A Declaration of Dependence
Tony Schachle
July 4th • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Connect trip to Boston with 250 Celebration
Freedom Trail (2.5 miles)
Boston Common (America’s oldest public park - 1634)
Old South Meeting House (where debates were held before Boston Tea Party)
Old State House (location of the Boston Massacre)
Paul Revere House (oldest standing home in Boston - 1680)
USS Constitution (Old Ironsides)
Discuss Declaration of Independence
Adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
Signed by most of the 56 delegates on August 2, 1776.
27 grievances against King George III of England.
"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."
Discuss Declaration of Dependence
Loyalist petition signed by 547 New York residents pledging allegiance to King George III.
Ratified in November 1776.
They denounced the American Revolution as an "unnatural, unprovoked rebellion"
Celebrating 250 years
Started as a experiment in democracy.
The US still stands today as a beacon of freedom to the world.
The message today
As we celebrate 250 years as the United States of America and the Declaration of Independence, I want to discuss our citizenship, not as US citizens, but as citizens of the Kingdom of God.
While the world celebrates independence, the believer makes a different declaration - that we are completely dependent on God.
True freedom is not found in self-rule. It is found in surrender.
Connect with Mike Eruzione speech at APPA Conference
Identity
Honor
Respect
Integrity
Commitment
SCRIPTURE
SCRIPTURE
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. 13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 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.
MESSAGE
MESSAGE
Declare Your Identity
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims...
Discuss identity of the believer in 1 Peter 2:9-10.
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Explain sojourners and pilgrims
Sojourner
The Greek word is [πάροικος] [paroikos] [par'-oy-kos]
It means resident alien.
Someone with legal presence but foreign allegiance.
You live here, but you are not from here.
Pilgrim
The Greek word is [παρεπίδημος] [parepidēmos] [par-ep-id'-ay-mos]
It means one who is passing through.
A traveler.
This is not the final destination.
THIS WORLD IS NOT YOUR HOME!
Declare Your Conduct
11 ...abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
The way you live your life, your conduct, is a declaration
Your conduct is your whole manner of life.
It is a pubic declaration to the watching world of whose kingdom you belong to.
Some will speak evil against you
The early churched faced it.
Peter’s answer was not to fight back and win the argument.
Paul’s answer was to live so well that your life builds a case before you ever open your mouth
LET YOUR LIFE BE A LIGHT!
Declare Your Submission
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—
America declared independence from the king of England
It is part of our founding story.
Our founding fathers threw off the tyranny of a king.
They refused to be ruled by someone across the Atlantic Ocean who did not represent them.
That spirit of independence is what makes America great.
Peter wrote during a time of Roman rule
Submit even to the king, who during Peter’s day was tyrannical, evil, pagan.
Caesar Nero used the bodies of executed Christians as human torches to light his gardens.
And into that story, Peter says, “submit.”
Submit to the governing authorities.
Submit to human ordinances.
“For the Lord’s sake”
We do not submit because the government is always right.
We do not submit because the ruling authority has earned our trust.
We do not submit because the law of the land is always just.
We submit because God ordains human authority.
God sets up kings and brings down kings.
By submitting, we are obeying God.
“Is it better to obey God or man?”
19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.
“It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it.” - Mark Twain
SUBMIT TO GOD AND HIS PLANS!
Declare Your Freedom
16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
Christ has set us free!
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Christian liberty is not an excuse for sin
We are no longer slaves to sin
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
We are now slaves of righteousness
18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
YOU ARE FREE TO SERVE THE LORD!
Declare Your Allegiance
17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
Four Commands | Three Verbs
Honor
The Greek word is [τιμάω] [timaō] [tim-ah'-o]
It means to value, to give weight to, to show respect.
It is the word you use for someone who holds a legitimate role that deserves respect.
Love
The Greek word is [ἀγαπάω] [agapaō] [ag-ap-ah'-o]
It means to love.
The root word is agape.
Fear
The Greek word is [φοβέω] [phobeō] [fob-eh'-o]
It means reverent awe, trembling allegiance.
The kind of respect you reserve for someone infinitely greater than yourself.
It is not terror | It is worship.
Notice how Peter applies the two words [timaō] and [phobeō]:
[timaō] (honor) belongs to all people and to the king.
[phobeō] (fear) belongs to God alone.
The king shares his honor category with everyone else
He receives the same honor as a stranger on the street.
Peter is not elevating Caesar | He is containing him.
Look at the sequence of the four commands:
Honor [timaō] all people
This sets the floor.
Every human being is made in the image of God and deserves basic dignity and respect. No exceptions.
Love [agapaō] the brotherhood
This elevates the family of God above the floor.
There is a deeper, warmer, more sacrificial bond between believers than between citizens.
Fear [phobeō] God
This establishes the ceiling.
Ultimate allegiance.
Exclusive reverence.
This belongs to God alone and cannot be transferred.
Honor [timaō] the King
Honor.
The king is below God, among men, but deserving of honor.
PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE KING OF KINGS!
CLOSING
CLOSING
On August 2, 1776, 56 men gathered and signed the Declaration of Independence
Most did not know the risk.
Several lost everything.
Homes were burned.
Fortunes lost.
Some died in poverty.
But they signed anyway.
Because they believed in something greater than themselves.
They pledged their lives, fortunes, and honor to a new nation.
Today, I’m asking you to sign a different document
Not of independence, but dependance.
Not to human authority, but to the authority of God Almighty.
Not with a pen, but with your life.
The Declaration of Dependence:
Has no parchment.
No quill.
No ink.
No wax seal.
It is signed in the quiet of a surrendered heart.
Declare Dependence:
On the God who made you.
The Savior who bought you.
The Spirit who lives in you.
The Kingdom that is coming for you.
The world says:
Declare your independence.
Answer to no one.
Do what is right in your own eyes.
The Gospel says:
You belong to God.
You were made by Him and for Him.
The moment you declare your dependence on Him, that is the moment you become truly free
Give honor all people | Give love to the brotherhood | Give the king his honor | Give God His fear.
Sign your name to the only declaration that truly matters.
CALL TO ACTION
CALL TO ACTION
Heaven is not just a destination, it is a citizenship. It is an identity. And it is available to anyone who confesses Jesus as Lord and surrenders their life to Him.
The world seeks independence. Let me do my own thing. Make my own rules. Be the king of my own life.
But the Christian life calls us to something very different. Not a life of independence, but one of dependance. Not on earthly authority, but on the divine authority of God.
Declare Your Identity
Declare Your Conduct
Declare Your Submission
Declare Your Freedom
Declare Your Allegiance
