"I heard the bells on Christmas day; their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth, Goodwill to men. I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled alongth' unbroken song of peace on earth, good-will to men. And in despair I bowed my head: "There is no peace on earth," I said, "For hate is strong, and mocks the song of Peace on earth, good-will to men. Then peeled the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead; not doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men."
So flowed the thoughts from the pen of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow recognized the strange dichotomy that seems to exist in the world today, a dichotomy that declares freedom, peace on earth, good-will to men, and yet hate is still strong and wrong seems to go unanswered. Many still choose their captivity and sin abounds. However, fear not! In the end God's victory will yet prevail! The gospel is meant to bring freedom and liberty both to the individual spirit, and to society as a whole. Therefore, Christian! Are you someone who is working to set the captive free? God calls us to be His freedom fighters! To ring the Liberty Bell of the Gospel of the Kingdom! If you know the Father, if you are His child through faith in Jesus Christ then you are His freedom bell to ring loudly! You are the Bell of the Lord! You are the Bell that the Lord wants to use to proclaim liberty to the captives!
LET THE FREEDOM BELLS OF CHRISTMAS RING! Let them proclaim that Christ has come to bring freedom to the captive! Let them chime out that Jesus Christ is the great liberator! Let them bellow forth that the Son of God has come to destroy the works of the devil! Do you hear the Christmas bells ringing? They are ringing to declare to you freedom! Go free! Go free! Go free! They Ring out, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free…" (Gal.5:1) For what did Christ set us free? For Liberty! To be all that God intended for us to be! Freedom in Christ carries with it the freedom to walk into all that He intended for us to be. It is the freedom to flourish as children of God! Free to live for Him, unfettered by the chains of guilt and sin. Set free from the chain’s of hate, selfishness, and the power of sin! Set free to serve Him and others. Free to receive, free to give, free to bless! Oh! That the freedom bells of Christmas would be heard!
Have you not heard? Did you not know? Christmas is about freedom! Christmas is about Liberty! Christmas is about Christ coming to destroy the works of the devil! The works of the devil that hinder and oppress men and woman of any race, culture, or ethnic group from being all that God has created them to be. The freedom that Christ brings releases humanity from the chains that hate, ignorance, and bigotry enslaves us in so, LET THE FREEDOM BELLS OF CHRISTMAS RING!
"To proclaim liberty to the captives…”
"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." (Luke 4:18-19)
Would you think Christmas had anything in common with the fourth of July? Well in the minds of our founding father’s they did! Well of course, they are both days that we celebrate freedom & Liberty! David Barton of Wallbuilders Ministry, in his, "America's Godly Heritage" series, relates that how for over 150 years after the Constitution was written and adopted, if you were to look at most of our national holidays, whether it was Thanksgiving, or whether it was Christmas, or whether it was even the 4th of July, all of these days were considered religious holidays in America. Barton goes on to quote John Quincy Adams from a Fourth of July speech in 1837, where Adams asked the question, "Do you know why it is that Christmas and the Fourth of July are the top two holidays in America?" (He said it is because we celebrate the same thing.) Adams said, "At Christmas time we celebrate what Jesus Christ did for the world through his birth. And on the Fourth of July we celebrate what Jesus Christ did for America when we applied His principles to civil government."
LET THE FREEDOM BELLS OF CHRISTMAS RING!" …To set at liberty those who are oppressed…" Jesus not only proclaims Liberty, he actually does something about it. Many philosophies & religions claim to give freedom and Liberty, but in reality do nothing to actually bring it about. In fact, many promising to bring freedom actually bring further bondage and enslavement. Communism is a graphic example of a system, which promised equity and Liberty but brought oppression, slavery and injustice. Today, Islamo-Fascism is another example of oppression, slavery & injustice. "…While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage." (2 Pet 2:18-19)
Paul said, "Stand in the Liberty with which Christ has set you free." What is the freedom the Christian proclaims? What is the Liberty the Christ gives? Abraham Lincoln once articulated the principal, "...that you cannot have the right to do what is wrong." The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a gospel of license, nor is it a gospel of legalism. It is a gospel of Liberty. It is true spiritual freedom. It's not a freedom that is burdened with religious regulations nor is it a freedom that degenerates into a frenzy of unrestrained passions. However, whether it's the repression of a false philosophy or a false religious system; whether it's a societal and political oppression such as communism, the freedom bells of Christmas sound for Liberty! The Freedom bell's of Christmas ring loud and they ring long to proclaim freedom to those that are bound!
Church! We are called to be His freedom fighters in the earth today. He calls us to stand against oppression and injustice. He calls us to stand against unrighteousness. Chuck Colson, in his epic book, "The Body," relates the story of the people of Timisoara, Romania. It was during the regime of Nicolae Ceausescu, during the days when communism was crumbling all over the republics of the former Soviet Union. The Christians of the city of Timisoara under the leadership of Pastor Laszlo Tokes spent hours in prayer, praying "Lord, help our nation. Turn your face to our land. Bring revival to Romania, and bring it through Timisoara." Colson writes, "God answered that prayer. And help for Romania did indeed began in Timisoara as Pastor Laszlo Tokes eviction from his church by the government swelled into a protest that filled the city's Central Square…Christians from all over the city rallied and prayed that this might be the beginning of the end of Ceausescu's regime. Hundreds, then thousands, of people flooded the streets, carrying signs, and banners that said, "Liberty!" They were shouting with all that was in them, "freedom!" Nicolae Ceausescu had given the order to level Timisoara and annihilate everyone in it. Elena Ceausescu had urged the use of chemical weapons, and the army's special code, "blue rain," was about to be activated. It would soon signal the cities utter destruction. However, the people would not disperse. For 45 years, the people of Romania had been told there was no God. Now a hundred thousand people were shouting as one, "God exists! God is with us!" The demonstrations spread to Bucharest. Then on Christmas Eve, Ceausescu tried to flee the country while at the same time, standing from the balcony used by Ceausescu to speak to the crowds, the pastor from the Baptist Church addressed the people. "I'm pastor Peter Dugulescu, and I have come to speak to you in the name of God… for almost 45 years we've been told there is no God. The Communists wanted to take God away from our hearts, from our minds, from our families, and from our schools. I want to speak to you in the name of this God." From the balcony, Dugulescu could see thousands of upturned faces, and hear the shouts of voices hoarse with tears. "God exists!" they shouted. "There is a God, there is a God, God is with us!" As Christmas day dawn crept across the land of Romania, the church Bells rang for the first time in 45 years in Romania. Christians who had not sung Carol's in public during their lifetimes sang out the good news of Christ coming, "Emanuel, God is with us!" On Christmas day, a military tribunal tried Ceausescu and his wife for crimes against the people. They were convicted of genocide and executed on Christmas day, much like a modern day King Herod! “Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God continued to increase and spread." (Acts 12:23-24)
LET THE FREEDOM BELLS OF CHRISTMAS RING!
"…To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." The glorious Herald of the Angels on that first Christmas night was God's proclamation of freedom and Liberty! When those angels cried out "glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men!" They heralded God's proclamation of liberty and freedom for all men. The Declaration of Independence is this nation's founding document and proclamation of freedom and Liberty. However, over 2,000 years ago, another, far more important Declaration of Independence was signed and sealed with blood. That declaration came from the lips of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who cried out from the cross, "it is finished!". You see, freedom costs something. So often it's been the blood of others that has secured freedom for others. Whether it was the blood of the early American Patriots, or the blood that was shed during the civil war for the slaves. Even so, Jesus went to the cross to shed his blood to bring true freedom. Freedom from the slavery and the power of sin! Freedom from life controlling habits! Freedom from delusions and lies! Freedom from the guilt of sin! Freedom from bitterness and hatred! Freedom from the wrath of God that is coming upon a sinful humanity!
Jesus said, "He whom the Son sets free is free indeed!" Are you free today? The freedom bells of Christmas are ringing for you! The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. However, it wasn't cheap. True freedom costs something. It cost the blood of Christ to be shed; it caused the life of Christ to be given. True freedom costs something. It always has, Christ's salvation is true freedom.
This Christmas give the gift of Liberty! Proclaim the Liberty of the gospel to those that are held captive in sin, and unrighteousness; held by the circumstances and consequences that their actions have brought upon themselves. Give the gift that keeps on giving! The gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus! "For the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus."
Wishing you the very best and blessed Christmas! Knowing that when you're in Christ the best is yet to come! - Andy White -
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