Freedom To Please God

Freedom To Please God
Galatians 5:1-15 July 4th 2010 message
Key verse 5:13-14, Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
“You my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
We have all been looking forward to celebrate our nation’s independence. And now it is here! How are you going to spend your Independence Day? Well, we are spending it here, in the best way. We are worshipping our Lord Jesus Christ with friends and family and meditating on the meaning of our freedom. We are blessed to see Triton co-workers and a genuine missionary to Sudan, Iris. Then we are going to eat supper together and afterwards we are going to the wonderful DeKalb fireworks. What better way to celebrate our Independence Day?
I have always been one who has tried hard to find the meaning of every holiday I celebrate. There is meaning in each. What is Thanksgiving about? Giving thanks to God for his blessings in our lives. What about Memorial Day? The sacrifice of others in war. What about Christmas? God’s unconditional love in sending the Messiah according to his promises? Valentines Day? Romantic love. Easter? God’s grace of salvation in sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and new hope through his resurrection. New Year’s Day? New beginnings. What about Independence day?...Freedom, unity and I would like to add, responsibility. As Christians we need to capture the meaning of Independence day and find some clear direction for our lives in it. This message will be somewhat unorthodox. Part one will explore some noble reasons why Americans celebrate the Fourth. As Christians we tend to want to spiritualize everything and ignore the contributions of the secular society to freedom. I don’t think that is right. In part two we will discover what real freedom is…that is freedom from sin and how, in Jesus, we are set free. We will also discover how we should live in this freedom. Hint…It is not just to do whatever you feel like. Let’s see.
Part l: Some Noble Reasons Why Americans Celebrate Independence.
Many of our ancestors came to this country with the common goal of finding personal freedom and opportunity. The Statue of Liberty, in New York Harbor is a symbol of freedom for people all around the world. Shp Gideon Kiligan’s grandfather came to America from Turkey after surviving terrible genocide of the Armenians there. He found true freedom her and now his grandson, Shp Gideon, is a pastor of Granada Hills UBF in Southern California, being a blessing to this nation and promoting freedom in Christ. Our own Shp Teddy was in Lebanon just before the civil war. He realized that if he stayed in Beirut, he would have to fight against his Muslim friends. And so he moved to the USA in order to seek a life of freedom and peace. He met Jesus personally on the OSU campus and now he is a fruitful pastor of our Triton UBF ministry and a blessing to us all. I came to America in 1991. I was not persecuted in Canada, but I did feel oppressed to fully live out my Christian faith due to e secularized society. I appreciate the freedom to express my Christian beliefs freely, openly and boldly, without any cultural oppression, in America. Through the direction of God’s servants, I could use my freedom to become a nurse, establish a family of faith and be a campus pastor. I am very thankful for these opportunities afforded me in this nation.
The next reason we celebrate the 4th is a reason that overlaps with Memorial day. On this day we are thankful for the thousands of men and women who have died protecting our country and its values. 440,000 Americans laid down their lives in WWll. We could have easily become oppressed by Nazi tyranny if we would have lost that war. Today if we loose the war on terrorism, there could be a time in our future where we may not be able to speak the truth, print the truth or live by the truth without fear of retaliation from a suicide bomber or a radical. So far over 4,400 American soldiers have given their lives so we can live in freedom.
I am especially thankful for all those who are there to serve and protect. They can be trusted and are prompt to respond to calls of distress. I can go for a walk with my dog in the park, even at night, without being afraid of being attacked. Other public servants are ready to respond in any sort of emergency. Like the firemen and ambulance drivers that responded to a recent crash. What about the healthcare providers who are available 24/7 to serve our emergency healthcare needs? What about the majority of government officials who do not give into corruption? Without such trusted public servants we could easily fall into what some cities are becoming in other countries, where people live in constant fear from criminal elements.
One great freedom we have is freedom of choice. We can speak for or against whatever we believe in. We are free to work for another or set out to create our own business. Like Steve Danielson who is building his own lawn care business. We are free to come and go wherever we please. I like this because I am totally free to go on any state sponsored university and college campus to invite people to Bible study. Do you know why I have this freedom? Because I am a tax paying citizen. We are free to get an education if we are willing to work hard and stay focused. We are free to vote. Mostly importantly we are free to worship as we please. I like this freedom. Back in 1776 the British monarchy wanted to make Anglicanism the national religion. This meant a national church tax. The British army even used non-Anglican churches as stables for their horses. But enshrined in our constitution is the freedom of religion. This is the primary reason for the separation of church and state. (The Light And The Glory) I am free to run a ministry out of a house and nobody stopped it or thought it was weird. In DeKalb I have received nothing but praises and words of encouragement for the work of God in our small house church ministry over the last 12 years. Praise God for freedom of religion in the USA! Let us exercise this freedom by actively going on our campuses and preaching the Gospel and raising disciples, especially in the context of house church ministry.
The Fourth of July is a time to celebrate our unity in our diversity. Like it or not, every American is our beloved countrymen. When we think about America, we can not just think about the middle class, Christian, Caucasian, populations of DuPage County, but also the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, African, Asian and Hispanic areas of Chicago. Do you know that Caucasians are a minority in New York City? Christians will possibly, one day be a minority in the USA. Despite of our differences, we all share a nation and a common historical background. We are all molded by shared media experiences. Did any of you see the movie “Eclipse:” Well so did most of America. Black, white, yellow or brown, rich and poor, republican or democrat, native born or immigrant, we all pay taxes and we all work together to build this country. Benjamin Franklin said that Americans, “Must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” We may have our differences in regards to faith and sin, but we can not ignore the fact that we are all Americans and we need to let the truth of God unite us instead of divide us and isolate us into hostile separated camps. Christians sometimes let the truth divided them and isolate them from the others around them. When we do this we could become like Lot in the Bible. We don’t have to live like Lot, tormented in our righteous souls by the lawless things we see and hear every day. (2 Peter 2:7-8) We don’t have to live as aliens among our own countrymen. We can live in unity with out countrymen, living positive lives of faith as shepherds for others, loving our neighbors as ourselves and leading them to Jesus in culturally sensitive ways. Never alienate yourself and others. Keep the doors open and serve them as shepherds and Bible teachers as Jesus is keeping the doors open and loving and serving you continually.
We must pass onto to the next generation the legacy of how we acquired our freedom. In other words, we should be instilling in the hearts of our youth what true freedom costs and the responsibilities that come with freedom. We can borrow from the ancient Hebrews who successfully passed down the story of the Exodus and their flight to freedom and God’s hope for his newly formed nation. God’s hope for bringing the Israelites out of slavery was so that they can be serve God’s holy purpose in this world. Exodus 19:6 reads, “’you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." God’s hope for America is similar. He wants us to be light to the Gentiles, a city on a hill. He wants us to use our vast resources and our freedoms to bring the light of the Gospel to the world. Even secular America has some concept of this. In general Americans have been the biggest contributors of money, labor, military and humanitarian support, medical assistance and technology. Buzz Aldrin, former astronaut, said, “Our country is a guardian of liberty and freedom.” (Parade Magazine. p. 10. 7-4-10). Christians have a somewhat different idea about what it means to be a light to the rest of the world but the principle is there. We pray that our nation, may live up to God’s high calling to serve as a kingdom of priests and Holy nation, sharing the gospel and the love of Jesus to all nations of the world.
I think that America needs a Seder tradition, like the Jews do, to teach its story of its flight to freedom and the meaning of our freedom to the next generation. The lessons we have learned from 1776, Pearl Harbor, D-day and 9/11, and all other conflicts, as well as the sacrifices of men and women of faith, should never be forgotten. If we do not pass them down effectively, we will take our freedom for granted. So let’s make our 4th of July celebration a time to reflect on, and tell of our freedom, our unity, and God’s purpose and hope for our nation.
Part ll: Jesus Came To Set Us Free. (Gal 5:1-15)
Many things seem to be threatening our freedom. We can think of these things as physical, psychological and spiritual threats. On a more physical level we can reflect on the obvious, outward things. One of our greatest shorelines is in distress. There are problems of unemployment that is leaving the hearts of many of our young people in total despair. Poverty is limiting our freedom. Some people are not free to even walk outside and sit on their porches because of gang violence. Kids do not play outside freely because of fear of violent crime. Though they can come and go as they like, they actually feel far from being free. There is psychological oppression. Students despair that getting a degree may be a worthless venture. When we hear of wars, violence, recession and unprecedented pollution to our environment, there is rise in mental health problems, like anxiety and depression. Oppressive philosophies, like secular humanism, ecumenicalism and atheism seek to suffocate our Christian faith. The very real power of sin and the devil’s influence makes people fall into the sin’s grip and they can’t get out of it. Or they find a loved one who is trapped by sins deceit and suffering greatly. Such people are robbed of the joy of life and of eternal life. They do not know what to do or where to turn.
In verses 2-12, Paul’s talks about one of the greatest threats to the Christian freedom… legalistic righteousness. There were some Jewish converts to Christianity who were teaching that Christians needed to submit to the Jewish custom of circumcision in order to be saved. Paul was adamantly against this because it meant that these new believers were in danger of becoming enslaved in just another religion with a new set of rules and laws to condemn them. If they did they would be no better off than if they remained in Judaism. The joy of salvation would be stolen from them and they would live in condemnation. This is all that I am going to say about this for now for this is the topic of a whole new message. Let’s think about the core foundation of our freedom.
Jesus sets our hearts free. Look at verse 1. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.” Paul wanted to remind them that Jesus came to set us free from the curse of the law. How has he set us free? Galatians 3:13 reads, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” Christ died on the cross to redeem us from the curse of the law. He became a curse for our sakes. Though he was completely sinless and innocent, Jesus took upon himself the full punishment, due us because of our sins. He was condemned in our place because of the myriad of God’s laws that we break each day. I should be cursed and hung on tree because of my sins of anger, and despair and allowing myself to rendered powerless because of despair. But Jesus died on the cross for my sins. He rose again to plant hope and new life in my heart. When I allowed my heart to be overcome with despair I was like a prisoner. I could not even speak, canceled spiritual meetings and my depressed feelings only burdened others. But because of Jesus I could know where to turn….to the cross. I could know who to listen to, godly advice from my wife Julie and the still, small voice of God. When I turned to Jesus, Jesus set me from the burden of my sins. I found new joy and new love for life and ministry. I could be a blessing to others and have strength to carry on with the mission God has given me, to be a shepherd for the NIU students and the young people of DeKalb. We are saved and set free by God's grace, through faith in Jesus alone. And the gospel is sufficient to save any type of sinner who finds themselves entrapped by their sins.
It is God’s will and sincere desire that we live in spiritual freedom. Look at verse 13a, “You, my brothers, were called to be free…” Freedom was one of God’s great gifts in the Garden of Eden. He told Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden.” (Gen 2:16) He could have pre-programmed Adam and Eve to obey everything perfectly, like robots, but he did not. He has given us freedom so that we can freely choose to obey God and enter into a love relationship with him. This would make our love relationship with God of highest quality and very satisfying. We can be very thankful when we know that God wants us to be free.

Part lll: What Then Shall We Do? (1b, 13b-15)
Freedom in Christ does not mean to simply be free to do whatever we want. Look at verse 13b, “…But do not use our freedom to indulge in the sinful nature…” Most people think that freedom means that they are totally free to give into their sinful nature. So many have live by the mantra, “Don’t tell me what to do.” Even this weekend is marked by drunken parties. Our expressways are filled with State police. Why is that? We are not made free in Christ to do whatever we want? Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that we can indulge in our sinful nature. So what are some reasons that Jesus suffered and died on the cross?
First, we have some responsibility to remain in our freedom. Look at verse 1b again, “…Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.” We need to stand firm on our faith and let nothing move us from holding onto the gospel. In this world are all kinds of forces that try to dissuade us from standing firm in our faith. We think we are too busy to strength ourselves spiritually. We neglect Bible study and prayer and fellowship with believers, believing the lie that Biblical illiteracy and spiritual immaturity and selfishness are O.K. Maybe we don’t even know what spiritual maturity is? But the truth is that if we don’t stand firm in our faith, then we will fall and be captured by all kinds of sins. These sins will rob you true inner freedom. You will feel like a slave even though you live in one of the freest nations of the world. You can keep yourself from being yoked again to spiritual slavery by seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness; by being faithful to Bible study, prayer and the practice of the word of God; by seek Jesus along with those who seek the Lord out of a pure heart.
Second, we are set free to love and serve others. Look at verse 13c, “…rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” We have a responsibility to use our freedom to love our neighbors. In the USA we have done that nationally recently through our aid to Haiti. These examples are on a macro level. What about on a micro level. Who is your neighbor? Moses and Iris are loving their neighbors in Sudan. Do you even know your neighbor? Your neighbor is not always your family member. More often then not they are strangers. In our ministry we are called to serve students with the Gospel and the love of God. Some may say, “I am not around students.” Well, if students are not our neighbors, you don’t have to wait until one moves next door. You can move. What I mean by this is visit the campus regularly and make students your neighbors. Then you will also be exercising your freedom to locate wherever you like.
Third, we are set free to free to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We love ourselves a lot. We take good care of ourselves. I think about my health and go on long walks and go to the gym. I try to care for my soul with regular Bible study, prayer and participating in God’s ministry. I love my family, but in many ways I perceive my family as an extension of myself. We can not neglect caring for ourselves and our families. This is important, but we must have inner direction to reach beyond those invisible walls that isolate us from others and reach our neighbors and share the love of Jesus with them. We need to follow Jesus example as revealed in Mark 10:45 which reads, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Let’s be like Jesus and use our freedom to love our neighbor as ourselves.
In this message we learned many reasons to celebrate our freedoms in America. We are thankful for personal freedom and opportunity. We are thankful for the thousands of men and women who have died protecting our country and its values. We are thankful for all those who are there to serve and protect and to guide. We are thankful for our freedom of choice and our unity in our diversity. But we must deeply acknowledge Jesus who suffered and died for our sins and who rose from the grave, making inner spiritual freedom possible. From this inner freedom comes all other outer freedoms that we so enjoy. We must respond to this freedom with thanksgiving and taking steps to never let our hearts be enslaved by the sin again. We must also repent of spending most of our time indulging in the sinful nature and loving only ourselves and use our freedom to live by the word of God, loving God and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.