Scripture: 1 Peter 1:17-21
BACKGROUND:
A. We can define freedom in many ways.
1. A phrase like "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" covers a wide range of ideas.
2. "I want to do what I want, whenever" often begins at the age of 2 years, and extends well into adulthood.
3. Some husbands define freedom as their control over the TV remote.
B. Holidays like July 4th are a time to equate independence with freedom. We have parades, wave flags, host cookouts, and are awed by fireworks. Often, in the midst of such celebrations we forget the true cost of freedom.
1. The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men who pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor. Indeed, 14 of them died in battle or as prisoners of the British. Another 12 had their homes burned. Some of the more wealthy like John Hancock lost their fortunes and family, as well as their homes.
2. The Revolutionary War came at a cost of 25,000 lives. Our deadliest war, the Civil War, resulted in 750,000 battle-related deaths.
3. For more than 2,000 years there was another war involving our freedom. It was the war God waged against sin. In one respect, there was only one death; Jesus Christ died on the cross for all of us.
a. Jesus was sent to proclaim freedom for prisoners like you and me (Luke 4:18).
b. He paid the ultimate price for our gift of freedom.
C. The apostle Peter understood this gift of freedom that came by way of Jesus Christ. He wrote an epistle to the Christians that were scattered in Asia Minor. He offered these "dispersed pilgrims" the hope of freedom given only by Jesus Christ.
Reading of 1 Peter 1:17-21 (NIV)
INTRODUCTION:
A. Peter did not seem to be offering much freedom when he encouraged to "live as strangers in reverent fear" (v 17). The key to understanding what he meant comes from a literal translation of the phrase, "pass your time on earth in reverence."
1. If you are not clear about what freedom really means, then it is hard to live as a free person.
2. Illustration: Morgan Freeman played the character of Red in the movie "Shawshank Redemption." Red had been in prison a long time before he was finally paroled. His first job was bagging groceries. Each time he wanted to go to the bathroom he would ask the store manager, "Boss, permission to take (a bathroom break)." Finally the manager said, "Red, you are free now. You don't have to ask permission each time you want to (take a bathroom break."
B. Jesus described a similar permission when He told His disciples, "Hold to my teachings ... you will know the truth ... and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31, 32). Peter wrapped this truth around 3 truths of his own that described God's gift of freedom.
MESSAGE:
A. The 1st truth is only God can set us free from seeking PERISHABLE CHOICES for our lives (v 18).
1. The word "perishable" comes from a root word in Greek that means "ruin by moral influence." Peter ties this ruin of our moral influence to silver and gold. Money is considered perishable by God when it destroys our morals. Achan lost his life after the Israelites were defeated at Ai (Joshua 7:11-21). God prohibited taking of plunder after Israel had captured Jericho, but Achan thought no one would care if he took some shekels and gold. He lost his life not for stealing, but for putting money between himself and God.
2. Paul wrote it is the LOVE of money that causes all manner of evil (1 Timothy6:10).
a. George Lorimer once said it is good to have money and the things it can buy. However, once in awhile we need to check and see if we have lost things that money cannot buy.
b. Things live unconditional love, healthy families, faithful churches, and even our salvation.
3. Seeking perishable choices not only takes up most of our time, but also clutters our lives with things of no value.
4. Illustration: We moved from Washington, DC to New Kent County, VA. Everyone in our small development of 50 homes would routinely take their trash to the county dump. Friends who lived in an exclusive suburb of Washington were aghast we actually put trash in our car and drove to a dump. We all know you can put perishable stuff in trash bags. But if you keep the bags in the garage, eventually they will take up all the space; in addition, the bags leak and give off a foul odor.
5. Apply: Let me give you a working definition of perishable choices: anything that will not stand up against the scrutiny of the Lord.
a. If money gets between you and God, it is perishable. There is a reason we say "you can't take it with you." You cannot buy you way out of hell. Just read the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. And you cannot buy your way into heave; read about the book of life in Revelation 20.
b. Peter writes our works are judged fairly by God. Yet without redemption all our works are perishable.
c. Pursuit of perishable choices only leads to futility and despair. Our lives seem to go nowhere.
B. 2nd truth is only God can set us free from an EMPTY WAY OF LIFE (v 18)
1. Literally Peter is saying this kind of life is a "vain conversation received by tradition."
a. The conversation of our forefathers in 1776 was the idea of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness intimately linked to one nation under God.
b. Since then our country seems to have largely focused on life, liberty and happiness as defined by our own efforts. For many, the Lord is no longer in their equation for freedom.
c. Frank Sinatra once sang, "I did it my way." When you look down the highway of life of people who tried to do it their way, you see nothing but wreckage. Their lives, lives of families churches, communities.
2. Paul wrote that empty words, like vain conversations, make us slaves of depravity (2 Peter 2:18, 19).
3. Such vain conversations lead to death, in this life or the next.
4. Illustration: One night about 10 years ago I was working in the ER of a level 1 trauma center in Richmond. A 10 year-old boy was brought in with multiple gunshot wounds, the result of a gang shooting. He had no ID, except for a tattoo on his arm, "Mara Salvatrucha," the notorious MS-13 gang. The boy had been recruited by an older brother, with promises of fraternity, fame, and finances. A couple of 9 mm rounds ended the vain conversation and his life.
5. Let no one deceive you with empty words, walk as children of the light (Ephesians 5:6, 8).
6. Apply: the empty way of life is a hole we dig. We get in the hole with perishable stuff and keep digging. Eventually we can no longer see out.
a. Each night such people go to bed thinking they have it all, only to awake wanting more. It becomes a vicious cycle. Freedom is sought through drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality, lies, cheating. etc. None work.
b. There is only one cure for an empty way of live, but many do not want to hear the third truth.
C. The 3rd truth is that only God can set us free by the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST (v 19, 20)
1. Redemption came only by the shedding of Christ's blood. Paul noted this redemption involves the forgiveness of sin after the mystery was made know to us, and our inheritance secured through trust in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:7-12).
2. The precious blood of Christ has redeemed us from the penalty of sin, separation from God.
3. The gift of freedom has been made known to us in these "last times" (v 20).
a. We see this revelation proclaimed on T-shirts with John 3:16. I often wish there was enough room on the T-shirt to include verse 17, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."
b. The last times were just the right time, because we were powerless, for Christ to die for the ungodly (Romans 5:6).
4. Illustration: there are folks in the world who think you can be saved by being a kind person; the whole world can be saved by human kindness. If that were so, Jesus would have come to form sensitivity groups where we could share our feelings. Perhaps we would even light candles and sing Cum By Yah. But God knew the ways of the world and the persistence of sin. So He nailed His gift of freedom to the cross.
5. Nearly everyone wants to go to heaven, but few are willing to die to get there. Paul wrote that for him, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). We need to be washed in the blood of Christ (Revelation 1:5.
6. Apply: The blood of patriots gained us a country in 1776. But to be preserved as a nation, we must keep the faith in the blood of Jesus.
a. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness begins at the cross.
b. Patrick Henry wrote in his last will and testament: "I have now given everything I own to my children. There is one more thing I wish I could give them, and that is Christ. Because if they have everything I gave them and don't have Christ, they have nothing."
c. Patriotism abounds in the songs we sing during national holidays. Let us never forget the basis of these songs, our Lord God Almighty.
d. Francis Scott Key observed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry outside Baltimore on the night of September 13, 1814.. At the dawn's early light, he saw the outcome. The American flag was still flying over the fort. Inspired, he wrote a 4-stanza poem we now call the Star Spangled Banner. Most know the 1st verse by heart since we sing it at the start of sports games and other events.
e. I would like to close my message in prayer using the 4th verse, which I have slightly modified. As the piano softly plays, close your eyes and listen intently to the words:
O Lord, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and war's desolation
You have blessed us with victory and peace
May the heaven rescued land
Praise You, the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation
Then conquer we must, when You deem our cause it is just
And this always be our motto: In God is our trust
Then the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave - AMEN
ALTAR CALL:
Are you willing to accept God's gift of freedom?
1. To be free from the captivity of sin - through belief in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
2. To be free from isolation and become part of a fellowship of believers.
3. To be free to commit to the ministries and mission of our Lord Jesus.
