“Free Indeed” An Independence Day Message

 “Free Indeed”

An Independence Day Message

Opening Illustration:

Brothers and sisters, Galatians 5:1 reminds us of Paul’s words to the Church in Galatia, “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery”. When you read this passage, what do imagine Paul’s tone to be? What do you imagine his body language to be? When I read this verse, in my imagination, it sounds almost like a battle cry. I can see Paul in my mind standing on top of a hill, an army of Christ followers behind him, Paul’s hand in the air. Can you hear his shout? These words take me back to the movie Braveheart as William Wallace rides his horse in front of his troops, just before they do battle with the dreaded oppressive English. Do remember his battle cry? 

“Freedom”!

Church, from the earliest days of recorded history, humans have sought freedom. We have sought to be free from treacherous regimes. Humans have sought to overthrow the likes of the Philistines, Babylon, Persia, and Rome. Tomorrow we all celebrate our independence from Great Britain. Brave men and women have stood against the evils of communism, imperialism, and marxism. It is one thing to overthrow an oppressive human regime, it is another thing completely to overthrow a sinful, evil, wicked spiritual regime. The Bible speaks this spiritual battle that has been waged since Adam and Eve partook of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

I John 1:9 tells us that the entire world is under the control of Satan. “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one”.

Jesus reminds us in John 8:44 that Satan, from the very beginning has been trying to lead humans down a path of destruction. “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Satan has been in battle with The Holy God of the Universe and humanity has been been caught in the crossfire. Wait, that line when I wrote it sounded good but theologically it is not correct. Human are not in the crossfire, we have chosen a side. We have chosen evil. We have chosen the way of sin and that choice has led us into bondage. Jesus reminds us that anyone who sins is a slave to sin. John 8:34, “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.”

Thankfully, we are free today! Free because of Jesus. Free to live. Free to love. Free to worship. Brothers and sisters, we can live under the most oppressive, the most horrible, the most brutal of all dictators, and we can still be free. Friends, if we are spiritually free then we are free indeed. Yet, in order for anything to be free, something has to die. 

We celebrate our nation’s freedom because hundreds of thousands of men and women laid down their lives so that we can be here this morning. They bled on hills, lost limbs on beaches, endured tortures, crossed enemy lines so that we could be free…physically free. 

Yet, for us to be spirally free, something else had to die. No soldier’s death or politicians sacrifice would do to satisfy God’s wrath. Something else, someone else, would have to die. You and I both know the rest of the story. 

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Friends, as Americans we are free to practice our faith not just because of brave soldiers, more importantly we are free because of Jesus Christ. Are you thankful this morning for our freedoms, the freedoms that Christ has given us. If you are thankful would you please stand and give Christ our Savior and Lord a round of applause. 

Today’s Thought:

As Americans We Are Free To Practice Our Faith!

Background and Context:

This morning, before we read John 8:31-37, I like to provide you with some background and context. I would like to share with you what’s really happening. At the point of the recording of this passage, hostility is building between the Pharisees and Jesus. At the end of this chapter, the Pharisee will pick up stones to kill Jesus and His disciples. Jesus is teaching the Jews in the temple and He is sharing with them insights into His true identity. The dividing lines are being drawn. There are those who believe in Christ and there are those who deny His Lordship. That’s why this passage starts with “so Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him…”. We will see that if you believe in the identity of Jesus, your faith in Jesus grows. The more your faith grows, the more freedom you shall partake. Then Jesus addresses the issue of slavery. Slavery and freedom. Freedom and slavery. For those who have yet to discover Christ, for those who have yet to believe in Him, they are caught in a tragic loop of sin and bondage. The only way out of that loop is to be made free by the Son of God. Friends, if you hear nothing else on this day, hear this, only Jesus can set a sinner free! So, let’s read this morning from John 8:31-37. 

Today’s Scripture:

John 8:31-37 ESV

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.

Today’s Quote:

Speaking of freedom, there is one man that I have always greatly admired. That man is Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela was the President of South Africa. He bravely fought against apartheid and spent years in jail for his fight against racism and hatred. Mandela was released from prison and then became South Africa’s President in 1994. He wrote dozens of books, spoke thousands of times, and led men and women around the world to turn from evil and pursue peace and justice. Mandela once said that one cannot truly know freedom until freedom had been completely removed from your life. There is great truth in that comment. Do you remember what life was like before Christ? Do you remember your lostness, your brokenness, your state of utter discouragement? Maybe you chased happiness in bottle, or with a pill. Perhaps you sought peace in a relationship. Still, nothing met your deepest need for freedom. Spiritual freedom. Then, someone came along and told you about Jesus. Maybe it was a pastor, a friend, a Sunday school teacher, a VBS teacher. Someone came along, God sent someone to you, and you heard the message of the Gospel and your spirit came alive. One of my favorite quotes from Nelson Mandela is "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." God set us free so that we could be used to set others free. What a privilege. What an honor. So, let’s examine today’s Scripture, Jesus’ words from John 8. We are going to learn 3 powerful lessons about freedom!

Today’s Quote:

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."
--Nelson Mandela

3 Important Lessons To Remember!

I. The Source of Our Freedom vs. 32

John 8:31-32 ESV

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

Point:

Friends, as I have already stated this morning, the source of our ultimate freedom, our spiritual freedom starts and ends with the person of Jesus Christ. The truth about Jesus Christ is seen everywhere. The truth of Jesus Christ is seen all around us so that anyone who is lost is without excuse. No one, on the day of judgement, will be able to stand before God and say that he didn’t know, that he or she never heard. No one has an excuse. Creation testifies that Christ is our Creator. Every painting has a painter and every building has a builder. It was just Friday when I had the great honor of attending Kevin O’Hara’s father’s visitation. It was held at Christ the King. I had never been in that church but when I entered I was immediately struck by it’s beauty. It had beautiful, colorful stained glass windows. Their sanctuary is in the shape of a cross. As I was leaving, I stood there with Bryant Thompson and Benji Hughes. We were looking down at the marble stones at the entrance of the church and Benji said to me and Bryant, “there you go fellas, these stones are Daphne’s history”. You see each marble stone was a marker. It had their name on it because they helped, at one point, build Christ the King. They had marble markers dating back to the mid 1800’s. You see, that beautiful church didn’t just appear, those markers testify to a builder. 

Psalm 19:1-5 ESV

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.

2 Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.

3 They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.

4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
    It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

Not only is the truth about Christ found in creation, it is found in other places as well. 

The Truth About Christ Is Found In The…

Point:

The truth about Christ is found in the message of Christ. The bold witnesses who lived and died telling others about Jesus Christ. 

a. Witness

    I John 5:20 ESV

    And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so     that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus     Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Point:

The truth about Christ is found in the works of the Holy Spirit. 

b. Works

    John 16:13 ESV

    13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not     speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare     to you the things that are to come.

Point:

The truth about Christ is found in the Bible. 

c. Word

          I Corinthians 15:3-4 ESV

    3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died     for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was     raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

3 Important Lessons To Remember!

I. The Source of Our Freedom vs. 32

II. The Scope of Our Freedom vs. 36

John 8:35-36 ESV

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 

Point:

Jesus says in verse 36 that when He makes a person “free” they are “free indeed”. The first word translated “free” comes from a word that means “to set at liberty”. It is the picture of someone liberating a slave from bondage. The second word translated “free” refers to “one who is freeborn”. Jesus is saying that the freedom He gives us when He saves us is so complete that “it is as if we were never slaves to begin with, but it is as if we were freeborn sons of God”.

The liberty Jesus gives us is so complete that it blots out our past and makes us absolutely and eternally free in Him. That is a far cry from where we were before we met Him. Listen to how Paul describes our state before Christ. 

Ephesians 2:1-3 NLT

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

Thank God for the liberty we enjoy in Jesus Christ! Be thankful indeed. 

Still, how free are we if we have been liberated from sin?

• We have been delivered from the wrath of God – Rom. 5:9
• We have been delivered from condemnation – Rom. 8:1
• We have been delivered from death and Hell – John 5:24; John 3:16
• We have been delivered from the power of sin – Rom. 6:13-14
• We have been delivered from the power of Satan – 1 Pet. 5:8-9

Even our founding fathers knew and appreciated the freedom that Jesus Christ has offered all men and women around the globe. They sought to create a land where people could seek out their own destiny, make their own way with hard work, but also pursue Christ if that is what they choose. Listen to the words of some of our founding leaders who loved Jesus, fervently read their Bibles,  and appreciated their salvation. 

“The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man. … Had the doctrines of Jesus been preached always as pure as they came from his lips, the whole civilized world would now have been Christian.”

-Thomas Jefferson

“The Bible contains the most profound philosophy, the most perfect morality, and the most refined policy that ever was conceived upon earth.”

-John Adams

“[The Bible] is of all books in the world that which contributes most to make men good, wise, and happy.”

-John Quincy Adams

“Let us therefore persevere steadfastly in distributing the Scriptures far and near, and without note or comment. We are assured that they ‘are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).’”

-John Jay

Romans 8:2 ESV

2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

3 Important Lessons To Remember!

I. The Source of Our Freedom vs. 32

II. The Scope of Our Freedom vs. 36

III. The Sacrifice For Our Freedom vs. 37

John 8:37 ESV

37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.

Point:

“You seek to kill me”, these are the words of Jesus Christ. We know that they did indeed kill Jesus. Well, let me put it another way. Jesus laid down His life willingly. He died. What a sacrifice. 

Point:

The freedom we enjoy as Americans was not cheap. We enjoy our freedom as Americans

because over 1 million brave soldiers paid for our freedoms with their blood.

Consider those who signed The Declaration of Independence. Five signers were captured by the British as

traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in

the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or the

hardships of the Revolutionary War.

What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were

farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of

Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.Carter Braxton of Virginia, a

wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships sunk by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his

debts and died in poverty. At the battle of Yorktown, the British General Cornwallis had taken over Thomas

Nelson's home for his headquarters. Nelson quietly ordered General George Washington to open fire on the

Nelson home. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt. John Hart was driven from his wife's

bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. His fields and mill were destroyed. For

over a year, he lived in forest and caves, returning home only to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing

ruffians. There were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty

more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: “For the support of this declaration, with a firm

reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes,

and our sacred honor.”

Our freedom as Americans was purchased at a very high cost. We should be thankful for it, and we should all

be willing to die to protect it.

Point:

While the price for our national freedom was costly and bloody, it pales in comparison tothe cost of our

spiritual freedom. The cost of our spiritual freedom was the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross at

Calvary.

It was there that He “gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (1Ti 2:6)

It was there that He became “the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also

for the sins of the whole world.” (1Jo 2:2)

It was there that “he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our

iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are

healed.” (Isa 53:5)

It was there that “the LORD…laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa 53:6)

 Why did He do it? The answer is quite simple. He did it because He loves us!

“But while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” He died for me and for you. He died for everyone. There is not one person that Jesus doesn’t love, not one person that He won’t pursue. There is not one person who He won’t give a second chance to, or a third chance, or a forth chance. You’ve never been to far that He can’t see you. You’ve never been to lost that He won’t find you. 

In Jesus Christ slaves are made free men. In Jesus Christ, the bondage of sin is forever broken; the flames of Hell are quenched; and the fierceness of divine wrath is assuaged. In Jesus Christ, there is life, liberty and the pursuit of godliness.

Wouldn’t you like to be free today? Wouldn’t you like to come to Jesus?

I Timothy 2:5-6 ESV

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 

America Bless God!