I Am Free, I Am New, I Have Eternal Life

In one paragraph

This message, part of the Son's Sacrifice series, focused on three things the sacrifice of Jesus produces in the life of a believer: freedom from sin, a new identity in Christ, and the assurance of eternal life. Pastor Deborah drew on Paul's letters, the Old Testament, and personal experience to work through what each of those means practically. The thread running through all three was the...

Read together

1. Romans 12:3 the only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and what he does for us
2. Romans 3:23 we all sin and fall short of God's standard
3. Romans 6 the consequence of sin is death, separation from God
4. Leviticus 17:11 life is in the blood, and it is the blood given in exchange for life that makes atonement possible
5. Romans 6:16-18 you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey, slave to sin or slave to God
6. Galatians 5:1 it is for freedom that Christ set you free, stand firm and do not be burdened again by a yoke of slavery
7. Matthew 11:29 take my yoke upon you, I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest
8. James 4:6 God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble
9. 2 Samuel 22:40 God promised to humble David's enemies before him
10. Daniel 10:12 since the first day you humbled yourself before God, He heard and came in response
11. 1 Peter 5:6-7 humble yourselves under God's mighty hand and He will lift you up, cast all your cares on Him
12. 2 Chronicles 7:14 if God's people humble themselves, pray and seek His face, He will heal their land
13. 2 Corinthians 5:17 if anyone is in Christ, she is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come
14. Ezekiel 11:19 God will give singleness of heart, a new spirit, remove the stony heart and give a tender responsive heart
15. Romans 8:37 we are more than conquerors through him who loves us
16. Philippians 4:13 I can do anything through him who gives me strength
17. 2 Peter 2:20 if you have escaped the corruption of the world and turn back to sin, it is like a dog returning to its vomit
18. 2 Corinthians 13:5 give yourselves regular checkups, you need firsthand evidence that Jesus is in you
19. Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
20. Romans 10:9 if you declare Jesus is Lord and believe He was raised on the third day, you are saved
21. John 17:3 this is eternal life, that you may know the one true God and Jesus Christ
22. 1 John 5:11-13 God has given us eternal life in His Son, written so believers may know they have eternal life
23. Titus 1:2 we rest in the hope of eternal life, which God who does not lie promised from the beginning of time
24. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 each builder's work will be tested by fire, rewards can be lost but the builder will still be saved
25. Romans 8:38-39 nothing can separate you from the love of God, neither life nor death nor angels nor demons
26. John 10:28-29 Jesus gives eternal life and no one can snatch believers out of His hand
27. John 17:24 Jesus prays that those given to Him would be with Him in heaven to see His glory
28. Jude 24-25 closing prayer, to Him who is able to keep you from falling and present you without fault before His glorious presence

Talk about it

1. The sermon points out that life is in the blood, and that a sacrifice of life was required to give us new life. Before hearing this explained, how would you have answered someone who asked why blood had to be shed?
2. Paul writes in Romans that every person is a slave to either sin or to God and righteousness. What makes it hard for people today to accept the idea of being a slave to Christ, and how does the sermon's description of slavery in biblical times change how you think about it?
3. The sermon describes how Deborah fasted for five days before God began to break through her unforgiveness toward her mother. Have you ever had to do something difficult and sustained before God moved in a hard situation in your life? What was that like?
4. The sermon raises the concern that the word Christian has been so watered down in our culture that it can mean almost nothing. What do you think it should cost someone to call themselves a Christian, and how does your own life hold up against that?
5. First Corinthians 3 is used to draw a distinction between losing rewards and losing salvation. How does understanding that distinction affect the way you think about how you are building your life right now?