[The following is a full manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 3rd of July, 2016, as we celebrated Independence Day. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
July the 4th, Independence Day, what many consider to be the birthday of this nation. On July 4th, 1776, we declared our freedom from English rule. The concept of freedom is not new, of course. Jesus Himself addressed the issue long ago.
Listen and follow along to a brief discussion He had with some of His Jewish believers as recorded by the Apostle John in the 8th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 31 through 36, from the New King James Version of our Bible…
Listen and follow along to a brief discussion He had with some of His Jewish believers as recorded by the Apostle John in the 8th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 31 through 36, from the New King James Version of our Bible…
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
--John 8:31-36 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, we come before You this morning to worship You and to listen to Your word. Speak to our spirits that we might receive and understand the message You have for us today. In the holy name of Your Son Jesus we pray. Amen.
Rev. Frederick Baker once wrote that Satan was on the side of life’s road with a very large cage. A man coming towards him noticed that the cage was crammed full of people of every kind – young and old, from every race and every nation.
“Where did you get these people?" the man asked. “Oh, from all over the world,” Satan replied. “I lure them with drinking, drugs, lust, lies, anger, hate, love of money, and all manner of things. I pretend I’m their friend, out to give them a good time, then when I’ve hooked them, into the cage they go.” “And what are you going to do with them now?”, asked the man.
Satan grinned. “I’m going to prod them, provoke them, get them to hate and destroy each other; I’ll stir up racial hatred, defiance of law and order; I’ll make people bored, lonely, dissatisfied, confused and restless. It’s easy. People will always listen to what I offer them and what’s better, they’ll blame God for the outcome!” “And then what?”, the man asked. “Those who do not destroy themselves, I will destroy. None will escape me.”, Satan replied.
The man stepped forward. “Can I buy these people from you?”, he asked.
Satan snarled, “Yes, but it will cost you your life.”
So Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid for our release, our freedom from Satan’s trap, with His own life, on the cross at Calvary. The door is open, and anyone that Satan has deceived and caged can be set free.
Those of us who have been released from that cage understand the full depth of God’s wonderful grace. Those still trapped in the cage are in desperate need of hearing and accepting the Gospel. Only then can they receive true freedom.
Tomorrow, we, as a nation, will celebrate our independence from foreign tyranny. And it is right that we should do so. In the Book of Leviticus, Moses tells us to “proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants”. In other words… let freedom ring.
But we must never forget how our liberty was gained. We fought a long war against incredible odds, doing battle with the greatest military power in the world at that time. They were well trained and disciplined; we were a ragtag group of poorly armed farmers and clerks. Anyone who studies this period in our history can only conclude, as did George Washington and others of our forefathers, that we succeeded only by the help of God.
July 4th marks the signing of our Declaration of Independence from England. And the real purpose of that document was to proclaim to the world our belief in a personal, all-powerful God, who endowed us with certain inalienable rights. In it we stated truths we hold to be self-evident. But what is truth? In our scripture reading Jesus says if we follow His teachings and obey His word then we will know the truth, and it will set us free.
Again, what is truth? The answer is in our Bible, in the Gospel according to John, chapter 14, verse 6…
Rev. Frederick Baker once wrote that Satan was on the side of life’s road with a very large cage. A man coming towards him noticed that the cage was crammed full of people of every kind – young and old, from every race and every nation.
“Where did you get these people?" the man asked. “Oh, from all over the world,” Satan replied. “I lure them with drinking, drugs, lust, lies, anger, hate, love of money, and all manner of things. I pretend I’m their friend, out to give them a good time, then when I’ve hooked them, into the cage they go.” “And what are you going to do with them now?”, asked the man.
Satan grinned. “I’m going to prod them, provoke them, get them to hate and destroy each other; I’ll stir up racial hatred, defiance of law and order; I’ll make people bored, lonely, dissatisfied, confused and restless. It’s easy. People will always listen to what I offer them and what’s better, they’ll blame God for the outcome!” “And then what?”, the man asked. “Those who do not destroy themselves, I will destroy. None will escape me.”, Satan replied.
The man stepped forward. “Can I buy these people from you?”, he asked.
Satan snarled, “Yes, but it will cost you your life.”
So Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid for our release, our freedom from Satan’s trap, with His own life, on the cross at Calvary. The door is open, and anyone that Satan has deceived and caged can be set free.
Those of us who have been released from that cage understand the full depth of God’s wonderful grace. Those still trapped in the cage are in desperate need of hearing and accepting the Gospel. Only then can they receive true freedom.
Tomorrow, we, as a nation, will celebrate our independence from foreign tyranny. And it is right that we should do so. In the Book of Leviticus, Moses tells us to “proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants”. In other words… let freedom ring.
But we must never forget how our liberty was gained. We fought a long war against incredible odds, doing battle with the greatest military power in the world at that time. They were well trained and disciplined; we were a ragtag group of poorly armed farmers and clerks. Anyone who studies this period in our history can only conclude, as did George Washington and others of our forefathers, that we succeeded only by the help of God.
July 4th marks the signing of our Declaration of Independence from England. And the real purpose of that document was to proclaim to the world our belief in a personal, all-powerful God, who endowed us with certain inalienable rights. In it we stated truths we hold to be self-evident. But what is truth? In our scripture reading Jesus says if we follow His teachings and obey His word then we will know the truth, and it will set us free.
Again, what is truth? The answer is in our Bible, in the Gospel according to John, chapter 14, verse 6…
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
--John 14:6 (NKJV)
Jesus is the Son and the Truth, and it is only through Him that we are truly set free. Understand, though, that the freedom Jesus offers is from the chains of sin. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, in chapter 8, verses 1 and 2…
Now this doesn’t relieve us of worldly responsibilities. The Apostle Peter reminds us of our obligations in his 1st letter, chapter 2, verses 13 through 17…
8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
--Romans 8:1-2 (NKJV)
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men — 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
--1 Peter 2:13-17 (NKJV)
Notice that Peter cautions us to not use our liberty, our freedom, as some sort of cloak to continue sinning. Paul reinforces this warning, in his letter to the Galatians, chapter 5 verse 1…
Stay free in Jesus and don’t put on that yoke of slavery to sin ever again!
Our independence as a nation is not a coincidence, in my opinion. It derives solely from our dependence on God. But I fear we, as a nation, have not listened to the warnings of Peter and Paul. We no longer honor all people, or fear God. Too many Christians hide under the cover of the freedom Jesus provides only to continue their sinful ways. We have failed to stand fast in our liberty, becoming entangled yet again in the traps Satan constantly sets.
What can we do about this? The answer is again found in our Bible. In the 2nd Book of the Chronicles, chapter 7 verse 14, the scribe Ezra writes…
As a nation, we need to humble ourselves before God. We need to repent, turning away from our sinful nature and turning toward Jesus - seeking His ways, following His voice.
If we are truly free then we must be careful not to become entangled once again by Satan’s handiwork. And we must help others become free by showing them Jesus and sharing His Good News with them.
This is liberty, through Jesus! This is freedom!
Let freedom ring!
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, 240 years ago You stood beside the peoples of this great land and helped them gain their freedom from foreign rule. 2000 years ago You sent to us Your own Son who gives us true freedom from sin and death. Thank You, Father. May we never forget all that You have done for us!
Hear us now, Father, as we give You thanks personally and speak to You from our hearts what words cannot express…
Lord Jesus, through You we are set free from the chains of sin and death. Without You we can do nothing, but through You we can do anything. Thank You, Lord, for freeing us – please help us remain free. It is in Your holy name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
--Galatians 5:1 (NKJV)
Our independence as a nation is not a coincidence, in my opinion. It derives solely from our dependence on God. But I fear we, as a nation, have not listened to the warnings of Peter and Paul. We no longer honor all people, or fear God. Too many Christians hide under the cover of the freedom Jesus provides only to continue their sinful ways. We have failed to stand fast in our liberty, becoming entangled yet again in the traps Satan constantly sets.
What can we do about this? The answer is again found in our Bible. In the 2nd Book of the Chronicles, chapter 7 verse 14, the scribe Ezra writes…
14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
--2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
If we are truly free then we must be careful not to become entangled once again by Satan’s handiwork. And we must help others become free by showing them Jesus and sharing His Good News with them.
This is liberty, through Jesus! This is freedom!
Let freedom ring!
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, 240 years ago You stood beside the peoples of this great land and helped them gain their freedom from foreign rule. 2000 years ago You sent to us Your own Son who gives us true freedom from sin and death. Thank You, Father. May we never forget all that You have done for us!
Hear us now, Father, as we give You thanks personally and speak to You from our hearts what words cannot express…
Lord Jesus, through You we are set free from the chains of sin and death. Without You we can do nothing, but through You we can do anything. Thank You, Lord, for freeing us – please help us remain free. It is in Your holy name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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