"It Sets the Soul Free" - Purity 1409

Good morning, welcome to the MT for Christ 247 podcast. I'm M.t. Clark and this is today's photo. To see today's photo, go to mtforchrist.com or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter, or watch us on YouTube. Today's photo of an unnamed Florida beach scene at sunset comes to us from Fred Dimmick, who shared this memory on social media yesterday. Of his saying goodbye to the Sunshine State for a so-far permanent home in the mountains of West North Carolina with the following poem. And Fred wrote: I'll soon leave the palm trees, the beach and the sea. The call of the mountains, it beckons to me. Up in the mountains is where I will roam. Up in the mountains, a place I'll call home. And all of my travels, so much I have learned. For a home in the mountains, I always have yearned. A sparkling brook, a cool waterfall, a view from the summit, the colors of fall. The call of the mountains, it beckons to me. A home in the mountains, it sets the soul free. Thank you, Fred. Uh, amen. You know, uh, finding a place where we can be ourselves And have peace is a big part of experiencing our freedom. And I share Fred's remembrance today to remind us that another part of maintaining our sense of freedom, peace, contentment, and joy in our lives lies in our ability to celebrate where we have been, what we have overcome, and where we are now. When we remember our victories of the past, we can have joy today. Well, it's Wednesday, and this evening the Celebrate Freedom support group at Starpoint Church begins its second season of 2024 as we launch the Celebrate Recovery teaching series with lesson 1 on denial. I look forward to seeing what the Lord will do in the weeks and months ahead as our leadership team is equipped and ready to walk alongside anyone who is willing to show up and allow the Lord to help them overcome their hurts, habits, and hangups. I know from experience that the Lord, uh, can do amazing things in the lives of people who trust in him. And as I contemplate the past 9 years of my recovery from drugs and alcohol, I am not only celebrating my great escape from the darkness of my past, I'm celebrating the transformation that God has brought to my life. As I didn't just stop certain harmful activities that I was addicted to, as much as I have become guided to become— I've I've been guided, uh, to become more and more the person God created me to be. Um, 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. As much as this verse is true about us the moment we put our faith in Christ, in many ways, as we are forgiven of our sins, adopted as God's children, become citizens of heaven and are given the title of saints, the new creation that God intends for us to be also requires repentance, as we have to intentionally choose the new life God has for us and turn and walk away from those old ways of living that should rightfully pass away. Uh, when we say goodbye to those old habits, hurts, and hang-ups. We also may have to say goodbye to the people, places, and things that kept us in— that keep us in bondage. Um, you know, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 advises us, don't team up with those who are unbelievers. Who can— right, who— how can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said, I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you, and I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. The body of Christ is God's people, and when we choose to follow Jesus into the new life, um, we have through faith in him, it is best to form new associations and friendships that would encourage us to walk in the Spirit. And to grow in the people that God created us to be. The local church and small groups like the Celebrate Freedom support group at Starpoint Church give us a new home and a new family of faith that can help us to be set free from the ways of the past and to grow into the people that God made us to be. Um, I'm looking forward to a new season of growth for myself and for those who will find their way to our church and support group. The most important thing about us is who we are in Christ. And when we find a place where we can be honest, vulnerable, and open to God's possibilities, we can see the power of God do the work that we didn't think was possible. With God, all things are possible, but you have to keep on walking and talking with him to see just how amazing His grace can be. Today's Bible verses come to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Crews. This morning's meditation verses come from the section on false prophets and teachers, and today's verses are Jeremiah 5:30 and 31. And the word of the Lord says, an astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power, and my people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end? Today's verses fall under the 13th point of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section on false prophets and teachers. And that 13th point is: a horrible, shocking thing happened in Jeremiah's time. False prophets spread lies and the people loved it. Uh, well, let's see. Uh, today's verses reflect that the tendency for men to like to hear a quote-unquote easy word preached, a word that won't expose the sin in their lives or convict them to change. Some churches don't teach on hell, stewardship, sexual sin, repentance, or anything that might cause a stir. Sometimes the Bible can be taught from in such a way as to dismiss the very lessons it was intended to teach. There are, there are so many different denominations and types of churches out there that it is difficult to postulate that they are all teaching the truth as God has intended. And it is more likely that man has created their own house of the holy to meet their taste more than God's will. If your church doesn't stress evangelism and repentance, being a disciple and going and making disciples of Jesus Christ and being holy as God is holy, you may be a member of an apostate church that is more concerned with the opinions of man than being obedient to God. Your church's teachings should convict but not condemn, uh, you to be sanctified and to be intentional about saving the lost and spreading the gospel. Don't love your church unless it is challenging you to serve God's kingdom and become more like Jesus. As always, we encourage everyone to go to mtforchrist.com, where we always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist our brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament by Stephen F. Alford.

And in Alford's devotional, he us to read a chapter of scripture in the morning and the evening, a good practice.

And today's, uh, reading is Galatians 6, and from Galatians 6 he shared from verse 1, which says, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one. And Stephen Alford writes, here is a truth that needs emphasizing in the church today. Indeed, it needs to be stressed in one's personal life too. How easy it is to condemn a brother who has been overtaken in some trespass. But we are told, judge not that you be not judged, and restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. The failure to do this lies in the fact that there are few real spiritual Christians today. You who are spiritual, says the apostle in verse 1. In other words, you that are Spirit-filled. And no one can be Spirit-filled without exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit. One of these fruits is gentleness. For restoring a brother, the spirit of gentleness must be exhibited. Jesus was the gentlest man in all the earth. And Stephen Alford ends by praying, Lord, may I always remember your gentleness and restoration on my behalf when I encounter someone overcome by sin.

Amen. Amen. And, uh, yeah, that's—

let's restore a brother who's fallen into sin. And we have to be wise and discerning in regards to that, but we should definitely exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.

And gentleness is certainly a way to go. It's a fine line.

In a recovery ministry like Celebrate Freedom, we're going to run into people who've made some really bad choices with their lives and are going against God's word and against common sense. And we're going to have to be gentle in our corrections.

As we say at our group, we're there to fix— we're not there to fix people.

We're there to, you know, come alongside, uh, alongside people.

Um, we're not there to fix one another. We're there to support one another.

And, um, you know, the idea is to create an environment where you can come get good teaching, um, on, on change, on repentance, on recovery, and grow, um, as you put your faith in the Lord and you keep going to the program to be accountable to tell the world and to tell yourself, I'm in recovery, I'm turning over a new leaf, I'm starting the new life that I have in Christ by going into recovery, and I'm not ashamed anymore.

I'm gonna, you know, basically pursue righteousness.

I'm going to pursue a life that God would have me live. And when we come alongside other believers, well, we have to be very careful Uh, you know, how we, how we treat people. Um, we have to be gentle, and it's difficult, uh, because sometimes you just want to smack people upside the head and tell them to do what's right.

And, um, you know, you have to do that in a way that's loving and kind, um, and gentle. And, uh, so I think that works for me today as we begin a new season, and we're, we're praying for new people to come into our program. Um, into our community, really. Um, as I really do consider the people at, uh, Celebrate Freedom as my family, uh, spiritual family, my brothers and sisters, uh, as we've all made the commitment to become more and more, uh, like the people God created us to be. How do you do that?

Well, you fully surrender to God and his will for your life.

And, um, it's good to know what you're supposed to be in your mind. As A.W. Tozer says, the most important thing about us is what we think about, uh, what we think about God. Um, but it's perhaps, as I suggest, more important for us to do what God's word says, uh, when it comes to us, you know, accepting our, our identity and freedom in Christ and walking it out.

And as we stated, it's starting tonight. Celebrate Freedom at Starpoint Church, um, begins tonight at 6:30, and, um, we're looking forward to new people.

If you're in the Capital District of New York State and you want a fellowship of Christian believers who want to become more and more like Jesus and their walk in their life and closer to God along the way and closer to other people, we invite you to come tonight. Uh, Starpoint Church is in Clifton Park. Uh, you can Google that and find the directions.

Uh, as for if you're not local, well, there's, there's, there's hope for you too. Um, there's Christian fellowship even online, and, uh, Freedom in Christ Ministries provides discipleship courses, um, this fall, and registration is open, uh, right now. So you go to ficm.org, look for their courses or first steps, and you'll find courses like the Freedom in Christ course among others.

And if you're a man and want to join a, a one of the Freedom in Christ courses, uh, Tuesday nights, uh, at 6:30 PM. I'll be facilitating another group starting September 3rd, so you have until— I think it's August 26th is the last day you can register.

So you want to register as soon as possible.

I did send out an email to everybody in my email list, uh, giving everyone a heads up, uh, basically, um, about the Freedom in Christ offerings this fall. And, uh, we'll see how many people sign up and we'll see how many people unsubscribe, uh, after getting the email. You never know. Um, you know, and we don't mean to spam anybody. We, we have contacts and it's— some people have already unsubscribed and I understand if you don't want another email. So feel free to unsubscribe if you got that email and don't want to receive any more. Uh, last thing we want to do is force our message on anyone. Um, we're here to encourage people to walk by faith. And not beat people up. And again, we seek to be gentle in encouraging people to follow the Lord. We didn't get—

we didn't get set free because somebody, you know, dragged us into the kingdom.

The Lord gave us a gospel message, and we very, very carefully entered into the houses of the holy, into the body of Christ, to get instruction, getting teaching. Get teaching. And we know how difficult it can be to go to a new church or to a new group or, or to follow God or to read the Bible. Um, so we, we, we can relate to that. And, uh, but we do invite you to, uh, to, to step out in your faith, um, to live by faith and see what God can do, uh, in your life when you decide to live as a Christian.

All right, and, uh, finally, you know, are you empty for Christ too?

Have you surrendered?

You know, if so, keep on walking and talking with God. If not, we encourage you to consider it and, uh, you know, ask God to help you.

Um, uh, when we empty ourselves of, uh, uh, of all our, our ideas about life and, and learn from the Lord Uh, we'll be filled with the Holy Spirit when we, when we put our faith in Jesus and decide to follow him. So we, uh, we hope everybody's on the path with us, and we thank you for watching. So let's pray.

Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you so much for all that you've done for us. We remember when we were in bondage, and we remember all the twists and turns of our walk of faith since then.

And Lord, we thank you Um, for the victories, uh, the new people, um, the experiences we've had since then, and the fact that we're standing today in freedom from drugs, alcohol, sexual addiction, and we're winning the battle against food addiction, although it's a struggle sometimes, Lord. So we need your help. Uh, we just want to become more and more like you, and we want to be, uh, used by you to help other people, uh, to, to know you more. Uh, Lord, so we're praying that today. We're also praying for anyone listening or reading today's message or watching us on YouTube, uh, that they'd be blessed, that you'd come alongside them in their prayer requests and their walk of faith, Lord. Um, because we all need your help. Um, we just want to represent you in your kingdom, and, uh, we need your guidance and your presence in our life. Uh, Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.