"If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36)

​    But what if He hasn't?  And even if He has, how many times do we need to hear this Good News?  And what does being "free" really mean?  And what difference does it make that we are free?

    Whew!  That's a lot of questions!  And I only have a short time here to answer them, before you will have to move on to something else.  So here it goes.  Let me try to answer these questions in very brief words:

What if God in Christ has not made us free?  I know, we like to question and doubt any statement made, especially in these days of political exaggerations and lies!
But if we can trust anyone, it certainly is the God who created and so loves each of us that He sent His Son to be our Savior, yes, to "free" us from the guilt and power of sin!

How many times do we need to hear this Good News?  You're reading the words of a guy who has repeated this message now for over 40 years of being a pastor :)  And every time I say, and hear it (yes, I listen to the sermons I preach, and from others ;), I need to hear and appreciate hearing the most wonderful Good News of Jesus Christ's love and grace for all.

So what does it mean to be "free"?  Does that mean I can do whatever I want?  Does that mean it doesn't cost anything?  Let me answer that last question first:  our freedom cost God's Son His life!  He suffered and died for all of us!!  So that we are freed from the powers of sin, death and the devil.  Yes, we still experience temptation and sin.  And yes we still die.  But what is on the other side of death?  Eternal life with God.  And the power to condemn and to control us has been taken away.  Oh, we can still come under the fears and powers of sin and death.  But we can also walk from it, knowing that God will forgive us, and give us the power of the Holy Spirit to live as God's redeemed people.  And God's people will WANT to do what God asks of us.  Just as you will want to thank and love anyone who has given something wonderful to you.  And God has given us all we have!  Even eternal life with him!!

I hope by now we know what a difference the freedom of the Gospel means to us.  But just as seeing a beautiful grove of trees in the fall, or a famous and complex piece of art, or the person you most love, so here we can see and admire, and talk about, and be inspired by that same Good News over and over and over again!

God Bless,

Pastor Steve