March 27 – 2 Corinthians 3
Lesson: He is the Source of Liberty
Dear Lord, bless our time with you today. Meet us where we are at, guide our minds, and hold our hearts as we search for Your truth.
First, do your own quiet time with God and 4R journaling. When you are complete, come back here for the lesson.
Request Gods’ help
Read 2 Corinthians 3
Record a verse that stands out to you
Respond to God
Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who
is the Spirit. –2 Corinthians 3:15-18 NIV
“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
Romans 6: 16-18
Aahhhhhh, the new covenant! It is freeeddommmm!!!!! Free at last! For those of us who are experiencing that freedom for ourselves, it’s like, wow! I never want to go back to where I was! Don’t have that freedom yet? Don’t know how to get it? Let’s walk through the ‘how to’ steps we find in the Bible.
John 8:31-38 tells us these steps:
- Abide in His word.
- Know the truth.
- Do not practice sin.
Romans 6:17-18:
- Believe in Him.
- Persevere in obedience.
Being set free and actual freedom (liberty) are two different things. It’s slight, yes. But that slight difference is life changing. Being set free is the effect of abiding, knowing and abstaining from sin. Full commitment and trust in Jesus is what brings us freedom and it shows spiritual maturity. Living in that freedom is believing it, striving for that Christ-like life and putting in the work. Once this happens we are set free from sin and we become slaves again… Yet to righteousness!
Once we were bound by our sin nature and condemned to the ultimate death. But Jesus, in His infinite mercy and grace, covered that sin. He was an intricate part of God’s rescue plan to make it attainable and accessible if we so choose to believe and accept it as truth. And thus, our eyes are cast to Him and we look to our eternity with Him.
You are not alone. The God of salvation has set you free. You are free to worship Him, praise Him, and to claim your inheritance in Him. You are not tied to this earth, to death; death has been defeated. The grave has been robbed. And you, you, are His. No one, no thing, can take you from His grasp. Be free in the knowledge that your chains have been crushed and cast to the ground. You are free to run to Him and dance in His presence. So run. Dance. And love Him with all your might.
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise You for You are the breaker of chains! You have conquered death! You have robbed the grave! And we are free indeed! We thank You, we thank You!
(Further reading: Romans 6; Titus 1:1-2; 1 John 3:4, 8-9)
What’s next?
As the Spirit leads, in the comment section below, share what He has laid on your heart.
Then join us again tomorrow to learn about the ministry of unity.
