Freedom

Pastor Dave Martin ~ Cross Creek Community Church ~ July 4, 2010

Freedom!

Independence Day Deut 28, p 144 pew Bible

 

  • Thank you to Pastor Jeff preaching and to all the servants handling the picnic last week… mowing, cutting wood, setting up, preparing food, cooking, refilling cold drink coolers, clean-up… and especially Bonnie Evans who headed it all up!
  • Please continue to pray for Rob (chemo/radiation), Donna now in John Heinz, and others…
  • Thank you for praying for Cathy & I on our 5200 mile trip to Montana & back! Scotts Bluff, wagon ruts, snow capped Rockies, Noah’s flood evidence everywhere! Literally breathtaking… America the Beautiful!

 

  • In the mid 1700’s American colonists revolted in paying high taxes to England and King George III.
  • In 1767 they threw a party!  It was called the Boston Tea party – they dressed up as Indians & partied!
  • War quickly followed and God raised up a man called George Washington to lead the continental army…
  • Founding fathers, 56 courageous men gathered in Philadelphia & signed the Declaration of Independence
  • These men paid a high cost for themselves and their families... Freedom always takes a heavy toll!
  • Declaration of Independence was read aloud in the town squares... good news, in villages everywhere!
  • July 4, 1776 bells rang out, firecrackers sounded, Americans rejoiced in their new found freedom.
  • War continued till 1783 when the colonist finally celebrated their first TRUE Independence Day!

 

Our second U.S. president, John Adams, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, in a letter to his wife, wrote about the fourth of July: "I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival... it ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations (fireworks) from one end of this continent to the other ..."

 

  • Never take your freedom for granted… Freedom isn’t free and it must be guarded… granted by God!
  • But, like no other time in America’s history, we’re seeing our liberties being eroded by the Fed. Gov’t
  • Our forefathers broke out from tyranny from England – Tea Party Movement (Taxed enough already)
  • What is going wrong today? How can we preserve our liberties? What can I do personally?

 

  • There are over 8800 promises in the Bible… 133 in this chapter alone… Deut 28 / p 144 pew Bible…
  • These promises are for God’s children who are saved by faith through God’s wondrous grace…
  • Written to Israel in the Promised Land vs 1-14 speaks of God’s blessings in response to obedience…
  • Vs 15-68 speaks of God’s curses (4 times longer than blessings)… for disobedience/rebellion/idolatry

 

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 1 “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. (special honor) 2 You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God: 3 Your towns (Detroit?) and your fields will be blessed. 4 Your children and your crops will be blessed. (solid families, abundant resources)The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. (Productivity) 5 Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. 6 Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed (free market).

7 “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! (military superiority) 8 “The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. (wealth, success, prosperity) The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. 9 “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. 10 Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you. (unashamed of God/Jesus Christ)

11 “The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. (prosperity, strong families, tremendous food production) 12 The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. (Financial prosperity, China $900B / $4T foreign countries) 13 If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. (envy of the world, awesome reputation) 14 You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them. nlt

 

  • BUT, Vs 15-68 speaks of God’s curses upon a nation that disobeys His Word… hunger, famine, droughts - natural calamities, military weakness with growing threats/enemies, dysfunctional families, a hated nation filled with confusion… Deuteronomy 28:43-44 43 The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, but you will be the tail. Illegal aliens will profit at Israel’s expense, subject to her enemies, compassionless, scattered, a kingdom divided, devastation…

 

True for Israel, True for America!

 

Following this passage is an Interesting verse: Deuteronomy 28:34 “The sights you see will drive you mad”… (In spite of all the bad things happening, God is in control… giving America the leaders we deserve… believers take hope, Jesus is coming soon – (new upcoming Bible study on Wed Nights… “Your Startling Future”)

 

History has shown that Nations go from…

®    Bondage to Spiritual Faith

®    Spiritual Faith to Great Courage

®    Great Courage to Liberty

®    Liberty to Abundance

®    Abundance to Compliancy (self-satisfaction, unaware of danger, feeling secure)

®    Compliancy to Apathy (laziness, lack of concern, indifference)

®    Apathy to Governmental Dependence

®    Governmental Dependence Back to Bondage

 

"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.”

Alexander Tyler 1787 History Professor, University of Edinburgh

 

See www.usdebtclock.org

 

An old proverb is still true: “Bad politicians are elected by good people who don’t vote.” 

 

The Wall Street Journal printed an article entitled "Quantifying America's Decline" asked the question, what happened to America, in so many different arena's of life? Where it was once a world leader it is now a world straggler. Where once it was strong where it should be great, it is now strong where it should be weak.

 

“Freedom” – the state of being free rather than in bondage… exempt from external control, interference

 

Choices are made by Individuals and Nations… Two immutable rules concerning freedom…

  • Rejecting God’s truth/authority brings BONDAGE - Judgment

Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness…

  1. An unchangeable law… reject God’s Word/Bible/truth… freedom evaporates to bondage…
  2. I believe we’re under God’s judgment in America… America’s leaders… crisis – crisis – crisis, health care, global warming, bail outs, unrestrained spending, private sector takeovers, attempts to limit free speech, terrorism, oil spills, natural calamities, unemployment, escalating taxes, moral collapse – White House cancels Nat’l day of prayer while hosting a gay pride event… redefined marriage… Can’t kill a sea gull in the gulf but it’s OK to abort babies in the mother’s womb… OK to say we evolved but you can’t teach about a creator God. Ban prayer, remove In God we trust, ACLU, media
  3. We are under the wrath of God… as a people rejecting truth will bring God’s judgment & bondage

 

  • Submitting to God’s truth/authority brings FREEDOM - Blessing

Proverbs 14:34 God-devotion (righteousness) makes a country strong; God-avoidance (sin) leaves people weak. Msg

  1. Righteousness exalts a nation (makes it strong in every way)… sin is a reproach (weakens/ destroys)
  2. All kingdoms, all Governments & authorities God sets up and ordains by His Sovereign power
  3. Rom 13:1 “…There is no authority except that which God has established”
  4. Reject God’s truth = judgment/bondage… Accept God’s truth = blessing & freedom

 

Edward Gibbon, author of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, has attributed the fall of the Empire to:

1. The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society.

2. Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public monies for free bread and circuses for the populace.

3. The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal.

4. The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within, the decadence of the people.

5. The decay of religion—faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life and becoming impotent to warn and guide the people… religious but lost, no relationship with Christ

Quotes from the tape “Our Godly Heritage” by Wallbuilders, Inc., PO Box 397, Aledo, TX 76008 817-441-6044

 

  • Sadly, America has these very same sinful characteristics... Sign of the end times!
  • As individuals go... so goes the family... so goes the church... so goes the nation – there is HOPE!
  • To personally discover ultimate freedom affecting every area of life…

 

 

Discover Ultimate Freedom

Psalms 119:45 I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments. nlt

 

 

Accept God’s...

  • SON as my Savior!

Acts 16:31 “...Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved...”

  • I need to be saved from my sin, I need a Savior, I need Christ in my life… deepest human need.
  • Accept God’s Son as my Savior – it means committing as much of myself as I understand at this moment to as much of Christ as I understand at this moment.  You don’t have to be a theologian.
  • You may ask, is that good enough?  That is good enough!  Accept God’s Son as my Savior!
  • Turn from your sins and place your faith in Jesus!

 

Accept God’s... (Son as my Savior)

  • WORD as my Standard!

2 Tim. 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

  • God’s Word is the standard I live my life by.  It’s God’s roadmap, its God’s blueprint.
  • The Bible is God’s owners manual for life... It speaks of creation, children, men, women, money.
  • It speaks of jobs, happiness, life and death, good and evil, Angels and demons. Sin & forgiveness
  • The Bible tells us how God redeems man through His Son Jesus Christ at Calvary.
  • God’s Word tells about the glorious resurrection of Christ, of his ascension of His glorious return
  • The Bible is what you evaluate life around you with, it’s God’s standards not the worlds that counts

 

 Accept God’s...

  • WILL as my Strategy!

Psalm 40:8 I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

  • Allow God’s will to be your goal in life... God has a perfect plan and purpose for your life…
  • God, I’m willing to do anything, anywhere, anytime for you... even if I don’t understand it all.
  • David said, I desire to do your will... Jesus prayed to His Father, not my will but yours be done.
  • It’s about God’s will not your desires and will… He knows what’s best…

 

Accept God’s...

  • POWER as my Strength!

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

  • No longer do I have to rely on my own energy to get me through another day… find freedom!
  • God is the true power source for your life... you must be plugged into Him... abiding in Him.
  • Accept God’s power as my strength!  Ultimate freedom is found in Christ... get to know Him!
  • Ultimate Freedom… Changes your life, changes your family, and changes your nation!

 

Accept God’s...

  • PROMISES as my Surety!

Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

  • We’ve been set free from sin… becoming more Christlike… you will live forever… be ready!
  • Trust God’s promises, life is short… be obedient, be faithful NOW… eternal life!
  • Freedom all starts with Jesus…

 

Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. I now invite you into my life as my Lord and Savior. Take control of my life, forgive my sins and make me your child. Amen

 

After our Founding Fathers unanimously approved the Declaration of Independence, on July 8 they said, “Let's celebrate! Let the cannons fire! Let fireworks fill the sky!  Let the bells ring!  And the very first bell they rang was in the belfry of the very hall where they approved the Declaration of Independence to summon the people to hear the first public reading of our founding document.  They rang that bell—we know it as the “Liberty Bell.”  Where did it get its name?  From July the fourth?   From the Declaration of Independence?  No.  The name comes from the Scripture imprinted on that bell (Lev. 25:10), which says: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof!”  Proclaim liberty throughout the land.  Let Freedom Ring!