The Ultimate Independence Day!
Notes
Transcript
8 “You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, 9 for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you. 10 But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety, 11 then to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, and all your finest vow offerings that you vow to the Lord.
Yesterday we celebrated the 244th year of American Independence! This year is a quite different and unprecedented celebration with the coronavirus and the social unrest that is presently happening.
Americans celebrated it anyway because there is an underlying value --- and that is freedom.
We thank God that we live in a so-called free society.
We are subject to no one.
We are free to do what we want.
However, while people think they are subject to no one, we actually have to be subject to God.
However, freedom is only meaningful when exercised according to God’s purpose.
God is the ultimate source of freedom. Someday God will grant us the ultimate freedom, free from sin and the byproducts of evil in this world.
I call it:
The Ultimate Independence Day!
God is the source of freedom.
Our basic freedom is our free will, you are free to choose between right and wrong. God does not zap us like flies us when we make a bad choice or decision.
But God also gave us a moral compass to know how we should exercise that free will in a way that is not harmful to us and society.
You see, while God gave us freedom, there are certain limitations in the way we exercise our freedoms.
Yesterday we celebrated the liberation of America from British colonial rule - the Exodus of Israel from Egypt that happened some 3500 years ago recorded in the Bible is also a story of liberation, God’s liberation of His people from the bondage of slavery to the land of He promised to them and their forefathers.
The LORD gave Israel the 10 commandments which served to them as the basis of moral law. He also gave them social, dietary and ceremonial commandments which served as their guide for their life and in their worship.
God gave Israel the commandments as a standard of behavior a moral code so that they do not get to decide to act only on what is right in their own eyes.
8 “You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes,
Moses was telling Israel, so far you have failed many times, in the 40 years of your wandering in the wilderness you have angered the Lord so many times because as it stands right now, you have been doing whatever is right in your own eyes.
Three things we have to consider this morning. We should use this as the basis of how we should exercise our freedom:
The Bases of the Exercise of Freedom:
A. God had appointed a supreme moral code that guides our exercise of freedom.
B. God wants us to exercise our freedom in a way that is most beneficial to us.
C. God desires that we use our freedom according to His purpose.
We live in a permissive society, people are prideful when they define freedom this way: “ I get to decide what is best for you.”
It sounds really good on the surface, after all we should freely decide for ourselves, right? But there is a fundamental flaw in this:
Do you know what is really best for you and your family? What is the standard by which you decide?
And In the bigger scheme of things, does what you think is best now really the best for your future and for everyone else?
Think about that.
Let me submit to you today that this book that we have in our hands contains the authoritative moral code by which we should live in a way that is most beneficial for us and according to the purposes of Almighty God.
God is not a cosmic killjoy in giving us the moral code. Obedience is actually for our benefit.
verse 9:
9 for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you.
God wants to give His people rest, and their is an inheritance promised to us. He wants to lead us to that place of not only rest, he wants us to enjoy the richness of his inheritance, he also wanted us to be safe and secure:
10 But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety,
God in His superior wisdom knows that relying on what we define us right and moral and true rather than what He wants for us spells disaster. Our bad choices and disobedience will destroy us!
I have to warn you today, that we live in the precipice of a society here in America that is in moral decay and on the brink of destruction.
We live at a time when only a few people decides what is right for the rest of us.
Case in point:
We know for a fact, that life is sacred in all stages, from the moment of conception to a ripe old age, no one has the right to take a life.
Just this week, the supreme court, by a 5-4 vote, struck down a Louisiana law that would have restricted abortions.
Chief justice John Roberts sided with the 4 liberal judges and cast the fifth and deciding vote. This chief justice wrote that "the Louisiana law burdens women seeking pre-viability abortions to the same extent as the Texas law".
Let me tell you, with no apology, this man John Roberts is a disgrace. What is really more important? The right to have access to abortions or the right of the helpless child inside the womb to live? It is outrageous because he made the same decision against a Texas law 4 years ago that would have restricted abortions.
John Roberts and the other judges, they may call themselves justices of this supreme court but someday they will answer to the Real Chief Justice of the Universal Supreme Court and they will be held accountable for the millions of babies being murdered in this country and the many more every year because of their ungodly decisions and actions!
We are at the precipice of a government ruled by oligarchs like these supreme court judges who will force their way against our faith by requiring us to obey laws that are immoral, destructive and ungodly.
Another case in point, in 2015, the Supreme court of the United States decided to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
I want to make it clear, this is not a matter of hate, God’s love reaches out to everyone. I believe that the grace of God is available to same-sex couples and that their is hope for them for repentance unto salvation.
However, according to the authoritative word of God which I hold in my hand, marriage is between a man and a woman. There is no way around that, human law cannot subvert that.
20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Pastor Ramon, why are you so worked up about this? How are we affected by this?
This means that a same-sex couple can come to me and ask that I officiate their wedding which right off the bat I will decline.
Not because I am a homophobe. And I am not.
Not because I hate them. And I don’t.
I actually would share with them the truth of why God loves them and wants them to have an eternal relationship with Him. That there is hope for them, that God loves them very much and that God disagrees with that relationship because of His love and that He knows and wants what is best for them.
That is the grace of God. We are all sinners saved only by God’s grace.
But I will decline with complete love and no judgement. That is actually my religious right under the law.
But what this Supreme court decision does is that this paves the way for this law to rise above our own religious beliefs and convictions as the church. I and the church can be charged of discrimination for refusing to marry same sex couples.
Let me tell you now where this church stands, if human law violates the supreme law of God, we will stand on the side of God and His word and we will fight for what is right under the banner of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords even if it cost us our very lives.
Like the apostle Peter, we should stand and declare “we ought to obey God rather than men!” Yes, there are times when it is right to disobey the law of the land, that is when the law of the land tells you to disobey God.
Abraham Lincoln said this:
“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.” - Abraham Lincoln
Make no mistake about it, that is my stand and Crosswind Church’s stand while I am pastor, I would rather be thrown in jail and die than submit to laws that violate God’s supreme law. We will continue to proclaim the truth found in the Gospel of Jesus and obey the Word of God!
Are you with me on this? Some of you are looking at me like “pastor, jail? prison time? you’re on your own.”
Don’t be afraid, this is our moment to shine as the people of the King. Count it pure joy if we have to experience hardship for the sake of the cross of Jesus, the fellowship of his sufferings.
It is actually who we are. God has been gracious to us, that we haven’t had to suffer persecution but..
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
But we will not just wait for that day to come, we have to actively fight off the diabolical forces that want to destroy our freedoms in favor of evil. We have to be watchful and vigilant! We have to be radicals for Jesus.
We have to be prepared, as your pastor I have to preach this and prepare you for the perilous times leading to the end.
We have to be courageous in fighting for what we believe. We should not run away from the battle. Fight the battles where the enemy is.
In Luke 13, Jesus was warned to flee Jerusalem because Herod wanted to kill Him.
Jesus’ reply was, “you go tell that fox”.. don’t you just love Jesus, the perfect mix of meekness, strength and courage.. then he said, not the exact words but in essence “I will do what I came to do and finish my course, and I will go to Jerusalem and die there!”
We have to be like Our Supreme Commander, Jesus. He is the giver of our freedom and we will only stop obeying His orders when He tells us to stop and calls us home.
Freedom is only really meaningful when exercised for God’s greater purpose, God’s greater purpose is for us to be Kingdom people and usher in God’s Kingdom.
The land promised to Israel is a picture of God’s Kingdom when He rules once for all. That is our promised land, the place where God wants us to be..
11 then to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, and all your finest vow offerings that you vow to the Lord.
This is a picture of our promised land, the final resting place, where we will rest, the only difference would be we no longer have to offer burnt offerings and sacrifices. There will be no temple or altar needed.
This is described in the last book of the Bible:
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
We thank God for the freedoms we have in this country, but as followers of Jesus, we should look forward to that ultimate independence day. When He will come and we will worship Him forever and ever, Hallelujah!
The Ultimate Independence Day!
Jesus is coming very soon!
Someday, the King of Kings Jesus will establish His Kingdom here on earth and rule in perfect justice and righteousness. We will be free from all of life’s troubles and maladies, free from injustice, free from evil, free from sin and totally free from the enemy of our soul.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Call up the worship team:
The gospel tells us that while our final freedom from the presence of sin is still about to come, you can be free from the eternal Penalty of Sin and the Power of Sin in your life. It takes a decision which you can make today...