The #1 Reason Why You're Still in Bondage (Saved but not Free)

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Have you been saved by grace but still feel like you’re living in a chokehold? 

In Galatians 5:1–15, the apostle Paul discusses the nature of freedom in Christ, beginning with an admonition to “stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

 Paul contends that Jesus Christ came to set believers free. But did you know that it’s your job to stay free? 

I’m not talking about your salvation, I’m talking about your freedom.

In John 11, we see the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. He had been dead and buried for four days when Jesus came and called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” And Lazarus came up from the dead.

 What a miracle! Lazarus was dead and now he was alive.

 But there was still a small matter to tend to--the grave clothes.

 So Jesus said, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

 So even though Lazarus was alive, he was still bound up in grave clothes. The miracle of raising him from the dead would have been enough to knock anyone’s socks off, BUT what kind of life would it have been still bound up in his burial garments?

 So, when Jesus comes to set us free, I’ve heard it referred to as happening in three stages: dead, delivered, and dangerous.

 Lazarus was dead. Many people who come to Christ are content to be saved from their old dead life. 

 But few go to the next phase—deliverance, or breaking free from the old clothes that bound you up. Could you imagine if Lazarus said, “Thanks for raising me from the dead Jesus, but that’s good. I’ll take it from here. Don’t touch my grave clothes, don’t try and change my old mindset. Let me hold on to this sin (it’s just tiny vice)….I mean, after all, I’ve been through, I deserve to be happy.” If he had, He’d be considered saved and set free but not delivered. In other words he'd still be in bondage.

 But because he allowed Jesus to strip him of his grave clothes, he was now free to become dangerous. His personal testimony was so powerful that it transformed countless lives for Christ. It was so dangerous, they set out to kill him….

 Dangerous are those Christians who can’t keep their testimony to themselves. They run free to save others. They don’t follow trends. And they certainly aren’t swayed by the toxic opinions of others.

 These dangerous Christians are more concerned with their character than their comfort. They’re more concerned with being biblically correct, then culturally correct. In other words, they’re dangerous.

 So how do you live free? How do you take your salvation and become dangerous? 

You first have to begin to recognize why you’re still in bondage. 

 Number 1: Sin 

Sin is a power that enslaves. From Adam and Eve’s first sin, we have since been born into it. But just because we don’t have a choice about living in a sin-filled world, it doesn’t mean we don’t have a choice as to what we do with it. We are called to no longer be slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness. 

 More cycles could be broken if we just dealt with the main issue at hand: sin. 

 Don’t freak out when sin comes knocking on your door. As a Christian, you will always be under attack. But 1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us that the temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.

 And here’s the even better news. Jesus br