This past fourth of July marked 250 years of our nation's history. Celebrations around the freedoms enjoyed as citizens of the United States of America abound. Along with these celebrations, however, there is an on going debate around our freedoms; intensified by the fact that 2026 is an election year. Democrat and Republican candidates alike use language such as, "Democracy is on the ballot," or, "Our freedoms are at stake;" with each side accusing the other of trying to take away our freedoms. All the debate around freedom begs the question, "What is freedom?"

In this week's lesson, presented on July 5, 2026, we contrast the academic and cultural ideas around freedom with what Scripture defines as freedom. As we do so, we will look at this topic under three headings:

1. What freedom is not
2. What freedom is
3. The source of freedom.

Thank you for listening to today's teaching. We pray that you will be blessed and encouraged as we consider what God's Word teaches about freedom.

Drive past any auto body shop and you'll see two versions of the same car: the mangled wreck and the restored beauty. Grant Nelson uses that picture to ask a question that hits closer to home than we'd like: what's the spiritual condition of your life, and what do people actually see when they look at you? In this message rooted in Acts 3, Romans 5, and Ephesians 2, you'll follow the lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate who went from begging to believing, and from broken to leaping for joy, all through the name of Jesus. You'll discover why Jesus doesn't just patch over our sin with spiritual Bondo but rebuilds us completely, why even tribulations serve God's purpose, and how the two simple words "but God" change everything. If you feel dinged up, stuck in your past, or beyond repair, this study points you to the cross, where shame loses and grace wins.

After 400 years of silence, God speaks again, and it happens to a faithful old priest who had long since given up on one of his deepest prayers. In this message from Luke 1:5–25, Alex Kremer walks through the angel Gabriel's announcement to Zechariah that he and Elizabeth, both far past childbearing age, will have a son named John, the forerunner of the Messiah. Along the way, you'll wrestle with our modern skepticism toward the supernatural, discover why Zechariah's "prove it" response brought God's discipline, and find real comfort in a God who hears prayers we've stopped praying. If you've ever wondered whether God still sees you, still keeps His promises, or answers in His own timing rather than yours, this study offers grounded hope. Learn how God works providentially behind the scenes, why repentance restores both vertical and horizontal relationships, and how to hold fast to God's promises when your circumstances seem to contradict them.