Freedom in Christ

John 8: 10 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Hundreds of years ago, Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence; one of the foundational documents creating these Untied States of America. Despite protests from some who would seek to undermine God, it is clear in the language that Jefferson did indeed base the foundation of this foundational document upon the existence of God. The opening language in fact states:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The dictionary defines endow as to provide a "permanent fund." The word unalienable means "not to be taken away." Jefferson's opening salvo here in declaring independence from England is indeed saying that God Almighty, the Creator, has provided us with a permanent source of rights which in Jefferson's view could not be taken away. The good news today is that these benefits from God are still provided today. They are just as permanent and just as unalienable. They are found in and provided by Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. They transcend the governments of man to provide hope and security from this world. Just like the world will tax us and treat us unfairly today, God is saying that He has provided us with these benefits if we would just declare them in our hearts and become dependent upon Him only. Thus becoming independent from the world system, which is often unfair and corrupt.

The first such benefit written by Jefferson is life. In Jesus we are indeed endowed with life. Not life as the world offers it. Not in servitude or slavery to another person or country. When Jesus spoke of His purpose and this topic He said:

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10: 10 (NKJV)

More abundantly than what? More abundantly than what the world had been offering us. The New International Version translates this as "life to the full." Life so full that it runs over. The dictionary defines abundantly as "richly supplied." Lets these descriptive terms sink in. We are not meant to be crawling through this life as believers. We are not meant to be struggling as if we were still in the world. What the world promises and cannot deliver is guaranteed in Christ. Your best life now, is Christ!

In addition to the abundant life, Jesus came to provide us with the eternal life:

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3: 36

Note the tense. Whoever believes in Jesus, has, eternal life. It does not say "will have." The eternal life promised to us by God is not some abstract concept that we will step into when we leave this mortal coil. We are meant to be living the eternal life now. Too many Christians still live as if the eternal life is some distant promise they get to inherit upon dying. Our lives were meant to be abundant and eternal, bringing glory to God and the furtherance of His kingdom.

The second endowment discussed by Jefferson is liberty and we find that in Jesus Christ as well. Not liberty from the tyranny of a mother country but liberty from the tyrannical rule of the father of lies. Sin is a harsh taskmaster and a brutal tyrant. It can rule and reign in our lives until we come to Christ. Sin is like the England of old, levying unfair taxes upon us to which we seemingly have no control over or recourse to address. No matter how much we seem to try under our own power the tyranny only increases; the oppression only worsens. But here is what Jesus Christ said He came to earth to accomplish:

"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; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." Luke 4: 18-19 (NKJV)

To proclaim liberty to the captives! To set at liberty those who were oppressed! W ho was captive? Who was oppressed? We were before we came to know Christ! Captive to the world and oppressed by the tyranny of the sin we lived under. We were poor in Spirit. We were brokenhearted by the lies of the world. We were blind to our own shackles and captive to the rule of the enemy in our lives. But somewhere the Gospel message of Jesus Christ set us free. Somewhere we were healed by God. Our hearts were mended; no longer broken. Blindness removed and liberty provided. We stepped into our acceptable year of the Lord! In writing to the Church at Galatia, the Apostle Paul addresses liberty:

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 (NKJV)

The term "stand fast" means resolute, refusing to budge. The world offers many yokes of bondage. For some it is addictions. For others abusive relationships. For others hardships and loneliness. A yoke is a device used to pair up oxen to get them to pull something. It is placed around the neck of the oxen. So the world places its yoke around our necks as well. The yoke of sin and slavery to sin is a heavy yoke to bear. The world would pull on our yoke and we would follow. We were indeed as Paul writes here, in bondage to it. As always, Jesus is the answer:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11: 28-30 (NKJV).

The world doesn't allow such rest. The tyrant rarely allows rest for the oppressed. The labor becomes more and more wearisome. Our souls become heavy laden. That is what happens when we learn from the world. When we learn as the world learns. But Jesus is here saying to learn from Him. Why? Because while the world is harsh, Jesus is gentle. While the world is prideful, Jesus is lowly in heart. While the world never lets up, you will find rest in Jesus. For while the yoke of the world is hard and heavy; the yoke of Jesus is easy and light. Why? Because Jesus does all the heavy lifting beloved! That is liberty! That is what makes us free! Hallelujah!

Jefferson just misses the mark on the final benefit. He calls it the pursuit of happiness. As Christians we were pursued by God and now we have true happiness:

Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Psalm 128: 1-2

You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. There is no wavering from the Psalmist. There is no uncertainty. We either put our trust in the things of this world or in God. We either believe what the world offers or what God offers. Psalm 146 outlines this:

Do not put your trust in princes,  Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. Psalm 146: 3-4 (NKJV)

As we celebrate the 4^th of July we see many placing their faith in one political party or another. Maybe a specific politician they believe will help them. But continuing on in Psalm 146 we see where true happiness comes from:

Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, - Psalm 146: 5 (NKJV)

Neither man, nor any political party of man is your help. Only the God of Jacob is your help. Only through His help will your pursuit of happiness end in true joy. Why? Why trust God over the world? The Psalmist concludes:

Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners. The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down. The LORD shall reign forever--Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD! Psalm 146: 6-10 (NKJV)

Man did not make the heavens and earth. Man does not keep the truth forever. Man does not protect the oppressed. Only God does. The ways of the world will not lead to happiness. You are free to pursue it of course but looking for happiness in the world will not lead to joy. It will not lead to freedom. Only God will lead to true joy. Peter writes about this:

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, - 1Peter 1: 8

An inexpressible and glorious joy beloved. Perhaps what Thomas Jefferson was pursuing hundreds of years ago when he wrote so eloquently about being endowed by our creator. God has provided for us a permanent fund of benefits in Christ Jesus. Among those benefits are an eternal and abundant life. Among those benefits is liberty from all that would seek to bind us with the yoke of this world. Among those benefits endowed by God is and inexpressible and glorious joy. Joy so overflowing words cannot even be formed to describe it.

As we celebrate our Independence Day, remembering the words of patriots long since passed, let us remember also the word of Almighty God. It is within Him only that our pursuit ends. We no longer pursue happiness, a full life, or liberty we possess them. We remember the key verse from today which reminds us that who Jesus Christ sets free is free indeed. We need no declaration to the world. Our true independence is found only through our total dependence on He who sets us free.

Happy Fourth!

Reverend Anthony Wade July 4, 2009