In this article, we would be looking at the liberty of the Spirit, and we're going to take our consideration from Second Corinthians chapter three, when we hear liberty, the word means freedom. Liberty means freedom. So, we are looking at the freedom of the Spirit.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 3:17, the Bible says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty”.
This verse began with “Now the Lord is the Spirit”, every time is now; when you ask when is “now”? ‘Now’ is every time: because ‘now’ that we're having this conversation is this time, another ‘now’ will be another time. So, ‘now’ is every time. Another word we can use to replace ‘now’ is every time the Lord is the Spirit. All the time, the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit (when we see the Spirit we see that it is capital letter S).
Now, all the time, the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. How many of us want to understand that liberty? You see, that liberty right there, talks about the freedom that is available in the Spirit. It talks about the freedom that the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit delivers to us. So, he says, all the time; the Lord is the Spirit. So, if we understand that the Lord is the Spirit, and then who is the Lord? The Lord is the owner.
So, the question is, who is your Lord? Because, who your Lord is; will determine whether you can enjoy the liberty that we're speaking of. This liberty is not for everyone. The Bible did not say that the earth is the Spirit, because some people believe that everything that happens to them is aided by mother-nature; the earth. But the Lord we are referring to is the Creator of the heavens and the earth; He is the Maker of all things. The Lord we're talking about is Jesus Christ. The Lord we're talking about is the owner of our souls, the author and the finisher of our faith. So that we don't assume that everybody understands who the Lord is.
Remember the Scripture in Psalms, where the conversation was going on, about the gates, He said, lift up your head O ye gates, and be ye lifted up you everlasting doors, that the King of Glory might come in? Some people were confused about who the King of Glory is, he said who is the King of glory? Meaning that, there are some people that did not understand who the King of Glory is. Who is the King of Glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle, He is the King of Glory.
So, who is the Lord? The Lord is the Author and the Finisher of our faith; Jesus Christ, and the Bible says, looking unto Him. So, if Jesus Christ is your Lord, he said that Lord, Jesus Christ is the Spirit. So, if He is the Spirit, what is it that we must benefit from Him, and where? Where talks about place; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
The question is, where is the Spirit of the Lord? Is the Spirit of the Lord with you? Is the Spirit of the Lord in you? Because, it is where the Spirit of the Lord is that there will be liberty. If the Spirit of the Lord is not there, there is no liberty. For all I care, you can be driving a 2023 car, living in the most expensive house; the Scriptures cannot be broken. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. If the Spirit of the Lord is not there in that multi- million house, there is no liberty. If the Spirit of the Lord is not there in that expensive car; it can be your coffin. The Bible says where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And some people are thinking within them, is it true? It is true, because it's the word of the Lord.
Now, we want to look in depth at this word, liberty; the Spirit of liberty. The liberty of the Spirit; what kind of liberty are we talking about? Is it a license to misbehave? Is it a freedom to live anyhow? Is it a freedom to do anything? No! There is a jurisdiction through which the liberty comes to all believers, and that is what we're going to pay attention to; by the help of the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit. But before we go there, I want to show us a Scripture in Acts chapter one, because it's important we touch on this before we go on.
Acts chapter 1:6-8, “Therefore when they had come together, they asked him saying, Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” So, they were asking a question of restoration of authority. That Jesus, now you have died, you have resurrected; will You at this time, now restore: since You have all authority, all power in heaven and on earth has been given to You; with this power and this authority that You have received from the Lord, will you use it to restore the kingdom to Israel?
Verse 7 says, “And He said to them, it is not for you to know times and seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority.” So, no matter the amount of freedom you have as a child of God, the liberty of the Spirit does not cross into the authority of God. There's a caveat to it, and even the devil knows that there is a caveat to his operations. No matter how crazy the devil gets, he knows his boundaries when it comes to God. He knows that there are some places he will not step into; there are some places that are too hot for him. That's why no matter how crazy the devil was in the time of Job, he could not take his life. Why? God puts it in His own authority.
Now, I want us to pay attention to what Jesus said here, if there are not things in God's authority, Jesus won’t say it. Do you think as you are sitting here, there are not people somewhere, somehow that wants you dead? Some people will just look at you and they wish you are not in your right mind. Why? The reason they cannot touch you is because you have been put in God's authority. There are things that cannot happen to you; why? You are put in God's authority. He said, see, it is not for you to know. Just like it is not for you to know, it is not also for the devil to know. How do I know this? The Bible said if they had known, they would not have crucified the King of glory. That means they did not know. The crucifixion of the King of Glory was put in God's authority. Even Jesus didn't have authority over it. How do I know? When He was in the Garden of Gethsemane and He knelt down to pray, if it was in His authority, He wouldn't have died, but that His death was in God's authority. He said, I wish this cup can pass over Me; nevertheless, not My will, it is not in My authority.
The reason we are sharing this before we go into the liberty of the Spirit, is so that you know the reason you and I are still doing the things we are doing, giving expression to the things that God has called us to give expression to is because we are within God's authority. We read a Scripture in the New Dimension Bible School, that the very hair of our heads are numbered, none falls to the ground without the Lord knowing. So, you think that big thing will happen without God knowing? You think that small thing will happen without God knowing? No!
If one strand of hair will fall from your head without God knowing, how do you now think that; that issue of marriage, that issue of your child, that issue of your school is too small a thing for God to be concerned about? When we come into the kingdom, and we declare, I accept Jesus, as my personal Savior. Do you know what you're doing when you do that? You are submitting yourself to His authority. Who is the Lord? He is the owner. You are saying, Lord from today, my life is in Your authority, my life belongs to You; I no longer have the ownership right and control of my life, I hand it over to You. You are my personal Lord and Savior.
And the Bible says, Jesus said to them, He said there are things which the Father has in His own authority, not just things; there are people that God has in His own authority. Are you part of the people that God has in His own authority? Because the people that the Father has in His own authority, that where the Spirit of the Lord is, that is where they are. Remember Second Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is; there is liberty”. So, where the Spirit of the Lord is not, there is no liberty.
So, verse 8 of Acts chapter 1, “But; this is how you will be different, when you hear but. Meaning that, this statement all along is very true and correct. But! Your own experience can be different. Your own testimony can be different. Your own results can be different. Now let's see how Jesus said your own result will be different. Verse eight says; “But you shall receive power.” Will You at this time, restore the kingdom to Israel? Jesus said it is not for you to know the times and the seasons that God has put in His own authority, but; something is going to mark your difference, something is going to exempt you from this experience; you are going to still benefit and this is how you will benefit.
But you shall receive power; what is that power that Jesus is talking about? That power talks about dunamis; I am sure many of us are conversant with the word dunamis, but it means power’. Beyond that, dunamis is not just power, it is abundant power. ‘You will receive power; you will receive a force and that is why you will understand when the Spirit of the Lord came that it was a force. The Bible says and the Spirit of the Lord came like a mighty rushing wind and He filled the entire place where they were gathered, and divided cloves of tongue like fire rested on each one.
Jesus said, but you shall receive power, when will the power come? You shall receive power; not because you are praying for so long, not because you faster for so long. He said when, so it's about time, when the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit has come upon you. So, when He comes, He comes with power. And He said, because you have received power, you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, in Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. But the reason your case and my case will be different is because we have been put in God's authority.
The Lord is the Spirit: the One that has the ownership right and control over your life is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty: because you and I have now been put in God's authority, we have the privilege to receive the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit. He said when the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit comes. So, what should be our disposition? What is the precondition to receive liberty? The Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit is the precondition to receive liberty. Who gives us power? The Bible says He has given us power to make wealth; He has given us power. Now, another word we can use from here; He said when you shall receive power, ‘power for what?’ power for liberty. When the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit comes on you, He gives you power for liberty; abundant power for liberty.
So, we have been talking about liberty!!! What kind of liberty? It is the liberty of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit comes upon you, what kind of liberty does He give to you? As a child of God, when you have received the Spirit of the Lord, what kind of liberty is there in your life? Isaiah chapter 11:1-3, “there shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse; now, the Rod from the stem of Jesse is Jesus. A Branch shall grow out of his roots; out of the roots of David, remember that Jesse was the father of David. Now, he said, a Rod from the stem of Jesse, a Branch shall grow out of his roots, the roots of David; and that's why when the blind Bartimaeus was crying out to Jesus, he said Jesus, Son of David, and he was correct.
So, he's talking about Jesus; then he started giving expressions to how this Branch, how this Rod is going to find expression on the earth. Verse two, the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him; the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. Verse three, His delight is in the fear of the LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears.
Now, let’s pay attention to Isaiah chapter 11. This Scripture started by introducing us to who Jesus is, historically, His earthly relevance was taking from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots. And he now said, that this Jesus that we're talking about, the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him. We are looking at the liberty of the Spirit. Every time in this verse two, you will see the Spirit of!!! These Spirit of are the different expressions of liberty that is possible, where the Spirit of the Lord is. The Bible says in that 2 Corinthians, that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
So, this verse two, made us understand that when the Spirit of the Lord rest upon someone; He is the Spirit of wisdom. So, we are looking at these seven expressions of the Spirit of God as the liberty of the Spirit. So, when we're talking about the liberty of the Spirit, they are the expressions of the Spirit of the Lord in you. What are the things that the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit makes happen for you when He is in you? Number one, he said, the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him. So, we'll look at the freedom of the Lord. You know, we said we're going to look at the seven expressions.
Number One: The first thing that was mentioned is the Spirit of the LORD; the freedom of the LORD, what does He mean? The liberty of the Spirit is the liberty of the Lord. It means that you are free to live the life that God has called you to live. The Bible made us to understand that no one knows the act of God says the Spirit of God. So if you want to know what the will of God is for you, you know it by the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit. So, the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit gives you the liberty to know the Lord. He gives you the liberty of the owner. Everything Jesus is free to do, you can do. Everything Jesus enjoyed you can enjoy. Jesus started by saying, I'm the light of the world. Then He turned around to look at us and He said, you are the light of the world. The liberty of the Spirit is the liberty that we enjoy in Jesus.
Jesus said concerning the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit, He said, He will take of what is Mine and share with you. The reason we enjoy the liberty of the Lord is because the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit will take of what is Jesus and share with us. Is healing in Jesus? He will share the healing with us. Is riches in Jesus? He will share the riches with us. Is honor in Jesus? He will share it with us. Is power in Jesus? He will share it with us.
So, the Liberty we are talking about here is; is there anything that you see in Jesus that you desire? You have the liberty to draw it. You looked at your Bible, there was no record that Jesus was sick. And you look at that testimony, and you say, I want it. You have liberty by the Spirit of God to receive it. You look at the life of Jesus, and say, there was no time Jesus was in lack. And you look at that liberty, and you draw it. That's the liberty of the Lord. He said, as I am, so are you in this world. That's the liberty of the Lord. As I am, so are you. That's the liberty of the Lord. You are free to live the liberty of Jesus. You are free! You have that liberty by the Spirit.
Number Two: Freedom of wisdom. By the Spirit of God, you have the liberty of wisdom. The Bible says if anyone among you lacks wisdom, let him ask of the Lord who gives liberally; who gives freely. Why does He give freely? He gives freely because He is the Lord. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. The Spirit of wisdom gives you the liberty of wisdom. The Spirit of the Lord gives you the liberty of the Lord. The Spirit of wisdom gives you the liberty of wisdom. If you are still struggling with wisdom, then the question is, is the Spirit of the Lord where you are? Because the Bible says in Second Corinthians 3:17, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. The evidence that the Spirit of the Lord is here, is that there must be liberty of wisdom.
So, what does that mean? You cannot be in the bondage of foolishness. You see, the opposite of freedom is bondage or being prisoned. The first one we looked at, the freedom of the Lord. If you are free in the Lord, you cannot be bound. And that's what the Bible says to us, that therefore there is no condemnation. Romans chapter 8, Now therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because they have the freedom of the Lord. There's no condemnation. We have been redeemed. We have been set free from the curse of the law. So, you have liberty of the Lord. That's why Apostle Paul said circumcision or un-circumcision does not avail anything because Christ is over all and in all.
Number two, you have the liberty of wisdom, the freedom of wisdom; so, you are set free from the bondage of foolishness. If that Spirit of the Lord is in you, you are wise. What do you do when you cannot see it? You draw it. The Bible says, and with joy, we draw from the wells of salvation. So, if the Spirit of God is in you, He is where you are; then there is wisdom in you: you draw it.
Number Three: The freedom of understanding. Liberty of understanding; the Spirit of understanding gives you the liberty of understanding. You are at liberty to understand. David said, I have more understanding than my teachers. The Book of Job said there is a spirit in man; is that spirit in you? There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. The Spirit of understanding gives you the liberty of understanding. If you have been struggling with understanding, you need to draw from the Spirit of God. You must know that the Spirit of God has given you dunamis; He has given you abundant power. There is a force at work in you. I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. How does He strengthen you? He strengthens you by His Spirit.
Number Four: The Spirit of counsel gives you the freedom of counsel. The Spirit of counsel gives you the liberty of counsel. Jesus said, I will give you a mouth and wisdom that your adversaries cannot gain say, nor resist. When the Spirit of God is in you, you have the liberty of counsel. The Bible record concerning Joseph, he was in Potiphar’s house; he prospered because God was with him. He was in prison; he prospered because God was with him. And when it was time for him to go into the palace, Pharaoh had a dream and didn't understand it. And a man that had the Spirit of counsel was called upon and he came and offered counsel and became the Prime Minister.
The Bible says in Daniel that Daniel had the Spirit of God, Spirit of wisdom; he could solve mysteries; enigmas. Why? There is the Spirit upon him; the Spirit of counsel. Daniel will speak to kings; he was relevant for many administrations. Why? The Spirit of counsel was upon him. He had liberty of counsel. That was Daniel when Jesus had not come. Jesus said in Acts chapter one, you shall receive power. That power is the power that makes you live the life of liberty in the Lord. The power that makes you live the life of liberty in wisdom. The power that makes you live the life of liberty in understanding.
The Bible says concerning Solomon, he had understanding; God granted him understanding. He wrote several proverbs. He understood insects, he understood trees, and he wrote about nature, he just had understanding. He will look at something and just understand it. The Bible says the men of Issachar, they understood times and seasons. Don’t say I was not born brilliant, so I'm not a genius: there is a spirit in man. The Spirit of the Lord gives you the liberty of counsel. David said, I have more understanding than my teachers.
Jesus had a powerful Spirit of counsel; He was asking questions in Luke chapter two, He was in the synagogue with the priests, the Pharisees, and He was asking questions and answering questions, and they marveled at the answering of His questions. Counsel! They wanted to hold Jesus with something; they said, if we can just ask Him a very difficult question, we will hold Him. They said Jesus, one woman like that got married, and her husband died. And you know the tradition? They gave her to the other brother; the other brother married her and died. Then they gave her to the other brother who also died. So, all of them married her, and they all die. So, when they get to heaven, whose wife will she be?
Imagine if Jesus didn't have the Spirit of Counsel. And Jesus responded to them, in the resurrection, men will be like the angels; there is no marriage there. They said we can't hold Him. They brought a woman to Him; who was caught in the very act of adultery. According to the law of Moses, this man should be stoned to death. And Jesus bent down, so if there's any one among you, that have no sin, be the first to cast a stone: see, the Spirit of counsel. Jesus was able to judge matters by the Spirit of God. He had the liberty to judge matters. He said greater than Solomon is here. Solomon judged matters so much that kings were coming for consultation. The Spirit of counsel gives us the liberty of counsel. You said you have a challenge; go and meet that brother; God has put answers on his lips. Why? It is not by power, it is not by might, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
Number Five: The Spirit of strength gives us the freedom of strength. the liberty of strength. I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. My strength is not physical; you have the liberty of strength by the Spirit of strength. And remember, this liberty sets you free from bondage. If you have been weak, you have been in bondage of weakness. What you need is the liberty of the Spirit by the Spirit of strength for you to enjoy the liberty of strength.
The Bible says when Jesus died, He went to hell and stripped the devil of everything that he had been showing off with, He stripped him of everything; all principalities and powers and He triumphed over them. And the Bible says you are seated with Jesus. I am seated with Christ Jesus in the heavenly places far above.
So, if the devil is thinking like this, you are thinking above the devil. If the devil is operating like this, you are operating higher by the Spirit of God. And that's why the question is coming back to us; is the Spirit of God with us? It is because, where the Spirit of God is; not was but is, that is where liberty is. If the Spirit of God has left the place there is no liberty anymore. So, check your heart; is the Spirit of God here? Because is; talks about present tense. Now, as we are speaking, at this moment, is the Spirit of God with you.
Number Six: The Spirit of knowledge gives us liberty; the freedom of knowledge. You are able to know all things; you know because the Spirit reveals it to you. The Bible says in that Isaiah chapter 11:3, “His delight is in the fear of the Lord, He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes.” How much do you think you know by what you see and what you hear? Even in our time right now you know that what you see is not true. So, you can't trust what you see with your physical eyes. You can’t trust what you hear, you must have spiritual knowledge. Liberty is in spiritual knowledge; not in physical knowledge. Authority and dominion is in spiritual knowledge.
You know, somebody comes to you and he's speaking to you and you know the person is lying. Spiritual knowledge; you know not by the seeing of your eyes. How did the Apostle Peter know that Ananias and Saphira were lying? He enjoyed the liberty of knowledge in the Spirit. He said Ananias, did you indeed sell this land for so much? He said yes, and I'm sure Ananias would have looked very composed and that's why when Apostle Peter was going to answer; he said, how can you lie to the Spirit of God? Peter didn't gun him down. The Spirit of God killed him. And when the wife came; Saphira, is it true that you sold the land for so much? Ah, it is exactly as my husband said, and exactly how the husband died; she died.
How much have you gained by your physical knowledge? That's why people have been disappointing you, they've been defrauding you, all manner of things have been happening to you because you are operating with the world; come up higher! My daughter will say some things and I'll say I don't believe, it is not true; and she will say mummy how did you know: there is a spirit in man. Operate with superior knowledge; superior knowledge is in the Spirit.
When you don't know why you just woke up with a knowing that you should pray at a particular time and you started praying and the following day they came to you; do you know at this time, your elder brother was vomiting blood? Well, we just thank God; God took control and you looked at the time, exactly the time the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit ask you to pray. Superior knowledge! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
The reason the world is in bondage is because we're not connected to the liberty of the Spirit. The reason many of us are still bound is because we have not connected to the liberty of the Spirit; where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Lastly, the Spirit of the fear of the Lord gives us liberty of the fear of the Lord. What is the fear of the Lord? The fear of the Lord is obedience. That is a word that simply describes it. Liberty of obedience is the liberty of the fear of the Lord. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Many people cannot obey God because they do not have the liberty to obey God; because they could not retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, doing the things that aren't fitting. There is a liberty we enjoy in the Spirit to obey God, it is called the Spirit of the fear of the Lord; the liberty of the fear of the Lord: you are just in reverence of God.
Apostle Paul said, I could not disobey the heavenly calling. We're not talking about the kind of obedience that after God has spoken, and then something now happened then you say I think it is because what God said I should do that I did not do; let me go back and do it. No, we're talking about prompt, swift obedience. At the command of God, you have gone; it is possible by the liberty of the Spirit.
Those that don’t obey God, they are bound; they are in bondage. And the devil keeps them in bondage because of disobedience. Apostle Paul said the spirit at work in the children of disobedience. So, there is a spirit at work in the children of disobedience. The Spirit at work in the children of obedience is the Spirit of the Lord that brings liberty. Don't think I'm just a good girl, I obey God, I'm just a good boy, I will obey God; no, it is powered by a Spirit.
So, in this world, you are either at liberty or in bondage. Jesus met a woman on the Sabbath and the Bible says she had a hunch in her back for years. And Jesus said that woman had been in bondage. Just imagine that you cannot lift; you know when somebody has a hunch, it is a serious thing. The person cannot lift no matter how he tries, or she tries. And Jesus said, how can you watch that this daughter of Abraham, be in this kind of bondage? And Jesus healed her. So, you are at liberty when your back is straight.
Yesterday, my husband was sharing with me. He was studying a particular Book of the Bible, and he came across a particular verse, and the Holy Spirit on CentreNDL”>Holy Spirit inspired him that when you are at peace; there's something that you must do. When God gives you peace, it is not for you to enjoy it to yourself; it is for you to do something for God. God does not give you peace for peace sake; He gives you for His purpose sake. So, God does not just give us liberty, the liberty to do something. So when the Spirit of God is with you, and you have liberty; it is liberty to do the will of Him that has called you while it is day; for the night comes when no man can walk.
The liberty you enjoy is so that you can serve the interest and further the interest of the kingdom of God while you have the strength; enjoy the liberty. The liberty of the Spirit is for us to do the will of God. Where the Spirit of Lord is, there is liberty. I can do all things through Christ, through the enabling power of Christ, and that enabling power of Christ is the Spirit of Christ. I can do all things; you can! What God is asking you to do; you can! There is liberty to do it in Him. God will not ask you to do something that He has not enabled you to do.
The Bible says He has given us all things that pertain to life and to godliness. When Moses came to God and said to God; God, you know, I am a stammerer; I can't talk. How can you send me to these people? When I get there, what will I say? What will I do? And God said I've made provision. In every obedience of God, there is provision.
And that's why the last expression of the Spirit of God is the Spirit of the fear of the Lord. So, wisdom must be in the fear of the Lord. Understanding must be in the fear of the Lord. Counsel must be in the fear of the Lord. Strength must be in the fear of the Lord. All of these must be expressed; the fear of the Lord is like the binding force that binds everything together. All of these must be in obedience, or else it is useless; it is futile, empty.
Philippians chapter 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Do we now understand how we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us? He strengthens us by His Spirit. He strengthens us by the liberty of the Spirit.
