Romans 7:15-25
Matthew 11:16-30

This weekend we celebrate two revolutions: one is civil and one is spiritual. One began 2032 years ago and the other 232 years ago. Yet each of the revolutions sought the promises of freedom. Remember that a revolution means simply turning around. It means changing of priorities and letting go of the old as we take on the new. It is the same word we use of “repent” and “conversion”. Our civil revolution sought the promise to be free to determine our own destiny as a nation. Our spiritual revolution sought freedom to respond to the power of Holy Spirit. Yet sadly, each of these revolutions are still seeking fulfillment. By our human nature, we seem to refuse to recognize the promises of freedom. We continue to yearn to receive those promises and we continue to be conflicted in our efforts.

You may be aware that the Declaration of Independence, which we celebrate this weekend, was not entirely popular. A sizeable number of people thought that it would be suicide to defy the British empire. Thomas Jefferson, along with our other founding fathers were very familiar with the frustration of trying to lead people who lacked the faith and vision of freedom. The people were fearful and anxious to face the risks of an unknown future. Better to have the safety of the present despite the drawbacks. Many were willing to forfeit those promises of freedom which Jefferson penned as inalienable rights. Here are the words he wrote:

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, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

So what are inalienable rights? Unlike alienable rights (such as the right to hold property which can be taken away), inalienable rights cannot be taken from or transferred from one person to another. These are God given rights consistent with the creation of persons in the image of God. We desired a nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all. This weekend we again celebrate the promises of freedom even as we continue to struggle to act that out.

Let us turn back the clock to the spiritual revolution of 2032 years ago. Jesus had been frustrated with the inability of people to catch the vision of faith that paves the way to freedom. Preaching in his hometown of Nazareth, his friends and neighbors were astonished at his words saying: “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Mary and Joseph, the brother of James and Joses and Judah and Simon? Aren’t these his sisters here with us?” Mark then goes on to tell us that since they were familiar with the family, they were offended by him. Jesus knew that a prophet was always without honor in his own community. Later people would marvel at his miracles but there in his hometown he could do no great works because of their lack of faith. So the promises of freedom are dependent on our faith. Before the end of his life, Jesus would also be frustrated by the weakness of own people who were supposed to be the promised people of God. They would be amazed by his miracles of healing but often failed to see what that had to do with their adoption of the promises of freedom. Right to the end, he would face the frustration of people who denied him and gave up the cause even as he was nailed to the cross. Yet by the power of God, he was focused on forgiveness and hope. God will always carry his purpose out in spite of our weaknesses. So let us explore some of the promises of freedom.

I. The first is the promise of Grace. Christ came into the world that we might know the promise of God’s grace. The Declaration of Independence was crafted that we might know the promises of grace. Those promises include the opportunity for self determination in our lives as well as the promise of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These are amazingly similar to the promises of Jesus. He taught us that we would need to now the truth and the truth would set us free. That freedom would allow us to go beyond the limits of our human nature. So 2032 years ago, on that first Easter we were amazed at the resurrection of hope. Then some 50 days later, we encountered the Holy Spirit. She wrote the truth on our hearts and we were transformed. We became a People of the Way, the Way of Grace.

Now, we are reminded that grace means simply the receiving of an undeserved gift. Yet it is human nature to only want people to have what they deserve. We want people to stay in their rightful place. Slaves should not be equal to free, females were not to by equal to males, Gentiles should not be equal to God’s promised people. To this day, Christians often think of themselves as better than non Christians. Yet in the eyes of God, all these distinctions were negated in the interest of grace. Each person had inalienable rights to become all God created them to be. History records that many people have been put to death as they lived out those promises. We often deny our own freedom as we are threatened by others. We forget that we are free to love our enemies. We forget that we are free to welcome the stranger and break bread with those whose physical and emotional germs place us at risk. How badly we need eyes to see and hearts to respond to God’s promises of grace. God continues to pursue us begging that we become his agents of grace to a hurting world. Christ intends us to be a counter cultural presence in a world based on that radical good news of grace. When we fear that others will be turned off by our words and actions, we fail to risk that presence in the world. We miss yet another opportunity to share the promises of the grace of God in Christ.

II. The second promise of freedom is Gratitude. Psychologists tell us that “although gratitude is something that anyone can experience, some people seem to feel grateful more often than others. People who tend to experience gratitude more frequently than others also tend to be happier, more helpful and forgiving, and less depressed than their less grateful counterparts.” We have an inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. Yet without a sense of gratitude we may not appreciate the promise of freedom.

When we worship, we express our gratitude to God. When we pledge to the flag, we express our gratitude to all whose shoulders we stand on to maintain our freedom. We are grateful for our servicemen. We are grateful to God in Christ for such overwhelming love and grace. Yet we have a human propensity to forget all that when we are faced with adversity. We focus on the glass half empty and want to get even. We focus on our fear instead of the presence of God. We focus on what we might have lost rather than what we continue to gain. A life of gratitude is the natural response to the promise of the pursuit of happiness.

But what is happiness? Is it defined by having more than someone else? Is it defined by the punishment of others who have offended us? Is it defined by how much we have been given? I suggest that it is exactly the opposite. It is more defined by the joy of others gain rather than our own. Years ago, Harry Emerson Fosdick, the Presbyterian pastor of Riverside Church in NYC, preached a sermon entitled, “Parking on Another Man’s Nickel.” While parking meters are much more expensive today, we know that occasionally we luck out and find one with unexpired time on it. When we do, we park on another person’s nickel or quarter or whatever. We live in a land of the free because of the blood, sweat and tears of others upon whose shoulders we stand. We are members of the body of Christ having become free from the penalty of sin by the sacrifice of Jesus and the power of Holy Spirit. When we forget this, we are at risk of experiencing depression and unhappiness.

Did you realize that the Sermon on the Mount, the core of Jesus teaching, speaks of happiness? The word previously translated as blessed more accurately means happy. Therefore, in many translations it reads as such:

Happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are the gentle; they shall have the earth for their heritage. Happy are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Happy are those who hunger and thirst for what is right; for they shall be satisfied. Happy are the merciful for they shall have mercy shown to them. Happy are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Happy are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. – (Matthew 5:3-9)

Can you understand that the pursuit of happiness is allowing God to be in control? The pursuit of happiness is not allowing others and your emotions to be in control of your happiness. Happiness is more than just emotions. It is the faith of knowing that nothing can separate you from the love of God. Yet, we often forfeit those promises by allowing other controls to take over.

III. The third promise of freedom is Generosity. From the beginning of the European settlement of his land of ours, we have emphasized generosity. It is the land of the free and the home of the brave. It is a nation of immigrants — a melting pot of cultures. For years we depended on the generosity of others as we sought to appreciate one another. We fought side by side with other nations to oppose injustice in the world. Yet, lately the tide seems to have changed as we have become more wealthy and more powerful. As the world’s superpower it seems that we have become less generous. The more wealth and power we accumulate the more we seem to focus on protecting it rather than sharing. Christ taught a great deal about sharing. “If you have two coats, give one away.” When you serve those who you consider the least among us, you serve me. So invest your treasures where moth and rust don’t corrupt. Share extravagantly and you will be abundantly blessed. Remember the story of the Rich Man who so diligently sought to be faithful to God. When Christ told him there was but one more thing he needed to do — go and give all your goods to the poor and then come and follow me. This was the last straw and he left in sorrow.

We have witnessed the shrinking of the middle class and the growth of the homeless population. At the same time, there is an epidemic of depression. Perhaps we are becoming so isolated and insulated while the culture becomes more violent. Could this be associated with a declining sense of generosity. Christ taught in today’s lesson about how “we played and you refused to dance, we sang a dirge and you refused to mourn with us.” Perhaps we need to take Christ seriously and recognize the power of Holy Spirit which leads us into all truth and we are truly set free.

Romans 7:15-25

¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Matthew 11:16-30

¹⁶"To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: “'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.' ¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."

Woe on Unrepentant Cities

²⁰Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. ²¹"Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²²But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. ²³And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.[a] If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. ²⁴But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

Rest for the Weary

²⁵At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."