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My 4^th of July Rant

          So, we set aside the 4^th of July to celebrate our independence; a day that marks our independence from Britain. It is a day that marks our freedom.

          Along with that freedom comes great responsibility – and that freedom has given rise to a lot of problems.

          You see, we have certain rights . . . but . . . those rights are within the framework that is bounded by the Bible on one end and the Constitution on the other.

          Our political rights are spelled out in a powerful phrase from the Declaration of Independence:

          “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.”

PROBLEM:

          However . . . “rights” have been defined in ways that neither the founders of our nation nor the Constitution ever intended.

          Our freedom came at a great cost. The patriots fought and died to give us our political freedoms –including our “freedom of religion.”

          That means we have a political right  to worship God as we see fit – and to make the choice NOT to worship.

          But our spiritual freedom came at a greater price! Christ died that we might be truly free!

The Apostle Paul said:

            ¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do    not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in       keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as        yourself.” ¹⁵ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or        you will be destroyed by each other. Galatians 5:13-15

          Paul was talking about spiritual freedom. That is not something we can claim for ourselves. For the Christian, it comes only through the sacrificial death of Jesus.

          If we use our political freedom in ways that clash with our spiritual freedom we are dishonoring our true freedom.

          It is getting more and more difficult to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Especially in the political arena.

You can’t watch a news program or read a newspaper without seeing the result of misusing our freedom – both political freedom and spiritual freedom.

          Now, the point of this message is not to point out the evil in the world today – nor is it to condemn those who misuse their freedom.

The point is for us to do our best to discern the will of God and follow that will to the best of our abilities.

Here are some ways we can honor our spiritual freedom.

PRAY FOR AMERICA:

          We should be actively praying for America – the government and the individual leaders of our government. We may not like the leaders; we may think they are dead wrong; but they are our leaders and we are to pray for them!

          We are beset with looting, burning, tearing down statues and trying to re-write the past        by people who are choosing anarchy over democracy. Do you think people would burn and loot if they prayed first?

          How can we KEEP America great? PRAY!

ACT:

          As Christians, we are called to act like Christians! There is a trend in our churches to promote a social gospel.

          Some churches are focusing only trying to make the world a better place, putting more emphasis on substituting culture for Calvary. Christ calls us to feed people both physically and spiritually.

LIVE RIGHTEOUS LIVES:

          If we want to change the way America is headed, we need to live our lives “in all godliness and honesty.” How do we do this? By living according to the standards set forth in God’s Word.

Our 16th President Abraham Lincoln said this:

          "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of    heaven… But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in       the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were   produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.           Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-          sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving         grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It behooves      us then, to humble ourselves before the offended power, to     confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and       forgiveness." - 1863

HONOR THE GOVERNMENT:

          You may not like our president. You may not like the Speaker of the House. You may not like the governor or any other political representative. But . . . even if you disagree with them, you have to honor the fact that they were duly elected!

          Despite all our problems, the USA is still the greatest nation on earth. We need a revival of good old-fashioned patriotism!

          If you want a change in government, then vote for that change! It is our Christian duty to get informed, and vote!

          Shame on the Christian who pledges their allegiance to the flag, and then doesn’t take action. And, shame on the Christian        who pledges their allegiance to a political party, instead of to the Biblical principles       upon which this nation was founded!

          There are people today who are trying their best to change this nation in ways to restrict and control everything. They say that people can live any life they want to; except, of course, for the Christian.

          They place their faith in political freedom  at the expense of their spiritual freedom.

          The founders of this great nation fought for and guaranteed us the freedoms to gather together, freedom to love one another and serve each other, the freedom to speak out for the betterment of our homes, communities and even government.

          These founders clearly explained that with freedom also comes responsibility.

          As I think about it, it is strange that we call it Independence Day. Even though we celebrate independence from England, it opened the door for us become even more dependent    on God and each other.

          Politically, we are independent. Spiritually, we are not – and can never be – independent from the One who created us and by whose grace we have this country.

          So, as you raise your flag - bow your heads in prayer; if you take a knee, let it be to thank God.

          For it is by God’s grace alone that we have a country in which we can worship freely. It is by God’s grace alone that we have been set free from the bondage of sin. And it will be by God’s grace that this country remains great.