Freedom. Liberty. When we see either of those two words, what comes to mind? From the heart (or from the inside), we breathe out a sigh of relief. It is as if whatever held us captive is loosed when we breathe out that air; it is as if chains fall. Often following we take another breath, a new breath and that breath is freedom. And anyone who has ever been held captive—a person in prison, a mom who finally gave birth to her child, war over, healed from a devastating or nearly fatal disease, or those who’ve thrown off the chains of tyranny—know what it is like to now be liberated, even if there is work to be done. Vitality or a force of energy returns. Hope gleams from our eyes. William Penn said, Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants.
The word tyrant is defined as, “A sovereign or other ruler who uses power oppressively or unjustly. Any person in a position of authority who exercises power oppressively or despotically.” And history records many times when such events occur. For the colonies of early America, in our Declaration of Independence, chosen men declared on paper shortly after saying, “…all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…” continued with, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…” and the ending paragraph begins with, “We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America…appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do…” A short time later, these words were carried with haste to every major city and community up and down the thirteen colonies so all will know a new nation was birthed. And for their freedom, rebellion, choice (depending on who writes the history), it was paid dearly by blood (including members of my maternal and paternal family).
And land and a people of darkness, saw a great light (rephrased from Isaiah 9:2). Whether by sin and judgment or by choice or by conquest, the nation of Israel over 2000 years ago was under authority by a foreign king. Physically or historically, it was Caesar. But in truth, they were held in bondage and tyranny for a long time…a lot longer time. A king, not of this world, besieged hearts and even the very souls of mankind. Sickness, hopelessness, oppression, discouragement, frustration, pride, etc. were rampant in the hearts of people. There was hope, but scores of those who believed it dwindled to a small remnant. The mindset of many, it will never get any better than this so we might as well accept it and live it. A nail in the coffin, if you will, was about to be hammered. And then Someone came onto the scene. As He went to the rostrum and unfolded the pages of parchment, He declared with love, boldness, and in truth (Luke 4:18-19), “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” About a minute or less later, He said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). And Jesus fully and completely did that. And for that, the price for the world—past, present, and future—was paid very dearly by His blood. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Colossians 1:13-14 says, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Today there are billions and billions in prison. It may not be walls of steel and concrete, but there are walls of the mind and more so walls they cannot see. Satan and his guardsmen work bitterly to oppress and hold captive of the souls and hearts of mankind and attempt to bring others in chains. He despises when hearts are set free. And whether that is in nations like India and Sri Lanka through caste or governmental control like those in China and the DPRK, truth is hidden or outright forbidden. And for those of us who live in nations such as the United States, our walls are from our own undoing. Through the surrendering of rights, we give up little by little to the world and the world never let’s us have it back. And whether the billions and billions see their chains, we are (or can be) shackled under tyranny (Satan, addictions, sickness, the lust of the world, etc). And worse today, walls and chains bind our youth by teachers and the education systems who refuse to teach our holistic history—the good and the bad—in favor of a history that minimizes people who took stands for righteousness, even to the liberty of others, for a history of events that now sound like children bedtime stories. Ignorance rules our land. Youth can recall winners of American Idol or the words of demonic songs sung by Rihanna with ease and yet cannot recall events of American history, even in generalities. History keeps repeating itself with talking heads (I call them fools) declaring “never before had we…” without these people realizing that events are just happening again and again. Facts and history of 30 years ago, 50 years ago, 100 years ago are completely forgotten or unknown to the altar of modern society of progress. There is no longer absolutes of right or wrong, standards of righteousness, even the Bible and the US Constitution are both under attack to give way for modernistic beliefs. Shaking off authority, we are no different than what Judges 21:25 declares, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Sounds almost hopeless?
And for those of nearly 250 years ago and as Jesus spoke in the temple over 2000 years ago, a declaration of independence needs to ring resoundingly clear from the pulpits in our churches and the street corners of our cities. There is liberty and there is freedom. Patrick Henry declared before the Virginia Assembly on March 23, 1775, “Give me liberty, or give me death”. Preachers, lay and ordained, need to declare with passion and boldness even to our dying breaths, “Jesus Christ will give you liberty so you won’t have to taste (spiritual) death. Today is your independence day.”