Lesson 11 Podcast
Freedom in Christ Lesson 11: What’s Next
Focus Verse:
1 Timothy 1:5 (NIV2011)
5 The goal of this command is love,
which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Objective: To evaluate what we believe in the light
of God's word and make adjustments where necessary so that we can stay on the
path of becoming more like Jesus.
Focus Truth: Nothing and no one can keep us from
being the person God created us to be, but if we want to be truly successful,
fulfilled, satisfied, and so on, we need to uncover and throw out false beliefs
about what those things mean and commit ourselves to believing the truth in the
Bible.
Welcome
What would you
like to do before the end of your life?
Worship – Suggested theme – He will be with us always.
Read aloud the following passages:
Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV2011)
5 …God has said, “Never will I
leave you; never will I forsake you.”
6 So we say with confidence, “The
Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
Psalm 94:14 (NIV2011)
14 For the LORD will not reject his people; he will
never forsake his inheritance.
Matthew 28:20 (NIV2011) (Jesus Said)
20 …I am
with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We need to remind people, and ourselves, that we can never
be alone or go anywhere at all without God being with us.
Make Freedom a Way
of Life
Jesus said, “You
did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and
produce fruit, fruit that will last.” (John 15:16).
We don't want this
to be one of those courses that you enjoy but then as time passes the
principles you learn just fade away. Our objective is that these principles
become a part of your everyday life so that you will bear fruit that will last.
What we've taught is very straightforward. There are three main points:
1.
Know Who You are In Jesus
You are, of course,
a holy one who can come boldly into God’s presence at any time.
2.
Resolve Your Personal and Spiritual Issues
This is about
repenting and getting back on track if you fall into sin or have some other
issue. Hopefully, you now know how to go about this. We recommend that you use
the Steps to Freedom in Christ on a regular basis, like you have a regular
service for your car.
3.
Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind
Stronghold-busting
really works. As you keep building your spiritual muscles, remember it will
feel like a complete waste of time, but you will see progress as long as you
keep working.
The Road Ahead
In this session we
want to consider where you're headed for the rest of your life. In your
participants guide there is a questionnaire entitled “What do I believe?” on
page 184. If you haven't completed it yet, do it quickly now.
This survey will
help you identify what you actually believe right now. Assuming that your basic
needs of food, shelter, and safety are met, we’re daily motivated by how we can
be successful, significant, secure, and so on. How you answered these questions
or the way you completed the sentences, “I would be more successful if”, or “I
would be more significant if”, reflects what you really believe.
Would it be
acceptable, do you think, for a Christian to answer every question with a 5? If
you feel uncomfortable about that, the chances are you may not see yourself in
the way God does. Does God want you to be successful? Does He want you to feel
secure? Well, He certainly hasn't called you to be insecure, insignificant, or
a failure!
We're going to look
at each of those eight areas.
Success Comes from
Having the Right Goals
We looked at life
goals back in lesson 7. Success is all about whether you achieve your goals. So
if you want to be successful in God's terms it's important to understand what His
life goal is for you.
Before we do that,
let me ask you a very important question. If God wants something done, can it
be done?
To put it another
way, would God ever say, “I have something for you to do. I know you won't be
able to do it, but just give it your best shot.” That wouldn't be fair! It's
like saying to a child, “I want you to mow the lawn. I know the mower doesn't
work and there's no fuel. But try your best anyway.”
Whatever life goal
God has for you, you can be sure that no circumstance and no person can stop
you from achieving it. God loves you too much to give you something you
couldn't do.
2 Peter 1:2- 8 will
show us the life goal God has for each one of us.
Peter starts by
telling us that we've already have everything we need for life and godliness.
Then he reminds us that we share in God's nature, we are holy through and
through. That's a great starting point!
The passage goes on
to show us God's goal for our lives. Let me read it to you from verse 5:
“For this very
reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness,
knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control, and to self-control, perseverance; and
to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing
measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Peter wants us to
start with faith. Then we are to make every effort to build on our faith and
add to it these characteristics: goodness, knowledge, self-control,
perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.
What we have here
is a list of character qualities. This is where we begin to understand God's
goal for our lives.
It's about building
our character. His primary concern is not so much what we do but what we
were like. Because what we do flows from who we are.
Who is the only
person who has ever perfectly reflected the character qualities in that list?
Jesus, of course.
The life goal that
God has for you could be defined like this: To become more and more like
Jesus in character.
The great news is
nobody and nothing on earth can keep you from being the person God planned. Except...
you!
We've looked in lesson
seven at how our emotions and specifically anger, anxiety, and depression are
like the big red light on the dashboard of your car. Your emotions are a
warning that you may have some unhealthy life goals that depend on people or
circumstances that you have no right or ability to control.
Think about the
pastor whose life goal was to reach the community for Christ, which is
something that could be blocked by every person in the community. In light of
what we've just said, what if they made their life goal: “to become the best
pastor I can be?” The irony is that, as the pastor learns to adopt God's goal,
and gets rid of a lot of anger, anxiety, and depression, they will become more
and more like Jesus, and people will follow them and trust them more. Paradoxically
they may end up reaching the community for Christ.
Remember the parent
whose life goal was to have a happy, harmonious Christian family? What if they
made their goal, “to be the husband and dad or wife and mom that God wants me
to be?” Wouldn't that greatly increase the chances of their having a happy,
harmonious family?
Perhaps you think
you don't have enough talents or intelligence to be the person God wants you to
be. Or perhaps you think the circumstances you find yourself in prevent you
from being the person God wants you to be. There is no mention in Peter's list
of talents, intelligence, or positive circumstances.
The fact is all
believers are not given the same amount of talents: some have one talent,
others have ten. We don't all have the same intelligence, and our circumstances
can be totally different.
You might be
thinking, “That's not fair! How can God do that?” Well, God is not measuring
you by those things! He's looking at your character, not your talent or
your intelligence. It's equally possible for a Christian with one talent and a
Christian with ten talents to see their character grow to reach the life goal that
God has for each of us.
Pause for Thought 1
Objective:
Here we are looking for people to see that achieving God’s
goal for our lives is all about our character and that it really is true that
nothing can stop us achieving it except ourselves.
Questions:
Look at the questionnaire “What do I believe?” on page 184
of the participant’s guide. If you feel comfortable, share with the group where
you put your lowest score and what you wrote for that question.
2 Peter 1:3 states that we have “everything we need for life
and godliness”. Discuss the idea that, whatever life goal God has for you, no
circumstance or person can prevent you from achieving it, except you.
There is no mention in Peter's list of talents,
intelligence, or positive circumstances. How does that change your thinking?
Significance Comes from Proper Use of Time
How did you score yourself on significance?
What's forgotten in time is of little significance. What's
remembered for eternity is of great significance. Significance is about time.
The tragedy is that often we don't realize our own
significance. We read this in Isaiah 49:14-16:
But Zion said, “the Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has
forgotten me.”
This is how God responded: “Can a mother forget the baby at
her breast and have no compassion on the child she has born? Though she may
forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my
hands; your walls are ever before me.”
God uses a graphic illustration, engraving them on the palm
of His hands. Now, people write things on their hands to make sure they won't
forget something. God has placed us somewhere where no matter how much time
passes, we will still be there. That's how significant we are!
You may say, “All I do is help with the children at church.”
No, you are teaching truth to five-year-olds! What they choose to believe will
have eternal consequences. That makes it very significant. That’s in addition
to the significant service that you are doing for their parents, releasing them
to worship God and learn about Him.
If you want to increase the significance of what you do,
focus your time on things that will make an eternal difference.
Fulfillment Comes from Serving Others
What about the fulfillment? You've probably noticed that
there is so much self-help advice out there in books, blogs, magazines, and the
internet about how to live a fulfilled life. Yet not that many people actually
seem to be fulfilled!
Jesus must have been the most fulfilled person that ever
walked the earth. Where did He get his sense of fulfillment from? He said, “my
food... is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work” (John 4:34).
Interestingly, it didn't come from trying to be fulfilled. It came when He
didn't focus on Himself but on serving God the Father.
Peter wrote, “Each one should use whatever gift he has
received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various
forms” (1 Peter 4:10). God has made each of us unique. and each one of us has
different gifts. Yet we are to use them to serve others, and when we do,
paradoxically we become fulfilled.
Fulfillment comes when we “grow where we're planted” instead
of looking for better soil or a prettier pot by changing the circumstances or
people in our lives.
It's not by accident at all that God has sovereignly placed
you in your family, on your street, with your friends, at your job, or at your
college. Of the nearly 8 billion people in the world I'm the only one who can
be a father to my daughter, Haley, and my son, Brennan.
You have a unique role as a husband, wife, father, mother,
or child in your family, no one can be that person better than you. God has
specifically planted you to serve Him by serving your family. That's your first
and foremost calling.
And you're the only one who knows your neighbors as you do.
You have a unique role as an ambassador for Christ where you work. These are
your mission fields, and you are the worker God has appointed for the harvest
there.
God wants Christians who are becoming more and more like Jesus
in every area of society. You're calling to business or industry or education
or art or the health services, whatever it is, is a high and holy calling where
you can make an eternal difference.
Don't try to be someone else. Be the unique person that God
has made you to be.
God won't ask me why I wasn't Billy Graham or Mother Teresa.
But he might ask me why I wasn't me!
Satisfaction Comes from Living a Quality Life
How did you rate yourself on your level of satisfaction? I
wonder what you thought would make you more satisfied, that's a clue to what
you've come to believe will bring satisfaction.
In Matthew 5:6, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”, in other words,
satisfied.
The truth is that nothing else really satisfies except
living a righteous life. If you wrote something like, “I would be more
satisfied if I worked harder for righteousness in my community”, you are on the
right path.
Think about something you purchased that left you dissatisfied.
What was the issue?
It generally has to do with quality. Satisfaction is an
issue of quality. We achieve greater satisfaction from doing a few things well
than from doing many things in a haphazard or hasty way. The key to personal
satisfaction is not found in doing more things but in deepening our commitment
to quality in the things that we are doing.
The same is true in relationships. If you are dissatisfied
in your relationships, perhaps you have spread yourself too thin.
We can learn from Jesus, who taught thousands and equipped
70 for ministry, but invested most of his time in 12 disciples. Out of those
12, he selected three, Peter, James, and John, to be with him at crucial times:
on the Mount of Transfiguration, on the Mount of Olives, and in the Garden of
Gethsemane. We all need the satisfaction that quality relationships bring.
Happiness Comes from Wanting What We Have
What about happiness? The world's concept of happiness is
having what we want. Advertisements tell us that we need a flashier car, a
better phone, another pair of shoes, or any number of items that are better,
faster, or easier to use than what we already have. We become restless, (don't we?), and start to
want all the latest fashions, fads, and gadgets.
I'm usually content with what I have, until I walk into the
shopping mall. Then suddenly it's “I need, I need! I want, I want!”
Never has there been a society where people have so many
things yet are so unhappy. Why? Because things don't make us happy!
In 1 Timothy 6:6-8, Paul wrote: “Godliness with contentment
is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we take nothing out
of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
In other words, happiness isn't about having what you want. It's
about wanting what you have.
As long as you're focusing on what you don't have, or what
you can't do, you'll be unhappy. But when you begin to appreciate what you
already have, you'll be happy all your life.
Actually, you already have everything you need to make you
happy forever. You have Jesus. You have eternal life. You are loved by a
heavenly Father who has promised to supply all your needs. No wonder the Bible
repeatedly commands us to be thankful!
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)
18 in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
God brought the Israelites out of slavery with amazing
miracles. He gave them clear guidance as to where to go. He used a pillar of
cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to direct them. He provided bread
from heaven and water from rocks. And what did they do? They complained “That's
not enough!”
We too are continually tempted to feel like we don't have
enough. Christians change churches because the old one “wasn't meeting my needs”.
And how often do we hear complaints that a sermon or worship time “didn't
minister to me”.
Church isn't there to meet your needs! You are part of a
church so that you can meet the needs of others and glorify God. In God's
Kingdom, it's more blessed to give than to receive.
Pause for Thought 2
Objective: To consider some of the aspects of the “what do I
believe” questionnaire.
Questions:
In what ways can we know significance by focusing our time
on things that will make an eternal difference?
What causes us to want to be someone else, rather than growing
as the unique person God has made us to be?
Christians can often feel overwhelmed by the many things
that demand their time. Discuss the idea that greater satisfaction comes from
doing a few things well, rather than from doing many things in a haphazard or
hasty way.
Fun Comes from Enjoying Life Moment-by-Moment
You may think fun is a strange thing to include in this list.
Yet of all people, a Christian who has been set free by Christ, and knows who
they are and what they have in Him, should be having fun!
Often when you plan for fun, it leads to a let down because
it doesn't turn out as expected. Most fun happens spontaneously. Maybe it was a
pillow fight with the kids or a ridiculous conversation with a friend, it just
happened. That spontaneous fun comes when we throw off our inhibitions and we
stop worrying about what other people will think of us. Paul wrote, “If I were
still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
Do you still find yourself thinking, “What will people say?”
Those walking in freedom will respond, “Who cares what people say? I'm not
playing to the crowd any longer. I'm playing for God alone.”
When David got the ark of the covenant back which had been
stolen by the Philistines, he was so happy that he leapt and danced before the
Lord in celebration. His wife, Michal, was embarrassed by his behavior and told
him so in no uncertain terms. David said, “I will celebrate before the Lord. I
will become even more undignified than this” (2 Samuel 6: 21-22).
I have realized that the same embarrassment that often keeps
me from having fun also keeps me from telling others about Jesus if I do not
make a constant effort to throw it off.
Steve Goss shares this testimony:
When Steve's father-in-law died, he had the privilege of
doing the address at his funeral service. Steve started by telling his favorite
joke. He was intrigued to see the looks on people's faces, especially those who
were not regular churchgoers. They were, not unreasonably, expecting
seriousness and religion. There was quite a pause before they realized it was
OK to laugh in church.
How have we managed to give people the impression that our
wonderful, loving, creative God is a killjoy? When we are free, we can laugh.
We don't need to keep up appearances.
Security Comes from Focusing on Eternal Values
“I would be more secure if...” Actually, you can't possibly
be more secure than you already are. Jesus said that no one can snatch us out
of His hand (John 10:27- 29). Paul declared that nothing can separate us from
the love of God in Christ (Romans 8: 35-39).
We can, however, feel insecure when we depend upon earthly
things that we have no right or ability to control. It's all too easy to fall
into the trap of working toward a goal of finding our security in money or some
other worldly thing.
Everything we now have we shall someday lose. Jim Elliot, a
missionary who was murdered, said, “He is no fool to give up that which he
cannot keep in order to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Peace Comes from Quieting the Inner Storm
How can we have peace? Jesus is the Prince of peace (Isaiah
9:6) and He said:
“My peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do
not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14: 27).
The peace of God is something we need to take hold of
everyday in our inner person. A lot of things may disrupt our external world
because we can't control all of our circumstances and relationships. But we can
control the inner world of our thoughts and emotions by allowing the peace of
God to rule in our hearts on a daily basis. There may be chaos all around us,
but God is bigger than any storm. Nothing will happen to you today that God and
you cannot handle.
Difficulties Help Us Toward the Goal
You may think that your past or present circumstances are so
difficult that they stop you becoming the person God wants you to be, but
actually the opposite is true.
Paul says that we can rejoice in our sufferings because “we
know that that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and
character, hope. (Romans 5: 3-4).
James offered similar advice in James 1: 2-4:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, and sisters, whenever you
face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith
produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Persevering through difficulties develops our character and
helps us fulfill our life goal to become more and more like Jesus.
Steve Goss presents this testimony:
Steve remembers when his wife was really ill over a period
of two years and couldn't really do much apart from sit in a chair. Their children
were at a critical stage in their education and the ministry was growing. It
was a tough time. One of Steve’s friends reminded him recently of something
that he apparently said to him during that time: “If I don't come out of this
changed for the better then it will have been a wasted opportunity.”
Steve, and I, really
believe that. It's in the tough times that our characters can really grow to
become more like Jesus and in due course we'll see the fruit of that. I don't
know anyone with any kind of significant ministry who hasn't persevered through
great difficulties.
Defeated spouses say, “my marriage is hopeless”, then try to
solve the problem by changing partners. Others feel their jobs or churches are
hopeless. So they move, only to discover that their new job or church is just
as hopeless. What should you do? Can I give it to you straight? Hang in there
and grow up!
Those difficult situations may be helping you achieve God's
goals for your life. There are legitimate times to change jobs or churches, but
if we are just running from our own immaturity, it will follow us wherever we
go.
We need occasional mountain top experiences, but the fertile
soil of growth is always down in the valleys, not on the mountain tops.
It’s the First Day of the Rest of Your Life
We're all going to die. One day you will lose everything you
have, including your closest relationships, your qualifications, your
possessions, and your money.
Well, this is the last session of the course so I thought
you might need cheering up!
Actually there is just one thing we won't lose: our
relationship with Jesus and everything that comes with it.
That is why Paul can say, “For to me, to live is Christ and
to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
If you try putting anything else other than Christ in that
verse, it doesn't work.
For me to live is my career, to die is... loss.
For me to live is my family, to die is... loss.
For me to live is a successful Christian ministry, to die
is... loss.
But when the point of our life here and now is simply Jesus
and becoming like Him, when we die it just gets better.
Today is the first day of the rest of your life! You can
become everything God wants you to be. Regardless of your current
circumstances.
Whether or not you feel you are very far along the path of
becoming more like Jesus, you can leave here in this sure knowledge that you
are God's holy child and that He delights in you.
He is intimately concerned with your life and has plans to
give you a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Amazingly, you can leave here
knowing that nothing and no one can prevent you from becoming the person God
wants you to be.
Are you ready to adopt God's goal for your life, to become
more and more like Jesus in character?
I want to finish by reading something written by someone, of
unknown source, who decided to take God at his word:
“I am part of the “Fellowship of the Unashamed”. I have Holy
Spirit power. The die has been cast. I've stepped over the line. The decision
has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down,
back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my
future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small
planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking,
miserly giving, and dwarfed goals!
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position,
promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, top,
recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, lean by
faith, love by patience, lift by prayer and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road
is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission
clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back,
diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in
the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the
pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, let up, or burn up till I've
preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of
Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till
I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops.
And when He comes to get His own, He'll have no problems
recognizing me. My colors will be clear.”
The rest of your life is ahead of you. It's exciting. You can
become the person God wants you to be. Nothing and no one can get in your
way. Let's pray.
Lord God,
Thank You that we are saints, holy ones, because of what
Jesus has done. Our goal is to become the people You have created us to be.
Thank You that nothing and no one can stand in our way. It is for freedom that
Christ has set us free.
We commit ourselves to truth, to being transformed by the
renewing of our minds.
Please fill us with Your Holy Spirit and send us out In His power
to become more and more like Jesus, to grow as disciples and to bear fruit.
Send us into the world to make disciples too, Lord.
Thank You that nothing can separate us from Your love. Thank
You that You will always be with us.
We love you, Lord, and we choose to put You first. For me to
live is Christ. To die is gain.
Amen.
Reflection
Objective: To make a commitment to
God's life goal and workout next steps.
Discuss the idea that God's goal for
your life is that you become more and more like Jesus in character. What would
it look like for you to embrace that?
Spend some time in prayer committing
to God's goal for your life and thanking him that you can achieve it in His
strength.
Spend some time thanking God for what
He has shown and taught you through the course. Ask God what steps He wants you
to take next.
Witness: Pick two or three of the
eight areas we have considered. How would not-yet-Christians around you be affected
if you were to put the principles into practice?
In the Coming Week: Work out which of
the eight areas in the “What Do I Believe?” questionnaire are the most challenging
for you. Spend some time reading the relevant passages for those areas in “God’s
Guidelines for the Walk of Faith”. You
could use them to develop a stronghold buster for the ongoing renewing of your
mind.
God’s Guidelines for The Walk Of Faith
Success comes from having the
right goals
Success is accepting God’s goal for
our lives and by His grace becoming what He has called us to be (Joshua 1:7, 8;
2 Peter 1:3–10; 3 John 2).
Significance comes from proper use
of time
What is forgotten in time is of
little significance. What is remembered for eternity is of greatest
significance (1 Corinthians 3:13; Acts 5:33–40; 1 Timothy 4:7, 8).
Fulfilment comes from serving
others
Fulfilment is discovering our own
uniqueness in Christ and using our gifts to build others up and glorify the
Lord (2 Timothy 4:5; Romans 12:1–18; Matthew 25:14–30).
Satisfaction comes from living a
quality life
Satisfaction is living righteously
and seeking to raise the quality of our relationships and the things we do (Matthew
5:5; Proverbs 18:24; 2 Timothy 4:7).
Happiness comes from wanting what
we have
Happiness is being thankful for what
we do have, rather than focusing on what we don’t have — because happy are the
people who want what they have (Philippians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; 1
Timothy 6:6–8)!
Fun comes from enjoying life
moment by moment
The secret is to remove unbiblical
hindrances such as keeping up appearances (2 Samuel 6:20–23; Galatians 1:10,
5:1; Romans 14:22).
Security comes from focusing on
eternal values
Insecurity comes when we depend on
things that will pass away rather than things that will last forever (John
10:27–30; Romans 8:31–39; Ephesians 1:13, 14).
Peace comes from quieting the
inner storm
The peace of God is internal, not
external (Jeremiah 6:14; John 14:27; Philippians 4:6, 7; Isaiah 32:17).
Anderson, Neil T.; Goss, Steve.
Freedom in Christ Participant's Guide: A 10-Week Life-Changing Discipleship
Course . Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.