Real Freedom

Real Freedom John 8:31-36 On his way to work, a man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy road. Suddenly, the light turned yellow in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping before the crosswalk, even though he probably could have beaten the red light by speeding up a little. The tailgating women was furious and laid on her horn, screaming in frustration all because she missed her chance to get through the intersection. While yelling, she was startled by a tap on her window. It was a stern police officer who ordered her out of the car. He handcuffed her, drove her to the police station, where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and taken to a holding cell. After a few hours of being locked up, she was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. He said, "I'm so sorry for the mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you and yelling at him. Then I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on your trunk, Naturally... I assumed you had stolen the car." Now anyone who's ever been behind the wheel of a car longer than a day can understand this dilemma. I pray that you're not the yelling woman in the story, but we all know what it's like to be the target of road rage. It tests us. It can make our patience run thin. But just remember, it's how we act that shows who we really are. We are not free to do as we please, but we are free to do what is right. We may desire to yell back at the women or sit through another red light just to irritate her more, but that will accomplish nothing. And instead of asking "What Would Jesus Do," we need to be asking, "What Did Jesus Do." How did Jesus react to stressful situations? Simply put, Jesus did the will of the Father. Christ freely followed and obeyed His Father, and that's what we need to apply in our lives also. Since its Memorial Day weekend, I can think of nothing better than to honor those who have served and sacrificed all for our freedom. A freedom not found in any other country but America. And when you become a child of God, Jesus gives you a freedom that can only be found in Him. So, what comes to your mind when you hear the word "freedom?" When kids were asked this question, they replied: "I don't have to study," "Watch my favorite TV shows," "Eat as much ice cream as I want," "Not getting up in the morning," and "No more school!" Honestly, I like their answers. But as people age and you ask them about what freedom is, they may reply: intellectual freedom, political freedom, or moral freedom. People desire freedom from poverty, prejudice, and ignorance. For many thousands of years, people have been searching for religious freedom. And all of us want the freedom to drive to work in the morning without being yelled at. As former President George W. Bush once said, "I believe that God has planted in every human heart the desire to live in freedom." Sadly, over the years, some people in the United States want to get rid of all Christian emphasis and religious symbols. Remember, Psalm 33:12 says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." So in a world that has long since persecuted Christians, many people ask the same question posed in verse 33, "How can You say, You will be made free?" Let me begin by telling you a story about what freedom is and what it isn't. Imagine a husband taking his wife out to a nice restaurant for their anniversary. Over candlelight, he expresses his love for his wife by quoting a list of her physical features as if reading the information from her driver's license. * Your 5' 4" tall. * Your weight is 160 pounds. * You were born in October. * You have brown hair and brown eyes, and you live on Freeland Circle. Now imagine the same situation with the husband saying, Each thought of you fills me with sweet emotion; I give to you my deepest devotion. My fondest wishes you completely fulfill; I love you totally, and I always will. While the romantically challenged husband in the first situation did speak the truth, he failed to communicate the depth and magnitude of his love for his wife. Love is more than factual information, just as freedom is more than simply a word. Love and freedom are both actions and feelings. Many people associate freedom with the right to live as they please and the opportunity to pursue their dreams. However, Jesus spoke of a deeper aspect of freedom that pertains to the state of our souls. Christ desires to free us from every internal form of bondage that prevents us from becoming the person God created us to be. Freedom is not found in self-help programs, legalistic religion, or the teachings of Buddha or Muhammad. Dr. Phil or Oprah cannot make you free. True and complete freedom is found in Christ Alone. And as American's, all of us need to remember that being an American is not just about the freedom we have; it's about those who gave it to us. Those who sacrificed their own freedoms and even their lives to keep us safe and free. Just as Christ sacrificed all for us to be free. However, freedom doesn't come free. It never has. Sin keeps people from being free by living under the weight of sins heavy burden. Thankfully, Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price by nailing sin to the cross, so that all who believe in Him shall find forgiveness and freedom. As Jesus said in verse 36, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Ask yourself, right now, is your freedom found in Christ, or are you currently a slave to sin? Are you held captive to a relentless sin? Are you in bondage, jealousy, pride, immorality, selfishness, or sinful pleasure? You may say, "I don't want to commit this sin. I don't want to tell this lie. I don't want to get drunk. I don't want to be involved with that person." But if you yield to the temptation of sin, you are a slave to sin. The very thing you say you will not do again, you do. So, is there any hidden sin in your life that holds you in bondage? If you feel trapped in sin, keep in mind that Jesus was bound so you can be free. As 1 Peter 2:24 tells us, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by His wounds you have been healed.'" So, When Jesus said in verse 32, "The truth will make you free," what did He mean by that? I want to point out 3 truths: 1. Truth About Our Salvation: You must understand that freedom is based on a relationship with Christ. Galatians 5:1 says, "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." This slavery is slavery to sin, and the Bible says in 2 Peter 2:19, "For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved." If you feel overcome today, confess to Jesus, and He'll lift that burden off you, for His "yoke is easy, and His burden light." When you give your life to Christ, you receive the promise of the Holy Spirit to help guide and empower you to overcome any bondage. 2. Truth About Our Position: Once a Christian, you have become a child of God and a joint heir with Christ. Your accepted, forgiven, and spiritually alive. Romans 8:17 teaches that "we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ." As His children, we have an inheritance that can "never perish, spoil or fade," and is kept in heaven for us. (1 Peter 1:4). Even the Greek term for heirs, "klay-ron-om-os," refers to those who receive their allotted possession by right of sonship. Our eternal inheritance as co-heirs with Christ is the result of the amazing grace of God. 3. Truth About Our Possessions: As God's children, with have His divine power, promises, and nature which provide everything needed to live a godly life. 2 Peter 1:3 says that, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." You know, more wars and more deaths have taken place over what freedom means. Even Adam and Eve were tempted with freedom. Think about it: that serpent approached Eve and said, "Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden." What was the father of lies up too? He was taking what was good and using it for bad. He continued and said, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." That's when Eve fell for temptation and sinned. Here was Eve, in a perfect garden enjoying perfect fellowship with a perfect loving God, but Eve desired more. She desired to be like God. She desired more... freedom. As C. S. Lewis once said, "If a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having." Adam and Eve, realizing their error, then played the Blame Game. When confronted by God, what's the first response given. "She made me do it" LOL Then Eve replied, "that serpent fooled me." They placed the blame on everything but themselves. To find freedom in Christ, though, we need to stop playing the Blame Game, because the only finger-pointing needs to be at ourselves. We have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. We need salvation, which only comes through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. To repent means to turn away from your sin. A complete 180-degree change. Sin leads to death; Christ leads to freedom and eternal life with Him in heaven. I read a true story about a brave WWII soldier who sacrificed all for our freedom. Dr. Paul Stevens, director of the Southern Baptist Radio and Television Commission, served as a chaplain during WWII, stationed in the European theatre. He was on duty at an Army Air Corps base one day when a soldier burst into his office and said there was an emergency in the control tower. When Stevens arrived, he was told that a shot-up B-17 was circling the airfield but couldn't land. The belly turret had been damaged and wouldn't revolve, trapping the gunner underneath the fuselage. Normally this wouldn't be a concern, but on this occasion, the B-17 pilots couldn't lower the landing gear. For twenty minutes, the crew had been circling the airfield, frantically trying to get the landing gear down. Everyone knew the score. If the place landed with the wheels retracted, the gunner would be crushed when the bomber belly-flopped onto the runway. The crew radioed the tower and said they had to land now - they were flying on fumes. The controller handed the microphone to chaplain Stevens and said, "The gunner has only two minutes left. He's 19 years old." Stevens took the microphone and spoke to the boy. "Son, do you understand the trouble you're in?" "Yes, sir," the young man replied with a firm voice. "Son, are you ready to meet God?" "Yes, sir, I am. When I was a boy, my mom took me to church, where I learned that Jesus died for my sins." "Son, I'm going to ask you to close your eyes. Are your eyes closed?" "Yes, they are." "Son, when you open your eyes, you'll be looking into the face of Jesus." With that, the chaplain prayed for the gunner. He asked that God would lift him up and welcome him into His arms when the young man arrived in glory. The chaplain was only a sentence or two into his prayer when he heard the horrible sound of the plane hitting the runway. I don't know how many faith-or-fear issues you face, but I'm certain death is one of them. The Bible tells us, "It is appointed unto man once to die," and what the chaplain said was exactly correct. No matter how we come home to God, Jesus will be waiting to greet us into His presence the instant we draw our last breath. That's either true, or it isn't. I believe it's true. How about you? So, before we leave today, I want everyone to close their eyes. One day you also will breathe your last. Are you ready to meet God? Are you prepared to give an account of your life? Everyone is free to choose or reject Christ. But don't wait any longer. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. "Your life is like a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). So, I ask you the same question Joshua once asked, "Choose this day whom you will serve." Choose this day! Will you serve Christ and be free? I pray that all of us will reply along with Joshua, "We will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:14-15). AMEN 2