What Makes Us Free

What Makes Us Free?

John 8:31-36; 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

July 6, 2003

Independence Day

Intro:

A. [This quote and all other quotes in this sermon are taken from Americas’ God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations, compiled by Wiliam J. Federer, Fame Publishing Co., Coppell, TX, 1994. This quote on p. 9]

On July 3, 1776, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, reflecting on what he had shared in Congress and, with prophetic insight, declaring the importance of that day: “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, form one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.”

B. God has blessed America and John Adams was right about the importance of celebrating what God did for America in granting her independence.

1. It is certainly fitting to celebrate His goodness to us.

2. We should be thankful for the bounty we share in this good land.

C. Freedom is one of our greatest blessings in this great country.

1. That is why I believe that we should call it “Independence Day” instead of the “Fourth of July.”

2. The “Fourth of July” connotes another summer holiday.

3. But the word Independence brings to mind words like freedom and liberty.

4. This sermon will even go further than that.

a. This sermon will define between political and personal freedom.

b. There is a big difference between the two that I hope you will see.

c. But I also hope that while you see the difference between the two, you will also see that one is actually dependent upon the other.

d. There is only one way to gain personal freedom.

e. [p 18] John Quincy Adams, 6th president of the US, said on July 4, 1881,

“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it as connected in an indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”

f. And I hope that you will see from these brief Biblical passages, that political freedom is actually dependent upon the same things that personal freedom is based.

g. You will also hear the Founding Fathers say that political freedom is dependent upon the very things that personal freedom is dependent; they will use different words for political and personal freedom, but you will see that whatever words they use-both freedoms are based upon the same things.

D. So our question this morning is: What makes us free?

E. Near the end of the last century, Dr. John Caldwell at Kingsway Christian Church in Indianapolis preached a sermon series which he called: “Five Top Lies of the 20th Century.”

1. One of those five lies was: “America Never Was a Christian Nation.”

2. And boy has this generation bought that lie!

3. Our education system, in its dumbing-down of America is effectively re-writing our history to try to justify their current politically correct principle of diversity.

4. Our education system is teaching our children that America was never a Christian nation.

5. Could it be that we’ve been lied to in this generation?

6. Could it be that America always was a Christian nation?

F. Our Supreme Court has certainly tried to tell us that we never were a Christian nation.

1. They took prayer out of the schools.

2. They took the Ten Commandments out of schools.

3. And they have sought to demote Christianity from public discourse.

4. And all-the-while telling us that the Founding Fathers intended there to be a separation of Church and State.

5. They’ve tried to tell us that the Founding Fathers were not Christians.

6. They’ve tried to tell us that the Constitution calls for a diversification of all religions in this country.

G. Interestingly, listen to this about a man by the name of Joseph Story.

1. Now how many of you have heard of Joseph Story?

a. You mean the Supreme Court never said anything about Joseph Story in giving these decisions?

b. Why do you suppose our current Supreme Court doesn’t quote Joseph Story?

c. I tell you why…and I’ll also warn you…

d. Mr. Story and most of the other Founding Fathers of America weren’t informed about they intentionally put a Separation of Church and State clause in the Constitution and so they rather unashamedly spouted off their religious view…in public, no less!

e. So if you believe that the Founding Fathers intended to keep Christianity out of government and public life, you’re going to be a little shock by their graphic use of Christianity in the language.