Jesus wasn't ashamed of being Jewish. He never apologized for it, but He understood His mission was to the world!

The last 40 years has seen a nation intellectually and emotionally embroiled in atonement for past sins. We watched a U.S. President travel to Africa apologizing for slavery to the people who captured and sold people who became slaves. Yet there is no apology for those who own slaves today! There is no outrage over the ongoing slavery in Africa today! There is no outrage over the "white" slavery in America, where young Oriental girls are sold into prostitution being brought to America in order to pay for their families immigration!  

America has things we need to correct, and yet, with all of our faults, America is still sought out by people of every nation. It is the symbol of civilization and freedom around the world. Should we apologize for this also? Should we apologize that America has brought a new concept of freedom into the world? 

America for all its faults is still the most free and open society in the earth. It is for this freedom that we are maligned, for our ideals stand in the way of those who would seek domination.

We are admonished by Paul to "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." Galatians 5:1

Here is the question: "IF WE YIELD THAT WHICH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO US BY CHRIST DO WE DENY CHRIST?"

This is I believe the theological question of the moment.

"IS IT EVIL OR WRONG TO DEFEND THE FREEDOMS THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO US BY GOD HIMSELF?"

1Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2"Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."

3He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’;£ and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God"—6then he need not honor his father £or mother.’ Thus you have made the £commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

8 ‘These people £draw near to Me with their mouth, 
And honor Me with their lips, 
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me, 
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’"

10When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand: 11Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." Matthew 15:1-11

The legalists yell at Jesus, "YOU ARE BREAKING THE TRADITIONS OF THE ELDERS!" You are breaking our rules of behavior!

Jesus replies, "WHY DO YOU BREAK THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE?"

WHAT THEN ARE GOD’S COMMANDS? God's commands lead us to one ideal, that all people should be free to serve God! A good Jews wants to die with these final words, "Hear of Israel, the LORD our God is one God." This is a testimony of their faith, that God is One! There is nothing that should come between us and God. One of the ten commandments is "You shall have no other god’s before Me!" Again a strong statement that nothing in our lives should compete with the supremacy of God! 

Luis Figueroa, Op-Ed writer for Guatemala's daily newspaper recently wrote, "terrorism is founded in a profound hatred against individualism, reason, freedom, capitalism, technology, the rule of law, and many other values held by the people of the United States."

In Matthew 11, Jesus is basically telling the religious leaders of His day, It is easy to invoke passages from God and appear to be pious, but still their heart does not worship God or place Him in the highest spot, because they teach their own doctrine and desires as the doctrine of God!

Lip service is easy until it requires a commitment!

In the late 1700's some citizens of England struggled with this issue. Having founded an unprecedented form of government founded upon the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ they were faced a decision to abandon their new freedoms.

After years of debate and searching of the Scriptures they concluded: IF WE GIVE UP THE FREEDOMS GRANTED BY GOD WE WOULD DENY THE VERY GOD WHO DELIVERED US FROM BONDAGE!

IS IT RIGHT FOR THE CHURCH TO DENY THE COUNTRY IT HELPED TO ESTABLISH TO SIDE WITH THOSE WHO SEEK TO DESTROY THE VERY FREEDOMS CHRIST HAS GRANTED!

It is written in our own Declaration of Independence: "WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN INALIENABLE RIGHTS, THAT AMONG THESE ARE LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS."

It is time the Church stands up to the calling of Christ and make a declaration, that we stand with those who stand with God! We stand for individual and economic freedom. We stand for the end of oppression in the earth, whether by terror or organized governments!

"Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? For if the trumpeter makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air." 1 Corinthians 14:7-9 

It is time for the church to be clear, to make a distinct sound! For too long we have let the world shape our message! The Church has compromised God's message to fit in with the traditions of men! We bring a Gospel of freedom and liberty to the world! As Christians, we should not and cannot be afraid of this message! It is the message of God!

Jesus' first message was:

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anoi8nted 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

Luis Figueroa, "Americans should also know that terrorism is founded in a profound hatred against individualism, reason, freedom, capitalism, technology, the rule of law, and many other values held by the people of the United States." 

ARE WE BETTER CHRISTIANS WHEN WE DENY OUR FREEDOM of speech, assembly, worship, education, reason and the rule of law that God has given America? Are we better Christians if we deny the ideals of personal achievement and ownership of property and the right to elect representative government that has come from the Gospel of Christ?

This is a question, not for unbelievers, but for the Church. If we so easily yield our freedoms to make peace with an enemy who has vowed our utter destruction do we deny God? For with our death the light Jesus has brought into the world would be extinguished.

President Bush said, "Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them."