The Blessings of Liberty
The Blessings of Liberty
By Pastor John Dawson
This July 4th marks the 249th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The Liberty Bell was originally cast to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the charter of Pennsylvania. It now represents the celebration of the founding of this nation. Inscribed on it are the familiar words from Leviticus 25:10—proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. I know, we really like to make a big deal about the big round numbered celebrations—like the 250th next year, but each year is important. And there is no guarantee of another year. I confess that this fact is hard for me to wrap my mind around. Our military is the strongest in the world—indeed, the strongest in history. Any invading army would be turned away long before they reached our shores. If you are like me, this does not ever enter my mind as a possibility. And yet nations are enduring war right now. Remember that God is the one who raises up and brings down regimes, so be praying for our nation. Pray for peace that the gospel may flourish. Pray for our leaders to do justice, love mercy and be humble before the Lord, who is over all.
Of course, the threat to liberty is not just from a foreign army. The history of ancient Israel is full of people losing liberty, not just to foreign armies, but to the tyranny of foreign gods. The people would worship the idols of the lands and be ensnared to them. The sad irony was that they thought they were free—after all they freely chose to worship these evil gods who demanded detestable sacrifices. But those demonic idols captured their hearts and prevented them from having the true liberty that comes only in the Lord and in worshiping the one true God. This is what threatens our liberty as well.
I recently heard a man say that we in the USA are living in a cult. By cult he meant both a system of belief that is contrary to the truth of the gospel and the sociological definition of a cult. In a cult, conformity is demanded, if you deviate, you are shamed, shunned, and ostracized. The evil forces (evil spirits) of the land call for shameful practices. The worship of all things sexual is akin to the fertility goddess Asherah of the Canaanites. The hyper sexualization of our culture continually develops in more deviant and perverse ways. Things that were too shameful to talk about in years past now have a month dedicated to proudly parading them. The enshrining abortion as a right is akin to the detestable god Moloch. Most make the amassing of wealth the one thing they trust in to guarantee their life and happiness. There are other evil spirits that demand worship. And all these have taken the liberty and life that is found in worship of our God and King, Jesus Christ.
I am preaching through the book of Galatians. The theme of the book is freedom in Christ. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We are not saved by earning favor with God by religious acts or other good works. Those works would never be enough. We are not saved by looking to Jesus and making sure that we have enough good works. We are set free by Christ alone. Once you are set free by Christ, do not return to some other thing that will put you in bondage. As the Apostle says in Galatians 5:1—For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
The guarantee of true freedom is found in Christ. Everyone needs to hear the call. Everyone who wants to be truly free must trust in Jesus Christ. Root your own heart in Christ. Share this good news with others. Is this not a good way to celebrate the blessings that God has given us in this country? Remember this as you celebrate the 4th, and each day.
Pastor John