The Cost Of Freedom

The cost of Freedom

Good Morning/ Happy Memorial weekend to you.

This is Memorial weekend where a lot of hot dogs are sold and a lot of dads have the grill fired up and gathering family together for a time of food and fun. Memorial Day is a day to reflect and thank those that have died for our country so that we can be free and be able to have the freedoms that many do not have around the world. We are able to worship here this morning because our freedom has been bought and paid for by someone else. This weekend a lot of graves will be given a flag and families will gather at the grave of a loved one in honor of the day. Memorial Day is a day of remembrance and a day of thanks.

Some of you already know where I am heading in remembering and acknowledging the freedom Christ has given us in His death at the cross and His resurrection from the grave and the great gift of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our lives. In some respect I believe everyday should be a time of remembrance for what Christ has done.

Prayer- Jesus, may we not take lightly what American Men and Women have done for us to have the freedom we have in America. May we also not forget that this country was founded on the idea of a place to be free and worship God without being told by government who to worship and how we should worship. This country was founded on Jesus Christ- but because of liberty and justice for all we are all able to worship our own way. May we return by choice to serving Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives and allow Him to be glorified and lifted up in our worship. Amen.

Freedom has cost someone something- Freedom is not free.

Blood has been shed so that we can enjoy what we have today. Those that forget what it cost others have taken this day only as a day off of work and have stepped on the grave of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. I think we need to remember both today- the brave ones who have blessed us with a country with many freedoms and of course our Lord and savior who has spiritually set us free from the bondage of sin that would keep us from enjoying the freedoms that Jesus Christ has brought us to give us ultimate freedom.

Please turn to Galatians 5:1- Read from Bible

Illustration

Sometimes we take our freedoms too far. Like every other president, William Howard Taft had to endure his share of abuse. One night at the dinner table, his youngest son made a disrespectful remark to him. There was a sudden hush. “Well,” said Mrs. Taft, “aren’t you going to punish him?” With tongue in cheek, the president replied, “If the remark was addressed to me as his father, he certainly will be punished. However, if he addressed it to the President of the United States, that is his constitutional privilege!”

Close your eyes for a moment and picture a perfect world. What would that look like?

Would there be violence?

Would there be racism?

Would there be injustice?

Would there be conflict?

According to what you think, that would be your world. But you have to realize that many have different views of what their perfect world would look like.

A perfect world is perceived in different ways.

Someone greater than ourselves would have to define what a perfect world would look like so that we have something to measure it bye.

It cannot be our definition because we would have different views of what that would look like.

God Almighty, the creator of the universe and the creator of each one of us determines perfection.

He alone determines what our lives were created for and how we would fit into that world.

In His perfect world, we were created to worship and love God, to have a meaningful relationship with Him and for Him to be our God.

He would be our strength and guidance every step of the way.

But sin got in the way of that and we decided we did not need or want God’s help with that, so now today… God, because of His love for us, has provided a way of redemption, a way of helping us through our days with the strength of His Spirit that is available to every believer that calls upon the name of the Lord.

WE HAVE A CHOICE- IT IS NOT DEMANDED AND FORCED UPON US.

WE ARE NOT ROBOTS THAT MUST LOVE HIM BACK.

Apostle Paul writes these words to the church because they thought that living right was about wither they should get circumcised or not.