Freedom!
(Declaration of Independence) “When in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
And with these words, the United States of America was born. The citizens of the British colonies were tired of being taxed to death, with no say in the matter “Taxation without representation is Tyranny!” was a popular slogan as early as 1761; 15 years before the Declaration of Independence was written. After a long and bloody war, America broke free from England’s tyranny! We were a new and FREE country! Free to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. Free to defend ourselves, free to build our own businesses, free to be whatever we want to be! America was free! Now, 245 years later, although we may have some big hurdles to cover, we are still the freest nation on the face of the earth.
But are we really free?
Luke 4:16-21
Jesus came to pay for our sin. There was no other way to free us from our yoke of sin and death, except with a perfect Lamb. One without spot or blemish, pure and clean as the driven snow. Our sin was so great, that there was only one Way to save us. Without Jesus, we’re destined for death, damnation and suffering forever. John 8:36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Think about it: are you really at peace in your life? Are you really happy? What’s your future like? Where is your eternal destination? When you think about that, does it bring you peace? Does it bring a smile to your face?
ARE. YOU. FREE.
Now, for those of us that have decided to become Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, It’s important to remember our Freedom.
Galatians 5:1, 13-14
Just because we accepted Jesus as our Savior, doesn’t mean we’re free to act a fool! We are NOT free to return to our sin, no matter what! Only through growing and maturing in the Word will we be able to remain Free.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
Does this sound familiar: We hear a message of repentance and Salvation; we may even accept a friend’s invitation to attend church some Sunday. We walk up to the altar, carrying our heavy bag of sin and filth, dragging it down the aisle. We get to the altar and leave our big bag of sin at the altar, while praying for God to save us, and He does! Finally! We’re free! We stand up, hug the Pastor, or whomever prays with us, and as we walk back to our seat…we reach…just behind us…and…just…just…grab our big, smelly bag of sin and take it back with us! Then, we spent the rest of the week…not praying, not studying our Bibles, not seeking to know Jesus better, and strengthening our knowledge and Faith, but keeping our bag of sin with us, and pulling out our favorite ones whenever we feel the need for a bit of self-indulgence. Then Sunday comes around, and we pack up our sin bag and leave it at the door of the church, while we go inside and show everyone how Righteous we are for an hour!
And we keep it up week, after week, after week, until it becomes a pattern; it becomes our life, and we think we’re Saved!
There is no excuse, folks. We are inundated with information all around us. If we’re looking for a place where we can study the Bible, we don’t have to look far! In fact, you’d have to look hard to AVOID such information! So why do we put so little effort in the most important decision of our lives, and spend so much time on stuff that doesn’t amount to anything? Who won “American Idol,” or “The Voice?” Now, what are the Ten Commandments? How many social media followers do you have? How many people responded to your last request for prayer? When you hear about things happening in your community, do you get involved, presenting a Christian perspective, or are you afraid that you don’t know enough, or are you afraid your friends may find out you’re a Christian?
This is no joke, beloved! With 70% of Americans claiming to be Christian, our country should be the most moral, upright, and Righteous country in the world! Our country should not be involved in things that are in conflict with sound Biblical doctrine, and if it was, there should be enough of us to vote. It. Out!. Now, I know many of you are hearing this message and thinking, “Not me! Not me!” or “How dare you! Don’t Judge!” or whatever else you have in place to deflect from being called out on your irresponsibility. Well, I’m calling us out! There is no time to sit on our hands and play church, and play Christian. The time is coming when it will be too late. Now is the time to start taking your Salvation seriously. Now is the time to live what you believe, or say you believe.
When you’re looking at Him face to face, what are you going to tell God?
