Sermon Central
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Dependence Day Has Come...
Contributed by Charlie Roberts on Jul 1, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: God wants you to realize, to know and to have the confidence as a child of God, as you depend on your relationship with Jesus, to not look at your situation as impossible. But with Him leading and directing the way everything is possible.
Dependence Day
Illus. Jerry Flurry
A visitor to the White House when Lincoln was president was with Lincoln for three weeks as his guest. One night, soon after the Battle of Bull Run, this visitor could not sleep.
Suddenly he heard a low voice proceeding from the room where the president slept. He got up and walked toward the door, which was partly open. Then he saw the president kneeling before an open Bible.
The light was turned low, and the president's back was to the door; he did not know that he was being overheard. In piteous and solemn tones the president was praying: "Thou God that heard Solomon in the night when he prayed and cried for wisdom, hear me!
I cannot lead this people. I cannot guide the affairs of this nation without Thy help. I am poor and weak...O God, Thou didst hear Solomon when he cried for wisdom--hear me and save this nation." - Choice Illustrations, W.W. Clay pg 57-58
The Declaration of Independence states 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.”
The words freedom and liberty do not mean independence from any authority or power. In fact, our founding fathers recognized and acknowledged our dependence on God in almost every document they produced. Yet in the case of Engle v Vitale, the Supreme Court ruled the 22 word prayer, “"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our Country" as unconstitutional, which led to the removal of all prayer in public schools.
Our Total Dependence on God from the beginning of the birth of this nation, is what gave us our independence from the world without freedom...to worship God freely!
The very things we refused to put up with and fled from, our government has and continually seems to try become!
It is sad that a portion of our nation no longer feels their dependence, or their need of dependence on God. More tragic, though, is the fact most Christians do not believe that they need to be totally dependent on God.
Total dependence on God is what gives us our independence and freedom, along with the forgiveness from a world of sin. Our dependence on God sets us up, for all of our impossible situations, to become possible!
Mathew 19:26-29 NKJ
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”
28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory,you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother [a]or wife or children or[b]lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life
Just as Peter stated, the world doesn’t have a problem with conditional dependence. You know, if I do follow you Lord, what’s in it for me?
Jesus was quick to taut the benefits of having a relationship with Him. It’s an open ended invitation to everyone and whosoever accepts the invitation, shall receive great compensation!
The Word Declares there’s only one way to such a reward and Jesus is the way!
John 15:5-8 NKJ
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,you[b] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
The Word Declares, dependence on God and the things of God make the way for the impossible to become possible!
Illus. Donald Grey Barnhouse cites an amazing example of lasting fruitfulness. In Hampton Court near London, there is a grapevine under glass; it is about 1,000 years old and has but one root which is at least two feet thick.
Some of the branches are 200 feet long. Because of skillful cutting and pruning, the vine produces several tons of grapes each year. Even though some of the smaller branches are 200 feet from the main stem, they bear much fruit because they are joined to the vine and allow the life of the vine to flow through them.
