Hopewell Herald – July 4, 2020
Dear Congregation,
As American freedom has much eroded and
been much surrendered, it is amazing to consider that what remains is still
much more than the vast majority of this world has ever had. This is because what we have has come upon backs that were bent by minds
captivated by the true freedom that belongs to those liberated by King Jesus
and have no ultimate King but Christ!
What is true liberty?
True liberty is to be set free by the
Holy Spirit from the blindness into which we are all born by nature, to behold
the glory of God in Jesus Christ. And to know that He is infallibly determined
to reproduce the image of that glory in those whom He saves.
“But their
minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the
reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But
even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless
when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit;
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the
same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
2Corinthians 3:14–18
True liberty is to be set free from the
guilt and power of sin by the Son of God.
“Jesus
answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of
sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free
indeed.”
John 8:34–36
True liberty is to have as our law, not
the moralisms of men or even our own preferences and predilections, but the
decrees of King Jesus. To embrace wholeheartedly all that Scripture commands us
to do.
“But be doers
of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a
hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face
in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what
kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of
liberty and continues in it, and is not a
forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he
does… If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You
shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well.”
James 1:22–25, 2:8
True liberty is to have, as our hope
for keeping this law, not the efforts of the flesh or the law itself, but the
Holy Spirit, Who has indwelt all whom Jesus has freed from being bound to sin and
death and condemnation by joining them to Himself.
“There is
therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk
according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law
of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the
flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on
account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous
requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to
the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:1–4
True liberty is to groan in the midst
of a world in bondage, with the absolute certainty and confidence that sin’s
days are numbered, not only in ourselves but indeed in the whole creation.
“For I
consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of
the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the
creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who
subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God.”
Romans 8:18–21
True liberty is to know that we need
not fear to unleash freely our whole hearts in public worship, and know that it
is genuinely unto God in Christ that our hearts draw near, because we accept
for true worship only what Jesus has commanded.
“ ‘These
people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but
their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines
the commandments of men.’ ”
Matthew 15:8–9
Looking forward to worshiping God FREELY together,
Pastor