LIVE FREE

Judges 16:3 – At midnight Samson took the doors of the gates of the city and carried them on his shoulders to the top of Hebron hill.

Today’s service is about gates. There’s something about gates that God loves, the Beautiful Gate.

Psalm 87:2 – The Lord loves the gates of Zion. It is His favorite part. Gates are special to God. There is a difference between a gate and a wall. A wall keeps people out, a gate lets people in. But a gate swings both ways, people can enter or exit. Likewise with God’s presence – we can enter His presence if we want to. Therefore, a gate can be an illustration of divine choice.

Gate is illustration of a divine choice. Someone can choose to worship. Someone can choose to come into God’s presence. Someone can choose to serve Him. He doesn’t want robots, but He loves the fact that we have a choice. From the beginning of time, in the Garden of Eden, God gave man a choice. Joshua had a choice, he chose God.

Numbers 35:6 – There were six cities of refuge to which a manslayer could flee for safety. The law was “an eye for an eye” – if a person struck a family member, the family could seek them out and strike them back. However, it that person could go through the gate of one of the citiies of refuge, he would be protected.

Psalm 91 talks of the protection under the shadow of the Almighty. The original Hebrew wording states a shadow of protection. The Psalm goes on to tell us that the Lord is our refuge—Jesus Christ is our city of refuge.

2 Samuel 3:33 – Abner killed a Joab’s brother. Joab was a trained assassin and now sought revenge. Abner found safety in a city of refuge. But Joab enticed Abner to come through the gate to the outside of the city of refuge. Abner had been safe, but when he came through the gate and left the safety of the city, Joab killed him.

Proverbs 26:11 warns us not to go back to the things of the past. Don’t walk back through the gate.

Don’t let your life end up like Abner’s. Stay in God’s presence. Don’t go back to what you used to be. Make up your mind to LIVE FREE.

Psalm 34:7 – the angel of the Lord encamps around all who fear Him – those who reverence Him and not those that are afraid of Him.

Matthew 16:18 – hell has gates. If you go there, it is because you chose to go there.

Revelation 21:10 – heaven has gates. If you go there it is because you chose to go there.

The gate you choose, and the way you go, can lead others to go there also.

Psalm 100:4 – enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.

God has a gate. There is a gate to his presence.

If you worship Him he will open the gates to his freedom… live free!