La vida que Dios da, la libertad que Dios provee y el propósito que perseguimos | Jeremy DeWeerdt

Hello, City First Church. This weekend I am in Washington, D.C. where our nation is celebrating its 250th anniversary in the United States. And here in the Capitol of the nation, I hope you reflect on the blessing that this has been. Let's be honest, we are not a perfect nation. It has never been perfect. It was founded by imperfect people and it still has imperfect people. But despite these flaws, we are really highly blessed. We have the freedom to praise, to speak, to get together, the freedom to pursue the life that God has called us to do. And one of the phrases that I have always liked about the founding documents here is the aspiration to be a more perfect union. I love this phrase because it speaks of a real truth, that perfection has not been achieved and we are going to continue to move forward and continue to seek to improve. And that is the American experiment. A nation that is constantly working to get better and to get better before and after. And as Christians, we understand this principle. Growing is not perfection. Maturity is not perfection. And even being faithful is not perfection. It is really a pursuit to be more like Jesus and what God created us to be. So this weekend, we thank God for the nation, for those who sacrificed everything to establish our freedom. We thank God for those who fought for our freedom and we thank God for having opportunities that make us happy and continue to bless America and continue to guide our country. And as I reflect on the documents that founded our nation, I remember that the Declaration of Independence says that all people are made by their Creator and endowed by their Creator with life, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. Those are gifts that God gives us. And well, sometimes our culture forgets this. But every right comes with a responsibility. And in fact, I would say that rights without responsibility eventually destroy the freedom that protects us. The founders of our nation understood this. And Scripture also teaches us this. And that is what I want to talk about today. Because what God gives us is that God also calls us to be good stewards of this. Life, freedom, influence, opportunities, and purpose. Everything that God gives us comes with responsibility. Every blessing from God comes with the responsibility from God. In fact, it says in Galatians, it says the following, it says, each one of us must take responsibility for doing the best that they can with their life. Right? It says, each one is responsible for their own behavior. Before Adam sinned, before he failed, before he had problems, God gave him responsibility. And it says in Genesis chapter 1, it says, multiply, right? It says, fill the earth and govern it.

That's a responsibility, right? And it says, be fruitful and multiply. It says, well, reign over that, right? And well, you know, sin was not God's original plan before the fall. You were created to have responsibility. When we embrace responsibility in the way God wants, we get three things. We experience growth, we experience freedom, and we experience fullness. Today, I want to talk about thoughts of freedom and the responsibility that we have and that God has given us. Well, this brings me to the first point. Responsibility is how God develops you. One of the biggest lies is that if I had fewer responsibilities, I would be happier. If I didn't have that job that I don't like, or the things that I have to do, I would be happier. But that's not what Scripture teaches us. That's not what Scripture teaches us. are those who are living for themselves. Studies say that circumstances don't fill us, and sometimes we think they do, but what matters most is our choices, our habits, our decisions, our daily habits, day to day. In other words, your life is molded by your decision more than your conditions. A young man, Theodore Roosevelt, was suffering, he had a lot of asthma. The doctors didn't have confidence in his future and they said he wasn't going to have a quality of life and that if he did, he was going to be very limited. Teddy's father famously told him, you have the mind, but not the body. You must make your body. Roosevelt embraced this responsibility to develop. He physically built himself, he spiritually built himself, and he was an incredible leader.

Teddy Roosevelt could have said, it was my genetics, or what he was given from illness or circumstances, but instead he accepted the responsibility of becoming who he would be. He said, well, you become who you're going to develop. God puts responsibility on us, day to day, and the Bible says in this, today I've given you the lesson between life and death, between blessings and bad things. He chooses life, right? He says, you choose. You decide. Be a good mayor of your life. Respond correctly. Every mature believer knows that God changes us through responsibility. Take responsibility for your life. Trust God. And really, take responsibility for your life. Responsibility gives us discipline. It helps us be better people. It gives us faith and maturity. The person you're becoming is molded by the responsibilities you're embracing, and possibly God's blessing is found on the other side of the responsibility that you don't want to have. Another thing, responsibility requires

taking leadership of this. Genesis 3 tells us the following. God confronts Adam, and Adam blames Eve. Eve also blames the snake. No one takes leadership of their own decision. It sounds familiar, right? Because sometimes we don't change. When we change, we don't change. It sounds familiar, right? When finances fall apart, when marriages or relationships fall apart, or dreams die, we say, whose fault is it? But growth starts where the fault ends. I'm here in one of the less known places, but it's also very well known because it's celebrated by Dwight Eisenhower, the president. Before he became president, in June 5th, 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower faced a very strong military decision during World War II. The weather was horrible. The weather was horrible. And they didn't know if the invasion was going to be correct or not. But he did say, yeah, they should send the D-Day, or the T-Day,

and it was a larger invasion, and more than 150,000 troops crossed the English Channel to Europe, and there were the Nazis. And if many people failed, many people would die, and their reputation would be destroyed. But look, here's the incredible thing. Before the invasion, President Eisenhower wrote, not something about victory, but he wrote something about failure. And he put it in his pocket. And the note said, we have failed, right, in this attempt, and I have removed the troops. My decision to attack at this time was based on the best information, but if there is any fault, the fault is mine, because I made the decision. That last sentence is powerful. If there is any fault, or fault to this attempt, it is mine alone. I have not blamed the climate, I have not blamed the intelligence, I have not blamed his other generals, not his troops.

No excuses. He did not point the finger at anyone. He simply took possession of his decision. And one of the strongest diseases of our culture is that they don't want to take responsibility. People want freedom without taking responsibility, right? Or without the benefit, or the benefit without really taking leadership. And when someone doesn't want responsibility, someone else has to respond. In families, in churches, in communities, in work, someone always pays the bill or the price of the irresponsibility of others. Irresponsibility is the mother of blaming others, but responsibility is where growth is born. You're never going to grow more than where you decide to take responsibility. The strongest people I know are not perfect, they are honest. They stop blaming, they stop pointing fingers. They say, God, what is it that I have to do? What part did I take? How did I take responsibility for my own area? They don't blame others, they become, they build. This is so important understand, especially when it comes to our freedom. You can't control other people's decisions, but you can control your choices. The third truth is that responsibility produces freedom. Let's talk about this a little bit. This might surprise you, but a lot of people don't understand freedom. They define freedom as there are no rules, there are no restrictions, you do whatever you want, when you want, and whatever you want. But that's not freedom, that's chaos. That's not freedom, that's chaos. But that's not real chaos. That's actually, I'm here at the Lincoln Memorial, of all the presidents, Abraham Lincoln is my favorite.

Why? Because when our nation had a horrible moment, Lincoln decided to do what was right, more than what was easy. And remember, he was the one who freed the slaves. And it's true, but what a lot of people don't realize is that Lincoln had two responsibilities at the same time. He was fighting to serve the union, to fight for this union, apart from freeing those who were trapped. He and he had a divided nation. He didn't believe it. He entered a conflict, a civil war. He was criticized on both sides, the Democrats and the Republicans themselves. They said he was too slow, too aggressive, too conservative, or too radical. Each one wanted to take a side. And instead, Lincoln said, I'm going to take responsibility. And in doing so, he understood something that our culture sometimes forgets. Our freedom doesn't survive by itself. Someone has to preserve it. Someone has to carry it. And in fact, Lincoln knows that there is a nation that cannot remain free if it abandons the principles that made freedom possible in the first place. That's why in this inaugural service, when someone expected Lincoln to give something victorious, Lincoln did something. He told the nation to return to God,

to return to being humble, to having responsibility, and to return to having moral values. And then he said, with malice towards no one and having charity for all. After four years of a civil war, after all the criticism, after all the hatred, Lincoln understood something very profound. Freedom is sustained by the character, by the morals that we have. We have to be responsible and restrict ourselves to the right principles. And not only in our nation, but also for you and for me. Because the communications that fail spiritually, because it's been the same. Sometimes they say that freedom is, don't tell me, don't give me limits, but Jesus taught us something different. In John 8, he says, if the Son gives you freedom, you already have it. You are truly free. Jesus didn't say that freedom is doing whatever you want or whatever you want. No, he said, freedom is found in him. Why? Because there's a big difference between being free to do something and being free to do something. You can be free to drink and still be controlled by alcohol. You can be free to spend and be controlled by debt. You can speak and you can be controlled by... anger, you can be a slave to sin, you can be a slave to pleasure, you can be a slave to sin. The Israelites in the Old Testament said, God delivered them from Egypt, but it took years to get them out of Egypt.

They were geographically free before they were spiritually free. There are people who are saved, but they think that they still have sin, or they are trapped in ways of thinking that are old habits, and they are governed by old fears. Why? Because freedom is an event, but freedom is a way of living, right? When you are liberated, liberation and freedom are different. And you have to obey God, and you have to embrace the truth of God before what we want. Imagine how when you go through the mountains, there are walls of containment everywhere. Nobody says, oh, those walls of containment or those barriers are ruining my freedom. No, those walls are there to protect you. Don't fall off the mountain, right? They are not restricting you from freedom, they are preserving you from freedom. And God's limits work like that. They are designed to limit you. They are designed to protect your purpose in God. And the truth is this, freedom is not an absence of restricting you. Freedom is the presence of the right restrictions. Responsibility is not the enemy of freedom. Responsibility is what makes freedom possible. And finally, responsibility leads us to true happiness. Let's talk about happiness. Because culture here gets a little bit confused. We are told that freedom and joy come from more success, more comfort, more material possessions, or more experience. But now more than ever, sometimes they feel empty. Even though they have all that right now in history. The Declaration of Independence talks about persecution or pursuing happiness. But many Americans have lost what it is. Let's say it's pursuing what makes me happy. And I'm here at Martin Luther King Memorial. Something came to mind. Dr. King did not spend his life pursuing happiness for himself.

He pursued the purpose. And there is a big difference. And something that is going to be very beautiful is how it was designed. Behind me, there are two big rocks. This is what Dr. King said was the mountain of despair. And on the other mountain is hope. And Dr. King said something very famous. He said, the mountain of despair comes, the mountain of hope. He did not deny despair, suffering, pain. But he did not want those things to define the future. Now, he could have chosen personal comfort. But this is what fascinates me about Dr. King. He could have chosen a comfortable life for himself. He was educated. He had many internal gifts. He was very respected. He could have been a pastor of the church. He could have been well with his family, calm, without problems. But he felt a great responsibility. Something bigger than pursuing personal happiness. And he could have had comfort, but he did not decide. It was a very powerful moment in American history. It happened in 1968, one night before Dr. King was murdered. And they spoke this mountain top speech. It says, as any person, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I am not concerned about that. I just want to do the will of God. And he has allowed me to go up the mountain and see above the mountain. And I have seen the promised land.

Maybe I will not be there with you. But I want you to know that today, that we, as people, are going to get the promised land. Think about what Dr. Martin Luther King said. He knew the threats, the problems, the danger. However, he kept moving forward. Why? Because the purpose was greater than comfort. or the pursuit of personal happiness, because the purpose in God will be greater than his personal convenience. And the purpose in God will be greater than the preservation of oneself. And this is where our culture goes wrong. A lot of people spend their entire life asking, what's good for me? But Dr. King said, what does God want from me? What did he call me to do? What am I here for? What responsibility is God putting on my life? And that's why his life still matters today. Because the happiest thing in this life is not being able to find happiness for myself. It's being able to find a way to give yourself away to God, to something bigger. You were not created to consume. You were not created to contribute, to accumulate. You were created to impact. You were not created to exist.

You were created to merely exist. You were created to make a difference for the kingdom of God. This says, the most urgent and persistent question in life is, what is this? What are you doing for others? The happiest people are not the ones who ask, what can I receive? The happiest people are the ones who say, what can I give? How can I make a difference right where I'm at? Where I live, the people who change the world, their world, they're not only pursuing their happiness, they're pursuing their purpose. Martin Luther King teaches us this, that the scripture and experience confirm that the happiest life is not the easiest life. The happiest life is not the safest life. It is not the most comfortable life. But nevertheless, the best life, the happiest life, is what Jesus did, what Jesus modeled. In Matthew chapter 20, it says, as God did not come to be served,

but to serve, but to give his life for ransom to many. And this weekend, we celebrate 250 years of freedom, of freedom. Freedom is not just something we do, we say, use your freedom, use your freedom to help others find the freedom of God, and find Jesus. And you're going to help people find life, help them find the life that God created them to be. So as we close today, I just want to take a moment and kind of decide what the leaders said and what the scriptures are telling us about freedom. And this is this, we have to be good leaders. We have a responsibility that you and I have to have the freedom that God gave us. I am grateful for freedom. I am grateful for those who have sacrificed, for those who have defended, and that we can be there together and we can worship freely. But as we are here in this, there is a freedom that is great. Many of us, perhaps we have not gone through this freedom, which is the spiritual freedom, which is the most important.

Because you can live in a free nation, but you can be tied up inside. God already paid for that, to give us spiritual freedom, freedom from sin. He died on a cross for what we did wrong. He resurrected to give us a new life. And before I close, you know what? I don't want to leave without giving each one of you an opportunity to get spiritual freedom. And we talked about national, personal freedoms, but the most important, the most important freedom that you can experience is the freedom in your soul that God can give you. So if today you say, I want Jesus to be the leader of my life and the one who forgives me. Let's pray this together. It's going to change your life. It's simple, but invite Jesus to come into your life and forgive your sins. You can have spiritual freedom from today. In all the places where you want to be, please close your eyes, bow your head, and close your eyes. And if you want to experience spiritual freedom, repeat this prayer after me.

Are you ready? Are you ready? Here we go. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me. I ask for forgiveness for all of my sins. Come into my life and give me a new life. Give me a new life. Gracias por morir en una cruz. For dying on a cross. Gracias por amarme con un amor incondicional. For sharing me with an unconditional love. Gracias que la libertad espiritual ya es mía. Thank you that this spiritual freedom is now mine. En el nombre de Jesús. Y todos decimos amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.