The missionary that we had from China recently helped me appreciate the freedom we have here in America. Our great country has been a global force for good, and I am proud to be an American.
Lady Liberty stands as a testament to all who enter our country that our citizens are liberated from tyranny, and as a beacon of hope for those who have never understood freedom.
However tall she stands for freedom, though, she can never stand as tall as the cross of Jesus Christ. While July 4 this week is a celebration of our freedom from foreign powers, the cross stands as a celebration of our freedom from sin.
Every week we gather to worship our God who sent Jesus into the world—not to condemn the world, but to save it!
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Our freedom in America was purchased by the blood of the revolutionaries, but our freedom from sin was purchased by the blood of the Redeemer.
I am patriotic and care deeply about our right to bear arms, our right to free speech, our great heritage, our great history, our great founding, and all the blessings of growing up as an American; but none of these things are greater than what Jesus did to save us from our sins!
One test of our worship today is this question: If we didn’t have the freedoms and rights of being in the United States, would our worship change?
It ought not to.
Perhaps, in some ways, the Christians in China might have a richer worship than we have.
May we 1) never take for granted what we enjoy in America, and 2) may we always keep the worship of our God first in our church and in our lives.
–Pastor Ryan