Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 2/13/13

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 2/13/13

Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Five things in this scripture are pronounced to me.  Delivery means to liberate.  It is a thrill to my heart to know that there is deliverance in Zion.  It is a thrill to know the creature can and shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption.

Bondage means slavery.  Any soul that is unsaved is a slave.  The life of what we studied in school of the slaves and the books that we have read of the era before the civil war show a little of how mistreated the slaves were in that day.  Slavery is an old problem that goes clear back to Adam and Eve and their children. 

May God help us to see the terribleness of the slavery that you and I were in.  We were headed to greater chains and greater slavery.  We had no means in ourselves to redeem ourselves.  We were in terrible shape.

Delivered from the bondage of corruption:  corruption means depravity.  A lot of people fight the idea of inherited sin or resist the thought that any force other than their own choices causes them to act and do as they are.  What people believe will not change the fact that the reason that they are in the bondage of slavery is because of depravity.

There is deliverance from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  There is glorious liberty that gives us freedom.  There is no individual in sin that has freedom.  People think they are free because they can talk and live as they want and refuse to be accountable to anyone.  They can think that way, but there is the law of sowing and reaping.  If we sow to the flesh we will of the flesh reap corruption.

Glorious liberty is freedom to live.  It is freedom to honor God.  We were created by God and for God.  It is wonderful to have the liberty to honor and praise Him.  This is the experience that God has for His children.  Some would like to say that they love God and if they do then this is the experience that God has for them.  This is the need of souls.

Why are people in the bondage of corruption?  We look at individuals and see people that we love.  There may those that are total strangers to us that are in reality throwing away and wasting their life.  These are the ones that we want to see delivered from the bondage of corruption.

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

We were there in the bondage of corruption, a slave to sin, to self, and following the course of the world.  Thank God there was a way to be saved. 

I am convinced and believe strong that the greatest need that a sinner has is of godly sorrow.  Without that then I can talk until I am hoarse and nothing will happen.  With Godly sorrow, at any cost, men and women want to clean up their life. 

We were all there.  It took godly sorrow for us to repent and have a new beginning.

The bondage of corruption: aren’t those words well chosen to stir me and you?  The thought of the bondage…

You walked according to the course of the world in times past.  The reason that people are in the bondage of corruption is that they have chosen to follow the course of the world.  It has nothing to offer, but those that are unsaved think that it does have something to offer.

The course of the world follows:

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The lust of the flesh, the desires of the flesh:  It is shocking how men and women’s depravity cause them to desire to have their way, desire to have what their flesh wants even if it is going to destroy them.  There is the testimony of those that are in eternity, lost, of those that allowed pride, hatred, or murder to cause them to be lost forever. 

The flesh feeds on hatred.  It is hard for us to believe but there are people that take great pleasure in hatred or having a bad attitude.  It feeds the flesh.

The desires of the eye:  I am unable to grasp why any man or woman would want to be worldly as you and I know.  I see men with pony tails, earrings, tattoos, bracelets, etc.  You wonder what could be feeding the depravity with men and women looking so bad.

Modesty is beautiful in men, in women, in children.  America is destroying itself in following the course of the world.  It ruins men and women.  It can start at childhood and end at deaths door, the bondage of corruption is terrible. 

Whether you are sixteen or sixty-six it is ridiculous to be filled with the pride of life.  The accomplishments of whomever: if it wasn’t for the mercy of God they wouldn’t be able to write their own name.  The pride of life is vanity.

In time past we were all headed down the course of the world.  It is the bondage of corruption beyond a shadow of a doubt.  Satan is loosed from prison and we don’t want to have any sympathy with the pressure he will try to bring our way.

It is sad how rebellion is affecting millions tonight.  It is a part of the bondage of corruption.  Rebellious people hurt themselves.  They hurt others but there is grace; there is oil to be poured in when we are hurting.  They hurt themselves and it makes them slaves to the bondage of corruption.

We all had our conversation in times…were by nature the children of wrath as others. (Eph 2:3)

We have several accounts that help us understand the flesh.

Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

The bondage of corruption:  people live in moral sin and think that they are free.  Talk of the bondage of corruption! 

Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

There is another living after the flesh acceptable to the world but causes the individual to be a slave:

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

There is nothing that is sadder than one that is a lover of their own self.  To let someone else suffer so that they can have what they want.  Covetousness is ugly.  To covet what someone else has is ugly. 

These things may be acceptable to the world but it is terrible bondage of corruption. 

Without natural affection:  We all want to stand on the sea of glass mingled with fire so that we can have natural affection about all things.  People can become so in love with themselves, with their house, with whatever it is.  They become so that everything is about them.  We are created to be individuals that love one another. 

Read 1 Corinthians and ask God to help you to not be taken up with self, self, self, but to love others.

There are people that are so in love with themselves that even if you pulled out the feathers as a peacock, they would be still strutting.

Lord, help us to have natural affection toward our mother, our brother, our sister, and toward children.  How terrible it is when people don’t love children, it is unnatural.

Trucebreakers:  There are people that no matter what they tell you, it cannot be believed.  God’s people keep their word.

Despisers of those that are good:  this is our day.  There are people that hate a standard and hate it when people bring conviction to them.

Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God:  I believe that everyone needs to have their vacation and need to have a little respite in life.  It is ok to have a plan to have that.  We don’t want to be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.  We don’t want to enjoy the things that are right to enjoy in this world at the risk of losing ground spiritually. 

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

The bondage of corruption is a reality to everyone that is carnally minded.

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Isn’t it a wonderful thing that there is a way to escape from the bondage of corruption.

There is a way out.  There are exceeding and precious promises.  Isn’t it a wonderful thing that there is a way to clear the past and present your bodies a living sacrifice? 

It is a wonderful thing to escape from the bondage of corruption.