CODE II

I owe everything to Him. I will do anything for Him. 

BIBLE READING: John 8:31-36

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. 'They answered him, 'We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?' Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it for ever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 

DEVOTIONAL:

In 2014, Balal, an Iranian man, was found guilty of murdering another man in his 20s in a street brawl. As Balal stood at the gallows for his public hanging, the noose already around his neck, something incredible happened. The murdered man's mother ran to the gallows platform, climbed up and slapped Balal across his blindfolded face, she then took the noose off from around his neck publicly forgiving and freeing him from his death sentence. Balal, as you might expect looked utterly amazed at this and walked away a free man. Balal was a dead man walking, he had no way of saving himself, nothing he could do at this moment would save him, nothing. The only thing that would work was forgiveness, and at just the right time he was forgiven and set free. 

Now I know you are ahead of me here in making a great parallel to the gospel message, but the thing is it has a twist. Jesus doesn't just take the noose off our necks, he puts it on his own because our sin needed to be dealt with, decisively once and for all, it required death to give us life. 

This is essential for us men as we explore this CODE together. We are free men but that freedom came, not with a noose around the neck of Jesus but with nails, a whip and a crown of thorns. At CVM we preach the crucified Christ because the gospel works and the truth will set us free. We have seen countless men bow the knee in surrender to the King of heaven who gave his life on the cross. 

Let me just share one last thing with you, go and read Psalm 32 and mine it! So many of us men suffer with guilt, we know we are saved, we get that bit, but we struggle with guilt and it blunts your kingdom impact. Guess what? You can find forgiveness and freedom from the guilt too! Free indeed! 

QUESTIONS: 

• What does this mean for you? How has the freedom you found in Jesus shaped the person you are today? 
• What are you holding back in the secret places that you feel guilt for? 
• Shame and guilt will cripple you, are you ready to call it out, bring it to the light? 
• How can you encourage each other to be free men, know that freedom, stand on it and rest on it? 

PRAYER: 

Jesus thank you for taking my place, thank you for setting me free. Please help me to know who I am in you, tell me my identity Jesus, and help me be a man of faith whose pursuit after you will be relentless. Amen