Monday, April 20, 2026
Bible in a Year: Job 11-12 | Matthew 8
Do you want to be free?
The Oxford dictionary defines freedom as “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.” That sounds like something we all want, right? Be aware that freedom is not that we are struggle-free, it’s the fact that our struggles no longer control or define us.
In the second message of our series Chosen, Ben delivered a message covering the theme, “God invites us into freedom.” He told us that even though we all want to be free, most people aren’t. We just keep recycling our same struggles.
John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.
The Apostle John wrote this verse around AD 90-100 in Ephesus. He shared this message with Jews who believed in Jesus but still clung to their heritage. He encouraged them to know that Jesus offers total and permanent freedom from sin and its penalties.
So how do we move from struggling to freedom? Jesus came to set us free. Ben explained that freedom is a key part of the spiritual journey, one that God intends for all of us. CedarCreek believes the spiritual journey is to: Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, and Make a Difference. Making an eternal difference is not something that happens overnight, we grow into it.
Jesus offers a deeper kind of freedom—one that transforms us from the inside out, not just modifies our behavior on the surface. Jesus didn’t come to just forgive our sins; he also came to free us from our sins. Freedom is not something we achieve, it’s something we learn how to receive, as the bottom line from this week’s message suggests: You don’t just need forgiveness for what you did…You need freedom from what keeps you coming back.
Galatians 5:1
So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
The cross not only made forgiveness of sin possible, but it also made freedom available to all of us. Are you ready to let go of the belief that’s under the behavior that keeps you stuck in sin?
Questions:
Are you struggling to find freedom? If so, what can you do to learn how to receive Christ’s lasting invitation?
Next Steps:
Read the narrative or listen to the video from GotQuestions.org on What is Christian freedom.
Groups are a great place to process the pattern of noticing, naming, identifying the need, seeking truth, and choosing to find freedom from sin. Commit to finding & joining a Group when the directory opens this summer.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of Jesus who came to forgive my sins and set me free. Grant me the wisdom to know the plan you have for my life and help me to relinquish control and to live out that plan. Keep me faithful in the knowledge that Christ set me free so that I can follow, serve, and glorify him. It’s in his name that I pray, amen.
Series Theme Verse:
Ephesians 1:5
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
This post was written by Jenn Macke, a Findlay attendee and a regular contributor to the Daily LivingItOut.