Freedom is not free

John 8:31-37

What happened to the signers of the Declaration of Independence?

This is the Price They Paid Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the revolutionary war.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated.

But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: “For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”

These men sacrificed their lives, livelihoods and their loved ones all for the sake of freedom. Just as these men and the many men and women through the centries have gave their lives for our freedom. God has paid for your freedom from sin with the blood of His Son. Being free is not free, freedom has a price. Freedom from tyrants, will cost men and women their lives. Freedom from sin cost the life of One man.

Jesus tells us here and other places along with the apostels, that if you are born again, your freedom from sin will cost us something .

What does true freedom cost?

Freedom will cost you a change of Citizenship v.35

...abiteh not in the house forever

if those that are sinners will abideth not in the house then those that are His will

When these men signed their name to this Declaration of Independence, they were signing their own death warrant.

By signing their name they were denouncing their citizenship to Great Britain

They were letting everyone know, that read this Declaration, that they were no longer citizens of England.

turn to Heb.11:13.

1Pet.1:1, 1Pet 2:11.

When you are born again by the grace of God, you have signed your own death warrant. Romans 7:9

Romans 7:9 KJV 1900

For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

Galatians 6:14 KJV 1900

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

You are no longer a citizen of this world

You no longer claim allegiance to this world

You say you are born again and have been saved by the grace of God, but I ask you, have you signed your name to your declaration of independence? Have you declared that you are no longer a citizen of this world?

Who do you claim allegiance to?

Are you a Benedict Arnold of the cross?

Do you say you are one thing and are really something else?

If you are His this world will hate you!

John 17:14 KJV 1900

I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Freedom will cost you Ownership v31,34

...my disciples , …servant of sin

These men that signed the Declaration of Independence knew that there was a really good chance they would lose there houses and lands.

They knew their businesses would be destroyed

Like I read during the introduction, some of these men went from being wealthy land owners to dying broke and alone

Acts 4: 34, 1Cor. 7:22-23.

When you get saved by the grace of God, you lose all ownership over yourself. 1Cor6:19-20

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 KJV 1900

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

You dont get to decided what you do and dont do.

The life you now live is not yours its His.

Paul said it best in

Galatians 2:20 KJV 1900

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Your house should reflect a change of ownership, your lifestyle should reflect a change of ownership.

If you run a business, it should reflect a change in ownership.

True Freedom will cost you.

Freedom will cost you some Friendships v.31,33

believed on him, …Abrahams seed

Luke 6:22, Luke 21:17.

Im sure some of these signers lost some good friends over their stand for freedom

There are stories that friendships inside the congress were damaged by this

When you get saved you will lose some friendships

You are no longer a friend of the world

John 15:19 KJV 1900

If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

1 John 2:15 KJV 1900

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

But you want to know what is so great about this? You lose a friendship that would be carring you stright to hell but you gain a freindship that is like no other.

John 15:13 KJV 1900

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Proverbs 18:24 KJV 1900

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

If you are born again by the grace of God, you have the best friendship you could ever ask for.

Who are you friends with? Does the world still accept you? Have you lost some friendships because of your freedom?

Freedom will cost you a change in Relationships v37- 42

These men were willing to lose everything so that future generations would be able to live in a free nation.

They risked the lives of themselves and their families

Im sure the relationship between some of their relatives in England were forever altered because of this.

Luke 14:26.

When we get born again our relationships will change

They will no longer be based off of what the world thinks

They will not be “me” oriented

Jesus is saying here in Luke 14 that if you are going to come to him you must be willing to forsake all others.

Do you know what mark 12:30 says?

Mark 12:30 KJV 1900

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

If we have been born again our love for God should exceed that of our love for our selves and our loved ones.

A.w Tozer said, “If this is the greatest commandment then not loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength is the greatest sin.”

Being freed from the bondage of sin will cost you. It will change you.

When these men that signed the Declaration of Independence they signed with the knowledge that their lives were not going to be the same. When you get born again your life will never be the same.

I am not sure if I clearly presented the gospel this morning if I have then this will just be a repeat. If you are here today and have never recieved Jesus Christ as your savior, then you are lost and on your way to hell. You are not a free man you are in bondage to sin. Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the Father but by me. and just as our text this morning said you shall know the truth (Jesus Christ) and the truth (Jesus) shall make you free. Jesus has already paid your sin debt all you have to do is accept the paid debt as a freedom declaration. Wont you come and be saved today?