LET FREEDOM REIGN July 5, 2026

LET FREEDOM REIGN

July 5, 2026

Yesterday was America's 250th Anniversary Celebration and 33 years of CFFC becoming a church to this community. It was truly a  historic weekend.

Think of it, On July 4, 1776, fifty-six men signed a document that would change the course of world history. 

For 250 years, this nation has stood as a beacon of light and freedom. We have not always gotten everything right. We have had victories and failures, triumphs and tragedies. Yet through it all, America has remained a place where liberty is treasured, where the Gospel has been sent out like no other Nation has ever done.

But today I want to talk about a freedom that is even greater than political freedom.

Because you can live in a free nation and still be bound by fear.

You can have constitutional rights and still be imprisoned by guilt.

You can enjoy freedom of speech and still be enslaved to sin.

America offers political freedom. Jesus offers spiritual freedom.

And while the founding fathers declared independence from a king, Jesus declared independence from sin, shame, fear, and death.

The greatest freedom isn't found in a document. It's found in a Savior.

John 8:36 (NKJV) "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

HISTORICAL STORY:

In 1776, the Liberty Bell hung in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Inscribed on that bell are the  words from Leviticus 25:10:

"Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."

Think about that. Before America ever became a nation, God's Word had already declared liberty.

The founders etched Scripture onto the symbol of freedom because they understood something many people have forgotten:

Freedom is not man's idea, 

it’s God's idea.

God is the author of liberty.

1: TRUE FREEDOM IS NOT THE RIGHT TO DO WHAT YOU WANT, IT IS THE POWER TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT.

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.

Galatians 5:1 (NLT) 1 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.

Our culture often defines freedom as: "I can do whatever I want."

But that is not freedom.

A fish is not free on the beach.

A train is not free off the tracks.

A believer is not free living outside God's design.

Freedom is not the absence of boundaries.

Freedom is functioning as God intended.

Galatians 5:1 (TPT) 1 Let me be clear, the Anointed One has set us free—not partially, but completely and wonderfully free! We must always cherish this truth and stubbornly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past.

Church Family, Sin is not freedom, it is bondage.

God's commands,  do not restrict us. They release us.

Psalm 119:45 (NLT) 45 I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments.

James 1:25 (NLT) 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

Romans 6:18 (TPT) 18 And now you celebrate your freedom from your former master—sin. You’ve left its bondage, and now God’s perfect righteousness holds power over you as his loving servants.

License says, "I can do anything." Liberty says, "I am free to do what honors God."

2: JESUS FREES US FROM THE GREATEST TYRANT OF ALL, SIN.

John 8:34–36 (NKJV) 34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Jesus didn't say people needed political liberation. He said they needed spiritual liberation.

The greatest enemy isn't a foreign government.

The greatest enemy is sin.

America fought King George.

Jesus defeated a far greater ruler, the kingdom of darkness.

Colossians 2:13–15 (NKJV) 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

During the American Revolution, many colonists were physically free but lived under fear because war surrounded them.

Likewise, many people today appear successful, educated, and prosperous, yet are imprisoned by addiction, anger, bitterness, guilt, and shame.

The chains may be invisible, but they are real.

Jesus breaks chains no government can break.

Romans 6:6–7 (NKJV) 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.

Colossians 1:13–14 (NKJV) 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus used this verse from the O.T. to begin His ministry.

Isaiah 61:1 (NKJV) 1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Luke 4:17–21 (NKJV) 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Think about how many people have been set free from:

An addiction. A broken marriage restored. A prisoner who found Christ.

The greatest testimony of freedom is a changed life.

3: THE HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERS US TO LIVE FREE

2 Corinthians 3:17 (NKJV) 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Freedom is not merely a one-time event.

Freedom is a daily walk.

The Holy Spirit helps us:

Overcome temptation

Conquer fear

Resist discouragement

Walk in victory

The Declaration of Independence announced freedom.

The Holy Spirit empowers freedom.

A bird may be released from a cage, but if its wings are injured, it still cannot fly.

The Holy Spirit strengthens our spiritual wings.

He doesn't just unlock the cage.

He teaches us how to soar.

Romans 8:1–2 (ESV) 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:11 (NKJV) 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Galatians 5:16 (NKJV) 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

4: FREEDOM COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY

Galatians 5:13 (NKJV) 13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

The founders understood liberty requires responsibility.

John Adams famously said:

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.”

Freedom without character becomes chaos.

Freedom without responsibility becomes selfishness.

Freedom without God eventually destroys itself.

God has not set us free to live for ourselves. He has set us free to serve others.

Philippians 2:3–11 (NLT) 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The highest expression of freedom is loving service.

5: WE MUST PASS THE TORCH OF FREEDOM TO THE NEXT GENERATION

Psalm 78:4–7 (NKJV) 4 We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. 5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children; 6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, 7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;

America's founders sacrificed for future generations.

Likewise, believers must leave a spiritual legacy.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from being forgotten.

Every generation must rediscover:

God's truth; God’s Word

God's presence;  God's freedom

At the signing of the Declaration, Benjamin Franklin reportedly said:

"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

The founders understood the importance of unity and legacy.

The church must understand that too.

We must teach our children:

The truth of Scripture

The power of prayer

The importance of church

The reality of salvation

As we celebrate 250 years of freedom, and 33 years as a Church, ask yourself:

Have I experienced true freedom?

Not merely political freedom.

Not merely economic freedom.

Not merely personal freedom.

But spiritual freedom.

Because one day every earthly nation will pass away.

But the Kingdom of God will stand forever.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION

In 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge opened. People feared it would collapse. To prove it was secure, P.T. Barnum famously marched 21 elephants across the bridge.

The bridge held.

The test proved its strength.

For 250 years America has faced wars, depression, division, attacks, and challenges.

Yet God's hand has continued to sustain this nation.

But our ultimate confidence is not in America. It’s in Jesus Christ.

Nations rise and fall.

Empires come and go.

Kings reign and die.

But Jesus remains forever.

And the freedom He gives can never be taken away.

ALTAR CALL

Perhaps you're here today and you love America, but you've never surrendered your life to Christ.

The freedom secured by soldiers is precious.

But the freedom secured by the Savior is eternal.

Today Jesus offers freedom from:

Sin, Shame, Guilt, Fear, Bondage

Addiction, Condemnation

And whom the Son sets free shall be free indeed.

America celebrates 250 years of liberty, CFFC celebrated 33 years of preaching the Gospel,  but the greatest freedom ever declared was not signed in Philadelphia, it was purchased at Calvary. 

Let’s let true freedom ring in our nation, our homes, our churches, and most importantly, in our hearts.

Let’s Pray