Being Independent Together With God

Being Independent Together With God

Scripture: Amos 3:3; John 8:36; Exodus 1:11a; 3:7-8; Romans 12:2

Good morning Strangers Rest! This morning, I will be talking with you about “Being Independent Together With God.” While the title seems to be contradictory when you consider that the definition of the word “independent” is being “able to operate alone because you’re not dependent on somebody else,” it begs the question how can you be both independent and together? The fact that you are independent generally mean that you are no longer dependent on anyone else, that you are alone. You have heard me say many times that God has given humanity freewill – the freedom to choose and make decisions independently of Him. We have the ability and authority to make our own decisions and live with the consequences of those decisions, be they positive or negative. While we all understand the meaning of independence, we might struggle sometimes exercising our independence while at the same time desiring to be in agreement with someone else – being together per se. Being able to accomplish something together while maintaining our individuality and independence can be extremely frustrating. Strangers Rest, I want to walk together with you while being myself. I want you to walk together with me while continuing to be yourself. And I want all of us to walk together with God based on our acceptance of His Son as our Lord and Savior. So, the message today is two-fold – our being independent together with God and thus, our being independent together with one another.

Let me give you an example of this by using a marriage between a man and a woman. When God made man, He knew it was not good that man should be alone. So, God made a woman – someone that would be a partner for the man. Genesis 2:23-24 says, “(23) And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ (24) Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” The Kings James Bible uses the word “cleave” instead of “join.” The development of a marriage is a three-step process. First, the man and woman must leave their parents. In biblical times, a son stayed at home after taking a wife because he would inherit his father’s possessions. But he was still to leave his parents and cleave to her. In other words, she became his primary focus. The second step consisted of “cleaving,” or “being joined” to your spouse. Both words mean to be close to your spouse – keep remarkably close as in protecting. Your spouse, upon marriage becomes the closest person to you. If the first two are done correctly, then the third part becomes reality: they two shall become one flesh. This means more than just physically. This is the goal that God has for a couple when they marry – that they would leave their parents, be joined (or cleave) to one another and become one flesh. The perfect union.

When we marry, we bring two people from diverse backgrounds and upbringing together. Each person brings their “normal” into the marriage. What they grew up with and were exposed to daily is what is normal for each individual. And things are abnormal when they are different from what the individuals are accustomed to. Understanding this is the beginning point for bringing oneness to the marriage. But for the newly married couple to become one, they must communicate and come into agreement about their new life. Each person brings something unique to the relationship and that is not forfeited because they are now married. When one spouse attempt to force the other to become who they think their spouse should be it will not work and the marriage will be headed for deep trouble. God designed marriage to be a partnership where two people come together to walk as one and the only way this can be done is if they come into agreement with one another. Amos 3:3 asks the question, “Can two walk together, except they are agreed?” Of course, the answer is no. They must agree on what they desire and where they are going. Strangers Rest, we walk together because we come into agreement around the same goal. When there is one unifying goal things can get accomplished.

Now the idea for this message was birthed out of a scene from one of my favorite Christmas movies, “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.” In the 1964 holiday classic, Rudolph (a reindeer) and Hermey (an elf) have individually decided to go off on their own after feeling unappreciated by their peers. They discover each other in a snowbank and confess that they do not need anyone else – that they are independent. After making this decision to be independent, they decide to be independent together. Again, this conversation seems contradictory as independence implies going at it alone and being without other people, yet these two ironically decide to be “independent together.” The scene is meant to be an amusing start to a budding friendship, but there is a deeper truth to be gained from these two new friends about how to successfully be independent while also being dependent on someone else at the same time. For Christians being independent together means more than our having freewill. It also means being independent – separated – from the world while at the same time being together with God. Remember in John chapter seventeen when Jesus prayed for His followers and us? He prayed, “(14) I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. (15) I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. (16) They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” (John 17:14-16) We have independence (freewill) to choose Jesus and when we do that we can walk confidently in that freewill while becoming dependent on Him.