This weekend many people will be celebrating Independence Day in a variety of ways. Some people travel to see loved ones, and others just stay home with the family. Some people will shoot fireworks, while others enjoy just watching them go off.
We celebrate this holiday because of what happened in 1776. 13 colonies and 56 representatives met with congress and declared that no longer was America adjoined to Mother Europe, and no longer did we need to answer to her. Thus the Declaration of Independence was drafted; the document from which the Bill of Rights and the Constitution was taken.
The second sentence of the Declaration of Independence says:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable (unchangeable) Rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
225 years later we still enjoy the freedom that the Declaration of Independence created for us: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
But let’s look at this from a Christian perspective. We live in the greatest country in the world, the richest, the finest, and the most blessed.
But many of us do not enjoy: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
1. Life
- Did you know that some people do not enjoy living?
- In the US, the Centers for Disease Control reports that:
• More people die from suicide than from homicide.
• Overall, suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for all Americans, and is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24.
• Average of 1 person every 17.1 minutes killed themselves.
• 775,000 annual attempts in U.S. 25 attempts for every completion for nation.
- Why?
- Could it be that their life is so full of violence, and hatred and murder?
- Have you ever stopped to wonder how many people live on the edge of insanity, while bullets fly over their heads
- Some people live in neighborhoods in America where they can’t leave their homes after a certain time.
- For some, could it be that every second of every hour of every day they are in pain?
- Millions of people in America suffer extreme pain on a constant and continual basis
- Because of this, In America, we have over 1500 clinics that just deal with Pain.
- There is even a Pain.com
- Could it be that people’s lives are so filled with DRAMA, caused by ALOCOHOL and DRUGS that people don’t like living
- Millions of people are infested with substance abuse in America
Jesus says, in John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
- That thief is the devil
- He has set up all of these things Drugs, alcohol, pornography, pain, stress, worry, heartache, headaches, anger, and depression, to steal YOUR LIFE!
- If we want a better life, our lives must be in Jesus Christ.
- Jesus says in John 14:6, I am the way, the truth and the LIFE!
- In our forefathers eyes, the right to a peacefull life was very important, and so with Jesus
2. Liberty
- Liberty is freedom.
- We live in a free enterprise system, a free market, we give free will offerings, and will enjoy a free meal today.
- Imagine being made to go to a certain kind of church and then being made to give money to that church. That religious persecution and bondage used to be a part of our forefathers lives.
- Now, we all enjoy this freedom, but we all are not free
- Some of the things we already talked about is what steals our freedom
- Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
- Paul says, after you have become free, Stand fast in the freedom where Christ has set us free, and do not be bound again with the yoke of bondage.
- This is important, because I want you to know that it gets worse when you go back to sin.
- Some of us have been set free from the yoke of bondage, and somehow we are back again in chains.
- Jesus is the only one who can break the chains of sin and death
3. The Pursuit of Happiness
- Let’s look at what the Bible says about Happiness:
Job:5:17: Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
Ps:144:15: Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.
Prov:14:21: He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.
Prov:16:20: He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.
Jms:5:11: Behold, we count them happy which endure
1Pt:3:14: But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye:
it is obvious, to pursue happiness is to pursue God!
