This is the manuscript of the sermon delivered at Christ Church Sunday July 7, 2024.
Here are some ways we can be freedom fighters for Christ:
Share the Gospel: Spread the message of Jesus' sacrifice and the path to salvation with those around you.
Live a Christ-like life: Be an example of God's love and grace through your actions.
Offer help and support: Help those struggling with sin by offering guidance and support.
Pray for others: Pray for those seeking salvation and for the strength to resist temptation.
Scripture
Psalms 33:1-12 NIV [1] Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. [2] Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. [3] Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. [4] For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. [5] The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. [6] By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. [7] He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. [8] Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. [9] For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. [10] The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. [11] But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. [12] Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.
Text
Galatians 5:13-15 NIV [13] You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. [14] For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [15] If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Introduction
This past Wednesday was July 4th, Independence Day. It was a day that celebrates the birth of our nation and the fight for freedom. But we Christians need to also remember another kind of freedom – a freedom far more profound and eternal.
The Founding Fathers declared independence from tyranny, a pursuit that resonates deeply in the human spirit. We all yearn to be free from oppression, from the chains that bind us. But the Bible tells us of a different kind of bondage, a captivity to sin that holds us back from true happiness.
Romans 6:16 says, "Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?"
We are all slaves to sin in some way. It can be pride, anger, addiction, or any force that controls our lives and separates us from God.
This is where the good news of the Gospel comes in. Jesus Christ, through his sacrifice on the cross, offers us a path to true liberation.
John 8:36 declares, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
The Son, Jesus, frees us from the bondage of sin and grants us the power to choose a righteous path.
Just as the colonists fought for their independence, we too must fight for our spiritual freedom. This fight involves daily prayer, seeking God’s guidance, and actively resisting temptation. It means turning away from sin and choosing to live according to God’s will.
On the 4th of July we tend to focus on the outward expressions of our liberty like fireworks and flags. Others of us will look at the day and wonder when the words from the Declaration of Independence (We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness) will really become true.
When you become a Christian, Jesus sets you free. But what does that freedom really mean, and how is it different from the freedom we celebrate on Independence Day? If you want to cultivate a heart that is centered on the love of God, it is important to consider what the Bible has to say on the topic of Christian liberty, Christian freedom.
Christian Liberty Focuses More on Interdependence Than Independence
When God created the heavens and the earth, He made a point of declaring all of his creation good.
Genesis 1:31 (NLT2)31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
However God also declared that it was not good for Adam, the man He created, to be alone.
Genesis 2:18 (NLT2) Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
It’s interesting that God decided that mankind is interdependent by design. We have been created to depend on both God and each other.
Now let’s take the United States. We think that Independence is a strong ideal. We praise each other for independent thinking. We are often encouraged to act independently without considering the needs of the people around us.
What we find however is that the wisdom of God is counterintuitive to the wisdom of man.
1 Corinthians 3:18-20 (NLT2)18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”20 And again, “The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.”
God's call to interdependence is repeated throughout the New Testament.
The church is a truly interdependent body.
Romans 12:5 (NLT2)5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT2)27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
Ephesians 4:16 (NLT2)16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
The biblical picture of a healthy community of believers is a single body. Each part of the body is unique and vital, but all the parts are completely dependent on each other. Loving God well means accepting our dependence on Him and His body, the church.
We tend to think of independence as a sign of strength and dependence as a sign of weakness. You may feel uncomfortable as you begin to think of yourself as interdependent rather than independent. But as you shift your thinking to embrace the biblical standard of interdependence, you will grow in love and compassion.
Interdependence doesn’t only mean that you just resign yourself to your dependence on others, but it also means that you choose to become a person others can depend upon.
Christian Liberty Empowers Us to Be Transformed
It’s natural to think of liberty as the freedom to do as we please. However, Christian liberty empowers us to live in our freedom the right way.
We Christians love to repeat the scripture;
2 Corinthians 3:17 (NLT2)17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
But as we continue to read the Bible, we see that the freedom we have in God’s presence isn’t the kind of freedom we often idolize and that the world sees as freedom. But there is a purpose in our freedom and it’s so that we become transformed into the image of Jesus
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT2)18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
God’s purpose for us is for us to become like His Son.
Romans 8:29 (NLT2)29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
The freedom we have in God liberates us from sin, selfishness, and any oppression that would interfere with our transformation into the image of Christ.
Christian liberty does not signal our individualism. It is not concerned with offering us the ‘freedom to be ourselves.’ Instead, as we focus on the gifts that Christ’s death and resurrection have purchased for us, the liberty we have received will gradually make us less ourselves...and more like the God we love and serve.
Matthew 22:37-40 NIV [37] Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
What Should Liberty Look Like?
In our culture, liberty often looks like an insistence on our freedom of speech, protests, acts of defiance, or an assertion that our rights be honored. In short, our experience of liberty is riddled with our fear that it might be taken from us.
However, Christian liberty is so confident in its freedom that it is willing to submit to others.
When we feel insecure in our freedom, it’s natural for us to turn liberty into an inward-facing ideal. When liberty feels guaranteed, it opens the door to virtue, allowing us to choose, in our free will, to love and bless people beyond ourselves, submitting to them willingly because our liberty is secure in Christ.
Galatians 5:13 illustrates this shift from liberty that is self-focused to liberty that reaches outward. It says,
Galatians 5:13 (NLT2)13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
We know that Christ’s death and resurrection have set us free from the law of sin and death
Romans 6:23 NIV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sometimes, we try to set our own personal rules of good behavior rather than learning what it looks like to live in Christian liberty.
Galatians 5:1 encourages us to live in the freedom Christ purchased for us
Galatians 5:1 NLT So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
Here Paul is talking about the Mosaic law with it’s rules, regulations and sacrifices.
But if the law doesn’t matter anymore, what does matter? Love matters.
Here's what it says at
Galatians 5:6 NLT For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
Liberty Looks Like Faith Expressing Itself through Love and Service
Rather than trying to prove our righteousness by returning to a law that Christ already fulfilled, liberty looks like faith expressing itself through love.
Think about the difference between the nationalist brand of liberty we’ve grown accustomed to, and the humbling nature of the supernatural liberty we have been offered in Christ.
As you focus on Christian liberty, you may even begin to notice the people around you who have suffered from the limits of our American definition of liberty. Considering others in a new way may cause you to be a little less showy about your individual liberty and a little more focused on the internal changes that are naturally prompted by true Christian liberty.
Let us celebrate not just our nation’s freedom, but also the potential for true spiritual independence found in Jesus Christ. This true independence, the freedom from sin offered by Christ, allows us to live a life filled with purpose, joy, and a deep connection with God.
So let freedom ring, not just in our nation, but in our hearts! May we all find true liberation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Here are some ways we can be freedom fighters for Christ:
Share the Gospel: Spread the message of Jesus' sacrifice and the path to salvation with those around you.
Live a Christ-like life: Be an example of God's love and grace through your actions.
Offer help and support: Help those struggling with sin by offering guidance and support.
Pray for others: Pray for those seeking salvation and for the strength to resist temptation.
By claiming our true freedom in Christ, we not only find personal salvation but also build a stronger, more just, and compassionate community.
Heavenly Father,
We stand before You today overflowing with gratitude for the ultimate freedom You have granted us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. We were once lost, burdened by sin and its chains. Thank you for Your immense love that wouldn't abandon us to that darkness.
We praise You for the sacrifice of Jesus, who willingly bore the weight of our transgressions on the cross. Through His blood, we are redeemed, forgiven, and set free from the bondage of sin. The chains are broken, and we walk in the glorious light of Your grace.
Thank you for the gift of salvation, a freedom that transcends the earthly. It grants us peace within, a purpose-filled life, and the hope of eternal life with You.
Help us, Lord, to never take this freedom for granted. May we live each day with hearts overflowing with thankfulness. Guide us to use this freedom to serve You, to spread Your love, and to share the message of salvation with others.
In Jesus' name, we pray.
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