Independence Day, Thank God I am Free
Today we honor our birth and founding as a nation, when we declared that we were going to exert our independence from anarchy and rule.
Though you wont hear it on the news, or read it in the news paper, or in our childrens classrooms any more,
It doesnt change the fact this nation was founded on the freedom of religion and the pursuit thereof.
We and people from all over the world, came to this country to worship the almighty God, the way we wanted to,
to pursue a relationship with Him, not a religion with Him.
And because of it, God truly has blessed America
There is not a better example of how much power our words have that we speak, then the words God Bless America,
No other Country says God Bless, followed by the name of their country,
And by that proclamation, God truly has Blessed America, to be what it is today!
We still live in the land of the free, the home of the brave, and why?
All because of our relationship with the Great Creator, God Himself!!
Were not in the minority, though sometimes the media and the world makes you feel that way,
This is still a Christian Nation, founded on the principle our pledge says; One Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all!
We the Christians in America, no matter what you may hear, are still in the majority,
God is still blessing America because of it, because TBS. (the bible says) if you are faithful to Him, He will be faithful to you.
God is faithful and true and He keeps His promises always!
The freedom we all enjoy and the freedom that everyone enjoys in this great country of ours, even the liberal minded ones, came from one thing.
A Great Love for The Great God Almighty! And the pursuit thereof
A love that was strong enough for people from all over the world, to leave everything they had and come to America,
Just for a chance to Love and worship the Lord the way they wanted to,
those are the forgotten ones we should also be honoring today!
Thats the whole reason we are able to worship freely here this morning, Praise God!
We are blessed as a nation, because of the ones who came before us, friends and family that loved and served the Lord and this great country.
A lot of people in America, have been and are on the receiving end of these associated blessings
from someone that came before them, Who loved and lived for the Lord and others were blessed as a result thereof.
We are also blessed as a nation, because of our association and support of Israel, gods chosen people.
A great example of an associated blessing, is found in the story of Joseph,
Gen. 39:1-6 NKJ
1. Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
2. The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3. And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.
4. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.
5. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptians house for Josephs sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
6. Thus he left all that he had in Josephs hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.
It doesnt say whether Potiphar was a religious man or not, but he knew a good thing when he saw one.
Everything Joseph touched, prospered in his hand TBS.
His love for the Lord, gave him favor, it opened doors for him and gave him many opportunities
Potiphar put Joseph in charge of everything he had,
and the LORD blessed the Egyptians house for Josephs sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
He was blessed by his association with Joseph, so much so, he wasnt even concerned about what he even had.
Which means he had more than enough, everything he had multiplied and grew,
if your going to put all you have into someones hands, you would definitely want it to be someone like Joseph.
No matter what he did, God was with Him and prospered him and all those around Him.
He eventually ended up being the ruler over all of Egypt, the only one with more power than him, was the Pharaoh himself.
Gen 41:38-40 NKJ
38. And Pharaoh said to his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?
39. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
40. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.
What a fantastic story about Joseph, he eventually went on to save his whole entire race, the whole nation of Israel.
Everyone that knew Joseph was blessed, by their association, With him.
What God did for Joseph, do you know He will do for you? TBS. he is not a respecter of persons.
What He has done for others, He will do for you, when you put your faith and trust in Him.
If you have been a Christian very long, no doubt through the years, there have been others in your lives,
who have been blessed because of their association with you,
You see, it cant help but happen, TBS. when you take care of Gods business, pay your tithe and walk with Him, he will pour out a blessing you cant contain.
Mal. 3:10-11 NKJ
10. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,
Says the LORD of hosts,
See If I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
11. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,
Says the LORD of hosts;
The blessing of God becomes part of your testimony, your walk and relationship with Him.
And just like Joseph, when it happens, everyone who is around you is blessed because of it!
And when that happens and believe me, it will happen, its a great time to witness for the Lord,
A great time to tell them about the greatest source, there ever has been to ever be associated with when it comes to the blessings and miracles of God!
We who are Christians, are blessed by our knowing and walking with Jesus,
For it's by what he is capable of and not by our own doing!
Everything thats good in our lives, stems from our relationship with God, through His Son Jesus
We owe Him a debt, we can never repay.
His wonderful, grace giving, life changing message that He died for, to bring to us,
That my friends, was the greatest sacrifice ever made for the cause of freedom, our spiritual freedom,
And its available this morning, for whoever will receive it, praise god!
John 3:16 NKJ
16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
If God would have never sent His Son and Jesus never made that selfless act of love towards all mankind,
If it would not have been, but for the cross of Mount Calvary,
America, would not be what it is today!
It is only because of the pursuit of a relationship with Jesus,
That we ever achieved any freedom, or freedoms that we enjoy today.
Our history books are full of examples of how this great country was founded by Godly men and Godly principles,
I found this in the Library of Congress, its called;
Religion and the Congress of the Confederation, 1774-1789
"The Continental-Confederation Congress, a legislative body that also exercised executive power,
governed the United States from 1774 to 1789 and left an impressive list of accomplishments,
not the least of which was winning the war with Great Britain, the greatest military power of the age.
Congress, as it was always called, contained an extraordinary number of deeply religious men,
some of whom -- John Dickinson, Elias Boudinot and Charles Thomson, for example --
retired from public life to write religious tracts and commentaries and publish new translations of the Bible.
The amount of energy that Congress invested in encouraging the practice of religion throughout the new nation
exceeded that expended by any subsequent American national government.
Congress appointed chaplains to minister to itself and to the armed forces; it sponsored the publication of a Bible;
it imposed Christian morality on the armed forces; and it granted public lands to promote Christianity among the Indians.
Most conspicuous were the national days of thanksgiving and of "humiliation, fasting and prayer"
that Congress proclaimed at least twice a year throughout the war.
These proclamations were always accompanied by sermonettes in which Congress urged the American populace,
to confess and repent its sins as a way of moving God to grant national prosperity."
This is Truth, that you have to look hard to find, about our birth as a nation and the kind of history that should be taught in our schools,
These are the very reasons America has been blessed throughout the years.
Is it any wonder why God has truly blessed America,
I can tell you one thing, its not because we were politically correct, when this nation was founded.
And we are still blessed today because of it, because there are still men and women, boys and girls,
who are Christians and not afraid to proclaim, that God is responsible for our success.
Its because of this, that God is still blessing America today, because of our pursuit of Him and His Son Jesus,
Today we have so many freedoms in this Great Country of ours, freedoms that are envied all over the world
We are the most powerful nation on earth and it all started, not the day the declaration of independence was signed,
But on an old rugged cross, on a hill called mount Calvary,
and the pursuit of what happened there that day. Praise God!
Its because of that and only that, that God truly has blessed America.
Our founding fathers willingly gave there lives, for an opportunity to pursue a relationship with the Lord.
The pursuit of that relationship with the Lord, forever changed the world and is still changing the world and transforming lives.
Do you know Him today, or do you just know of Him?
Like Potiphar who knew Joseph and was blessed by his association with him,
Its possible to know of Him and not actually know Him!
Only a personal relationship with Him will guarantee eternal life with Him forever.
Why not make today, your independence day, your spiritual independence day from a life of sin without Jesus!
And just like God has blessed and continues to bless America, He will bless you too!
Lets pray!
