Independence Day 2022 Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty!

Galatians 5:1

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 5:13-15

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. ¹⁴ For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

Galatians 5:16-26

¹⁶ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Why is America Great Today?

> not because we have the greatest natural resources on any continent.

> not because we have the hardest working people.

> not because we have the most intelligent visionaries & inventions.

> not because we have the most practicing religions.

> not because of our population-we have only 4.5% of world’s population.

> not because we have 40% of the wealth of the entire world.

> not because we have given more foreign aid than any nation in history.

> not because we have the strongest military protection of any nation.

Why is America Great today?

> Because our forefathers founded this nation upon a Biblical faith in God.

They not only declared their INDEPENDENCE FROM ENGLAND.

They were also declaring their DEPENDENCE UPON GOD.

> 8 years of Revolutionary war, 15 calls for national prayer

> But that is not what is being taught in school and college anymore!

Why is America Great today?

Psalm 33:12

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”

Samuel Adams, the father of the American Revolution, was bold in proclaiming his faith. To him, signing the Declaration of Independence meant no longer submitting to Great Britain, but rather, submitting to the Lord. As a result, America would be free from the power of man and able to serve Christ. What a significant day in history!

So, why is it important to acknowledge the significance of Independence Day?

BECAUSE American liberty is a blessing from God.

BECAUSE of our freedom, we can express our faith and boldly share it with others.

BECAUSE it is important to recognize that in much of the world, this is not the case.

But unfortunately, liberty/freedom has been exploited and stretched to sinful lifestyles.

But this sinful movement did not start in our lifetimes.

Who made this quote? When was it made? This sure sounds like someone recently!

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.”

THAT SOUNDS AS IF SOMEONE WAS WRITING ABOUT AMERICA TODAY!

Abraham Lincoln wrote the above quote in his Proclamation for a National Day of Fasting Humiliation and Prayer (April 30, 1863).

It is important to remember what our duties are as Christians. We are called to serve Christ and Christ alone, and it is such a blessing that we can live in a country where we have the freedom to do so.

Oftentimes, the enemy will use distractions to keep us from fulfilling our duties as Christians. Being distracted by all that happens on the Fourth of July can cause us to lose sight of the true meaning of the holiday. This is dangerous, as it can ultimately cause us to stray away from Christ.

With this in mind, I encourage you to not lose sight of why we celebrate Independence Day. Take time to reflect on the ways God has blessed you in your life, and make it a goal to not take the freedom we have for granted. As you spend this day with family and friends, I encourage you to celebrate the blessing of freedom that was given to us by Christ.

Paul’s letter to the Galatians was not about national freedom but spiritual freedom.

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.

Paul’s letter to the Romans was not about national freedom but spiritual freedom.

Romans 6:14

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Romans 8:1-2 “Free from Indwelling sin”.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

The first reason we have been given freedom is to fight our flesh.

John 8:34

Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

The second reason we have been given freedom is to serve in love by serving others.

Philippians 2:5-8

⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

The third reason we have been given freedom is to fulfill the NEW COVENANT.

Matthew 5:17

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

One day Jesus a man asked how could anyone possibly keep (fulfill) the Law.

Jesus said “Love the Lord thy God and love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

So, we can now HAVE A NEW COVENANT in Jesus Christ, but now through grace.

4 things for us to remember about our Independence from Sin:

Jesus has set us free from God’s Law in order to make us a slave for God’s LOVE.

The grace of God does not set us free for a care-FREE life, but a care-FILLED life.

we can’t give to others what we ourselves do not possess.

If our life is not about receiving God’s grace, our life is not about giving grace.

The Main Gate of Thompsonville Penitentiary had nothing particularly appealing about it, except that it represented freedom for those who were walking through its doors in the outward direction. Tommy Reilly was doing just that, although he didn’t know why. At 15 years old, he had recently been tried as an adult because of his extensive involvement in the violent world of organized crime. So how was it possible that he, Tommy Reilly, was being released? But, as he walked toward the main gate, he noticed two people standing on the other side, on the ‘freedom side’. As the main door swung open, he recognized that one of the two was his girlfriend, Jessica. She instantly threw her arms around him and began to plead with him to come with her. There was a party that all of his old friends were throwing for him. It would be just like old times.

But as he turned to the other individual, it took him a moment to place the face. “Remember me, Tommy” asked the older gentleman. As soon as the man spoke, Tommy knew who he was. He was the very judge who had sentenced him to life in prison. “Tommy, I’m here to give you a second chance. I’ve taken care of all the charges against you so that you can come with me and serve the younger boys at an orphanage I started.”

“But there’s something else”, the man said calmly. “Since you are a minor and an orphan yourself, I decided to adopt you. You are now my son, Tommy. I understand that you will be tempted to see me through the lens of the past, but I’m asking you to trust me.”

Tommy was stunned. He looked at Jessica, who was still pleading with him. And then he looked back at this man who was supposedly his new father. This back and forth happened several times. He finally dropped his head in confusion.

Where are you standing this morning? If you are standing in grace this morning, then every day, you will also find yourself standing at the main gate…the main gate.

Having been released from bondage, standing there on the ‘freedom side’ of the main gate, like Tommy, you will find yourself confronted with a choice:

Will you go back to living like you once did, to what is familiar, to what is comfortable, but to the very life that condemns and kills…

OR, will you go with your Father…will you trust Him…will you give yourself to a life of love?

Christ’s love not only redeems us, but it should also control us. And if Christ’s love controls us, then we no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ. And if we live for Him, then we live to serve.

Mark 10:42-45

⁴² But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. ⁴⁴ And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”