One day Dad was giving little Tommy his bath, but Tommy disappeared before Dad knows where he has gone! Suddenly Dad hears Mom's women's group laughing...Tommy has made his way down the steps into the living room wearing only his birthday suit!  His horrified Mom whisks him up and hurries him back up to put on his pajamas. "Yep," you think, "it won't be long before little Tommy learns that society places limits on a person's freedom."  (Source not known.)

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            A little boy went to a fancy café with his parents. Their waitress was one of those in-charge types of waitresses, so she stood by, pen and order pad in hand while the family gave their orders. First Mom ordered then Dad, and finally the young son. "And what would you like to eat, young man" the waitress asked.

            "I would like a hot dog and a glass of milk." "No, no, not a hotdog," Mom said. "Bring him some beef, a potato and some vegetables"

            The waitress leaned down and asked the boy what he wanted on his hotdog. "Ketchup, lots of ketchup. And don't forget my milk."

            The waitress wrote his order down and sailed off to the kitchen with the order.

            The lad was amazed! He turned to his mom and said, "Wow, Mom! She thinks I'm real!"  (Source not known.)

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Dr. Peter Marshall was an amazing man. He arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1927 at the age of 24 as a penniless Scottish immigrant. He died an untimely death 22 years later. During that time he became one of America's greatest preachers. Some said that his preaching was so powerful that you could hear the rustle of Jesus' clothes while he preached.

He was the pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., and Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. His wife, Catherine Marshall, wrote a book, which became a movie about him. They were titled, "A Man Called Peter."

This was one of his prayers: "Lord Jesus, Thou who art the way, the truth, and the life; hear us as we pray for the truth that shall make all free. Teach us that liberty is not only to be loved but also to be lived. Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books. It costs too much to be hoarded. Help us see that our liberty is not the right to do as we please, but the opportunity to please to do what is right."

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French writer Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting America in 1831 said, "I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests--and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning--and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution--and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!"

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This morning we want to talk about freedom. John Diefenbaker said, "Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong." 

The battle cry in our society over the past two decades has been freedom - freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom from discrimination, political freedom, economic freedom, sexual freedom. We want to be free!

Freedom is more than fireworks - besides that, they are becoming increasingly illegal! True freedom is doing what we have been set free to do - serve God and serve each other!

Actually, for the Christian every Sunday morning worship service ought to be a celebration of freedom. One author suggested that maybe we should replace our Call to Worship with a fireworks display and our organ with a brass band.

There is no greater freedom in the world than the freedom that Christ gives. John 8:36: "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

When we fail to recognize this truth we will not be able to truly grow as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The message of the Bible is one long saga of liberation. Nine times Moses told Pharaoh, "Let my people go!" Some of us still need to be set free!

Many of us are slaves today, and God wants to set us free. Paul struggled with the idea of slavery and freedom. "I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord...." Romans 7:23-25

What happens when Jesus sets us free? First, we become more dignified! Remember the story of the Good Samaritan? The Jews hated them, but Jesus gave him dignity. He also gave dignity to the woman that had lived with six different men - and was living with a man without the benefit of marriage. Should we encourage them or condemn them?

Richard Petty is a well-known stock car driver. When Petty ran his first race he rushed home to tell his mother. "Mama!" he shouted, "There were thirty-five cars that started, and I came in second in the race!" His mother said simply, "You lost." Petty pleaded, "But Mama, don't you think it's pretty good to come in second in my first race - especially with so many starters?" His mother looked him in the eye and said, "Richard, you don't have to come in second to anybody!" Richard Petty went on to win more money in stock car racing than any driver in the history of the sport.

I would think his mother was putting too much pressure on her son. However, she actually expressed her confidence in him. "You can do it! I know you can do it! You don't have to take second place to anybody!"

Jesus may not that much pressure on us - or maybe He does. Certainly no one loves us more than Jesus does. And He definitely wants us to be successful!

Sam Levinson once said, "I pay my psychiatrist sixty dollars an hour and all he does is ask me the same question my father used to ask me all the time: ˜Who do you think you are anyway?'" Jesus Christ tells us who we are: "You are so precious to Me that if you had been the only person left in the world, I would still have gladly laid down My life for you."

He sets us free by giving us dignity and a new mission for this life!

One of the great mothers of history was Susannah Wesley, mother of nineteen children, all of whom were recipients of her love and devotion. One night she awoke to find her house on fire. The family escaped safely except for five-year-old John. He was trapped on the second floor. His father Samuel, rebuffed in his efforts to go back for his son, kneeled on the ground and commended John's soul to God. Some neighbors, however, made a human chain and rescued the frightened child. Forever after that his grateful mother reminded John that he was "her little brand plucked from the fire." That helped John understand that there was an important purpose to his life. John Wesley, founder of the Methodists, became one of the most influential Christians who ever lived.

When we tell our children that that "God has a plan for your life," and we back it with our words and actions, it does something special for them.

God's plan for our lives may/may not include a call to full time Christian service. It does not mean giving up control of our lives either! It simply means that God has something special to do - something that will last throughout eternity.

We need a sense of purpose. Imagine a large family driving an old, car - no air conditioning - on a hot, Oklahoma day. They are in a large city, sweating terribly when they finally find a parking lot.  It is a miserable day. As they park the car the dad asks, "Does anyone remember why we came to town today?"

Some people are still wondering why God has placed them on planet earth. Every day they wonder, "Who am I?" "Why am I here?" What a tragedy!

Have you ever wondered how animal trainers can train a wild lion? They walk into the cage with a whip and a pistol, but, according to William H. Hinson, the secret of their success is the small wooden stool they carry.  The trainer holds the stool by the back and thrusts the legs toward the face of the wild lion. The lion tries to focus on all four legs at once. In the attempt to focus on all four, a kind of paralysis overwhelms the animal and it becomes tame, weak and disabled because its attention is fragmented.

Satan uses that same trick on us! Success in any field requires focus!

Ask yourself if your life is too complicated, too fragmented. As we yield ourselves to Christ he will help us establish our priorities. That way the most important things in life get taken care of!

"Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! Are you really free today?

The Military Chaplaincy page of the Assemblies of God talks about "Clear Purpose." Here is their definition, an acrostic of the word CLEAR.

* Character with integrity

* Leadership with compassion

* Excellence with service

* Authenticity with Godliness

* Relationship with loving fellowship

They write, "Our chaplains are ordinary people, called to extraordinary service, whose Clear Purpose is to minister in the marketplaces of our society and on the battlefields of our world. Every year, in diverse, unique settings, thousands come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ because a chaplain came alongside them during their moment of need."

In my mind, there is no better way to describe what you and I are to be as Christians... as God's representatives to our part of the command, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to everyone!" (Mark 16:15)

I really enjoy Byline written and produced by the Rev. Dan Betzer. Recently he wrote:

"It was a sad day in a mid-west town recently. After nearly 140 years of ministry, one of the downtown churches closed for good. Once a thriving and expanding ministry, the church had only 12 members left. The pastor reported, 'Oddly enough, it is not money. It is a lack of woman and man power. Just so few of us left to do everything.'

"The remnant was asked for favorite memories. The responses of the few tell the real story. One lady said, 'The communion set is quite special, it was the original one.' Another member said, 'Oh, it is the pipe organ. I love music.'

"One fellow responded, 'I love the windows. As the light changes, the people look different.'

"Well, there you are," Dan continues. "You do not have to be Matlock to figure out that problem. No one mentioned PEOPLE; or evangelism; or outreach; or the altars; or the baptistery. They all mentioned nothing more than the trappings of the church. There is no energy in the trappings. No life in the symbols. Jesus did not die on the cross for these trappings.

"The life is in the divine impartation of redemption by Christ Himself, through the Holy Spirit, to PEOPLE! Think about your church for a moment. What is the first thought in your mind? Pews? Pulpit? Stained glass windows? Hymnals?  Carpet?  Steeple?  If so, your church is in danger.  All of these aforementioned things are only tools. We are not in the tool business. We are in the redemption business. A church is in danger of extinction when it thinks more of its tools than its mission."

"ByLine with Dan Betzer" is a two-minute program heard weekdays on radio stations nationwide. To sponsor a broadcast in your area, call (417) 869-8829. www.ag.org/mediaministries/byline

 

So, in conclusion, are we free?  Or are we hung up on religious tradition or religious "trappings"?  What is our focus? Is it God's will or our will?