Free Indeed! Celebrating our Freedom in Christ and as American Citizens  

John 8:31-36

³¹ So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ³³ They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. ³⁵ The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:31-36, ESV)

1. When we and follow Jesus, he sets us free from the (justification) and life-controlling power (sanctification) of .

 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. ¹⁷ Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:16-17, ESV)

2. As followers of Christ, we have citizenship.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, (Philippians 3:20, ESV)

But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” ³⁸ The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. ³⁹ So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. (Acts 16:37-39, ESV) 

“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21b, ESV)

3. As Christian citizens, one of the ways we are to be “salt” and “light” is by our values.

• Last day to register: Tuesday, October 11
• Election Day: Tuesday, November 8
• You may check your voter registration status at this website: https://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP/mvp.do.

4. As we consider for whom we will vote, we should evaluate carefully and prayerfully:

• The – “Does this candidate have a track record of integrity and skill, character and competence?”

And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. (Psalm 78:72, NIV84)

• Their – “With whom does this candidate associate? Who are his supporters, allies, and closest confidants?”

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” (Proverbs 13:20, ESV)

• Their – “With which political party does this candidate identify, and what are the stated platform positions of that party?”
  • The Democrat Party Platform is here.
  • The Republican Party Platform is here.

• Their – “What actions has this candidate taken or promised to take on a variety of public policy issues.

“You will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16a, ESV)

• Their – “What is the judicial philosophy guiding the nominations this candidate has made or will make to be judges and justices of the Supreme Court?”

5. As followers of Christ, we should give thanks to God today for recent decisions of the Supreme Court . . .

• To protect

In “Kennedy v. Bremerton School District” the Court held: “The Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment protect an individual engaging in a personal religious observance from government reprisal; the Constitution neither mandates nor permits the government to suppress such religious expression. . . . . Respect for religious expressions is indispensable to life in a free and diverse Republic. Here, a government entity sought to punish an individual for engaging in a personal religious observance, based on a mistaken view that it has a duty to suppress religious observances even as it allows comparable secular speech. The Constitution neither mandates nor tolerates that kind of discrimination. Mr. Kennedy is entitled to summary judgment on his religious exercise and free speech claims.” (Syllabus, pp. 1, 5)

• To protect the of the unborn.

In “Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization” the Court held: “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives. . . . Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. The Court overrules those decisions and returns that authority to the people and their elected representatives.” (Syllabus, pp. 1, 8)

6. As followers of Christ, given the Dobbs decision of the Supreme Court, . . .

• We should to protect and defend innocent, human life – from the moment of conception to natural death – at every level of government.

• We should support life-affirming ministries like Caring Solutions (for those facing unplanned pregnancies), Covenant Care (a Christian adoption agency), and Focus on the Family.

• We should relate with kindness and conviction to everyone, even as we advocate for life and bear witness to the forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus offers to all who repent and believe.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)