An Important Reminder: A 4th Of July Message

Title: 4th of July Message: An Important Reminder Script: Dt. 8

Type: July 4th Where: GNBC 7-4-11/rw 7-5-15/7-4-21

Intro: Today we celebrate the anniversary of our nation’s independence. Many great Christian men were instrumental in our nation’s founding. Patrick Henry was one such man, a famous statesman and orator from Virginia, he served in the House of Burgesses, was a delegate to the Continental Congress, where before the Virginia Provincial Convention which was deeply divided between revolutionaries and loyalists, he uttered his most famous words: “Give me liberty or give me death.” During the Rev. War he became commander-in-chief of Virginia’s military forces, helped draw up the Virginia constitution, as well as several amendments to our Constitution which became known as the “Bill of Rights”. He became Virginia’s first governor and was re-elected by a grateful people 4 times! Now listen what this early and influential patriot said: “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians – not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Henry’s Last Will and Testament was interesting. He bequeathed all of his property to his children. Nothing unusual there! However, the last paragraph of his will read: “I have now given everything I own to my children. There is one more thing I wish I could give them and that is Christ! Because if they have everything I gave them and don’t have Christ, they have nothing.” I love reading stories about our patriots and founders who gave so valiantly of themselves so we could be free. Yet, this am we need to be reminded of a solemn warning God gave another nation, 1000’s of yrs. ago who was experiencing the same htrill of independence after 400 yrs. of Egyptian slavery.

Prop: Today we’ll examine 3 cautions Moses gave Israel upon her independence that we would do well to heed as well.

BG: 1. Was an exciting time period in life of Jewish people. On verge of Promised Land. About to go in and conquer the land. 400 years of slavery, 40 yrs. of wandering. About to get own land.

2. Deuteronomy -- which means "the repetition of the law" -- consists chiefly of three discourses delivered by Moses shortly before his death.

Prop: Today we’ll examine 3 cautions Moses gave Israel upon her independence that America would do well to heed today.

I. Be Careful How You Live! Vv. 1-10

A. Be careful to do…

1. Israel was being exhorted to remember God’s faithful dealings.

a. v.2 – Israel was called to remember the Exodus and Wandering of 40 yrs. God proved to be supernaturally faithful to them – v. 4 – So much so that clothes and shoes didn’t wear out, and (meaningful to Poland Team this week!) feet didn’t swell up from years of walking! That’s supernatural!

b. You see, in all of this, God had a purpose, that Israel would learn humility. (vv. 2-3) Everything in our country today is a struggle for pride. Pride, pride, pride!, whatever. We dedicate an entire most on our Federal calendar to highlight behavior God says is an abomination. Humility takes the focus off our ourselves and onto others, especially God, as He provides and meets the needs of our lives. Everything in us strains against this notion, for to accept this as fact is to be humbled. And humility naturally leads to submission. That’s really the issue, isn’t it? We don’t want to admit that God is the giver of every good gift, because that would mean that we have to yield to his agenda. Humility, submission and obedience. Humility would yield to God’s design not man’s agenda.

2. Today, America would do well to remember God’s faithful dealings in our past.

a. Illust - Woody Allen is credited with saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” We could add to it, “If you want to hear him laugh even louder, tell him how much you know.” Just because it’s true, however, doesn’t make it easy to accept. It’s hard to admit that we do not know as much as we think we know. And we certainly aren’t in control of as much as we’d like to think. We make our plans, but it is God who controls the outcome. We make our plans, but we understand that, if the Lord wills, we shall live let alone do this or that (James 4:13-15). John Ruskin said, “I believe that the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I don't mean by humility, doubt of his power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them, but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful.” The modern notion of the “self-made” man, pulling himself up by his own bootstraps and, by the sweat of his own brow, climbing to the pinnacle of success is so deeply imbedded in our consciousness that any other possibility seems foreign. It’s humbling to recognize that God is more responsible for the achievements of our lives than we are, that we are people who have been given our abilities, time and opportunities.