Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: EG
Program Code: EG002827
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00:08 It's been 2,000 years since the glorious light of the cross
00:12 illuminated a world veiled in darkness and confusion 00:15 about the character of God... 00:17 And still today, the greatest need of mankind is revelation 00:20 of God's love as revealed in the life of Christ. 00:23 Amazing Facts presents the "Everlasting Gospel" 00:26 with Pastor Doug Batchelor 00:28 coming to you each week from Sacramento Central Church 00:31 in sunny California. 00:32 Discover hidden treasures in God's Word today. 00:38 I'd like to talk to you about being free and liberty. 00:44 Maybe it's a good idea to start with some definitions. 00:48 "Freedom" means liberty of the person from slavery, detention, 00:54 restraints or oppression; immunity from arbitrary 00:59 exercise of authority; the capacity to 01:03 exercise choice; free will; 01:05 the right to unrestricted use; full access. 01:11 Sometimes, especially if you've grown up in a country 01:13 where you have freedom, it's easy to take it for granted 01:17 You know, each week at the radio program, 01:19 we share some amazing fact from history or science, 01:22 and then we go into the program. 01:23 This week, we came across a pretty interesting story. 01:27 Have you ever heard of "Henry Box Brown?" 01:30 That's quite a story! 01:33 Born in 1815 in Richmond; born as a slave. 01:38 Worked in the tobacco industry and tolerated that life 01:43 about as long as he could take it, but when his master 01:46 sold his wife and 3 children to someone else 01:48 without talking to him and they were then moved to another state 01:52 ... He made up his mind, "I'm going to be free." 01:55 And so, he had some friends; it was actually 01:58 a white storekeeper, and he persuaded him to 02:01 build a box for him that was 2 feet x 2 feet x 3 feet 02:05 And then they stamped it this side up, 02:08 and they led people to believe it was a box of dry goods. 02:12 And he had 2 friends mail him in the box to abolitionists 02:19 in Pennsylvania that would receive the goods. 02:23 And so, he was placed in this box and they nailed it shut. 02:28 He had a little bit of water, a little bit of food, 02:31 but he was pretty crunched up 02:33 in there if you can imagine. 02:35 And, it tells about his trip as he was mailed... 02:38 It says - Boxes Brown, Boxes Brown Box, 02:41 Brown's Box - - sorry, traveled by wagon, 02:45 then railroad, steamboat, wagon again, 02:49 another railroad, ferry, another railroad, 02:53 and, finally, a delivery wagon. 02:56 The journey lasted over 27 hours, 02:59 and ultimately, they opened the box and he was free. 03:02 He was in a free country. 03:03 He dedicated the rest of his life to liberating other slaves. 03:08 You know, I think that we don't really appreciate 03:11 religious liberty as we should. 03:14 The freedom we have in this country, 03:16 just not only the freedom to come and go, 03:17 tremendous freedom, but the freedom of religion, 03:22 and I think it's at risk. 03:24 These freedoms of religion that we've enjoyed 03:27 for so long, are little by little being eroded. 03:30 You know, it says there in the Constitution, 03:33 "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men 03:37 are created equal and that they are endowed 03:39 by their Creator... " You know it says right in our 03:41 founding documents the recognition that there 03:44 is a Creator and yet, I don't know what you think, 03:46 but it's clear to me, seems like there is a going 03:50 trend to try to delete any reference to recognition 03:54 that there's a Creator from our public policy. 03:59 But in our foundation as a country, 04:02 the clause that talks about the separation of 04:04 church and state is basically saying that the religion 04:08 is not to be a test of qualifications for office, 04:12 and no one religion is to dictate a policy. 04:17 Now, Roger Williams, one of the founders of our country, 04:21 understood and most of the early founders recognized 04:24 that that especially applied 04:26 to the first 4 of the Ten Commandments. 04:28 Follow me... "The Ten Commandments 04:31 were written on 2 tablets of stone. 04:33 Is that Pastor Doug or is that in the Bible? 04:36 That's not just the paintings you see, it's in the Bible. 04:39 Two tables of stone. Why? 04:40 The first 4 Commandments dealt with our relationship with 04:45 the God that we worship is spiritual in nature 04:49 in a special sense. 04:51 The last 6 Commandments are more civil in nature. 04:55 It deals with our relationship with each other. 04:58 Our government should never make laws regarding 05:01 those first 4 Commandments. 05:03 They shouldn't be telling you what God to worship; 05:05 how to worship Him, when to worship Him, 05:09 what His name is. 05:11 The first 4 Commandments are really dealing with 05:14 your freedom to worship God as you choose. 05:17 But when the government begins to not respect 05:20 those last 6 Commandments, the rights of life, 05:24 the rights of property, the respect of parents, 05:28 and the authority of parents, the protection of marriage, 05:31 that 7th Commandment, then you're going to have 05:36 your culture implode on itself. 05:40 Real liberty means obedience. 05:46 Liberty and freedom does not mean you are free 05:50 to just have no law or not restraint. 05:54 You cannot be free without some self-control, 05:58 and we'll bear that out a little more in this message today. 06:02 In that Declaration of Independence, 06:04 it says that we've got the right to pursue happiness. 06:08 You know, according to the latest "World Values Survey," 06:13 they went through hundreds of countries to determine... 06:16 I don't know, they've got some kind of scale where they 06:18 measure happiness of countries, the general happiness. 06:21 The research indicated prosperity is only one of the 06:24 factors in happiness. 06:26 It contributes but it's not the most important factor. 06:29 One of the most important factors in personal happiness 06:32 was freedom. 06:34 That's why people maybe in Puerto Rico or in Columbia 06:37 or countries where they may not have as much prosperity, 06:40 they rank pretty high in happiness because 06:42 they had freedom. 06:44 Personal freedom is even more important than freedom 06:49 of other kinds. 06:51 Political freedom along with democracy, 06:54 and freedom of choice were factors that had a big impact 07:00 on people's happiness quotient. 07:03 Did you know the Bible tells us the day may be coming 07:06 where we may not have our freedoms, 07:08 especially religious freedom. 07:10 Everybody is going to be told 07:12 how they're supposed to worship. 07:14 Revelation 13:15... "And he was granted power to 07:18 give breath to the image of the beast, 07:20 that the image of the beast should both speak and cause 07:23 as many as would not worship the image of the beast 07:25 should be killed." 07:27 The day will come where we're being told how 07:29 we should worship. 07:31 Listen to this... A minister in Fairhaven, Massachusetts 07:37 has been repeatedly cited for holding religious meetings 07:40 in his home - it's a violation of city zoning ordinances. 07:44 It's a home Bible study... they have forbidden it. 07:47 They ruled these Bible studies were home occupations 07:51 and, therefore, prohibited under the town's 07:53 property use ordinance... 07:55 You can't use your home as a religious meeting place 07:57 and so they stopped it and he was cited for this. 08:01 In Los Angeles, the officials ruled that home occupancy 08:05 regulations forbade Orthodox Jews from holding a 08:08 prayer meeting in someone's home. 08:11 As civil liberty lawyers could not help but note... 08:14 In Stratford, Connecticut, there was a case, 08:16 Bible studies were penalized in a home, 08:19 but a Tupperware party was under the full protection 08:22 of the constitution. 08:24 You wonder - what's happening to our culture when you get 08:27 to the place where Tupperware and Pampered Chef - 08:31 you can do that - Bible study - against the law. 08:34 Little by little, you know, it's getting to the place in 08:37 North America now, they're making laws that 08:39 you cannot say anything against Islam or Catholicism, 08:42 it's a hate crime. 08:44 But you can lambast general 08:48 Christianity - nothing wrong with that. 08:51 as-a-matter-of-fact, it's a sport! 08:52 That ought to cause you concern, 08:55 and some people are so afraid, 08:58 on the other side of the spectrum, 09:00 we try to make laws for everything - 09:04 You know, I thought about it this week, again, 09:06 I've been traveling a lot, just all of the scrutiny 09:08 that you go to, you have to add so much more 09:10 time to travel so you can get through security. 09:14 And it was amazing to me, how many times I had to 09:16 take out my photo ID and show them who I was as I was going 09:20 2 or 3 places through the line to get on the airplane, 09:24 and I remember the day where you just kind of got on. 09:27 As-a-matter-of-fact, I know someone who got 09:30 on the plane just by showing their ticket jacket! 09:33 I mean, things were a lot freer back then; but there was risk! 09:39 And so in our effort to find more security, 09:42 we're making more and more laws. 09:45 You know, laws don't ensure freedom. 09:48 More and more laws actually limit freedom. 09:50 Benjamin Franklin said something like this... 09:53 "Those who give up essential liberty to purchase a little 09:56 temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety." 10:01 Little by little, we are sacrificing our liberties 10:04 to give us the illusion of security. 10:07 ... Until, you know, pretty soon you're not going to 10:10 be able to leave your house without checking with 10:12 some video camera to make sure that it's okay. 10:17 Who was it... "Oliver Wendell Holmes" 10:20 said this... "The values of a reasonably just society 10:25 will reflect themselves in reasonably just law. 10:28 The better the society, the less law there will be. 10:33 In heaven there is no law... Because it's written where? 10:36 It's in the heart - there's a law but it's in the heart. 10:41 "The lion will lie down with the lamb." 10:43 The values of an unjust society will reflect themselves 10:46 in an unjust law. 10:47 The worse the society, the more law there will be." 10:52 And I've seen that as I've traveled around the world. 10:55 Well the message of the Bible, really, when you think about it, 10:58 is a message of liberty. 11:00 I mean, isn't that what happened... 11:02 you had a nation that was enslaved and they were liberated 11:05 A whole nation was free. 11:08 What is liberty? Definition here... 11:11 Very similar, it's a synonym for freedom. 11:13 The condition of being free from restriction; 11:16 the right and the power to act; 11:19 to believe or to express one's self in a manner 11:22 of one's own choosing; the condition of being 11:24 physically and legally free from confinement, 11:27 servitude or forced labor, freedom from unjust 11:31 governmental control. 11:32 So you wonder - Are we losing our liberties 11:35 little by little under the pretense of homeland security? 11:40 Now, I am so thankful that since 9/11, we haven't, praise God, 11:44 had another attack on our soil and if our President 11:47 has done anything right, he did the right thing 11:50 in taking the war away from our soil. 11:53 We have been able to prevent that and I'm grateful for that. 11:58 But, some people are so concerned about safety 12:03 they think it can be legislated by the government. 12:07 You know, I read something a little while ago, 12:11 and I'm just trying to remember it now, it's not in my notes, 12:13 but it was talking about those who grew up during the 12:15 50s and the 60s... how amazing it was. 12:20 You know, we drove without our seatbelts on. 12:23 How many of you were kids that used to lay up on 12:26 the dashboard - there in the back of the car and sleep? 12:30 Or you had those banana seat bicycles and you would 12:33 ride without helmets? 12:35 Trampolines did not have nets around them. 12:40 And you know, we would skate without elbow pads 12:46 and knee pads and... How did we survive? 12:51 No, some didn't. 12:53 Granted, there are some dangers, 12:55 and you know, the more laws you get, the more rules, 12:57 and the more safety you get... 13:00 When it comes to cigarettes... 13:03 You might wonder how I got there. 13:08 I don't think the government ought to make laws that 13:11 tell people you're not allowed to sit on a pile of ants. 13:14 I think if you want to sit on a pile of ants, 13:17 you go sit on a pile of ants, but our insurance isn't 13:20 going to pay for you to recover. 13:25 And, like with smoking, I don't think they should make 13:29 all these laws and tax something that is killing you. 13:33 I think if someone wants to smoke and kill themselves 13:35 it's really stupid... Pardon me, 13:37 I don't like using that word. 13:40 You just don't get insurance! 13:47 And there should just be simple cause and effect. 13:50 You know what would happen to the drug industry 13:52 if people wanted to just... 13:53 How come alcohol is legal? 13:55 I'm going to really get in trouble now... 13:57 One of the most destructive drugs in the world, 13:59 and marijuana is not now, but in some parts 14:02 of California it is... huh? 14:03 If you want to make the bottom drop out of the 14:05 financial market in several counties in California 14:08 legalized marijuana, they'll be a financial disaster. 14:11 Now I'm not advocating that, I'm just telling you 14:14 we try and control these things and there's no 14:16 ... it's incongruous how we try and do it. 14:20 And, the sign of an unjust society is a 14:24 multiplication of laws to control behavior. 14:29 One of the most moral times in our country was shortly 14:33 after the founding when people used - the Bible was the 14:36 principle of morality and little by little, we're trying 14:41 to legislate morality and force each other to take care 14:48 of themselves - I know, you probably think 14:49 I've got some strange views. 14:52 Real freedom comes from a relationship with the Lord. 14:57 John chapter 8, and this is where I want to spend 14:59 some time this morning... 15:02 John 8:31-34... Jesus said, "If you abide in 15:11 My Word, you are My disciples indeed; 15:14 and you'll know the truth and the truth will make you free." 15:19 It's not the laws that make us free. 15:22 There are a lot of people who are more free with Jesus 15:26 in countries where they don't have freedom, 15:28 than in a country where your 15:30 freedoms of religion are protected, 15:31 but you don't have Jesus. Did that make sense? 15:36 The truth will set you free. 15:38 The Jews, when they heard this, they answered and said, 15:41 "We're Abraham's descendents and we've never been in bondage 15:45 to anyone. 15:46 How can you say you'll be made free?" 15:48 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly I say to you, 15:52 whoever commits sin, is a slave to sin." 15:56 You know if one thing is clear from the Bible is this... 15:59 that sin enslaves people. 16:04 Sin is a form of slavery. 16:09 Proverbs 5:22... Speaking of the lost and the sinner. 16:15 "His own iniquities will entrap the wicked man, 16:18 and he's caught in the cords of his sin." 16:21 You know, you've heard me say this before, 16:24 but I believe that everybody is an addict; 16:31 everybody is an addict. 16:34 God designed us with addictive natures. 16:38 That means there is a craving that everybody has 16:42 to be satisfied and we feel this yearning, this craving. 16:47 There's this emptiness in everybody's heart, 16:51 and God designed us to fill that vacuum with Himself. 16:56 When Adam ran from God, he still had that vacuum within 17:02 that he was yearning to fill. 17:05 But every man, since the Garden of Eden until today, 17:08 who has tried to fill that vacuum 17:10 with anything other than God, 17:11 has become addicted to something else. 17:14 Everybody - this is my theory, you might disagree with me, 17:17 but I've observed it and I still believe it... 17:19 If a person has not found their fulfillment in God, 17:23 you simply need to ask... "What is their addiction?" 17:27 It's got to be something. 17:30 Some people are addicted to money. 17:33 They live for it! It's their God. 17:36 Whatever your addition is, that's your god. 17:39 Some people are addicted to drugs - we talked about that, 17:43 and it defines their day. 17:45 Through their day, they're working to make sure 17:48 they got enough money for their drugs, 17:50 or they might be stealing to make sure they got enough 17:51 money for their addiction. 17:53 If a person is an alcoholic, he's planning his day 17:56 around his lunch drink until he can get to, after work, 17:59 his dinner drink, he drinks himself to sleep, 18:01 and he starts it all over again and that defines who he is. 18:04 When he goes on vacation, he always want to know... 18:07 Is there a bar in the hotel? 18:11 Some people are addicted to food. 18:13 A lot of people are addicted to food. 18:16 I bet most of you have eaten today. 18:19 Food is an unusual addiction because you could do 18:21 very well without alcohol, cigarettes and some of that 18:23 other stuff but you gotta eat; 18:25 you just can't let it get out of control. 18:27 But some people, instead of eating to live, they live to eat 18:29 You know what I'm talking about. 18:32 And, they're squirreling away little goodies for those 18:36 quiet central moments when they can gobble them down. 18:40 And it's an event for them, that's their god, 18:46 and some people, some are addicted to politics, 18:50 have you met those people before? 18:51 It's their life! It's an addition for them, 18:53 and I think that, you know, we ought to be citizens 18:55 that vote for good policy, but it's not your god 18:59 if you're a Christian... you want to be responsible. 19:02 Some are addicted to people other than God. 19:04 They're in these co-dependent sick relationships, 19:07 and their whole lives are determined by the whims 19:10 of other dysfunctional people. 19:12 If you are not addicted to God, 19:15 if God is not the center of your life, 19:17 if He's not filling that vacuum in your heart, 19:20 then you are enslaved to something else. 19:23 You're in bondage, you're not free. 19:26 The only way you can really be free, Jesus said, 19:29 is if you've got the truth. 19:30 What is another name for Christ? 19:32 He is the Truth. 19:34 And so, if you've got Jesus, the real Truth, in your heart, 19:37 that's when you find freedom. 19:39 Without Him, the question is, What prison are you in? 19:44 What chain are you bound with? 19:47 Acts 8:23... When Peter was talking to Simon, 19:52 he was what-do-you-call-it, addicted to money. 19:55 He said, "I see that you are poisoned by bitterness 19:58 and bound by iniquity." 20:00 Romans 6:6... Paul said, "Knowing this, that our 20:03 old man is crucified with Him - with Christ, 20:06 that the body of sin might be destroyed, 20:09 that henceforth, we should not serve sin." 20:12 The whole idea of the plan of salvation is to save us from 20:16 this addiction to sin. 20:18 By the way, anything you can be 20:21 addicted to is probably not good for you. 20:24 Even in the food kingdom, there are foods 20:29 you get addicted to. 20:30 Nobody gets addicted to the good foods. 20:34 You don't ever hear anybody say, 20:36 You know, I gotta go... Why? 20:38 I gotta get some zucchini... You know, I'm not gonna make it 20:43 through the day... having a melt-down. 20:46 It's always the bad food that they get addicted to, right? 20:49 It's a different kind of slavery. 20:52 Jesus came to free the sinner. 20:56 This is all through - was in our Scripture reading. 20:59 Jesus came to set the captive free. 21:01 Romans 6:18... Notice this, "And having been set free 21:08 from sin..." Wait, I want to stop right there. 21:12 Is it really possible for people to be set free from sin? 21:16 Pastor Doug - you're getting carried away. Really free? 21:20 You know, some people they have problems accepting the concept 21:26 of freedom, they've been in prison so long. 21:28 Jesus says, you can be free. 21:30 Having been set free, not just from the penalty of sin, 21:36 from the power of sin in your life. 21:38 You become slaves of righteousness. 21:41 Instead of serving sin, you serve righteousness. 21:44 Romans 6:20... I can't read all of Romans 6 to you, 21:47 so I'm just going to jump around and go to verse 20. 21:49 "For when you were slaves of sin, 21:51 you were free in regards to righteousness." 21:53 You can't do both - you can't say, I'm a slave 21:55 to righteousness and a slave to sin - does that make sense? 21:58 They're incongruous, they don't go together. 22:00 Romans 6:22-23... "But now having been set free 22:05 from sin... by whom? By Jesus 22:09 and having become slaves of God..." 22:11 You either serve God or you serve sin. 22:14 You realize, of course, serving sin and Satan are the same thing 22:18 ...having been slaves or servants of God, 22:21 you have your fruit unto holiness,.. It's in the life. 22:24 and in the end, everlasting life. 22:27 For the wages of sin is death, 22:29 but the gift of God is eternal life." 22:31 Notice how that famous verse is connected with 22:34 free from sin. 22:37 Jesus does not save us to be free to sin. 22:42 He saves us from our sins. 22:45 Now, does that mean that if a Christian has been set free 22:50 from sin by Jesus that you don't ever see any elements 22:54 of sin in their life? Not necessarily. 22:58 An example... We live in a country right now where we can.. 23:01 Right now if you want to, I hope you don't, 23:03 you can stand up and walk out of here. You're free right? 23:06 I'm assuming that unless you are brought by your parents 23:09 or your spouse against your will, 23:11 most of you are here because you want to be. 23:13 I'd like to believe that all of you are here 23:16 because you want to be, but I know that there may be 23:19 some who come with some hesitancy, but you're free. 23:25 We're free in our country to pretty much 23:28 come and go as we want, though our speed as we 23:31 come and go is regulated, right? For safety reasons. 23:36 But if you break that law, there's a penalty. 23:41 You could even have your car taken away, 23:43 you can be imprisoned. 23:45 You might be free, but there are still elements 23:49 of disobedience and bondage around you. 23:52 Do we have prisons in California? Way too many! 23:55 So even though you are free, living in a free country, 23:58 it doesn't mean that there aren't elements 24:00 of crime and rebellion. 24:03 You can have Jesus reigning on the throne of your mind 24:08 ... you are free, but that doesn't mean 24:10 there won't be episodes of rebellion. 24:13 There might be misdemeanors of crime in your life, 24:16 and Jesus is still on the throne. 24:18 The Bible puts it this way... 24:19 "Sin shall not have dominion over you." 24:23 But, if some gang leader becomes president; 24:26 if some gang leader starts taking over the position 24:30 of government, and sometimes we wonder, you know 24:32 with these political offices. 24:34 And they start telling us what to do, 24:36 and some fascist leader takes control, 24:39 and tells us when we can come and go... 24:41 When they're in power, we lose our freedom. 24:45 When Christ is in power in your mind, you can be free. 24:50 So, how do you tell what has the control? 24:55 Does Christ in His righteousness control your life 24:58 or does sin and slavery control your life? 25:00 "Sin shall not have dominion over you." 25:03 Christ is the Lord, that's how we determine 25:05 that difference here. 25:07 Luke 4:18... We just read that. Jesus began His ministry 25:10 by saying the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me 25:13 because He has anointed me to preach the gospel 25:15 to the poor. Why? 25:17 He sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, 25:18 to proclaim liberty, to liberate people from the 25:22 bondage of sickness, to liberate people from the 25:25 bondage of sin. 25:26 Have you ever been really sick? 25:28 It doesn't matter how free you are, if you're really sick, 25:30 you don't feel free, do you? 25:31 Illness is another kind of slavery and bondage. 25:35 And a lot of people - what good is it 25:37 if someone says you're free and you're in a hospital bed 25:40 because you're too sick to do anything. 25:44 And so we want both kinds of liberty; 25:46 you want liberty of health and liberty of life and action. 25:52 When Jesus raised Lazarus 25:54 from the dead, you notice what He does? 25:57 Lazarus was bound when He gave him life. 26:00 First, He raised him, then He said, "Now loose him." 26:05 And so, when people come to Jesus, 26:07 they come with their chains, and then Jesus breaks the chains 26:11 Now back to our verse here in John 8:35... 26:14 I'm going to read on here in John 8... 26:17 Jesus goes on and He says - this is the verse where He 26:19 said, "The truth will make you free." 26:22 He says, "And the slave does not abide in the house forever, 26:26 but a son abides forever." 26:29 So now the next question is.. 26:30 Are you a son or a servant? 26:33 Are you a son or a slave? 26:36 When you are freed by Jesus, you are also adopted. 26:40 Christ says you are now His beloved son or daughter 26:43 in whom He is well-pleased. 26:45 We're adopted into the family. 26:47 See, real freedom is still service but the service 26:50 comes from the heart now. 26:52 Do you see what I'm saying? 26:54 Matthew 17:24... One time some people came to Peter 27:00 at Capernaum and they were the ones who 27:02 collected the temple tax and they said to Peter, 27:06 "Does your teacher pay the temple tax?" 27:09 And Peter didn't know what to say and he said, 27:10 Yeah, he pays the taxes. 27:12 And he came into the house and Jesus knew what had happened, 27:15 and Jesus said to him, "What do you think, Simon? 27:18 From whom do the kings of the earth take custom or taxes, 27:22 from their sons or from strangers?" 27:26 Peter said to him, "From strangers." 27:28 Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free." 27:32 There's a different relationship between those who are 27:35 servants and those who are sons. 27:38 In the Roman Empire, Roman citizens didn't have 27:41 to pay taxes. 27:43 All the other countries who were noncitizens, paid taxes. 27:48 A Roman could not be a slave. 27:51 A Roman couldn't be crucified. 27:56 A Roman couldn't be bound without being tried. 27:58 There are a lot of laws that protected Romans. 28:00 They were called "sons of the empire." 28:02 And so the sons didn't pay the taxes the way the servants did. 28:06 Meaning the nations that had been conquered. 28:08 You remember one time, they tied up the Apostle Paul. 28:11 And he said," Are you tying me up, a Roman..." 28:12 They didn't realize he was a Roman citizen. 28:14 That was a great benefit for him in his missionary work. 28:17 You couldn't tie him up, you couldn't beat him. 28:20 One time, in Philippi, they beat Paul. 28:22 He said, "You beat me, a Roman, uncondemned." 28:24 And the jailer and others said, Oh no, please don't prosecute us 28:27 The Roman army will come after us, we're going to lose 28:29 our position; we're not allowed to do that 28:30 because you are a son of the kingdom. 28:33 So they had special privileges. 28:36 When you're saved, you still serve, but you're a son. 28:41 It's a loving service because of relationship. 28:43 For instance... How many of you remember 28:46 the parable of the prodigal son? 28:48 He's not called the prodigal servant - he's a son. 28:52 He leaves home, he squanders his inheritance in a foreign land. 28:57 He ends up feeding pigs, starving for the 29:00 cobs and the pods that the pigs are eating. 29:03 He finally comes to his senses and he says, 29:05 "My father's servants eat better than I'm eating. 29:10 I will arise and go to my father." 29:13 And as-a-matter-of-fact, you can read that in Luke 15:18. 29:19 "I'll arise and go to my father and I'll say to him, 29:21 "Father, I've sinned against heaven and before you, 29:24 I'm no longer worthy to be your son; 29:27 make me a servant. 29:29 I am not worthy to be a son, make me a servant." 29:33 And the father says - none of that, he embraces him 29:35 as a son, puts a robe on him like a son 29:38 from the family wardrobe; gives him the family signet ring 29:41 proving that you are completely maintaining 29:44 the status of a son. 29:45 Now here is the big question... 29:48 Did the father's boys also serve him? 29:54 You remember what the older brother said? 29:56 "I've served you all these years." 29:57 Was he still the son? 29:59 Do sons serve? Did Joseph serve his father? 30:03 Did his brothers serve their father? 30:05 But they were serving as sons. 30:08 That's different from serving as slaves. 30:11 So when you are saved by Jesus, 30:14 and you're liberated by His power, 30:16 and He gives you the Holy Spirit, 30:18 do we say then... "Oh, I'm free now, 30:20 I don't need to obey because I'm a son. 30:23 Or do you serve Him now out of love 30:26 because you've been adopted? You see the difference? 30:30 Do you know that even in our country, during the time of 30:34 the Emancipation Proclamation, some who had been slaves 30:38 in households in the South, they loved their masters 30:41 and the masters loved the slaves and many of the slaves 30:44 they grew up with the children and they raised the children, 30:46 and they said, "Look, we're going to adopt you," 30:47 and they took the names of their masters. 30:50 They were adopted into the family. 30:51 Some were given an inheritance. 30:54 And they didn't run away and leave. Why? 30:56 Even though they were free to, because they had become family. 31:00 And it was like sons, the relationship changed, 31:04 and that's what God wants for us. 31:07 We don't say... Oh praise the Lord, I'm saved, now I can sin. 31:09 No, now we serve as sons which is, of course, 31:13 the best way to do it. 31:14 Let me tell you an interesting story I read this week. 31:17 Any of you ever heard about Kaspar Hauser? 31:21 Kaspar Hauser - a very interesting study 31:23 about 1-1/2 centuries ago of a 15-year-old boy who was seen 31:27 stumbling up the streets of Nuremberg, Germany 31:30 and he was dressed reasonably well and someone began to 31:34 inquire - the boy seemed very confused and bewildered 31:36 and out of sorts and they tried to interview him. 31:39 He could only speak a few muttering sentences, 31:41 and he seemed to be just kind of in a daze... 31:44 And I'm going to give you the short version of the story. 31:47 Evidently, this boy was the Prince of Baden. 31:52 He had been abducted from the cradle when he was like 31:56 2 or 3 years old, they don't know exactly, in 1812, 32:00 and he had been kept in a box, pretty much, 32:02 just a very small room. 32:05 In the dark for the most part; he had a little bit of light 32:07 coming through a crack because his kidnappers were 32:10 hoping for a ransom; they never wanted the child 32:12 to see them and they would feed him through the walls. 32:16 Every now and then, they would give him water 32:18 with some opium in it. 32:19 When he would fall asleep, they'd come in and he would be 32:22 changed, given some new clothes. 32:24 They clipped his nails and cut his hair, 32:25 then they'd leave again. 32:26 They gave him a rocking horse to play with. 32:28 They would speak through the walls and they taught him 32:30 a little bit about the Christian religion and how to speak. 32:34 But can you imagine how dysfunctional a boy would be 32:38 growing up in a box until you're 15 or 16 years old. 32:41 They never exactly knew what the date was. 32:44 Later, they found out he was the prince and when the 32:46 Prince of Baden died and they realized that he might 32:51 be in line to be the heir, he was assassinated. 32:55 And when he was 22 years of age, finally taught him 32:58 to talk and even write enough where he wrote the 33:00 autobiography and it was really 33:01 strange the way that they treated him. 33:04 He never could eat anything other than brown bread 33:07 because that's all he ate for about 10 years. 33:09 His stomach would not tolerate anything. 33:10 His knees never developed because he couldn't walk around. 33:13 He just always walked in a very stumbling way. 33:15 And, whenever he had the opportunity, he would 33:17 kind of just curl up in the corner and rock 33:19 back and forth and found himself comfortable in small rooms. 33:25 Felt insecure when he was out in the open. 33:27 He had spent so long living in a box that he couldn't feel 33:32 happy being free. 33:34 Do you know what prisoner recidivism is? 33:38 Recidivism is the tendency to lapse into a previous behavior 33:44 especially a tendency to return to criminal habits. 33:49 Prisoner recidivism is, you know after 2 or 3 years 33:53 after a prisoner is released, how long will it be 33:55 before they're back in prison again? 33:57 You would hope "never," right? 33:59 They have been taught, they've been punished, 34:02 they've learned their lesson. 34:03 They're going to be model citizens now. 34:05 Unfortunately that's not the case, 34:07 we have more people in prison in North America now 34:09 than any other time in our history... kind of sad. 34:13 Among released prisoners, those with the highest 34:16 re-arrest rates within 3 years, 74% of burglars 34:21 that are released, are re-arrested within 34:23 3 years for burglary. 34:24 That doesn't mean they commit one burglary in 3 years, 34:28 it means it takes 3 years to catch them doing it again. 34:31 They're probably doing plenty of it. 34:32 For larcenists, 74% were re-arrested within 3 years. 34:36 And motor vehicle thieves, they top it, 78% of car thieves 34:41 are re-arrested for stealing cars within 3 years 34:44 of their release. 34:45 Those who were imprisoned for possessing 34:47 stolen property 74% and there are varying percents, 34:50 but it's almost like two-thirds of prisoners are re-arrested. 34:54 Now, among those who get involved in Christianity, 34:58 and become part of a Christian group and are converted 35:00 in Bible studies in prison, the recidivism rate is 35:04 lower than like 40%. 35:06 A lot of them get out and they stay clean showing that the 35:09 gospel is very powerful. 35:11 Some of you know Chuck Colson. 35:13 He has caused a lot of waves in the prison system because 35:15 he's given them hard facts that if they'll allow his 35:19 Christian ministry in the prisons, 35:21 and Amazing Facts Bible School, a lot of the people 35:24 that take our Bible School correspondence are prisoners. 35:28 So many now are doing it on line but the prisoners can't, 35:30 so we continue to mail it into the prisons, 35:33 and thousands of them have been transformed by 35:36 the power of the gospel. 35:37 Well Chuck Colson and the politicians, they had it out 35:41 because, you know, a lot of atheists that are in the 35:43 prison system - the prison has a lot of corruption in it. 35:46 I'm not trying to get political in this message, but it's just 35:49 true because it's got these unions and it's pretty scary. 35:55 What would happen if all the guards go on strike 35:56 or if they released all the prisoners? 35:58 That's a lot of power to hold over a culture. 36:02 And so, there has been some resistance 36:05 because some of these prisons have had revivals 36:07 go through them and it puts them out of business. 36:11 And so they're threatened by the power of the gospel 36:13 to prevent the recidivism. 36:15 Because you know what happens, a lot of these prisoners 36:17 they get out and they're so used to being institutionalized; 36:20 they're in the prison; they're used to the way of life; 36:22 after years of living a certain way, to go from prison 36:24 to freedom - they're not used to it. 36:27 And they said, "Boy, I don't know, it's kind of nice, 36:29 but it's a little unnerving." 36:31 I heard about one bank was being robbed, 36:34 and the robber came up to the teller and held up a gun, 36:39 and said, "Give me $20," he gave him a $20 bill 36:41 ... that's all he asked for, and he went and sat down 36:44 in the waiting area there at the bank. 36:45 Pretty soon, you know, of course the alarm went off; 36:47 the police came and they picked him up, 36:48 and he said, "What's the problem?" 36:49 He said, "You know, I've just been totally unnerved 36:52 out of prison" and he said, "I've got to go back." 36:54 So he just robbed a $20 bill so he could go back to jail 36:57 because he just couldn't handle the freedom! 37:00 Some people have been saved 37:02 by Jesus and they can't deal with the freedom. 37:04 We suffer with the same kind of recidivism rates. 37:07 Children of Israel liberated from their slavery. 37:11 They've gone from being slaves to the Pharaoh, 37:14 and you know what they kept saying as they went 37:17 through the wilderness... 37:18 "Boy, I don't know what it feels like being free here, 37:21 I think maybe serving Pharaoh was easier than serving God." 37:26 "I want to go back to Egypt." 37:27 You can read one example of that in Numbers 14:3, listen to this: 37:31 This is this nation, think about what they had in Egypt. 37:33 Hard bondage - the pharaoh made them serve with 37:36 hard labor with rigor; making bricks without straw; 37:41 tromping in the mud all day long; 37:44 you know - starvation rations. 37:46 Here they are now on their way to a land flowing with 37:48 milk and honey; God is in their midst, bread from heaven 37:51 every day - they are free! 37:54 They don't have to follow God, they can go wherever they want. 37:58 And this is what they said: "Why has the Lord 37:59 brought us to this land to fall by the sword, 38:01 that our wives and children should become victims." 38:04 "Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" 38:06 "So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader 38:09 and return to Egypt." 38:10 You know, whenever there was some kind of battle, 38:13 they panicked - they said let the Egyptians go fight 38:15 for us, we just want to be slaves. 38:17 They didn't want to fight for their own freedom. 38:19 That mentality of wanting to go back to slavery... 38:25 I wonder if we have that today. 38:27 I wonder if in the church that Jesus is wanting to 38:31 set us free but we're afraid of freedom. 38:34 Were they still servants when they were free? 38:38 Yes, but now they were servants of God instead of the Pharaoh. 38:43 So you know what I'm saying... 38:45 Do you want to serve God or the Pharaoh, 38:47 or do you want to serve Jesus or the devil? 38:48 Do want to serve as a son or as a slave? 38:52 Everybody serves somebody! 38:56 You can choose who you want to serve. 38:58 How much better it is to serve the Lord. 39:02 I heard this story - still talking about the recidivism 39:05 attitude and how people are afraid of freedom. 39:07 There was this Arab chief that would tell the story about 39:10 this general in the Persian Army and they captured a spy. 39:15 And they told the spy - we're giving you 2 choices; 39:19 you can either be executed by the firing squad, 39:24 or it's the big black door, which is it? 39:28 And the spy struggled with the decision; 39:32 firing squad or the big black door... ah ha 39:34 Thinking that behind the big black door probably was torture, 39:39 and this is the general's cruel idea of a joke. 39:42 He said, "I'll take the firing squad like a man, 39:44 quick get it over with." 39:46 And one of the aides of the general said, 39:48 "What's behind the big black door?" 39:51 He said, "Freedom." 39:52 But he said - "Very few men have been brave enough 39:58 to take the big black door." 40:01 They'd rather have the known death or the known slavery 40:05 rather than the unknown freedom! 40:09 And you wonder if that dynamic affects us sometimes. 40:13 Sometimes I think we want the government to give us 40:19 the sense of security and we're 40:22 willing to surrender ourselves to slavery and so the laws 40:26 continue to proliferate. 40:28 Liberty comes from obedience, another principle... 40:32 Real obedience brings liberty. 40:35 Psalm 119- notice this, verse 44-45: 40:38 "So I will keep your law continually forever and ever 40:44 and I will walk in liberty because I seek your precepts." 40:48 You know, periodically, we're a church that still believes 40:50 in the 10 Commandments, right? 40:53 Amen? Everybody should have said "yes" to that one. 40:56 We still believe that we don't 40:57 keep the Ten Commandments to be saved. 41:01 But, we believe as all Christians used to believe 41:04 when we are saved, we keep the Ten Commandments; 41:06 Sabbath happens to be one of them. 41:08 And some people have accused us before, 41:11 as Seventh-day Adventist Christians, they've said, 41:13 "Oh, you folks are keeping that 4th Commandment; 41:16 you're keeping the Ten Commandments, 41:18 you're just putting people under bondage. 41:20 You're putting people under bondage. 41:22 That is not true! 41:23 The Bible teaches that obedience brings liberty. 41:28 Obedience brings real liberty. 41:30 Some more verses for you... James 1:25 41:35 "But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty, 41:39 and continues in it, not being a forgetful hearer, 41:42 but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does" 41:45 The law of liberty! 41:48 James 2:11-12... "For he who said, 41:51 do not commit adultery... Is that one of the laws? 41:54 Where does that law come from? 41:56 One of the Ten Commandments. 41:58 "For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, 42:00 "Do not murder." Does that sound familiar, 42:03 do not murder? What is that? 42:05 One of the Ten Commandments. 42:07 "He that said, "Do not commit adultery, 42:09 also said, Do not murder." 42:10 Now then, if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, 42:13 you are a transgressor of the law." 42:15 And then he says, "So speak and so do; 42:18 be a doer and a speaker of those who will be judged 42:22 by the law of liberty." 42:24 He's calling the Ten Commandments a law of liberty. 42:28 Why can he say that? 42:31 Well, the reason that you're sitting here in the pew 42:33 and you're free and there are other people who are not free, 42:36 but they're in jail downtown, is because I'm assuming 42:40 that you are obeying the law and they're not. 42:43 Isn't that right? So that same law that we 42:45 all live under, through obedience, 42:47 it is a law of liberty for you. 42:50 To those who violate it, it's a law of bondage. 42:52 So those who accuse Bible Christians, 42:56 of putting bondage on people because you're teaching 42:58 the Ten Commandments, you're putting liberty 43:01 on people when you teach the Ten Commandments. 43:03 The ones who are telling others to break the Ten Commandments 43:06 ... those people are being bound by sin. 43:10 Does that make sense? Obedience brings liberty. 43:15 This what Jesus said. 43:16 Matthew 11:28... Christ does not promise to follow Him 43:21 and have no constraints, no service; on the opposite, 43:25 He says, "Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy-laden, 43:29 and I will give you rest." 43:31 Notice - "Take My yoke;" what is a yoke? 43:35 I'm not talking about the middle of an egg. 43:37 A yoke was a farm implement that was used to put 43:40 2 beasts together like oxen or donkeys or something 43:43 for pulling a plow. 43:44 It was an instrument of service. 43:47 So Jesus said, "Yoke up with Me, 43:49 we will serve God as sons together." 43:54 So He's not inviting us to come and disobey; 43:56 He's not inviting us to just be reckless and irresponsible. 44:00 He's inviting us to be free in service. 44:02 Notice, He goes on... "Take My yoke on you; 44:05 learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; 44:08 you will find rest for your souls 44:11 for My yoke is easy and My burden is light." 44:15 You cannot be free in a country without law, 44:19 but you can't be free in a country with too much law. 44:22 That's legalism. 44:24 Did Paul have to deal with that also? 44:27 You know, in the early church, 44:28 they had the same issues that we're dealing with today. 44:31 You had the Jewish Christians, you had 2 extremes. 44:35 You had one group - the Gentiles who were saying, 44:38 Praise the Lord, we accept Jesus and we're not under the 44:40 old Jewish law; we don't need to keep any law anymore. 44:43 And James was talking to them and he said that... 44:48 You know, without obedience, you can't be free. 44:50 If you say you've got faith and you don't have works, 44:53 you're dead. 44:54 Real faith will be demonstrated in obedience, 44:57 and he specifies the Ten Commandments, doesn't he, 44:59 the Book of James. 45:00 Then you've got the other extreme; 45:02 you had Jewish converts that were wanting the Gentiles 45:05 to keep all of the ceremonial laws and a lot of these 45:07 Mosaic laws that were shadows of Christ, 45:11 and Paul had to deal with that. 45:12 In Galatians, he says, You're putting these people 45:14 ... you're taking away their liberty; 45:15 you're putting them under bondage. 45:17 You can read that in Galatians 5:1 45:20 And so you get these 2 extremes; we've got the same thing. 45:23 You got one group that's trying to legislate morality, 45:27 and you got the other group that's says... 45:28 Now because we're free, you're free to do anything. 45:31 You could be irresponsible and, you know, last year I was in 45:35 Columbia and I remember they were warning us about 45:39 being careful going out on the streets because they have 45:41 this group called "FARC" that was going out there 45:43 and they were rebels that were kidnapping Americans 45:46 and asking for these fabulous ransoms 45:49 and you had to be very careful. 45:50 It was a little safer in Medellin, where I was, 45:53 than in Bogotá which was a little closer to the rebel camps 45:57 And some of these people had been arrested, 45:59 some for 10-11 years, held in jungles, 46:03 chained up every night, mosquitoes biting them 46:07 all day long, nothing to do, it was just pretty pitiful. 46:10 And they effected a rescue this week where Ingrid Betancourt, 46:17 3 American contractors, 11 other officers in the 46:20 Columbian Army were miraculously rescued. 46:22 And, of course, they did this it was sort of a covert action 46:25 and as the rebels handed them over, 46:28 to these 2 helicopters, they thought were just moving 46:31 them to be with the head rebel, well, they were dressed like it 46:36 and the helicopters looked like helicopters that had been 46:40 used before in transporting the captives, 46:44 so they handed them over. 46:46 And as they got on the chopper, they subdued, 46:50 well, as-a-matter-of-fact, I should read this to you here. 46:52 Ingrid Betancourt and 3 U.S contractors and 11 Columbian 46:55 military officers were spirited to safety by helicopter 46:58 Wednesday, July 2nd, from the gorilla jungle hideout. 47:01 Betancourt said that on the morning of her rescue, 47:04 she put herself in the hands of God. 47:07 They were so sad, they thought they were just going 47:09 to another place; they were hoping someone would 47:12 negotiate their release. 47:13 Years missing her children growing up and the others, 47:17 they had children and families and all they could live for was 47:20 being reunited with their families, they said. 47:23 So that morning when she realized they were being 47:25 transported, she said, I didn't know what was 47:26 happening;" she was so depressed. 47:28 She said, "God, I'm just putting myself in Your hands." 47:30 "I did not realize what was going on until Cesar..." 47:33 That was one of the head rebels, was in the helicopter, 47:36 he had been subdued and was tied up on the floor. 47:40 Then they said, "You're free." 47:43 They actually videotaped this and I don't know if any 47:46 of you saw it - over and over again, they had to keep 47:49 saying it because it wasn't registering. 47:52 They told them, they cut their plastic handcuffs, 47:55 and they said, "You're free, you're free, you're free, 47:59 and it was starting to sink in and Mrs. Betancourt said, 48:01 "We were jumping up and down so much in the helicopter, 48:03 we almost brought it back down to the ground again" 48:06 ... because they were so happy to be free! 48:09 She said, "This is like heaven." 48:12 Because, I mean, we don't really value it until you lose it. 48:18 Some never really appreciate it because they 48:19 never really had it. 48:21 I believe they are people who have grown up in the 48:23 church and they've never really been free. 48:25 When Jesus comes into your heart, you really know 48:28 all of my past sins are forgiven, 48:30 I'm on my way to heaven; we keep thinking like prisoners. 48:35 The Bible said when Peter decided to follow Jesus, 48:38 he got up and the chains fell off. 48:41 The Lord sent His angels and he opened the prison doors. 48:45 Paul and Silas were praying and there was an earthquake 48:47 and the prison doors came open. 48:49 God parts the Red Sea and the Children of Israel cross over. 48:54 In each one of those cases I just cited, 48:56 God worked a miracle that freed them. 49:00 When you are freed from your slavery, it's a miracle, 49:03 and God wants to do that for everybody. 49:05 It's not just some people who happen to get the right feeling 49:08 at the right time... 49:09 Jesus is offering that liberation to everybody. 49:14 Christ came down, the helicopters landed, 49:16 you just got to get on board. 49:18 And then He keeps saying, "You're free now." 49:20 "He that has the Son, has life." 49:22 If you accept Jesus into your heart, 49:24 if you have the truth, the truth will set you free. 49:27 Now, that freedom needs to be maintained or you're going to 49:29 start thinking like the Children of Israel saying, 49:31 "I want to go back to Egypt." 49:32 You have to think like Joshua and Caleb 49:34 and saying, "I believe we can make it all the way 49:36 to the Promised Land." Amen? 49:37 You gotta maintain that attitude of freedom. 49:40 Don't start thinking like a prisoner again 49:41 or you're going to be re-arrested. 49:43 You want to maintain that freedom that's been purchased 49:46 at such a high cost, and you know, 49:51 they're finding it very hard to believe. 49:54 Some people are saying, "How could they effect 49:57 that incredible rescue in Columbia?" 49:59 Some are saying, "They must have paid somebody off." 50:02 Because that kind of liberation, that kind of redemption, 50:06 that ransom - somebody had to pay something. 50:09 Oh, they did pay, it was very expensive, 50:12 but they didn't pay the rebels. 50:14 They paid in months of planning and a lot of prayer 50:20 in order to have them free. 50:22 Your salvation is also very expensive. 50:25 You know, I remember reading just this week, 50:28 the greatest ransom ever paid in history... 50:32 Francisco Pizarro, arrested the king of the Inca Empire, 50:37 Atahualpa in Peru, and he knew that there was gold and silver 50:43 in the kingdom and he said, "I will not free you unless 50:46 you fill one room with gold..." 50:49 and I forget, the room was like 20 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet 50:54 and like 8 feet deep. 50:56 He said, "Fill this room with gold, 50:58 and 2 other rooms with silver." 51:00 It took them 2 years to do it, but the people from 51:02 all over the empire, they wanted their king to be free. 51:04 So they just about liquidated all the gold and silver 51:08 they could find in this incredibly big Inca Empire. 51:11 And after doing all of that, Pizarro reneged on his promise, 51:16 and he killed the king. 51:19 This was the biggest ransom ever paid in history 51:23 and he broke the promise, he killed him. 51:25 Later on, you wonder if it was some kind of divine justice 51:28 Pizarro was killed by his own people in an assassination. 51:32 But our King of Heaven... you think about 51:36 how sad that was, such a wasted ransom. 51:38 All that ransom and didn't even get the freedom of their king. 51:41 Our king has paid an incredible ransom that you might be free, 51:46 but the choice is in your hands... will you go free? 51:50 Are you going to curl up like Kaspar Hauser 51:53 back in a corner somewhere and remain a slave? 51:56 Jesus is offering us... our King is offering us that freedom. 52:00 And this morning, I'd like to have you turn 52:03 to 317 in your hymnals, "Lead Me to Calvary" 52:07 Where does our freedom come from? 52:09 It comes from this ransom that Jesus has paid 52:12 that we must just accept by faith. 52:15 If, this morning, as we close, you'd like to say 52:17 "Lord, I accept that ransom, I want to be free, 52:21 I want to be in your kingdom both now and when Jesus comes," 52:25 why don't you stand with me; let's sing this together, 317. 52:28 Lead Me to Calvary... 52:48 King of my life, I crown Thee now, 52:54 Thine shall the glory be; 53:00 Lest I forget thy thorn-crowned brow, 53:05 Lead me to Calvary. 53:10 Lest I forget Gethsemane; 53:18 Lest I forget Thine agony; 53:23 Lest I forget thy love for me, 53:28 Lead me to Calvary. 53:35 We're not saved from service. 53:37 Everybody serves somebody. 53:41 We are saved by the Lord to serve. 53:43 And the big question is... You just get to decide 53:46 who do you want to serve. 53:48 Some people have never heard about Jesus; 53:50 they don't even know they've got a choice. 53:52 They think that fate has dealt them an unchangeable lot 53:54 and they are just doomed to live out a pitiful existence, 53:59 but you know the good news that you have another choice! 54:02 Nobody was forced to leave Egypt, 54:05 they were invited to leave. 54:06 As-a-matter-of-fact, some of the Egyptians 54:08 left with the Israelites! 54:10 "Whosoever will" was able to come out of Egypt. 54:13 And right now, that's still true today. 54:15 "Whosoever will" Jesus has paid a ransom 54:18 where you can be free. 54:19 Everybody serves - you can decide do you want to serve 54:22 the devil, serve the world, serve whatever your 54:26 addiction is - it's all the same thing, 54:28 or will you serve Jesus? 54:30 That's the choice you get to make. 54:31 As we sing verse 2, there may be some of you 54:34 who have never accepted Jesus or you've never been free, 54:37 and you want that freedom now; 54:38 some of you may want to return, you've had that recidivism, 54:42 you keep looking back towards the land of Egypt, 54:45 and you want to be free... 54:47 Come, we'll have special prayer for you... 54:49 as we sing verse 2. 54:55 Show me the tomb where Thou wast laid, 55:01 tenderly mourned and wept; 55:06 Angels in robes of light arrayed; 55:12 Guarded Thee whilst Thou slept. 55:18 Lest I forget Gethsemane; 55:23 Lest I forget Thine agony; 55:29 Lest I forget Thine love for me, 55:35 Lead me to Calvary. ...verse 4 55:41 May I be willing, Lord, to bear 55:47 Daily my cross for Thee; 55:53 Even Thy cup of grief to share, 55:58 Thou has borne all for me. 56:04 Lest I forget Gethsemane; 56:10 Lest I forget Thine agony; 56:16 Lest I forget Thy love for me, 56:21 Lead me to Calvary. 56:29 Dear Father... Lord, today as we've 56:33 considered true freedom and liberty, we've talked about 56:36 the core of the Gospel, that You sent Your Son 56:40 into the world to liberate us from our slavery, 56:44 from our bondage. 56:45 Lord, I pray that You will help us to experience real freedom. 56:50 We thank You for the freedom we enjoy in our country, 56:53 though we often see it may be threatened, 56:55 help us to do all we can to lengthen that tranquility, 56:59 freedom to worship You. 57:01 But Lord, I pray also that we'll not want to fall for the 57:06 myth that freedom comes through legislation. 57:10 Help us to know real freedom comes from people's hearts 57:13 and minds and self-control. 57:15 Lord, we pray that You will help us to embrace 57:19 the freedom that comes from following Jesus, 57:22 that He can not only save us from our penalty of sin, 57:26 but He can save us from the slavery and the power of sin... 57:30 that we can be free from sin and slaves to righteousness. 57:35 Help us to have that experience, Lord. 57:37 Keep us from turning looking over our shoulders 57:40 back at Egypt and to keep our gaze fixed upon the 57:43 Promised Land. 57:45 Be with each person, Lord, especially those who have 57:47 responded to the appeal this morning. 57:49 Whatever the needs are in their lives, give them liberty. 57:52 We all struggle, we're all sin-aholics, 57:55 but we know that Jesus can save us from our sins. 57:58 Help us to represent Him in our community, 58:01 and be witnesses, Lord. 58:02 Thank You again for this freedom in Christ and in our country. 58:05 We ask these things in Jesus name... Amen |
Revised 2014-12-17