Freedom is not Free
Selective verses
Introduction-
As we celebrate our countries 243rd year of independence, we must understand that freedom is not free, it cost someone something for us to be free. We must also understand that not all people want to be free, some want to be in bondage because they are not willing to let freedom set them free.
My Westie desires at times to be free- he does not like that I keep him on a leash. He desires always to be one foot, one sniff farther than the leash he is on will let him go. But in reality , if I did not keep him on a leash, his freedom would cost him his life or at least injury because he would run in the road chasing a squirrel or he would eat until he was sick, or he would eat something that is not good for him.
Kids as much as they think that they have learned in a short time what took us a lifetime feel that they would be better off free to make all the choices they want but still want us to pick up the consequences of their choices.
How many people have paid the price for someone else who made bad chooses?
How many have been hurt by someone who thought in their freedom would do something and it hurt an innocent person.
Freedom is a choice! It is made every time you make a decision.
We read about freedom, dream about freedom, and for some in other countries they hope for freedom.
Freedom is a two sided coin.
One side is physical freedom. Those in jail wish they had the freedom they had before because they abused it and it was taken away.
The other side is a spiritual freedom. Both are very important to us.
Spiritual freedom is the gift of God to worship as we see fit and to decide wither we will take that freedom He gives us and make the right choice in our lives.
We spend a lot of time talking about and complaining at times about our freedoms we have in this country. It is still the best place in the world to live.
Physical freedom is a temporary thing. It only lasts as long as we live on this earth.
Spiritual freedom or spiritual bondage last for eternity. We spend a lot of time fighting for our freedom here and now and most spend very little time worrying about where they will spend eternity.
The Bible has a lot to say about spiritual freedom and Spiritual bondage.
Spiritual bondage will cost you eternity without Christ and spiritual freedom in Christ will allow us eternity with Christ and the privileges of heaven.
Our declaration of Independence states that all living in this country who are citizens of the United States are “endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Our forefathers, who wrote and signed the declaration of Independence understood that there is both the physical freedom and the spiritual freedom and they are tied to our creator.
I do not think we can separate the two if we are to look at the blessings of following Christ and what this country was founded upon.
The freedom we have in this country
We have freedoms because others have paid the ultimate sacrifice for us- All freedoms in this country are because someone stood in the gap and fought for our freedoms-
Men in 1776 stood up to Great Brittan and said that they were no longer going to be under their authority and fought to be set free. They left England and took stake on what is now America.
We honor the men and women who fought and fight in our armed forces to maintain the freedom that we enjoy today.
We sit here right now because men and women are guarding our borders from those that would want to harm us.
Evil if left to itself would destroy those who want peace because they do not care about our freedoms.
Our freedoms must not interfere with the right and freedoms of others-
My desire to get into my pickup truck and drive 100 miles an hour down the road may be a right I think I have but it is restricted by law of the land so that the rights of all can be had.
Because people in their sin nature would abuse their rights, there has to be uniform law to protect the rights of all.
Military to guard our borders from other countries who want to harm us and police to protect and serve at the local level of guarding our rights as citizens of this country.
We can take a moment this morning to thank God that we live in a country that is free to worship God.
We can also thank God that in our freedoms, even our right to protest what we do not agree with. All these rights are a gift of God wither we want to acknowledge God or not.
John 8:36 -So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Freedom in Christ
Our text this morning is Galatians 5:1- “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.”
Our spiritual freedom comes from Christ- it was accomplished by what Christ did on the Christ for each one of us.
The only way we can measure spiritual freedom is wither Christ has set you free or you have chosen to remain in bondage to sin.
To remain in bondage is each of our own choices but Apostle Paul tells us and warns us to not allow ourselves to be burdened down by the yoke of slavery that Christ has set us free from.
Ephesians 3:12- “In him (Christ) and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
1 Corinthians 6:12- “I have a right to do anything, you say- but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything- but I will not be mastered by anything.”
You may have a right in this great country we live in and do anything- but doing it knowing that it is against the will and laws of God would not be beneficial for you.
Immorality, greed, hatred, gossip… all may be your physical right, but does what we want to do line up with our spiritual boundaries that God has set up for us to protect us and keep us in a right relationship with Him?
In Him and through Him in faith we may approach God with freedom and confidence
The Psalmist writes in Psalm 119:45- “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your concepts.”
1 Peter 2:16- “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.”
The Greek word for slave here is servant- By choice, you are his servant and you desire to serve Him and do what He has asked of you.
Roman 6:22- “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit yo reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”
Here are some thoughts about spiritual freedom we have been given by Christ-
Freedom is not doing what you want, it is doing what pleases the Lord because you have chosen to be a servant of Christ over what your sin nature wants.
All freedom involves structure- being a servant of Christ by choice allows us to be free to do what we were created originally to be.
Because all freedom has structure, even our spiritual freedoms have moral law and Christ commandments to guide us on how we should be living our lives.
If we truly understand freedom in Christ, we will know the truths of God and throw off immediately the lies and deceptions that will put us back where Christ has set us free from.
How do we live out Freedom in Christ?
Total surrender-
Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and, purify your hearts, you double minded.”
Therefore, having a humble and submissive heart is a choice we make. To Surrender to Him
That means as born-again believers we daily make a choice to submit ourselves to God for the work that the Holy Spirit does in us to "conform us to the image of Christ.
We have a lot of Christians that are living lives as babes in Christ even though they have been believers for many years. There has to come time of growth and going from milk to meat.
The believer accepts His grace and provision to walk in the Spirit and not after the manner of the old nature. That work is accomplished by choosing to apply ourselves to the Word of God and to learning about the provisions that God has made for us in Christ Jesus. From the moment we are born again, we have all the provisions we need, in Christ, to become a mature believer, but we have to make the choice to learn about those provisions through study of the Word and to apply those provisions to our daily walk.
Know your identity/know who you are in Christ and what Christ has done for you.
When you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior you take on a new identity.
2 Corinthians 5:17- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”
You no longer have to lug around your old identity before Christ.
You are now everything God says you are.
What Christ says about you trumps every negative word or name spoken against you.
This is your inheritance as a child of God which makes knowing who you are in Christ important.
You don’t have to be like me, you want to be more like Christ.
I can do all things through Christ!
Apostle Paul says “Follow me as I follow Christ.”
Our identity is in Christ!
Lean not on our own understanding-
I am not saying that you become a robot and act like everyone else. I am saying that as a believer, you should look and act more like Jesus.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to him and he shall make your path straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
God’s ways are so above us- so if we rely on our own understanding, we will get ourselves in trouble.
God see’s all and is working behind the scenes in ways we have no idea!
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. “ Romans 8:28
The end goal is to look more like Christ- so no matter what we are going through whether it is a Hallelujah moment or a painful moment, we know that somehow God will work it all together for our good.
What choices are you making?
How are we helping others avoid the trap of letting earthly freedom rob us of our spiritual freedom.
Close,
We enjoy the freedoms that the Lord allows us living in the USA
We need to understand and cherish our spiritual freedoms we have in Christ.
We need to remember what people have done for us to have the freedoms we enjoy.
Learning everyday the gift that God has provided in Jesus- our spiritual freedom is in Christ and apart from Jesus we are not spiritual free which is more important than earthly freedom.
How do we walk in His freedom
Total surrender
Know who we are in Christ
Lean not on your own understanding
Thank God everyday! For His goodness.
