I maintain a connection to the Holy Spirit.
Jesus overcame because the fullness of the Father’s authority was in Him and He knew it.
I am NOT going to feel like I am anointed unless I am mindful of the Spirit, look to see Him at work around me, quiet myself to hear Him speaking, and do so IN FAITH that I can do all these things.
Romans 8:14-16 (again)
14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
I know I am filled when the Spirit bears witness to my spirit
John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
Jesus said that His Father really DID the “stuff”, he was just a container that could be picked up and poured out.
The exercise of my Father’s authority is His work, but I must be willing to pour, to open my mouth and speak. (Here is my self-concept again – I won’t speak if I don’t know who I am!)
Point 3: Maintain an awareness of the Spirit of God: Listen for His voice, perceive His power at work and BELIEVE – it pleases God when I recognize the Holy Spirit in me. The operation of the authority to yield.
As I yield to the Spirit He will take me somewhere: That where is Liberty, and the way to get there is Victory.
John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Luke 4 – Jesus' temptation in the wilderness and subsequent victory over the enemy is all we need to know to stay free – when a lie came to bind Him, Jesus was mindful of the Spirit and Word, and OPENED His mouth to contradict the lie. The result was liberty!
The children of God know the truth, speak the truth and live free.
2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
My liberty in Christ will undoubtedly look like Christ’s liberty: I thought about this liberty in three components:
(Freedom from unrighteous restraint: not freedom from all restraint. There is a liberty that leads to life and Godliness, and there is a liberty that opens the door to the enemy resulting in bondage)
1) Righteous Liberty: Freedom from sin and the effects of sin – victory over sin.
Jesus did not know sin but He did know temptation: How did he live free?
He knew the truth, spoke the truth and had victory over sin.
2) Victorious Liberty: Freedom from the bondage and oppression of the enemy – victory over the devil and his demons
Jesus was buffeted and attacked by Satan and demonic powers – We know that He endured great difficulty and even was affected by the power of the enemy – BUT, He was not overcome nor was he bound.
He knew the truth, spoke the truth and had victory over Satan
It is not me, but my Father in me, Who does the works… I am not alone in wrestling with the enemy, nor do I have to reach up heaven to find help – The Spirit dwells within me.
3) Glorious Liberty: Freedom to act (to do and to be) in the will of God
Jesus fulfilled the whole will of God:
John 17:4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
This is the greatest liberty and the greatest glory on earth for a child of God: to be a son or daughter and allow my Father to do His will.
Don’t get stuck on the doing, start with the being, and the doing will come.
This is the freedom to receive the blessing of God in my life – to have the promises of the covenant.
This is the liberty of relationship with my Father and the liberty of delight in His will.
John 8:34-36
34Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Indeed! The real-deal, not a mind game, not a bandage, not just adapting to live with bondage or ignoring bondage, but freedom!
Point 4: True liberty is not the measure of my success or failure as a Child of God, but it is the will of my Father for my life and He is teaching me to have Liberty through Victory.
Point 5: Glorious Liberty
Romans 8:14-21 (once more)
14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
The essence of this passage is that God has such marvelous plans for His people – in eternity AND in the earth – that even the “creation” will be glad about it.
Therefore the difficulties of this present journey become insignificant as I set my hope and expectation on Glorious Liberty!
John 1:12-14
12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
What was this Glory John saw? The Glorious Liberty of a Son.
Jesus lived free and the Glory of God was abiding on Him. This was good for Him, but it also affected everyone around Him
You know what Glorious Liberty looks like: I never met anyone who had victory over sin and was sad about it!
In the same way that demonic bondage brings darkness, freedom in Christ brings light to the countenance.
When I see the promises and purposes of God fulfilled in someone’s life it gives me a great desire to know the God Who fulfilled them.
People all remarked that Jesus was “different” because of His authority: How did they know His authority?
It produced liberty: He was free, and when He exercised authority the people were set free.
My glorious liberty provides an occasion for liberty for anyone who is touched by it.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3
2You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words because you can see it – a life of liberty is worth many millions of words to those who see it.
Point 5: The best witness of Christ to the world is my life free. True authority produces liberty and the Glory of My Father.