Thank you for listening to this message from
Lifehouse Church. Storm hit last evening and
a bunch of you are without power and you came
in looking good anyway. So it's good to have
you at Lifehouse and it's good to be here to
celebrate 250 years as a free nation. Come on,
can we give God a hand? Yeah, truly. And it really,
it's my hope that you took some time this weekend
and, you know, really kind of thought about,
contemplated, celebrated in some way. Maybe it
was while you were watching fireworks, you realized
the freedom that you have in this nation. Maybe
it was at a picnic, maybe at a family gathering,
maybe you went to see a movie, whatever it was,
whatever you did to celebrate, I hope you took
some moments to think about 250 years of a nation
in freedom. 250 years of freedom of religion.
250 years of having the ability to assemble in
a building like this on a Sunday morning, come
in and worship our creator, worship our Lord,
worship our God without any fear of repercussion.
I don't worry about somebody storming in and
coming in and telling us we can't worship on
a Sunday morning. 250 years to preach, teach,
and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's
amazing to me. It is freedom then and it is freedom
now. That's the title of my message this morning.
And can we do something? Can we just stand to
our feet one last time? I promise. Right? Just
like church aerobics. Come on. Stand up. I want
you just, if you would, give God the greatest
applause ever for the freedom that's in your
life. Come on. We thank you, Lord. We give you
glory. We give you honor today. Thank you. Thank
you. We live in this nation. Amen. That was awesome.
All right, you can sit down. Go ahead. All right,
well, the United States of America declared freedom
from British rule July 4th, of course, 1776.
The Second Continental Congress formally adopted
what we know as the Declaration of Independence,
which was drafted and signed in the great state
of Pennsylvania, right, in the city of Philadelphia.
And this declaration was signed by 55 brave leaders
who began a two -phase process. that would lead
to freedom from British rule, to form a sovereign
nation, the United States of America. Phase one
was what we've heard about this morning already.
It was the signing of that declaration, the Declaration
of Independence on July 4th, 1776. But phase
two was gaining worldwide legal recognition.
And that didn't happen until seven years later
in 1783. The transformation, right, from British
colonies to independent state in this nation
was driven by the universal principles of equality
and a desire for self -governance. The Declaration
initially was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and
was perfected by others, men like Benjamin Franklin.
And I want to read you the first paragraph of
that document this morning. In Congress, July
4, 1776. The unanimous declaration of the 13
United States of America. When in the course
of human events it becomes necessary for one
people to dissolve the political bands which
have connected them with another and to assume
among the powers of the earth the separate and
equal station to which the laws of nature and
of nature's God entitle them. A decent respect
to the opinions of mankind requires that they
should declare the causes which impel them to
the separation. We hold these truths to be self
-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their creator with certain
unalienable rights, and that among these are
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Yeah, thank you. Freedom in this country is held
under the banner of self -evident items that
are bestowed to us from our creator. First and
foremost, that all men are created equal, that
all of humanity carries the same value in God's
eyes, and it should carry the same value in our
eyes for one another, right? You're as valuable
as I am, and I am as valuable as you are, regardless
of where you come from, regardless of the color
of your skin, regardless of your background.
No matter what it is, we are equal in the sight
of God. pursued was life, liberty, and happiness.
Liberty, freedom, freedom from external control,
freedom from physical restraint, freedom from
arbitrary interference, freedom then, and freedom
now. And if we're free, nothing binds us, without
or within. No physical restraints, Hold us down.
Nothing holds us back. Zero keeping me from moving
forward. But how many know that the story can
change, right, if we're bound and we don't experience
that freedom? I remember years ago, Dixie and
I, we've been married 36 years now, and she's
away this weekend. She's actually on a girl's
trip. My daughters, the nieces, her sisters,
they all get together to go to Myrtle Beach and
spend the weekend together, and there's a whole
bunch of women there, and I'm glad I'm here.
I don't go along on those things, right? But
I remember years ago when we were first newly
married, and we were just a year or two into
marriage, and we were in the house, and we were
sitting on the couch, and we were doing what
you're doing. young couples do. I don't know
if you do this or not, but when you were young,
but when we were young and energetic, now we
just sit down and kind of watch TV or whatever
and rest. But when you're young and energetic,
we started goofing around. We started horsing
around, and we would start picking on one another
a little bit, and we kind of started wrestling
around. Now, I know what you're thinking, G -rated
wrestling, okay? We were G -rated wrestling around.
And we're just kind of wrestling around on the
couch. And I'm like, you know, and she's like,
we're just kind of doing that kind of thing.
And we're doing this. And me, of course, being
bigger and stronger, I pinned her down. I was
like, you know, and I thought it was cool. And
I pinned her down and I held her there for just
a little bit. You know how you do when you pin,
anybody ever pin somebody down, just wrestle
around, goof around? What do you do when you
do that? You hold them there for just a little
bit so they acknowledge that you pinned them,
right? How many of you have ever just said, like,
go ahead, say uncle. Go ahead, I'm not lighting
you up until you say uncle. You know, whatever
it is. You do that kind of thing, right? So I
did this with my wife, which she was not humored
about. It was a bad idea, you know. And then
the next bad idea I had is I left go. And on
just sheer reaction, she punched me square in
the face. She hit me square in the face. And
I was stunned, and then she was stunned, and
she's like. Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. Like she
just, she didn't even know what took her over.
And I'm like, it's okay. And I'm like, we're
just, and she, you know, she profusely apologized.
And I was, I was just stunned. And she's pretty,
pretty good hook, honestly. All right. And she
just, and that's what happens though, when you're
bound, right? If you're bound up, if you're tied
up, you want nothing but freedom and you will
punch your way. You will claw your way. You will
do whatever you need to do to get free. We celebrate
and defend the rights and the freedoms afforded
us in this country then and now. Don't take for
granted that all of humanity is created equal
in the sight of God and should be with one another,
right? Don't take for granted those rights that
are ours to pursue life and liberty and happiness.
Those rights are held near and dear in this nation.
Rights that should never be surrendered, transferred,
or taken away, right? There were men and women,
there were families who put their lives on the
line to defend these freedoms, to keep us from
bondage, to keep us from being pinned down so
that we are free. As I thought about freedom,
I think about those 55 brave individuals who
signed the Declaration of Independence. They
risked their lives personally. They jeopardized
all of their family's safety. Against Britain,
they could have been looked at as traitors. They
could have been hung for what they did. Men like
Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin and John
Hancock, and then other less known like Josiah
Bartlett, a physician, or George Clymer, who
was a merchant. Leaders and representatives of
the 13 colonies who stood in the gap and declared
freedom. from the oppression of Great Britain.
They opposed taxation without representation.
They opposed the stripping away of self -government,
right? They opposed military occupation on citizens.
They opposed the loss of judicial independence.
And they stood. These men, along with other colony
citizens, stood against the acts of bondage and
declared freedom in this country. In a sense.
They told Great Britain to let us be free or
you just might get punched in the face, right?
Kind of in a way. But here's what I know about
freedom then and now. Freedom from any oppression
always begins with a person who's willing to
stand in the gap. A person who will stiffen their
spine and say no more to those who oppose. not
on my watch, not while I'm here, not while I'm
in the room, not while I'm in the state, not
while I'm in the country. One who is willing
to put it all on the line, one who's willing
to fight for freedom, and one who's willing to
pay the price for what that takes. Over 2 ,000
years ago, there was one who was willing, and
only one who was willing, and qualified to stand
in the gap for you and I in all of time, and
his name is Jesus Christ. Amen? Yeah, come on,
give him a hand. One, one who would leave the
majesty of heaven, step down from his position
as king, as God's son, ruler of heaven and earth,
and he would take on the form of humanity to
become like one of us and stand in the gap for
your salvation and for mine. the only one qualified.
And through Jesus' suffering and resurrection,
life, liberty, and the pursuit of your happiness
will be available for all who call on his name.
Galatians 5 .1 says this, Stand fast, therefore,
in the liberty, which is freedom, by which Christ
has made us free. And do not be entangled again
with the yoke of bondage. Indeed, I, Paul, say
to you that if you become circumcised, Christ
will profit you nothing. And I testify again
to every man who becomes circumcised that he
is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become
estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be
justified by the law or acts, right? You have
fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit
eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by
faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith
working through love. Paul's letting the Galatians
know that their freedom, their liberty could
not be attained by some act on their part. Back
then it was circumcision for the men or uncircumcision
was taking place, and this did not bring any
kind of spiritual freedom, even though it was
required by the ancient Mosaic law. Daily spiritual
rituals will not bring you freedom. Disciplines
like prayer, fasting, Bible reading, meditation,
which I all... highly recommend, cannot give
you liberty. Incredibly important, but they are
not the agents of freedom themselves. The only
way to be truly free in this life is through
faith in Jesus Christ. It begins and it ends
with faith. All the disciplines we do, all that
girds up and holds up our faith, but it is faith
in Jesus Christ. We cannot earn our way there
through good deeds. We cannot educate ourselves
into this. We cannot have superior biblical knowledge
and somehow think that is going to set us free.
We cannot fight, claw, or drive our way through.
The only way to stand fast in freedom is through
faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus equals
freedom. A little bit of math today. It's as
good as it's going to get for the math, though,
right? Faith in Jesus equals freedom. It's probably
the most important thing I'll say for the day.
If you're looking for complete freedom, freedom
then, freedom now, from any other source, you're
going to come up woefully empty or short. The
only way to stay, to remain in freedom is through
Jesus Christ. Freedom from any of all the forces
of bondage, freedom from any in opposition, freedom
from any power or principality, freedom from
any bondage, from within or without, right? All
begins with faith in Jesus Christ. And you might
be thinking, well, is faith in Jesus really that
powerful? Is it? I'm going to tell you it is.
Yes. Look what Jesus says in John 8, 31. Then
Jesus said to those Jews who believed him, who
had faith, right? If you abide in my word, you
are my disciples indeed. You shall know the truth,
and the truth will make you free. Say free. This
freedom in Christ is not a restricted or a narrow
scope in this passage and the others. This passage
does not apply to spiritual circles only. Spiritual
things that exclude the external or the internal
other things that could be going on in our lives.
Somehow we get this in our heads. I don't know
how this happens. As Christians, sometimes we're
like, well, yes, I know I'm free in Jesus. Heaven
is my home someday, right? He's given me hidden
peace, hidden hope, right? In my heart, I'm son
or daughter of the Most High. It's all kind of
inside spiritual fuzzies that we grab a hold
of. But do we really believe that Jesus will
set us free in all areas of our life? Not just
some hidden spiritual compartment that we pull
out on Sunday, right? I'm here to declare to
you this morning that you can be free in Christ
in virtually all areas of your life. It is an
all -inclusive experience in freedom. It really
is. Freeing Jesus is eternal, it is external,
and it is in every layer in between in your being.
Freedom from the top of your head. They used
to say this when I went to church when I was
a kid. From the top of my head to the sole of
what? Yeah, my feet, right? It is freedom in
all of it. It is all. inclusive freedom. Do you
know what all -inclusive means? Yeah, everything.
Thank you. That means all, right? Tell somebody
sitting beside you, it's included. Go ahead,
tell them. It's included. It's included. It's
in everything. I remember years ago when I went
on my first cruise. I've been on a couple cruises,
and I experienced an all -inclusive food and
meal plan on a cruise. I remember the day I sat
down in a restaurant, and they handed me a menu,
and I looked at the menu, and it had everything
listed that they served, but there were no prices.
Now, how many know if that happens in a restaurant
that's not on a cruise, you're in big trouble,
right? Because if there's no prices, that means
get your wallet out because you aren't going
to have anything left when you leave. That's
what it usually means if there's no prices. But
on an all -inclusive cruise, right? All the food
was included. And I remember sitting down and
thinking, wait a minute, there's lobster on here.
And I think I even asked the waiter, you mean
I can order lobster twice, three times? And he's
like, yep, you can order as much as you want,
right? And I was thinking, I think this is what
heaven's like, right? Come on, who's with me,
right? I'm like, I can just keep eating everything
that's on the menu. You can eat till you explode.
You can just keep bringing it. If you want more
bread, they'll bring the loaf and give you all
the butter that you need. That's how it works
when it's all -inclusive. Freedom in Jesus is
all -inclusive. There's as much as available
to you as you're willing to believe for. Can
I say that again? There's as much freedom to
be had as you're willing to believe for. It's
tied with faith. John 8, 36 says, therefore,
the son who the son makes free is free indeed.
Charlie, you spoke it this morning. Jesus has
no restrictions, no limitations. He's never saying,
sorry, I just ran out of freedom today. I don't
got enough for you. Distributed some with some
others, and it's just not going to work today.
There's as much freedom as you could ever want
just on the other side of your belief in Jesus
Christ. The problem is when we run into this
unlimited freedom in Christ, Jesus isn't the
problem, it's us, right? It's a little bit like
having a ticket to get on board of a plane, but
never redeeming the ticket, never checking in,
never getting on the flight. And even worse,
it's like someone paying for the ticket and you
still never get on the plane. You never get in,
get on and fly. I'm convinced that we stay bound
and not set free because we believe the lie that
has bound us is more powerful than faith in Christ
can provide. We believe the lie. Our faith in
fear is greater than our faith in Christ. Our
faith in the addiction is greater than our faith
in Christ. Our faith in our feeling is more powerful
than the fact of faith in Jesus. Our faith in
our past to rule our life is greater than the
faith and what Jesus says about our future. You
name it, it can become bondage in our life. And
if we believe that it is more powerful than the
faith that comes in Christ and what can be available
in faith in Christ, it will rule our lives. It
will keep us. in bondage instead of freedom.
It starts with faith in Jesus. That's where freedom
begins. And I got good news for you today. It
only takes a mustard seed, say mustard seed,
size faith in Jesus to begin the process. Luke
17, six says this. So the Lord said, if you have
faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this
mulberry tree, be pulled up by the roots and
be planted in the seed. in the sea and it will
obey you. How many know how big a mustard seed
is? Hold it up right now. Dude, just give me
a little, come on, give me a little. Yep, it's
about that big, right? It's just a little tiny
thing, right? Jesus did not say you need a mountain
of faith and then you can move the mustard seed.
He said you need a mustard seed size of faith
and you can move the tree. You can move the mountain
in another spot in Scripture, right? Just a spurt
or a sputter of pure faith in Jesus begins to
move us from bondage to freedom. Just start believing,
and it begins the process of breaking you free
in virtually any area of your life. Salvation
itself, if you've gotten saved, you've come to
faith in Jesus Christ, it starts with mustard
seed -sized faith. It really does. If you've
been serving God for a long time, and I have,
I'm 60. I started serving Jesus when I was 12.
I've been serving God for a long time. And I
can tell you that today, my faith is stronger
than my faith was when I was 12 years old. Some
of you that have been serving God a long time,
you'll say the same thing. Some of you have been
serving God for a year, and you'll say, my faith
is stronger now than it was when I was whenever,
right? When I got saved a year ago, 12 months
ago, two years ago, four years ago. And really,
it's salvation. You just need that mustard -sized
seed of faith. I heard a preacher preach. He
said that faith in Christ would save my life,
that if I would confess my sins before God, I
could come into relationship with God, and I
had just enough faith to believe him. And I prayed,
and I meant it. And I prayed, and I asked God
to come into my life. And that day, I was changed.
That day, I was saved. And I had about this much
faith in Jesus. But it was enough. It was pure.
Right? He didn't say you have to have faith for
everything at all times and all moments. How
many of you out there have faith for everything
at all times and all moments? Me either. Right?
Mustard side. This is how it works. And we've
got to just get that mustard -sized seed faith
engaged, and you're going to begin to walk into
freedom. Amen? It's true. You might be thinking,
well, that sounds good, but it doesn't seem to
work that way in my life. Sometimes I feel like
I can't even find the mustard seed -sized faith.
Well, maybe it'll help. If I explain just a little
bit why you may feel that way sometimes. Let
me explain why sometimes you feel like you can't
even get mustard -sized seed faith going in your
life. And we need to get a picture of the reality
of where we are, where we began. Because sometimes
where we're at in our faith, it's a little bit
like a little baby elephant. I know that sounds
a little strange, right? But here's the thing
with the baby elephant. If you take a baby elephant
and you put a chain on its leg and you tie it
to a post when it's small and you just leave
whatever length of chain there, the baby elephant
will begin to pull against that stake and it's
not strong enough yet. to pull that stake out
of the ground and be free. So it will pull and
it will pull and it will pull and pull. It's
kind of like a dog on a chain. It'll keep pulling.
But at some point, that elephant decides and
realizes, I can't pull that stake out. I am in
bondage. And it just sits down. And it will never
pull on that chain again. And even when that
elephant is full grown, we got a picture of that.
If you can pull that up, I think we got a pic
of that somewhere. Even when an elephant is full
grown, You can have a stake and a string attached
to an elephant that was brought up in that way,
and it will stay right where the string is. It
will not pull on the stake. It will not pull
it out of the ground. It has learned to be helpless.
It has learned, right, bondage. It has learned
to stay inside the circle of bondage. And this
is what happens to us. We were born into sin.
We understand bondage. from birth. We live in
it, we breathe it, we accept it, we walk in it
day after day, and then all of a sudden we get
saved and we're free, and we've got the strength
of the elephant in Jesus, but we're still tied
to the stake and the string. Satan comes along,
and every time we feel like we're going to jerk
free, he just waves the stake of fear, right,
and the string of anxiety and ties it to our
leg. And we sit down. Faith in Christ begins
to break that bondage. It begins to break who
we are. It's not a secret formula. It is simple
physics, folk. To break anything that binds me,
right, I simply have to have something more powerful
than what is binding me. And anything that is
binding me, Christ is more powerful. Steel fetters
cannot withstand a file or a saw. A glass ceiling
cannot withstand a sledgehammer. A wooden box
cannot withstand a pry bar. No power in hell
can bind the power of God in our lives. No power
in hell. The Word of God tells us that. It's
true. It's true. Luke 8, 10, 18 says this, and
he, and this is Jesus speaking, said to them,
I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents
and on scorpions and over all power of the enemy
and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless,
do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are
subject to you, but rather rejoice because your
names are written in heaven. The word of God
tells us be humble, but know, but know that Christ
has the power over all things in our life. He
really does. And it takes just that seed. And
listen, I get it. I was bound by the same things
you were and are at times. But it is when you
start to exercise that seed that you begin to
walk into liberty. It doesn't happen instantly.
I'm not going to stand up here and tell you in
a flash, in a heartbeat, in a second, you're
going to be free from everything. That's not
always how it works. It does sometimes in Christ.
But other times, it's going to be just a little
taste of liberty. I know what it was to be bound
in fear. I was there. I remember that. I remember
the anxiety that went along with that. And just
for a moment in time, I began to believe God's
word. And I began to believe the power of Christ.
And for a few moments, I would be free. And then
I would slide back again, right? And fear would
grip my life again. And anxiety would take over
in the same situation. And then I would just
one more time, I'd start preaching and teaching
myself the word of God and praying the word of
God. But I'd start believing it. I start believing
in my heart and I get free just a little bit
longer. I'm up here today because he broke me
free of fear. That's why I'm here. He'll do it.
I'm not special. I'm not any more special than
anybody else sitting here. He'll do it. Freedom
then, freedom now. Freedom then, freedom now.
Walk in the faith and the freedom that comes
in Christ. The first scripture that we read said,
stand fast. Hold your ground in liberty we have
by faith in Jesus Christ. I'll say it this way.
Defend your faith and freedom in Jesus. Defend
it. Say it. Defend my faith and my freedom in
Jesus. Quote it to yourself, right? Worship team,
you can begin to come. Understand something.
peaceful agreement between the 13 colonies and
Great Britain. As a matter of fact, it led to
a war, the Revolutionary War. It was not an easy
war. It was a long war. Battles took place in
North America, in the Caribbean, in the Atlantic
Ocean, and the war's outcome actually seemed
uncertain for most of the war. But Washington
and the Continental Army's decisive victory in
the siege of Yorktown in 1781 led King George
III and the Kingdom of Great Britain to negotiate
an end to the war. But not before 25 ,000 people,
soldiers, were killed. What am I saying? In the
moment you declare freedom in Jesus Christ in
any area of your life, get ready for a fight.
Get ready for war. Get ready to wage a defense
against the oppression, the oppressor, and the
one who will come to take you down. Be ready.
Satan will go to war to keep your head, to keep
your heart, to keep your body, to keep your mind,
to keep your flesh in bondage. And he's willing
to go to war, so you've got to be willing to
go to war and defend the freedom that comes in
Jesus Christ. I'm amazed how many Christians...
really kind of make our Christian walk about
this nice stroll with Jesus through life, right?
We just make it like, oh, you know, we sing in
a couple songs, and it's going to be all good.
Man, you got to wage war. You got to wage war.
The enemy is going to come. He's going to come
and try to take the freedom that you have in
Christ. It is dangerous to know that there's
a fight in front of you. It's dangerous. Ignorance
is not bliss in this. It really isn't. Freedom
means you may go to war, and you've got to defend,
right? Freedom means that you're going to fight.
Freedom means that you'll never know when the
war might be coming to you, and you've got to
be ready, ready to fight for freedom in Christ
Jesus, faith in Christ. Be ready. Listen, church,
we're free. in this nation. Matter of fact, we're
free to travel anywhere we want, right? We can
travel from state to state. Some of you hop on
in your cars and go on vacations all the time.
Some of you have RVs, and you cross state lines
all the time. How many of you ever think about
crossing state lines for one second? None of
us do, right? Because we're free in this place.
But what if, just pretend in your mind, okay,
this is my brain working. Just go with me for
a little bit. You can decide to turn around and
go the other direction if you want a little bit.
But, you know, what if we hopped on Route 81?
I hopped on Route 81 south, and I decided I'm
going to head out of Carlisle. towards the Maryland
border, and I'm going to go down to Maryland,
actually to Hagerstown, Maryland, to Foster's
on the Point, and I want to get me a burger,
all right? They got the best burgers around,
apparently. gourmet burgers. And let's pretend
I'm traveling down to 81 South and I'm heading
to get a burger and I get to the Maryland border
and all of a sudden there's blockades up all
over the place. And it's not the military, it's
not the police, it's not any government authorities
in our state, but it's this group of individuals
who decide to block Route 81. They got their
shotguns out, their guns, and they formed their
own militia and they're just blocking the road.
And I stop and I explain my plight like, gentlemen,
I'm trying to get to Hagerstown, Maryland because
because I need a gourmet burger from this restaurant.
I need to have this burger. And they say, well,
you're not going through. And I say, well, I
really want to go through. And they say, no,
you're not going through. And they turn me back
around. How many know I've got two choices at
that point, right? I've got two decisions to
make. I can turn around and I can head back to
Carlisle, and I can come back and lick my wounds
and say, you know what? You know, I want to exercise
my right of freedom here, but I'm not going to
go down there. I really want that burger. I can
taste that burger as I'm sitting right here in
my living room right now. I need that burger,
right? And I can moan and groan about it, and
I can just sit in my house, right, in bondage,
or I can get ready to fight for my freedom, for
my burger. That's what Satan will do to you.
He'll try to take your freedom. He'll pull one
of his weapons, stand on the road that you're
traveling down with fear, shame, guilt, intimidation,
inadequacies, your past. He'll pull up any of
it, and he'll try to send you right back where
you came from, right back to the bondage that
you were currently in, previously in. But what
if I were to turn around and I come back home,
And I have a tank parked in my driveway. Yes,
from the military surplus store. I bought myself
a tank, all right? And I decided, you know what?
I really want a burger. So I hop in my tank and
I head back to the border. How many think I'm
gonna get through to get my burger? Amen, thank
you. About half of you believe me, all right?
I know, that's how my brain works. Just work
with me. Church, we have a tank. Jesus is the
tank. The Holy Spirit is the tank. Satan always
brings a knife to a gunfight. He always does.
He brings the string and the stake and tries
to get you to hold fast. Don't buy it. We have
the tank. All God wants you to do, you don't
even have to be the tank. You just got to crawl
into the tank, the tank of faith. And God's going
to move you to a place of liberty. Galatians
5 .1, right? I'm going to read it again. Stand
fast, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ
has made us free. Defend, fight. Many died and
bled for the freedom that we have in this country.
Jesus bled and died to empower us to be free
in this life. We have the tank at our disposal.
We really do, if you'd stand. So if you're a
follower of Jesus, I'm gonna ask you to listen
to me for just a moment. And I want you to bow
your head so you're not looking around, you're
just focused. Close your eyes. Don't be the elephant
held bound with a stick and a string. Just a
mustard seed of faith will begin to move you
forward into freedom and liberty. You might not
cross the freedom line today, but it will begin
the journey. Climb into the tank and go to war
with the devil. Go to war with the mindset. Go
to war with your history. Go against the paralyzing
emotion that takes you over. He's the tank. Just
crawl in. Just declare your faith in Jesus Christ.
Name that thing that has been holding you back,
that has had you bound. Name it. You can't fix
what you won't name. You've got to name it. And
then by faith, turn it over to him. We're going
to pray that way first. And then we're going
to do a second prayer for those who don't know
Jesus. Father, I come to you right now. God,
you know who's in the house on this 4th of July
weekend. God, 250 years celebrating freedom in
this nation. And God, I'm calling for freedom
in this house. God, some here are bound. Lord,
there's areas of their life. God, they may be
free in so many other areas, but there's areas
where they're bound. Things have them. God, they've
pushed them down. They felt like they've been
pulled back. They feel a lot like that elephant
that's been chained to a post, and they just
can't get free. And I'm here to tell them today
that they can begin to move forward in Christ.
That you are the tank. And Lord, we don't have
to have the power within us. All we have to do
is have faith in you. And God, you will drive
us forward. God, you'll get us across the border.
You'll get us beyond the reach of the enemy.
God, you'll push us through those lines. So Lord,
I'm praying right now. God, as they pray. And
God, as they name that thing. Lord, that freedom
begins right now in the house of God. Freedom
begins right now in their heart. Because they're
coming with faith. Faith. In Christ. You'll set
them free. Let them begin the journey today.
God, there may be one here that you just completely
deliver them. The light bulb may have come on.
God, deliverance is in their life. God, I pray
that you touch them in this moment. But, Lord,
for many, they'll be like me. They're starting
the journey. God, they're going to walk, and
they're going to have to fight. They're going
to have to stand. And every time the enemy comes,
they're going to have to crawl back into the
tank of faith. Every time the enemy comes, they're
going to have to lean on your word. Every time
the enemy comes, they're going to have to believe
what you said and not what's going on in their
life. their head or out of somebody else's mouth.
In Jesus' name, I pray this. And as your heads
are bowed and your eyes are closed, there might
be somebody in the house today or listening online,
you don't know Jesus. You're not a follower of
Jesus. You've never even considered it until
today. And you want to come into the kingdom.
You want to get in the tank. You want to be free.
You want to be in relationship with a God who
loves you more than anyone will ever love you.
You want to know him. I'm here to tell you, he
died on a cross. He rose from a grave so you
could be free. He rose from a grave so you could
be washed clean of sin. And so no past, no anxiety,
no fear, no troubling thing can have a grip on
you for all of your life. Lord, God, I pray for
that person right now who wants to surrender
their life. And they're willing. They're saying
right now in their heart, I will follow you.
I will follow you, Jesus. I will do what you
say. I will follow you. And I will come into
relationship with you. Forgive me of my sin.
Forgive me, Lord, of what has separated me from
you. And they'll come into my life right now.
In Jesus' name. God, I pray for freedom in their
life. God, it's their wash clean in their spirit.
God, it'll begin. What's on the inside will begin
to flow on the outside. In Jesus' name. Jesus'
name. And amen. Now here's what we're going to
do. The Word of God tells us that we overcome
by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our
testimony. Jesus provided the blood. He provided
the power. He provided the tank. Now you've got
to testify of what He's going to do in your life.
You might not see evidence of it yet. Faith is
not what you see. It's what you hear and know.
Right? Faith is evidence. Come on, it's true.
So if you pray to be free of something this morning,
and you believe the journey in faith in Christ
is going to begin today to freedom, you need
to declare that to someone. Now, I know this
is uncomfortable. Don't do it unless you're comfortable
with somebody or the person that you're standing
beside or somebody that you know. But you need
to name that thing and you need to testify. We
overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word
of our testimony. As soon as you declare it,
as soon as you speak it, as soon as you testify
of it, you're releasing God's power in your life
and into the air. The enemy will hear it. He
will know. Got to get ready to fight. But you're
going to be free. Amen? So here's what I'm going
to do. I mean, they're going to play a song.
And while they're playing and while they're praising
and while they're singing, here's what I want
you to do. I want you to declare it to somebody
beside you. Name it. And say, I'm going to start
today. I'm going to become free. I got faith
in Jesus. Not faith in me. I got faith in Jesus.
I'm beginning the journey of freedom today in
my life. You ready to declare it? Amen? It's
true. If you got saved, you need to declare it.
If this was the first day you prayed and you
asked Christ to come into your life, declare
it to somebody beside you. Declare it to me.
I'd love to talk with you. Please come see me.
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