FFFrrreeeeeedddooommm iiinnn CCChhhrrriiisssttt Breaking the Chains Discovering Your Freedom in Christ Breaking the Chains September 1, 2001 This material was compiled by the Community Ministry Team of Fellowship Bible Church of Northwest Arkansas, using an outline written by Rich Miller of Freedom in Christ Ministries. Several authors from both organizations participated in the writing and editing of this study. It is designed to be used, primarily, as an interactive small group curriculum, but it can also be used as discipling material or as a personal study. The purpose of this material is to equip the average Christian to walk free in Christ. If you are interested in going deeper into topics raised in this study, the following books are suggested: Victory Over the Darkness - Neil T. Anderson The Bondage Breaker - Neil T. Anderson The Beginner's Guide to Spiritual Warfare - Neil T. Anderson and Timothy M. Warner Contents Lesson 1 Rise Up……………………………….. p.3 Lesson 2 Look Up……………………………… p.16 Lesson 3 Wise Up……………………………… p.28 Lesson 4 Open Up……………………………… p.39 Lesson 5 Bow Down & Stand Up……………… p.52 Lesson 6 Wake Up…………………………….. p.64 Lesson 7 Get Up……………………………….. p.75 Lesson 8 Take Up……………………………… p.85 Appendices…………………………………….. p.95 Steps To Freedom…………………………….. p.105 ALL SCRIPTURES ARE FROM THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED 1 2 3 Rise Up! Lesson One WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA? To see mankind's predicament and what God has done for us in Christ so we can live free as children of God KEY VERSE: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians. 5:17) WHAT FREEDOM REALLY MEANS: Divorce! How could it have happened to me? I had always been “The Good Girl”, the obedient child. Pleasing God and family was my greatest joy. The crushing legalism of my church tradition put divorce in the same category with murder and adultery, so I knew divorce should be avoided like leprosy. But it happened. The ugly “D” word became attached forever to my identity — or so I thought. “Divorced Woman.” With all my might I tried to push away the guilt and shame, the self- hatred and humiliation, but nothing seemed to work. I chose to move away to try and build a new life. I went to graduate school, remarried, and over time, rebuilt family relationships. But life was not the same. Gone were the vitality, enthusiasm and passion that had once energized my life. I dragged through each day like a dead person, acting out what I could no longer feel. Convinced the real me had died and no one had bothered to bury me, I wondered if the rest of my existence would be lived out in this wasteland. Fifteen years passed, and then one day someone introduced me to the ministry of Freedom in Christ. Armed with conference videotapes and books I settled in for a weekend marathon. Quickly I found myself caught up in the message and realized that the truth was touching me at a very deep level. 4 The next morning, without warning, I burst into tears. Asking God to reveal the source of those tears, He began to show me the unresolved pain I still carried from the divorce. I cried for more than six hours, confessing my sorrow, regret, and humiliation to the Lord. I thought the relief that followed was my healing, but there was more to come. Still feeling unworthy to serve the Lord, being a “Divorced Woman,” I shared some of my life story with a friend. Together we prayed for my complete assurance of God’s grace and forgiveness. The next morning I awoke with the words “there is no condemnation in Christ” playing over and over in my head. A powerful tenderness embraced me and the Lord impressed these words on my mind: “Justify yourself to no man, Christ is your justification.” At that moment I saw that my identity was not as a “Divorced Woman,” but as a deeply loved child of God. My prison of legalism was shattered. In amazement I experienced the shift from just knowing God’s love and truth in my head to knowing it in my heart. God is so “blinded” by His love and grace that He accepts me in spite of all my failures! Praise the Lord, the old vitality, enthusiasm, and passion for life and people are returning. Boldness has replaced unworthiness. Confidence has swept away shame. Every day I see new evidence of the complete change God has made in my life. These dry bones that have lain so long in the desert have heard the Word of the Lord. He is replacing flesh and muscle and covering me with new, moist skin. He has breathed His breath into me again. I shall truly live, after all, because God’s truth has set me free. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord eternally! There is a story line to Christianity that begins in a garden a long time ago and reaches a focal point several thousand years later on a hill outside Jerusalem where Jesus Christ, the God-man, is executed to pay the penalty for the sins of all humanity. That story will culminate someday in heaven where all humanity will bow before that same Jesus to worship Him. The story tells us that how we respond to Jesus while we are alive on earth determines whether we are children of God or children of His adversary, the devil. If we are children of God, then we too have the same adversary, but we also have an identity in Christ that bestows upon us incredible power and benefits. Very few children of God fully understand their identity in Christ or exercise their spiritual authority. This lesson gives the details of that story and shares the truth about who we are in Christ. 5 Adam & Eve - Paradise Lost (Please turn to Genesis 1-3 and follow the story of Adam & Eve) A. Adam & Eve were created in the perfect environment with all their needs met. (Gen. 1:2) 1. They had dignity because they were created in God's image. 2. They were significant. 3. They were safe and secure. 4. They were accepted and belonged. 5. They had an intimate relationship with God. 6. There was one life and death decision. B. Adam and Eve chose to believe the lie of the devil that God was not trustworthy and that life and meaning could be found in the world and the flesh outside of God's plan. (Gen. 3) 1. The deception of Eve can be analyzed as follows: a. The Devil planted a seed of doubt about God's word and His goodness (Gen. 3:1). b. Eve was confused about God's word (Gen. 3:2-3). c. The devil lied about God's character and His trustworthiness (Gen. 3:4-5 d. Eve relied on her five senses and her own reasoning (Genesis 3:6), sinned against God, and persuaded her husband to join her in the rebellion. 2. Because of their sin, Adam and Eve died spiritually (Gen. 2:17). As a result, death spread to all men (Rom. 5:12). Because people are born separated from God (Eph. 2:1-3), we are trying to find life, significance, acceptance, and security apart from God. 3. Because of their sin, Adam and Eve began to live in guilt, fear, and shame. (Gen. 3:7-11). This guilt, fear, and shame has been spread to the whole human race, and even the earth itself is cursed. To compensate, man has learned to live according to the flesh. Some of the ways people try to validate their existence (identity) are as follows (Jer. 9:23-24): a. Physical appearance b. Performance (athletically, academically, artistically, professionally) c. Prosperity (money, possessions) d. Prestige and popularity 4. Because of their sin, Adam, Eve and therefore we suffered damage to our relationships with one other. a. We feel ashamed about and try to hide who we are from others. b. We are afraid of God and others. c. We no longer fully trust others. 6 5. Adam and Eve (and all people since then) have lost the complete significance, security and acceptance they once had in the Garden of Eden. Instead, people are plagued by a sense of emptiness, meaninglessness, weakness, fear, and rejection. This is “life in Adam” and is evidence of spiritual death and great bondage. Identity Development Apart From Christ Mind Will Emotions Lies Strategies Fears Significance Worth is being Performance Failures perfect or Success successful Acceptance Love is based Pleasing Rejection on performing everyone or conforming Security I must be in Controlling or Uncertainty or control or I'm withdrawing abandonment a victim Reflections ~ Take a break from Adam and Eve's story and reflect on what it means to you as you answer the following questions: 1. What wrong methods have you used in the past to try to justify yourself before God? ______________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Which of the following futile methods for gaining significance are you most likely to fall back on at times? _____a) physical appearance _____b) performance _____c) prosperity _____d) prestige and popularity 7