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Romans 5:12-21

Freed Captives

It is widely known that people who have been imprisoned for long periods of time become institutionalised. When released they are overwhelmed by the freedom of choice. They have to make a lot of decisions which were once made for them, when to wake up, what to eat, where to work, what to do with their free time. Many who are released re-offend so that they can go back to prison. The familiarity of prison is more comfortable than the freedom of freedom.

Escape the Reaper

You and I are exactly the same. We live our lives as though we are still bound by the chains of our sin. It seems impossible to us that we could walk away from our addiction; whether that is to alcohol, sexual immorality, adultery, pornography, gluttony, the fantasy of romance or marriage, the paralysis that prevents us from showing our love to our family and friends.

It seems horrifying that what we thought was normal is in fact our prison. When we want to change the way we look, when we worry about our children’s future, when we long that our spouse was different, when we wish our job paid more… all these normal things can in fact be our normal desires gone mad. They can control us more than any prison cell

We are like birds who have grown up having our wings clipped, never realising that Christ has restored our wings and that if we only looked up we would soar high up into the sky.

Christ has killed us, he has buried us and when he rose from the dead he raised us as well. Sin no longer has its total control over you. Christ has transferred you out of death’s reign and into his kingdom of life.

This means that you have the power and freedom to rebuild your life a new. Or as Paul puts it you “should walk in newness of life.” (Rom 6:4b). This will involve bearing the fruit of the spirit and cutting out the works of the flesh. The more you live your freedom the freer you will be.

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.  Romans 6:14          

the Rev

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Psalm 23

Real Help

Why doesn’t God help me the way I want? Work is hard, chores are boring, family is painful, future is scary and life is tiring. God is all powerful so why does the lawn still need to be mowed, why are there things to be fixed at home, why do the kids keep fighting and why do the bills out number my income?

Through the valley of death

Can’t God help? Or won’t God help? If a person has been diagnosed with cancer how will it help them if we raised money so that we could give them a care, send their kids off to rehabilitation so that they came back civilised, a new car, an easier and higher paying job. None of this would make sense since they have cancer, they are going to die. Wouldn’t be better if we could do something about their cancer so that they could live. Wouldn’t they be happy to return to their small imperfect home with fighting kids and a boring job?

So it is with God. We want what does not matter while ignoring our greatest need. We rush headlong through our lives missing and ignoring our need for God himself. We substitute him for that which in comparison is worthless. We are like sheep who have gone astray. We are lost in the wilderness and the howling of the wolfs has frozen our blood.

We need a shepherd who is going to care for, not just in terms of food and shelter. We need his care to heal our broken hearts, to heal the wounds that so scar us. We need him to refresh us and restore our very souls. Not with plasma TV’s but with a real experience of our Shepherds care within our daily lives, within the wreckage of our family, work and church

When we are sounded by the wolfs we want the Rod and Staff not only to protect us but to guide us into safety. We need the Shepherds comfort in the dark times of our lives. So often we stumble and fall. These are times when we doubt our salvation or our faith as being genuine. And yet our shepherd assures us that we will never be lost from him, that we will one day dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Why? Because he is going to make sure that we make it because he will care for us, he will comfort us and he will protect us, never to forsake us.

God doesn’t help me the way I want because he is concerned about giving me real help. the Rev