July 4, 2010 Message: Before Freedom: The Sacrifice
Posted on Jul 08, 2010 at 10:27 pm under Sermon Notes.
“Give me liberty or give me death!” Patrick Henry evidently placed a high value on freedom.
But there is more to freedom than civil laws protecting such. There are some freedoms that civil law cannot give and armies cannot secure.
We have to look elsewhere for certain freedoms, and they are extremely important ones.
Freedom from sin!
Freedom from hopelessness and despair!
Freedom from death!
Freedom from sin’s eternal consequences!
Gal 5:1 1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. [do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh.. v. 13]
When men and women are oppressed and held in bondage God takes notice of them!
Ex 2:23-25 God Taking Notice
23 Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.
24 So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
25 God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.
God calls a man of deliverance!
Ex 3 The Mission of Moses
9 “Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.
10 “Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”
16 “Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.
17 “So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’
The Ways of God
From the water to blood in Exodus 7:19 to the Death of the Firstborn 11:4-5 God gets the attention of Pharoah!
When Freedom Comes!
Ex 12:40-41 40 Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. [
41 And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
Ex 13:3 3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place.
From 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia the first American colony was begun.
America’s Timeline of Freedom [On this 4th of July weekend]
* The Declaration of Independence 1776 [freedom from tyranny]
* Ratification of the Constitution 1789 [freedom to govern]
* The Louisiana Purchase 1803 [freedom to expand westward]
* The Emancipation Proclamation 1863 [the beginning of the end of slavery]
* Women’s Suffrage or the Women’s Right to Vote 1920 [the voice of women are heard]
* The Civil Right’s Act of 1964 [segregation begins its slow death]
* Walking on the Moon 1969 [liberated beyond the boundaries of our planet]
* Berlin Wall Comes Down 1989 [the freedom for millions begins]
* 9-11 2001 [when freedom is attacked]
* Ongoing War on Terror 2001-???? [seeking the freedom from terror]
Throughout history:
“All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke
The Price of Freedom [I don’t agree with all or some of the politics of these leaders] These men sought out freedom!
Spartacus- leader of the slaves in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Before Christ’s birth
William Wallace- hanged, drawn and quartered in 1305 A.D. a hero and patriot in the Wars of Scottish Independence from England [Braveheart]
George Washington- commander of the armies of the revolution against Great Britian
Dred Scott- a slave in the mid 1800’s who sued for his freedom which led to the shameful Dred Scott Supreme Court decision; this decision fueled anti-slavery temperament in the United States leading up to the Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 [Abolitionist Frederick Douglass]
Ghandi- freedom for India
Martin Luther King- civil rights in America
Nelson Mandela- imprisoned for terrorism in South Africa; became a proponent of freedom, forgiveness and reconciliation for a nation
The Greatest Freedom of All: Our freedom in Christ
What Does It Mean to Have Freedom in Christ?
Jesus Christ spoke often of the freedom humankind would find through him. But exactly what is the freedom that He promised His followers?
When the Soviet Union dismantled in 1991, Eastern Europeans jubilantly celebrated the freedom they had long been denied.
However, some of the first “freedoms” to be exercised in these formerly communist countries were indulgence in pornography, prostitution, drug abuse and organized crime.
Some people, needless to say, have erroneous concepts of freedom.
False freedom prophesied
Scripture warns about false promises of freedom.
One such warning:
2 Peter 2:18: “For when they[false teachers] speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
Jesus Christ brings true freedom
Christ came to free us from sin through His atoning sacrifice.
Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us that Jesus:
“shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil-and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
Freedom through the Holy Spirit
The Scriptures point out that God’s Spirit guides us to truth (John 16:13). It helps us to understand the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:10-14). This spiritual understanding leads to freedom.
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
The Answer To A Present Danger
Romans 6:14"For sin shall not be the master over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace.”
We must stand guard over our freedom in Christ, else we may well find our liberty eroded and ourselves enslaved again. Peter warns that the final state of enslavement can be even worse than the first so encourages the faithful not to allow themselves to be led astray by false promises (2 Peter 2:18-22).
Neither let empty human philosophy take your freedom away. The names of the philosophies may have changed but the effects are still the same. They cannot save. Only the gospel can do that (1 Corinthians 1:18-22). The world is constantly bombarding us with words to entice us away from our salvation.
Our answer: Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
Who I Am In Christ [copyright- Freedom in Christ Ministries]
Biblical Truths to “Practice Believing”
I AM GOD’S…
• possession Genesis 17:8/ 1Cor 6:20
• child John 1:12
• workmanship Ephesians 2:10
• friend James 2:23
• temple 1 Cor 3:16/ 6:16
• vessel 2 Timothy 2:2
• co-laborer 1 Timothy 5:18
• witness Acts 1:8
• soldier 2 Timothy 2:3
• ambassador 2 Cor 5:20
• building 1 Cor 3:9
• chosen Ephesians 1:4
• beloved Romans 1:7/ 2 Thess 2:13
• precious jewel Malachi 3:17
• heritage 1 Peter 5:3
I HAVE BEEN…
• redeemed by the blood Rev 5:9
• set free from condemnation Rom 8:1-2
• set free from Satan’s control Col 1:13
• set free from Satan’s kingdom Eph 2
• chosen before foundation of world Eph 1:4
• predestined to be like Jesus Ephesians 1:11
• forgiven of all my trespasses Col 2:13
• washed in the blood of the Lamb Rev 1:5
• given a sound mind 2 Timothy 1:7
• given the Holy Spirit 2 Cor 1:22
• adopted into God’s family Romans 8:15
• justified freely by his grace Romans 3:24
• given all things pertaining to life 2 Pet 1:3
• given great and precious promises 2 Pet 1:4
• given ministry of reconciliation 2 Cor 1:22
• authority over the power of enemy Lk 10:19
• access to God Ephesians 3:12
• been given wisdom Ephesians 1:8
I AM…
• complete in him Colossians 2:10
• free forever from sin’s power Romans 6:14
• sanctified 1 Cor 6:11
• loved eternally 1 Peter 1:5 /
• eternally kept in the palm of his hand Jn 10:29
• kept from falling Jude 1:24
• kept by the power of God 1 Peter 1:5
• not condemned Romans 8:1-2
• one with the Lord 1 Cor 6:17
• on my way to heaven John 14:6
• quickened by his mighty power Eph 2:1
• seated in heavenly places Eph 1:3
• the head and not the tail Deut 28:13
• light in the darkness Matthew 5:14
• a city set on a hill Matthew 5:14
• the salt of the earth Matthew 5:13
• his sheep Ps 23 / Psalms 100:3/ John 10:14
• a citizen of heaven 1 Peter 2:11
• hidden with Christ in God Psalms 32:7
• protected from the evil one 1 John 5:18
• kept by the power of God 1 Peter 1:5
• secure in Christ Jn 10:28-29
• set on a Rock Psalms 40:2
• more-than-a-conqueror Romans 8:37
• born again 1 Peter 1:23
• a victor 1 John 5:4
• healed by his stripes Is 53:6
• covered by blood of Jesus Rev 12:11, 1 Pet 1:19
• sheltered under his wing Psalms 91:4
• hidden in secret place of the Almighty Ps 91:1
I HAVE…
• access to the Father Romans 5:2
• a home in heaven waiting for me Jn 14:1-2
• all things in Christ 2 Cor 5:17
• a living hope 1 Peter 1:3
• an anchor to my soul Hebrews 6:19
• a hope that is sure and steadfast Heb 6:19
• authority to tread on serpents Luke 10:19
• power to witness Acts 1:8
• the tongue of the learned Isaiah 50:4
• the mind of Christ 1 Cor 2:16
• boldness and access Hebrews 10:19
• peace with God Romans 5:1
• faith as a grain of mustard seed Luke 17:6
I CANNOT…
• be separated from God’s love Rom 8:35-39
• be lost John 10:28, John 3:16
• be moved Psalms 16:8
• be taken out of my Father’s hand John 10:29
• be charged or accused Romans 8:33
• be condemned 1 Cor 11:32
I CAN…
• do all things through Christ Phil 4:13
• find mercy and grace to help Heb 4:16
• come boldly to the throne of grace Heb 4:16
• quench all the fiery darts Eph 6:16
• tread on the serpent Luke 10:19
• declare liberty to captives Isaiah 61:1
• pray always and everywhere Luke 21:36
• chase a thousand Joshua 23:10
• defeat (overcome) the enemy Rev 12:11
• tread Satan under foot Rom 16:20