DawnCheré Wilkerson — The Book of Romans: A Freedom Story

Romans chapter 3 verse 21 this is what it reads but now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known to which the law and the prophets testify this righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe there is no difference between Jew and Gentile for all of sinned and fall short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of his blood to be received by faith every one say by faith he did this to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus that's good news right come on can we all together just take one big breath come on breathe in wait out I've good news you made it to church today I don't know how crazy your weekend was but how many of you are expected that God's gonna speak to you come on are you expected because I am my heart expects it I want to take the next few moments to talk to you on this thought a freedom story will you close your eyes bow your heads with me as we pray or thank you so much for today I thank you for Sunday's or that you bring us together then you scatter us across the city to show your love the Lord right now speak to us open up our eyes to see the truth in your word empower us by your spirit we love you so much and all of you Church set come on one more time and all of you Turks said Amen well I hope that you had a great weekend but we actually have a pretty incredible significant week in front of us this Wednesday we celebrate Independence Day happy 4th of July family are you excited to celebrate I mean the beaches are gonna be packed right I'm not sure which beach you're planning to go to but you better get there early the sandbar be filled with boats the fireworks stands will be populated burgers hot dogs they will be sold out at your local Publix because we're celebrating the freedom that we have in this nation and I am so grateful for this opportunity to celebrate the freedom that we have it's because of men and women who fearlessly and sacrificially gave their life and are still giving their life for us so that we can stand here in a middle school and lift hands freely and worship the name of Jesus come on are you thankful can we thank everyone who even today is paying the price for our freedom it's a freedom story that really is still being worked out today still being written today and I love a good story this week there will be so many stories of people's lives and how they have given the ultimate price with their life so that you and I could walk and freedom in this nation and I love to hear the stories because stories are powerful they have the ability to speak wisdom and strength to our here and now and to give us direction for the future and I don't know if you know this but you're walking out a freedom story your life is a freedom story someone said to me in the car this week and they said I just don't think churches tell stories of transformation any longer and had to raise my hand and say uh I think you need to come to Miami because if vogue shirts we love stories how many of you know we love to hear stories we love to tell stories in this community we are obsessed with stories because we know that stories are simply representative of lives lives that have been changed by the love of Jesus lives that have been shaped by community we are story seekers and we are storytellers we tell stories every Sunday night around our dinner table we tell stories Monday at staff meeting we tell stories around the table at Cru all over the city from up north all the way down Sal but we love to speak about what God's doing in our life because we're seeing people who are hopeless find hope we love seeing couples who the odds are stacked against them and they make it we love seeing people walk through these doors who are jaded who have been hurt in the past find faith once again and start to believe that God's message is true for their life we love seeing young men and women of God walk into vu kids over there and discover their identity discover friendship discover faith in boo kids every Sunday how many of you are thankful for the freedom stories that are being written every single day that people walk through these doors isolated not knowing anything about the community that awaits them but before they walk out of these doors they are assured that they don't walk alone we're seeing people who are sick in their bodies who find hope and comfort in the presence of God who find healing by the great physician and every one of these freedom stories are possible because of the price that Jesus paid two thousand years ago his story is the ultimate freedom story is anybody thankful for the blood of Jesus Christ that has given us a new beginning and our freedom story stands on the foundation of what Jesus did for us 2,000 years ago and I love the way that the passion translation states it in Romans chapter 3 verse 24 it says his gift of love and favor now cascades over us all because of Jesus The Anointed One who's liberated us from the guilt punishment and power of sin you see he changed your story he changed my story because he decided to take the guilt the punishment and the power of sin and his life the ultimate sacrifice actually eliminated the power of sin from our lives once and for all I don't know if you felt it but we have been in the frenzy of the World Cup do you feel it are you in it I grew up in Louisiana I grew up with all my brothers being quarterbacks football football football but when I moved to Miami I learned about a whole other football and I learned that the whole world likes that football a lot more and as we watch the World Cup you know there are eliminations Argentina and when there's an elimination once the team is eliminated you're not wondering are they going to show back up to play next week no they've been eliminated they don't get to play any longer but how often in our lives do we read the scripture that tells us that guilt punishment the power of sin has been eliminated in our life and yet we still wonder if it's going to show back up I have good news for you today guilt is gone punishment is gone the power of sin has been broken once and for all because of the blood of Jesus Christ it is finished the question is do you believe it because Jesus defeated death hell and the grave once and for all it's been take it away the power of sin has been destroyed but do you know the power that you've been given through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ do you know the bad news that precedes the good news because your freedom story without the price that Jesus paid is no freedom story at all it's a story of bondage it's a story of despair it's a story of darkness it's a story of pain it's a story of brokenness it's a story of disillusionment but because of the price of Jesus you now walk out a freedom story you now walk out the destiny that God created you to walk you see he took the guilt turn to your neighbor and say he took the guilt guilt is so destructive all of us in this room of experience guilt no one is exempt from feeling that we've all felt when we've made a mistake we've said something we didn't want to we've done something that we regret we've been a part of something that we're ashamed of and guilt marks our life not just psychologically but physically there are physical ramifications of guilt causes illness causes sickness causes migraine migraines and guilt is that heaviness that none of us were meant to carry through life Jesus took the guilt once and for all 2,000 years ago you can see guilt on someone if they they carry it heavily it's on their faces in their eyes we've all felt it when we know how wrong that we have been it torments us it haunts us it isolates us guilt it's powerful when we allow it to remain in our lives you know five months ago we gave birth I gave birth sorry parts of it we're a team at that moment what it was me all me I gave birth our son our first son Wyatt and I never dreamed how much gear is required to have a baby all the parents said oh yeah not a man because we don't want to agree with that I just know that hundreds of years ago they didn't need all of this gear but one of the things that I bought for Wyatt as we moved him from our bedroom to his crib all the parents now said Amen was a baby monitor and for those of you that don't know what that is a baby monitor is just a little camera that sits in the corner of the crib so that I can sleep in my bed he could sleep in his and I can see him and so if he gets in a dangerous situation I'm able to know and hear him cry and come to his aid so I set up the camera and I was ready to go and I was getting ready to walk out of the room he was fast asleep in his bed and I'm praying the Lord let this child sleep through the night God I pray for a miracle or fill this house with your presence do it only you can do and I walked out of that room and I began to look on my phone as I could see the camera and I looked at the settings for the baby monitor and I began to mess with the settings and there was this one setting that said movement alert and I thought you know what that sounds important I'm gonna go ahead and turn that on hi we are on high alert and I laid down to go to bed and first few minutes and I'm laying down to go to bed all of a sudden I hear this really loud beep and so I grabbed my phone now look what's going on with light and it appeared that he had just scratched his nose so we're fine we're good I'm gonna put the phone down try to go back to sleep got a big day tomorrow a few minutes later beep so loud I picked my phone back up and I look to see what's going on something horrible must be and I look and he is breathing that alarm went off all through the night I didn't sleep I was constantly getting up I was worried I was concerned and I want to explain to you today but when we carry guilt it's like an alarm constantly going off in our life we want to look forward to the future but we keep being pulled back to the past we can't focus on what God's put before us we're stuck in what has occurred in the past but God has brought freedom to you do you see it God has paid the price for your guilt once and for all can we awake and do it it's good news you don't have to be haunted by the guilt you don't have to be kept up at night by the guilt you don't have to wake up in the morning with guilt hanging over your head no he exchanges guilt for gratitude Jesus took your guilt and instead he has empowered you with a weapon that is fierce and full of power oh don't underestimate your gratitude because your gratitude will Forge pathways in your life that nothing else can you see all we can do when we're given the gift of salvation is be grateful I can't achieve salvation neither can you I can't achieve the mercy of God that's poured out on me every single morning neither can you I can't achieve salvation even if I tried my entire life I could never get close to God but God decided to draw us close he decided to close the chasm that sin had created by sending his son and all we can do is exchange the guilt for gratitude and awake in to the goodness of God I don't know if you're dealing with guilt some of us we still carry guilt even though we know that we've been bought by a price that's why I love the Romans journal because something powerful happens as we begin to open up the Word of God together as we stand in community as we begin to pray and seek God you see this Romans journal it has something for you every single day you can choose to develop a personal devotion life with God and it only takes a few minutes every day we have a process that we call soap SOA ps4 scripture oh for observation a for application P for prayer you take a scripture and you observe what it means to you then you apply it specifically to your life and then you write a prayer out and can I tell you that you may wake up in the morning feeling full of guilt and shame for your past but as you open up the Word of God your mind is washed by the Word of God your mind is cleansed your mind is renewed your mind is full of hope and all you can do is be full of gratitude for what God has done for you has anybody experience the life-changing power of the word of God come on can anybody testify in this house that through his word your identity has been changed it works his word is powerful it's a light to your path he's waiting to reveal your destiny but we've got awaken and release the guilt and we've got to choose to be grateful for what he's done in our life not only did he take the guilt but he took the punishment he took the punishment we know that the wages of sin on a senpai senpai is death that's all it can pay we've seen our family members our friends our own lives destroyed by sin that one small decision can then lead us to another decision before we know it we're in a place that we never intended to go in a circumstance that leaves us ashamed and broken without any hope wondering if our purpose can be salvaged if God has a plan for us see Jesus he took the punishment for our sins it's really important for us to understand because we can get really familiar with terms being in church oh yeah he took the punishment oh yeah he paid the price oh yeah he forgave me and sometimes in our mind we can almost act like God just let us get a get-out-of-jail-free card like hey I'm just gonna let you get around this it's cool I'm just gonna take that punishment but that's not what happened Jesus took all the punishment that you deserved he took all the punishment that I deserved and he took it upon himself he took the shame he took the guilt he took the pain and the punishment he did not just circumvent the circumstance no he walked into our broken world and he said instead of you paying the price I'll pay the price I'll be beaten for your transgressions I'll be bruised for your sin I'll be humiliated I'll bear your shame I'll be stripped naked I'll be nailed to a cross I will be tormented so that you can find peace I will take everything upon myself so that you can walk freely as anyone thankful today for the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed once and for all this is a freedom story God had to take judgment why because God cannot change who he is our God is just it's very important you understand this this is what we believe this is what the Word of God teaches us in the book of Romans and throughout that our God is just he is holy he could not just take away know someone had to pay the price so he lovingly sent his one and only son to pay the price for you and I and he did it so that sin could be defeated once and for all and yet you still walk in this room and wonder if God loves you you still walk in this room and wonder if God is looking at you ready to be angry at you you still walk in this room and wonder does God have a purpose and a plan for my life does God see me does God hear me he sees you he hears you he's concerned about you he has gone to the end to the depths of sin taking back the keys of death hell in the grave so that you could walk a freedom story so that you could know that he smiles with eyes full of love and light and compassion for you he looks at you as a son of God he looks at you as a daughter of God we can ever get familiar with this message this is a freedom story that is still being continued day-in day-out in our city in our communities in our workplace in our homes in our hearts it's a freedom story why because Jesus he exchanged our punishment for purpose he took that punishment and he didn't just say okay I took away what you deserve now figure it out yourself no he said I've called you I've chosen you I've ordained you I've equipped you and I will sustain you every step of the way this is my freedom story that I'm writing through your life you're not gonna walk alone you have a purpose I have a plan for you I'm numbered the hairs on your head I know your every thought I know your coming and you're going I know the pain deep in your heart and if you will open up your life to me I want to bring freedom to every area of your soul I paid the ultimate price that your life could not be marked by the pain but so that your life could be marked by purpose it's a freedom story that's why I love growth check I don't think growth track is just a four-week class to be taken lightly I love that people walk into four weeks of commitment wondering what their purpose is and how they can be a part of this local community that is serving our city and they walk out knowing why they were placed on this earth knowing how they can be a part knowing that they were chosen to be a servant leader you know every single Sunday growth track goes on and people are being equipped to walk out there unique God's story happens every Sunday today is step one why would you wait I mean the pizzas awesome the fellowship is awesome but getting your feet planted in the truth of God for your identity that is the best opportunity that you could ever have this is the power of community is that we just haven't been secured for our eternal peace but God has allowed us through community to be sustained and strengthened for the here and now we're stronger together God has taken our punishment he's given us a purpose what is your purpose we have a general purpose we have a specific purpose maybe your specific purpose is going to that office tomorrow and working with the spirit of excellence maybe it's going to that classroom maybe it's taking care of your children maybe it's taking care of your elderly parents I don't know what the story is for your specific purpose but I know that we all have a general purpose that God has equipped us to walk out as children of God and that's to love this world we've all been equipped because we've experienced the perfect love of God too now let it flow through our lives into the world around us not just the people we're comfortable with not just some people who are like us not just the people who think the same way we do who we know so well know God wants his love to flow out to the world or around you he wants you to step out of your comfort zone you want you to love people that are hurting who need you who are seeking and desperate for relationship but oftentimes we get it confused you know just like we get it confused in the air now Paul knew that the Roman Church got it confused and so he speaks to this because so often instead of choosing to love we choose to judge and judging is not our position in this freedom story in this freedom story we are the recipients of grace and we are the people that go and tell it to the world and in this freedom story there's only one judge he's our God he's our Creator he's the one who knows all and sees all and Paul saw this issue in the Roman Church and this is what he says Romans chapter 2 verse 2 through 4 he says therefore you have no excuse oh man a woman every one of you who judges for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself because you the judge practice the very same things we know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things do you suppose oh man you who judged those who practice such things and yet do them yourself that you will escape the judgment of God or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience not knowing that the kindness of God is meant to lead you to repentance Paul saying hey hey listen up friends God has left you no excuse to judge you are not big judge and you know how much freedom comes into our life when we release that right because it's not our right as a follower of Jesus a lot of people in this world who are a part of the world and not a part of the culture of this community Kingdom minded community they feel like it's their right but you know what we forego that right as followers of Jesus to judge yes the holy spirit is speaking to you yes the holy spirit is convicting you yes the holy spirit is telling you how he wants to shape your life and what things you need to let go of and what things you need to focus on but when it comes to other people's stories friend we're not exact and it's heartbreaking to God I know when the world is in need and we want to add an excuse for why we know they are walking through pain when we decide that were the judge yeah they're hurting but shouldn't have done that should have done this they would have been here if they would have done this I know because I've what you haven't walked in their shoes you don't know their entire story we are called to love and then to love and then to keep loving and when it seems like it's not working we keep on loving and when the mountains still stand we keep on loving and when it seems impossible we keep on loving come on can anybody witness today that there is a power stronger than the darkness and it's the love of Jesus we don't know everybody's story but we know ours and we know our sin and I know my shame and I know my mistakes and I know I don't deserve the grace of God but yet he met me yeah he pursued me yeah he came and he found me right where I was and he still finds me day after day he exchanged our punishment for purpose and lastly today Jesus he took our guilt he took our punishment but Jesus took the power of sin Jesus took the power of sin for those of us who have not committed our lives to Jesus we haven't found relationship with God yet the power of sin is so destructive in our lives power of sin only leads to one place complete brokenness but the moment we surrender our life to Jesus an amazing thing happens the power of sin is broken once and for all if we're not careful and if we don't really seek the Word of God in the truth for ourselves we can miss out on the fullness of relationship with Jesus because it's not just one moment of surrendering your life it would be a travesty for you to walk through these doors choose to believe that Jesus you're my Savior that you died on the cross for me that you rose again God I want my eternity secured and in that moment to be born again to be created a new creation through Jesus Christ but then walk out these doors and not know that there's so much more that your freedom story is only beginning it would be so sad for you to walk out these doors and to be so concerned and worried that your eternity was secure but not to know that there's peace and truth to be found in the here and now that there's purpose and power for you as you walk into your job but there's healing for your relationships that the power of them cannot stand any longer we can't pray a prayer and believe in Jesus and then walk out these doors these doors still believing that we are bound by the darkness that we can't change the generational curses on our families that our legacies will always be the same that our hang-ups and our struggles of today will always haunt us in our tomorrow no you have been saved you have been set apart he thick chains have been broken your life is one that is marked by freedom and life abundantly no you're not walking out the same story your parents walked out you're not walking out the same story that you walked out five years ago this is not a repeated record this is a new life a new path a new thought every part of your day can be infused with hope and peace and faith if we choose to open up our life to the understanding that he took the power of sin and he exchanged the power of sin for the power of the Spirit see he took the power of sin he defeated it once and for all it's been eliminated but then he filled you with his power filled you with the presence of God he filled you with the Holy Spirit not just for Sunday's as we worship Him together in community but you can walk in community one-on-one with him tomorrow morning and she sit at your coffee table you open up your Romans journal and you start to spend time in the Word of God you can walk in the spirit as you walk into your job and you know hey God there's purpose this may not be where I want to be long term but Lord there's purpose and today as you have that conversation with your spouse that needs to be had where the spirit leads you to apologize or the spirit leads you to forgive where the spirit leads you to speak identity and purpose over that co-worker or over that classmate or over that friend where the Spirit leads you to pick up the phone as he places somebody on your heart just say hey I'm thinking about you is there anything I can pray with you about that's being led by the spirit that's responding to the promptings of the Spirit of God within you knowing I don't walk alone God is working within me I once was bound we sing there's power in the name of Jesus to break every chain why because sin keeps you bound but the Spirit of God brings freedom to every air of your life and it's not just a one time prayer no from that moment forward the Spirit of God is working and moving within your spirit finding the areas of your life that have bought the lies of the enemy and shining a light on them saying there is more daughter there is more son open up your eyes to see the truth that my love will set you free that my kindness will leave you to repentance that my blood will bring healing it's been paid for it's been but I took the guilt I took the punishment I took the power of sin once and for all it's a freedom story all over this house you can sand your feet because we're gonna respond to the love of Jesus I don't care how long you've been hearing about the price that Jesus paid maybe since you were 5 years old or maybe you're hearing it for the first time may we never get familiar because this good news is simple it's not complicated he took what we deserved and we got what he deserved end of story and how do we walk and freedom by faith by choosing to believe that right now where you sit where you stand you can walk and free them simply by awakening to the gift that Jesus is set before you it's too good to pass up it's too good to postpone no in my life God has continued to write the freedom story I can tell you season after season is the freedom story is just continued to be built out within my heart understanding more deeply God's love for me his patience with me how he really does want to empower everyone of us to speak truth and to be carriers of the light into the darkness I can look back two seasons in my life where I was bound by sin that I was bound by fear I was bound by intimidation and insecurity that I didn't walk through doors that God opened because I was afraid to walk through those doors a missed opportunity after opportunity to be a light in the darkness I can tell you about seasons in my freedom story Wow is bound by trying to be perfect caring about the facade carrying what people thought about me but Jesus through His mercy and His grace he has taught me and loved me so deeply that I've been able to take my eyes off of myself and get my eyes on the people around me who are desperate to know that there's a God that loves them and cares about them I can tell you about a 8-year chapter in my freedom story of walking through infertility and you know what our freedom story didn't start when we held our baby our freedom story man it reached a life-changing point when we realized that freedom comes when we realize that Jesus is the promise that even as we wait for miracles to occur that God is enough that he satisfies our soul that he meets us in the valley that he heals our broken heart I'll tell you about our freedom story of stepping out and planning this church three years ago not knowing who was gonna show up not knowing where we were gonna meet not knowing where the finances were gonna come not knowing how many stories he was gonna tell as we just stepped out in faith because hear me faith is the catalyst for your freedom story God is pleased God is blessed God is honored when you can't see it but you believe it and God is seeking men and women who say God I can't see but I hear you and I know you're riding a freedom story in my marriage I know you're riding a freedom story through my family I know you're riding a freedom story in my heart and in my identity I find freedom in Jesus I'm free from guilt you are free from punishment you are free once and for all from the power of sin all because of the blood of Jesus Christ all over this house we're about to worship we're about to have some reality worship because can I pass through you for a moment far too often we come in like it's just an ordinary Sunday and we can get complacent and we can get comfortable with the price that Jesus paid but if you're really seeking purpose your purpose on this earth is to be a worshiper of Almighty God you are placed on this earth to lift hands that aren't marked by guilt or shame or what you've committed but hands that have been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ you were put on this earth to lift your voice to shout to God with try of knowing that the victories already be in London when God looks at you didn't see your mistakes he sees his child who he loves who he is pleased with you were meant to focus with the mind that God created on everything that he is and as you worship you fight a battle before you you fight with faith you fight with purpose you fight with intention worship will change your circumstance from the inside out

Channel: VOUS Church

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Keywords: dawnchere wilkerson, vous church, vous, miami, sermon, romans, freedom

Id: jmGKFJrJ6q4

Length: 38min 35sec (2315 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 02 2018