DEPENDENCE Day!
I Peter 2:15-17 NKJV
[15] For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— [16] as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. [17] Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
Today America celebrates another year of Independence!
248 years of Freedom!
Congress had passed the separation from Britain in 1776.
There would be Freedom from the rule of the British Kingdom!
A small group from The 13 original colonies had come together to sign the document.
What is interesting is that the Freedom they so desired was not complete until 1783.
The fourth of July would not become a federal Holiday until 1870!
We as a country have this Holiday we celebrate our independence.
This Document would be the blueprint for democracy throughout the world since that time.
‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men’
We celebrate, sometimes in vain.
There will be Barbecues, Fireworks, and Family gatherings.
Oh, we can’t forget the parades!
There have been Wars and sacrifices since 1776 that have preserved the freedom and independence we so cherish.
There is a cost to obtain those freedoms. There have been wars with other countries in foreign lands. There have been fights and wars within our own borders.
There has been and always will be a fight and a struggle to stay independent.
One of the hardest things about this is that no matter how many wars we fight. How many battles we endure the security we want from these freedoms are never absolute,definite.
This freedom of Independence can be taken away. The freedom of religion, the freedom of speech are slowly being pulled from right under our feet. Many don’t see it.
But as followers of Christ we have different Freedom’s that we have been granted. We have been given a new life. A liberty from the bondage of sin. We no longer are pursuing happiness ,but joy.
Many people have gone against the Declaration of Independence and have infringed on those man made Rights!
Slowly the danger of bondage is setting in like it had been before the Colonies declared that no longer they would be slaves.
We have lost something,
DEPENDENCY!
We no longer depend on the Gospel.
We no longer depend on the Cross, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We no longer depend on the promises of God!
We took the liberty and Independence we have been so blessed to have and created our ‘Declaration’!
No matter what happens in this world. No matter what the governments devise. No matter what man made freedoms are taken away. We have something greater and more precious.
We have a promise from the Father!
The Promise of true freedom from all bondage. There will be a one world government! That government will be on the shoulders of Jesus Christ the Messiah
The Gospel Of Salvation through Jesus Christ gives us even more Freedom!
Freedom from bondage!
Freedom from sin!
Freedom from the fiery mire of hell!
What is Freedom in Jesus Christ to be used for?
We use this Freedom in Christ to be bondservants of God.
To be detached from the world and its offerings and attached and aligned with the will of the Father!
We use that Freedom in Christ to honor all people. We use it to be the example of the tender love and the mercy that Jesus has shown.
We use that Freedom in Christ to show life to the brotherhood of God’s family. Even in some of our disputes and disagreements we support each other in the love and the grace of Gospel. We unit with DEPENDENCY of the shed Blood and the Cross of Christ!
For without it we would be nothing!
We Fear God and we honor the king!
What we don’t do in the Freedom of Christ,we must not and cannot not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh!
We don’t use this Freedom as a way to hide our sin.
We can choose to use liberty as an opportunity and a way to sin in the flesh. We can take the glorious freedom Jesus has given us and use it as a way to please ourselves at the expense of others.
The focus is on the way we treat each other.
This is how Jesus has taught us!
This is how we live in and through our liberty in Christ. When we serve one another in love, we conquer the flesh!
When the Lord puts someone in your path, be ready to serve and show the Liberty that Jesus offers!
You may be the last hope that heart has at the opportunity of Freedom from bondage.
I urge you today to reflect and be thankful to live in a society where Freedom Rings.
Above that be grateful for the Freedom that has been made available through selfless Sacrifice, the shed Blood and Resurrection of Jesus Christ!
We may live in an Independent country, but we must be a people that live Dependent on the Lord!
We may Celebrate the Freedom of this Great Nation only once a year, but we must celebrate daily for the Freedom we have in the Cross!
Pastor Ed