According to Mark Parsec, Independence Day “celebrates America’s Declaration of Independence from the tyranny of England under King George the III.”(1) The signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, he says, was not intended to declare war with England, nor did it procure our country’s independence. America’s freedom was not actually obtained “until a treaty was signed seven years later on September 3, 1783” at the end of the Revolutionary War.(2)
Parsec says the intended purpose of the Declaration of Independence for the colonists was to declare “to the world their belief in a personal, infinite God - their Creator - who endowed them with certain ‘inalienable’ or absolute rights . . . To the men of that time it was self-evident . . . that if the inalienable rights they were urging were not seen in the context of Christianity, then they were without content - illusions, and nothing but dreams. To have absolute rights our forefathers had to acknowledge the Absolute Authority of God.”(3)
You see, there is no true freedom without God and His authority to determine the morality upon which the laws of our land are founded. In God we find the basis for national freedom, or physical freedom; however, we also find in the Lord the basis for our spiritual freedom. God’s provision for our spiritual freedom is found in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, on this Independence Day Sunday we are going to view the freedom we have in Christ.
Jesus Came to Give Us Freedom (Luke 4:18)
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.
Right here, Jesus revealed the reason why God had sent Him into the world. Jesus came to bring liberty, or freedom! He was reiterating a prophecy shared about Him hundreds of years earlier by Isaiah. Now, Jesus said He came to preach the gospel. Isaiah 61:1 tells us He came to “preach good tidings.” The word gospel means “good news,” revealing that Jesus had good news and good tidings to share in His message of freedom! So, wat is that good news?
First, Jesus wanted to share the good news of freedom with the poor and brokenhearted. I want to ask you, “Is God partial to the poor?” No! Job said, “He is not partial to princes, nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; for they are all the work of His hands” (Job 34:19). The thing about the poor is they are more likely to receive His message, because the poor are contrite in spirit.
The Scripture equates the poor and brokenhearted with humility (Matthew 5:3). For example, Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” It takes humility to receive Jesus’ message, and James says it is the poor who are rich in faith (James 2:5). Jesus wanted to share His good news with those who were humble enough to listen to what he had to share and believe Him.
Secondly, Jesus wanted to share the good news of freedom with the captives. Each and every person in this world, until they have accepted Jesus, are held captive by sin. Paul stated in 2 Timothy 2:26 how he wished that all people would “come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” Some of us right now are held captive by sin and by the devil; however, Jesus came to set us free.
Thirdly, Jesus wanted to share the good news of freedom with those who are oppressed. Deuteronomy 28:33 describes oppression as being “crushed continually.” Those who oppressed are one step beyond captivity. They are not only enslaved; they are continually afflicted with a heavy burden. Acts 10:38 tells us, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
Isaiah 58:6 says of the Messiah that He has chosen “to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and . . . break every yoke.” Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Fourthly, Jesus wanted to share the good news of freedom with those who are blind, and to give them recovery of sight. In John 9:39 Jesus said, “I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see.” Those who have not received the message of salvation in Jesus are walking in spiritual blindness. Paul said, “If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Jesus came to those who would believe in Him; and for those who make a choice to look past their unbelief, “the veil is taken away in Christ” (2 Corinthians 3:14).
Freed by the Truth in His Word (John 8:31-32)
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Jesus said we are freed by the truth in His Word. What is the truth? Jesus told Pontius Pilate, “For this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37), and Pilate replied, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Pilate’s response sounds like that of many people today, for in our world there is skepticism over the possibility of truth. Paul said that in the last days people will be “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7).
Jesus said, “If you abide in My word . . . you shall know the truth.” In John 17:17, He prayed for His disciples this specific request: Father, “sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” What is the word? Ephesians 1:13 speaks of “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” Today we equate the word with what we commonly call the Word of God, which is the Bible. The truth that leads to salvation is found in the words of the Lord printed in the pages of the Scripture.
The words in the Bible point us to the true Word of God, or the embodiment of the Word, which is Jesus Christ. In the first chapter of John we read this: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). Based on this passage, Jesus is the word that leads to truth. Jesus declared in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:3-6, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” - and what is that truth? He said, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:3-6). The truth revealed in the word is this: Jesus is the way to God the Father, to salvation from sin, and to eternal life.
Freed From the Bondage of Sin (John 8:34-36)
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Jesus said we are freed from the bondage of sin. Romans 3:23 informs us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We are all sinners - each and everyone of us - and the bondage of sin is what blinds people to the truth found in the Word. In Exodus 6:6-8, Moses tried to share with the Israelites how God was going to deliver them to the Promised Land, but the Scripture says, “They did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage” (Exodus 6:9). Many times we can share with a lost person about the Promised Land of eternal life in Christ, and they won’t hear our message because of their bondage; or rather, because of sin.
Sin makes us into slaves, and Jesus said that a slave does not abide in the Master’s presence. Sin causes us to sleep in the slave quarters far away from the abundance of the Master’s house. Isaiah 59:2 tells us, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” Sin separates us from God the Father. If we are separated from God that is the same thing as not knowing Him, and if we do not know the Master we cannot be saved from the bondage of sin, and be invited into the Master’s house. Sin ultimately leads to spiritual death, and being separated from God for all eternity.
Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If we choose to believe and accept what Jesus did when He died on the cross for our sins, then we will be saved from spiritual death; and we will become one of God’s own children (we will discuss this in a moment). Slavery, bondage, condemnation, and death will be abolished, as the Son grants us divine favor before the heavenly Father, who is the Master.
Freed through Adoption by God (Galatians 4:4-7, 31, 5:1)
Chapter 4: 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ . . . 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free . . . Chapter 5: 1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Paul said we are freed once we are adopted by God. One time Jesus was speaking to Peter about paying taxes, and He asked Peter, “From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” Peter replied, “From strangers.” Jesus said, “Then the sons are free” (see Matthew 17:24-26).
Unless we are a child of God, and a son or daughter of the King of Kings, we are but slaves or strangers. We learned earlier that slaves are held in bondage and separated from God; however, if we are adopted by the King or the Master, then we become a child of the King; and as Jesus observed, a child of the King walks in freedom! Our adoption becomes automatic once we accept Jesus into our heart, as the Holy Spirit enters our heart to complete the adoption transaction.
In attempting to help us understand the significance of adoption, and the freedom we have in Christ, Paul said in Romans 8:15, “You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’.” We need to understand that once we receive Christ as Savior we are no longer subject to the bondage and slavery of sin, and its subsequent penalty of death. This is the reason why in Galatians 4:31 continuing into 5:1, Paul said we are not children of a slave woman; therefore, we must be sure to stand strong in our freedom, and realize that we do not have to live in the slave quarters any longer! We are now free in Jesus Christ!
Time of Reflection
You see, there is freedom in Christ! If you want to experience this freedom then call on the Lord, for “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
There is no better time than now to break free of your shackles and cast off your heavy burden. The Lord says, “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
NOTES
(1) Mark Parsec, “The 4th of July - A Christian Perspective of Independence Day,” Stepping Stone Recovery; taken from the Internet in July 2009 at http://searchwarp.com/ swa488909-The-4th-Of-July-In-God-We-Trust-Or-Do-We.htm.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
