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Freedom
July1, 2007
John 8:32

"You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free."

This Wednesday, July 4th, we as a nation will celebrate Independence Day. Other than a day off from work, taking in the parade, a picnic and a few fireworks, most of us don't really think much about what we are celebrating. In fact, some of us may not have thought much about our nation's early beginnings since we studied about it in school.

For those of you who have had foreign exchange students. Often these students know more about American history than American young people.

As I was thinking about this, the little song that popped into my mind was one we use to sing in grade school…

"My Country 'tis of Thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where our fathers died, land of our pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

It never ceases to amaze me every time I hear someone say that American soldiers in Iraq are fighting for our freedom. Is it really the preservation of our freedom that is driving this war? Are we any freer today than before the tragic events of 911? And yet we keep on repeating history, fighting wars that lead only to more tragedy and disillusionment. Where is the truth or the freedom in this?

It is clear that these terrorists setting off car bombs and blowing up planes all think they have "the truth". They are living and dying and killing for their so-called truth. Are they any freer? And tell me this, who gets to define the truth? How can we know what is true? How do you and I define freedom? How would we know that we are really free? Let's explore this a bit together this morning.

I like how the Message translation paraphrases these words of Jesus, "You shall experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you."

It seems to me that in order to know truth we have to experience truth for ourselves. It has to impact our lives and those around us in some way for the greater good.

This morning, if I could give you my one inarguable truth, something I have experienced at this level knowing it for myself, something that I have held onto throughout my entire spiritual journey, without a doubt, it would be this…God is Love…Love is God. Wholehearted living, (as I talked about a few weeks ago,) springs from a heart that is full of love, for God, for ourselves, and for each other.

Some of the rigid doctrines of my younger years have melted into the realization that the journey of faith is wrought with mystery. I have discovered that it is impossible for me to accept this mystery without love. There is so much about life that I don't know and can't explain. But I do know that God's Love is present with me in this moment and that is enough. Love is my core truth. When I am consciously living in this reality, I am inwardly free. Even if things are outwardly crazy, I am at peace.

Interestingly, our scriptures don't seem to contradict this reality, either. In fact, it seems to confirm what I myself have discovered and deeply know within.

Hear the words of Jesus from John's gospel…
"If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you. I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!

I will not leave you orphaned. I'm coming back. In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you're going to see me because I am alive and you're about to come alive. At that moment you will know absolutely that I'm in my Father and you're in me, and I'm in you.

The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that is the one who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him." John 14:15-21

These words clearly describe the fullness of God that lives within each one of us. And isn't amazing that this One who lives in us is called the Spirit of Truth. The Truth resides within us.

"And you shall know the truth (the Truth that lives inside you) and the truth will set you free."

Friends, when we are aware and connected to the reality of God's Spirit within, we are living in the truth…a truth that will free us. But free us for what?

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Galatia.
"It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that is how freedom grows. For everything we know about God is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out-in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? My counsel is this-Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit." Galatians 5:13-16

And look at what Paul says at the end of chapter 5 of Galatians… The fruit of the Spirit is love. He tells us that the evidence, a clear sign of a Spirit filled person will be one who loves. Pure and simple. What a great litmus test for truth…Truth will always be grounded in love.

So we see that the essence of God's Spirit is Truth Itself and it is a truth that will free us to love. The evidence that we are living in Truth will be a life that is transformed by love.

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Look at the grammar in this sentence. It doesn't read the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, and so on... It says the fruit of the Spirit is love.

The eight words that follow can be summed up in one word…love.

I will say it again, the essence of God's Spirit is Truth Itself and it is a truth that frees us to love. "You shall experience for yourselves the truth, (this indwelling of God) and the truth will free you." (The Message)

I believe that when we are living in Love…we are free. In fact I don't think that it is possible to truly be free without love.

Years ago my dad gave Bob several of his old seminary books. Among them were two volumes of sermons by the great preacher G. Campbell Morgan. I recently took them off the shelf and have found some real treasures in his sermons. Among the gems I have found was some profound insight into this passage in Galatians. Listen to what he says.

"The Apostle Paul writes, 'The fruit of the Spirit is love.' Then there breaks upon his consciousness the meaning of love, and in order that we may not treat the word as a small word, that we many not pass it over and imagine there is nothing very much in it, that it is merely a sentimental word, he gives us the qualities and quantities and flavors of the fruit by breaking it up into component parts..."

Morgan is basically saying that the defining characteristics of love are joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. All of these wonderful qualities that we wish to be a part of our life can be summed up in this one word… love.

Listen to the way G. Campbell Morgan describes love from this passage in Galatians.
"Joy is love's consciousness.
Peace is love's confidence.
Patience is love's habit.
Kindness is love's activity.
Generosity is love's quality.
Faithfulness is love's quantity.
Gentleness is love's tone.
Self-control is love's victory."

Friends, may I remind you again this morning…We all have been gifted with the Spirit of truth, a living truth that is available to all and resides within us, and it is a truth that frees and empowers us to love.
"You shall experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you." (The Message)

I believe that when we are living in Love…we are free. Love is freedom's expression. Without love there is nothing. Without love we are nothing. In the end, when all is said and done, love is all that matters.

Whenever we resist love, we are not free, nor are we living in the Truth.

So I ask each one of us this morning…How can we know this truth that will set us free? By surrendering ourselves right now in this moment to God's Spirit. We give God our "Yes." This isn't something we do once but continually throughout our lives.

On a daily basis I try to pray a prayer that goes something like this, "Spirit of Truth, free me from all that hinders your love to flow through me today."

I wonder what would happen in our world if we stopped trying to get even, if we stopped reacting out of fear, if we stopped hoarding for ourselves while others go without, if we stopped hating those who don't believe as we do or agree with us. I wonder what would happen if our political policy on the home front, and abroad was driven by love. As Quaker, William Penn once said, "Let's see what love will do."

May the Spirit of the Living Christ speak truth into our hearts as we enter the silence.
Amen.