On this fifth Sunday in October, Pastor Victor concludes the enlightening sermon series, “The Evolution of a Henchman: The Spiritual Transformation of the Apostle Paul.” A completely converted Paul is now nearing the end of his life and is in confinement and restrained under house arrest. The reason? He is being held for hoping and believing in the promise of God. We learn from the text, Acts 27:17-22, although Paul is bound his spirit remains free. In this sermon the question before us is how does one experience liberation although confined? Of course, our preacher will provide to us the answer.

The first thing our pastor tells us is surely there is freedom when you honor God. An unbreakable connection to the Holy One allows a liberation that is not affected by current circumstances or situations. Honoring God has more sway than statutes and rules enforced by this world’s institutions. Secondly, honoring your authentic self prevents you from allowing others to have control over you. Being genuine means you are truly free from external forces that attempt to restrain you or toss you about. Finally, being true to one’s calling is liberating as well. We of the Christian faith have an assignment and a purpose to serve the Lord by sharing our unique gifts, and as long as we are heeding our call, we can live freely.

We experience complete and transcendent liberation by honoring our Creator, honoring ourselves and staying on the ordered path by honoring God’s call on our life. My beloved, our work is to understand and be faithful to the assignment our Lord and Savior has just for us. Therefore, even when earthly shackles do their best to bind us and our bodies are held in chains, our spirit and our mind cannot be constrained, and we continue to experience and live in a state of constant and unrestrained sweet freedom.