24-0317p Transcript

Preacher: Jim Lokenbauer

(0:54) Hello again. (0:56) This evening I’m going to bring you part two of The Father of Lights. (1:00) This morning we looked at two verses from James in chapter 1, (1:09) talking about our Father in Heaven being the Heavenly Father of Lights who gives good and perfect gifts. (1:19) And we were looking at some of the many gifts that he blesses us with.

(1:25) And that quote from James is, (1:28) And every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, (1:33) with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. (1:39) So God is the same, as it says in scripture, saying yesterday, today, and tomorrow. (1:45) He doesn’t change like the shifting sand or the light as it spreads across the earth.

(1:54) He is the same. (1:55) And he has always blessed man with lots of different gifts. (2:02) He’s always taking care of us, shepherding us.

(2:06) And we should always be grateful for everything he gives us. (2:11) And the gifts we looked at this morning was, of course, the gift of Jesus himself coming into the world. (2:19) His words, his teachings are a gift.

(2:21) The Holy Spirit is a gift from God. (2:23) Our justification is a gift, and our righteousness is a gift from Christ. (2:30) Our eternal life in Heaven is going to be a gift from our Father of Lights.

(2:38) And so this evening, we’re going to look at some of the other gifts that our Heavenly Father blesses us with. (2:46) God gives us the gift of talents. (2:50) We are all given some kind of ability or talent which we can use in the service to the Lord and to the saints.

(2:58) And Paul explains this in the Roman letter. (3:04) In Romans 12, 6 through 8, Paul says we have different gifts according to the grace given us. (3:10) If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.

(3:16) If it is serving, let him serve. (3:18) If it is teaching, let him teach. (3:21) If it is encouraging, let him encourage.

(3:24) If it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously. (3:29) If it is leadership, let him govern diligently. (3:37) And if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

(3:43) So Paul lists seven gifts from God which he graciously gives us. (3:49) God gives us gifts or talents in which we can serve Him in some way by often serving each other. (3:57) If you remember, Jesus spoke a parable about the talents.

(4:03) In that parable, the talent is a sum of money that is entrusted to servants who are to use it wisely on their master’s behalf. (4:14) The master expected them to be fruitful with the talents that he gave them. (4:19) And Peter himself, probably knowing that lesson that Jesus taught, encourages us to use our gifts of talent to serve God and each other.

(4:33) Peter says in 1 Peter 4.10, (4:36) As each has received the gift employed in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms. (4:48) So notice Peter says, as each has received a gift. (4:54) That means we all have some sort of ability or gift from God.

(5:00) And it’s up to us to find it and to use it for God’s glory. (5:05) When we use our talent in serving the saints, that’s one way we bear fruit for God. (5:11) We are to be good stewards of God’s grace.

(5:15) And this is one of the ways we do it. (5:18) And he is glorified by it. (5:20) No matter how large or small the talent appears, whether it’s just giving somebody an encouraging word, (5:27) or preaching Christ to thousands of people in a crowded stadium, God is glorified.

(5:36) So as you can see, there’s lots of different gifts that our Father in Heaven blesses us with. (5:42) You just gotta find what you can do for God. (5:46) What are you good at? (5:48) God will help you to hone your skills to use it for His glory.

(5:55) So as you see, there’s lots of gifts. (5:58) And now I want us to look at a gift that I don’t think we think about or talk about very often, (6:06) especially in the church building here. (6:09) God blesses us with the gifts of freedom and liberty.

(6:15) So if God blesses us by giving us the gifts of freedom and liberty, (6:19) that action implies that we didn’t have it in our previous state. (6:25) Listen again to Scripture. (6:28) I’m going to continue on where Mike left off.

(6:31) In John 8, 36, Jesus says to the same crowd, to the Jews, (6:38) If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. (6:45) So that’s implying the unspoken words He said there is, (6:51) You are a slave, but He can make you free. (6:57) In 2 Corinthians 3, 17, Paul says, (7:01) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

(7:08) Jesus said to the Jews that He would free them, but they took offense at that. (7:13) So let’s take a deeper look to see what Jesus was going to make them free from. (7:21) This freedom Jesus offers is available to both Jew and Gentile.

(7:27) We’ll expand out from what we just read for context. (7:33) So John 31 to 36, (7:36) Jesus therefore was saying to the Jews who had believed Him, (7:40) If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine, (7:46) and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (7:50) They answered Him, We are Abraham’s offspring.

(7:53) We have never yet been enslaved to anyone. (7:56) How is it that you say you shall become free? (8:01) Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, (8:04) Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin, (8:10) and the slave does not remain in the house forever. (8:14) The Son does remain forever.

(8:17) If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. (8:24) Jesus declared that our pre-faith state of being was that we were slaves. (8:31) Slaves to sin.

(8:32) Paul said in the Roman letter that the wages of sin is death, (8:39) meaning we earn our own death. (8:41) It’s our pay, our wage, the price owed us for our own sinful actions. (8:48) It also means when we choose to sin, (8:51) we willingly put our hands, legs, and necks into shackles and enter into slavery.

(9:00) Slavery to sin. (9:01) We are no longer in control of ourselves because the slave answers to its master. (9:10) So in verse 32 and 36 of John 8, (9:13) Jesus makes the greatest of all emancipation proclamations ever.

(9:20) He’ll set men free of sin. (9:25) Abraham Lincoln couldn’t do that. (9:28) Emancipation is the act of setting free from slavery, servitude, subjection, and dependence.

(9:37) It’s the deliverance from bondage or a controlling influence, (9:41) and sin is all of those things. (9:46) So for all the souls who think they are free by rejecting the idea of an all-powerful, holy God of the Bible, (9:55) and so follow and do all their own heart’s desires, (9:59) they are actually slaves. (10:03) They’re delusional.

(10:05) Just like in my past lessons that I’ve taught, (10:08) there are only two kingdoms that you can be a part of, (10:12) the kingdom of God or the kingdom of Satan. (10:17) And if you don’t know that you’re a part of the kingdom of God, (10:21) you’re already in the kingdom of Satan. (10:25) And you might not realize that either.

(10:29) But there you are. (10:31) Two camps, two sides, two masters. (10:34) It’s a choice to believe God or not to believe Him, (10:37) to obey God or disbelieve Him.

(10:42) What else are we freed from? (10:44) We are freed from the law of sin and death. (10:49) Jesus makes us free from that. (10:52) And the Jew is freed from the law of Moses.

(10:56) Gentiles are freed from pagan worship of foreign gods and idols that we set up in our lives. (11:03) Paul devotes a whole portion of his second letter to the Corinthians (11:07) showing the difference between the law of Moses and Christ’s law of the Spirit. (11:14) This is a gift we are all given when we obediently obey His Word.

(11:22) It’s not a physical gift, talent, or ability. (11:26) You can’t see it or touch it. (11:28) It is actually a state of being that you find yourself in.

(11:32) It’s a condition. (11:34) What do I mean by that? (11:35) I believe we need to define what state is. (11:39) And Noah Webster says a state is sort of existential in a way.

(11:54) It’s a state of being, a state of where you are, your condition at a moment’s time. (12:04) Let’s also look at freedom. (12:07) A freedom is a state of exemption from the power of control of another.

(12:13) Liberty, exemption from slavery, servitude, or confinement. (12:18) Freedom is personal, civil, political, and religious. (12:23) Liberty is defined as being free.

(12:29) Freedom from restraint in a general sense and applicable to the body or to the will or mind. (12:37) The body is at liberty when not confined. (12:42) The will or mind is at liberty when not checked or controlled.

(12:48) A man enjoys liberty when no physical force operates restraint to his actions or volition. (12:58) Natural liberty consists in the power of acting as one thinks fit, (13:03) without any restraint or control except from laws of nature. (13:09) It is a state of exemption from the control of others (13:13) and from positive laws and the institutions of social life.

(13:19) This liberty is abridged by the establishment of government. (13:25) Civil liberty is the liberty of men in a state of society or natural liberty, (13:31) a state so far only abridged and restrained as is necessary and expedient (13:38) for the safety and interest of the society, state, or nation. (13:42) A restraint of natural liberty not necessary or expedient for the public is tyranny or oppression.

(13:52) We’ve been hearing a lot of that lately. (13:55) Civil liberty is an exemption from the arbitrary will of others, (14:01) which exemption is secured by established laws, (14:05) which restrain every man from injuring or controlling another. (14:11) Hence, the restraints of law are essential to civil liberty.

(14:17) End of a catch-22. (14:20) Governments tend to restrain a person from doing what they want, (14:28) and yet we need government to restrain people from doing what they want, (14:34) if it infringes upon others. (14:37) Today, liberty and freedom are almost used as synonyms, (14:41) but some people differentiate the two words as follows.

(14:44) Freedom is the ability to do as one will and has the power to do, (14:49) while liberty is the responsible use of freedom without depriving anyone else of their freedom. (15:00) On April 19, 1775, we’re going to do a little history lesson here, (15:06) the American colony militia known as the Minutemen from the towns of Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts (15:13) engaged the British Redcoats, regulars they were called, in battle, (15:20) who at the time were conducting a house-to-house search and seizure of arms and ammunition from the townsfolk. (15:30) This was the event known as the shot that was heard around the world (15:37) and started the American Revolution.

(15:41) Nobody is sure of who actually fired that first shot, (15:46) but around seven and a half years later, General Cornwallis and the British Empire (15:53) surrendered the American colonies to George Washington in Yorktown, Virginia on October 19, 1783. (16:05) The colonists' declaration of independence became a reality and a new country was formed. (16:14) It became a symbol of freedom throughout the entire world.

(16:20) They threw off the tyrannical shackles of an oppressive British government. (16:36) Where most countries are trying to keep its citizens from sneaking out of it, (16:42) our country has a problem with people trying to sneak into the country. (16:48) Why? Because this country is blessed by God.

(16:53) Everyone who hates America is either envious of the prosperity and freedom we have (17:01) or because they hate the God that we believe in that has blessed us. (17:09) We prospered because this land put our Heavenly Father of Lights of the Bible above all else (17:16) and incorporated His teachings into our Bill of Rights and Constitution. (17:25) Presently, our country is in danger because godless Marxist ideologues have covertly inserted themselves (17:35) into positions of influence in our government, media, and schools.

(17:40) They are corrupting our country from the inside out. (17:46) And yet people are still streaming into our land. (17:52) America had a freedom revolution, but it wasn’t the first freedom movement.

(17:59) After America’s revolution, the Founding Fathers took its core principles (18:04) from the Old Testament and Jesus of Nazareth’s teachings. (18:09) Jesus was the first to create a true freedom movement. (18:15) In John 8, 31-36, Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, (18:21) If you remain in my teachings, you are truly my disciples.

(18:25) Then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. (18:29) So if the Son sets you free, you will be freed indeed. (18:35) The true freedom Jesus offered was freedom from sin.

(18:39) And by believing in Jesus and having your sins washed away, (18:45) receiving His forgiveness, which can give you a clean conscience to serve Him, (18:50) that’s freedom. (18:53) Freedom to do good. Freedom to become like Jesus.

(18:57) The freedom to bear fruit for God. (19:00) Plus, the added benefit that Jesus' teaching leads to eternal life. (19:07) We get freed from Satan’s kingdom of darkness (19:10) and become citizens of God’s kingdom of light.

(19:16) Where the Prince of Peace reigns, (19:19) all governments protect themselves from foreign aggressors (19:23) who want what they have. (19:27) Who want to oppress them. (19:30) They also try to protect themselves from corruption within.

(19:33) Sadly, as Solomon said, there’s nothing new under the sun. (19:40) His government corrupted from inside out. (19:45) He brought sin into Israel.

(19:50) Our country is rotting from the inside out (19:54) because we haven’t been diligent to let our holy light shine in this dark land. (20:06) As the Marxists are perverting our culture (20:10) and working to take away our freedom (20:12) to make us slaves to their morally bankrupt ideology and form of government, (20:20) so, in the time of the first century church, (20:24) they face similar threats from their own Jewish brothers. (20:29) In Galatians 2.4, Paul says, (20:31) This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks (20:37) to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus (20:41) and to make us slaves again.

(20:46) The Jewish brothers were trying to bind on the Gentiles the old law, (20:52) making them slaves to the old law, which was no longer valid. (20:58) It threw the early church into great confusion (21:01) and it created divisions within the church. (21:05) As always, the villain at the source of the trouble is Satan, (21:10) working through unwitting Jewish brothers at that time.

(21:15) Even today, ultimately, it comes down to Satan (21:19) not liking the fact that you are no longer a citizen in his kingdom. (21:24) He resents the fact that you name Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, (21:33) the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, as your master instead of him. (21:45) So he wages war against us individually on a personal basis (21:51) and against us collectively as the church.

(21:56) You can see the fruit of Satan’s efforts against every good thing in this world. (22:00) Those who no longer believe and cherish the God of the Bible (22:05) are practicing a perverse form of compassion in the world (22:08) at this time known as malevolent compassion, (22:14) which is actually a very perverse form of hatred. (22:18) It’s not compassion.

It’s not love. (22:22) And so we have to shine our light of God’s Word in this darkness we have in our land. (22:29) We have to speak out against it and we have to push back (22:33) or we’re going to lose what so many of our predecessors have fought and died for (22:41) to establish and protect.

(22:44) Do not follow the rules of modern woke movement and thought. (22:50) Do not be silenced. (22:52) And for goodness sakes, get out and vote for people who have like beliefs as you.

(23:02) And if you don’t know what someone stands for, (23:06) we have great tools and resources at our fingertips to find out all about them. (23:12) It’s called the Internet. (23:17) Wave the politicians' words against their actions.

(23:22) So let’s restore the good values of our land. (23:28) Let’s emancipate those who are slaves to sin in this land. (23:37) We’ve got to first appeal to our Father in Heaven for His divine help.

(23:41) If we believe, He will give us what we ask for (23:45) because He is our Heavenly Father of lights who gives good gifts. (23:53) And finally, Jesus, not only His birth was a gift, (23:59) but even more importantly, His death was a great gift to us. (24:06) It was a gift from God and Jesus' death on the cross (24:12) is the doorway for us to go to Heaven, which is the greatest gift for us.

(24:19) John 3.16 said, (24:21) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, (24:25) that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (24:32) God gave us the greatest gift, His Son. (24:37) And if none of us have confessed His name, (24:40) I see everybody in this room and I know they have.

(24:44) But for those who may be on the phone, (24:47) I encourage, wear Christ and His righteousness. (24:55) God gives us great gifts, friends. (24:59) If you have any need from the church, (25:01) Lord, let it be made known and we’ll give you a hand. (25:05)