This morning, we’re

finishing up our message series, “3F”; faith, family, and freedom.

We just celebrated

Independence Day remembering the birth of our nation as our founding fathers

declared independence from the tyranny of Great Britain.  From the founding of our nation, liberty for

its citizens was a great concern.  They

felt that the role of government was to be by consent of those being governed

and their responsibility was to ensure the God-given right to life, liberty,

and the pursuit of happiness.

Freedom, or liberty,

is also the heart of God for mankind.

Galatians 5:1

It is for freedom

that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be

burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Freedom is the

ability to act, speak, and think as one desires to.  It is the absence of restraint or coercion

from another.  It is the right and

ability to do whatever one wants to do.

Freedom is NOT ever,

in any way, the ability to act, speak, and think without consequence.  We may have freedom to choose, but we are

never exempt from the consequences of those choices.  This is the very nature of God’s creation;

action and reaction; cause and effect.

You may have heard

of karma which comes from Hinduism and Buddhism regarding people’s

actions.  The only reason that this

occurs is because God created everything with this principle in motion; you

reap what you sow.

Galatians 6:7

Do not be deceived:

God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

When you plant corn,

corn grows, and corn can be harvested. 

One does not plant a corn seed and then have no idea whether watermelon

or tomatoes or pumpkins might grow.  You

reap what you sow in the natural world as well as within our lives as well as

within the spiritual world.  

Actions result in

consequences always.  Some lead to

blessing and peace and some lead to destruction and chaos.  By God’s own design, we get to choose!  God created us with absolute freedom.  I cannot continue to cut myself and curse God

for not healing me.  I cannot mistreat

everyone around me and expect them to be pleasant and generous to me in return.

I can’t choose not

to show up for work or to work half-heartedly and expect my employer to prosper

nor to promote me.  I can’t choose to

spend more money than I make foolishly and expect my needs to be met.  I can’t drive my car without ever changing

the oil or tires and expect it to be reliable for me. 

I can’t drive past

that local store without ever shopping there and expect it to just be there

when I need it.  I can’t show up half of

the time, give sparingly, and serve on occasion and expect my local church to

survive.

My freedom to make

choices still come with consequences. 

Using my freedom to sow generously into my marriage, my children, my

employer, my community, my church, whatever the case may be is an act done in

faith showing our trust in God.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8

6 Remember this:

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously

will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in

your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a

cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all

things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good

work.

Freedom is a gift of

God that enables Him to richly bless us. 

Without choice, there can be no reward! 

Without choice, there can be no love!

From the very

beginning, Adam and Eve gave up their freedom and chose to be slaves to their

own sinful desires wondering if perhaps God was withholding something good and

desirable from them.  Of course, they

quickly learned that God was withholding no good thing and their choices came

with consequences that were far from desirable.

Jesus paid a high

price, giving up everything; even His own life to purchase our freedom from

that sin once again.  It is for freedom

that Christ set us free.  Beyond