Sermon Tone Analysis

Open with video, “An Independence Day Prayer”.

On the National Day of Prayer, Thursday the 4th, this past May, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled "Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty."

This executive order gives religious organizations greater freedom to speak out about political issues.

This executive order puts a dent into the 1954 tax code law, called the Johnson Amendment, that prohibits all 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

As he signed the executive order, the president said, "No American should be forced to choose between the dictates of the federal government and the tenets of their faith.”

I applaud this move in that it is a step in the direction of protecting TRUE CHRISTIAN RIGHTS and true religious freedom!

And based upon the Constitution of the United States of America, no Christian, or for that fact, no American, should be forced to condone and participate, whether in their business life, or social and private life, or religious practice, in any act that is completely against the tenants of their faith!

This is a part of the FREEDOM that was afforded us by the founding fathers of this great nation and the men and women who have fought to protect it!

Today, a day during the very weekend in which our nation celebrates its liberties and freedom, and a time amidst all of the continued hate and slander focused against America’s current president, I want to ask us to take a few minutes and pray on the President’s behalf and for his family as well, as well as the the current members of all three branches of our nation’s government: The Legislative branch (Congress, the senate and the House of Representatives), the Executive Branch (President, vice President and the Cabinet) and the Judicial branch (Supreme Court and other federal courts).

I would like to ask that we all stand for a time of corporate prayer on behalf of this great nation and its leaders and ask for guidance and wisdom and favor from the only ONE whom we should be asking it from; ALMIGHTY GOD!

I am not going into detail about this, you can research on your own the details, but what I want us to do

Allow me to start by reading within the word from (OPEN BIBLE and READ).

I want to ask you to bow your heads for minute and silently pray on behalf of our nation and its President and its leaders.

Then I will finish with a word of prayer.

(NANCY AND TEAM WILL SING SONG AT CLOSE OF PRAYER)

This morning, I want to briefly talk with you about a word that is at the forefront of most people’s minds at this time of year; that word is FREEDOM.

Every American has been blessed with the same gift at birth; the amazing gift of national FREEDOM!

It is a word that I do not need to recite a meaning of it to you, as most of us have a pretty good understanding of what it means in each of our lives.

Its relevance and the depth of its meaning varies per person, based on their experiences in life.

For instance, to someone who is 18 years old and preparing for their adult journey in their life, their outlook of American freedom is much different than that of a person who served and fought in one of our nation’s wars to preserve and secure that freedom!

AMEN?!

And in this nation and in this day and age, the topic of our rights and freedoms have reached an all time high and people are more and more adamant about being able to stretch the boundaries of what our freedom is and what it means!

The further that we drift from God and His moral precepts and commands, the more adamant people become about their FREEDOM for their lives and their right to observe and demonstrate that FREEDOM!

People are demanding freedom to express themselves in more and more ways and in the process, each person is supposed to role with flo

We are FREE as a nation, but my question today, is one that I will ask to the “Christians” of this nation.

“ARE YOU FREE?”

To many people that claim Christ as their Lord and Savior, this question is met with instant and firm decisiveness, “Of course we are free!

The Bible tells us that, ‘he who the Son sets free, is FREE indeed’ RIGHT?”

That is right ,as long as you take and apply it as Jesus meant for it to be!

So, the question then becomes, “How did Jesus intend for us to become free and how do we know that we are truly living under that FREEDOM?”

Take a guitar string and mention how it is free.

(Show how you can twist it responds and is free to move about.)

Yet, if you fasten it down and twist it and make it taught, to a precise level, then it becomes FREE to be what it was intended for; MAKING MUSIC!

Real freedom is not freedom “from”, but rather, freedom “FOR”!

“Freedom for what?”, many people may ask.

We are called by Jesus to serve one another, just as He came to a servant for us.

So, our “freedom” is not a freedom to do as we want to do, which would lead us right back into sin and the slavery to sin, but rather, our freedom is given to us to allow us to serve and walk towards “righteousness” and AWAY from sin!

One of the passages that we hear so often that mentions that Jesus has set us free, is found in the book of Galatians, where Paul is speaking to the church in Galatia and he is addressing the very issue of spiritual freedom from the law and sin.

He says, in ,

So, you will hear people celebrate and say, “For freedom Christ me free” and this is true, but then go to verse 13 in that same chapter and get some more clarification on the freedom that Jesus came to give those whom would believe in Him and respond in faith with their lives.

Verse 13 says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers.

Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love SERVE ONE ANOTHER.”

If you say, “Well, being a servant to others, doesn’t sound like freedom to me”, then you are still not FREE from the old life and the carnal ways!

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

I like this definition of FREEDOM: Freedom is doing what you love to do, if what you love to do is what you should be doing.

In the life of a Christian, this can only happen if one thing happens.

There must be spiritual transformation!

If there is no transformation , then what you will love to do, will be what you shouldn’t be doing (i.e.

SIN).

Paul said to walk by the Spirit and you will not do the works of the flesh.

The Spirit is against the flesh and the flesh is against the Spirit.

Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it?

Just do as the Holy Spirit tell you and you are free!

However, there is that war between your carnal side and the Spirit that keeps you from true FREEDOM and doing what you should do.

Paul said this with regard to the law and it pointing out our sinful nature in ,

Do you see what Paul is saying about doing what we should do and love in Christ (which is FREEDOM) and yet how sin keeps us from it?

This is the war that rages on within EVERY Christian during their walk with God!

If you desire to live by and obey God’s commands (as every true child of God is commanded to) then you will go through this war.

I just mentioned a minute ago that there must be TRANSFORMATION in order for you and I to have real FREEDOM in our walk with Jesus and a desire to do what He wants us to do!

Well, there again, people will say, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Doesn’t that mean “transformation”?

Aren’t we then new and transformed?

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Yes, in the sense of being made a new spiritual creature; God makes your spirit within you restored and new and thus you are in fact found justified in the eyes of God.

BUT, this is not the transformation that I am speaking of.

I am speaking of the continual process of Sanctification, (that is, becoming more and more righteous and thus more and more transformed into the image of Christ).

THE TRANSFORMATION BY THE RENEWING OF OUR MINDS! ,

Note that Paul asks a question and then answers it, “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life

Just like says,

When we allow Holy Spirit, DAILY, to transform us more and more into the image of Jesus, then we acquire the FREEDOM to do what our regenerate spirit and new nature want; serve our neighbor in love and thus please our heavenly Father!

This is true FREEDOM, as we allow our minds to be transformed more and more (from glory to glory) and we become more like the image of Jesus spiritually!

The transformation that I am speaking of, involves the mind, as Paul mentions that in his mind he wants to obey God’s law and that we are to be transformed by the renewal of our mind.

Well, our mind is the likened to that of our heart, since our heart is the seat of our will, our emotions, our mind and our thoughts.

It is the heart of man that Jeremiah tells us in ,

God reminds us that our heart is, on its own, deceitful and sick.

Yet it was the will and plan of God to change this, as noted in ,

This was done through Jesus Christ and our belief and profession of faith in Him.

The key to true FREEDOM lies within your heart!

That is where the battle is taking place every day; your thoughts your will and your emotions!

Our heart becomes that taboo place that no one is allowed access!

We give a certain percent of our selves to others, but the heart is off limits.

Not only to others, but even more so, to God!

I read a book this past week, while on vacation, that dealt with this very subject.

The main point was this; we have a secret place within our lives that we hold onto and store hurts and resentments and unforgiveness.

It is a room deep inside that has many bars and chains around the door and no one is allowed inside; not even God!

This room is our heart and it is here that we must finally surrender to Jesus everything inside, if we truly want the transformation that leads to FREEDOM!

Truth be told, many sitting here this morning have hurts and disappointments and resentments and pains stored inside your hearts that are so suppressed, that you may not even realize they are there anymore!

But God knows, however and He wants you to release them to His Son and open your heart up and let true healing and transformation take place.

As long as they exist, you are bound and the enemy has a grip on your life!

A good example of dealing with this is found within the parable that Jesus taught us in , in what is called the Prodigal Son parable.

Let’s look at some main points about this parable and see how it helps us to deal with our hearts.

The son came to his senses in verse 17.

He realized that he was wrong and had done wrong.

How many of you know that if you are unwilling to admit there is a problem then you cant deal with it?

We need to ask Holy Spirit to bring to light, any areas where we may have hidden, or buried some things that we need to get rid of and be willing to admit there is a problem!!!!!!

Look at what the son says in verse 21, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.”

The problem that too many of have and that keeps us in bondage and unable to become FREE, is that we do not truly know how to REPENT and confess our sins.