Freedom – Independence Day
Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,”
KJV “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,
Today is known as Independence Day in the United States. It is the day that we celebrate America’s freedom from the tyranny of England under King George the III. The signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, was not intended to declare war with England. Mark Parsec says the intended purpose of the Declaration of Independence for the colonists was to declare “to the world their belief in a personal, infinite God - their Creator - who endowed them with certain ‘inalienable’ or absolute rights . . . To the men of that time, it was self-evident - that if the inalienable rights they were urging were not seen in the context of the authority of God, then they were without content - illusions, and nothing but dreams. To have absolute rights our forefathers had to acknowledge the Absolute Authority of God.”
You see, there is no true freedom without God and His authority to determine the morality upon which the laws of our land are founded. In God we find the basis for national freedom; however, we also find in God the basis for our spiritual freedom. God’s provision for our spiritual freedom is found in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. This morning, on this Independence Day Sunday we are going to view the freedom we have in Christ.
In Luke 4:18, at the beginning of his earthly ministry, Jesus revealed the reason why God had sent Him into the world. Jesus came to bring liberty, or freedom! He was reiterating a prophecy shared about Him hundreds of years earlier by Isaiah in Isaiah 61:1: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,”
First, Jesus wanted to share the good news of freedom with the poor and brokenhearted. I want to ask you, “Is God partial to the poor?” No! Job said concerning God, “who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor; for they are all the work of his hands? (Job 34:19). The thing about the poor is they are more likely to receive His message, because the poor are contrite in spirit or usually broken. The Scripture equates the poor and brokenhearted with humility (Matthew 5:3). For example, Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” It takes a person of humility to receive Jesus’ message, and James says it is the poor who are rich in faith (James 2:5). Jesus wanted to share His good news with those who were humble enough and willing to listen to what he had to share and believe Him.
Secondly, Jesus wanted to share the good news of freedom with the captives. Each and every person in this world, until they have accepted Jesus, are held captive by sin. Paul stated in 2 Timothy 2:26 how he wished that all people would “come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” Romans 3:23 informs us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Right now, there are so many people, maybe some of us listening that are held captive by sin and by the devil; however, Jesus came to set us free. John 8:34-36: “Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Romans 6:1 - 4
Thirdly, Jesus wanted to share the good news of freedom with those who are oppressed. Deuteronomy 28:33 describes oppression as being “crushed continually.” Those who oppressed are one step beyond captivity. They are not only enslaved; they are continually afflicted with a heavy burden of guilt and shame. Acts 10:38 tells us, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power (oppressed) of the devil, because God was with Him.” Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Fourthly, Jesus wanted to share the good news of freedom with those who are blind, and to give them recovery of sight. In John 9:39 “Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Those who have not received the message of salvation in Jesus are walking in spiritual blindness. Paul said, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Jesus came to those who would believe in Him; and for those who make a choice to look past their unbelief, “the veil is taken away in Christ” (2 Corinthians 3:14).
You see, there is freedom in Christ! If you want to experience this freedom then call on the Lord, for “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
There is no better time than now to break free of your shackles and cast off your heavy burden. The Lord says, “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
There was a time in Jesus’ ministry where when he would travel people would follow him around everywhere, everyone wanted to know who he is.