The Life God Gives, The Freedom God Provides, and The Purpose We Pursue | Jeremy DeWeerdt

Hello City First, this weekend I am in Washington D.C. where our nation is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. And standing here in our nation's capital, you cannot help but reflect on what an incredible blessing this country has been. Now let's be honest, America is not a perfect nation, it never has been. It was founded by imperfect people and it is still inhabited by imperfect people. But despite its flaws, we are extraordinarily blessed. We have the freedom to worship, the freedom to speak, the freedom to gather, the freedom to pursue the life that God has called us to live. And one of the phrases that has always stood out to me from our founding documents is the aspiration of becoming a more perfect union. I love that phrase because it acknowledges a profound truth. Perfection has not yet been achieved and we are continually striving towards it. In many ways, that is the American experiment. A nation constantly working to improve, constantly seeking to become a little better than it was before. And as Christians, we understand this principle. And even faithfulness is not perfection. It is a continual pursuit of becoming more like Jesus and what God created us to be. So this weekend, we thank God for this nation. We thank God for those who sacrificed to establish our freedom. We thank God for those who defended the freedom of our nation. We thank God for those who defended the freedom. We thank God for the opportunities that we enjoy. And we pray that God would continue to bless America and to guide America. As I reflect on our nation's founding documents this week, I was reminded of something very important. The Declaration of Independence says that all people are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those are tremendous gifts. But there is a truth our culture often forgets.

Every right comes with a responsibility. In fact, I would argue rights without responsibility eventually destroy the very freedoms they were designed to protect. The founders of our nation understood this. And scripture certainly teaches this. And that's what I want to talk about today. Because what God gives us, God also calls us to steward. Life, freedom, time, influence, opportunity, and purpose. Everything God entrusts to us comes with responsibility. Every blessing from God comes with a responsibility from God. In fact, it says in Galatians 6, 5, Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. The Bible begins not with rights, but with responsibility. Before Adam ever sinned, before Adam ever failed, before he ever struggled, God gave him responsibility. It says in Genesis 1, verse 28, That's responsibility. Responsibility wasn't a punishment after the fall. It was not a result of sin. Responsibility was a part of God's original design before the fall. You were created for responsibility. When we embrace responsibility God's way, we experience three things. We experience growth, we experience freedom, and we experience fulfillment. Today, I want to talk about some important thoughts about freedom and the responsibility that we have all been given. Responsibility is how God develops you. You know, one of the greatest lies in our culture is this. If I had fewer responsibilities, I'd be happy. If I didn't have that job I don't like, or those bills, or the struggles, or the commitments that I have, I wouldn't be happy.

If I didn't have that job I don't like, or those bills, or the struggles, or the commitments that I have, I wouldn't be happy. If I didn't have that job I don't like, or those bills, or the struggles, or the commitments that I have to fulfill, then I'd be happy. But that's not what scripture teaches us. In fact, Some of the most miserable people are those who are living only for themselves. Research consistently shows that our circumstances account for far less happiness than we think. What matters much more are our choices, our habits, our intentional behaviors, and our daily decisions. In other words, your life is shaped more by your decisions than your conditions. As a young man, Theodore Roosevelt was frail, he was sickly, and he suffered extreme asthma. Doctors doubted his future and predicted his quality of life, if he even lived, would 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 for his own development. He built himself physically, intellectually, and spiritually into one of America's most influential leaders. Teddy Roosevelt could have blamed his genetics, the hand that had been dealt to him. He could have blamed his circumstances. Instead, he accepted responsibility for becoming who he could become. You become who you're willing to develop. God continually places responsibility back into our hands. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 30, 19, Today, God says, I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessing and curses. Choose life. God says, you choose. You decide. You steward the one and only life I've given you. You respond. Every mature believer eventually learns this. God changes us through responsibility. Take responsibility for your life.

Trust God and own what you can. Responsibility develops discipline. Responsibility develops character, faithfulness, and maturity. The person you're becoming is often shaped by the responsibilities you're embracing. And possibly, God's blessing often is found on the other side of the responsibilities that you're avoiding. Another thing, responsibility requires ownership. Genesis 3 gives us humanity's first blame game. God confronts Adam. Adam blames Eve. God confronts Eve. Eve blames the serpent. Nobody owns their decision. Sound familiar? Not much has changed in humanity, right? When finances fall apart, when relationships struggle, when dreams die, our first instinct often is to say, whose fault is this? But growth begins where blame ends. I am here at one of the most unknown memorials in Washington, D.C. One that celebrates the leadership and the bravery of President Dwight Eisenhower. Before he was president on June 5, 1944, General Eisenhower faced arguably the most consequential military decision in modern history during World War II. The weather was terrible, forecasts were uncertain, and no one knew whether the invasion would succeed. Yet, he made the call to launch what became known as D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in history. Over 150,000 Allied troops crossed the English Channel into Nazi-occupied Europe. If it failed, tens of thousands of people would die. The war could be prolonged for years, and his reputation would be totally destroyed. But here's the remarkable part. Before the invasion began, Eisenhower wrote a statement by hand. Not a victory speech, a failure speech.

He folded it and kept it in his pocket. The note said, our landings have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold, and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone. That last sentence is powerful. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone. Think about that. No blaming the weather, no blaming intelligence failures, no blaming his generals, no blaming his troops. No excuses, no finger-pointing, just ownership. One of the greatest... of our culture is the refusal to own responsibility. People want freedom without accountability, rights without responsibility, or the benefits without true ownership. But every time someone refuses responsibility, someone else must pick it up. In families, in churches, in communities and workplaces, someone always pays the bill for irresponsibility. Irresponsibility is the mother of blame. Responsibility, though, is the birthplace of growth. You will never grow beyond what you're willing to own. The strongest people I know are not perfect people. They are honest people. They stop blaming, they stop excusing, they stop pointing fingers. They say, God, what is my part? How can I own my zone? They don't blame, they become.

This is so important to understand, especially as it relates to our freedom. You cannot control everyone else's choices, but you can control your choices. The third truth is this, responsibility produces freedom. Now let's talk about liberty for a moment. This may surprise you, but most people misunderstand freedom. They define freedom as no rules, no restrictions, no accountability, do whatever you want, whenever you want, and however you want. But that's not real freedom. That's actually a bad thing. And however you want. But that's not real freedom. That's actually chaos. I'm standing here at the Lincoln Memorial. Out of all of the US presidents, Abraham Lincoln is my favorite. Why? Because when our nation faced one of the darkest moments, Lincoln chose what was right over what was easy. Most people remember Lincoln as the president who freed the slaves, and that is true. But what many people don't realize is that Lincoln carried two enormous responsibilities at the same time. He was fighting to preserve the Union while also advancing freedom for those trapped in slavery. He inherited a divided nation.

He did not create the conflict. He literally stepped into it. Throughout the Civil War, he was criticized from both sides. The Democrats criticized him, and even his own Republican Party criticized him. They said he was too slow. Some said he was too aggressive. He was too conservative, or he was too radical. Everyone wanted Lincoln to choose a side. And instead, Lincoln chose responsibility. And in doing so, he understood something our culture many times forgets. Freedom doesn't survive on its own. Someone must protect it. Someone must preserve it. Someone must steward it. In fact, Lincoln understood that a nation cannot remain free if it abandons the principles that made freedom possible in the first place. That's why in his second inaugural address, when everyone expected a victory speech, Lincoln gave us something far different. He called the nation back to God. He called us back to humility, back to responsibility, and back to moral accountability. Then he spoke those famous words, with malice towards none, with charity for all. After four years of civil war, after all the criticism, after all the hatred, Lincoln understood something very profound.

Freedom is sustained by character. Freedom is sustained by responsibility and restraint. Freedom is sustained by the right principles, and that is not only true for our nation, that is true for you and I, because the same misunderstanding exists spiritually also. Many people think freedom means no one tells me what to do. Don't give me any boundaries. Don't give me any restraint. But Jesus taught something entirely different. In John 8, 36, he says, if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. Notice Jesus didn't say freedom is found in doing whatever you want. He said freedom is found in Him. Why? Because there's a big difference between being free to do something and being free from something. You can be free to drink and still be controlled by alcohol. You can be free to spend and still be controlled by debt. You can be free to speak and still be controlled by anger. You can be free to pursue whatever pleasure you want and still be enslaved to sin. The Israelites in the Old Testament learned this lesson. God delivered them from Egypt overnight, but it took years to get the Egypt out of them. They were geographically free long before they were spiritually free. Some people are saved, but they still think like they're slaves to sin. Saved, but they still are trapped in old mindsets, controlled by old habits, and still governed by old fears. Why? Because deliverance is an event, but freedom is a lifestyle. And that lifestyle requires responsibility and requires surrender, obedience, and embracing God's way over our own preferred way. Think about driving through the mountains. You see guardrails everywhere.

No one complains about the guardrails. No one says, you know those guardrails, they're ruining my freedom. No way. Those guardrails are protecting your future. The guardrails aren't restricting you from freedom, they're actually preserving your freedom. And God's boundaries work in the exact same way. His commands aren't designed to limit your life. They're designed to protect your God-given purpose. Which leads us to this truth. Freedom is not an absence of restraint. Freedom is the presence of the right restraints. It reminds us that responsibility is not the enemy of freedom. Responsibility is what makes freedom possible. And lastly, responsibility leads to true happiness. Let's talk about happiness for a moment, because this is where culture gets a little confused. We are told that happiness comes from more money, more comfort, more success, more followers, more possessions and stuff, or more experiences. Yet people have more than ever and often feel emptier than ever right now in history. The Declaration of Independence speaks of the pursuit of happiness. But I think many Americans have misunderstood what that really means. We've turned it into the pursuit of whatever makes me happy. But standing here at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, I'm reminded of something very important. Dr. King did not spend his life pursuing happiness for himself. He spent his life pursuing purpose. And there is a big difference. One of the most striking things about this memorial is how it was designed. Behind me, there are two massive stones. They represent what Dr. King called the Mountain of Despair. And out of the middle of those stones emerges what is called the Stone of Hope. The design comes from one of King's most famous speeches. Out of the Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope. Think about that. King did not deny despair. He didn't deny hardship.

He didn't deny suffering. He didn't deny suffering. He simply refused to allow those things to define the future. Now he could have chosen personal comfort. And here's what fascinates me about Dr. King. He could have chosen a comfortable, happy life for himself. He was educated. He was gifted. He was respected. He could have pastored a church quietly, raised his family, lived safely. But he felt a responsibility, something bigger than himself. Something bigger than finding personal happiness. That responsibility pulled him out of comfort and into purpose. One of the most powerful moments of history, American history, happened on April 3rd, 1968. It was the night before Dr. King was assassinated. King delivered what became known as the Mountaintop Speech. Listen to these words. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. Think about that. He knew the risks. He knew the threats. He knew the danger.

And yet he kept moving forward. Why? Because purpose was behind him. Bigger than comfort or personal happiness. Responsibility was bigger than personal convenience. Calling was bigger than self-preservation. And this is where our culture gets it backwards. Many people spend their entire life asking what's in it for me? But Dr. King asked a different question. He asked, what am I called to do? What responsibility has God placed on my life? And that's why his life still matters today. Because the deepest joy in life isn't found in trying to find happiness for yourself. It is found in giving yourself a way to something bigger than yourself. You know, you weren't created to merely consume. You were created to contribute. You weren't created to merely accumulate. You were created to impact. You weren't created to merely exist. You were created to matter and make a difference. One of King's quotes engraved in this memorial says this. Life's most persistent and urgent question is this. What are you doing for others? The happiest people are not the people who ask what can I get? The happiest people are the people who ask what can I give?

How can I make a difference? Right where I'm at, right where I live. The people who changed the world, their world, are rarely pursuing personal happiness. They're pursuing purpose. Martin Luther King Jr. teaches us something different that both scripture and experience confirm. The happiest life is not the easiest life. The happiest life is not the safest life. The happiest life is not the most comfortable life. But rather, the happiest life is what, well, Jesus did and what he modeled. In Matthew chapter 20, verse 28, it says this. Just as Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. On this weekend, we celebrate 250 years of freedom. Let's remember, freedom is not just something to enjoy, it's something to employ. Use your freedom to help others find true freedom. Help people find Jesus and you'll help them find the life that they were created for. So as we wrap up, I just wanna take a moment and kind of summarize what all of these leaders and more importantly, what the scriptures are telling us about freedom. And that is this, it needs to be stewarded well. There is a responsibility that you and I have to steward the freedoms that God has given to us. I am grateful for freedom. I'm grateful for those that have sacrificed for it.

I'm grateful for those that have defended it and I'm grateful that we can openly gather and we can worship freely. But as wonderful as national freedom is, there's a freedom that is even greater. Some of us may not have experienced this greater freedom. You say, what is it? Spiritual freedom, which is way more important. Because you can live in a free nation, but not be free on the inside. Jesus paid the ultimate price to give us freedom from sin. He died on a cross for our wrongdoing. He rose from the dead to give us a new life. And before I close, I would be remiss to not give each and every one of you an opportunity to experience spiritual freedom. We've talked a lot about national freedoms, life freedoms, personal freedoms, but the most important freedom that you can experience is the freedom in your soul that only Jesus can bring. So today you say, I would like to make Jesus the leader and the forgiver of my life. I would like to pray a simple but life-changing prayer, inviting Jesus to come into my life and forgive me of my sin. You can experience spiritual freedom beginning today. So at every location, will you do me a favor and just bow your head and close your eyes. If you want to experience spiritual freedom, just repeat this prayer after me.

Are you ready? Here we go. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me. I ask for forgiveness for all of my sin. Come into my life. and give me a new life. Thank you for dying on a cross. Thank you for loving me with an unconditional love. Thank you that spiritual freedom is now mine. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.