What do you guys think about this video? Tyler was raised in a Christian home. He lived on the mission field! His parents were following God and telling others about Christ, but their very own son didn’t catch on to the importance of the message. He came back to America and got his “freedom” to do whatever he wanted.
Jhn 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
Here is the funny thing about our view on freedom; it is completely stuck in the mud. Since we are sinful people, we think that being free to sin is actual freedom. We think that it is freedom to be able to get into drugs, or pornography and not have any consequences. Right? No way! It is a trap. You don’t become free in any way. You get stuck and you are almost forced to continue on that road.
Have you ever heard of the saying, “Don’t get into a fight with a tar baby?”. Basically, if you punch a tar baby, you get tar all over you. Pretty soon after starting that fight you are so covered up that you cannot escape. That is what sin does. It says, check me out! I look really good and will make you feel so free! But once you start down that road, you will get stuck deeper that you ever wanted to go and find out that you have no escape, but to look to Jesus.
Tyler didn’t stay into drugs the entire time though. He found a way out by turning to Christ. The freedom he was chasing after turned into a trap and fortunately for him he recognized it. Jesus rescued him from that situation. He probably has some deep scars from that time of running from God, but the important thing is that he is now free.
True freedom is not about how much sin you can get away with. It is about having the power to stay away from sin. Jesus said that He came to give us life and to give it more abundantly. Think about it. What is easier, to do the right thing and stand up for truth? Or to go with the flow where no one will care? Freedom comes with trusting Christ. Freedom comes when you are not trapped in drugs, or porn, or gossip, or ……
There is a dangerous thing in this world that not many people know about. They miss it completely, but don’t even realize it. It is almost like we are blinded to it for some reason. It’s called indecision. We think we have forever before we have to serve God. We decide that we can live today for us and, well, maybe tomorrow we will ask God for forgiveness and start living for Him. But I want to have fun now. That is the same trap that Tyler fell into. What did that leave him with? A lot of damaged brain cells, lost time spent in a drug induced stupor, anger and a meaninglessness to his life. What happened when he got out of that and turned to Christ? He found meaning. He had joy. He had purpose. He started to experience life more abundantly.
The decision to follow God is not something that will happen on its own. It doesn’t matter if your parents are Christians and follow God. It hast to be your own decision. We do not have all the time in the world to make that decision either. When you feel that God is calling you, you better not waste any time! We are not promised tomorrow. We are not even promised tonight.
Judas Iscariot – He knew the truth, he sat with it, talked with it day in and out and still missed it by a long shot. He betrayed it because he never allowed God to really change him. This story did not turn out like Tyler’s. That is the thing. We are not all going to have a good ending.
Jhn 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
We cannot find life, or meaning, or freedom outside of Christ. Everything else falls away. No one can come to the Father but through Christ. That is why He paid our debt on the cross! We are found righteous in Him if we follow after Jesus. We can have a life of abundance. But it is a choice. What are you running from? A life of freedom and abundance in Christ? Or are you running to meaninglessness outside of God?
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