A MESSAGE FROM YOUR PASTOR
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not
let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
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“Freedom in Christ to be Strong!”
SCRIPTURE : Galatians 5:1(5-6)
We begin a new sermon series that will deal with the theme of “being strong”. We do so because the church must stand firm and strong if we are to “be the light of the world”. We live in a broken world whose grounding is hopelessness and despair. Violence surrounds us, families are falling apart, people are giving up, and the moral fiber of our society is quickly deteriorating. Sin is ever present, and the enemy is diligently working to rob and steal all that God has given us. It’s a bleak picture that I have painted but a real one! So, what is the church to do? What are we to do to save our children, our community, and ourselves…?
I will share with you what I believe we must do: we face reality; we recognize that in Christ there is a solution, and in His name, we break the chains that keep us down and out! We take the fight to the enemy!!! It’s time for the church, for you and me, to stand up and proclaim, “the joy of the Lord is my strength”. It’s time for us to live the hope of knowing that “greater is He who is in us, then he who is in the world”; God is greater! Two things must happen if we are to be strong and determined Christians, ready to fight the enemy and ready to see the victory that God has promised us through Jesus Christ. The first is to know the enemy and the second is to be well equipped and well trained to fight the enemy. Evilness is real and the enemy is always there to bring chaos and destruction. Don’t be fooled into believing that you will recognize him because he has horns, goes around bumping things in the dark, or is in red all the time… those are myths. The enemy lures you in deceitful ways: he subtlety tries to separate us from being in God’s will, he binds us down with anger, depression, low self-esteem, and he constantly whispers in our ears negativity and lies. You must know the enemy in order to stand up against the enemy. And we must also know that God is much more powerful than the enemy! We must know that Jesus Christ defeated the enemy on Calvary and resurrection gave us the victory over the enemy! CHRIST HAS SET US FREE! Christ has given us freedom from sin and evilness. The enemy has no power over us for our Savior has broken the chains that kept us down, and the Holy Spirit has sealed us for the assurance of our salvation. So what are we to do when attacks come our way… we are to stand firm! We stand on the promises of God, we hang on in prayer, and we fight back with the Word of God. We fight doubt with faith, we fight hatred with love, and we resist the temptation of giving up by surrendering to God and giving Him total control of our lives. In Christ, we are free, we are strong, and we are in victory. 
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