July 4 is the day the United States of America celebrates
freedom. The Declaration of Independence, which was approved July 4, 1776, was
not a declaration of freedom to do whatever we want. It was a declaration of independence
from Great Britain. It was not a rejection of government and law. It was a
declaration of the right to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness under
that oversight of government established by the people. It was not a government
established by God, which is what so many despotic kings claimed, but a
government established by the people.
It is a good system, yet every system has fault. The primary
fault of any governmental system is that is it run by broken people. The Bible teaches
that true freedom comes not from declarations or human efforts but through the
gospel, the Word, and the Spirit. Is 61:1 is quoted by Jesus in Lk 4:18.
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is
on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the
prisoners,
It is through the gospel of Jesus Christ that good news is
preached to the poor. It is through the gospel of Jesus that the brokenhearted
are bound up and captives are released. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For freedom
Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke
of slavery.” This is not freedom to do whatever we want, but true freedom from
the sin and brokenness that holds us in slavery. Paul goes on to write, “For
you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an
opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another (Gal 5:13). Freedom,
true freedom, is the freedom to willing and freely serve out of love.
Freedom is found in the gospel. It is also found in God’s
Word. Ps 119:45 says, “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your
precepts.” Freedom does not mean the freedom to determine for yourself what it
right, true, or proper. Freedom is found in the truth of God’s Word. Freedom is
found when we enter into the life for which we were created. Freedom is found
in the gospel and the Word of God.
Finally, freedom is found in God’s Spirit. “Now the Lord is
the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2Cor 3:17).
It is the indwelling Spirit of God that gives us understanding of God’s Word as
we meditate on it. It is the Spirit that comes to dwell in every individual who
responds to the gospel in faith. He empowers us to serve. He grows in us the
love of Christ. He guides us to live out our freedom in a way that honors God. “Where
the Spirit . . . is, there is freedom.”
Freedom is celebrated with a day off from work, barbecue, family,
and celebration, fireworks and carnivals. But true freedom is found in the gospel,
the Word, and the Spirit. This is not the empty freedom that leaves us with a
hangover and a yearning for something more. This is the freedom of true life.
It is the freedom to enter into the fullness of who we were created to be. This
Independence Day let me challenge you to declare your dependence on God. Trust
that He will accept you, forgive you, cleanse you, fill you, and give you true
freedom not because you have turned over a new leaf, but because Jesus loved
you enough to die for you and raise from the dead. Believe it.
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