True Life, Liberty And Happiness

TRUE LIFE, LIBERTY AND HAPPINESS

EXCERPT OF DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

“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”

The founding of our great nation was based upon this three fundamental pursuits-LIFE-LIBERTY AND HAPPINESS

Without these three values our country becomes just like any other people bound by an oppressive government not given the true freedom of expression-Wandering in fear without the ability to live in true FREEDOM!

The price of freedom has a value too high for the most wealthiest man to pay.

Bill Gates could not purchase freedom with all the money he possesses.

Ask the man laboring in the fields of communist China- “How much would you pay for freedom?”

Ask the criminal in the confinements of San Quintin “What would you give to be free?”

What would the prisoner of war pay for the key to the shackles that hold him captive?

FREEDOM IS PRICELESS!

BUT EVEN IN THE HEART OF CHINA, THE CELLS OF SAN QUENTIN AND

THE DARKEST JUNGLE HOLDING SOLDIERS HOSTAGE-FREEDOM CAN BE FOUND!!

The scripture tells us “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

Freedom from SIN

Freedom from PAIN and PROBLEMS

Freedom from LUST and LASCIVIOUSNESS

Freedom from HURT and HATRED

Freedom from ANGER and ANIMOSITY

And then you can cry out the word “FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY I’M FREE AT LAST!”

ILLUSTRATE- HOW SLAVES LEARNED WHAT FREEDOM WAS EVEN IN CHAINS

PAUL AND SILAS- FOUND FREEDOM “IN” THE PRISON

SHADRAK, MESHAK, AND ABENDIGO- FOUND FREEDOM “IN” THE FIRE

DANIEL-FOUND FREEDOM “IN” THE LION’S DEN

LIFE

WHAT IS LIFE TO THE WORLD?

-DRUGS, ALCOHOL, SEX, NO SELF-CONTROL, EARTHLY RICHES

ULTIMATELY ALL WILL END WITH UPSET

LOOK AT SOME OF THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE HAVE ENDED THERE LIFE IN AND SUICIDE

OVERDOSES- DISEASES, ALCOHOL RELATED AUTO ACCIDENTS

JESUS STATED “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

TYPE OF LIFE JESUS GIVES-

Abundant LIFE-John 10:10 “...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Everlasting LIFE- John 3:16 “...shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

Eternal LIFE- Mark 10:17 “...to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus’ WORDS were LIFE-John 6:68 “...words of eternal life”

He was the BREAD of LIFE-John 6:35

WATER that had LIFE-John 4:10 “...given you living water”

IN HIM was LIFE-John 1:4

Jesus tells us “he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” John 10:38-39

LIBERTY-

Liberty is more than a statue that stands in the harbor welcoming those from afar with her burning torch.

It’s more than being able to climb up the ladder of prosperity

It’s more than being able to chose your own spouse-Thank God for that!!

It’s more than being able to chose HMO or PPO

It’s more than being able to chose McDonalds or Burger King- Coke or Pepsi!

But liberty is the essence of our true being!

Liberty causes the weak to grow strong

-the poor to grow rich

-sick to grow well

Liberty causes hope to spring up to those that are discouraged

Liberty causes the prisoner to dream of tomorrow

LIBERTY IS THE ROOT OF ALL HOPE

--BUT IF SIN HOLDS YOU CAPTIVE-YOU DON’T HAVE LIBERTY!!

JESUS’ MISSION WAS LIBERTY-

Luke 4:18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

The Spirit Brings LIBERTY

II Corinthians 3:17. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

TRUE LIBERTY IS FOUND IN JESUS!!

HAPPINESS

Happiness comes and goes from day to day.

Situations can make people happy and also SAD

Songs can make people Happy-

ILLUSTRATE YOUR SPECIAL SONGS- You & YOUR SPOUSE’S “SONG”

BUT HAPPINESS SEEMS SO TEMPORARY

JOY IS BETTER THAN HAPPINESS