In this blog, we'll focus on the working being done at Sligo Presbyterian Church, Sligo, Pennsylvania. We'll also look at what's happening in Sligo, Rimersburg, Clarion, and all the other communities served by our congregation.
On July 4, we'll celebrate our 250th anniversary as a country. And even though we haven’t been perfect, we’ve served as an example of freedom for the rest of the world. But as important as that is, the Bible teaches that true freedom is a spiritual reality found through Jesus Christ that transforms how individuals live, serve, and interact with the world. With that in mind, during the six weeks between Pentecost and Independence Day, we’re exploring six key things the Bible says about our freedom in Christ:
On July 4, we'll celebrate our 250th anniversary as a country. And even though we haven’t been perfect, we’ve served as an example of freedom for the rest of the world. But as important as that is, the Bible teaches that true freedom is a spiritual reality found through Jesus Christ that transforms how individuals live, serve, and interact with the world. With that in mind, during the six weeks between Pentecost and Independence Day, we’re exploring six key things the Bible says about our freedom in Christ:
Well, here we are, six days away from our semiquincentennial, which of course means, this is probably the last Sunday I’ll actually get to say that word: semiquincentennial. And for me, well, that’s a little disappointing, but what are you going to do?
And since we’ve almost reached the fourth, we’re just about finished with the series we started a little over a month ago. You see, as we’ve been getting ourselves ready to celebrate our freedom as a country, at SPC, we’ve been talking about the kind of freedom we have as Christians. And over that time, we looked at how our freedom in Christ is empowered and liberating, enlightened and limited. And last week, we talked about how Christ has freed us to be active, you know, so that we can grow and share and serve. And this morning, we’re going to consider one last aspect of this liberty we’ve been given and discuss how it’s also a freedom that’s challenging.
And you know, it’s interesting, as we’ve seen with these other topics we’ve covered, based on what they wrote, I think our founding fathers recognized that this new country they’d sort of birthed was also going to face challenges. For example, George Washington seemed to be afraid that factions and political parties would polarize the nation and paralyze the government. He wrote,
The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. [George Washington, From his Farewell Address]
And leaders like John Adams and Benjamin Franklin thought that a free, self-governing people could only survive if the citizens remained moral, educated, and engaged. As Adams wrote,
Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. [John Adams, Outlining his anxieties on pure democracies].
And Franklin said,
Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters. [Benjamin Franklin, Collected in historical overviews of Franklin’s letters]
And of course others feared that, over time, individuals in power would try to expand their authority at the expense of the people. For instance, James Madison, the father of the Bill of Rights wrote,
I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. [James Madison, From his speech at the Virginia Ratifying Convention]
You see, as they moved from the revolution, our founding fathers recognized that their free nation would face challenges that would both shape and determine its future.
And I think the same can be said about the freedom we have in Jesus Christ. And that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. You see, for the next ten minutes or so, we’re going to focus on three challenges that I believe we encounter as men and women whom God has set free. And for each, we’ll consider how we might both face and overcome them. Now that’s the plan.
And for me, it starts with this: our freedom in Christ is challenging because it requires radical submission. In other words, rather than giving us permission to run around and do what we please, God has freed us so that we can submit ourselves to him, you know, to his authority and direction. And I’ll tell you, I think we see this in scripture. For example, just listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans:
When you were slaves of sin, you didn’t have to please God. But what good did you receive from the things you did? All you have to show for them is your shame, and they lead to death. Now you have been set free from sin, and you are God’s slaves. This will make you holy and will lead you to eternal life. Sin pays off with death. But God’s gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord. [Romans 6:20-23, CEV]
Now that’s what Paul wrote. And in his first letter, Peter said this to “to God’s people who are scattered like foreigners in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia:” [1 Peter 1:1b, CEV]
You are free, but still you are God’s servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong. Respect everyone and show special love for God’s people. [1 Peter 2:16-17a, CEV]
I’ll tell you, whether you’re talking about Paul or Peter, Christian freedom demands submission God, because, according to what they wrote, true liberty isn’t found in the absence of limits, but rather in our liberation from the power of sin and in our ability to become the kind of people God created us to be. You see, for them, absolute freedom is an illusion. It’s just not possible, because whether we like it or not, human beings are always going to be serving something, whether it’s our destructive desires or our loving Creator. And I’ll tell you, that’s why the death of Jesus Christ was so important. You see, on that cross, Jesus freed us from something that was really bad, you know sin and frustration and separation, while at the same time, he freed us for something really good, a new master, one who loved us before he laid the foundation of the universe and will love us long after time has lost its meaning. You see, we’ve been freed so that we’re able to submit ourselves to God.
And I’ll tell you, this is something we can do by making the intentional decision to become quiet and to listen: to listen to him speak to us through his Word and to listen to him speak to us through prayer and to listen to him speak to us through that still, small voice we call conscience. And along with listening, we can also decide that we’re going to respond and that we’re going to do what we’ve been called to do, but not because it’s easy and not because it’s popular and not because it’s profitable, but rather because it’s the right thing to do. And trust me, it will be, because the one we’ve been freed to serve is loving and strong and wise. You see, even though our freedom in Christ can seem challenging, first, we can meet that challenge through radical submission.
And second, I also think our freedom in Christ is challenging because it requires self-denial. In other words, in spite of how the world generally defines liberty, for us, freedom doesn’t mean we now have the right to run around and do anything we want. Instead, Christian freedom is about being free to put ourselves second rather than first, to be a servant rather than a master and to focus on their needs rather than our wants. As a matter of fact, it’s like what Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
I am not anyone’s slave. But I have become a slave to everyone, so I can win as many people as possible. When I am with the Jews, I live like a Jew to win Jews. They are ruled by the Law of Moses, and I am not. But I live by the Law to win them. And when I am with people who are not ruled by the Law, I forget about the Law to win them. Of course, I never really forget about the law of God. In fact, I am ruled by the law of Christ. When I am with people whose faith is weak, I live as they do to win them. I do everything I can to win everyone I possibly can. I do all this for the good news, because I want to share in its blessings. [1 Corinthians 9:19-23, CEV]
Now, that’s what Paul wrote, reminding us that Christian freedom demands self-denial, because true biblical liberty is not the right to do whatever we want, but rather the power to live as we should. In other words, our freedom was never intended to be used as an excuse to indulge ourselves and our wants and our desires. Instead, Christ has freed believers from the slavery of sin so we can willingly use our liberty to love and serve others. No wonder, Paul also said this to the Corinthians: Some of you say, “We can do whatever we want to!” But I tell you not everything may be good or helpful. We should think about others and not about ourselves. [1Corinthians 10:23-24, CEV] You see, Christian freedom is all about self-denial.
And I’ll tell you, I think this is possible when we make the intentional decision to shift our priorities. But trust me, that’s not as easy as it sounds. I mean, we live in a society that tends to measure success by the stuff we’re able to acquire. I mean, as Malcom Forbes once said, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” Now that’s our culture, but remember, we’ve been set free. And we don’t have to focus on the toys we can get. Instead, we can prioritize our time and our talents and our stuff so that we can give. And even though that won’t do much for our portfolio, it just might move us a little closer to what Jesus had in mind when he said, “If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it.” [Mark 8:34b-35, CEV] You see, even though our freedom in Christ can seem challenging, second, we can meet that challenge through self-denial.
And third, I also think our freedom in Christ is challenging because it requires active love. Of course, that’s really not a surprise, especially considering what Paul wrote to the Galatians. He said,
My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. All the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself. But if you keep attacking each other like wild animals, you had better watch out or you will destroy yourselves. [Galatians 5:13-15, CEV]
Now that’s what Paul wrote, and I’ve got to tell you, for him, man, that just makes sense. You see, Jesus didn’t die on a cross so that we can spend our time focusing on and worrying about ourselves. Instead, we’ve been liberated so that we can freely serve our neighbors. For example, even though I recognize that it’s kind of counter cultural, we’ve been freed to be patient and kind. And we’ve been freed to be supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. And my gosh, we’ve been freed to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to welcome the stranger, to clothe the naked, to care for the sick, and to comfort the prisoner. You see, for Paul, this is what we’ve been freed to be and do. Man, we’ve been freed to actively love.
But to do it, I think we’ve got to make another intentional decision. I’m telling you, I think we’re going to need to change our focus. We’re going to need to change our focus from self to service, from wants to needs, from fists that are closed to hands that are open. I mean, contrary to what we’ve been taught, the kind of love Jesus had in mind when he told his disciples to love one another, it really had nothing to do with how they should feel but rather what they should do. In other words, he told them and tells us to treat others in a loving way and to it, even if we don’t particularly like them. And you know, I think Paul felt the same way and that’s why he told the Romans to “Let love be your only debt! If you love others, you have done all that the Law demands.” [Romans 13:8, CEV] You see, even though our freedom in Christ can seem challenging, third, we can meet that challenge through active love.
Now, by next Sunday, our semiquincentennial will be in the rearview mirror. And even though I believe official and unofficial events will continue throughout the year, our 250th anniversary will be history on July 5. Of course, as a country, I think we’d all agree that some of the challenges described by Washington and Adams, Franklin and Madison are every bit as valid today as they were over two hundred years ago. As they say, freedom isn’t free and by its very nature, independence is challenging.
And I think the same is true for us as followers of Jesus Christ. You see, in a very real way, our freedom as Christians challenges and subverts some our assumptions about what freedom actually means, because, when you get right down to it, Christian freedom requires radical submission and self-denial and active love. And so, with that in mind, as we move beyond this particular series, let’s not only remember that our freedom in Christ is empowered and liberating and enlightened and limited and active, let’s also remember that it’s really challenging, but let’s also decide to take up the challenge.
On July 4, we'll celebrate our 250th anniversary as a country. And even though we haven’t been perfect, we’ve served as an example of freedom for the rest of the world. But as important as that is, the Bible teaches that true freedom is a spiritual reality found through Jesus Christ that transforms how individuals live, serve, and interact with the world. With that in mind, during the six weeks between Pentecost and Independence Day, we’re exploring six key things the Bible says about our freedom in Christ:
On July 4, we'll celebrate our 250th anniversary as a country. And even though we haven’t been perfect, we’ve served as an example of freedom for the rest of the world. But as important as that is, the Bible teaches that true freedom is a spiritual reality found through Jesus Christ that transforms how individuals live, serve, and interact with the world. With that in mind, during the six weeks between Pentecost and Independence Day, we’re exploring six key things the Bible says about our freedom in Christ:
On July 4, we'll celebrate our 250th anniversary as a country. And even though we haven’t been perfect, we’ve served as an example of freedom for the rest of the world. But as important as that is, the Bible teaches that true freedom is a spiritual reality found through Jesus Christ that transforms how individuals live, serve, and interact with the world. With that in mind, during the six weeks between Pentecost and Independence Day, we’re exploring six key things the Bible says about our freedom in Christ:
Now, as y’all probably know already, today is officially the first day of Summer, although based on the temperature the last few days, that might not be obvious. I mean, yesterday, I wore a winter coat taking Coco out for our morning walk.
But regardless of the temperature, today we’re getting close to the end of June which means we’re also getting close to our semiquincentennial. And since that marks the 250th anniversary of our freedom as a country, we’ve been spending the time between Pentecost and the fourth considering our freedom as Christians. And during that time, we’ve talked about how ours is a freedom that’s empowered and liberating, enlightened and limited by our responsibility to our God and our Christians brothers and sisters as well as to our secular society and ourselves. Now that’s what we’ve already covered. And this morning, we’re going to talk about how our freedom in Christ is also active, in other words, how it involves us actually using it in some way.
And I’ll tell you, just like we’ve seen with these other freedoms we have in Christ, I think we can see this one also reflected by those who founded our country. You see, according to our founding fathers, our freedom wasn’t an end in and of itself, instead it was the means by which other, more important things might be accomplished. As a matter of fact, for them, liberty really didn’t mean very much, if it wasn’t put to use. Now, I think that’s what these great men believed, and we can see that in what they wrote. For example, when talking about what this new country should be actively doing, John Adams wrote this:
Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men... [Thoughts on Government, 1776]
And even before the Declaration of Independence was written and signed, Benjamin Franklin anticipated what we should be actively defending against. He wrote,
The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy... [Emblematical Representations, c. 1774]
And about forty years after the Declaration was approved, Thomas Jefferson recognized that these United States should actively promote education. To a fellow Virginian named Charles Yancey, Jefferson wrote,
If a nation expects to be ignorant & free, in a state of civilisation, it expects what never was & never will be. [Letter to Charles Yancey, 1816]
You see, the founders of our country believed that our freedom should never be passive or submissive or lazy. Instead, for it to be any good, it had to be active.
And I’ll tell you, I think the same applies to the freedom we have in Christ. For it to be any good, it also has to be active. And that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. You see, we’re going to consider three different reasons why our freedom in Christ must lead to being engaged and involved. And for each we’ll discuss how we can do it and why it’s important. And hopefully, when we leave here this morning, we’ll be ready to claim this active freedom we have in Christ.
And in my opinion, it all starts with this: we’ve been freed so that we can actively grow. Now, for me, that’s the first reason for our freedom. In other words, God has set us free so that we can change, so that we can become different, so that we can move from the person we were to the men and women we were created to be. And I think, according to the Apostle Paul, this was possible because of something that God had already done. Just listen to what he wrote to the Romans:
When you were slaves of sin, you didn’t have to please God. But what good did you receive from the things you did? All you have to show for them is your shame, and they lead to death. Now you have been set free from sin, and you are God’s slaves. This will make you holy and will lead you to eternal life. Sin pays off with death. But God’s gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord. [Romans 6:20-23, CEV]
Now that’s what he wrote, and just think about what it means. Thanks to what God has done, we are no longer bound to the past. It’s no longer an anchor, holding us back; therefore, what we were should no longer determine what we can be. You see, though Jesus Christ, we are now are free; therefore, we can grow. For example, we can grow in our understanding of God and his word and his will. And we can grow in our dedication to become the men and women God has called us to be. And we can grow in our relationships, both within the Body of Christ but maybe more importantly, with folks who, for whatever reason, may never drift into a church. And even though this kind of growth may demand more effort than just sleeping with a Bible under our pillow or installing an app on our phone and it may demand more focus than just making some promises that are so vague they’re really hard to pin down and it may demand more understanding than just finding folks who already think like us, as free men and women, this is the kind of active growth we are now able to make.
And if we do, then we’ll be ready to accomplish the work we’ve been called to do. And I’ll tell you, that just makes sense. I mean, how are we ever going to deny ourselves, take up the cross and follow Jesus Christ if we don’t know what Jesus taught or where Jesus called us to go? And to pull this kind of thing off, man, we’re probably going to need to generate some inner motivation to move forward. And I’ll tell you, if we work together, with our gifts and talents and experiences coming together like pieces to a puzzle, we’ll be able to accomplish a heck of a lot more than we could before. And ask any farmer, life is a whole lot better if you understand the soil before trying to plant the seeds. You see, in my opinion, that’s why growth is important, and for me, that’s the one reason we’ve been freed, but of course, that’s not all.
You see, second, I think we’ve also been freed so that we can actively share. In other words, thanks to what God has given and the growth he’s enabled us to have, we’re now ready to take what we know and understand and feel and to share it with others. And this act of sharing, well, I think that’s what Peter was getting at when he wrote this in his first letter:
Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope. Give a kind and respectful answer and keep your conscience clear. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about your good conduct as a follower of Christ. You are better off to obey God and suffer for doing right than to suffer for doing wrong.
Christ died once for our sins. An innocent person died for those who are guilty. Christ did this to bring you to God, when his body was put to death and his spirit was made alive. [1 Peter 3:15b-18, CEV]
Now, personally, I think this is pretty cool. I mean, not only did Peter offer a situation, he also gave us a message. And I’ll tell you, that’s exactly what I think we have right here and now. And with it, we can share the good news. Of course, I understand that there are plenty of folks who try to make that message complicated. And sometimes I think churches emphasize differences in order to set themselves apart. And sometimes folks assume that if the yoke is too easy and the burdens are too light, we’re cheapening Christianity and making our own salvation a little less special. But you know, even if that’s what we might think and assume, the message that we’re free to share through our words and through our actions and through our attitude, man, it’s actually really simple. As a matter of fact, it’s as simple as “God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die” [John 3:16, CEV] and, “...I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you” [John 13:34, CEV] and, “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28-30, CEV] You see, through what we say and how we live, this is what we can actively share with others.
And I’ll tell you, when we do, when we take a step out into the fields that God has given us and when we decide to share what we have with those who don’t, I’m telling you, people are going to understand. In other words, the seed is going to be planted in the soil, ready to grow. And even though, for reasons we may never really understand, sometimes the seeds just sit there and do nothing or they don’t grow for long or they get choked out by other stuff, we can be confident that some of the seed we’ve scattered will take root and some will grow into healthy plants and some will bear more fruit than we can imagine. And of that we can be sure, because as Paul reminded the Corinthians, “I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout and grow.” [1 Corinthians 3:6, CEV] I’m telling you, that’s going to happen when we share, and I think that’s another reason we’ve been freed.
And third, I also believe we’ve been freed so that we can actively serve, you know, so that we can actively address the needs of others and actively seek ways to just plain make the world around us a better place. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s the point Paul was making to the Galatians when he wrote this:
My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. All the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself. But if you keep attacking each other like wild animals, you had better watch out or you will destroy yourselves. [Galatians 5:13-15, CEV]
You see, I believe we’ve been freed to serve. And you know, in my opinion, this business about serving, well, I think that’s really more challenging than either growing or sharing. Of course, I understand that growth demands effort and focus and understanding. And sharing means we have to actually get up and leave places that are safe and comfortable and predictable, and doing that, man, it ain’t easy. Still as we grow and share, we’re really in control. I mean, we’re determining the direction and we’re shaping the agenda. But when we decide to serve, man, that kind of stuff goes out the window, because whether you’re talking about God Almighty or the guy across the street or the person on the other side of the world, when we become servants, their concerns are setting the agenda and their needs are determining the direction. You see, being a real servant means giving up control. For example, it means listening to what others have to say, even when we’d prefer to do the talking. And it means, responding to what we hear instead of offering only what we want to give. And you know, when you think about it, maybe this was what Jesus meant when he talked about denying self, taking up the cross and following him. I mean, as Jesus said, “I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you. I tell you for certain that servants are not greater than their master, and messengers are not greater than the one who sent them” [John 13:15-16, CEV] and “the Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.” [Matthew 20:28]. Maybe this is what active service is all about.
And you know, when we claim it, when we see ourselves as servants and when we decide to listen and act on what we hear, well, maybe we’ll see the world around us change in some pretty incredible ways. Of course, on our best day, we’re probably not going to be able to change the world. But you know, we just might be able to help a Rwandan pastor make the trip between his congregations. And we just might be able provide soap or toothpaste to a person who might stumble onto our Blessing Box. And we just might be able to offer some food to a family who was willing to humble themselves by going to the community food pantry for some help. You see, by addressing genuine human needs, we serve others, another reason we’ve been freed.
And you know, when we do this kind of thing, we’re not only using our freedom, we’re following a path that’s almost 250 years old. You see, our founders believed freedom wasn’t the end, rather it was the means by which we can enhance the common good and guard against tyrants and educate the people. In other words, they saw freedom as a tool that could be used. And so it can be for us. You see, we’ve been set free so that we can grow and share and serve. Now, in my opinion, that’s freedom that’s active.
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