Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
August 26, 2007 - W0734

Finding peace and rest in what is most important in your life can give you true freedom.  Finding that freedom is the challenge because of the many conveniences that make life easier.  For example, while I was assisting in the building of a barn this summer, I discovered many new tools that were amazing in the construction.  Nail guns replaced the hammer.  A transit with a laser is used instead of levelers that show you where to cut and drill.  There is even a digital stud finder. Everything seems to be digital now.  Lexus even makes a car that can parallel park itself.  A friend of mine can start his car from inside his house and the car can unlock itself when it senses the car keys in his pocket as he walks over to it.  Pilots can lift off and land airplanes strictly by computers.  And robotics is used to perform medical operations.  I’m thinking, “Doesn’t anyone work anymore?”

In America, people are making tons of money by getting rid of the effort of labor by creating a button that does everything so you don’t have to lift a finger.  This becomes a convenience-addiction until boredom sets in.  We are in an era of conveniences that has created great boredom, especially among our youth today.  Conveniences create less effort, which turns into boredom until another convenience comes around.  Then comes the boredom again.  And so the cycle continues, until…perversion sets in.  Why does perversion set in?  Because when people become bored they start doing strange things, which gets them into trouble.  And, we call that freedom.  It’s freedom to do whatever we want because it is at our leisure.  Leisure, however, can also become boring.  America’s answer to the boredom of leisure then becomes entertainment, which usually bores us into an oblivion that brings us back to the door of perversion.  This perverted cycle becomes a way of life for us.  It becomes so much a part of our lives, that when this perversion of ours is hindered by correction or repercussions, we become defensive.  We fight back with reasons such as; it’s freedom of speech or it’s a woman’s right.  We conclude that we can do anything we want because that is our freedom to do so.  Ironically, the more we cling to our perversions, the more we become imprisoned rather than free.

America’s freedom slips away because we demand the option to do whatever we want.  Options don’t always bring simplicity or freedom now that we live in a world of personalized options.  Like ring tones or how we want our Starbuck’s caramel macchiato to be made.  Our jobs become personalized to where and when we want to work.  We believe these options give us freedom.  However, there is something to be learned here about freedom and options.  It boils down to what is or is not for sale.  Living in a free America does not mean that you are free.  All the options in the world won’t keep you from being on the auction block.  What that means is that everything is negotiable.  To illustrate, let’s look at Genesis, where Lucifer tells Eve to eat the fruit.  Eve tells the devil that God said it is not an option.  If you believe that freedom is doing anything you want, you will lose it.  You have to know what is for sale and what isn’t in order to be free.  The devil, however, will give you a different definition, as he did with Eve in Genesis 3:4-5.

 “The serpent said to the woman, ‘You surely will not die!  For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 3:4-5).

The devil is saying that everything is negotiable and everything is for sale.  He is saying here in Genesis that we don’t need God to tell us what is right or wrong.  We can do that ourselves and be free just like God.  When Eve believed that definition was right for her, she acted on it and in reality, lost her freedom.

Is there anything in your life that is not for sale?  What isn’t negotiable in your life?  Job’s was his integrity.  Joseph’s was his morality.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, in Daniel 3, would not sell out their devotion to God.  When Daniel prayed three times a day to God, they said it was against the king, but Daniel would not stop because his faith was not negotiable.  What is not for sale in your life?  Is it your ethics, faith, honesty, marriage, family, or your future?  If you don’t stand for something, then you will fall for anything.  Galatians 5:1 tells us:

“Stand fast in the liberty or the freedom wherein Christ has set you free, and don’t be subject again to the yoke or the bondage that was once yours.”

If you don’t stand for something, you will never be free.  If you think that everything has its options, here is a story that describes how everything can have a price.

A man had a boat that he ran between South America and Central America.  After three years, he told the authorities about a cartel that wanted him to transport drugs.  When asked why he waited three years, he told them that he initially turned down the first two offers of $1,000 and $20,000.  When he turned down their third offer of $100,000, he decided to turn them in, because they were getting too close to his price.

The devil knows the price you will pay to exchange your integrity, morality or marriage.  To find your freedom, decide what is NOT for sale in your life.  As you walk with the Lord, you will find, as I have, that the most precious things in our life are not up for bid.  As time goes by, these things become less and less for sale and eventually never negotiable.  When you begin to realize this, you will find true freedom in Christ.  It will be an experience of freedom like no other.  There will be no wrestling with those precious things in your life anymore.  You will not fight or fuss with them anymore.  That is a freedom in Christ that doesn’t come from options.  It comes when you realize that the most important things in your life aren’t for sale.  How do you get that freedom in Christ so that you are not tempt-able by the options of the devil?  First, you must:

1.      DECIDE WHAT’S NOT UP FOR SALE.

Decide what is NOT for sale in your life.  Let Jeremiah 6:16 guide you back to core principles.

“Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls.” (Jeremiah 6:16).

When Jeremiah says, ‘ask for the ancient paths’, he is saying that some things in your life should change but some things in your life should never change; and you should know the difference.  If you get them mixed up, your freedom will be stolen from you.  Stand by the good ways that will never change throughout time.  When you find it and walk by it, you will find rest for your soul.  Those precious things are not up for a vote because they have already been voted on. 

“God bought you for a price; so do not become slaves of people” (1 Corinthians 7:23 TEV).

List five non-negotiable items in your life.  You need to know what they are because it gives you direction to moving on in life.  In the end, those items are what matter most in your life.

Here are five non-negotiable’s of my life.  Yours may be similar, yet unique and personal.

1.      A close and growing relationship with Christ.

Even if everything is gone and I don’t understand why, I will remain close and growing with Christ.  That relationship will never be for sale.

2.      A genuine marriage and a close family.

I’m with my Anna through thick and thin to the end.  My family should be ‘close’ because that tells me my responsibilities towards keeping it that way.

3.      A healthy ministry that resources other leaders.

This church will be healthy, even if it isn’t perfect, with a health that overflows with the desire to give it to other leaders.  If the tide rises, all the boats should rise too. 

4.      To stay physically healthy with a creative soul.

For me, that creativity means writing books or using music in uplifting ways.  Being in the thrust of life, one needs a creative outlet to keep the weirdness out.  It’s finding appropriate outlets to give creative expression and prevent weirdness from setting in .

5.      Time to enjoy life with family and friends.

Laugh and enjoy it because it goes by very quickly.  One day, God will hold us accountable for all the things he created for us to enjoy but we refused to do so.

As you work and invest time towards those goals, you have no guilt or shame because, in the end, those goals are what really mattered the most.  The amount of freedom you will receive when you remain steadfast and firm in these commitments will allow you to move on in life because they are not negotiable.  You can’t be tempted in those areas because you don’t have a vote or the option to tamper with them.  They have already been voted on when you were bought with a price through Jesus Christ.

Prepare today to write your five non-negotiable’s or what you will never put up for sale.  It will help you put things in perspective to give direction to your life.  Sit at God’s feet to learn what your five non-negotiable’s are in your life today.  If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything and lose your freedom instead of gaining it.  Then, you will become so free that you can move on with confidence and courage in your life.

Consider an orchard of trees that has been marked by an arborist as to which are fruit bearing and which are ornamental.  He points out five trees that bear fruit and should be nourished more than the others.  If you want to survive, water and fertilize these five trees so they give you the nourishment of life.  If these trees die, then you die.  The same is true in life because many things we do are ornamental.  But, there will be at least five things that you must invest in to become successful because that is what your life is all about.

1.      _________________________________________________________

2.      _________________________________________________________

3.      _________________________________________________________

4.      _________________________________________________________

5.      _________________________________________________________

Remember, you need to know first what is important.  Then:

2.      MAKE DAILY PROGRESS TOWARD WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT.

I write my progress down in my daily planner, every day.  It’s a way to see if I am doing something towards achieving success in those goals.  In one year, you will have acted 365 times towards success in those areas of non-negotiable’s.  And, that will bear eternal fruit for your life.  If you don’t know what to say ‘yes’ to, you won’t know what to say ‘no’ to.  So: 

·        DO ONE THING DAILY.

Do one thing daily that will invest in what is most eternal.

“We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1).

Hebrews tells us to pay attention to these five goals.  Writing down what you need to do helps to get that planted into your brain and your heart.  At a moment’s notice, you can tell anyone what your five eternal goals are that bear fruit in your life.  An enormous freedom in Christ will come over you.  Remember this:

God won’t hold you accountable for what you’ve done as much as he will hold you accountable for what he has asked you to do.

Sit at God’s feet and take the time to find your five goals and do one thing every day towards their success.  Then:

3.      FIND REST IN STAYING TRUE TO WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT.

Find your rest in that!  Now that you’ve got it, it’s crucial to the success of your future.  Just doing one thing every day will bring huge results.  You won’t be off on different tangents anymore because you are focused in the right direction.  You can find rest in staying true to what is important, remembering the words of Jeremiah 6:16.

“Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls.” (Jeremiah 6:16).

Matthew says the same thing.  When you are doing what Jesus is asking you to do, there’s a rest that comes to your soul. 

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Find what God is asking of you according to his purposes and to which there is no negotiating.  Discard the ornamental things and search for the eternal ones.  Write them down with a plan to invest your time and energy.  Earn an A+ in those eternal ones and a C+ in the ornamental ones. When that freedom comes into your life, it will be grand and then you will know what to prune and what not to prune.

Hebrews 11 tells of many men and women who, in my words, belong to the “Hall of Faith.”  It is like our “Halls of Fame”, such as; the “Football Hall of Fame” in Canton, OH; “Baseball Hall of Fame” in Cooperstown, NY; “Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame” in Cleveland, OH; and many more.  There’s a hall of fame for almost everything.  But, ending up in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11, is where you should want to be.  All of these faithful men and women shared one thing in common.  They all earned an A+ in the things that God wanted them to do.  It didn’t matter that they failed in other areas of life.  The only one that mattered was in God’s area of life.  They gained much dignity and freedom. 

Take the time to find out what is important in your life so you can find the rest and freedom God wants for you.  It brings the assurance and confidence of knowing that, since you have been bought with a price, there are some things that are just not for sale or negotiable in your life.  Let’s all be that kind of person. 

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Q1: Has your freedom ever slipped away by choosing the wrong option, and how did you get it back?  Or, if you haven’t, how can you?

Q2: What adjustments can you make in your definition of freedom to align with God’s definition?

Q3: Share one of your five non-negotiable’s and explain why that is precious to you.

Q4: How can you test or revisit your list of non-negotiable’s to ensure that they are on target?

Q5: List one thing you can do today towards investing in the eternal things of your life.

Q6: Describe that place of rest that you experienced when you discovered one thing that is important in your life?