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Show JUNETEENTH "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8: 32) " been set free from sin, you become slaves of righteousness. "Having (Romans " 6: 18) 19, 1865 when General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, It was June Texas. He read General Order #3: "The people of Texas informed that in are accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all Emancipation Proclamation has been signed and issued just about two years and six months by slaves are free." That President Abraham Lincoln. But nobody had bothered to tell the slaves in Galveston, Texas. So for first time, they 1 they no longer were the property or belonged to any other human being. THEY WERE FREE! When they heard it, some of them were blown learned that away. Some were shocked. Some were excited and celebrated. That June 19 has become know day JUNETEENTH, as coming, and delayed in implementation but it did come so that we are free to keep it and commemorate late in it. It 40 years after the Jesus "Y e shall know the truth, was some told the Jews, and the truth shall make you free" when John wrote it down for us. The Jews believed but did not realize their freedom for years to come. They had been promised their freedom by Jesus and Jesus had died to guarantee their freedom 2 passed on for years When those believing Jews but the word afterward. was not did not understand what Jesus talking about. was They questioned him, "We be Abraham seed, and were never in any man; how sayest thou, Y e shall be made free?" (John 8: 33) Jesus bondage to responded in no uncertain terms, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin" (John 8: 34) Romans 3: 23 challenges their assumption, "F or all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." My brothers and my sisters, it is not whether we have sinned or not but whether have been made free of the sins we we have committed. Nearly 25 years after Jesus signed the Emancipation Proclamation for sinners 3 with His own Calvary, the blood on that of cross Apostle Paul picked a pen and wrote to the believers at Rome, "Having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." Some of us still are not aware of the God. W e do not know that free of the sin and guilt that gift of we are doth set so easily beset us. We have not yet heard the good news of the Year of Jubilee and our spiritual liberation. We are still wearing the shackles of wickedness and iniquity. So Paul reminds us that our status has changed not by anything we have done but by the gift of God. We can stay in bondage to sin if we choose, but God prefers that we yield to righteousness. Salvation means to be delivered from, to be rescued from, to be 4 bailed out of by the Messianic Servant. Samson won the battle over the by the power that God gave him. David whipped the evil giant Goliath with a sling and five smooth stones provided to him by God. Elij ah over came 850 false prophets of Ahab Philistines . and Jezeebel when God rained down fire from above. Daniel walked around free in the lions den and the three Hebrew boys strutted through the fiery furnace by the authority given to them by God Jonah preached the good news of discharge and release to Nineveh when he was made free from the storm and the fish. Peter realized he preached were was one sermon so saved. You and I free and that 3000 souls are free and its Junettenth. W e know the truth and God 5 will make might be us free. Jesus died that free. He granted us status and it's about time we we a new live outside bondage of sin and in that spiritual liberty. Just as we use to serve the of the whims of sin, righteousness we can now live in and dwell in the house of the Lord forever. truth, and the (John 8: 32) free from sin, you "And ye shall know the truth shall make you free." "Having been set became slaves of righteousness." (Romans 6: 18) 6 |
