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Deliverance
& Freedom
Consequences of Freedom
When a man decides to
exercise his freedom to break God’s laws
he is like a person who ascends to
the top of a tall building and jumps off. For the first several stories he
feels great. There are no restraints
no restrictions
no hang-ups. But
suppose
ten stories from the ground
he realizes that a sudden stop awaits him
and that he doesn’t want to endure its consequences. Can he reverse the falling
process? Can you or he stop the fall? Of course not. Thus
in the final ten
stories
our tragic character will examine his definition of freedom and
realize—too late—that it was wrong.
Morality and Freedom
”Men are qualified for
civil liberties only to the extent that they are willing to put moral chains of
their appetites”—Edmund Burke
Security and Freedom
At the University of
Oklahoma
for many years a project was underway to teach a fifteen-year-old
female chimpanzee named Washoe to talk by combining sign language with simple
recognition. Since 1966
this chimpanzee learned 140 signs.
Finally
the project directors decided that Washoe was prepared to “conceptualize.” This
meant that instead of merely imitating some human’s words
the chimp would
express thoughts of her own. Now
understand
Washoe was a pampered animal in
the university’s laboratory—well fed
physically comfortable
safe from harm.
She had security. And yet
when she was able to put words together on her own
into a phrase
these were the first three—and she has said them again
repeatedly—“Let me out.”
Faith for my deliverance
is not faith in God. Faith means
whether I am visibly delivered or not
I will
stick to my belief that God is love. There are some things only learned in a
fiery furnace.
Oswald Chambers in Run
Today's Race.
John Paton was a
missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded
the mission station
intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton
and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them.
When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later
the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened
Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing
them. The chief replied in surprise
"Who were all those men with you
there?" Paton knew no men were present--but the chief said he was afraid
to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with
drawn swords circling the mission station.
Today in the Word
MBI
October
1991
p. 18.
The divine "scheme of
things
" as Christianity understands it
is at once extremely elastic and
extremely rigid. It is elastic
in that it includes a large measure of liberty
for the creature; it is rigid in that it includes the proviso that
however
created beings choose to behave
they must accept responsibility of their own
actions and endure the consequences.
Dorothy L. Sayer in Dorothy
L. Sayer: A Rage for Life.
In May 1924
a shocked
nation learned two young men from Chicago
Richard Leopold and Nathan Loeb
had
killed 14-year-old Bobbie Franks. What made the crime so shocking
and made
Leopold and Loeb household names
was the reason for the killing. The two
became obsessed with the idea of committing the "perfect murder
" and
simply picked young Franks as their victim. They were sentenced to life
imprisonment
but Leopold was killed in a prison brawl in 1936. Claiming he
wanted "a chance to find redemption for myself and to help others
"
Nathan Loeb became a hospital technician at his parole in 1958. He died in
1971.
Today in the Word
October 3
1992.
Liberty of thought is in
itself a good; but it gives an opening to false liberty.
John Henry Newman
Apologia pro vita Sua
1864.
A man's worst difficulties
begin when he is able to do as he likes.
Thomas Huxley
"Address on University Education
" Collected Essays
1902
III
p. 236.
No man in this world
attains to freedom from any slavery except by entrance into some higher
servitude. There is no such thing as an entirely free man conceivable.
Phillips Brooks (1835-
1893)
Perennials.
Freedom is the right to be
wrong
not the right to do wrong.
John Diefenbaker.
We are in bondage to the
law in order that we may be free.
Cicero.
Those who profess to favor
freedom and yet depreciate agitation are men who want rain without thunder and
lightning.
Frederick Douglass.
The divine "scheme of
things
" as Christianity understands it
is at once extremely elastic and
extremely rigid. It is elastic
in that it includes a large measure of liberty
for the creature; it is rigid in that it includes the proviso that
however
created beings choose to behave
they must accept responsibility of their own
actions and endure the consequences.
Dorothy L. Sayer in Dorothy
L. Sayer: A Rage for Life.
Lord Jesus
thou who art
the way
the truth
and the life; hear us as we pray for the truth that shall
make all free. Teach us that liberty is not only to be loved but also to be
lived. Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books. It costs too much
to be hoarded. Help us see that our liberty is not the right to do as we
please
but the opportunity to please to do what is right.
Peter Marshall
Before the
U.S. Senate.
DELIVERANCE.
The believer
has a sevenfold deliverance for which he can praise God:--
Ⅰ. Deliverance from the
curse of a broken law (Gal.5:1).
Ⅱ. Deliverance from the
condemnation of sin (Romans 8:1-3).
Ⅲ. Deliverance from the
servitude of sin (Rom.6:18).
Ⅳ. Deliverance from the evil
in the world (Gal.1:4).
Ⅴ. Deliverance from the
power of darkness (Col.1:13).
Ⅵ. Deliverance from the fear
of death (Heb.2:15).
Ⅶ. Deliverance from self in
the death of Christ (Gal.2:20).
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》
“DELIVER
US FROM EVIL.
Matthew 6:13.
Ⅰ. Deliver us from an “evil
conscience” (Heb.10:22) by the application of the blood of Christ.
Ⅱ. Deliver us from an “evil
heart of unbelief” ( Heb.3:12)
by unwavering faith in God’s Word.
Ⅲ. Deliver us from “ this
present evil world” (Gal.1:4)
by living in the purpose Christ had
when He
died for us.
Ⅳ. Deliver us from “ evil
speaking” (Eph.4:31)
by enabling us to speak the truth in love.
Ⅴ. Deliver us from “every
evil work” (11. Tim.4:18)
by 1 eading us in the Spirit to abound in every good
work.
Ⅵ. Deliver us from“evil
communications” (1.Cor.xv.33)
by heart fellowship with Christ and those who
are His.
Ⅶ. Deliver us from “ all
appearance of evil” (1. Thess.5:22)
that Christ’s honour may be unsullied.
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》
ESCAPE
FROM.
As the
man-slayer had something to escape from
namely
the avenger
so the sinner has
need to escape from—
Ⅰ. The curse of a broken law
(Gal.3:10).
Ⅱ. The justice of God
(Ex.34:7).
Ⅲ. The consequences of sin
(Heb.10:26
27).
Ⅳ. The wrath to come (1.
Thess.1:10).
Ⅴ. The guilt of sin
(Rom.3:19).
Ⅵ. The dominion of sin
(Rom.6:16).
Ⅶ. The love of sin (John
3:19).
Ⅷ. The power of darkness
(Col.1:13).
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》
LIBERTY.
Ⅰ.
Freedom from the slavery of sin. “ To set at liberty them that are bruised” (
Luke 4:18).
Ⅱ.
Freedom from anxiety. “ And to let him have liberty” (Acts 24:23).
Ⅲ.
Freedom to be. Hence to the right or authority. “ To them gave He the right
(M.) to become the sons of God” (John 1:12).
Ⅳ.
Freedom of approach. “ Boldness (M.
liberty)
to enter into the holiest”
(Heb.10:19).
Ⅴ.
Freedom to go where one will. “ Where the Spirit of the Lord is
there is
liberty” ( 2. Cor.3:17; James 1:25).
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》
“ LIBERTY.”
Ⅰ.
The purpose of Christ. He came “ to
set at liberty” (Luke 4:18)..
Ⅱ.
We are called to liberty. “ Ye have
been called unto liberty” (Galatians 5:13).
Ⅲ.
We have the Spirit of liberty. “
Where the Spirit of the Lord is
there is liberty” (2. Cor.3:17).
Ⅳ.
We have liberty into the presence of
God. “ Having therefore
brethren
liberty to enter into the holiest by the
blood of Jesus” (Heb.10:19
mar.)
Ⅴ.
We have the law of liberty
which we
are to look into. “ Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and
continueth therein……this man shall be blessed” (James 1:25).
Ⅵ.
We are to stand fast in the liberty. “
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free”
(Gal.5:1).
Ⅶ.
We are waiting for the glorious liberty.
“ Delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God” （Rom.8:21）.
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》