TRUE FREEDOM IS IN CHRIST
I TIMOTHY 2:1-7
I hope your 4th of July weekend has been awesome. This time of year has always been special for me. Some of my greatest memories growing up happened around the 4th of July. It was a tradition each year that my whole family would go to my grandparent’s house way out in the country. (Show Picture) We would have a big dinner together, which I didn’t like that part because we always had the adult table and kid table and I hated sitting at the kid table. After dinner me, my sister and our cousins always had fun in our little pre show lighting black cats and lady fingers then when it got dark my uncle would start the show. I loved watching all of the cool stuff like rockets and tanks and seeing the different colors. After the show we would finish by lighting sparklers and all of us kids would be writing our names in the air.
As a kid I never thought much about the 4th of July. I looked forward to it because I loved being with family, eating food and lighting fire works but I never put much thought into why we celebrated it. But now as an adult I have a new appreciation for this time of year. It is my chance to say thank you to all the men and women throughout our history who have sacrificed their lives in order to bring us the freedom we have today. It’s not just a chance to light fireworks but it’s also our chance to praise God for allowing us to live in such a great country. I love my country and if called upon I would die for my country. Because I love my country it makes it that much harder to watch first hand the choices that our culture has made in the last 50 years all in the name of freedom.
We have increasingly grown in greed and immorality. We continue to turn our backs on God and the Gospel. We are increasingly looking to man made ideas that will help bail us out of our economic and social problems. We continue to justify sin and call it no big deal. We do this all in the name of freedom and equal rights. But let’s be honest. Nobody is truly free. There are laws that must be followed. If there were no laws there would be chaos.
Spiritually no body is free. You and I and everyone else in this world only have one choice to make and that choice is to live a life of sin. We are born in sin and we live in sin. We don’t choose God we run from God. But what is so amazing and something that I celebrate not just on July 4th but everyday is that there is a way for you and me to experience life changing true unhindered freedom, real freedom in life that removes us from the penalty of sin and death and that is through Jesus. Christ died to set us free. Christ sets us free from the world’s corrupt sense of freedom. Christ sets us free from our guilt, from our past, from our mistakes. The world will never let you forget, the world refuses to let go and forgive but when we call on Christ name and repent then we will finally experience real freedom that no constitution or bill of rights can give us.
I wake up everyday thankful for this country that I live in. I see how war, poverty, corrupt government, famine have ravaged 3rd world countries, and I’m thankful that I can live in a country where I can drive a car to a store ½ mile away and buy whatever food I need anytime. I am thankful for the freedom’s we have in speech, religion, choice here in America and I am thankful for our laws that protect the people but I am most thankful for the freedom I have in Christ. I’m thankful that as a Christian who has been set free from the blinders of sin and selfishness that I can step back and see the big picture. I can now see the sin and corruption around me and because of that I now have the freedom because of Christ and the Holy Spirit working in me to do something about it. You and I, the saints, who are no longer slaves to sin but are now free from sin and slaves to Jesus have an amazing opportunity to give back not just to our country but more importantly give back to our God by devoting our lives to His service and telling others about the freedom that is found in Jesus.
You might say, “What can I possibly do to help change a world that is so corrupt and has fallen so far away from where it began 200 years ago?” In I Timothy Paul gives us 3 things that we can do as believers to help restore our nation to a country that looks to Christ rather to sin. I Timothy 2:1-7
I. Pray Unceasingly- VSS. 1-2
ILL. - A teacher went into her classroom about fifteen minutes before the class was supposed to begin and caught a bunch of boys in a huddle on their knees in the corner of the room. She asked what they were doing, and one of them shouted back, "We are playing poker." She replied, "That’s all right. I was afraid you were praying."
This is the sad part of America. People are often seen huddled together to do something, to attend something, to watch something but seldom do you see people huddled together to attend church and to pray.
ILL- the last few years of National Day of Prayer- very low attendance, First Sunday’s- very low attendance, and Sunday prayer with pastor- 1 person shows up
ILL.- Samuel Chadwick said, "The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayer less studies, prayer less work and prayer less religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray."
ILL. - E.M. Bounds said, "What the church needs today is not machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men (and women) whom the Holy Spirit can use – Men (and women) mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men (and women) of prayer."
The first thing we as believers can do to thank God for his blessings and our freedom is to get on our knees and pray. Pray for this country, pray for this church, pray for our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters that are giving their lives for us everyday on the battlefield. Pray for the lost. Pray for our government leaders and President. Wives if you want to see your husband come to love the lord than you should be on your knees praying for it. Husbands if you want to see your wives be strong women of God then humble yourself and pray for them. We should be praying at home and at church. We should pray while we are watching TV, before we go to bed, while we are doing the laundry, driving down the road. If we want to see God move in this country and in your life then we must pray.
Ephesians 6:17-18 says, Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
I Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” Reminds me of Finding Nemo- “Just keep swimming”
We don’t think about it but prayer is the most powerful gift God has given us. It is a direct link between you and God. God amazes me when I pray because he’s God. He’s big, he’s powerful, he has a world to run but I know that he loves me so much that when I pray he takes time to listen. Our people need Jesus. America needs Jesus and if we want to see God and his freedom come back to this country than we first have to be on our knees in prayer, and if we as church attending, Christ believing Christians won’t do it, who will?
James 5:16 "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
God will do mighty things through those who will first and foremost humble themselves and get on their knees before they ever step behind a microphone. Not only can we pray unceasingly, but secondly…
II. Live Righteously
Vs. 2 "That we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
God desires for us to be godly people, holy people. A people who live righteously whether in public or in private. We have the opportunity, the responsibility and really the privilege of living right and setting the example for the world around us.
I Peter 2:12 says, “12When you are around people who do not know God, be careful how you act. Even if they talk against you as wrongdoers, in the end they will give thanks to God for your good works when Christ comes again.”
What does it mean to be holy or to be godly? The simplest way to define it is to live a life that is set a part. To be different. (Rebel is not the criminal, the rebel is the one who works hard, loves people, always does the right thing and keeps their mouth shut.) A lot of times that means doing things that people don’t agree with. Living for God is not always popular but it is always rewarding. To live holy means to look at every aspect of your life. What you watch, what you say, how you dress, how you think, how you act in every place you go. It’s not about legalism and rules. It’s about always asking, “Is the decision I am about to make going to bring the most glory to God or to me?” Am I making this choice based on what I want or what God wants? Am I doing this so I can be glorified and praised or so that God can be glorified and praised? The righteous do all things for God’s glory and never for their own. And they do them with joy and a spirit of humility, never pride. They recognize that it is only by God’s grace they are saved and not by their works so that they cannot boast.
The righteous does not justify sin so that they can keep participating in it. They see sin and run from it. Before they found freedom in Christ they had no power to run from sin, all they knew was sin, but now they are children of God. The righteousness of Christ is in them and the power of the Holy Spirit has consumed them. Now they can make the choice to run from sin. They now have power over sin and death. When running from sin they will make hard choices that will alienate them from the lost and guilty but they will be rewarded for their faithfulness and obedience in eternity.
Pray unceasingly, live righteously….
III. Evangelize Fervently
3This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
God desires for all men to be saved, not just a select few. And our job as believers is to present some sort of message through our words and actions so that non-believers young and old have an opportunity to accept Jesus as their savior.
ILL. - Leighton Ford, one of Billy Graham’s associate, said one time, "I was speaking at an open-air crusade in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Billy Graham was to speak the next night and had arrived a day early. He came incognito and sat on the grass at the rear of the crowd. Because he was wearing a hat and dark glasses, no one recognized him. "Directly in front of him sat an elderly gentleman who seemed to be listening intently to my presentation. When I invited people to come forward as an open sign of commitment, Billy decided to do a little personal evangelism. He tapped the man on the shoulder and asked, ‘would you like to accept Christ? I’ll be glad to walk down with you if you want to.’ The old man looked him up and down, thought it over for a moment, and then said, ‘Naw, I think I’ll just wait till the big gun comes tomorrow night.’ "Billy and I have had several good chuckles over that incident. Unfortunately, it underlines how, in the minds of many people, evangelism is the task of the ‘Big Guns,’ not the ‘little shots.’"
Leading people to Christ is the task of all Christians whether you think you are a big gun or a little shot. We have the opportunity to give people the freedom they truly need. People have tried to find freedom in their choices, power, position and even religion, but they still feel empty and discontent. And until they are shown what it means to have true freedom in Christ then they will always be looking. That’s why they are lost. If they are lost how could they ever find their way if we don’t show them? God doesn’t expect us to do everything but he does expect us to do something. Not all of us are called to preach and teach or be leaders in the church but we are called to tell the world about Jesus. We are called to make disciples, to love our neighbor. No one is excused from proclaiming the truth of the Gospel to others. No one gets a pass. And why would you want it? You have been saved by grace through faith from death and sin and hell why in the world would you keep that to yourself?
I Pet. 3:15 "In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have..."
Romans 10:14, “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?”
That scripture goes on to say in verse 16, “But not everyone welcomes the Good News…” The truth will be rejected. You will be rejected but we must not fear rejection. Our love for God should be greater than our fear of man. We must boldly, proudly, and with joy speak of how great God is, how freeing He is and how Jesus has saved us from sin and death and has given us eternal life. And we show our salvation and our thankfulness and our love through our works. We help others because Christ helped us. We do things for others in love because Christ loved us. We become the light in a dark and hopeless world that has chosen sin and is lost in sin because Christ was the light for us and rescued us when we were lost. You and I are now free in Christ. We must share that opportunity of freedom with everyone that will listen.
We are sitting in an incredible position right now to make a real impact on people’s eternity. Our country is lost. Its morals have disintegrated. Relativism, doing what feels good, is dominating our minds and decisions. There are no absolutes anymore when it comes to spirituality and ethics. People are building their spiritual houses on a shaky, sandy foundation. They have chosen sin and have no hope. Little old Warrenton Missouri is not immune from it. We don’t get a pass. Spiritual complacency and laziness has hit hard here and I implore you as my brothers and sisters in Christ to not quit. Don’t give up. Don’t feel sorry for yourself and think you can’t make a difference. The truth is you can’t make a difference but God working in you can do anything. Keep fighting the fight. Keep running the race. You have the words of life. You have the truth and the path to real freedom from sin and death written in minds and in your hearts. You have the hope that so many people need. Be a people that will heed Paul’s words. Pray Unceasingly, live righteously, and evangelize fervently.
Do you know someone who is lost right now? You know they need Jesus? Then come forward this morning as their representative at the cross and pray for them. Pray that God would do a work in them to reveal their sin to them that they would repent, that you or another believer could pray with them and lead them to the freedom they desperately need.
