Freedom

Alba 7-4-2021

FREEDOM

Romans 1:26-32

Today is the 4th of July, otherwise known as Independence Day. 245 years ago, our forefathers pledged their honor and their lives to the formation of a new nation free from outside interference and control.

On the 2d of July 1776, a resolution declaring the colonies free and independent States, was adopted. A declaration to that effect was, on the same and the following days, taken into further consideration. Finally, on the 4th of July, the Declaration of Independence was agreed to.

John Adams in a letter to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776 (referring to the day before, when the resolution for independence was passed) stated: “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore.”

He was right, except that we celebrate the day that the Declaration was signed, not the day, two days earlier, when the resolution was passed. Celebrations began immediately.

In that first year they featured readings of the Declaration of Independence in public places, accompanied by the firing of muskets and cannon.

The statue of King George in New York was torn down and its lead turned into bullets. Everywhere were military parades, bells ringing, toasts, fireworks, music and "loud huzzas."

One year later, on July 4, 1777, Philadelphia marked the Independence Day by adjourning Congress and celebrating with bonfires, bells and fireworks. And that custom spread to other towns both large and small.

On July 18, 1777 the Virginia Gazette newspaper reported: “Thus may the 4th of July, that glorious and ever memorable day, be celebrated through America, by the sons of freedom, from age to age till time shall be no more. Amen, and amen.”

In 1781, the legislature of Massachusetts became the first to officially designate the Fourth of July as a holiday commemorating the birth of independence; in 1783 — the year the Revolutionary War formally ended — the governor of North Carolina followed suit.

Theses days, celebrations include such activities as picnics and barbecues, baseball games, races and contests, parades with marching bands and Revolutionary War-era costumes, reenactments of historical events, concerts featuring patriotic songs, fireworks at dusk, and more.

All of this began 245 years ago with the words, “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands, which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

“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.”

That's the reason we stand when we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. That's the reason we stand with those who believe we have a heritage of freedom that needs to be protected.

And, as Christians, we stand on the principle that God is over all nations. And we must remain under His guidance and blessing to survive as a free county.

President Ronald Reagan said, “I believe with all my heart that standing up for America means standing up for the God who has so blessed our land. We need God’s help to guide our nation through stormy seas. We can’t expect Him to protect America in a crisis if we just leave Him over on the shelf in our day-to-day living.”

Those men who signed the Declaration of Independence sought to throw off the yoke of tyranny from a distant ruler.

There are tyrants today. They all look different but have the same agenda, and they all desire to enslave and subjugate the population of their countries to bring themselves more power, status, and comfort without effort on their part.

Even in our own country, we face issues where people seemingly want to change America from its founding principles. Many seem unaware that there were godly people who desired freedom, not only of thought and action, but also to have the ability to worship freely.

Instead people want freedom from any restraints. “Let me do my thing,” is the attitude of many. This is not new. It is not progress. It is regression to animal like behavior.

The apostle Paul writes in Roman 1:26-27 explaining that since people have turned their backs on acknowledging God in any form, he says: