God’s Word is Our Freedom

Sermon Title: God’s Word is Our Freedom

Good News Statement: “God encourages us to experience freedom.”

Preached: Sunday, July 4, 2021 at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

Scripture (NRSV): Today’s Scripture reading comes from Galatians 5:1 and verses 13-14. Listen to what the Lord is saying. “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery….For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

This is the Word of God for the People of God; and All God’s People said, “Thanks be to God.”

Opening Prayer: Let us pray…. Dear Heavenly Father, Creator and Sustainer of our freedom, I ask that your words prevail over my own: let your words triumph while my words fall to the ground. Let your message of freedom ring true in our hearts as we celebrate what it means to experience your word of life and liberty in the midst of pursing happiness in your love. Amen.

Introduction:

            Robert Bellah, a late 20^th Century sociologist, had this to say about freedom in his book titled Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in America; “Freedom is perhaps the most resonant, deeply held American value. In some ways, it defines the good in both personal and political life. Yet freedom turns out to mean being left alone by others, not having other people’s values, ideas, or styles of life forced upon one, being free of arbitrary authority in work, family, and political life.”

What I appreciate about Bellah’s understanding of freedom is that “freedom” is a deeply held value. Just from The First Amendment of The Constitution, we, as the people, have freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, the freedom to petition the Government, and freedom of religion—all values by which we treasure and practice. As my nephew would say, “I have freedom to tease my sister and to eat all of her Starbursts.” But freedom is more than just a value. Freedom is a means of life that leads us to the encouraging words that God has laid before us. These words are our pursuit to happiness. These words are not meant to be practiced alone, as Bellah would assume. Rather these words are to be embraced with others, with our neighbors, in love. God’s word is our freedom.

Body:

            For as long as I can remember, my parents would load us kids up in their car and we would travel 25 minutes to a town called Milan, IL, to watch fireworks with other family members. This little excursion became an annual retreat. What began as simply watching fireworks, turned into gathering for a swim party in the morning and afternoon, eating all day, watching the fireworks in the evening, and then launching our own fireworks: it essentially became an all-day thing. Although every excursion brought forth its own memories, one memory has stuck with me throughout the years.

While sitting on the side of a hill, listening to the patriotic music of “God Bless America” and “America, The Beautiful” as it was played during the fireworks one little girl, about the age of six, would repeatedly say, after every firework, “Is this the ‘fi-alley’ dad? Is this the ‘fi-alley’?” Let me tell you, I have never been to a fireworks display where a single or even a miss-fire firework was considered the finally; but for this little girl every firework was considered the finally. This experience got me thinking, what if we treated God’s every word, our freedom, as the finally that encompasses our happiness? What if, instead of taking freedom for granted, we lived our freedom like it is our finally—our way of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—and treated it as our beginning? On this day, in 1776, this very nation made the end of its bondage with England so that it could have a new beginning, a beginning which would later be defined by the words of Francis Bellamy (1892), “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Two-hundred-and-forty-five years ago, The Declaration of Independence was signed and confirmed. Two-hundred-and-forty-five years ago, our very nation became free. Two-hundred-and-forty-five years ago, we, as the people under God, came together to form the “land of the free and the home of the brave” through life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. As the second sentence of The Declaration of Independence states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (and women) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable (unchangeable) Rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” But what does this mean for followers of Christ?

First, Life. Being free is to have a relationship with God. In the presence of God we are “free” from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:10-14; 5:1 and 13) and a “sin status” (Romans 6:18, 20, and 22) so that we can live as his “free children” (Galatians 4:21-31). God is our source to experiencing a life of freedom that sets aside our sins because it is God who forgives our sins so that we can be free—free to love, free to laugh, and free to live. It is God who sets our spirits free. It is God who shows us how to love our neighbor as ourselves. It is God who grants us the ability to overcome our flaws. It is God who “sheds his grace on thee,” who mends “thine every flaw,” who refines our gold, and who “shines from sea to shining sea.” It is God who gives our life the very freedom we long for.

Second, Liberty. As biblical scholar Scott McKnight shares, “Being free is the result of the death of Jesus Christ.” As a matter of fact, we were captive to sin and the law, but Christ’s death redeemed us from the curse of the law (see Galatians 2:4; 3:13; 5:1; and John 3:16; 8:36). On this day, we remember and give thanks to the many lives that have fallen, that have served, that continue to serve, and that will serve, for our freedom. Because of Christ’s death, they are protected and redeemed by grace and love and welcomed into the Kingdom of God. Liberty is freedom—given to us by our fellow neighbors through the grace, strength, and endurance of Jesus Christ by the commands given by God.

Galatians 5:1 states “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Paul says, after you have become free, stand fast in the freedom where Christ has set us free, and do not be bound again with the yoke of bondage—of past sins and regrets. This is important, because I want you to know that it gets worse when you go back to sin. Some of us have been set free from the yoke of bondage, and somehow we are back again in chains. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, would describe this as “back-sliding.” Sliding away from Christ into a life of sin and remorse. Jesus is the only one who can break the chains of sin and death; and encourage us to continually have hope, strength, and endurance as we lean towards him for freedom. Jesus, through his death, has given us liberty—a liberty to have eternal life and to pursue happiness.

Third, The Pursuit of Happiness. “Being free” is to gain life in the Spirit of God. 2 Corinthians says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). Where there is freedom, God’s word is present. To pursue freedom is to pursue God’s word. We are reminded in Psalm 119—the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses—that God’s word is a blessing (119:1-3), that God’s word is a righteous law (119:7), and that God’s word is pure and holy (119:9). God’s word acts as our counselor (119:24), as a life preserver (119:25), as a source of meditation (119:57), and as a means of salvation (119:41 and 81). Additionally, God’s word invokes creation (119:73-80), God’s word is trustworthy (119:86), and God’s word is eternal (119:89). Psalm 119 also mentions that God’s word is sweet (119:103), that God’s word is a lamp for our feet and light for our path (119:105), that God’s word is musical (119:172), and that God’s word is our freedom that will last through all generations (119:90). Through the Spirit of the Lord, God’s word sets us free from the bondage of our past so that we can truly live a life that is not constantly absent from happiness and love, but instead embraces love and happiness because that is what God has given us. To be free is to pursue the word of God, to live in the ways of Jesus Christ, and to gain the Spirit of the Lord.

These three ideas—Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—are put together by Paul in Romans 8:2: “Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death.” We get nowhere in talking about freedom until we comprehend that it is through a work of God in our lives through Christ Jesus and in the Holy Spirit that freedom becomes a reality. Freedom is not being turned free to be whatever or do whatever; nor is it to be alone. Rather, it is being incorporated into the life of God—a life that pursues happiness by loving our neighbor as we love ourselves while listening to and for the words of God. When was the last time you heard or saw the freedom of God’s word?

Conclusion:

            On the two-hundred-and-forty-fifth birthday of this nation, let us remember that freedom is not simply something that we earn, but it is something in which we choose to live. Freedom is life. Freedom is liberty. And Freedom is to pursue the word of God. God’s word is our happiness.  Paul’s whole message in Galatians may now be summarized: Be free, through Christ and in the Spirit. When we come to God through Christ and in the Spirit, our “fi-alley” is not the end but just the beginning because we are free at last. As Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Thank God, Almighty! We are free at last!” (I Have a Dream). Amen!

Closing Prayer:

             Let us pray: Dear Lord, we are free at last! We are free because you sent your Son to die on the cross so that are sins could be forgiven. We are free because our forefathers sought to pursue our happiness. We are free because our brothers and sisters are fighting to protect us on a daily basis. We are free to love our neighbor as ourselves because your word is both our life and liberty. Lord, we give thanks for this freedom. We give thanks for all those who have served to protect and give us this freedom. Please be with their friends, family, and loved ones as they continue to serve. We are free at last to lift up your name in the land of the free and in the home of the brave. Amen.

Benediction:

            As we celebrate our Independence on this 4^th of July, remember that God’s word is our freedom; and that God encourages us to experience freedom through life, liberty, and happiness as we learn to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This is not the finally: this is the beginning! In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are free at last. Happy 4^th of July!