FREEDOM
This week we celebrate another one of my favorite holidays - the 4th of July. One of the things that I love about the 4th of July is that we celebrate this great land in which we live and recognize the freedoms that we are blessed with here. Many individuals today fail to recognize how blessed we are to be living in the United States. Here we can live where we want to live, work where we want to work, vacation anywhere we chose, and most importantly worship the Lord openly anytime, anywhere, and anyway we see fit. In most countries around the world today individual freedoms are either severely restricted or non-existent. The freedoms we have today, however , came at a cost. It is estimated that 25,000 Revolutionary Soldiers and 24,000 British soldiers died during the conflict.
This also reminds me of a greater freedom that I have today, the freedom from sin. John 8:36 tells us, “If the son therefore shall make your free, ye shall be free indeed.” I was once a slave to sin. No matter how hard I tried I would end up doing things that were wrong and was disobedient to Lord. I was like the religious leaders that Jesus was addressing in this passage. They didn’t believe they were enslaved by sin because of their religious and pious ways. Jesus reminded them that good works cannot provide us with freedom from sin in John 8:34, “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” Jesus is the inly One who can make us free from the bondage of sin. A slave cannot make himself free, he or she must be made free by another. This is exactly what Jesus has done for us. Galatians 3:13 tells us that Jesus purchased us from the curse of the law, or sin, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” Jesus paid for our sins Himself by shedding His blood for us on the Cross of Calvary. As a result of Jesus’ perfect work on my behalf He has made me free - free from the bondage of sin.
As you celebrate the 4th of July this week pause to thank the Lord for the opportunity to live in this great land, but more importantly, thank Him for being willing to purchase our freedom from sin and death on the cross.
Happy Independence Day!
Pastor Tom