I. Most anywhere you go in the world they have their own symbol of freedom.
A. When I was on my trip to San Antonio, as I said in my newsletter article this month, the one thing that I wanted to see if nothing else was the Alamo.
B. As a child I was for some reason interested in the Alamo. One thing that grabbed my attention was the injustice that was done there and as I have grown older I have realized how much the Alamo is a symbol of freedom.
C. The Alamo has stood as a symbol of freedom for Texans for years.
D. A Jewish Symbol of freedom is a mountain called Masada where a group of 960 men, women and children defied the Roman government.
E. Today in Afghanistan the symbol of freedom is hair. When the country was freed by American forces from Taliban rule many men shaved off their beards and women unveiled their heads for the first time in public.
F. In Berlin the symbol of freedom is something that is gone. The Berlin wall not being there anymore is a symbol of freedom for the people that live there. The wall that divided the city for nearly Thirty years is gone and its absence symbolizes freedom.
G. And the Symbol of Freedom for the Metis people of Canada is a man by the name of Louis Riel who fought for the independence of the Metis people. He played a major role in the eventual development of Manitoba and it’s becoming a Province.
II. American symbols of freedom include Liberty Bell, Old Glory, The Statue of Liberty, and the Bald Eagle.
A. The Bald Eagle is one American symbol of freedom. For six years, the members of Congress had a intense dispute over what the national emblem should be. It wasn’t until 1789 that the bald eagle was finally chosen to represent the new nation. Ben Franklin thought the Turkey would be a better symbol for our country, which makes me wonder if we would eat eagles on Thanksgiving if he had gotten his way.
B. At one of the first battles of the Revolution, early in the morning, the noise of the battle woke up the eagles. The eagles flew from their nests circling and crying out over the heads of the men that were fighting. "They are shrieking for Freedom," said the patriots.
C. The Statue of Liberty is another symbol of American freedom.
1. The Statue of Liberty was a gift of international friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886 and was designated a National Monument on October 15, 1924.
2. The Construction of the Statue began in France in 1875, and the original name for the statue was "Liberty Enlightening the World".
3. The Statue was finished in Paris in June of 1884, and was presented to America by the people of France July 4th 1884 it was dismantled and shipped to US in early 1885 in 350 pieces.
4. President Grover Cleveland was the President that accepted the gift of the statue and he said, said, "We will not forget that liberty here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected".
D. In 1701 William Penn issued the Charter of Privileges, which many historians believe was being celebrated 50 years later with the ordering of what would become the Liberty Bell.
1. In 1732 The State House (Independence Hall) was finished. This was Colonial America’s grandest public building and would be home to the Liberty Bell. At this time, however, the building had no bell.
2. In 1749 The Assembly, "Ordered, That the Superintendents of the State-House, proceed, ... to carry up a Building on the South-side of the said House to contain the Staircase, with a suitable Place thereon for hanging a Bell."
3. Shortly after the bell was delivered it was cracked, and was later repaired and hung in the tower built for it.
4. On Dec. 25, 1773 shortly after the Boston Tea Party the Bell rung the news that the ship Polly was bringing "monopoly" tea, as it was called, into Philadelphia. At this time the Assembly resolved that Captain Ayres of the Polly would neither be allowed to land nor bring his tea to the custom house.
5. On April1775 It the bell rang to announce the Battle of Lexington and Concord. But, on July 4 1776 The Liberty Bell did not ring for the Declaration of Independence. Because although The Declaration is dated July 4, 1776, it was that day that the Declaration was sent to the printer.
6. So on July 8 1776 The Bell was rung to announce the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence and bells tolled throughout the city on that day.
7. When it was feared that the city of Philadelphia was going to be taken by the British, the Bell was taken and hidden in the basement of the Zion Reformed Church in Allentown, and was brought back in June of 1778, but not rehung in the state house until 1785.
8. In February of.1846, The most famous crack in history occurred. The zig-zag fracture that is now in Liberty Bell occurred while it was being rung for Washington’s birthday.
9. This bell has been a symbol of freedom for American people for many years.
E. Our flag was first called Old Glory by a young sea captain who lived in Salem, Mass. On his twenty-first birthday, which was, March 17, 1824, Capt. William Driver was presented a beautiful flag by his mother and a group of Salem girls. Driver was pleased with the gift. He said, "I name her ’Old Glory." Then Old Glory accompanied the captain on his many voyages.
1. Captain Driver quit the sea in 1837. He settled in Nashville, Tenn. On patriotic days he displayed Old Glory proudly from a rope extending from his house to a tree across the street.
2. Shortly before his death, the old sea captain placed a small bundle into the arms of his daughter. He said to her, "Mary Jane, this is my ship flag, Old Glory. It has been my constant companion. I love it as a mother loves her child. Cherish it as I have cherished it."
F. As a schoolboy, one of Red Skelton’s teachers explained the words and meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance to his class. Skelton later wrote down, and eventually recorded, his recollection of this lecture. It’s followed by an observation of his own.
I - - Me; an individual; a committee of one.
Pledge - - Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.
Allegiance - - My love and my devotion.
To the Flag - - Our standard; Old Glory ; a symbol of Freedom; wherever she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, "Freedom is everybody’s job."
United - - That means that we have all come together.
States - - Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country.
And to the Republic - - Republic--a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people; and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
For which it stands
One Nation - - One Nation--meaning, so blessed by God.
Indivisible - - Incapable of being divided.
With Liberty - - Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one’s own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.
And Justice - - The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with others.
For All - - For All--which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.
"And now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:"
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Red Skelton then says, since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God. Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer, and that would be eliminated from schools, too?"
Red Skelton
G. It was kinda strange to me that I found this the other day, and then I heard it being played on the radio, because our Supreme Court has decided that they need to make "under God" in the pledge un-constitutional.
III. With all the symbols for freedom though out the world there is one that stands far above all the rest.
A. Where all the other symbols for freedom are connected to a country or a race of people, there is one that is a symbol of freedom for all who live, and that is the Cross.
B. The Cross is the symbol of freedom from the control of sin and death. It represents the ultimate sacrifice by God to free us for eternity.
(Rom 6:17 - 23 NIV) But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
C. There are many people living in the United States that say that they are free, when in reality they are the slave to a much bigger Ogre than government.
D. Those who have not accepted God’s gift of salvation by accepting as truth the teaching that God has given in the Gospel are slaves to sin.
E. In theses verses Paul is speaking to Christians, and he says without doubt that those who before had not accepted God’s gift of salvation were slaves to sin.
F. They were controlled by sin, as much as a slave owner controlled those that he owned.
G. But, now since they have accepted the gift of salvation as it was taught by those who had all ready received it, they have been set free from the control of sin.
1. Sin is no longer their master. Sin no longer holds title to their soul, because the have been "redeemed" by God.
(1 Pet 1:18 - 19 NIV) For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
2. The word "redeemed" that Peter and Paul use carries with it the idea of someone who has been sold into slavery being bought back off of the slave market.
3. We have been redeemed! The price for our freedom was paid on a Cross, even though we were owned by the power of sin we are no longer owned by the power of sin.
4. We have been freed by God, from that control, and now we are to be controlled by righteousness.
H. Paul knows that we’re human, so just in case we miss what he is saying, he says that he is going to put it in human terms, or he is going to explain it in a way that leaves no room for us to misunderstand.
Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
I. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
1. In other words with the same zeal and hunger that you used to try to attain the things that are against God, now that you have been freed from the power and control of sin, try to attain the things of righteousness.
2. The things that we used to struggle to get, things that led to death got us no where, but now that we have been given eternal life by God we have a future, and it is a future in paradise, in the presence of God.
3. And we should put as much effort into the living a life that glorifies God as we were putting into the life that didn’t glorify God.
4. We could not in and of ourselves bring about the change that redeemed us, but now that God has done that for us we should out of our gratitude for what he has done put as much or more into attaining the right things, the holy things, as we did the wrong things and the things that lead to death.
J. The pay or wages for our sin, what we deserve because we have sinned is death. We were slaves to sin which is the thing that brings eternal death, but now God has purchased us back from that slavery that we were in and now we have been given as a gift from God eternal life, and we are to live life and not death.
1. Hear what Paul is saying, You have been set free! You deserved death but you have been given life!
2. Last week I quoted a Jesus, and he said John 8:32 NIV) Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
3. A few verses down from that it says in (John 8:36 NIV) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
4. If you have accepted Jesus as you savior you are indeed free so don’t live like a slave.
5. You are a servant of righteousness, don’t live like a slave of sin that is what Paul wants us to know.
K. Listen to what he says in (Gal 5:1 NIV) It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
L. Listen to what Peter says in (1 Pet 2:16 NIV) Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
M. We as Americans have strong symbols of freedom that we hold to! Different parts of our country were once under the control of France, Spain, Mexico, and England, and if you asked any American if they would want to go back to that you better be running when you do it.
N. But there are so many Christians that daily go back to the slavery of sin.
O. God did not pay the awful price of the Life of Jesus, for our freedom so that we could go back to a life of bondage in sin, anymore than men and women sacrificed their lives for our country’s freedom so that we could go back to the bondage of a foreign government!
P. Live in the freedom that you have been given in Christ, because MORE than the Bald Eagle, or Old Glory, or the Liberty Bell, or the Statue of Liberty, the Cross is a symbol of freedom!
Q. It is the symbol of universal, everlasting, life changing Freedom, and we should surely honor it with our actions even more than we honor the symbols of our country.
R. (John 8:36 NIV) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. So live that way!
