Focused on Freedom - Look to the Star

We were focused on freedom! This week was our nation’s celebration the 4^th of July – the independence day for our country. There were parades, celebrations with carnivals and live entertainment, and of course fireworks. This Sunday we start a new sermon series – Focused. As Christians part of the challenge is to stay focused on Jesus because there are so many different areas of life that can distract us. This morning we’re going to Focus on Freedom. We are free to worship God in this great country, the USA. But the spiritual freedoms that we enjoy transcend life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

This is where Paul picks up in verse 1. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. The 13 colonies won their freedom by fighting the revolutionary war. God won our freedom when he defeated sin, death, and the devil on the cross of Calvary. The 13 colonies declared their independence in the… declaration of independence. On Easter Sunday, Jesus declared our independence from guilt and condemnation in hell when he rose from the dead.

Paul spent the first part of this letter to the Galatians pounding home how important freedom is. There are two ways to lose freedom. The first seems a little silly – add restrictions. Leave this country to become a citizen of the People’s Republic of China. There you will find one restriction after another, you will lose many aspects of your freedom. This is what Paul meant when he says Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. The Christians weren’t tempted to enter a restrictive communist state, but they were tempted to go back to all the old laws that Jesus fulfilled and freed us from. Why?… strangely enough it sounds good to our sinful nature. We think, if I work hard, I get stuff. After all freedom isn’t free! Our spiritual freedom isn’t free either. Jesus paid with his life. God died for us. If we insist on working our way to heaven on our own, we reject what Jesus has done and lose our freedom. The first way to lose your freedom is to give it away.

Want to hear more, including what the life of a Christian looks like as he or she matures? Watch this weeks message, the first in our new summer sermon series – Focused. We are focused on freedom.