What is Freedom?
Freedom is the ability to live in accord with human nature as created by God, which was marred by sin but is restored in Christ and revealed in Scripture.
John 8:31-36
Christ – The True and Better Man
We live in a world made by two men. Adam’s sin plunges the world into chaos and curse and gives us an inheritance of sin, shame, guilt, hell, and death. But Christ comes as the true and better Adam to undo Adam’s sin and our’s, and give us new life.
1 Corinthians 15:45-49
The Mystery of Mankind
Man is made to glorify his maker. Man glorifies his maker by placing his mind on God and devoting his life to making disciples of Jesus Christ.
Psalm 8
Redemption Through Christ the True Human
Question 22: Why must the Redeemer be truly human?
The Redeemer must be truly human so that He might fulfill humanity’s obligations to God by completely obeying God’s Law and suffering and dying for human disobedience.
Romans 5:18-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21; Hebrews 2:14-17
Freedom From Death Through the Second Adam
Adam’s sin brought us slavery to death, but Jesus, the Second Adam, has conquered and gives freedom from death to His people through the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:20-28
Freedom, Limits, and the Nature of Sin
Sin promises freedom and fulfillment if I will reject God’s limiting commands and design, but this always produces deadly results rather than life, freedom, and flourishing.
Genesis 2:15-17; Genesis 3
Freedom – Embracing the Limits of Marriage and Sex
Freedom is found in embracing the truth that marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman, and it is the only proper context for human sexual activity.
Genesis 1:28; 2:20-25
Freedom: Embracing Feasting and Fasting
True freedom is found in a proper relationship with food, neither despising nor idolizing it, but rather rejoicing in it as God’s good gift which points to our ultimate need for God Himself.
Genesis 1:29-30; Genesis 2:15-17
Freedom – Embracing the Rhythm of Work and Rest
True freedom embraces the rhythm of work and rest, for body and soul, that God built into creation.
Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:1-3; Genesis 2:15
The Key to Human Freedom
The key to human freedom is recognizing and embracing our inherent nature as we were created by God, including both the God-given dignity and limits of that nature.
Genesis 1:26-31
Authentic Community
Authentic community requires in person, face to face relationships rather than those mediated by technology.
2 John 12-13
UnAuthentic
Believers must be prepared to resist unauthentic teachings that distort the Person and work of Jesus Christ and thus create a false Gospel.
2 John 7-11
Racism, The Image of God, and the Gospel
All humans are descended from Adam and are the image of God, but there are many different ethnic groups, and God is calling us to overcome the sinful tendency to separate and to come together so that the Gospel might flourish in our area.
Acts 17:26-28
The Covenant of Creation – Part 3
God’s covenant of creation calls us to obey Him as our covenant Lord, embracing the limitations He built into us at creation, including receiving and celebrating the gift of Sabbath rest.
Genesis 1:26–2:3; Genesis 2:15-17
The Covenant of Creation – Part 2
In creation, God entered into a covenant with humanity as the image of God, calling us to worshipful obedience through proper relationships with creation, other humans, and God Himself.
Genesis 1:26–28; Genesis 2:18–24
The Covenant of Creation – Part 1
In creation, God entered into a covenant with humanity as the image of God, calling us to worshipful obedience through proper relationships with creation, other humans, and God Himself.
Genesis 1:26–2:3; Genesis 2:15–17
Our Purpose: To Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever
Question: Why did God create humans?
Answer: To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
1 Corinthians 10:31; Psalm 16:11
Know Limits
Humans were created with inherent limits, and the wise person knows and embraces the need for self-control and limits in life.
Proverbs 25:16
The Sanctity of Human Life
Humans are uniquely the image of God and therefore all human life is sacred, from conception until natural death.
Genesis 5:1-3
Matthew – The Man
Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament, God’s True Son who accomplishes the call of Adam and Israel, succeeding where they failed, to bring salvation to the earth.
Matthew 1:1; 2:13-15; 3:16-17; 4:1-11
Angels – Awe and Praise At the Incarnation
Angels are mighty beings who stand in the presence of God and do His will, but they were awestruck at the mystery of the Incarnation and praised God.
Luke 2:8-14
Facing A New Year In Faith
Christians do not know the future, but we should face it in faith, trusting that our Sovereign God will work all things for our good.
Ecclesiastes 7:13-14
Real Relationships In A Cyberspace World
We were created for real, physical, face to face relationships, but the iWorld encourages relationships mediated by various forms of technology.
2 John 12; 3 John 13-14
The Restoration of Community
The possibility of true community with God and one another is restored in Christ and may be experienced in His people, the Church.
Ephesians 2:11-22
The Disintegration of Community
Note: Due to a technical problem, the audio of this teaching was lost. However, the detailed outline may be viewed or downloaded below.
Ever since the Fall, sin and culture have disintegrated community and encouraged isolation from God and one another.
Genesis 3:1-24