"Independence Day"
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Introduction: IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States...We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Friends, the Declaration of Independence has been and continues to be the model for freedom around the world. America is the longest surviving democratic republic because of the principles that are recorded in this document. There is a reason that over the past 200 years that millions of immigrants have come to our shores. The American dream is fundamentally about the principle of freedom! But make no mistake the American dream of freedom was birthed by those who were seeking religious freedom, people who had been persecuted and driven from their homes came to America to freely practice their religious faith. You will find references to the God that they worshipped four times in the words that I read for you this morning and it is evident that these men traced their rights to this freedom, not to a human government or an earthly monarch but to the Creator and Supreme Judge of the universe. We could learn a lesson from their acknowledgment.
I. The Prescription for Freedom (31)
Jesus offers real freedom to every man. This freedom may be realized by believing in Jesus. What are the elements of belief?
a. Assent to the truth
What do I mean when I say that belief includes an assent to the truth? It means that we agree that God is the source of all truth and we agree with God about the scope of the truth. It is the truth about us, "for all have sinned" and that "the wages of sin is death," and that "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
b. Acceptance of the truth
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Implicit in the idea of assent or agreement is that when we truly agree with the truth we will also apply the truth.
John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
c. Abiding in the truth
Future loyalty to His teaching will prove the reality of your present profession. So the conclusion of this future condition is put in the present tense. As then, so now. We accept church members on profession of trust in Christ. Continuance in the word (teaching) proves the sincerity or insincerity of the profession. It is the acid test of life.
John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
It is not enough to receive God's truth - we must retain and walk in it. And it is only when we receive the truth, love it, keep it, and walk in it, that we are the genuine disciples of Christ. Adam Clarke's Commentary
II. The Person of Freedom (32a)
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Ill - Two middle-aged couples were enjoying friendly conversation when one of the men asked the other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?"
"Outstanding," Fred replied. "They taught us all the latest psychological techniques, such as visualization, association and so on. It was great. I haven't had a problem since."
"Sounds like something I could use. What was the name of the clinic?"
Fred went blank. He thought and thought, but couldn't remember. Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, "What do you call that flower with the long stem and thorns?"
"You mean a rose?"
"Yes, that's it!" He turned to his wife, "Hey Rose, what was the name of that memory clinic?"
In Psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. In the Bible, the Greek word to remember is aletheia. Aletheia literally means to "not forget." And in the King James Version and many other translations of the Bible, the word aletheia is also translated as "truth."
So truth, in the Bible, literally means to not forget. To know the truth means to remember.
(From a sermon by Paul Zwarich, Tonight We Remember, 4/15/2011)
a. The truth proclaimed
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
b. The truth personified
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
c. The truth perceived
John 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
III. The Promise of Freedom (32b)
"He is the freeman whom the truth makes free,
And all are slaves beside." -- William Cowper.
ILLUS: Back in the 80's Ann Landers wrote about her experience as a newspaper "answer lady." People would write to her with their problems and ask advice on how to deal with their children, their spouses, their bosses, etc.
In her book, Landers explained that one of the most difficult things that people struggled with is guilt and shame. "I've received letters brimming with self-recrimination - letters that prove no punishment is so painful as the self-inflicted kind. Here are a few examples:
'I let my boyfriend go too far. Now, when he sees me, he looks the other way. I'm so ashamed of myself I could just die.'
'I threw a dish towel in my mother-in-law's face. She was trying to be helpful and I lost my temper. I hate myself.'
'I got caught cheating in a history exam today. All the kids know about it. I feel rotten.'
("The Ann Landers Encyclopedia A to Z")
No matter how many freedoms our nation gives us, it can not give us the freedom from the shame and guilt imposed upon us by our sins.
Hazel Felleman wrote a poem about this:
"I wish there were some wonderful place
Called the Land of Beginning Again
Where all our mistakes, and all our heartaches
And all our selfish griefs
Could be cast like a shabby old coat at the door
And never be put on again"
a. From the penalty for sin
There is a place called the land of beginning again and it is the place that Jesus has bought and paid for with His own life's blood and you can have title to a plot, when you believe on Him. When you do you will be freed from the guilt and shame of your sins, you will no longer be under the penalty of sin but you will have the peace that only Jesus can give. The penalty is "death" but the gift is "life!"
ILLUS: A man named Bono is the lead singer of a popular rock group U2. He once made this observation:
"At the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know: what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics-in physical laws-every action is met by an equal or an opposite one... And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that. . . . Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff."
Now, I don't know if Bono is a Christian, or if he claims to be one... but he's nailed this.
God will forgive us our sins -- not because we deserve it, or have done enough good to outweigh our sins. God will forgive us for only one reason: He loves us
b. From the power of sin
No man is truly free, but he in whose heart the power of sin is destroyed, and who has received the Spirit of adoption, through which he cries, Abba! Father! Adam Clarke's Commentary of the Bible
Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. (truth) 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
ILLUS: The famed psychiatrist Karl Menninger, once said that if he could convince the patients in psychiatric hospitals that their sins were forgiven, 75% of them could walk out the next day.
c. From the presence of sin
Is there ever going to be a time when sin is not going to be a problem, when we will be totally and completely free from all of the consequences of sin? The answer is yes. There is not sin in heaven my friend and that means that all those who love Jesus and have already passed on have entered a place where there is no hint, hurt or haunt of sin and they wait and worship for all those who will join them by faith in Jesus.
Conclusion: True freedom and independence comes when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. He is the source of truth. All truth resides in Him. There is no truth besides Him. He is God and if you want to know God you must come to Jesus for "no man comes to the Father but by Him."
Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Max Lucado tells the story about the boy who was shooting rocks with a slingshot. He could never hit his target. One day when he was in his Grandma's backyard he spied her pet duck. On impulse he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck was dead.
The boy panicked and hid the bird in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. After lunch that day, Grandma told Sally to help with the dishes. Sally responded, "Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn't you Johnny?" And she whispered to him, "Remember the duck!" So, Johnny did the dishes. What choice did he have? For the next several weeks he was at the sink often. Sometimes for his duty, sometimes for his sin. "Remember the duck," Sally'd whisper when he objected. After a while tho' he grew so weary of the chore, he decided that any punishment would be better than washing more dishes, so he confessed to killing duck. "I know, Johnny," his Grandma said, giving him a hug. "I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave out of you."
He thought his confession would destroy him...when in reality the one who loved him was only waiting for him to admit his sin so he could receive freedom from his guilt.
