July 2019
Message from Pastor Tom:
As we get ready to commemorate the adoption of our nation’s
Declaration of Independence by celebrating this 4th of July, let us be thankful
for the godly, wise leaders who have stood courageously through many difficult
times in our history, and for the principles for which our nation was founded.
This month we are reminded of those who have sacrificed for our freedom, all
giving some, and some giving all. Yet Jesus, our Lord and Savior, will never
ask us to sacrifice more than He did for us. So as we prepare to celebrate, let
us also turn to God for help in remembering where true freedom is found.
Through His Son, Jesus Christ and never forget we are “One Nation under God”
for a reason. God’s grace is not a license to sin; instead, it’s a reason to
continuously pursue righteousness. Our bad attitudes, uncaring actions, and
unkind speech do not fit who we are as children of God. We’re new creatures in
Christ; we were bought for a price and set free to live as partakers of His
grace.
John 8:34-36 stated, “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you,
everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the
family, but a son belongs to it forever.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed’” (NIV). Jesus is
plainly reminding us that all who practice sin become slaves to that sin, and
we all know every one of us has sinned at one time or another because we are
all sinners! It doesn’t matter the sin, how big or small, how bad or not. All
sin is sin and no one sin is worse than another, as James 2:10 reminds us, “For
whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of
breaking all of it.” Because we are all sinners, we are consequently slaves to
sin. This means we know the right thing to do, but we don’t always want to do
the right thing. We become stuck in our sin and are therefore not free.
But we have hope. Jesus can set us free from our sin! He can
give us a greater freedom than we could ever have on earth. Jesus sets us free
from our sin when we admit we are sinners and want to be free from the burden
of sin. He lived a perfect life and then died on the cross taking the
punishment for our sins in our place. When we believe Jesus is the Truth and
know what He did for us is true, then we will be set free. The Holy Spirit
comes to live in our hearts giving us freedom from our sin so we want to do
what is right. When we believe and follow Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord,
we are given eternal freedom from our own sin, and when Jesus sets us free from
sin, we will for all eternity be free indeed!
Paul confirms this in 2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is
the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” He is reminding us true freedom is not our
right to do whatever we want, but true freedom is only found when we turn to
Christ. For when we do, the Holy Spirit frees us from the penalty of our sin
and the devil’s power, allowing us to begin God’s work in our lives. It is by
God’s spirit we are given the freedom to become a Child of God, able to
understand God’s Word and to serve Him properly. Our Nations motto “In God We Trust” should not be taken
lightly. When we trust God, we will experience no greater feeling of
independence than the freedom from sin and death that Jesus provided for us
through His ultimate sacrifice. We must pray for the opportunity to lead others
into the freedom that can only be found by knowing our Lord and Savior,
allowing ourselves to become bold Christians willing to share the Good News of
Christ with all who will listen. We need to pray daily for the strength to live
our lives in ways that will glorify our Lord, and to be a blessing in someone
else’s life. So let freedom ring this 4th of July for both our nation’s
Declaration of Independence, and our freedom to worship our loving Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ!
Heidi and I pray you will all have a joyous, safe and
blessed holiday weekend, and you will take the time to pray for our country
that is so much in the need of God's awesome Grace.
Blessings from a pastor and his wife.
You, my brothers and
sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the
flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. Galatians 5:13 (NIV)
