A document that gives us our independence and our freedom for living in this country is the Declaration of Independence. When people come to America, the thing that strikes them most strongly is the freedom that we enjoy, and rightly so. Where did this freedom come from?
The only Pastor to sign the Declaration was John Witherspoon. I believe God guided those men when they created this document and it was adopted by the United States on July 4, 1776. It states, “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable right and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” It is true that God wants all of us to have these three wonderful gifts.
In John 8:32, you will find the words that Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." Jesus is talking to His disciples saying if there is anything that will inspire your life, it is the TRUTH. In the 36th verse Jesus says, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."
All people of earth are a creation of God and there is a life that never ends. God talks about this life and he offers us life eternal. If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed; Liberty! You could arrest me; throw me in prison; bind me; you could blind my eyes, close my ears, and my mouth but you cannot change my capacity to think. Through this the Declaration of Independence instills freedom.
This life that I speak of is riddled with problems because we are made of flesh. Nearly everyone has some little thing wrong with them. Everyone here today is living, and everyone is going to die unless the rapture comes. What will happen then? The life God speaks of, the one Jesus wants us to have, is Eternal Life.
All of us, everyone, are not here by accident but by the grace of God. If we go to Heaven and enjoy the abundant life, we will go by the grace and mercy of God.
In John 3:16 it says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
Also John 10:27-29 states, “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”
This is where everlasting life comes in. We think so much about this life sometimes that we forget about the life that is to come until just before death. If you want to live a super and abundant life as God expects, the only way we can is through Jesus Christ. There is no other way.
In Romans 6:23 it says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Eternal life, everlasting life, abundant life, the super-life is only found in Jesus Christ.
The only way we are going to keep peace is to stand up for it, reach out and take hold of it, believe in it, and possess it. That is what God wants us to do about spiritual peace. Christ Jesus came into this world and gave his life that we might be free. I’m not weak or timid; I’m aggressive and know what I want. I believe in defending our country if it need be with my life.
The Statue of Liberty sits on Liberty Island. It sits out on the protruding island standing 305 feet and one inch from the base of the pedestal to the top of the torch. It is the most glorious sight to see. It is up there to guard the harbor. Jesus Christ nailed high on the cross is that torch for us. Jesus Christ is our Savior and the eternal light beckoning us into his harbor of peace, abundant life, liberty and true happiness.
A plaque before it reads, “Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame with conquering limbs astride from land to land; here at our sea while sunset gates shall stand a mighty woman with a torch whose flame is the imprisoned lightning and her name is Mother of Exiles. From her beaconed hand glows worldwide welcome, her mild eyes command the air bridged harbor that twin cities frame. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores. Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
God offers us liberty, true liberty. Most people today don’t know what it means to live under a dictator with selfish ideals. Thank God for this great country in which we live. Peace, contentment, and joy comes only in using what we have in the pursuit of happiness through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible says where a man’s treasure is, there will his heart be also. Lay not up treasures up on earth, but lay them up in heaven.
So, on this Fourth of July, think about those who lost there lives to make us free. Jesus Christ should be at the top of the list!!!
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