Independence Day (3)
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Friday is July 4th… Independence Day. It’s a Holiday that’s more than a day off, a cook out, hot dogs icecream and apple pie. It’s more than an opportunity to burn a month’s salary on fireworks.
The 4th of July is about celebrating our independence as a nation… and when that happened, we were founded, rooted and established on Christian principles.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.
The United States needs to be a nation whose God and His Word is the Lord of that Nation. Listen to the words of our founding Fathers.
Patrick Henry said,
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ."
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ."
George Washington said,
“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation WITHOUT God and the Bible.”
“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation WITHOUT God and the Bible.”
In Washington’s farewell address to the nation, he said:
"Do not let anyone claim tribute of American patriotism if they even attempt to remove religion from politics."
"Do not let anyone claim tribute of American patriotism if they even attempt to remove religion from politics."
President Thomas Jefferson said,
"The 1st amendment has created a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall, it keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government."
"The 1st amendment has created a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall, it keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government."
Despite what modern politicians try to say, what the media says, and even those who are trying to revise history say, America was founded not on the concept of freedom to worship any God, but on the freedom to worship Jesus.
Early in the Summer of 1776 at a meeting of the Continental Congress on July 2, 1776, the colonies voted to announce and declare, that they would accept nothing les than absolute freedom from England.
Two days later on July 4th, after making some minor adjustments to the text, the final wording was ratified and signed by the 56 members, representing the 13 colonies. John Adams who was a member of the drafting committee was so excited with the vote on July 2nd that he wrote his wife back home in Massachusetts a letter saying, "The second of July 1776 will be the most memorable day in the history of America; I believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival, with shows, games, sports, balls, bon fires and illuminations, from one end of the country to the other, from this time forward and forever more..."
Except for the date, we celebrate the day that Congress approved the final wording of he Declaration (July 4th). John Adams was pretty prophetic in what he said.
This was a bold declaration. The Americans were challenging the most powerful empire in the wolrd at that time. And the Americans entered the war without a Navy or an Army. Their fighting forces consisted of militia unites from the various colonies.
On the other side, England had an army of well trained, highly disciplined soldiers. These soldiers had pledged their life and allegiance to England.
After the Americans declared their independence, they had to win it by force. Remember, it was a DECLARATION of independence. The task proved especially difficult, partly because not all people united behind the war effort.
About 1/3 remained unconcerned about the outcome of the war, they were indifferent and supported neither side. About 1/3 sympathized with Great Britain. So the war was fought with only 1/3 of the people wanting it.
Of the 56 men who signed the declaration of independence many of them paid a high price. Their convictions resulted in a lot of suffering for themselves and their families.
Of the 56 men:
5 were captured by the British and tortured before they died.
5 were captured by the British and tortured before they died.
12 had their homes ransacked and burned.
12 had their homes ransacked and burned.
2 lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army.
2 lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army.
Another 2 sons were captured.
Another 2 sons were captured.
9 of the 56 fought and died.
9 of the 56 fought and died.
One wealthy trader, saw his ships sunk by the British Navy.
One wealthy trader, saw his ships sunk by the British Navy.
He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in poverty.
Thomas Nelson had his home taen ver by the British and used as a headquarters for the enemy.
Thomas Nelson had his home taen ver by the British and used as a headquarters for the enemy.
He ordered George Washington to open fire on his home. His home was destroyed and he died bankrupt.
John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields were destroyed.
John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields were destroyed.
For over a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home only to find his wife had died and his children had vanished.
It’s one thing to make a bold declaration in the comfort of a congressional meeting roomm but it’s quite another to pay the price, to fulfill that declaration on the field of battle.
Our founding fathers made a bold declaration and they paid a high price but they reaped a great reward.
Our founding fathers made a bold declaration and they paid a high price but they reaped a great reward.
The war that began on April 19, 1775 ended in 1783.
The Americans made a bold declaration. They paid a high price. But they reaped a great reward. They won their freedom… their independence.
And what happened was that a different kind of nation was formed. A nation was established where every human being could be free, and have a say in how they were governed. It took a while for that to include everyone, but it began when this nation was birthed.
And though many of the signers of that Great Declaration paid a high price, others reaped a great reward.
2 of the signers became Presidents.
2 of the signers became Presidents.
10 of the signers became US Congressmen.
10 of the signers became US Congressmen.
19 of the signers became Judges.
19 of the signers became Judges.
16 of the signers became Governors.
16 of the signers became Governors.
And others held various political offices.
As Christians, we too have to make bold declarations.
As Christians, we too have to make bold declarations.
If you are here today and call yourself a Christian, you too have to make a bold declaration in your life. You have proclaimed your desire to be a Christian. When you made that proclamation you were proclaiming what Paul proclaimed in Gal 2:20
20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
It’s a bold declaration to say that you will no longer live for yourself, that you will no longer seek your will for your life, that you will no longer live for the things of and in this world. But that you will seek God’s will for your life, seeking to do what pleases him more than what pleases you. You are declaring that He comes first.
So, it’s a bold declaration to say that you will live for him who died for you. And if you are here tonight, you have made that declaration.
This declaration is as bold and as powerful as the one Joshua made in Joshua 24:14-15 This is where God’s people had conquered the promised land and were beginning to settle down.
14 “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. 15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
When you pledged your allegiance to Jesus, you made a powerful and bold declaration.
It’s one thing to make a bold declaration in the comfort of a church building, but it’s quite another live up to it… to pay the price… to fulfill that declaration on the battlefields of our daily lives. Most of the time saying the words is easy… the actions are much more difficult.
When Joshua made is declaration, he wasn’t alone. Many more join him and said the same words. Joshua 24:16-18
16 The people replied, “We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods. 17 For the Lord our God is the one who rescued us and our ancestors from slavery in the land of Egypt. He performed mighty miracles before our very eyes. As we traveled through the wilderness among our enemies, he preserved us. 18 It was the Lord who drove out the Amorites and the other nations living here in the land. So we, too, will serve the Lord, for he alone is our God.”
That was a great declaration by the nation of Israel. They were pledging their allegiance to the Lord, but tragically, it didn’t last long. All you have to do is look a few pages later in the book of Judges and you will see how the Israelites turned away from God over and over again.
11 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal. 12 They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord.
We must understand that wars are not won by those who ONLY make declarations, who ONLY make claims, who ONLY speak words. Victory is seldom achieved by those who ONLY lift their voices.
After the declaration comes the Battle.
After the declaration comes the Battle.
Unfortunately, we who are the Lord’s army find that our war is difficult to win.
Our bold declaration is challenging an empire that’s powerful.
Our bold declaration is challenging an empire that’s powerful.
We are declaring war on the devil, and he will fight back.
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
We are in a real war with real battles to be fought every day… real struggles to be overcome every day. Paul told Timothy in 2 Tim 4:7
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
Paul saw this life as a war. We are also in a war with a real enemy and he doesn’t like it when someone opposes, challenges or defies him. Our enemy the devil will attack us, pursue us and tempt us, and he will try to make sin look good.
He will come at times head on like a roaring lion, and at other times he will appear as an angel of light.
Make no mistake. There is a high price to pay to fulfill our declaration that Jesus is our Lord.
Our Lord requires total, radical and unwavering allegiance to Him.
Our Lord requires total, radical and unwavering allegiance to Him.
Jesus made it clear to us when He walked this earth with us. Luke 9:23-26
23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.
He even goes further when he says this in Luke 14:26-27
26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
Then in Luke 14:33 he says,
33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
That’s pretty clear. There are are also warnings throughout scripture about those who only make the declarations who speak the words but don’t live it out.
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
Then Paul said to Titus 1:16
16 Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.
What is it that gets in the way of people keeping and fulfilling their declaration? Self
What is it that gets in the way of people keeping and fulfilling their declaration? Self
I don’t think that most were lying… they had good intentions. So what gets in the way?
We get in the way… our pride, our opinions, our desires, our comfort, our convenience, our will, our way… Many who make a commitment to Jesus are actually committed to self.
That’s why \
Jesus said we have to pick up our cross and deny self daily in order to be His disciples.
Jesus said we have to pick up our cross and deny self daily in order to be His disciples.
To the people of Jesus day, to take up your cross meant to die. It meat to doe to yourself… to deny yourself. And that’s a high price to pay. But
The reward we reap is a great one.
The reward we reap is a great one.
It’s definitely worth it.
32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
Not only will they win their freedom --- freedom from sin, death and condemnation……But a particular kind of church will be established, where all people can come to know Jesus as Lord.... A place:
where the good news will be preached to the poor.
where freedom will be proclaimed to those in captivity.
where recovery of sight will be proclaimed to the blind.
a place where the burdened and oppressed will be released.
a place of hope for the hopeless.
a place of joy despite circumstances.
a place of peace beyond understanding.
a place of love, forgiveness, healing and acceptance.
a place of new beginnings.......
And that’s not all. One day we will reap the greatest reward of all. One day we will stand before the Lord in all of His glory and receive the crown of life which He gives those tho love him and long for for his coming. And we will hear the words we long to hear, "Well done thy good and faithful servant, come and share your masters happiness..."
Then we will get new bodies and join in a heavenly choir….
9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12 They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.” 13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” 14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. 15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. 16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. 17 For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
The rewards of serving Jesus are absolutely worth it!
