Have you ever tried to imagine being Barabbas, the “notorious prisoner” (Mat 27:16) and “murderer” (Acts 3:14)? What would it have been like to hear the shouts of “Crucify him!” from a Roman prison cell? To be led by Roman guards before Pilate the governor? To be set free so that Jesus of Nazareth could be crucified in your place?
The truth is, you have more in common with Barabbas than meets the eye. As Romans 3:23 makes clear, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (Rom 6:17-18)
This sermon defines and exults in the gospel as:
- an invitation to real freedom
- a disciplined freedom of discipleship
- a treasure to be preserved and protected
Are you really as free as you think?