People are always saying, “Shane, you’re so funny. Always laughing. You’re always happy, and you don’t take things seriously.” I do laugh a lot, and I enjoy life, and here’s my reason—- in one word. JESUS! I could stop now. and this would be a good sermon, but I won’t. I’m going to give you more.
JESUS SET ME FREE. Three years ago, when I first started coming here to worship, one of the first verses I learned was John 3:16 “For God so loved the world he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” I wanted everlasting life, so I kept coming. Then, like the men on the day of Pentecost, I asked what to do. I learned the verse Acts 2:38. “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Whenever I realized that I believed Jesus really is the Son of God, then I wanted to obey him in baptism. I did it publicly at the church, in front of family and friends. Now I know my name is written in the Book of Life.
This is the main reason why I am so happy. JESUS SET ME FREE. He set me free from four ideas I want to tell you about.
1. Jesus set me free from feeling guilty all the time. 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness.” So, I go to Jesus, I lay it down, and I don’t pick it up again. I am forgiven and that makes me happy.
- The second thing that Jesus set me free from is bitterness. In Matthew 6:14, Jesus says “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly father will forgive you.” But watch this! Then he adds in the next verse, “If you don’t forgive men their sins, your father will not forgive your sins.” Jesus forgave me, so now I forgive others. I HAVE to. That is not an option. I don’t have to live with bitterness. There have been people who have hurt me. I can either hate them or forgive them, but Jesus says to forgive, so I choose to forgive them. When I was about 5 years old, my mother left us, but instead of hating her, I have forgiven her. Now, I can spend time with her and enjoy it.
Another verse I like is Romans 8:28. “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God and who have been called according to His purpose.” Through the years, I had wondered why God let this happen to my family. But God has taken the bad and turned it into something good. Who knows what might have happened to me otherwise. Now, here I am, and Jesus has put joy in my heart. He has forgiven me and given me the power to forgive others. He’s set me free from bitterness, and that’s a good reason to smile!
- The third thing that Jesus has set me free from is feeling like a nobody. There have been times when I have failed at tasks and people have made fun of me. I have felt left out and beaten down. A verse I found is Romans 8:31. “If God is for us, who can be against us.” I like that.
Another one I like is I John 4:4 “Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world.” That means God is in me and He’s greater than the devil, who is in the world. Psalm 27: 1-5 reads “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to eat my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear. Though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the Lord. This is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble, he will keep me safe in his dwelling. He will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.” This psalm helps me trust in the Lord. Whom shall I fear? No one. It gives me faith and confidence. I no longer need to have low self-esteem.
In Matthew 6:25 Jesus says “Do not worry about your life.” I have accepted myself as I am. I’m a child of the King. You won’t catch me worrying! My grandma worries enough for both of us! So, even though I failed math last year and had to go to summer school, I read in Jeremiah 29:11 that God says “I know the plans I have for you, to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God knows the plans He has for me. I was no accident. I have a purpose. I asked God to show me my purpose, and if I follow His leading, I’ll complete it.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 reads this way: “This is what the Lord says: Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, or the strong man boast of his strength, or the rich man boast of his riches. But let him who boasts do it about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth. For in these do I delight, declares the Lord.”
God is not impressed with my wisdom, my strength, or my riches. He wants me to know that He is the Lord and He is in charge, no matter what! And that’s a great reason to be happy!
- The fourth thing Jesus set me free from is the fear of death, my death. I asked my grandma what dying is like, and she told me this. “Remember when you were little, how you ran and ran and ran until you dropped. Wherever you dropped, whether in the field, the yard, the hall, or the couch, you fell asleep. But where did you wake up?” She was right. Wherever we dropped, we fell asleep, but when we woke up, we were always in our bed! At first, I thought it was magic! But then I realized that my dad had picked me up and carried me to my bed. Grandma said that in the same way, we who are Christians work and play all our lives until we’re exhausted, and then we die. When that happens, Jesus picks us up and carries us home.
I Thess. 4:14 says “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.” For the Christian, sleep is a metaphor for death. We learned about metaphors in school. It’s a word that stands for another word. Believers who have died have fallen asleep, and wake up at home with Jesus. So, Jesus has removed the fear of death from me, and that makes me happy!
In conclusion, Jesus set me free from guilt over my mistakes, my bitterness, my low self-esteem, and my fear of dying. That’s why I smile a lot. I’m saved, and I’m forgiven. I’m a child of God. I have the privilege of going before His throne in prayer. The Holy Spirit empowers me. I believe Jesus is the son of God. I believe the Bible is His Word. I have obeyed Him in baptism, and now I’m trying to follow Him for the rest of my days. I’m asking that you pray for me that I can do that.
Jesus can make YOU happy, too. If you want that, you should tell God.
Shane Comeaux is the 15-year-old grandson of Douglas and Joyce Broyles and he delivered this message in July 2014 at the Welsh Church of Christ, Welsh, Louisiana.