Memorial Day and Freedom in Christ

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, the day set aside to honor the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in our country’s armed forces. Across America people will visit cemeteries to honor our deceased and place flowers or American flags on their graves.

Those who died did so to secure freedoms for Americans, freedoms many of us take for granted. The freedoms bought for us by their blood include the freedom of speech, freedom to own and legally use firearms, the freedom of religion, and the freedom to peacefully assemble. The Bill of Rights lists other freedoms that we will not take the time now to enumerate – but the point needs to be reiterated: Those men and women fought and died to protect the freedoms we enjoy.

As I reflected last week on this upcoming national holiday, I realized Memorial Day is also a very good day to remember another casualty of another war – a war which was the worst ever fought in history since Genesis chapter one. And the loss of this particular life resulted in a cost incomparable to the cost of any conflict since the Garden of Eden.

I’m speaking of the war waged in heaven and on earth for the eternal souls of men and women. You probably have guessed that I am speaking of the battle that took the life of God's only begotten Son. I’m speaking of the battle in which Jesus sacrificed His life to secure for us freedoms which are far more vital than even of those critically important freedoms gained for us by our military.

Americans who know our history recognize the names of places where Americans died for our freedom, places like Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, the WW1 Battle of Marne, the WW2 battles of Iwo Jima, and Normandy.

But the battle that cost the life of God's Son occurred in what was then often referred to as a backwater town of Jerusalem. However, with Christ’s death and subsequent resurrection – and let us never forget that last point because without that resurrection, the death of Christ would mean absolutely nothing for our freedoms – with Christ’s death and resurrection, He alone won for all humanity freedoms which only HE could secure.

And so, the question which we ought to ask on this day before Memorial Day – and the question I hope to adequately answer – is this: What FREEDOMS did Jesus’ death bring to us? For the sake of time, I will talk briefly of only four. You can probably think of others yourself.

First, Christ’s death for us procured for us freedom from the devil’s lie that we have to earn our salvation, that we have to somehow and in some way warrant God's grace, the lie that our salvation depends in large part or in small part on something WE have to do.

Listen to what Jesus said about the so-called ‘righteousness of works’ and the Biblical truth of the righteousness of humble faith: Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Listen: If righteousness was obtainable by keeping the Law, Jesus would never have had to die. Here is St Paul speaking infallibly: Gal 2:21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

And again, Paul to the Christians at Colossae: (Colossians 2:16,17,20-23) Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day, things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. . . . If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch . . . in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”

Not long after Jesus ascended to the Father, a heresy circulated among the believing Jewish priests and Pharisees who taught that obedience to the Law of Moses was a requisite for salvation. At the heart of this issue was circumcision. Because of the spiritual damage this heresy was causing, the apostles came together at what is known as the first Jerusalem council. Luke records it this way (Acts 15:7-11):

“After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

The heretical idea that our salvation is based on something WE have to do is a Satanic lie that remains with us to this very day, it is a lie designed by our mortal enemy to keep even Christians in bondage.

So, the first freedom Christ’s blood bought us is freedom from the idea that we can do anything to secure our own salvation. And that freedom brings us to what I am labeling the second freedom for the Christian (and only for the Christian): The freedom from God's wrath for our sins.

The Lord Jesus said to the very religious Nicodemus: (John 3:18) “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Listen also to Peter, speaking of Jesus: (2 Peter 2:24) “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” 

Many of you recognize Peter was quoting from Isaiah 53:5-6 “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”

Christian – please hear this: God will never make you suffer after death for your sins. Never. Listen to what St John wrote in his first epistle: (1 John 4:18) “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

I know I am quoting a lot of Scripture, and I will be quoting even more as I continue this message. And if you have been with me for more than a few months, you know I often quote from God's word. I do so because you should not at all be swayed by my opinions – unless my opinions are rooted and grounded in God's infallible word.

And second, I so often quote scriptures in my sermons and studies because ‘it is only GOD’S truth that can set us free from bondage. As the Lord Jesus said: (John 8:31-32): “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;  and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”  

So, the freedoms Jesus’ blood bought for us on Calvary’s hill included the freedom from the lie of a works-based salvation, and freedom from the fear of God's wrath for our sins. The third freedom Jesus secured for us, and related to the first two, is this: The Christian – and only the Christian – now is free from the fear of death.

Listen to Hebrews 2:14-15: “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

Death is an unknown – but it is not a completely indecipherable unknown. God in His graciousness has given us information in Scriptures that should allay the Christian’s fear of death.

For one thing, as we have already seen, death for the Christian is not a time of judgment, But as for what heaven is like, God has given us sufficient glimpses into our future in heaven in verses such as these:

Revelation 21:3-4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Revelation 22:3 “There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

What will heaven be like? I don’t know. But I like to imagine colors to be so much more incredibly vibrant than we see them now with human eyes. Greens greener. Reds redder. Blues bluer. The colors of the rainbow surrounding us in the nature of heaven all shimmering, sparkling, yet blending while each remains clearly distinct.

And heaven’s sounds? The psalmist wrote: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150), and maybe that also works in heaven. EVERYTHING that breathes – animals, insects, mammals – everything that breathes, and each mingling their breath and voice into an incredible soul-stirring celestial symphony of praise to God.

I like to also imagine, as Isaiah tells us (55:12), “The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands” – The whole of heaven’s landscape raising voice, and even the wind rustling through trees and flowers and across my ears will whisper a melody of worship in which all of creation joins to raise to its Creator.

And for a moment, in my fun speculations, I wondered if after a millennium of such resonating choruses and beauty – would I get bored with it all? I wondered that because I know how quickly I get bored with things in life that once startled me. But then I thought of Jeremiah’s words in Lamentations: “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23a). I thought, God's infinite combinations of sounds and colors and sights are – well, they’re infinite.

So, how could I get bored when His glories and wonders are new every morning?

A local poet, Betty Smith, thought of it this way: “There will be joy and laughter – no tears or woes, and we will all be dressed in the finest of robes, pure white, without spot or blemish, I’m told. And wine will be served in goblets of gold, the food will be sumptuous, fit for a king; the music will be heavenly – we’ll hear angels sing. There will be plenty of time to visit and talk, and after dinner, You and Jesus can walk.”

It is true that no one knows what heaven is actually like. But I think we can rest on what we DO know for certain, because God's word tells us what is certain: “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

I need to start bringing this message to a close with the fourth freedom bought and brought to us by the precious blood of our Savior Jesus: Christians, and only Christians, have the freedom to call God, our Father.

Listen again to the apostle John: (1:10-13) “He [Christ] was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Have you ‘received’ Jesus? Have you asked Him to cleanse your sins, to control your life, to make you His own, and to deepen your life in holiness? If so, then you ARE a child of God and He has given you the right to call Him your Father.

But – and this is very important – if you have never personally asked His cleansing and control over your life and lifestyle, and if you do not humbly confess to Him your sins and repent, then you might be religious, and you might be a good person, and you might participate in all the religious rituals of your church – but you might not actually be a child of God and do not have the right to call Him your Father.

If what I just said causes some sense of concern in your heart – then I am glad because this issue of salvation is far too important to dilute or soft-peddle God's truth. No one will want to say to the Lord Jesus at the Judgment: ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’ (Luke 13:26) and then hear Him say in response: ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; Depart from Me, all you evil doers.’ (Luke 13:27).

In other words, it won’t matter at the Judgment if we received Holy Communion every day and listened attentively to great sermons and homilies. What will matter is this: Were we born again through faith in Jesus as our sacrificial atonement for our sins, and did our lifestyles reflect an ongoing, day by day desire to live according to His commandments? Did we confess our sins and repent each time the Holy Spirit told us we’d done wrong?

Memorial Day is set aside in our nation as a day to remember with thanksgiving the men and women who died in battles to secure the freedoms we enjoy in this country. But Memorial Day is also a good day to remember the One who died in a battle on Calvary’s mountain – who died a death to secure our freedoms often taken for granted – even by those of us in the pews: Freedom from Satan’s lie that we have to do something to earn our salvation; Freedom from God's eternal wrath for our sins; Freedom from the fear of death; and freedom to be able to call God our very own Father.

No wonder the apostle Paul exclaimed: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)