Freedom to Worship God
Pastor Tan Thai · May 24, 2015
This sermon reflects on the meaning and true value of freedom, from political liberty to the spiritual freedom God grants humanity. Tracing history from the Garden of Eden to the present day, the pastor demonstrates that true freedom is only found when people choose to obey God and worship Him according to His will.
The sermon opens with imagery from Memorial Day and the historical experience of Vietnamese people — thousands of years resisting foreign invaders, the division of the country in 1954, and the waves of boat refugees seeking freedom after 1975. The pastor emphasizes that freedom always comes at an enormous cost, paid in the blood of many generations. He also reminds the congregation that religious freedom remains rare in today's world, with millions of Christians facing persecution and martyrdom in many nations.
The second section traces the origin of freedom back to God through the creation account in Genesis 2:15-17. God granted Adam and Eve the freedom to choose, but their wrong choice led to a world full of sin and suffering. The sermon leads the audience through biblical examples — from Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:3-5) to Israel being delivered from Egypt specifically to worship God (Exodus 5:1) — showing that the desire to worship is a deep human instinct, but the manner of worship must follow God's will rather than human invention.
The third section presents the two paths God sets before humanity according to Deuteronomy 30:15-19 and Matthew 7:13-14 — the path of life and the path of death, the narrow gate and the wide gate. The pastor uses the contrasting examples of Lot (who chose the world's path and lost everything) and Abraham (who chose to follow God and became the father of faith) to illustrate the consequences of each choice. He also refers to the devil's temptation of Jesus Christ in the wilderness (Matthew 4:8-9), showing that from the Garden of Eden to the present, the enemy continually tempts people to worship him rather than God.
The concluding section focuses on true freedom in Christ according to Galatians 5:1 and Romans 12:1-2. The pastor emphasizes that those whom Christ has set free from the yoke of sin must use that freedom to offer their bodies as living sacrifices to God — this is true worship. The mark of spiritual maturity is knowing how to use freedom to serve God and others rather than to gratify oneself. The church is also reminded not to impose rules and conditions that would burden and restrict brothers and sisters in Christ.