Sermon highlights from Boundaries Week 3. Sermon by Dr. Collin Outerbridge; notes compiled by Dan O’Toole.
Big Idea:
- The Freedom We Want is Dependent Upon the Boundaries We Keep.
Week 3 Main Scripture:
-
Ephesians 4:17-24
Do You Believe That God’s Boundaries Are For Your Benefit?
Psalm 16:5-8
God places boundaries around us because he loves us. He knows what we need for flourishing and freedom. The freedom Jesus invites us to is not just for someday in the future but also today.
Belief is Trust. Belief is not just intellectual agreement with a set of ideas. Belief is grounded, formed, and framed in our capacity to put our trust into practice, even when it means saying yes to the hard things. Belief is shown through our intentional actions over time.
Reality 1: Life Outside the Lines Leads to Lost Freedoms.
Ephesians 4:17-19
We can either live in the culture and value system of the world around us or according to the values and pursuits of God’s kingdom. We can’t do both, as they’re in opposition to one another.
Following the world’s cultural value system leads us on the pathway to our foolishness:
- Ignorant Thinking – Loss of our ability to think in alignment with God’s thoughts
- Insensitivity to God’s Voice – The hardening of our hearts, which impairs our connection to hearing and understanding God’s voice
- Indulgent Behavior – Living for desires that take us farther than we want to go
- Impure Life – Life that lacks clarity and connection between who we want to be and who we say we are, which leads to hiding and living in patterns and cycles of shame
Reality 2: Life Inside the Lines Leads to Lasting Freedom.
Galatians 5:1, 1 Corinthians 9:19, 2 Timothy 1:7
Christ sacrificed his life for us so that he could give us the freedom that our hearts desire. Though we are free in Christ, we can also choose to set limits on our freedom for a greater cause and a greater good – that others may experience freedom in Christ.
The Holy Spirit is not a power, force, idea, or concept. It’s the third person of the Trinity. The presence of God himself, with you and for you, wherever you go.
When you live within the boundaries God sets on your life:
- Insight Replaces Ignorance
- Awareness Replaces Insensitivity
- Self-Discipline Replaces Indulgence
- Integrity Replaces Impurity
How Do We Discern and Live Within God’s Boundaries?
Ephesians 4:20-24, Matthew 7:24-27
- Become an Apprentice of Jesus.
- Embrace Your God-Given Identity.
Looking to learn more about boundaries? Go deeper here.
