Worth Fighting For

On July 4th, 1776, something remarkable took place. Something happened that would change this world… forever.

56 delegates signed a document declaring independence from king who was described as tyrannical and abusive.

These delegates represented 13 colonies in what we know today as New England. These colonies recognized the unjust treatment they were receiving. Thus, it was declared:

“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.”

When the signers penned their names on the document we know as the Declaration of Independence, they knew they were placing their lives on the line. For the government to which this declaration was addressed would view this action as treason. They knew… what they were signing up for- the FIGHT for freedom.

It wasn’t until September 3rd of 1783 that the battle, the war would come to an end. Both sides had suffered countless loss, but the victory and its results would prove to be worthy of the sacrifice. The colonies were now… free. They had won their independence. A new nation came into existence and we, the people of these united states, have enjoyed the privilege of living in freedom.

Freedom… is worth fighting for. Freedom is something… that is not free. Freedom is a god-given right to all people, but is also something that is threatened by the wicked and evil tendencies of mankind.

We LOVE freedom. But there also exist those who love… power, authority, and rule: people who gain from the loss of the freedom of others. And so long as there exist individuals who would look to take away freedom, there must also exist those who are willing to stand in the face of such threatening forces who are willing and ready to give what the cost of our freedom may require.

Today, we take a moment to pause and reflect upon the cost of what we enjoy each and every day. Today we say thank you to those who have been willing to give what the protection of freedom required in order that we the people may never find ourselves in a position of tyranny or political abuse ever again.

To our veterans we say, thank you. Would you stand so that we may recognize you with our appreciation this morning?

To our active service men and women, we say thank you. If you are actively serving in one of our military branches, will you please stand so that we may recognize you with our appreciation?

To our first responders, to those policing our streets, rushing to our medical aid, and risking your safety in our emergency, we say thank you. If you are a first responder, active or retired, will you please stand so that we may recognize you with our appreciation?

Freedom… is worth fighting for. Freedom is not man’s idea… but is God’s original design for His creation. Long before the United States ever existed, freedom was something people hoped for, craved, and even longed for.

God did not create us that we might become slaves to anything or anyone of this world. God created us that we would enjoy uninterrupted fellowship with Him. This was the reality that God delivered to His creation all the way back in the Garden of Eden.

And… interestingly enough… it was something that we had to defend. What threat to freedom did mankind face in the Garden of Eden? The threat of himself. God delivered… created… a paradise for Adam and Eve to enjoy. If freedom was something lost… it could ONLY be lost by their hand. God would not take it away… they would have to choose to give it away.

Look at the account given in Genesis 2:15-17

Genesis 2:15–17 NIV

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

YOU ARE FREE… were God’s words to Adam. God had given them everything except one tree. Why was this tree withheld from them? Why did God place this tree in the garden in the first place?

Because we would not truly be free in not given the choice to obey the command of the Lord.

Free will is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us - the freedom to choose. But with that choice we must also accept the aftermath of our decision.

For instance, the signers of the Declaration knew they just put themselves at risk. However, the CAUSE was WORTH the risk.

What I want us to understand and what I will be talking about is the unseen battleground for our freedom - the battleground of the mind. The CHOICE to be free.

God has given us the ability to freely choose… but not all choices will lead to freedom. I’m going to repeat that line again. God has given us the ability to freely choose… but not all choices lead to freedom.

The choice God gave humankind in the garden was far more than a choice of trees to eat from… it was the choice to live by His word or to live by our wants. Would we choose to go God’s way? Or will we go our own way? That was the choice then… and that choice remains ours to make this very day.

Before we look more deeply at the choices we make I want to establish an important truth. 2 Corinthians 3:17 is where we find this truth.

2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Adam and Eve… up to the moment of making their choice… were living in the presence of the Lord. They were living in freedom because they were living in fellowship with God. (Main Point) Where GOD is… FREEDOM is. Where God is NOT… BONDAGE takes hold. Therefore, living in freedom is something worth fighting for! What does this fight look like? Where does this fight take place?

This fight starts in the mind and heart and continues through the choices we make. Will we live in true freedom with God… or will we choose to live in separation from the One who brings freedom?

Here’s the deal: there is a very real enemy that wants to lead you to bondage today. He desires to entangle your soul with sin and spiritual chains. He desires to lead you away from God and the freedom that God offers. So we fight… we stand against this enemy by choosing to remain in God’s presence and freedom.

Choice One: Choosing God means Choosing Good.

What do I mean by choosing good? Let me explain.

God had created a world FULL of good for Adam and Eve. When I said before that the Garden of Eden was a paradise… it truly was something beyond what we can imagine!

No hurt, no pain, no anguish, no trials… none of what we know today.

God had placed Adam and Eve in the Garden to be stewards… to take care of the Garden. Work was a part of God’s original design which means work is… good! (another sermon for another time).

So when God pointed out the tree of the knowledge of good and evil we need to understand something very important: All they had ever known was… GOOD. Nothing good had been withheld from them. In their fellowship with God, they had all they ever wanted and needed! Sounds pretty amazing, right?

All was well until the enemy moved their eyes from what they had… to the one they they could not have. The enemy convinced them to use their free will… to surrender the freedom God had given them.

The enemy made led them to believe that God was withholding something good from them. Look at his words in Genesis 3:4-5

Genesis 3:4–5 NIV

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

And just like that… the battle began to rage in Eve’s mind.

Scripture highlights some of the battles that were going on.

Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food. The fruit was plentiful. There was an abundance here she had not noticed before.

Eve saw that the fruit was pleasing to the eye. It looked delicious! Not only was there a lot of it, it looked like it would taste really good!

Eve began to desire the “wisdom” that the fruit had to offer. In other words, she thought she would be better off AFTER eating the fruit God said would bring destruction to her life.

These inward battles led to the outward action of directly disobeying God. She used her free will to take what did not belong to her.

And the only “wisdom” they gained was the knowledge of evil… for all they had known up to this point was good! And what they lost… was tremendous. What we lose when we choose sin over God is truly costly.

And this same battle happens in the minds of countless people each and every day. So how is this battle won? How does a person choose God and His goodness over the godlessness of this world?

First, we recognize the battle for what it is.

James 1:14–17 NIV

14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

If we are tempted to engage in activity that we know is not pleasing to the Lord, then we know it is not coming from above, but from the evil desires within.

The enemy will play on those desires and work to convince you that you are missing out. However, the text makes clear that all good things COME FROM GOD. If you want GOOD… CHOOSE GOD! If you want true freedom no matter your outward circumstance… choose God!

Second, we recognize that this battle… is not something we can win on our own.

Choice Two: Call on the Name of the Lord.

I wonder what would have happened if Eve… in the moment that the serpent was laying down his story… would have called on God for help?

Here’s the sad deal… Adam was right there with her and he did nothing to intervene. He stood on the sideline motionless and silent.

Men… listen to me… when you see the spiritual enemy coming against your home and family you need to rise up and stand against him in the name of Jesus. We have a world that is in chaos… and many of the issues can be traced back to the breakdown of the home and family. God has not called you, men, to be indifferent… He has called you to lead and to be the priest and protector of your home. The spiritual freedom of your family is worth fighting for!

Go back to my question… what might have happened if Eve would have said, “God? I don’t know who this snake-thing is… but he is trying to get me to do something you told us not to do. Can you help me?”

Instead, they gave in. And remember what our main point is? Where GOD is… FREEDOM is. Where God is NOT… BONDAGE takes hold.

Immediately after they sinned, the Bible says their reality completely changed. Genesis 3 records:

Their eyes were opened - they now had the desired “knowledge” they thought they needed.

They realized they were naked - their innocence was replaced with shame.

They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves - they tried to undue and remove their shame on their own.

But then came the worst of it. Genesis 3:8-9

Genesis 3:8–9 NIV

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

They hid from the presence of the Lord. They now carried the weight or bondage of their sin. They now lived in separation from the Lord because of their sin.

Listen to me… in the heat of battle, when the temptation is growing and the desire is a struggle. OR… even if that desire has moved you to sin… the battle is WON when we call on the name of Jesus.

In the Garden, God makes a new covering for His creation. He covers their sin and shame with an animal skin - something had to give it’s life for this covering to be made.

In the New Covenant, the payment for our sin has already been satisfied through the blood of the Lamb.

Jesus fought our fight and won the battle. He was victorious - say that with me - HE WAS VICTORIOUS over sin, death and the grave and He offers VICTORY to those who call on His name for salvation.

Jesus doesn’t somewhat fight our battle. He doesn’t stop at half way or 75% or 90%. Jesus went the full distance for you and me! Why did He do this? SO THAT WE COULD BE SET FREE!!! Because of His love for us, Jesus knew that our freedom was worth fighting for… and dying for! I want you to see what Scripture says about our freedom in Jesus.

Galatians 5:1 NIV

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.

John 8:36 NIV

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Acts 13:38–39 NIV

38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.

AND… when you call on His name for forgiveness and freedom… you are declaring your new found independence from sin.

You are making a declaration, a statement saying you FREELY CHOOSE GOD while saying no to sin. And with that choice, your name is written down, not on a declaration, but in a book known as the Lambs book of life.

Every name written in that book will receive entrance to heaven and will spend eternity in the presence of the Lord!

EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON HIS NAME WILL BE SAVED!

Jesus fought the battle we could not fight that our freedom might be restored!

Choice Three: CHOOSE JESUS.

Are you ready to make the choice that leads to freedom? Are you ready to fight against the desires of this world and choose the One who gave His life for you?

God did not create you to live in bondage. God did not create purpose you to be a slave to sin. God created and designed you to live in the freedom of His love and presence!

He has gifted you with the ability to freely choose which way you will go. But like Adam and Eve, many are loosing the battle and settling for less. Many are believing the lie that God keeps you from what is good when the truth is all good things come from the Lord.

Maybe you recognize the battle. Maybe you feel the weight of the bandage and chains. Maybe you are tired from the struggle and do not have much fight left in you.

The good news is… God has already fought the battle and… the battle has already been won! The battle you face today is one of trust… one of faith. The battle you face today is the battle of choice.

Adam and Eve lost sight of their fear of the Lord and replaced it with a fear of missing out. And when they made that choice… they surrendered their freedom to the enemy.

Satan cannot forcibly take your freedom. He simply works to get you to freely surrender it to him. And… once sin has entered the picture, we cannot escape its deadly consequences on our own.

If you want freedom today… it can only be found in Jesus Christ.

It has been fought for. It has been secured through Jesus. But you must make the choice. You must freely decide to give your life to Jesus.

Jesus’ blood has the power to break ANY chain. Do you believe that? He has the power to set you free.

So what is it… that you need to be set free from?

Maybe you find yourself entangled in sin that you need delivered from. This thing has been dragging you down, causing issues in the home or maybe in your marriage and you are ready to be set free.

Maybe you need freedom regarding purpose and direction. Maybe you feel… lost… like you’re just going through the motions. Jesus wants to set you free with guidance and wisdom.

Maybe you’re facing a physical or medical issue that you need healed from today. Jesus can and will set you free!

And it all comes about by choosing Jesus.

First, if you have never chosen Him before, we want to pray with you.

PRAYER - Salvation

Secondly, if you need freedom from something, I want you to stand and I want you to begin to call on the name of the Lord.

And as we call on His name, I want us to express our freedom in the Lord through praise! As God sets you free, lift up your highest praise to the King!