The Duty of Freedom

Going to go to Luke chapter 17. Going to read a passage of scripture that oftentimes has just bothered me. Trying to process it, but I do feel like the Lord gave me a little insight. Little bit of understanding better. Before I get to that, let me add to this week. I know we said we didn't have no midweek service or district camp meeting for the Tennessee district United Pentecostal Church is going on in Murfreesboro on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. It's free to attend. It's at the Embassy Suites. It starts at 7:00 p.m. It's a great time to get together. Our our district in in the state of Tennessee is made up of about 166 churches across the state and they're all invited to come together.

And you guys don't have to travel very far. It's right here in town. So, I encourage you to go over there and be a part of that. Some phenomenal preaching will be going on and some teaching as well. Luke chapter 17, verse number seven. I'm going to read it from the New Living Translation just so that we can understand it maybe in some today's language. Sometimes the King James language is you got to sit in it for a minute before it opens itself up. So, I want to read it to you from the New Living. It says, "When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, 'Come in and eat with me?'"

"No," he says, "prepare my meal and put on your apron and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later. And does not And does the master thank the servant for doing what it was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me, you should say, 'We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.'" I'm going to read that verse again. "In the same way, when you obey me, you should say, 'We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.'" And for just a little while today, I want to preach on the duty of freedom. The duty of freedom. This weekend, our nation paused to celebrate something truly historic.

250 years ago, as Brother Elkins had already said at the beginning of our service today 56 men gathered in Philadelphia to sign their names to a document that would forever alter the course of human history. We know it as the Declaration of Independence. It wasn't just ink on parchment. It was a line that was drawn in the sand. By signing that document they were declaring independence from tyranny. But they were also accepting responsibility for what freedom would require. I say that again, they were accepting responsibility for what freedom would require. They understood something that we often forget and that is simply freedom is never free. There's a cost involved. Freedom always comes with a cost.

I don't know about you, but I felt myself a couple of times over the past weekend just being welled up with emotion my I've always felt like I was pretty patriotic person, but some of the stuff that went on this weekend, I don't know about you, it just got me here. I thought about the sacrifice that so many have given. They paid the ultimate price so that you and I have the freedoms that are afforded to us today that often times if we're honest and church is a great place to be honest we take it for granted. I'm going to raise both of my hands. I've often time taken it for granted what has been afforded to me because freedom isn't free.

When I think about these men and what they were doing, they they knew exactly what they were doing by signing their name on the dotted line. It wasn't a symbolic gesture because they knew if the revolution failed every one of them would be branded traitors and they would be hanged. They were not reckless men chasing a dream. They were fathers. They were husbands. They were business owners. They were farmers. They were pastors. Men that had something to lose and lose they did. It cost them something. Some paid with reputation. Some lost their fortune. Some of the stories of them losing their their wife and kids because of the price that they paid for sacrificing themselves for the cost of freedom.

The freedom that you and I enjoy today was purchased by the courage of those who were willing to pay the price. And here we stand today 250 years later, we should still pause and thank God for the blessing of living in this nation. I already said it, but I think we should thank him one more time. Thank you God that I'm in the United States of America. It's not perfect, but we have freedoms afforded to us that people gave a high price for. I'm thankful for that. There are places around this world that would love to do what we're doing right now. They don't have the chance. They don't have the opportunity. They have to do it in secret.

They have to do it in hiding. But you and I we get this opportunity. We should always be grateful. We should always be grateful. We should always be grateful that we have the political freedom to come at a price. But to me, that's not the greatest freedom that was purchased. It wasn't about a declaration that was signed by men. The greatest freedom is found on a cross stained by the blood of Jesus Christ. Because America can give me freedom of speech, but only Jesus can free my soul. Only Jesus can free your soul. That's much higher than the cost of freedom of speech. So, on this 4th of July weekend, we celebrate the freedom of a nation, but I want to preach about the responsibility that you and I have as believers of Jesus Christ.

Because freedom without responsibility enables entitlement. I'm going to say that again. Freedom without responsibility enables entitlement. Liberty without duty becomes selfish. And blessing without obedience becomes dangerous. And I feel like it's what's happening in our world today. Well, you and I and I don't know about you, but I'm 50 years old. And this land is still the best place to live, but it has changed a lot in my 50 years. The same sense of duty the same sense of responsibility is not felt anymore in our society. Instead, we are being inundated and overwhelmed with a sense of entitlement that it is justly due to us. BY WHO? And by what what what right? And what I'm afraid of what's transpiring, what I'm seeing as a pastor, is I'm watching this entitlement mentality creep in the back doors of the church.

As if I am owed the presence of God. As if I deserve the price that was paid at Calvary. I don't deserve it. You don't deserve it. There's nothing we can do to earn it, but he freely gave it. But I'm afraid because we're so used to feeling it and expecting it, we no longer appreciate the price that was paid. And the entitlement mentality now sits on the church pew. Cuz I say again, freedom without responsibility breeds entitlement. Jesus said in Luke 17, we are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty. The word duty may not be popular, but it's powerful. When you begin to think about it, duty is what makes a show soldier stand his post.

It's what makes a parent pray over their children. It's what makes a saint stay faithful when nobody's watching. And that's what makes a church keep preaching the truth even though the world may be confused all around it and say it's old-fashioned. There's a responsibility and a duty that says, "No, this is what we have to do. It's what we must do. We have no other choice. There is no other option. We're not going to go backwards. It's our duty. It's our responsibility." So today I want to preach the duty of freedom. Freedom without duty becomes entitlement as I've already said. Jesus opens this conversation Luke chapter 17 by painting a narrative in a story that in that day would have been very commonplace.

People had hired people, hired servants that were there a part of their work. And he basically lays out the story when your hired servants, the people who were doing what they were expected to do, when it come time for the end of the shift, when they come in to take care of supper preparation, would the master say to simply sit at the table? He says, "No." Because their job was not finished yet. They still had to prepare the meal and serve the meal. And would Did master say to them, "Thank you for doing what you were supposed to do?" The answer's no. Why? Because you were supposed to do it. It's what you're supposed to do.

So, I shouldn't have to say thank you every time you do something you're supposed to do. And Jesus again, and this has always been a passage I had a little hard time with because I didn't fully appreciate the narrative that he was painting. It's like he understood that in 2026, there's going to be a group of people who would show up and say, "God, you should be happy that I'm here." God, you should bless my life because I showed up. God, you should be happy that I come to church twice a month. Because Lord, if you only knew my schedule and how busy I was. Lord, I I I know you died for my sins.

I know Calvary cost you a lot, but God, you should just be happy that I'm here, right? You need an appreciation for something that you're just supposed to do. It's okay, you can be quiet. I'm still going to preach it. Plowing, feeding the sheep, laboring, that's what they were supposed to be doing. And when it comes when they come in from the field, they still had a job to do. Jesus was teaching us something our flesh fights against. Not everything deserves applause. Not everything deserves recognition. Some things are simply your duty. And we live in a generation that has confused duty as an inconvenience. No, I'm sorry. It's your duty. It's what you should be doing.

You should be coming to the house of God. You should show up on time. You should participate. You should be involved in ministry. You should WHY? BECAUSE OF CALVARY. LOOK AT CALVARY. LOOK AT WHAT HE DID FOR YOU to save YOUR MISERABLE SOUL. WHY WOULD YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT DOING WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO? AND YOU SHOULDN'T LOOK FOR A PAT ON THE BACK. IT'S JUST WHAT YOU DO. SOMETHING SHOULD RISE UP INSIDE of you as an understanding that I am supposed to give back. People want credit for what should be normal and applause for what should be expected. Recognition for what should just be faithfulness. But duty doesn't ask for applause. Duty says, I pray because it's my duty.

I come into the house of God and I worship because it's my duty, because he's been good to me. All my life you've been faithful. All my life you've been good. Then why would I not come into the house of God regardless of how I feel if I want to if I got a pain or an ache, regardless of the He is still worthy of all PRAISE AND GLORY AND ADORATION. WHETHER I FEEL LIKE IT OR NOT, HE'S STILL WORTHY. IT'S MY DUTY to come IN AND WORSHIP. IT'S WHY I WAS CREATED. IT'S WHY THERE'S AIR IN MY LUNGS TO WORSHIP THE KING OF KINGS and lord of lords, the one who created me. Yet we feel like we should get a medal hung around our neck.

What's wrong with our culture? I'll be transparent. I do a lot of judging. You should just go ahead and admit you do, too. Well, Pastor Kevin, the Bible says judge not lest you be judged. I love how you got that one memorized. It also says judge with righteous judgment. You don't ever quote that one back to me. I judge. I judge people who leave their shopping cart in the middle of the parking lot. I judge. I judge. I identify with those commercials that are on TV about becoming their parents. That's me. Yeah, I have I have a hard time with people who expect that they should be applauded for doing what you just should already do.

It should be in you. And it is, but you you choose to ignore it. I forgive because it's my duty. I serve because it's my duty. I'm faithful because it's my duty. I live a holy life because it's my duty. And this is where freedom gets dangerous because when people enjoy freedom without understanding responsibility, entitlement grows by default. That's what's happening in our nation. People enjoy freedom of speech but forget the responsibility of truth. People enjoy the freedom of religion but forget the responsibility of reverence and respect. People understand the freedom of prosper but forget the responsibility of being grateful for it. And what I'm afraid of is this spirit has crept into the back doors of the church.

When we start treating the blessings of God as if they're owed to us, we expect peace without prayer and blessing without obedience and harvest without labor and revival without sacrifice and then we wonder why it's not going on. But where are you paying the price? Where are you standing your post? Where are you fulfilling your duty? That's why Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love me, You see that? He didn't say keep my suggestions. He says, "If you love me, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. You won't negotiate your way out of it. You won't say that that was that was that was for a long gone generation. That was for a different time."

No, if you love me, you'll keep them. Even if you don't UNDERSTAND THEM. EVEN IF you don't agree with them. If you love me, you'll keep them. Not when it's easy, not when it's convenient, not when everybody else is doing it. You'll do it because it's your duty. It's your responsibility. A soldier doesn't defend freedom because he feels like it on that day. He does it because he feels the duty and the call and the responsibility. A child of God doesn't stay faithful because everything's always easy. Cuz let's be honest, it's not always easy. Living for God is not always easy. There are hard days. There are difficult days, but it's a way better with him than without him.

And more often than not it's the trial and tribulation that causes me to have a better understanding and appreciation of my God than without it. I don't always like going through it, but when I get on the other side often times when I reflect back about the things that I appreciate the most is the lessons I learned in the valley times, in the dark times, in the low times, when I was away from him. It's those lessons that have a way of shaping me and making me a better man. I didn't sign up for it, but I'm better because of it. Let's be in truthful and honest that you know what, sometimes you just do it because IT'S WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO DO.

If I gave up every time I didn't feel good, I would never be behind this desk up here talking to you. But there's a duty. There's a responsibility that's there. Freedom is a gift. And duty is a proper response. What you do not defend you end up losing. There's a powerful picture of our nation at the tomb of the unknown soldier. I've been blessed in my life to go see that changing of the guard a couple times. It's powerful. How many have been there before? Been to Arlington and seen that. I I dare say there's not a one of us that were there that you did not get choked up and emotional. I don't know how I don't know how you have a soul in you that you don't get emotional in that moment seeing that was there.

What they're doing is they're honoring a sacrifice that had been paid. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in the rain, the sleet, the snow, the wind, the hail, they never stop standing guard over that tomb. They guard what they did not build because they honor what was sacrificed. That's duty and that's exactly the language language that we see in scriptures. Ecclesiastes 12:13. The end of this matter, all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man. Now Ecclesiastes will wear you down. Chassity was just talking about this. She just read it the other day and she goes, "I just get tired of reading Ecclesiastes. I know it's all vanity and vexation."

We read Ecclesiastes, you should really just go to the last chapter and read that one because he sums it all up. But he says, "This is the whole duty of man." Fear God and keep His commandments. That word keep means to guard, to preserve, to protect, to be willing to sacrifice your life because you know it's true and it's right. It's the same language we see throughout scriptures. Proverbs 4:23, "Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life." Guard your heart. Why would you do that? Because whatever gets into your heart eventually gets into your life. Guard what God has placed into your hands. Understand that He's given you an awesome responsibility.

You have a duty to protect it, to live it, to be obedient to it. Protect it, preserve it. Don't let it be stolen because whatever you stop guarding will eventually start slipping away from you. Cuz if it was important, it'll be at the forefront of your life. That's why Nehemiah understood this. When the walls of Jerusalem were torn down, he heard the stories. He was grieved in his heart because he knew that a city without walls is vulnerable. Nehemiah 4:9, "And we prayed to our God to set guard as a protection against them day and night." They prayed and they watched because prayer without watchfulness is incomplete. And watchfulness without prayer is powerless. You need them both.

But because what you do not defend, ladies and gentlemen, I promise you you will lose it. You will lose it. Over time the enemy is sly and he is sneaky. He's really good. He's the best devil I know. He's really good at his job and he's always looking for an open door opportunity. The moment you stop standing guard is when he sneaks in the back door. If you don't guard your marriage, the enemy's going to attack it. Proverbs 18:22 says this, "For he who finds a wife finds a good thing." I found a great thing. It wasn't good, it was great. Yes, ma'am. And obtains favor from the Lord. If God calls it you better guard it.

If you don't guard your children, culture will discipline them. Next at some point you got to stop putting a screen in front of them. I know, I'm just waiting on all of it today. I'm going to kick every hornet's nest I see. Because we have a duty and a responsibility. Sometimes mom and dad, you need to sit down and have some face-to-face time with your kids. You need to explain to them, you know what? We are different. We believe different. We believe in following after God and serving after God. And some things we just don't get a part of. Some things we're not going to we're not going to participate in. Some things we're going to stay away from.

I don't care what your friends say. I don't care what society says. Oh mom, you're just old-fashioned. No, I'm just trying to stand guard and stand posted what I know is important and what matters. And you may not like me right now, but I promise you when you get to be an adult, you're going to appreciate that I set some fences around your life. You may want to buck and you may want to kick and you may want to push against it, but I'm going to tell you right now, if you follow after what I'm trying to do and I'm trying to follow after the word of God, I'll get you to where you need to be.

So Deuteronomy 6 says, "These words shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children." "Thou shalt teach them diligently." Not occasionally. Not from time to time, but no, you're taking the time to put the word of God in your kids. You you, not the Sunday school teacher, you. When's the last time they heard you read the Bible? When's the last time you put the word of God in? And when's the last time that you just said, "No, we're going to go to church, but no, we're going to have a little Bible study at our house." Is it important to you? Because is it important to you? You'll stand your post.

You'll do your part. Quit looking for somebody else to do WHAT GOD ENABLED YOU TO DO. IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. IT'S YOUR DUTY. Stand your post. The greatest gift outside of salvation that God will ever give any of YOU IS YOUR KIDS. YOUR KIDS. THERE'S no better way to invest your time than to putting THE WORD OF GOD IN THEM. God never intended culture to raise your kids. It's your duty, mom and dad. It's your responsibility. If you do not guard your mind, he'll fill it. Excuse me, hell will fill it. That's why Isaiah 26 and 3 says, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you."

Peace is connected to what you keep your mind on. Some of you are checking out and losing your mind, but where's it at? What are you putting in your mind? What are you feeding it? What are you consuming? You were going to become what you consume. What are you consuming? Like what what what what I mean you know the word of God says take every thought captive. There's some stuff Look, look, we can't stop crazy things from coming in my mind. We can't. They come in my mind all the time. Crazy stuff. Like I mean stuff that's just If I told you, y'all would have me committed. It comes in my mind. I'm just like, like what in the world?

But you can't dwell on it. You take it captive. It's not true. That's not right. That's not good. That's not whole. That's not pure. That's not lovely. So I take it captive and I bring it into obedience to God. I start reminding myself of what is right, what is good. That God has So we were talking God has given me dominion over some things. I was I need to stop letting those things consume me. God has given me We were meant to rule and reign. Stand up and be who God called you to be. Embrace it. It's your duty. It's your responsibility. It is your obligation to do these things. Jude 1 and 3, "Earnestly contend for the faith which was delivered unto the saints."

If you don't guard truth, deception will replace it. Contend for it. Fight for it. Protect it. Preserve it because the truth that's not defended eventually becomes diluted. And when it becomes diluted, it loses its power. And hear me, the enemy does not always steal by force. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes comes except to steal, kill, and destroy. But I've come that they may have life and may have it more abundantly." A thief again looks for access. He looks for open doors in unintended places. Places where you're not standing guard, I promise you he's going to sneak in. That's what Peter said in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour.

Vigilance is duty. Watchfulness is duty. Guarding is duty." It's your responsibility. The fire doesn't usually go out at once. It fades when nobody's tending the fire. And I promise you we live in a culture that is a master at lulling you to sleep. Of numbing your senses. To where you no longer feel what you're supposed to feel. You no longer have conviction in your life working. You no longer you've learned how to to to bypass and override and over and you've hit the override button so many times and no longer those things bother you. No longer are you bothered because if you were you would throw this thing out of your life. You wouldn't. You wouldn't allow those things to come in.

If I if for for some of you that are old enough in this room, if I'd have told you just 10 years ago that you'd be allowing the things to be seen on that phone that you allow on in your life, you'd have said there's no way. But yet here it is. 2026 and because culture says it's okay then all of a sudden you decide, "Well, maybe it's not that bad." You're not standing guard. You're not standing your post. And because of that you've got things influencing your family like never before. Things coming against your home. Things coming against your mind. Things coming against so many areas of your life because you have not stood your post.

You've let the enemy creep in unaware. He sneaks in because there's no one standing guard. Convictions don't disappear overnight. They erode when nobody guards them. Revival doesn't die in one day, it dies when people stop defending the things that sustain it. So, guard your prayer life, guard your worship, guard your convictions, guard your family, guard your walk with God, because what you do not defend, you will lose. Duty builds what desire cannot. You know, oftentimes people that are not familiar with Apostolic Pentecostal churches say that we get caught up in emotions. I find it funny. Cuz people are emotional. You don't believe that, just turn in a and watch a World Cup match right now.

Yeah. No one's saying they're crazy. Yeah. So, it's okay to lose your mind over somebody kicking a ball around the field. And check out body painting, screaming, crying, rolling around the ground, trampling each other to death, but that's all normal. But if I come to church and I get a little emotional because I'm worshiping a God who died for me when I didn't deserve it, I'm the crazy one? I'm the one to play on emotions? I'm the one doing that? I mean, come on. I'm sorry. I think sometimes we have misplaced importances. But again, if you don't stand for truth, it becomes diluted. When the feelings fade, duty still remains. You can't build a strong walk with God on occasional passion or a good intentions or simply on feelings because someday you're Some days you're just not Not you.

Are you guys are super spiritual. But me, I'm not. I'm I'm still made of flesh. I still have struggles. And there's some days it takes everything in me to raise my hand in worship. Because if I if I if I gave in to my feelings, I wouldn't do anything. But I have to push past my feelings. Why? Because duty says so. Duty says so. Duty says it's time to go to the house of God. It's time to worship. It's time to pray. It's time to do these things. That's why Job stands out in scripture. Job was not just a good man. He was a He was a disciplined man. Job 1:1, there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright and one who feared God and shunned evil.

Notice that he feared God. That lines up with Ecclesiastes, fear God and keep his commandments that I read to you just a few minutes ago. That's the whole duty of man, but watch what the fear produced inside of him. Job 1:5, and it was so when the days of of their feasting were gone about that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning. Everybody say early. And offered burn offerings according to the number of them all, for Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually. Early and continually. Why? Because he understood I'm the head of this house. I'm going to speak to some men right now.

It is my responsibility to make sure that I'm staying on my knees in prayer. It's my responsibility that I'm keeping my keeping my family keeping my wife and my kids covered in prayer. Why? Because it's my responsibility. It's my duty to do this. Not occasionally, not when he felt burdened, not when it was convenient, but continually. That's duty. That's responsibility. Job had built rhythms into his life, prayer, sacrifice, intercession, and consecration. He didn't do it for himself, but he did it for his family, and he understood something. What I build spiritually today may protect what I love tomorrow. And here's what's going on. Is listen to me, everybody, but especially the men in this room.

Listen to me. The enemy recognized what was going on. I want you to pay attention to this verse of scripture I'm going to show. The enemy understood. Look what it says in Job 1:9. Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast not thou made a a about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side that thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his substance is increased in the land. The devil saw something that Job didn't didn't see. That all his continual faithfulness and his prayer and devotion and sacrifice and dedication, God had built a hedge around him and his family. And you can't convince me that wasn't because he was faithful every day.

Well, even when he didn't feel Even when it didn't make sense. Even when somebody said, "You know what? You can sleep in today." He said, "No, I have a responsibility. I have a duty to do my part for my family." Where would our country be today if every every household had a man standing up saying, "You know what? I'm going to pray for my family today. I'm going to pray a hedge around my Where would we be?" Now, it's okay. You can disagree with me. I I I I I know the nuclear family is a disappearing thing and I thank God for blended families and what God can still do. I thank God for praying moms and and praying aunts and grandparents.

I'm I'm thankful for all those things, but but somebody has to stand in the post. Somebody has to stand up. And you can say what you want to, but God did have a plan about how things are supposed to be. The family unit has always been God's institution, not for you and I to define it. Lead balloon. Every day in prayer, every sacrifice, every act of obedience, every moment of consecration, brick by brick, duty builds what desire cannot do. Duty builds what desire cannot do. Desire may get you started, but duty keeps you going. Galatians 6 and 9, "Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap We shall reap if we faint not."

As Bishop says, it's impossible to do the right things and get the wrong results over time. It's impossible. God is God is true. He is true. What you reap, you will sow. What you reap The problem is we spend a lot of time sowing wild oats and praying for crop failure. And then we come into church once or twice and say, "I scattered out some good seeds. Where's my crop?" I'm sorry, it takes time. It takes time for the old crop to die and the new crop to take root. And if you're not watering it and tending it, listen, I'm married to a woman who's crazy about plants. I didn't say she was crazy. I said she was crazy about plants.

She gets out there during this heat this past week. She's out there talking to them flowers. She's giving positive reinforcement. She's She's watering them. She's She's Why am I saying this? Because a gardener knows, "I'm never going to have a harvest if I don't tend the garden." Some of you wonder why you don't have spiritual matters the way they're supposed to be in your life. You're not spending any time in the spirit. The only time you connect with God is when you come into this place, which is great. I hope you connect to God when you come here, but we don't live here. We don't live here. We still got to leave. We got to go home.

We got to go to work. We got to go to jobs. We got to go to school. So you have a responsibility on your part to stand your duty. Luke 18:1, then he spoke a parable to them, that men ought to always pray and not lose heart. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray without ceasing." Not because you're always emotional. Not because you always feel the goosebumps. But because prayer is a part of your duty. Listen to me, your children need your prayers. Your marriage needs your prayers. Your home needs your prayers. This church needs your prayers because there are battles you will never win on talent or charisma or personality. It's not going to happen. You got to get down on the carpet and learn how to pray.

>> >> For many of you in the room, the reason you're here is because somebody was not derelict in their duty. They kept praying for you and somewhere along the way you found your way back to the house of God because somebody prayed for you. I'm going to tell you you can't talent your way out of this or give it up charisma. Sometimes you just got to get down to the business of praying and praying and praying and praying AND PRAYING AND PRAYING and planting and planting and when YOU DO I PROMISE YOU YOU'LL REAP THE HARVEST you're looking FOR IF YOU STAND YOUR DUTY. BUT IF YOU'RE DERELICT THEN DON'T BE mad when you have no crop.

Jesus purchased a greater freedom. Political freedom freedom cannot protect your body but only Jesus can protect your body but only Jesus can protect your soul. John 8:36, therefore if the son makes you free you shall be free indeed. That word indeed means truly absolutely and completely because sin is the greatest slavery in the world. But Jesus said most assuredly I say unto you this is John 8:34, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. People think bondage and chains on hands but real bondage is chains of the heart. Some of you know what I'm talking about. You know about the addiction. You know about you know about lust and pride and unforgiveness and fear and shame and and bitterness.

Oh bitterness. It's held so many captive. So many captive. But Jesus came to break the chains of those addictions. He paid for you with a with his blood at Calvary. 1 Peter 1:18, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold from your aimless conduct received by the tradition of your fathers but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot. You were not bought with money. You were blood bought. You were blood bought. Anybody thankful for the blood? Are you thankful for the blood? Oh the blood that's been applied to my life that has covered my sins. I'm so thankful for the blood of God.

Every stripe was for your freedom. Every wound was for your healing. Every drop of blood was for your redemption. He gave it and it's our duty to stand and protect it and guard it or IT WILL BE LOST. BUT NOT ON MY WATCH. LET IT NOT BE SAID THAT OUR GENERATION was a generation that let it slip through our fingers. Don't let it be said of us. I'm looking for some men and women willing to stand up AND SAY, "I'LL STAND WITH YOU SHOULDER to shoulder. I'll do my part. I'll stand. I'll understand my responsibility AND MY DUTY AND MY OBLIGATION TO FILL MY HEADS, TO STAND in the gap." >> >> Don't let it be SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND a man or a woman willing in 2026 to stand for truth AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.

NOT IN THIS DAY. WE'VE COME TOO FAR. God's been too good. He's done too much. Yes. Yes, I'll stand. I'll own my responsibility. >> >> Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit." That's real freedom, freedom from guilt, freedom from condemnation, freedom from the shame, and freedom from the death. If Jesus Christ paid the high price for my freedom, then it is my responsibility to not treat those things as casual. I'm getting ready to close. There's a reward for duty. One day every one of us are going to stand before God. It's an unavoidable truth in scripture.

Hebrews 9 and verse number 27 says that is it a point of the men to die once, but after this the judgment. No one escapes this appointment. There's no exceptions. No postponements, no substitutions. Every life will stand before him. And when we stand before him, we will not be judged before what we intended to do. Oh, but God, I was I had I had plans. I I I thought about it. God, in my heart in my heart, I was going to. I was going to. I just didn't. That's That's not not to be so good for us. It's not going to work out so well. We will be judged by what we actually did. Ecclesiastes 12:14, for God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

I mean, that's a very sobering verse of scripture. God sees what nobody else sees. Listen to me. Listen to me. I'm I'm I'm really I'm I got like just like 2 minutes and I'm going to end this. But listen to me. Don't don't check out on these last couple minutes on me. God sees what nobody else sees. He sees the hidden prayer life. He sees the private battles, the secret obedience, and the unseen sacrifice. And the beautiful thing is, he rewards what nobody else sees. You know, we're we're in a we're in a world we're in a culture here in North America where it seems like whatever I feel like, then that's okay. And then if I go the extra mile and actually stand my duty, then I ought to be rewarded for that.

You know, if I if I if I get hired from a place and work starts at 8:00 and I show up at 8:15, they should just be glad I'm here. They should even glad I showed up. You know, and and if I do my responsibilities, then they they should they should give me a bonus. You should get a bonus for doing what they hired you to do. But this this is a mentality today. But it's not just outside the church walls. Somehow it's made its way inside the church. That God, you you you should just bless my life because I I I I came in the church. I showed up. Really? No, Pastor Kevin, I've never said those things.

I I I know most rational sane people would never say those things. But what does your life say for you? What does your actions say for you? When you when you treat the house of God as if it's commonplace? You know, there there we every generation has faults. You can go back a couple of generations. You can go back to my grandparents' generation, the greatest generation as they've been labeled. You know what? They were pretty amazing, but they were not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But I'll tell you something that was impressive about them. Is when the call came, they answered. And there was an enemy to fight, they stood tall.

And they defended freedom without any thought about personal sacrifice. They gave. And when the ones who made it back made it back, when they come to the house of God, even if they didn't agree with everything the preacher was saying behind the pulpit, they still had respect and reverence that it was the house of God. But somewhere along the way somebody stopped standing for duty. Somewhere along the way it got lost in translation. Look, I'm not trying to blame a generation at all. I'm trying to say simply this, what you don't guard, what you don't protect, you eventually will lose. And I'm here today for a rally cry >> >> to say, I'm looking for some men and some women to stand up and say, you know what?

I'm willing to stand my post. Somebody that has that spirit of Nehemiah that says, don't you see that the walls are broken down? He stood on top of that wall emotional saying, I can't come down. Sanballat and Tobiah, I can't get caught up in all your busyness cuz you don't like what I'm doing. I have a job to do. And when the enemy came in, they put a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other. They stood back-to-back and said, "You know what? I'll guard this side, you guard that, but we still have to finish." We still have to finish the wall. So, I'm here today saying, I got my sword in my hand.

I'm willing to work with my free hand. And I'll guard your back if there's anybody willing to guard mine. And I'll pray for your family if you'll pray for mine. And I'll help you if you'll help me. And together and together, regardless of what culture's doing to us, you and I, we can make it to heaven. We can. We can. >> Praise God. >> So, I'm going to stand my duty, I'll stand my post, but I just pray that I'm not standing by myself because I realize this is a much bigger job than just I can do. So, is there anybody else out there willing to take up a sword? Is anybody willing to stand shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm?

Is anybody willing? Cuz I feel as a country we've celebrated 250 years of freedom, and I'm thankful for every one of those years, but there's a bigger price to be paid than the loss of political freedom in this place. But, I'm looking for a spiritual breakthrough. But, it's going to take more than just me. I'm willing to stand on the wall, and I'm willing to point, and I'm willing to do my part, but guys, it takes more than just me. So, is anybody willing to join? Is anybody willing to get out of their seat today and say, "You know what, Pastor Kevin, I'll come, too. I'll stand my part, I'll stand my post, I'll stand up because I feel that responsibility as well.

I'll do my part at home. I'll do my part. I'll contribute and I won't be reluctant with it because I understand it's my obligation and responsibility. So, this altar is open for anybody. Anybody who wants to come. Anybody who maybe wants to recommit. Maybe anybody wants to maybe find out if there's any place that you've been derelict of duty. I'm going to pray right now. Jesus, I'm so thankful, Lord God, for the freedoms that you have afforded to us in this great nation that we live in. I'm so thankful, God, for what we have the opportunity to do each and every week to gather together as people of like precious faith. But God, bigger than just those freedoms, Lord, I I'm so thankful for Calvary and salvation that you purchased for me long ago.

I pray, God, that I realize my responsibility. I pray that men and women in this sanctuary today, those that are watching online, be willing to stand up and say, "I'll stand my post. I'll do my part. I'll push past even when I don't feel like it, God. There's a higher price to pay today." This is prayer time, church. We're going to spend some time getting closer to God right now. I invite you to come.