Being Independent Together
Scripture: John 8:36; Exodus 1:11a; 3:7-8; Romans 12:2
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
Today, in the United States, we are celebrating the Fourth of July holiday. Independence Day (July 4th), is a U.S. federal holiday commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States on July 4, 1776. On this day, the Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies were no longer subject (and subordinate) to the monarch of Britain, King George III, and were now united, free, and independent states. The Congress had voted to declare independence two days earlier, on July 2, but it was not declared until July 4. After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining its decision to declare independence. The document outlines a general philosophy of government that justifies revolution when the government harms it people. The document also contains the indictment against King George III which justified their actions. Once this decision was made and they outlined the reasons for it, they put a stake in the ground and held firm. Whereas before they were dependent upon and subject to Britain, they now were proclaiming their independence and the accountability that came along with it. They would now be free to govern themselves and make their own decisions.
The title of my message this morning is “Being Independent Together.” Yes I know 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.” So it begs the question how can you be both independent together? Doesn’t the fact that you’re independent mean that you are no longer dependent on anyone else – you are alone? How many of you remember the movie “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer?” In the 1964 holiday classic, Rudolph and Hermey have individually decided to go off on their own after feeling unappreciated. They discover each other in a snowbank and confess that they do not need anyone – that they are independent. After making this decision, they decide to be independent together. 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 friends about how to successfully be independent while also being dependent at the same time. In other words, being independent together which in our case independent from the world while being together with God. Remember when Jesus prayed in John chapter seventeen that He said, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15I pray not that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” (John 17:14-16)
As you heard in the Scripture we read from John 8:36, those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior have been granted independence from the world of sin, we were made free. The price of our independence from sin came through the death of God’s Son. But sin is not the only thing we have been made free from. While we often talk about Jesus freeing us from sin, being free from sin opens the door for us to be free from other things as well. This is why we believe in healing. This is why we believe that when we pray God will hear and answer our prayers. This is why we believe that we do not walk alone in this world. This is why, as I shared with you last week, that even when troubles are in our way, we have an answer. Everything ties back to our being granted freedom from what was holding us in bondage. But do you know that even though we have been granted freedom – have been made free – many people would prefer to stay in bondage because they are afraid to walk in the freedom that God has granted us? They are afraid of being independent together with God. Walking in freedom is difficult and to get there is painful, but again, we are not alone.
Let me give you some examples from which this message will build upon. When I was working, I had representatives who were both independent together with me and some who were dependent on me (no independence on their part). The independent representatives who were independent together with me thrived on their abilities to make decisions about their territories and consult with me when needed. They were always accountable for their results and when the results were good they could tell me why. Likewise when the results were not so good we would sit down together and work through their plans to address any issues. They could independently make the decision, but together we worked through the ideas. Now this was not the case with my representatives who were more dependent on me. They wanted me to tell them everything they needed to do. If a decision about their business needed to be made, they wanted me to make the decision. Now hear me closely on this, these representative did not want to be held accountable for the results because the things they were doing were the things I told them to do. If I told them what to do and it did not work out as planned they would tell me that it was not their fault as they did exactly what I had directed them to do. Imagine being made free but choosing to remain in bondage. Imagine being dependent on someone to the point that you become incapable of making your own decisions. God has made us free but He wants us to be independent together with Him. Because it is not easy many stop before they get to the point of independent togetherness.
God bringing the Children of Israel out of Egypt is a good example of being independent together. He freed them from Egypt (gave them their independence) so that they could choose to be in a relationship “together” with Him. But some never got to that point. Do you recall how the Children of Israel desired to return to Egypt when they faced hardships in the desert? In the first chapter of Exodus, the following is recorded: “Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens…..” (Exodus 1:11a) The Egyptians feared the Israelites so to break their spirits the Egyptians set taskmasters over them to make their lives hard. Now look at Exodus chapter three. God told Moses the following: “….I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows. 8And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good and large land, unto a land flowing with milk and honey……” (Exodus 3:7-8) The Children of Israel were being harshly treated in bondage and cried out to God. God therefore set in motion His plan for their deliverance. He brought them out of Egypt with His mighty hand – He delivered them from bondage. He gave them their freedom (independence) from Egypt in hope that they would become “dependent” on Him. But keep this in mind: while they prayed to be delivered from their afflictions, Egypt was all that they knew. They hated being in bondage, but they were used to it. And this is a key point; the hardships in the desert made them think that their slavery in Egypt was a better life. They felt this way because they were free of Egypt but they had yet to unite with God. They were independent and alone – in their minds.
In Exodus chapter sixteen they were hungry so they complained against Moses and Aaron saying, “…..Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for you have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:3) They were hungry and their first thought was a desire to have died in Egypt where they at least had food to eat. They never asked themselves “Why would God bring us out of Egypt to let us starve in the wilderness?” So God fed them bread from heaven. Now you would think that this would be proof enough that He had plans for them to take care of them – but no, in the book of Numbers, chapter fourteen they refused to enter the Promised Land because they were afraid of the inhabitants occupying the land. They were so afraid that they asked “And why has the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt?” (Numbers 14:3) And then in verse four they began discussing how they could select leaders to take them back to Egypt. I want you to consider this for a moment. God brought them out of Egypt in such a way that the Pharaoh of Egypt was embarrassed and had lost his army. God had also taken the lives of all first born of Egypt. Why in the world would they be welcomed back in Egypt after the destruction that was left upon it during their departure?
The fear of the unknown is a powerful motivator to keep people in bondage, especially if you believe you are in something alone. When the slaves were initially freed, some stories share how there was immediate rejoicing and celebrations with many leaving the plantations for freedom in other places. However, when you do the research, you’ll find that newly freed slaves had to have a determination to live free in order to make it. Slaves who had been introduced to Christianity believed that God was with them. They believed they were not alone in their fight for freedom. And now that freedom had arrived, they faced a lot of uncertainty about their future. When the slaves were freed, life after slavery was a world transformed. While the brutalities and indignities of slave life, the whippings, sexual assaults, the selling and forcible relocation of family members, the denial of education, wages, legal marriage, homeownership, and more were gone, opportunities for uneducated African Americans were very limited. Life in the years after slavery proved to be extremely difficult. Most southern black Americans, though free, lived in desperate rural poverty. Having been denied education and wages under slavery, ex-slaves were often forced, by the necessity of their economic circumstances, to rent land from former white slave owners. These sharecroppers paid rent on the land by giving a portion of their crop to the landowner. I grew up knowing individuals who were sharecroppers.
One author wrote a book containing terrible articles about the individual experiences of slave families who embraced their freedom from the brutal plantations on which they had been born or sold. Many of them ended up in what was known as “contraband camps” that were often near union army bases. Shockingly, some contraband camps were actually former slave pens, meaning newly freed people ended up being kept virtual prisoners back in the same cells that had previously held them. In many such camps disease and hunger led to countless deaths as the conditions were unsanitary and food supplies were limited. Often the only way to leave the camp was to agree to go back to work on the very same plantations from which the slaves had recently escaped. I share this with you because if the freed slaves had the mentality of some of the freed Children of Israel, life in America for them would have been very different. They would have reflected on their current state and possibly returned “willfully” to slavery since it was what they knew. It sounds farfetched doesn’t it? Well if some of the Children of Israel had their way, this would have been their fate. I thank God that they did not give up on Him as we would possibly not be here today living a life that they never dreamed about. When they were freed, they renewed their minds to begin thinking that they were free.
Paul told the Christians in Rome “And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2) When the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, some refused to renew their minds. Even though they had witnessed and experienced God’s deliverance, their minds remained attached to Egypt where they knew what was expected of them each day. They understood and accepted the daily affliction even though they hated it. Life in Egypt, knowing what to expect every day, was easier than a life of faith - believing and trusting God daily against was seemed like impossible odds. Slaves transformed their minds once they were free. They had to continuously fight to maintain the mentality of what it meant to really be free. Likewise Christians must renew their minds once they have been made free. Our old lives, while familiar and comfortable, are no longer the lives we are called to live. Now we must begin to live differently based on the newness of our freedom. Here are some areas where our minds must be renewed once we have received our independence. The renewing of our minds, which is a continual and ongoing process, enables us to be independent together with God. And that independence together with God allows us to experience:
True Trust. When we are independent together with God we can “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) When we have been freed, with our independence comes the right to choose whom to trust. Trust can be difficult when you have been in bondage for so long. We saw that with the Children of Israel. All those over the age of twenty at the time they refused to enter the Promise Land died in the wilderness because they refused to trust God. They never united with Him to be dependent upon Him. All of us have stories about things that have happened in our lives where we struggled to trust God. Being given our independence means that we must choose to believe in and trust God in every area of our lives. Remember, just as we are accountable for the decisions we make, God hold Himself accountable for the decisions that He has made concerning us. He is truly worthy of our trust and faith in Him.
Being independent together with God means living by Faith. I believe that we sometimes forget that living by faith is choice. It’s not something that happens automatically once we are saved. And there are four verses that tell us specifically “the just shall live by faith” – Habakkuk 2:4. Romans 1:17. Galatians 3:11. Hebrews 10:38. Living by faith is not easy New Light because to do so means that we don’t have all the answers. Living by faith also means that, in the midst of our freedom, we refuse to allow our minds to live in the past. I’m reminded of what the Apostle Paul says in Galatians 5:1. It says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” The yoke of bondage is talking about going back to living the way we did before we accepted Jesus. Every time the Children of Israel faced hardship they had a desire to be entangled again with their yoke of bondage – Egypt. We can learn from their experience. It is easy to stay where we are and give in to the hardship which we can see. It’s hard believing for a change that everything around you says will not happen. This is the faith we walk in through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Being independent together with God provides Security. One of my go to verses that reminds me that no matter what situation I may find myself in, God is there is Hebrews 13:5. “Let your conduct be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for He has said, ‘I will never leave you, nor forsake you.’” When we know that God will never leave us or forsake us, then we know that when things happen that are not good, we are not alone. There’s another verse that comes to mind that all of you will recognize. Psalm 23:4 which I mentioned last week in my message on trouble. It says “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” New Light, God is our security in all situations. We will have troubles in this life, but we will never go through those troubles alone.
Finally, we must know, without any doubts, that God is our Provision. When we are independent together with God we understand that He is our source. There were times in my life when I tried to provide for myself and family because I didn’t understand that that was God’s job and not mine. It was during those early days of growing in faith as an adult with responsibilities that I had to learn to rely on Him - even when I thought I had the answer. We’ve all been there. I always had jobs where my income was fixed – both in the military and when I left the military and worked on salary. So no matter how many hours I worked, it did not affect my paycheck. Therefore I could not go to the boss and ask for a little overtime or an additional shift or two in order to make ends meet. Our ends had to meet with what Nikki and I were making and I will tell you God worked some things out during those days. Philippians 4:19 says “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Now I know that one way God does this is through our jobs – but it’s not the only way. When we limit, in our thinking, how God can take care of our needs, we will try to find ways to help Him. Just like everything we’ve talked about this morning, we must believe – have unmovable faith – that God doesn’t depend on our paychecks to meet our needs. When Nikki’s and my income was fixed but our bills were not (meaning that our bills fluctuated based what we spent and our utility usage) God had to show us how to manage through those times. He showed us how to reduce cost so our income went further. And, this is important, when we really needed it He sent people to give it to us. We did not ask for it or seek a loan, people were moved of God to give to us without ever knowing we had a need. God will provide for us as we walk with Him.
I want to go back to Rudolph and Hermey. I want to share part of the conversation they had whey they decided to be independent together.
Hermey: I don’t need anybody. I’m… I’m independent.
Rudolph: Yeah? Me too. I’m whatever you said… Independent.
Hermey: Hey, whad’ya say we both be independent together?
Rudolph: You wouldn’t mind my red nose?
Hermey: Not if you don’t mind me being a dentist.
Rudolph: It’s a deal.
This is the conversation that they had. Now did you pick up on what had to happen before they could execute on being independent together? They had to come into agreement. Before deciding to be independent together, Rudolph and Hermey discussed their strengths and weaknesses. For both, being independent was an important strength that sets them apart from their peers which gave them the courage to face the North Pole and the Abominable Snow Monster alone. Then they revealed some personal characteristics that others found challenging in the past. For Rudolph, it was his red nose that glowed bright and for Hermey it was a desire to be a dentist. Rudolph could play in the reindeer games with his peers because of his nose and Hermey had no desire to make toys like his peers. But together, they could independent while also being dependent on one another. Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they are agreed?” We cannot walk together with someone else if there is no agreement. Rudolph and Hermey came into agreement about their supposed “weaknesses” and decided to be independent together. We have that same opportunity – to be independent together with God when we come into agreement with Him.
Today we celebrate our Independence Day – the day the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Britain. For this day to exist, the writers of the Constitution had to come into agreement. They came into agreement to be independent together. They worked through their differences of opinion and agreed upon core principles of why they needed to separate from Britain and what this newly established country would be about. If they had never come into agreement, the United States of America would not exist. Tow cannot walk together without their being in agreement.
Are you independent together with God? Are you in agreement with Him? If you are, then you can trust Him, and faith in Him and know that He has you in the palm of His hands for He loves you. And for this reason He does not have to come into agreement with us, we must come into agreement with Him.
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
(We are once again conducting live services on Sunday morning beginning at 9:15 a.m. We will continue to broadcast live on Facebook Live at 10:00 a.m.. Please tune in to "New Light Christian Fellowship Church" and like our page if you wish to watch our broadcast and be notified when we go live. If you are ever in the Kansas City, KS area, please come and worship with us at New Light Christian Fellowship, 15 N. 14th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102. We also have Thursday night Bible study at 7 p.m. via Zoom that you are also welcome to attend – please email me for the link. Also, for use of our social media, you can find us at newlightchristianfellowship on FB. To get our live stream services, please make sure you “like” and turn on notifications for our page so you can be notified when we are live streaming. We also have a church website and New Light Christian Fellowship YouTube channel for more of our content. We are developing more social media streams so please stand by and we will notify you once those channels are up and running. We look forward to you worshipping with us. May God bless and keep you.)
