Freedom Has Duty

On this day, in 1776, a declaration of independence became official crafted by the leaders of the thirteen colonies and made to a nation that ruled over them without representation and with harsh expectations.  The colonists came to their end and laying their livelihoods and lives on the line, signed the declaration which, as is true in most cases, caused war.  In 2003, Janet and I stood on Concord Bridge where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired, which eventually led to the surrender of Cornwallis to George Washington at Yorktown in 1781.

As a country we are marked by freedom and we love our freedom and July 4 is a day set aside to celebrate our freedom.  Thanks be to God for such a blessing!

Watch the opening of SSBC’s June 30 worship service to be reminded of our freedom in Jesus.

Consider these verses:

2 Corinthians 3:17, Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Galatians 2:4, And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage.

Galatians 5:1, Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free.

Yet, true freedom is never without a cost and never truly free.

Consider the freedom we have in Jesus – not without a HUGE cost paid by God (Father, Son, and Spirit) and a cost by those who embrace Jesus as their Lord (II Timothy 3:12). Freedom is sweet but must never be thought of as license or free of responsibilities.

This Sunday we will partake of Communion which looks back to the price paid that we might be freed from the tyranny of sin, selfishness, and Satan.  Yet, even in taking of Communion we are submitting to the pattern and call of Jesus on our lives – we are acknowledging we have duty and are not free to do our own thing.  In fact, the freedom we have in Jesus is ladened with duty.  Consider these verses:

Matthew 11:28-30, “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.”  Note yoke, learn, and burden.

Galatians 5:13, For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Exodus 5:1, Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel:  ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”  

Note: My people (His possession) be freed in order to worship Him

Exodus 7:16, And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness.” 

Note: Freed in order to serve God.

Psalm 119:45, And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.  

Note:  Freed to study His will.

I Peter 2:15-17, For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.  Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

Note:  A bondservant expected to honor, love, fear, and respect.

Romans 6:17-18, 22, But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.  And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness…But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God.  

Note: Now slaves of God’s way and of God.

I Corinthians 6:19-20, Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.  

Note:  Bought, not your own, expected to glorify  God with all one’s being.