(Note: I got the idea for this sermon from one of my dad’s (Larry E. Brincefield) old sermons. I don’t know if he had an original source for this material or if it was all original. If you recognize this material, let me know and I will give proper credit.)
July 6, 2003 Sunday Morning
Title: Glorious Freedom
Text: Romans 1:28-2:1
Introduction
Freedom is a powerful word.
It can mean many different things to many different people.
To someone in an actual prison or jail;
freedom simply means to be released from imprisonment.
To someone who is in bondage to fear;
freedom means to be released from fear.
To people who are oppressed by their government or a political tyrant;
freedom means a release from an oppressive government.
That’s the freedom that we celebrated in our country on Friday...our Independence Day.
Other people look back through their history and they think of freedom in other terms...for example:
the abolition of slavery...
the right to vote...
And there are even those who hold the extreme view...
and think that freedom means that we are free to do whatever we want...
there should be no restrictive laws...
there should be no restrictions on our personal freedoms...
while most of us realize that total and complete political freedom...
would simply be a nation of chaos and anarchy.
Freedom is different, depending on where you live...
Here in the United States, we have no idea what it is like:
to not be able to choose what occupation that we want.
to worship when and where we want...
or even which God we will worship...
Many people around the world don’t have these simple freedoms...
while here in America; we take them for granted.
We are truly the most free people on this planet...
and yet, in the midst of this freedom...
there are many; many people who aren’t really free at all.
Read Text: Romans 1:28-2:1
Body
1. Here in America, we talk a great deal about our freedom...
we have a huge celebration on the 4th of July...
and yet, when you start to think about it...
many people are in bondage to something.
We are in bondage to...
Gambling:
people are addicted to horse racing...
dog racing...while we were on vacation, we went to visit one of the cities that we used to live in...
and there, on the south side of the city...as you first enter it from the Interstate Highway...
one of the first things you notice is a huge dog racing track.
people are addicted to the lottery...
I know a man here in Florida who happens to be a millionaire...
and yet he plays the lottery to the tune of hundreds of dollars a week!!
you would think a millionaire would be satisfied with his wealth...
but evidently it is not enough...because he still plays the lottery faithfully...
hoping to strike it rich.
I used to work in Kentucky...
one day I saw a woman who looked to be quite poor.
She was in front of me at the check out.
When she saw that she didn’t have enough money to buy some lottery tickets...
she had the clerk put back a gallon of milk; so she could afford a couple of lottery tickets...
Now I didn’t know her; but in my mind; she was making a decision between the needs of her family...
and her desire to accumulate riches without working for it.
People are addicted to pornography.
sexual sin is a HUGE business...
to the tune of billions of dollars/year!
Many men get HOOKED on it...
and many women get ENSLAVED by it.
For men and boys, it starts out by looking at the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated.
Now, I have to be honest, I like Sports Illustrated.
When I told my wife that I subscribed to it...
she asked me about that swimsuit issue.
I told her that I would give it to her first...
and she could take out anything objectionable...
When I got the magazine back...
there was nothing left!!!
I thought there might have been a few pages of sports coverage...
but I guess not!
From the swimsuit magazines to Playboy...
and then on to harder and harder things...
here in our own county...
you can find prostitution...
strip clubs...
pornography in print...
pornography on video...
pornography on television...
you can find men looking for relations with other men...
and women looking for relations with other women....
No, that’s not freedom....that’s bondage.
People are in bondage to habits...
some are as simple as nailbiting...
and on to overeating...
or being a work-aholic...
or smoking...
or drugs...
Millions of people are trapped in a criminal lifestyle in order to finance their addictions.
People are in bondage to peer pressure...
you mainly think of teenagers when you talk about peer pressure...
but it’s not just the teens.
it’s the adults too.
We try to "keep up with the Joneses"
We seem to be in a race to see who can have the best...
fastest...
and newest toys.
You have probably seen the bumper sticker "whoever dies with the most toys wins"
We are BOUND by possessions...
don’t get me wrong....it’s NOT evil to HAVE nice things...
but it IS evil to let those things CONTROL us.
it’s more than evil...
it’s bondage!
We become trapped by our possessions...
until we no longer own our possessions...
our possessions own us!
If we aren’t careful, we can become like the person who HAS to have an expensive car to get to work...
and then he has to work a bunch of overtime so he can pay for his car!
and it becomes a trap!
People are in bondage to SELF
This bondage is more subtle...and therefore more dangerous....
these other forms of bondage may or may not slip into the life of the Christian...
but this bondage to self is deceptive...
and almost without notice...it can seap into the life of the Christian...
People are in bondage to:
"be myself"
or to "have my own way"
or to "protect my rights"
or to "take care of ol’ number 1"
We are self-centered...
self-conscious...
self-seeking...
self-defensive...
and self-ISH...
and it is bondage!
Why do you think the Bible has so much to say about:
"lose yourself" (Mt. 16:25)
"deny yourself" (Mt. 16:24)
"crucify yourself" (implied in Mt. 8:34)
People are in bondage to the lies of Satan.
Satan will tell you:
"It’s hopeless...
you can never stop sinning...
you will never have victory over sin...
you will never get free from bondage...
you are a failure...
you are a lousy excuse for a Christian...
you don’t want to stop sinning...
sin is fun...
God won’t punish youu...
God would never really send you to hell...
you can do whatever you want...
God just wants you to be happy"
and on and on and on...
and it’s all lies...
and it is all bondage.
and it is a very real problem.
2. The bottom line is, we are in bondage to sin.
That is the problem, isn’t it?
We are in bondage to sin...
sin is the cause of all this bondage.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" Romans 2:23
Romans 3:10-12 There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
Ecclesiastes 7:20 "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins."
1 John 1:8, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us"
So here we have the real culprit...
the real source of bondage is SIN!
We are all born in sin.
It is like an infection.
Someone once said, Sin infects everybody:
from the Pimp to the Pope--
from the Mugger to the Mayor---
from the Satanist to the Saint--
Sin is univeral in its effect.
It’s an equal opportunity employer--
It leaves no one untouched."
Sin is a very real problem...
It is a problem in the world...
It is a problem in America...
It is a problem in Marion County...
I dare say, it is even a problem in our Church!!!
3. But don’t lose heart!!! There is a cure!
The is a freedom from bondage...
There is a cure for sin
Freedom is the cure for sin and bondage.
John 8:32 says, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 8:36 says, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Romans 6:18 says, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Romans 6:14 says, "For sin shall not be your master"
Yes, bondage is a huge problem in this world...
but it doesn’t have to be!!
Sin cannot rule you...
You can master it...
you can resist it
James 4:7 says, "resist the devil, and he will free from you"
We do not have to be in bondage...
we can find freedom!
Galatians 5:1 says, "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
Conclusion
Every since the sin of Adam and Eve, the world has struggled with sin...
and even today, many people still struggle with bondage...
and bondage, no matter which form it takes...
is caused by sin!
over 200 years ago, our country found freedom...
freedom from foreign oppression
Unfortunately some people are still in bondage...
they may live in the most free nation in the world...
but they are still bound...
bound by sin.
Jesus came to break the chains of bondage
and set us free!
You don’t have to be in bondage...
you don’t have to be a slave to sin....
you don’t have to fail every day....
struggling with the same sin
day after day after day...
You can have freedom!!!
Because of Jesus...
and because of His shed blood...
you can have freedom!!!
When Jesus makes you free, you are truly free indeed. (John 8:36)
One of my favorite songs, (if not MOST favorite) is Glorious Freedom.
Once I was bound by sin’s galling fetters,
Chained like a slave
I struggled in vain,
But I received a glorious freedom,
When Jesus broke my fetters in twain.
Glorious freedom, wonderful freedom,
No more in chains of sin I repine!
Jesus the glorious emancipator,
Now and forever He shall be mine.
© Public Domain
CCLI License No. 946077
Are you still bound by sin in your life?
you can find freedom...
glorious freedom...
and you can find it today...
at the foot of the Cross.
#505 "Glorious Freedom"
