The Ultimate Price for Freedom

1. Introduction
   1. I remember when I was young and my cousins were both serving in the armed forces in the Marine Corps.
   2. I remember them saying “What a price to pay for freedom. We never really knew what it meant until we got to Vietnam.”
   3. If I remember correctly, only one of my cousins went there, and it was very brief. It was enough to make him realize how fortunate he was to live in America and how other parts of the world or countries and you and I live so differently.
   4. I remember him saying how life was like an animal. They could be here today, and if someone didn’t like them, they could end their life in a moment.
   5. They would eat things that you and I would never eat.
   6. When faced with challenges of not having food, they didn’t have a lot of choices like you and I, federal and local subsidies, food pantries, and Good Will stores etc.
   7. He knew what it meant when he got there, how important our freedom was in this country and why he was there to maintain it as one in many thousands.
   8. You and I tend to take for granted everything that we have. We complain when we don’t have enough, yet we have too much.
   9. We’re the richest country in the world and the freest country in the world. Freedom comes with a price. Let us never forget that.
   10. Now let us look into the study of the Ultimate Price for Freedom.

 

2. What is the definition of freedom as you and I know it?
   1. This is from the av1611 bible dictionary.
   2. A state of exemption from the power or control of another; liberty; exemption from slavery, servitude or confinement. Freedom is personal, civil, political, & religious.
   3. Another definition given is Exemption from fate, necessity, or any constraint in consequence of predetermination or otherwise; as the freedom of the will.

 

3. What is freedom, and what does it mean to you?
   1. Freedom, as a Christian, means to be set free from sin and bondage. Isaiah 58:6: Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? When you called on the Lord Jesus, you were set free from wickedness.
   2. Having been made free from sin, we are also free to serve God with our whole heart and life. Romans 6:18: Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. Before coming to the Lord, you are not able to serve Him. Righteousness is not within your grasp, but as a Christian, you are able to freely worship and serve Him.
   3. Before coming to salvation, you are not free, but only tuned in to the things of this earth that are fading away.. 1st Corinthians 2:12: Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. As a Christian, you have access to peace, joy, love, knowledge, and wisdom that is not available to the world, but is freely given to you and me.

 

4. Do you take it for granted? Do you truly understand what freedom is?
   1. There is a verse that encourages us NOT to take our freedom for granted. Galatians 5:1: Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Paul encourages us to take a stand for the freedom that we have in Christ, not take it for granted.
   2. Do you understand the freedom that you have in Christ? Romans 5:8: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. While we were at our worst, Jesus chose to set us free from sin and make us His Own.
   3. Have you stopped to ask yourself what is freedom? Most of us only know it from the standpoint of living in this country, but those who have traveled outside of the country know it is very different.

 

5. Memorial Day is a day we celebrate every single year, and give honor to those who’ve served, given their lives, and paid the ultimate price for us to have freedom. Do you truly understand how important it is to recognize these great men in uniform?
   1. Jesus was the prime example of one who paid the ultimate price, and laid down His Life for us. John 10:15: As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. He made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, and we honor Him for what He did for us, just as we should honor those who died for our freedom as a nation.
   2. These men who laid down their lives for our country, have shown the kind of love that Jesus talks about.

 

John 15:13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Do you have this kind of love for people?

1. Because Jesus laid down His Life for us, and these men in uniform laid down their lives for us, we should show the same love for one another, and be true servants of God, living sold out for Him. 1st John 3:16: Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. You might not be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice, but your life should be a sacrifice of praise and thanks to God for those who have paid the ultimate price for freedom.

 

6. Do you pray for our leadership, for our country, or is this something you never prayed for at all? If not, today is a good day to start.
   1. The bible is very clear that as Christians, we are called to pray for those who are in authority over us. 1st Timothy 2:1-2: I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. We may or may not like the choices our leaders are making, but are you praying for them as this verse instructs?
   2. We, God’s people need to pray, seek His Face, and turn from OUR wicked ways. 2nd Chronicles 7:14: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. It’s not the president, the people in congress, our state and local leaders that need to change, it is we the people of God that need to humbly pray for our nation.
   3. Soon the freedom we’ve had in this country will begin to diminish, and all of our Christian rights and civil rights and constitutional rights will soon be challenged as years progress on.

 

7. Who in the bible was once free, and then was stripped of his freedom (3)?
   1. Adam and Eve were free. They were living in the Garden of Eden. The Tree of life was within their reach, but sin caused them to lose their freedom. Genesis 3:11-12, and 22-23: And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. This was when sin entered into the world. Before they disobeyed, they had it all. Then with one bad decision, sin entered the world.

1. King Saul also had it all. The people loved him, and wanted him as their king, so God made him their king, but again, he lost everything due to disobedience. 1st Samuel 15:23: For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. How many of us here have missed out on all God had for us because we didn’t obey His Word?
2. Ananias and Sapphira had the freedom to do what they wanted with the parcel of land they sold, but they chose to lie to God, and lost not only their freedom but their lives. Acts 5:4-5: Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?
3. Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. Remember our study on Thursday night about LSD. Lust leads to Sin which leads to death, as was the case with this couple.

 

8. Who in the bible was shackled and chained, and was then set free by the Word of God, but later on was martyred and gave his life so others could be free?
   1. Apostle Paul was shackled and chained. He was persecuting Christians, until one day he came face to face with Jesus. Acts 9:2-4: And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
   2. Paul gave his life to Jesus and became one of the leading voices for the early church. Acts 9:19-20: and when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.

And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

1. Paul was often imprisoned, shackled and chained for his faith, and later gave his life for his savior.

 

9. Story – Freedom’s Price
   1. t was early morning and Mama had a box filled with flowers she had just gathered from our back yard.
   2. She had placed them in coffee cans and tall juice cans that she had covered with aluminum foil.
   3. I was too young to know very much about flowers but I did recognize the irises and peonies or “pineys” as Grandma called them.
   4. Daddy had already mounted the American Flag on the pole that extended from the side of the house and he was loading the huge box full of flowers into the trunk of the car.
   5. I noticed the flag unfurling in the soft breeze as we all got into the car and drove down the lane to get Grandma.
   6. If she was well enough, she always went with us every year on this important outing.
   7. I sat in the front seat of the car, in the middle, between Daddy and my brother. Mama sat in the back beside Grandma and down the road we went because it was Decoration Day and the day our whole family went to the cemeteries.
   8. The first stop was Linville Cemetery, a beautiful place with huge old oak trees with branches that seemed to protect the inhabitants of the cemetery with their wide boughs.
   9. We had relatives buried at Linville and we all got out of the car and walked the short distance to grave sites.
   10. Everyone was quieter and Mama reminded us to be respectful because we were to honor the final resting places of those buried in the cemetery.
   11. Mama placed some of the flowers on the graves and she and Daddy spoke about some of the relatives and told us children a little about each one.
   12. There were many small American flags at grave sites across the cemetery.
   13. Daddy and Mama talked about how those flags were placed there by veteran organizations to honor the soldiers who had served our country, many of them giving their lives to keep our country free.
   14. Next, we drove what seemed to me to be a very long way. It was where Daddy’s relatives, including his parents and grandparents, had been buried.
   15. As we got out of the car, I looked up to see the familiar little white church with the name, Eucebia, written high up near the gabled roof.
   16. Church services were no longer held at Eucebia but I was allowed to go inside and look around.
   17. Churches were never locked back then because people had respect for the things of God whether they attended church or not.
   18. Again, Mama placed flowers on all the graves of our relatives while Daddy showed me his brother Arthur’s grave.
   19. He had died when he was just one year old in an accident. Daddy didn’t remember him because he was one of the oldest of 10 children and Daddy was the youngest child.
   20. Yet, he always paused a moment in front of Arthur’s grave to pay his respects and place a flower there for the brother he never got to know in this life.
   21. We also attended the Memorial Day service that was held every year at the county courthouse.
   22. The American Flag seemed to be everywhere on that day. Many homes displayed the flag and the courthouse yard was encircled with them.
   23. There was usually a special speaker, readings, salutes, and then with heads bowed a bugler would play Taps that was echoed in the distance by another bugler.
   24. Daddy never missed a Memorial Day service because he was a veteran of WWII and it was important to him to give honor to those who had given their lives for our country.
   25. He was a member of the American Legion and the VFW and, later in life, he became a veterans service officer, a job that he held dear until the day the bugle sounded at his own grave site.
   26. It is important for us to teach our children and grandchildren the meaning for the observance of the Memorial Day so they will know the price that has been paid for their freedom.
   27. Never forget the price that was paid for your eternal freedom. Jesus laid down his life for you, so you could spend eternity with Him. We should live our lives giving honor and service to Him.

 

10. Conclusion
    1. Today we live in a world filled with technology and change, change so fast and rapid that we never have a chance to really comprehend.

 

1. We’re so lost in phones and computers that many escape through the technology and believe this is their freedom, but this is all personal, not corporate,
2. not others involved. The technology today has made most illiterate, unable to read or write or add and subtract.
3. We must protect our freedom and realize that freedom comes with a price. What about you today? Are you free?
4. Do you know what freedom is? Have you learned something today that may change your thinking? I hope so, for all of our sakes.