Freedom In An Enslaved World

Freedom

Freedom. What is freedom? What represents freedom? Are any of us really truly free? Ask someone who lives in a communist country what freedom means to them. Ask someone who lives in the fear of dying daily what freedom means to them. Ask someone who is bought and sold like property what freedom means to them. Ask the abused spouse what freedom means to them. Ask someone who is in prison what freedom means to them. Freedom means many different things to many different people.

The communist countryman might mention the freedom to choose his own religion, or the freedom to choose his or her own profession. The person who fears for their life daily might wish to end the wars or to live in another country or to be someone different entirely. The slave might wish that the shoe was on the other foot, or that he could somehow alter history. To the spouse freedom means being able to be yourself, to have an affectionate, loving, respectful relationship without the fear of constant physical or mental abuse. The inmate. The inmate could definitely describe to you what freedom means to them. Freedom is being able to shower when you want to or eat when you want to, to be able to go when and where you want to. Freedom is being free.

What this morning does freedom mean to you? What is holding you back this morning that is keeping you from being free? I remember awhile back when I thought man if I can just make it to sixteen and get my license that would be freedom. Man if I can just make it to eighteen then I’ll be legally a man then I’ll be free. Well If I make it to twenty-one then I can legally drink, maybe I’ll try that and that will be freedom. It seems as if I kept on and kept on and the further and further I went the less free I felt.

Today we live in a country that proudly proclaims our freedom. Today we live in a country that is grieving because someone took a small part of freedom away from us. They invaded our free, peace loving country with terror, with fear, loneliness, and death. How do we react at this moment? How should we feel? What today is freedom to you? I’ll tell you what freedom means to me. Freedom means knowing that no matter what happens in my life, whether it’s imprisonment, physical or mental abuse, physical problems or anything else, that Jesus Christ freely chose to die, to save me from my sins. Romans 3:22-24 tells us, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

In closing today, I want to give you and invitation. I want to give you an invitation to accept this freedom that I’ve found. This is a freedom that can never be taken away. Think of the people on those planes Tuesday, what freedom were they looking for? Those people took away their freedom. God wants to freely give you a freedom today that can never be taken away. And that’s salvation. Where are you at today? What freedoms are you looking for? Do you feel trapped, cuffed? Come let Jesus Christ take the chains off of your heart today!