Kingdom-Minded
Called to Freedom
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Welcome! Happy Memorial Day weekend to you all!
Tomorrow is Memorial Day, a day we pause to remember those who gave everything in service to this country and to uphold the freedom we enjoy every day here in America. The very right to worship publicly as we are doing right now, this is not a freedom many countries enjoy. These men and women, for the love of country and to uphold what this nation was built upon- liberty and justice for all, made the greatest sacrifice for all of our gain. Let us remember them with honor and deep gratitude for their bravery and selflessness. Let us pause and pray for them, their families, our nation, and those who continue to serve to uphold our freedom. Join me.
"Almighty God, we pause today to honor the memory of the valiant servicemen and women who made the supreme sacrifice for our nation's freedom. We are deeply grateful for their courage, their devotion, and their legacy of service."
"May their souls find eternal peace and rest with You. May their families be comforted and surrounded by your love and grace. May their families find strength and solace in their faith."
"We pray for peace among all nations, and that the sacrifices of those we remember today will not be in vain. May we learn from their bravery and strive to build a more just and peaceful world."
"May we all strive to live our lives in a way that honors their service, by upholding the values they fought to protect, and by working towards a better future for all."
"May you bless all those who continue to serve our country, both in uniform and in civilian life. May you grant them your protection, your strength, and your guidance. We ask that you keep them safe and bring them home to their families, healed and whole." We also ask Lord that You would guide our leaders with wisdom that peace might prevail. In Jesus’ name Amen.
Who has served who is with us today? We thank you also for we know you were right there in the trenches along with those we remember, and they were your brothers and sisters. Let us always remember, freedom does not come free. There is a high cost to this freedom we enjoy.
There was also a high cost for us to enjoy the freedom we have with God. Freely we can receive the gift of salvation and redemption-but it did not come without a high cost. Our Savior paid the highest cost, and He too lived a selfless life and bravely made the journey to the cross and took that punishment for us. He was rejected by others and even God turned His face away as our sin was put on Him. We, in return, were accepted with His righteousness imparted to us. He felt the shame of dying a criminal’s death. We have received forgiveness and unfailing love. No freedom comes free, so let us worship our Lord and Savior with the honor He so deserves.
Call to Worship:
In a world filled with violence and war,
we gather together to celebrate the promise of peace.
In a world filled with tyranny and oppression,
we gather together to celebrate the promise of justice for all.
In a world filled with hunger and greed,
we gather together to celebrate the promise of plenty for all.
Our hope is in the name of the Almighty God,
the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of heaven and earth.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth; wisdom and might; honor and glory and blessing! …To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!
Praise Songs
Intro:
You and I have been called to Freedom. Today, we’ll look more closely at what that means- freedom in Christ; why He came; what He was sent to do, and what we are to do as we follow Him. Too often, we continue to live as captives and prisoners, so let us hear why He came and let us step fully into His freedom!
Let’s hear the Word of the Lord, the very words Jesus read to those in His hometown of Nazareth, and said, “Today in your hearing this prophecy has been fulfilled”. Meaning He has come and He is fulfilling all that was spoken so many years before. It is the message of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus, it is a message of freedom, and it is a message for us in how we are to live. Oh Lord, speak to our hearts and light a fire in us. May we become vividly aware of the cost of our freedom and surrender to live not as lukewarm Christians, part-time Christians, but ones who understand the great sacrifice made so we can live free. Let us live not solely to satisfy self, but for You, because You died with us in mind to live free in the new life You give to us. Grant us the right understanding today, Lord. Let us hear with fresh ears the purpose in Your coming into this life and the one yet to come.
Isaiah 61:1-9 NIV
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. 6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.
- Good News to the Poor.
Who are the poor? This is not talking about the financial status. The poor are all of us; everyone apart from Christ is poor in spirit. We are bound in shackles to our sin.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
Jesus is the Good News! We are forgiven, our slate wiped clean, our sin remembered no more; instead, we are given the righteousness of Christ. In His righteousness, we stand justified before our Holy God and are no longer poor in spirit-but FILLED to the measure of fullness as we walk with Jesus.
We no longer fear death and what happens to us, for the Good News tells us we join Jesus- we’ll see Him face to face and live with Him for eternity. Through His sacrifice, death was swallowed up. Condemnation for our sins was nailed to the cross! Shame for our past actions-gone! Guilt wiped away! Our old self is dead and gone! We are given a new name and a future and hope all through Jesus!
Isaiah 61:7 Instead of your shame, you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace, you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.
THIS is the Good News! This is what He is offering to the poor in spirit, to the humble in heart.
I’m not sure how many of you watched Pirates of the Caribbean when those movies came out? But in that series, there is an evil character-not that we want to portray the other pirates as completely upstanding, righteous citizens-I mean, they are pirates after all… to which I think you and I have some pirate in us in our fleshly nature too. But there was one who was especially evil, Davey Jones. He wasn’t always. He had been a man in love, then thought he had lost that love, so he became incredibly bitter to the point of cutting his own heart out so he wouldn’t feel emotions. You know, we can live like that, too-unfeeling, numb to everything. He became a monster, something quite ugly, and was bent on making others share in his misery with him. He would sentence other pirates to an eternity in his service, and let’s just say it was not a stay at the Hilton. They were beaten, worked hard, not appreciated, and they too became these ugly creatures without feeling or purpose, except they were subject to Davey Jones. Life was pretty miserable, and this was their existence for eternity. See, they wouldn’t die physically, but they couldn’t escape this sentence either.
Don’t miss how movies use these visuals to teach deeper truths. When we are shackled to sin, this is our life too- we become something quite ugly, foreign to who we truly are, and our existence is pretty miserable, and there is no escaping it. We are subject to the sin that controls our life-bound to its unrelenting torment.
Until someone stabbed the heart of Davey Jones and then became the new leader. Davey dies, and that person must be the new leader of the ship. The new leader is one whose heart is true, filled with hope, seeks justice, and looks to set the captives free. As soon as this new leader takes over, those creatures that had barnacles and other creepy things hanging off them from deep within sea-it all started to fall to the ground-just like the shackles fall off in prison. They became new men-free from that hatred, bitterness, and darkness. And this time they had a choice-to leave or stay and willingly serve the one who set them free. They stayed to faithfully serve their new leader with a new hope and a new purpose ahead of them. They became the men they were intended to be.
This is what Jesus did for us. He drove the nails into death’s heart and shone His light of life into all darkness. As we receive Him into our hearts, our shackles fall off, and the new creation begins to emerge. We are free to follow a new leader-no longer the sin that had power over us-but a leader of peace, truth, righteousness, and love.
So what shackles has Jesus broken off for you? Regret? Shame? Fear? Lies? Do you let the shackles fall to the ground, or do you keep scooping them back up and try to put them back on? That might sound silly- why would anyone do that? But all too often, we do, because it’s what we know, and life without our shackles is something quite foreign and too uncertain.
Look closely at your life-which shackles have been broken that you are still wearing?
You are called to Freedom- so live free!
- Bind Up the Brokenhearted.
Isaiah 61:1 He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
Jesus says to us in His Word and as we listen in our hearts, “I came to bind up wounds that have never healed with My love and truth.”
Isaiah 61:2-3, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
He makes us new, so who we were before doesn’t matter at all. He gives us a new name, so if our past name was connected to less than honorable actions, those actions are no longer shackles to us because now we carry the name of Jesus and are children of the Most High God. And His name leads with righteousness, truth, honor, and praise.
Think of Saul-a man who persecuted Christians, so he was ultimately persecuting Jesus Himself. He had them thrown in prison and even murdered, and yet as He offered His heart to Jesus and repented of his sin, all of it was remembered no more. He was called forward as a new man, given a new name, Paul, and had the great joy in sharing this Good News with thousands they too might experience this freedom he had come to know.
Open wounds are messy and only lead to other health issues- they must heal. Let Jesus do what He was sent to do: bind up the brokenness in your heart. There is freedom in our healing!
- Freedom for the Captives.
Isaiah 61:1 He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
Peter, Paul, and Silas all experienced this supernatural release from physical shackles and imprisonment. Look at how they responded.
Acts 12:6-7 6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
Acts 12: 9-10 9 Peter followed him out of the prison,
10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it.
Peter got up when the angel of the Lord told him to, and he walked out of the prison following where he was leading. This is why Jesus came, and this is what He wants us to do- get up as our shackles break off of us and walk out of those prisons we have been living in! He wants us to leave that cell and that old life behind.
Acts 16: 25 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.
Notice they were praising God while in prison. In this case, they were free and chose to stay and share the Good News of freedom in Jesus with the jailer and his household. They helped set other captives free!
Jesus has called us to freedom, and to live in this freedom, we have to choose to believe and accept who God says we are-to see our new self created in the image of God, reflecting the righteousness of Christ. We must know and believe we are fully forgiven, redeemed, and seen as flawless with the blood of Christ covering us. Because in Christ, this IS our truth!
We have to let go of the shackles of how others see us-it doesn’t matter. What matters is who God has called us to be. Even Jesus endured this in His hometown was not accepted there; they would not see Him for who He truly is. Do not let how others view you steal the freedom Jesus died to give you.
Let us see and honor His death by letting our old selves die with Him on the cross and by taking hold of His resurrected life as He lives in us. Let us LIVE in freedom-but not a freedom to serve self, the freedom we must further His Kingdom
Isaiah 61:9 All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.
Conclusion: The call to freedom begins in us and extends to all those we interact with. Live to honor this gift of freedom we are given. Live as one who IS FREE in Christ, because you are!
Testimony of Skyler and what freedom in Christ means for him.
Let’s pray.
Offering:
Charlie would like to say goodbye to the congregation.
