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Freedom Isn’t FreeTomorrow we will celebrate our nation’s 237th birthday. On July 4, 1776, this great nation was born. It is a nation based on the ideas of liberty, responsibility, and Godliness. The founding fathers embraced a revolutionary idea that all men should be free to become whatever God intended for them to be.The celebration of Independence Day is really a celebration of freedom. It is not about homemade ice cream, watermelons and fireworks. It is about the precious gift of freedom. Freedom from tyranny, freedom to speak our minds, freedom to worship as we please and the freedom to determine our own course in life. But, even as we celebrate freedom, the fireworks that will explode in tomorrow night’s sky, should serve to remind us that freedom isn’t free. As they replicate the rocket’s red glare and the bombs bursting in air, they should cause us to remember that freedom comes with great sacrifice. Freedom is very expensive. The cost is measured in blood, broken lives, and shattered dreams. When it comes to the price of freedom, the old saying rings true, all gave some, but some gave all. Tomorrow we celebrate the fact that some gave their lives in an effort to preserve the freedoms that we hold so dear. Freedom isn’t free.In 1776 freedom was just an idea, an unrealized dream, but our founding fathers believed that the dream was valuable enough that they were willing to risk everything to see it come to pass. They risked their fortunes, their families, their reputations, and their honor. They risked their very lives and many of them paid for our freedom with their blood and the blood of their children.Tomorrow, we honor the countless men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice so that we can taste the fruit of freedom that springs from the tree of liberty. It is that tree, of which Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1787. He said that the Tree of Liberty “must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants.” Having witnessed the revolution first hand, Mr. Jefferson understood the cost of freedom. The price is always paid in blood. Tonight as we worship in security and comfort, we do so because thousands of young men and women have given their lives so that we could experience the joys and responsibilities of freedom. That blood has been shed on battlefields that are too numerous to mention, in places like Lexington, Concord, and York Town. It was renewed in places like the Alamo, in Vicksburg, at Gettysburg and on San Juan Hill. It was shed on foreign fields, in places like the Western Front, the River Somme, the beaches of Normandy, the desert sands of North Africa and the long bloody road to Rome. From Korea to Vietnam and all across the Middle East, good men and women have given their lives for a noble idea called freedom!Let me encourage you to take the time tomorrow, in the midst of the fun and frivolity of a holiday, to remember the price that was paid for the freedom that we celebrate. As the fireworks explode overhead, may you remember that the price of true freedom has always been measured in blood.This evening, for just a moment I want to focus on a much more important kind of freedom. In John 8:34 Jesus told his disciples that every man who commits sin is a slave to sin. Today, we may live in a free nation, we may not live under the tyranny of a dictator, but we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and everyone who sins, Jesus said, is a slave to sin!Thankfully, though, that’s not the end of the story. Jesus goes on to say in John 8:36 that if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Jesus Christ came to set you free from the tyranny of sin. Once again, the price of freedom is blood. Peter reminds us, in his first letter to the church, that we were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold – our freedom wasn’t bought with money – but we were redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus! Tonight we celebrate the fact that Jesus gave his life on Calvary so that you and I could be truly free from sin! He died so that we could be free! With freedom, however, comes responsibility. If you are a free person, you are responsible for yourself. For instance, no one can make you work, but if you don’t work, you won’t have any money to buy the things you want. You have the freedom to be anything that you want to be, to do anything that you want to do. But that freedom demands that you choose to be something, it demands that you choose to do something with your life. That choice is really the crux of what freedom is all about.Jesus Christ died so that the whole world could be free from sin. However, by virtue of his death, you have a choice about what you will do with your life. As strange as it may sound, you can choose to remain a slave to sin or you can choose to be free from sin. The choice is yours. You have the freedom to decide. If you choose to be set free, the only way to do so is through the blood of Jesus Christ. It begins with repentance. You must repent of your sins. That means that you turn your heart away from sin and determine not to do those things any more. Then, you need to be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of your sins. In baptism you are buried with Christ, baptized into him, and you rise to walk in the newness of life. After that the scripture teaches that you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost – this is the spirit of resurrection and life. This Holy Ghost is God living inside of you. That’s what truly sets you free from sin. That’s what truly makes you more than an overcomer.Lots of people repent then struggle to overcome sin. Or get baptized but find that they still can’t control their flesh. The Holy Ghost is the spirit of God living inside of you. It is the only way that you can even hope to overcome the sin nature that you were born with. It is what sets you free from slavery to your flesh. That’s why Jesus told Nicodemus, You must be born again! The whole idea of being a slave to sin, or anything for that matter, is an abstract concept to a free people. We’ve never been slaves, and we don’t really understand what it means to be a slave. Let me see if I can help you understand what we are talking about:There once was a boy named Billy and his grandfather had a sling shot. When Billy got old enough to shoot the slingshot he asked his grandfather to teach him. So his granddad took him off into the woods, a safe distance from the house and the farm, and began to teach him. However, Billy had a hard time mastering the slingshot. He practiced and he practiced but he just couldn’t get it figured out. Grandad let him keep the slingshot to practice with and every day Billy would sneak off into the woods, all by himself to try to perfect his aim.One day Billy was on his way back to the house when he saw his grandfather’s duck and decided to try his aim with the slingshot once more. Billy took aim and shot at the duck and, would you believe it, he finally hit his mark! What a time to finally hit what he was shooting at! The poor duck fell over dead.Billy was instantly frightened. Oh, my! What would granddad do if he knew. He took the duck way off into the woods and buried it where no one would ever find it. But, just as he finished smoothing the dirt over the grave, he looked up he saw his sister, Sally, standing there watching him. Billy immediately placed himself at the mercy of Sally, begging her not to say anything to granddad. With a malicious look in her eyes, Sally simply said, you can count on me. Sure enough, when they got back to granddad’s house, Sally didn’t say a word. But every now and them, she reminded Billy that she knew what he had done.That evening after dinner, granddad asked Sally to go help grandma wash the dishes, but Sally said, “Oh, granddad, Billy is the best dishwasher there is and he just loves to was the dishes. He’s going to take my place in the kitchen tonight.” As Billy looked up in utter surprise, she silently mouthed to him, “Remember the duck?” As bad as he hated to, Billy washed the dishes that night.The next day granddad said, "Billy, lets skip the chores today and go fishing while Sally and grandma give the house a deep spring cleaning.” Before Billy could say anything Sally piped up, “Awwww, Billy hates fishing but he loves housework. Isn’t that right Billy?"All along she was giving him a sidelong look that screamed, “Remember the duck?” Billy stayed at home that day while Sally went fishing.This went on for several days. Sally blackmailed Billy into every unpleasant chore around the farm and out of every enjoyable opportunity. The worst of it was Sally’s Little Red Wagon. Sally loved to be pulled around in her little red wagon. And everytime that Billy would get done with all of his chores, and Sally’s chores too, she would be waiting with her little red wagon. She would say to Billy, “If you don’t pull me around in my little red wagon today, I’m going to tell granddad about the duck.” Billy’s life was ruined. He couldn’t do anything that he wanted. Believe it or not, he was Sally’s slave. That’s how sin does you. It rules you. It will make you do things that you never thought you would do. It will take you further then you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay. But thankfully, that’s not the end of the story!One day Billy got fed up. He decided that no matter what granddad did to him for killing the duck, it couldn’t be as bad as pulling Sally around in her little red wagon. On that day when Sally cornered him with her little red wagon he told her, “I’ve had enough! You can pull your own wagon around. I’m not pulling it any more.” With those words Billy ran off to find grandpa and confess everything.Much to his surprise, his granddad just smiled and said, "I know you killed the duck. I saw you through the window. I also saw your sister standing there watching you. I forgave you when it happened because I love you. I just wanted to know how long you would let yourself be your sisters slave."In moment Billy realized that, even as he had repented, he was forgiven!Blessed relief washed over him!He was set free!Only Jesus can set you free from the slavery of sin. But just like Billy, you have to make the choice for yourself. Sin will hold you captive for as long as you will do sins bidding. Whoever obeys sin, Jesus said, is the slave to sin. That’s the bottom line of it. The real question tonight is simple. Do you want to be free? If you want to be free, freedom can only be found in Jesus Christ.Tonight you can begin to walk in freedom. It starts with repentance. Repentance lets the blood of Jesus, that blood that bought our freedom, begin to flow into your life. After you repent, you need to be baptized in Jesus name, this washes away the guilt of sin from you. And God WILL fill you with the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost. That’s his promise to you.Tonight, why don’t you find a place in this altar and start that journey with genuine, heartfelt, repentance? ................
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