Walking In Freedom

Doxology:

This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart that I might not sin against God. Amen!

Scripture Reference: Galatians 5:1

Context

Today is a bittersweet day.

On one hand we are celebrating our 2025 graduates, especially our seniors who are getting ready to step out into the world as adults and begin figuring out what life as an adult is all about. I remember when I was that age, there was just this sense of freedom that came with that. “I am 18. I am adult. I am my own man now.” kind of thing… right.

From the perspective of Memorial Day, we also get to celebrate the liberty that we get to walk in each and every day because of the sacrifices that have been made for us.

On the other hand, freedom comes with a price. There is always a price to freedom.

In terms of the 18 year old who thinks they can’t wait to get out of the house, find their own place to live, and enjoy this freedom that stands before them… that freedom comes with a house payment/rent, car payments, maintenance to the house/vehicles, mowing the yard, and a host of other things.

I get so tickled at my kids. They will say, “I can’t wait until I am 18. When I move out I won’t have to do any chores anymore.” I then reply, “No. You misunderstand the situation. When you move out and get your own place, that means you now have to do all of the chores.”

In terms of Memorial Day, the liberty we have today is because so many of those who have come before us were willing to lay down their lives in combat, fighting for that very freedom we enjoy.

With that being said, I think it is only fitting to say that we bare great responsibility to all of those who have made sacrifices for this freedom we walk in. If we take this freedom we have been given, whether it be in terms of the lives laid down on the battlefield or the many sacrifices that parents make raising their children, and walk shamefully, or even neglectfully, in that freedom, then we are not honoring the price that has been paid for that freedom we love so much.

That is what we want to think on today: Walking In Freedom.

Galatians 5:1 NKJV

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Content

Our Forefathers

Throughout history, so many sacrifices have been made for the sake of freedom. These sacrifices have been made on a family front, on a military front, and on a spiritual front.

According to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, over 70 million Christians have been martyred for their faith. Over 70 million…

According to Open Doors US, it is estimated that even today 13 Christians are killed every single day for their faith in Christ. These are men, women, and children who have pledged themselves to Christ and seek to expand the Kingdom of God through evangelistic efforts right where they live. The cost of that freedom, death for so many.

Early on in our history, the spiritual and militaristic efforts to gain freedom were intermingled with one another. Not all, but many of our forefathers who fought and died to gain the freedom we enjoy right here in America were Christians.

In the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, we read, “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.”

They recognized God as the Creator of all men and that God had given to all men certain rights, one of which was Liberty, or Freedom.

This freedom has been infringed upon by so many over the years, but in those cases, people rose to stand against the tyranny of such oppression and gave their lives for the cause.

During the 15th Century, something known as the Protestant Reformation took place. Martin Luther nailed what has been called the 95 theses to the door of the Catholic church. This was a list of 95 things he had found inaccurate with the Catholic faith according to the Word of God. This event served as a catalyst for the entire movement. The Kings and Queens of England at the time was unwilling to allow the loss of power within the church, so they began killing any and all Christians they could find.

Queen Mary I was by far the worst of them all. She executed more than 300 people during her short reign, earning her the title of “Bloody Mary”. Her choice of execution, burning at the stake.

By the time the 16th Century rolled around, the European colonies were launched into what is called the 30 years War, which was a Civil War amongst the territory between the Protestant and Catholic Faiths. It is estimated that during this War to pursue Freedom, somewhere between 5 and 8 million people died.

But if we go back even further than this, we read about a man named Jesus. He lived a simple life. He was a carpenter by trade, following in the footsteps of His father Joseph. Around the age of 30 years old, He began preaching and teaching the Word of God to any and all who would listen. He used the same Word of God as all of the other religious leaders, but His message was different. His message was one of love and liberty.

He captivated the audiences by how He spoke with authority from the Word of God, but He also had the means to perform miracles never seen by His generation before. He restored hearing to the deaf, legs to the crippled, and sight to the blind. He had the power to cast demons out of people, control the weather, and even walk on water.

His name Jesus means “He who saves”, and that was His message… a message of salvation. He preached healing to the brokenhearted and liberty to the captives. His focus was on the spiritual devastation caused by the evil of this world and He came to conquer that evil. Regardless of the temptations set before Him, He lived an absolutely perfect life, never breaching a single commandment of God. He lived a perfect life, which was something no man had been able to do before. Being the express image of God in all of His righteousness, He conquered sin and attempted to deliver all from its power.

And even though He attempted to save all, most rejected Him and His message. They hated the very thought of His existence and finally, after about 3 years, succeeded in having Him put to death. He was crucified upon a Roman cross, left there until dead, and then laid in an empty tomb.

To everyone’s surprise, after three days being dead, He arose from the grave and walked amongst men once again. During that time, He was seen by over 500 people, performed more miracles, and then tasked His followers with continuing the pursuit of freedom amongst the people of this world.

His presence amongst men was so influential that we still, over 2,000 years later, adhere to His teachings and believe in His presence.

He was the Son of God, the prophesied Messiah, the Christ, and the Savior of the world.

Through His death, He gives life. Through His sacrifice, He offers salvation. The salvation comes with freedom to all who will believe.

Our Freedom

What exactly is Freedom? That is a very important question, isn’t it? What does it mean to walk in Freedom?

The dictionary defines freedom as “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.”

In other words, the world defines freedom as the right and ability to do what one wants without interference. That is the same definition the world uses today. People will say, “Is this not a free country? If this is a free country, I should be able to do what I want, say what I want, think how I want, and act like I want.”

But is that what the Scriptures mean when they refer to freedom? Did Jesus die on the cross so that men could do whatever they wanted? Did all of the soldiers who gave their lives die simply so men could do whatever they wanted? Do we as parents make all of the sacrifices we make simply so our kids can grow up and do whatever they want?

Surely we know better.

All of our lives we have been told this saying, “With Freedom Comes Responsibility!” But if freedom is truly a free-for-all, then where does the responsibility come into play?

See, Scripture paints a different picture of freedom.

According to the Word of God, there is a Master Creator of this place we call Earth. As the Creator of this place, He also has the right to determine what life should look like on this place. He has given us these expectations in written form right here in the Word of God.

In other words, if you believe in God, you must also believe that He is God, which is to say that He is completely sovereign in all things and that He is indeed the Master of all things. If this is the case, He is the ruler of this world and He alone has the right to determine what is acceptable and unacceptable.

Therein lies the responsibility.

We are all born with a sinful disposition. We are bent towards sin and the fleshly things of this world. Contrary to that nature though is a loving God who wants to set us free from that bondage unto sin. He wants us to be able to walk freely within the boundaries of His will. While we are yet in bondage to sin, we are unable to do so, but by placing our faith in Christ, we are set free from that propensity to sin so that we might walk in the righteousness of God.

Romans 6:3–7 NKJV

3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.

See baptism is a picture of being crucified with Christ. We die unto sin and are reborn unto righteousness. In this new birth, we are able to walk in the freedom of that righteousness.

Romans 6:18–19 NKJV

18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

As we were once bound unto sin, in our new creation through Jesus Christ, we are bound unto righteousness. So with this freedom comes responsibility.

We all must give account for the things we do in this life. If we choose to stay separated from Christ and live a life that is outside of His will, there is a price that goes along with that.

If we choose to accept Christ and live a life that is in His will, there is a price to that. Either way, we will be responsible for our actions.

Romans 6:20–23 NKJV

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen! So let us walk in this freedom that we have, always being thankful of the One who made it possible. It was the price that Jesus paid at Calvary that secured this freedom, and we should never forget that.

Commitment

Maybe today, you have never experienced this freedom in Christ. I want you to know that He wants you to experience it. He wants you to know just how much He loves you.

Romans 5:8 NKJV

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

This verse tells us that while we were sinners, when we are at our very worst, Jesus died for us so that we could be forgiven and set free. This means that no matter what happens in your life, He will always love you. Absolutely nothing can separate us from that love.

Romans 8:35–39 NKJV

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I pray that if you have never done so before, you will choose this morning to walk in the freedom of that love!!