The High Price of Freedom
Pastor Tan Thai · May 30, 2021
This sermon explores the true meaning of freedom from a biblical perspective, contrasting it with the modern secular definition. True freedom is not the absence of all restraint, but liberation from the bondage of sin through Jesus Christ, enabling us to serve God and others.
The sermon opens by reminding the congregation that freedom is a precious blessing that billions of people around the world still do not possess. Drawing on Pope John Paul II's 1995 address to the United Nations and the 1776 American Declaration of Independence, the sermon affirms that the right to freedom is a gift from God, not a creation of government or human philosophy. President Calvin Coolidge also confirmed that the Declaration of Independence is a religious document, because equality and liberty originate from faith in God.
The sermon then analyzes three fundamental problems with the modern world's concept of absolute freedom. First, no one can be completely free from all constraints, because those very constraints protect people and help them achieve what they truly desire. Second, everyone has a 'master' in life, and the issue is not whether one has a master but whether one has chosen the right master — what Stephen Covey calls a 'personal center.' Third, true freedom is limited by environment and purpose; people are only truly free when living in accordance with the purpose for which God created them.
Scripture clearly teaches that true freedom comes from God. From the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15-17), God gave humanity the freedom to choose between obedience and disobedience. Adam and Eve chose their own way, and the consequence was that sin spread throughout the world, enslaving humanity. The Apostle Paul in Romans 7:15-25 describes this inner conflict — not doing what one wants but doing what one hates — and concludes that only through Jesus Christ can one be freed. According to John 8:31-36, Jesus declares that whoever commits sin is a slave of sin, and only when 'the Son sets you free' are you 'free indeed.'
The sermon also traces the history of Israel to illustrate the choice between two paths. God delivered His people from Egypt so that they would worship Him (Exodus 5:1), yet they frequently chose to worship other gods. Deuteronomy 30:15-19 and Joshua 24:14-15 show that God consistently placed two paths before His people and granted them the freedom to choose. The contrasting stories of Lot and Abraham illustrate the different outcomes of these two choices. Even the secular novelist David Foster Wallace observed that everyone worships something, and that anything worshiped in place of God will ultimately 'eat you alive.'
The sermon concludes with a call to live in true freedom — freedom in Christ. Galatians 5:1, 13 reminds believers that Christ has set us free, but this freedom is not to indulge the flesh; rather, it is to serve one another in love. Paul set the example by voluntarily making himself a servant to all in order to win more people for the Gospel (1 Corinthians 9:19, 22-23). The mark of a mature believer is knowing how to use freedom not for oneself but in service to God and others.