The Precious Gift Of Freedom
John 8:31-36
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth
sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Introduction:
If you study the character of mankind over the centuries, you will find that there is one passion that transcends all languages, cultures, and barriers. Man has an in born desire and drive to be free. We were created with this God given drive. In the spring of every year, Jewish families gather every year for one of their
most solemn holidays, the feast of the Passover. Do you know what is so special about that feast? It celebrates their deliverance out of Egypt's slavery! It celebrates their freedom!
In Some churches once a month, some once a week, Christians celebrate a solemn memorial service. The bread is broken, the grape juice poured, and the Lord's Table is served. These symbols draw to remember the price that was paid for us by Jesus Christ on the cross. This is a service intended to remind us
and help us celebrate our freedom from sin.
As a boy, I have vivid memories of an Holiday that fell on a monday in late May. My dad would wake us early, make sure that we were dressed well before we left. We would go to the local parade, and then to the grave side ceremony. We would see old men with solemn faces, some with tears in their eyes, standing ridged at attention, looking with awesome respect at the flag when the National Anthem was played. Dad would walk us kids past the section of the cemetery that had the little flags sticking out of the brass face plates. Every year
he would tell us with wet eyes, "Never forget the price that was paid for your freedom! Never, never take the freedom that you enjoy for granted!"
I am bothered right down to the very core of my soul as I reflect on the things that are happening both in our religious community and our nation as a whole. I have been seeing the gift of freedom laughed at, mocked, abused, and squandered. At first I thought this to be merely a political problem, but upon reflection, I have found that the problem is much deeper. Freedom is the passion that lifts man above the animals. Freedom is the gift given to the people of Israel when they were delivered from Egypt. Freedom is the gift given to everyone who
places their trust in the shed blood of the Lamb of God. Freedom then, is a precious gift that God has granted to our great nation and must not be taken lightly! Today I want to take a few serious and reflective moments and ponder the precious gift of our freedom.
I. Freedom Was Given To The Nation Of Israel.
Exodus 1:8-11
8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. 9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. 11 Therefore
they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
God had to deliver His chosen nation because their existed a condition of bondage. Think about this awful condition! The design of the slavery was to render a mighty people helpless, defenseless, and unwilling and unable to fight for their freedom. They were afflicted with heavy burdens. They would eat if they were lucky. If they died in building the cities, that was no great loss. The Egyptians took the credit and the slaves did the work. The life of a slave was bitter and short. What a shameful was to treat another human! What an awful way to exist on planet Earth!
God was not going to allow this treatment of His people to continue. It had been over 400 years and that was long enough. We all know the story. Moses, the miracle baby was born and raised for the specific purpose of leading God's people to freedom. After God called Moses through the burning bush, He used the
plagues to get pharaoh's attention. One after another the god's of Egypt were defeated. One last god, Petah, the god of death, needed to be defeated. Now is where there was a price to be paid for the freedom of Israel. The price of that freedom was innocent blood.
Exodus 12:21-36
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. 22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. 25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26 And it shall come to pass, when
your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. 28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they 9 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was
not one dead. 31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. 32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. 33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for
they said, We be all dead men. 34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. 35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: 36 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that
they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
The people of Israel were delivered by the mighty hand of God! Their freedom was paid for by the innocent blood of lambs in order to provide for us a greater picture of the price of our freedom. The price of freedom in every respect is paid by the sacrificial shedding of blood. This is how the forces of darkness and
tyranny are defeated.
The precious gift of freedom demands careful stewardship. It is amazing to me how the ones who have been delivered from slavery often forget their past condition and sometimes are even deceived into believing that they were better off as slaves!!
Numbers 11:5-6
5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: 6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
God sometimes uses the loss of the freedom that He granted as a punishment when it has been squandered and misused. The people of Israel ignored God's command to let the land rest every 7th year, so He gave the land the rest that it needed by taking away the precious gift of freedom.
Leviticus 25:3-4
3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; 4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
2 Chronicles 36:20-21
20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were
servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
II. Freedom Is Given To The Slaves Of Sin
John 8:31-36
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth
sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
We will find the same principles of freedom to operate in this spiritual realm as we did in the story of the deliverance of Israel. We need to be be delivered because man is born in bondage to sin. Jesus said in verse 34 that sinners are enslaved by the deeds that they do. The irony, I suppose is that Satan cons us into believing that by enslaving ourselves to sin, we are expressing our freedom. Often times the slaves do not recognize the severity of their own condition because that is all that they know. Even the religiously knowledgeable do not see
their condition. They are slaves, blinded to the only hope of freedom, truth.
2 Timothy 3:7
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Praise God! We also have been given the chance for freedom. Just like what happened in Egypt, that freedom from slavery to sin and freedom from the penalty of sin, came at great cost, the shedding of innocent blood. It took the pure and holy blood of God's Son, the Lamb of God, to purchase our freedom! He had to pay the price that we deserved to pay, death.
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Revelation 21:8
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
John 1:29
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Romans 5:8
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Hebrews 9:11-12,24
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
The blood of Jesus Christ, very God in the flesh, was the only acceptable payment for sin. Jesus entered into the Literal Holy of Hollies in Heaven with His own blood, and stained the mercy seat with the price of our redemption. He shed His blood for the world, but just like the choice that was made by each Jewish family whether or not to accept the innocent blood as payment for their freedom, we must personally accept this gift. We must come to the point where we are trusting in nothing and no one else except the price that was paid for our freedom on the cross.
Romans 10:9-10
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
This freedom too must not be abused or squandered. We have been set free to serve the Lord. We must guard this freedom zealously!
Romans 6:1-2
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
1 Corinthians 6:12
12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
III. Freedom Has Been Given To Us As Citizens Of the United States.
Let us think about the scriptural principles of freedom that we have learned. We have been given freedom because there once existed a condition of bondage! There was taxation without representation. This is why the revolutionary war was fought. There was no free speech. One could not vocally disagree with the power of the state. There was a limit on the freedom of religion. This is why there were so many folks who risked their lives to settle in this strange land. We did not have the right to own a firearm, unless it was for hunting. The government did not wish the citizen to be empowered with guns. This was a rite of the state, not the individual.The government was involved in every facet of life. There was not freedom to vote ones conscience without fear.
I thank God I live in The United States Of America, land of the free, home of the brave!! This freedom came at the same price, the shedding of blood. Blood was spilt in the revolutionary war, the war of 1812, the civil war, W.W.I, W.W.II, Korea, and Vietnam, all to preserve the precious gift that we too often take for granted,freedom.
Now, ladies and gentleman, here is the sobering application. We must be stewards of this precious gift of freedom. We have been allowing this freedom to be given away, without blood shed, in the quiet halls of congress and the dark chambers of the supreme court. Free speech was a freedom bought with blood, yet there are those in the presidential administration right now who seek to limit that right. The freedom of religion has been twisted by the liberal courts to mean freedom from religion. The government wishes to view our
bulletins and printed material in order to grant us cheaper mailing privileges!
This coming Tuesday is a day in which you will choose between invasive "It takes a village" government that seeks to destroy your blood bought freedom, and a government that would seek to defend this precious gift. I am not allowed to tell you which is which from the pulpit, but I beg you to find out for yourself and vote to preserve this precious gift of freedom!
