2. Liberty at the Cross
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. ( Declaration of Independence)
In America we see these as rights in this country
As Christians we also have also have the same unalienable rights we are going to spend the next three weeks looking at looking at how we as Christians pursue liberty, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

3. liberty
Gal. 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

4. liberty We are free from the long term consequences of sin!
1. I am free from the long term consequences of sin! I no longer fear physical death because Christ has paid my sin debt and spiritual death is no longer a threat to me.

5. liberty We are free from the power of sin
2. I am free from the power of sin. The power of sin is death, but through Jesus, death is swallowed up in victory.
I am free from the power of sin in my life because Christ has forgiven me and thus made a way for me to escape the temptation of sin.

6. liberty We are free from guilt
3. I am free from guilt because Jesus has washed me clean and by grace through faith declared me “not guilty.”
So many Christians walk through life racked with guilt unnecessarily. Why? Because they don’t fully understand what God has done.
Because Jesus has set them free and declared them not guilty, there is reason for great joy.
The right mindset is to realize our sin, then realize what God did for you, and then be in a constant state of praise and thanksgiving to God, not a constant state of guilt.
We should focus on what God has done, not what we have done.

7. liberty we are free to live our lives for God!
4. And because we are no longer guilty, we are free to live our lives for God!
When we were dead in our sins we could not live for God, but because of the redeeming work of the blood of Christ we are now alive and free to live for Him.
I can preach, not because of my holiness, but because of His! Each of us can witness and testify, not of our own righteousness, but His.
Because He made me alive, I can now live for Him.

8. liberty We are free from our pasts
5. And because He has made me a new creature in Christ, I am free from my past. There are far too many Christians that are prisoners of their past.
God’s word is clear on this, the old things of your life are passed away, behold, all things are new.
The prostitute, the pimp, and the pusher are all made new again. There is no sin that can’t be washed away and forgiven by the blood of Jesus!
Use your past to give glory to God for his grace and mercy, but don’t you dare let it hold you back or hold you prisoner.

9. liberty We are free from bondage
6. We are free from bondage. God’s word says that we were slaves to sin, in bondage to sin, but we have been made free.
What were we in bondage to?
• Appetites of the flesh, sex, drugs, booze, unhealthy relationships.
• The need for power, prestige, and status.
• Materialism, the constant pursuit of money, wealth, and stuff.
• Popularity, more concerned with what others think than what God thinks.
• But we can also be in bondage to religion, ritual and works. Going to church, doing good works, or being pious will not save you and there are many people today in bondage to religion.
Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists are all in bondage to religion, but so are many so called Christians. Only a personal relationship with Jesus will set you free.

10. liberty
Paul warns us not to become entangled again with these things that put us into bondage
7. Paul warns us not to become entangled again with these things that put us into bondage. Most of the time you become entangled when you aren’t looking
There are gateway attitudes or sins that can blind us and cause us to become entangled again.
Hate, jealousy, envy, lust, and pride all work to blind us just long enough to become entangled with any of the things I have just mentioned.
I would ask you tonight, how’s your liberty, are you enjoying your freedom?
God’s word says that if you are free in Christ you are free indeed. Have you let bad attitudes blind you and maybe you just realized you have become entangled again?

11. liberty Liberty not License Galatians 5:13
For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

12. liberty Liberty not License Romans 6:1-2
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

13. liberty THE LIBERTY BELL: PROCLAIM LIBERTY
One of the most prominent symbols of freedom in the United States is the Liberty Bell, which hangs today in the historic district of Philadelphia. It’s been called an icon of liberty and justice. It’s most famous ringing was on July 8, 1776, when the sound of the Liberty Bell rang out from the tower of Independence Hall summoning citizens to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon. In that historic moment the Liberty Bell fulfilled the purpose designated by its inscription: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." That inscription, of course, is taken from Leviticus 25:10.
The purpose of the bell flows out of God’s Word and so does ours. God has the same purpose for our lives today—to proclaim liberty that is only available through Jesus Christ throughout the world.