INDEPENDENCE IN TWO WAYS
Today is a day that we celebrate our
freedom & independence from England, thus becoming our own
country, our own nation, a special people, a people free to worship
according to as their conscience allows. But, what does this freedom really
mean? Is it the liberty to act and behave as we want? To sleep with
whom we want without the benefit and blessing of marriage? To steal,
kill, and destroy however we want? To accept God, not accept God,
not believe in God, or just say He doesn't exist at all?
What was our nation founded upon? Was
it founded upon believing that God speaks to each individual's heart
& conscience? … Or that we don't need a human mediator because
Christ is that mediator between us and the Father?
Jesus says that no man comes unto the
Father lest the Father calls Him. Whosoever... chooses to believe in
& accept His Son as Lord and Saviour, we would be His adopted
child, heirs of a Godly inheritance and eternal life.
Let's look into this Lord and Saviour a
bit.
“Lord” is a master. The one whom
you give obeisance to. The One whom you surrender all to... even
your very life if necessary. The One whom you obey completely...
even when you don't understand the reason for the command.
Romans 6:16 says, “Do you not know
that to whom you present yourselves servants to obey, you are that
one's servants whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of
obedience to righteousness?” “But God be thanked that though you
were servants of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of
doctrine to which you were delivered.” “And having been set free
from sin, you became servants of righteousness.”
Luke 6:46 Jesus says, “And why call
ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”..... LORD!
“Saviour” is someone who saves or
rescues... a preserver of life. The One who sacrifice all to save
you... even His very life. The One who showed us what it means to
obey completely... even when He prayed for another possible way...
but surrendering all... including His will, to His Fathers will so
that you can be saved.
John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes
in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” “For God
sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the
world through Him might be saved.”...........SAVIOUR!
In order for us to be saved, we must
believe and accept Jesus as BOTH our Lord & Saviour. We must
accept Him as the one who died for us and saved our lives forever and
because He saved our lives, we belong to Him as servants. Therefore,
we must surrender ourselves wholly and completely to Him, as our
Lord, that we will obey Him completely.
Too often He is accepted as Saviour but
not as Lord. That is what people are calling “Carnal Christians”
now. Friends, THERE IS NO SUCH THING! Being a Christian means you are
Christ-like or representing Christ. You have surrendered all that
you are, all your hopes, all your dreams, all your desires, all your
sin, all your will, everything to Him and to His will because He
saved you. His Spirit begins working in you, changing you to become
more like Him... spiritual.. not religious. Being “carnal” means
you are un-surrendered to Christ. You have not accepted Him as your
Lord in whom you will obey, therefore are still a part of the
world... the flesh. These are opposite one of another and can NEVER
be joined together as a unit. Either you are fully His because you
accept Him and surrender all to Him or you do NOT accept Him fully as
Lord & Saviour and do not surrender all to Him. It is that
simple. Carnal and Spiritual cannot co-exist. One has to die! The
question for you is... will it be the Spirit... or will it be the
flesh?
These are those who say let us wear our
own things... do our own things... but be called by Christ's name...
Christian. They have a form of godliness, but deny the power
thereof.
Christ made us free from the
condemnation that came from sinning. As true Christians, Romans 8:1
says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”...
OPPOSITES!
Exodus 19:5, 6 says, “Now therefore,
if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall
be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is
mine:” “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy
nation...”.
Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast
therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be
not entangled again with the yoke of bondage”.
Yes, we are free as Americans! A
special people and a great nation! But, we are even more free as
Christians! A peculiar “treasure”! A holy “nation”! A
kingdom of priests!
Today, is a high day for me. I
celebrate 2 things... living in a free country to be able to believe in God according to my conscience while living in the pursuit of happiness. But, I celebrate even more,
living free because my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ freed me
from the curse of sin, freed me from the condemnation & guilt that I
deserved, took my sin on himself so that I may be free, ever changing me, and allows me
to abide with Him forever, and gives me the joy that only He can give that no one or no circumstance can ever take away! People say "Freedom" & "Liberty" is a state of mind. You see, I don't need to hang on to the guilt of my past because Christ has made me free. I say, lets live in that state of mind as Christ meant for us to!
John 8:36 says, “If the Son therefore
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Folks, today is Independence Day for
our country, the United States Of America. I celebrate this day for
that reason... and
I am proud to be an American!
When I woke up this morning, God
reminded me of an even better freedom & liberty that I have in
Christ Jesus... and
I am proud to be a Christian!