Man has decided to re-define certain words which only God should give meaning to: repent, sin, heaven, hell, faith, love, peace, freedom & liberty (and the list could go on and on) !
1. FREEDOM MUST NOT BE DEFINED BY THE WORLD, BUT BY GOD.
*The Attorney for Elian Gonzalez and a congresswoman spoke about setting Elian “free”, and him having true freedom in Cuba. They obviously are using their own definition of freedom. 2 Peter 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought into bondage.
2. FREEDOM MUST BE DEFENDED.
A. We must take a stand. Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
B. We must contend for the faith. (Contend=”battle for, struggle for”) Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
3. FREEDOM MUST PROVIDE REAL AND VALUABLE BENEFITS.
*If a government says to it’s citizens, “You now have freedom to travel to the driest, uninhabited spot in the Sahara Desert, it would not mean much. Not many people would even be interested in going there, so this so-called “freedom” is basically worthless. God provides freedom that means something !
A. Freedom to those who were bruised. Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.
B. It requires the establishment of what God wants to be effective.
C. It is not freedom to hurt another person intentionally. 1 Corinthians 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
D. Not freedom to do what is wrong. Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
4. PEOPLE WITHOUT CHRIST DO NOT HAVE FREEDOM, ALTHOUGH MOST THINK THEY DO.
A. Slaves to their habits. Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lust and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
B. They are puppets of evil whenever the devil wants them to be. 2 Ti. 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
C. They have a pre-determined destiny in hell. After they have finally rejected Christ for the last time, they will not have another chance to make that choice for Him after they die.
Of the 55 men who attended the First Constitutional Convention, everyone of them believed in God, and held that the Bible was His Word, and the authority for this nation.
It is clear that the language and the intent of our forefathers was to follow Biblical definitions and principles. The most quoted verse by our forefathers was Isaiah 33:22, “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King.” John Adams, explaining this verse said, “We need to have an empire that is governed by (God’s) laws, and not by man.”
The re-defining of freedom has brought dramatic changes in what people perceive as freedoms. Many of the freedoms our fathers and forefathers fought for are now lost.
INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS
– Abortion – the freedom of a woman to have her baby legally killed.
– Freedom for the homosexual – means that they can freely engage in their sexual activities, and have no liability for spreading sexual diseases. It means that they may have all the rights accorded to heterosexual couples, including but not limited to, adopting children, collecting a partner’s insurance benefits, and having all rights involving financial matters.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
– You may say anything so long as it is not opposing homosexuality, abortion, or anything that might be implied to be negative against minorities.
– It means that homosexuals are free to speak and recruit converts to their way of life, but that any viewpoint which does not permit homosexuality must be considered a hate crime.
– It means you may use profanity, and blasphemy any time you choose, at your job, in public, or on television.
– It means that children are permitted to say anything to their parents that they want but if parents or teachers say anything that makes the child uncomfortable, it is a violation of the child’s rights to a peaceable life.
FREEDOM OF RELIGION now means that –
– You may privately pray in your home or in your church, however, it is illegal to pray aloud or silently at any public event.
– You may read the Bible in the privacy of your home. However, you may not display the Ten Commandments or any section of the Bible, or any representation of Bible teachings in a public place.
– Children attending public school shall not be exposed to the “narrow” teachings of the Bible in public school; however, for purposes of history education, students may be required to study other religions in classrooms and other meetings.
The Bill of Rights and The Declaration of Independence never allowed for these things to be considered freedoms. These are not things for which so many brave Americans went to war for, and died for. The word “FREEDOM” along with the word “LIBERTY” has been sorely re-defined in these last days.
If any seeks true freedom and liberty, they will find it at only one place – in the Person and Word of Jesus Christ !