Luke 4.18 - 21
INTRO: To those here today, you missed a good service last Sunday evening – Bro. Mike shared a short video that included many views of the areas around Jerusalem, as well as sharing some good insights into His desire for us.
334 years ago, we made a great step. I am so thankful for our nation! The chance to live in it is so great! Why? It is our liberty!!! It is the freedoms that have been obtained for us through the years! More than that, I am glad for the LIBERTY God gave us through His son. The cost was great, but the benefits are enormous!
Luke
4:18-21(NKJV) 18 “The Spirit of
the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach
the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And
recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty
those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
20Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant
and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in
your hearing.”
We can see that tomorrow is a great day, for all of us, all our lives…
July 4th is a celebration of our Liberty
Our nation determined to be freed from bondage and tyranny
Our nation paid an enormous price
Our nation continues to pay a great price for our freedom
Just as our nation celebrates, we as Christians know…
The Lord's Day is a celebration of our Liberty
John 8:32-36(NKJV) 32And you shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
33They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never
been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
34Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever
commits sin is a slave of sin.
35And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son
abides forever.
36Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
The Lord paid an enormous price for our gain of salvation
His freedom continues to give us freedom by God's grace alone
Even in all the celebration, we must understand that…
The Liberty that was gained by our forefathers brought a great responsibility.
They prayerfully drew up several documents to allow our freedom, to pursue better our freedom, and to uphold our freedoms.
No different than our earthly responsibilities…
The Liberty that was gained by Christ causes us to bear a great responsibility
Rejoice in Him
Walk in Him
[and thus] Please Him
Romans 8:1-9(KJV) 1There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit.
2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death.
3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the
flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh:
4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh;
but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace.
7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of his.
We faithfully use God's written documents to guide us in the right paths of freedom
We gladly let others know about the joy of our salvation (fireworks?)
The Gadarean let others know:
Mark 5: 19-20 19Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
20And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
The woman at the well shared her liberty found in Christ:
John 4:28-29 28The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
29Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
The blind man pointed to Jesus as his giver of liberty:
John 9:1-11(KJV) 1And as Jesus
passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man,
or his parents, that he was born blind?
3Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but
that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
4I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the
night cometh, when no man can work.
5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of
the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
7And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by
interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
8The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that
he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
9Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but
he said, I am he.
10Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
11He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and
anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I
went and washed, and I received sight.
We can see that they did not know what to think of this “new” freedom (of sight)
I would like to share something. I know many of us have heard of the great price the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence faced. But I would like to notice the Twelve Disciples great price.
The 12 disciples all paid a great price for our example
Few know the manner in which the 12 Disciples came to their ends.
1. John died of extreme old age in Ephesus.
2. Judas Iscariot, after betraying his Lord, hanged himself.
3. Peter was crucified, head downward during the persecution of Nero.
4. Andrew died on a cross at Patrae, in Achaia, a Grecian colony.
5. James was thrown from a pinnacle of the temple and then beaten to death with a club.
6. Bartholomew was flayed alive in Albanopolis, Armenia.
7. James, the elder son of Zebedee, was beheaded at Jerusalem.
8. Thomas, the Doubter, was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel, in the East Indies.
9. Philip was hanged against a pillar at Heropolis, a city of Phrygia, in Asia Minor.
10. Matthew was slain by the sword, in Ethiopia, Abyssinia.
11. Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows.
12. Simon died on a cross in Persia (now Iran).
Gary Marcum- New Beginnings Church – 070410am - first used 7/4/99am