We Are the True Sons of Liberty

Well, happy Sabbath, everybody! Good to see everyone and good to be up here.

You know, we've had quite an enjoyable Fourth of July period. Our son, Stephen, and his wife, and Sean, and his children, and as well as Jonathan, we're all together on Thursday, enjoying the nice 70-degree weather here in Phoenix, you know, and eating hot dogs. That's what we did on the Fourth of July. And, you know, we just really have enjoyed it.

We were going to bring Jonathan up, but he was in an accident where he injured one of his ankles pretty badly, and I didn't really feel he ought to be going on a circuit today. So we're running the circuit on Fourth of July weekend here. And I have to tell you about this because we're sort of talking about because of the fact it's the July 4th weekend. And by the way, I did want to, as well, mention that for the men, if you come on the East side, I mentioned it's going to be a hard sermon I just say that for the ladies, you know, so they realize that, you know, that what's going to be said is going to be tailored for men.

You know, we're going to have, for crying out loud, we're going to have cookies and ice cream. So, I mean, you get an idea of what we're going to have on the East side, but we will have a good message for you as well. And anyone certainly is welcome to services if you'd like to come over. But interestingly, I got to tell you about this, Jonathan and Sarah were in the backyard and Joan had just walked out the back area and I heard this doorbell ring and we had our front porch all dark and everything and so I listened intently again because I was sitting on the couch working on some things for today and then a knock came at the door.

And so I go to the door and obviously flip on the lights and there's a police officer standing outside. And I said, well, I guess it's pretty safe. So I opened up the door and there weren't, there wasn't just one police officer, there were like four police officers. And I was thinking, Joan, finally they got me. You know, nothing I can do about it. And I said, can I do anything for you? And I was standing at the door and I had my arm behind my back and one of the police officers said, would you show your other hand?

And I said, sure, I'd be glad to show, you know, I didn't know, by the way, getting a refill at McDonald's would lead to this, you know, that I'd be accused of a thievery, you know, that wasn't what it was about at all. I said, well, can I help you guys? And they said, yeah, well, you know, we have a report about someone who lived at this house and something about a child. And I said, well, who? And he named the name of the man who owned the house prior to us.

And I said, oh, he's the person that we bought the house from. And they said, well, sir, we're sorry to disturb you. This has nothing to do with you. So anyway, that that was sort of a scare, maybe of what sometimes you might face. You know, you hear about things like this, don't you? In the news periodically, you know, where somebody ends up dead. Accidentally, of course, I can imagine something like that occurring that, you know, here, forget you got your arm behind your back. Somebody might think you got a gun you know, behind your back.

And some maybe young police officer, all of a sudden, decides he's going to take it in his own hands. And things happen rather rapidly. You know, we are observing, of course, this week, July 4th was one of the most important American holidays that we have, as a matter of fact. But what do we mostly associate the 4th of July with, though? If I were to ask for you to tell me what you think about the 4th of July, what do you think about the most? You know, do you think about family gatherings? People getting together?

You know, on the 4th of July, as our family did. How many of you did that, by the way? Where your families got together? Just a few, not as many. You know, of course, most of the families are at camp, are they, this weekend? But we think about barbecues. We think about picnics. I remember very much the picnics that we used to have. You know, we used to go down to the creek in Arkansas on the 4th of July, and that's where you would, you know, fire off the rockets, the firecrackers, the sparklers, and fireworks.

That's what I associate as a kid the 4th of July with. That's what I thought about the most. But how many people, brethren, appreciate what happened to commemorate, in fact, this day, July 4th, was established for that purpose of commemorating 1776, which was 243 years ago? Do we appreciate the events that came together that resulted in July 4th?

You know, American history, of course, is one of those topics that most people turn off their ears. You know, I remember when I was going to high school, you know, it was one of my, I mean, I was very interested in history, but it wasn't the one I listened the most to. And I've really gotten a very, quite a love for history since that time, of course, by reading many, many books, particularly about the American Revolution. July 4th was born out of a revolution, the American Revolution. You know, most don't think about the time of the Declaration of the Independence, which was, of course, July 4th, 1776. They don't think back to the time of the 1700s, when England was ruled, ruled the Americans, America colonies that existed at that time, the 13 original colonies that were doing, of course, not only big business for the British, but it was just a tremendous commerce influx of income for the British Empire. That's what basically the 13 colonies were about. They were established to that end, and for that purpose. And people that were in those colonies were loyal to the British Crown, and they paid taxes to Britain as well. And they enjoyed, of course, the protection of the British Empire. They had, of course, the ships, the manpower, the soldiers. But that protection turned into tyranny, you know, over the colonists of America. And, of course, what resulted ultimately was July 4th, the American Revolution. You know, back then there was a secret organization that was formed, you know, made up of men who became responsible for that revolution, the fathers, you might say, of this country. And they resisted. You know, long before, you know, the country was ever declared as independence, they resisted British tyranny. You know, you had the Boston Tea Party, you had all of these things that were going on, you know, in America at that particular time. They did not like the taxation that became exorbitant from the British. And this secret organization became the Sons of Liberty. They were called the Sons of Liberty. You know, these were the individuals that ultimately were responsible for what, you know, became the United States. And some of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were in fact a part of this secret organization. I'll name you one name that all of you probably, if I asked you who signed the Declaration of Independence, you would come up with this name, John Hancock. And why? Because he signed his name the biggest, you know, on the document. But do you know that John Hancock was probably, you know, he was a very big smuggler during that time and considered an outlaw as far as the British were concerned. You have other names that all of you probably could come up with, Samuel Adams. You know, another name that was mentioned, in fact, by Mr. Miller about Patrick Henry. You know, and also you have, of course, one that I think would probably come out, Paul Revere. Remember, he was the one that went through and shouting, the British are coming, the British are coming. And so all of these people were resisting, again, the British tyranny. Interestingly, of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 25 were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants. And nine were farmers and large plantation owners.

And they were men of means. They were well off, very well off, very wealthy. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing the penalty that was going to occur. It would be death, in fact, if they were caught, if they were arrested. Five of the signers were captured by the British as traitors, and they were tortured before they died. Now, these men went through torture from the British. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned down.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army. And two had their sons captured by the British. Nine of the 56 signers fought and died from wounds of hardships involved in the Revolutionary War. They signed, they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their honor, their sacred honor, in order to begin this nation. And there's a whole lot, a longer story about that that perhaps we should think about, you know, when we sit down and we observe July 4th in this country. It was a time when this was occurring in the, in what became America, what became the United States, it was a time when people were thinking about liberty. You know, people like Sir Edmund Burke, a very notable politician who wrote a paper that is a classic, in fact, called Reflections of the French Revolution, was talking about the importance of a people that were free, and a people who were free who could govern their own appetites, govern their own lifestyles, that they didn't need to have government doing that for them, that they could be free. And so people were thinking about freedom, and it was, of course, America became that great experiment that people watched with amazement. Of course, the French were on our side during that time when all these things were occurring and happening. But many Americans felt enslaved. Many Americans felt they were taken advantage by Britain by a system that they felt that was unjust. And there is an unjust kind of a system. But due to the foresight, encourage as these sons of liberty, and their love for freedom, this nation began, and it is prospered, and God has blessed it. And I believe that we've become a blessing to the entire world. This nation became a blessing, not just for the people that dwell in it, but people around the world. You know, far more than people even think about today. You don't get that feeling, do you, today, about what Americans have done? Men have marched off and died for other countries? We did it even in our modern times for Iraq. We've done it in Afghanistan. And we've done it, of course, for other times and places and nations. But this nation is endured, and it's become the most powerful nation in the world, and freedom, the freedom that we have, though, came at high cost.

Now, the one thing that we need to think about, too, though, in this nation, of course, we're not involved in politics in the church, but there are those that are involved in politics.

That freedom, though, is a fragile thing. You know, once you have freedom, you don't want it taken away, do you? But once you lose freedom, it's hard to get it back, and it goes as easily as it comes.

And we are, I think, at those crossroads now in the United States of America. Now, I'm not saying this, brethren, for us to get up in arms and go and join people in this country that are fighting for America. That's not our role. You know, God has called us for a much higher purpose than that. You know, things are going to go the way they're going to go in this world, and we know that God has His plan as well of what's going to happen for the future. But I'm just saying that, brethren, most have very little knowledge of the history of July 4th, besides, again, thinking about picnics and fireworks and the future events that go along with it. But, brethren, the history of this 4th of July boils down to a love for freedom, a love for liberty, of being free as a people. Well, brethren, does this topic have anything to do with us? You know, why don't we even want to talk about July 4th? You know, does it have anything in common with Christians? Well, I submit to you, brethren, that we, right now, we are the sons of liberty right here in this room. We are those same people that were ultimately responsible for what happened with this nation, you know, 243 years ago, except on a much, much higher level. And I hope to paint that picture for you by the end of this message. So, let's look, brethren, at the subject of liberty and reflect on the importance of liberty to Christians. Now, not the liberties, again, that our forefathers wanted, but the liberty that is promised by God to us, to all of us. And we want not just for us, but we want for every human being upon the face of this planet. You know, early in the ministry of Jesus Christ, he spoke about his mission. I'd like you to go, if you would, to Luke 4 over here, Luke 4, verse 16. But notice, it says, So he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as his custom was, he went in the synagogue on the sambeth day and stood up to read.

And he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written. He says, The Spirit of the Eternal is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. You know, what God is doing, God is dealing with mainly poor people. He's not dealing with a wealthy. You know, I mentioned that the men who were the sons of liberty, a lot of them were well off, very well off. You and I are not. But God takes of the poor. And it says, He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the recovery of the sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who were oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Eternal, of the Lord. And then he closed the book, and he gave it back to the attendant, and sat down, in the eyes of everybody, and that synagogue was on him. You know, obviously, if I stood up here and told you that I am here to liberate you, you know, you'd probably look at me and you'd think I'm pretty crazy, maybe a little crazier than I first might appear if I said that to you.

How did the ministry, though, of Jesus Christ, liberate people? How did it give liberty to people?

For one to be set free or liberate, one has to be in captivity. You think the Jews thought they were in captivity? I don't think so. Even though they were occupied by the Romans. The Romans were there, and they were overseeing, you know, the Jews to keep them basically at bay, to keep them from rebelling. They were always, of course, a problem, a thorn in the side for the Roman Empire.

The colonial forefathers felt in bondage, and Jefferson wrote about it, in fact, in the Declaration of Independence, about how the governments, that the people feel that are oppressive, can be thrown off. The shackles can be thrown off. You see, this is what Jefferson wrote about, that those shackles, those things that enslave would be thrown off, and it's just to do that. So was that what Jesus was doing? You know, Paul talks about what we, at one time, were prior to being called into the church. I won't go to it, but in Titus 3, 3, if you want to write it down, here Paul talks about, he talks about, he says, for we ourselves also were sometimes, you know, underline that. Hope it's still true of all of us here that have been converted, that God's Spirit is in us. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, Paul says in Titus 3, 3. They were sometimes disobedient. You know, sometimes I'm not really sure that's true about us, that we are no longer disobedient. I think sometimes we have a hard time even obeying basic rules in the church. Maybe it's the society we live in that affects us that way. So, but he, Paul says sometimes we were disobedient. We certainly were disobedient to the law of God, not keeping the law of God. He goes on to say, deceived. We were in the dark. We were blinded. You know, wasn't that what Jesus said? He said, I came to give eyes to the blind. And another important factor for somebody to see is to be able to hear ears to those who are deaf, to open their eyes and open their ears to get the mud out of the ears, so to speak, so you can see some spiritual things. And it says, serving different lusts, or diverse lusts, as it says of the King James, and pleasures. Living in malice, not afraid to be, you know, people of anger with one other and lash it out at one other, in envy, in hatred, and hating one another. Isn't that the story of the world today? Everybody hates everybody. I mean, what war ever started between people that loved each other?

You know, we wouldn't have the wars of today if people loved each other, right?

Even Americans can't get along with each other. I've been watching a series, and I was mentioning, you know, to Mr. Stryber before, and he and I had watched this and Mr. Miller as well. I know he's done it, watched the Civil War series by Ken Burns. How many of you have ever seen that? It might be good to go back and look at it, because I think it shows a lot about how brothers could start fighting each other. You know, and I think the good thing about what happened in the Civil War is at least what was over, that people were able, for the most part, took a few years for people to shake hands with each other and to embrace each other. You know, and we could come together again as one nation, as one people. But Paul is talking about what we once were, that sometimes you and I were this way. Sometimes we were this way. We're like every other Tom, Dick, or Harry walking the street out here that, you know, doesn't obey God, doesn't walk in God's ways. Let's go to Ephesians chapter 2. I'd like you to turn to Ephesians chapter 2 over here, where Paul again talks about how with those that are called, we are to be transformed.

You know, I was listening to Mr. Armstrong's one of the old World Tomorrow programs, and he was getting rather glandular about, you know, what it means to be born again. And you know how being born again, a lot of people think that they're born again in the world today, you know, as they've gone down the sawdust trail and they've repented. But Mr. Armstrong, I mean, he was just via me. He says, he says, being born again means that you're changed from flesh into spirit, and spirit cannot sin. And he said, people who believe that they are born again don't know what the Bible says. He said, you know, and then he made his world-famous comment, blow the dust off your Bible and read what the Bible says. But being born again means that we're going to be in the kingdom of God. He was talking about how that when some, a being is spirit, that they cannot change. That they're set like concrete. That God cannot sin. And you and I, hopefully, that we are obeying God now, and when we're changed, the spirit, we will not be able to sin. And I trust in this room here, we don't have anybody that is perfect. You know, there might have been somebody that kind of snuck in, but if you are flesh and somebody could pet you and you go, ouch, you know what? You've got, you sin sometimes, don't you? You fall down. And what we do is God's people as we get up and we keep going until the time when we're changed from physical to immoral. But here in Ephesians 2 and verse 1, Ephesians 2 and verse 1, listen to what it says, And you he made alive, Paul says, who were dead in trespasses and sins. When we were a part of the world out there, we loved living in that world. And then God woke us up. He made us alive. He gave eyes to the blind. And we began to see our eyes were open, our ears were open. And it says, in which you once walked according to the course, it says, of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. And here it is a who, and that who is Satan and is Demas that works in the children of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves. We were there right there in that group and that crowd of people. And it says, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh on the mind and were by nature children of wrath. And then he again underlined this just as the others were just like everybody else that was out there. But in verse four, but God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. And it says, by grace you've been saved. It's by God's grace that God opened our minds and through the sacrifice of Christ we've been able to make this transformation. That we're no longer people resistant to God, like Romans 8, 7 says, the car of mind is indented against God. It's not subject to the law of God and it can't be. It will not be. So without question, brother, we were like everybody else. We were cut off from God and by Satan we were slaves to sin. And God made us alive spiritually. He woke us up. You know, you ever thought about the fact, brethren, that what if sin was like a you had a chain around your leg? I mean, and to that chain was a big steel ball.

Now, what if all of us walking in here, you know, we all had those long chains dragging behind us with a ball. You'll always be looking for your chain or your ball, wherever it was. But you know what happened? Jesus Christ said, you want to get that chain off? You want to get rid of that ball and chain that is holding you down, holding you back?

Well, Jesus Christ made it possible, brethren, by the grace possible, by the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Let's go to Romans 6, Romans 6. So we were enslaved, brethren.

And God opened our minds enough as well that we could see it.

You know, people in the world generally don't even see it. They don't see that they're enslaved.

Did you ever notice that if somebody's an alcoholic, it's hard to convince them they're not. I mean, that they are alcoholic. They will argue with you. And when they're drunk, they will argue with you.

And I know I see gray hairs here. You've talked to people like this, and you know very well what I'm talking about. Romans 6 over here. I can stop talking and turning. But in Romans 6 and verse 16 here, let's notice here. Here Paul says, do you not know, and of course we do, that to whom you present yourself slaves to obey, you are the one slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? It's like the song, you know, that you're going to be a slave to somebody. What was the name of the old singer that used to sing that song? Bob Dylan, wasn't it? Has a song about that. You're going to serve somebody. And we're going to make up our mind we're going to serve the devil, or we're going to serve God. Are we going to be obedient? Are we going to be disobedient? And this is what Paul is saying. But he says, but God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, and again, brother, put your name in there. It's you, me, all of us. We were slaves to sin.

Yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. You were made alive. You began to see, you began to listen to hear what God was saying in heaven, being set free. Set free, brethren, from sin you became slaves of righteousness. That's what happened to all of us, brethren. On down here in verse 20, for when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. You were just as free from righteousness when you were a slave of sin. Again, you've got to serve somebody. You're going to serve God, or are you going to serve the devil? And going on here in verse 21, what fruit? Here Paul poses a very big question. What fruit do you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed?

Now think about that, brethren. When you're walking the ways of the world, what fruit do you have that's good from all of that? Do you remember anything? That was good that came out of it? No, I think we turned our back on that, didn't we? And we realized there was nothing good about it. He says, for the end of these things, or those things, is death. But again, he says in verse 22, but now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit. It says, to holiness, and the end is everlasting life. What a tremendous, tremendous promise, brethren. Of course, the Greek word, by the way, for servant is doulos, which means slave or being in bondage. Sin is like being bound by that ball of change. You know, our ankle is like a heavy, heavy yoke. You know, Jesus says, take my yoke. It's easy. Not an easy yoke. Not a lot of pain that is associated with the yoke that I have. You know, this world, of course, is in a position of bearing that heavy yoke. Satan has blinded people's minds, as it says in 2 Corinthians 4, so that the light of the glorious gospel does not shine to them. And God has confined the entire world, as it says in the book of Galatians, under sin, that the promise by faith that says in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. It says in Romans 3.23, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But God has promised us liberty, brother. He's promised us freedom. Romans 8, let's notice in verse 15. He says, for you did not receive the spirit of bondage. No, we haven't received the spirit of bondage, brethren. We've received the spirit of freedom. And there are so many things that we are free of by walking in God's way.

And it says here, you've received the spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, Abba, father or daddy, father, that personal relationship. The spirit itself spares witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. You know, we are these sons of liberty. You know, we are these special people of the secret organization, if I can put it that way, because the world doesn't know it. They don't recognize you. When the police officer showed up at our house, they didn't know who I was. They didn't know what I had behind my back. You know, as I said at the very beginning, they didn't know any of these things. I mentioned to them when they were there, I said, I'm a pastor of a church. Of course, today that probably doesn't mean a lot, does it?

Because you might actually, it might be a detriment. You know, they may say, well, we'll just take you right in then. But, you know, we are different. We are the sons of liberty. And what God has given to us is so tremendous, brethren, that we have this personal relationship with the Father. And it says in verse 17, if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God, enjoying heirs with Christ. If indeed we suffer with Him, then we may be also glorified together. So we're going to be glorified together with Christ. But notice here, for I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that's going to be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation, you know, you think about it, the thirteen colonies in America was waiting for someone that had the chutzpah to stand up against British charity. It was waiting for these people to come along. And I'm sure that you appreciate it because you live in a country that's free and that has grown very large and been blessed bountifully by God. But it says that the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. And let me interject the sons of liberty. When they come on the scene, it waits for the sons of God. For the creation was subject to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. So, brethren, just as Christ came to liberate, we're going to be liberators, you know, in the world tomorrow. We're liberators now for people if they are inclined to listen. But unfortunately, you know, as Mr. Miller is talking about, listening and really getting what's said and hearing are two different things. Are we listening? Are we turning our thoughts to what's being said? The magnitude of it, you know, the breadth of it, the depth of it, how big it is. The big picture, as we used to talk about in the church a lot, you know, getting the big picture, seeing the big picture. You know, do we see that big picture, brethren? Do we understand what has been given to us?

When we've been freed from the penalty of sin, brethren, we convert to be now the servants of righteousness. And if we repent, if we change, if we transform, God forgives us, and our freedom remains. It's when we stop changing, we stop overcoming, we stop listening to what God is saying.

It's when we lose, begin to lose our freedom that God has given to us. I remember, and I've said this before, when I was probably 15, 16 years of age, I used to sit in a bar and cross the street from a, I say street very loosely because it was a dirt road, you know, but I climb on the top of the bales of hay, and I wonder what is it all about? I think of how many years ago that was now, it scares me. You know, how many years ago you begin to ask those big questions of life, the really big ones. And one of the things I found out, if you ask God and you really want to know, and if you tell Him you will do what He reveals to you, guess what? He will reveal it to you. He'll open your mind. He will, you know, unstop the ears, as it were, and allow you to see what's being said. I know a lot of us here share about the same timeframe of what we recall, but when we're freed from the penalty of sin and sin, and we're the servants of righteousness, if we repent, God continues to forgive us, and we have that freedom that remains. And we think about the awesome blessing that's going to go with liberty, and the freedom that God is going to give to us is probably unfathomable to us. You know, I don't know what your job is going to be, and my job is going to be in the kingdom. All I know is it does say in the book of John, 1 John 3, in verse 1, that when we see Christ, we will see Him as He is, because we're going to be like Him. And Jesus is going to rule, He rules over the entire earth, and it says He also rules heaven. You know, He rules, in fact, heaven. I've often wondered, is Jesus sort of a prime minister? You know, to the Father in heaven, is that what He does? And if Jesus is ruling heaven, then what does the Father do? Well, I submit to you that the realm of God may be a lot bigger than we realize. Things usually are what God does. But perhaps someday, brethren, you and I will have responsibilities that will just transcend anything we can imagine. You know, I have thought perhaps it may be someday you and I may rule a planet. You know, that's hard to imagine, isn't it? You know, that someone like you or me—I always talk about Roland Oklahoma being the culture capital of the world—but imagine, again, having high positions in God's kingdom. And people want you to tell the story. I always joke with Terry Presley, because he and I worked the same company back in Fort Smith, Arkansas. And, you know, very high-tech back in those days—Tucker, Duck, and a rubber company. But it was a place where old fellows worked. People that chewed tobacco and sat around the wood stoves prior to the start of the day, spitting in cans and telling stories.

But imagine, again, that God's people—many of them with backgrounds that are going to be astounding—to tell about ascending to greatness in the world tomorrow. With whatever God gives—and in the world tomorrow—we're going to have positions that are going to be awesome to us. And we're going to carry the law from Zion to this world. But think about, again, brother, in the big picture of why God's called us, of why we're here.

But how have we been liberated, brother? We have, brother, liberty in the law of God.

We've been liberated by the law of God. Finally, we know the truth. Finally, we understand the truth, brother, of it all. No, it's like we've been taught in the church that everybody can't be right in the world.

All these religions can't be right. Somebody's got to be wrong. You know, they talk about many ways to go to heaven.

You know, why do the Muslims keep Friday? And why do the Jews keep Saturday? And why do the Protestants keep Sunday? Are they all right? Of course, we understand that the Bible tells us to keep the Sabbath and the Holy Days and God's way of life. But we have liberty in the law. I'm not going to go to it, but in James 1, in verse 25, the law of God is called the perfect law of liberty.

I mean, what is wrong, brethren, with a man being faithful to his wife? One of the commandments deals with that. What is wrong with everybody telling the truth? There's a commandment that deals with that. But you know, one of the things that is so important about freedom is that your freedom should not encroach upon my freedom. And my freedom should not encroach upon your freedom. You know, that freedom that God is talking about is the world observing the same law of liberty.

So you don't have to worry about it. You leave your house, you don't have to leave it bolted up to keep people from stealing from you because everyone believes it's a sin to steal, to take. You know, without being given to us. The law of God has been called bondage in the religions of this world, but the law of God is not bondage. It's liberty. It's freedom.

They think, in fact, it's a curse, but the law is a blessing upon people. The curses are disobedience to the law. And they're there. They are there, brethren. Would you believe the law is important or not? And the society out here, it comes, the curses of our society come because of disobedience to the law. And you know, men cannot make enough laws to make a person moral. I quoted in the letter I sent to you last night, in fact, John Adams' quote that the Constitution of the United States is made for a moral people, people that basically lived and tried to live a decent way of life, a Christian way of life, frankly. As far as people like to say it anymore, is they try to say that this country was not founded on, you know, Christian ideas, but it was. There's no denying it. It was founded on that.

But we have been liberated by the law of God, brethren. It is freedom to be free of the deceptive lies, brethren, that are in the world by false features that rise up.

It's knowing the real truth and not living in ignorance and delusion. It's being a young teenage boy sitting up in the, you know, stack of hay, wondering what life is all about. The difference between that boy and someone growing up in the church that could know what the life that we've been given was all about.

Not having to discover that, but knowing that for the time that you're born.

Because, brethren, life, not knowing the reason for existence is misery. It is misery. I suffered so much myself, at least from a middle standpoint, not knowing these things. You know, seeing sickness, seeing suffering, but have no understanding why in the world today.

That's why the church, remember, a long time ago, wrote that book, Why Must Men Suffering? You know, answering those basic questions. If you grew up in the church, you'd take that for granted today.

But having an answer to that, knowing the answer to that, you know, puts you miles ahead of so many other people in the world.

Brethren, we have a freedom in the truth. Let's go to John chapter 8 over here. John chapter 8. These are the words of Jesus Christ.

And as the sons of Liberty, we've been educated. We've been tutored and instructed and guided in these things for purpose, an ultimate purpose.

But notice here in verse 31, it says, Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

It will free you. It will liberate you. This is what Jesus said He came to do, to liberate people, to give them a chance to know the truth. And they answered Him, We are Abraham's descendants and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say you will be made free? Boy, they were talking about blind. They were occupied by the Roman government. They had soldiers that compelled them to do things, and they complained about it. They complained about it. And they said, We have never been in bondage to anyone. They had been in Egypt, for crying out loud. In bondage! In bondage!

Talk about people that have their ears closed to history.

And Jesus answered them most, Surely I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

A slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

And, brethren, we've been made free through Jesus Christ. Because with the truth comes the plan of God that frees us.

That through Jesus Christ's sacrifice, we are free from the penalty of sin. People that live in the world are not aware of the fact that hanging over their head is eternal death.

They've got that big sword of Damocles that is hanging by a slender thread. You know, that is eternal death. Inedible! Unless something happens. But God's plan reveals to them that every human being is going to have that chance to be freed. The world only thinks it's free. It's not really free. But truly lives in slavery. It lives in shackles under the curse of death continually. And God has shut people up in that ignorance. Right now, as it says in the book of Romans, why does he say he does that? So he can have mercy on everyone. God is not, we understand, trying to save the world today.

But he's calling right now an advanced group of people that are going to rule with Christ. Those sons of liberty, brethren. Those sons of liberty, brethren. That are going to be a part of a new government.

It's going to be a government that's going to transform not only the earth, but it's going to transform the universe. It's going to go far, far beyond.

You know, we are warned, brethren, not to allow Satan to lure us back in. I'm not going to go over to 2 Peter, but over there it talks about where Peter says that there are those who are going to offer to us liberty, and basically what they want to do is bring us back into bondage. We want to be, again, very careful that we do not, again, let people lures back in to Satan's trap. And he is in a trap. We are warned also not to use our freedom as liberty to conduct ourselves lasciviously. In other words, we turn the grace of God into, you know, something where we are, you know, thinking capriciously that sin is going to be forgiven even if it's not truly repentant of, because there's a penalty for that. Because the knowledge that God has given us, brethren, the knowledge that God has given to us is special. It is precious, and it's very important that we take the responsibility to appreciate what God has given to us, that God's grace is mercy and is forgiveness for us individually, to not take that for granted, and to not use it, use that freedom that God has given us to be forgiven to commit sin, as a license to commit sin. We don't look to our citizenship here upon this earth. You see, what I'm talking to you about is not being the sons of liberty trying to save America or any other country on the face of this earth, but being the sons of liberty who are one day going to save the world. You know, there's one radio program where they advertise, and it's one of these conservative radio programs. Basically, they have a line that says, we're here to save a nation. Well, brethren, let me say this. Our role is we're here with Christ, you know, to assist Christ to save a world, to save the earth, not just the United States, but every people, in every place, at every time, brethren, since man was put upon this earth.

So we don't look to the citizenship of this world, we look to our citizenship, which is in heaven. Because, again, what it said in Romans 8, verse 21, I will quote to you again, because the creation itself, brethren, also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

You know, the United States celebrates human independence, and that's okay. It's wonderful that we set aside time to talk about that and to think about that. But let's be reminded that we appreciate the liberty from the greatest shackle of all, and that is the shackle of sin and bondage that ends in eternal death. And that we've been delivered through the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ from this sure death by the truth, and the truth truly has set us free. That we're not in bondage to the fruitless and false ideas of men, but, brethren, we are slaves to ideas that speak of eternity, ideas that speak of blessings forevermore. And, brethren, we, we hurl here right now in God's church, if we're dedicated to the cause I've been talking about here, we are the true sons, the true men and women of liberty of this time and for all ages to come under Jesus Christ.