Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
September 22, 2002 - W0238

John answered and said, ìA man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.î (Jn. 3:27)

I donít think I have the maturity it takes for those ìall you can eatî places. The last time I went to Japan we went to an all-you-can-eat seafood and sushi restaurant. Just one catch: There was a time limit of one hour after you paid. And to make sure we didnít go over that hour, they gave us a tamper-proof timer. If you did go over that hour, you paid twice. It was a madhouse!

Whole families were primed like sprinters, ready to run from the door. Children, grandparents, even old obachans (delicate, elderly women) wearing beautiful kimonos pushed and shoved their way through the lines. It was a feeding frenzy! One guy, who obviously had only a few moments left, was running back to his table with his bowl of saimin when he stopped at one of those ice cream sundae machines. He frantically looked around for a bowl and since there was none, he filled the ice cream right into his saimin. Yuck! I thought. These people are uncivilized!

But then I paid for my own buffet and an odd transformation took place. I became consumed with the need to consume and began inhaling every shelf of food. I would only run back to the table only to see the timer going down, which caused me to race back for more. I stuffed myself so badly that I was in physical pain. My thinking at the time (though not very logical, Iíll admit) was that since it was available, it had to be eaten. Obviously, thatís too much freedom for me.

Out of all of that madness, I did learn something that day, something deeply profound and revealing: Iím not ready for all-you-can-eat buffets. I donít have the maturity or self-discipline it requires. Isnít that true? Arenít we all like that sometimes?

Q1: How do you handle freedom in the midst of plenty?

You see, our true self surfaces when we have access to everything. It is when we are free to take, eat, and do whatever we want that we reveal who we really are. The true test of our character is not in the midst of lack, the true test is in the midst of plenty. Thatís when who we really are is revealed.

When Hurricane Iwa hit Kauai, I flew there the following week to help pass out food. Federal aid came and gave away free cheese, milk, bread, and ice about once every three hours. As soon as the huge federal assistance truck appeared, people darted out of their houses to line up for their share of free stuff. This went on for days. About the third day, Dana, (my friendís wife) ran out to get her share of free juice. When she came back empty-handed, I asked her why. She said, ìI have so much already. I donít need it.î ìSo why did you go?î I asked. ìI donít know,î she replied. ìBecause itís free.î

We all have a tendency to be like that. Because itís free we think we should take it. Because itís free, we rationalize that itís okay to abandon self-discipline and gorge ourselves. But just because itís free, watch out! The true cost may be much more taxing to your character.

Today, I want to share about a beautiful gift God has given to us: Freedom. It can be a challenge for us if weíre not careful. Itís a precious gift that comes to us without any costs or expectations in return, but the way in which we steward our freedom will make all the difference in our character and possibly even our destiny. And because itís so critical to our character, here are two safeguards to remember in guarding our freedom:

JUST BECAUSE ITíS FREE. . .

1.     IT DOESNíT MEAN TAKING LICENSE!

But He answered and said, ìEvery plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be rooted up.î (Mt. 15:13)

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Gal. 5:13)

The enemy knows our weaknesses. If there is any pretense, duplicity, or anything less than genuine in our lives, he will use those to plot our downfall. We may have an image of faith and love for God when weíre in public. However, if we really donít have the substance of faith and love for God on the inside the devil will plot insidious ways to steal, kill and destroy us based on our own weaknesses. Iíve found that the greatest test of weaknesses like greed, deceptiveness, or unresolved sin shows up not when I have close supervision but when I have no supervision at all. Thatís where we need to watch our freedoms, when they can give way to a weakness where we take license. 

Q2: Are there weaknesses in your life that you need to deal with? What can you do to resolve those issues and keep the enemy from gaining a foothold?

Dr. Dobson once shared a story about an outing with his dad, a wildlife photographer. One early morning they drove deep into some woodlands until they came to a meadow. In the middle of the meadow was a feeding trough which they filled with corn cobs. Then they hid in the hunterís shed close by, waited, and sure enough an 8-point buck came walking out to sniff the sweet air.

The buck gingerly stepped into the meadow as if stepping on rice paper and made his way delicately and watchfully over to the trough. He began feeding on the corncobs. Eventually other deer came and fed as well. In the meantime, armed with a long lens camera, his dad began to photograph these beautiful animals in the early morning light. Dr. Dobson remembers telling his dad how beautiful it was, including the ìbiggest buck Iíve ever seen!î 

In that moment, his dad taught him a valuable lesson he would never forget: ìSon, those deer are lucky Iím a photographer and not a hunter. I could be ìshootingî them with a gun and not a camera. Always remember, just because itís free it doesnít mean you should take it.î The application for us is that it may just be the enemy putting out those corncobs and waiting for us to take what seems to be free. Be careful because freedom doesnít always mean license.

The Bible says that Paul had to deal with similar problems with the morals of the most gifted church of his time, the church at Corinth. How did these issues arise? Because the immaturity of the Corinthians had given way to compromising, immorality, and division. They didnít have the maturity to handle freedom. I read that and thought, Lord, New Hope can become like that. We too are a gifted church with a grace-filled family. And we too have all the freedoms You purchased at the cross. Lord, do we have the maturity to handle that freedom?

Freedom is a gift but it requires much of us. It demands inner integrity even if there are no outer restrictions. So how do we handle freedom?

?                    We Show Our Respect for God by How We Steward Freedom.

Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity. (1 Tm. 5:1-2)

I read in the newspaper recently that a father was taking his two sons to court. Apparently the parents were fairly affluent and had gone on a two-week trip to Europe. While they were away, their sons collaborated and decided to have a garage sale, selling off everything in their parentís home including the cars. Then they partied for two weeks using the proceeds of their garage sale. As unbelievable as that sounds, it can happen in the very household of God.

God trusts us as I trust my own children. When we go to bed at night, I never lock up my wallet, car keys or put a combination on my safe. I trust my children not to steal or take those things and so they sit in the open on my dresser. God has given us this gift of freedom and trusts us to steward it well. In the church there can be a lot of contact between brothers and sisters in ministries. God doesnít lock up the sisters or brothers at night. Why? Because He believes in us and trusts us with His valuables.

If however, we take advantage of a sister, itís like stealing from the Father. You may say, ìYeah, but it was consensual.î Is it? A brother doesnít ask a sister, ìLetís steal dadís stuff,î and if she agrees then that makes it okay. ìA man can receive nothing unless it was given to him by the Father and every plant that the Father has not planted will be uprootedî (Mt. 15:13). ìYeah, but I asked the sister.î But did you inquire of the Father? Remember you cannot receive anything unless the Father has given it to you.

It is so important for us as a church to be reminded that God loves us so much that He died to give us this gift of freedom. He wants to trust us. Therefore, the way we steward that freedom in relationships, finances, and everything else will reflect our respect for the Father. Can we take? Sure! But do we? No, because we love the Father too much and this is His family.

Q3: In your own life, is there any time that youíve taken something or considered taking something without asking? What made you stop yourself from taking or what made you take it? Whatís been the impact? 

?                    Husbands: Be a One-Woman Man.

Appoint elders in every city as I directed you, namely, if any man be above reproach, the husband of one wifeÖ (Titus 1:5-6) With eyes full of adultery they never stop sinningÖ (2 Pt. 2:14)

That first phrase, ìthe husband of one wifeî means be a husband who is a one-woman man. The second verse, ìWith eyes full of adultery they never stop sinning,î simply means Iím no longer a one-woman man. Anna may be my only legally-wedded wife, but I disqualify myself as a one-woman man if my heart isnít right and my eyes are for adultery, considering other women.

Freedom is a beautiful gift, but it must be stewarded well. It tests our maturity and everything about us. Should we have healthy relationships? Absolutely! But men treat the sisters as sisters, ìwith all purityî as Scripture guides us to do. Husbands, be a one-woman man. Wives, be a one-man woman. Women treat brothers as brothers. Donít take advantage of each other. If God does not give it to you, donít take it! 

Q4: Do you feel you have the maturity and self-discipline to handle freedom? How well are you stewarding His gift?

Like a big buffet, freedom tests our maturity and self-discipline. God says, ìI want to give you that freedom as a gift.î God trusts us and doesnít lock up His things at night because freedom is so prolific and so lavishly poured out upon us. The first safeguard to our freedom is to always remember that just because itís free, it doesnít mean taking license. Donít take freely. And the second safeguard is this: Just because itís freeÖ  

2.      IT DOESNíT MEAN ITíS CHEAP!

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.  (1 Pt. 1:18-19; also Phil. 2:6-8)

The freedom and grace that God purchased on the cross bankrupted heaven. God put everything He had on the line for us. So really we should have been on the cross instead of Jesus because we violated, rejected, and took Godís freedom for granted. But God made the exchange in order to give us this precious gift. Thus we must realize that ìwe are not our own, weíve been bought at a price.î

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. (Ro. 3:23) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ro. 6:23)

Consequently we have to say, ìLord, live Your life and breathe Your breath through us. Dream and hope through us. Let Your light shine through us and let Your glory radiate through us, Your church.î Just because itís free, doesnít mean license and it doesnít mean itís cheap. Honor God and the price He paid by how you steward your freedom.

Let it be your commitment to God to say, ìLord, I have messed up in the past but I now understand what your freedom is all about. From this day forward I want to steward the freedom that You paid so dearly foróthe blood that Jesus shed and that His body that was broken for me in order to give me freedom.î Itís a precious gift God trusts us with so we want to be mature enough to handle freedom well. Weíre a gifted church and as we go into this 7^th anniversary, let us steward the freedom God has given to us well.

Q5: Do you truly understand what it cost the Father in order to give you the gift of freedom? Explain.

Final Q: What point most impacted you from todayís lesson? How will you be different today because of what you have just learned?

Rhonda Pang, youíre simply amazing! Mahalo NUIZ ìmini ministryî!