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Living Hope SDA Church

Christian Martin

A Declaration of Dependence

Father in heaven, Lord, we have gathered here in your name for the purpose, Lord, of acknowledging you as the Lord of our lives, as the King of our hearts.

And today, Lord, as we open these sacred scriptures and read your word, I pray, Lord, that you would speak in such a way that your voice would be heard in the depths of our hearts.

I pray, Lord, that you would speak in such a way that your voice would be heard in the depths of our hearts.

I pray, Lord, that you would put aside any distractions that may come our way and help us to be able to just tune in, to keep our eyes and our ears open so we can see you and hear you here today.

Thank you, Lord, for answering this prayer.

There is an American patriotic song that I believe we have all heard has been sung many a time as a way of boosting morale From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee, across the plains of Texas from sea to shining sea, from Detroit down to Houston and from New York to LA.

Well, there's pride in every American heart and it's time we stand and say that I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I am free and I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me and I'll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today because there ain't no doubt I love this land.

It was on this day, July 4th, 1776, that the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, becoming the day that is remembered and celebrated as the birth of American independence.

However, though it is a day to remember, this very day, 4th of July, I don't want to focus or reflect on the Declaration of Independence of 1776 in American history.

Instead, I want us to think about another Declaration of Independence.

1 that leads not to freedom, but to bondage.

And 1 that has been and continues to be made throughout not just American history but human history.

For it was a declaration of independence that Felix, the governor, made and it led him to procrastinate on making a decision for Christ.

It moved Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Spirit.

It caused the rich young ruler to walk away from Jesus.

It prompted Judas to betray Jesus and Peter to deny him.

And going back 400 years earlier, going back to the Old Testament era, we find several more examples that were written for our learning.

For it was yet another declaration of independence that led Nebuchadnezzar to order the construction of an image made of entirely of pure gold of himself.

It persuaded Lot to choose the land which gave him the greatest advantage of personal gain.

A declaration of independence is what influenced an entire nation or generation, rather to construct a symbol.

They're in the plains of Shinar, a symbol of self-rule.

A declaration of independence conditioned Adam and Eve to become their own judge between good and evil.

Indeed, any and all declarations of independence, the arrogant kind that I speak of, never came by the moving of the Holy Spirit, it never does, but by the bewitching influence of demonic forces whose existence seems to be forgotten at times.

Today I want us to reflect on a very particular kind of declaration of independence.

Listen to these words penned by a prolific and inspired writer in the 19th century exposing the real but unseen enemy.

The enemy is preparing for his last campaign against the church.

He has so concealed himself from view that many can hardly believe that he exists.

Much less can they be convinced of his amazing activity and power.

They have to a great extent forgotten his past record.

And when he makes another advance move, they will not recognize him as their enemy, that old serpent.

But will consider him a friend, when he's doing a good work, boasting of their independence.

They will, under his specious bewitching influence, obey the worst impulses of the human heart, and yet believe that God is leading them.

Could their eyes be opened to distinguish their captain, they would see that they're not serving God, but the enemy of all righteousness.

They would see that their boasted independence is 1 of the heaviest fetters Satan can rivet on unbalanced minds.

To think that there's an enemy who roams, who seeks to sway us, to pull us into his influence, and that very influence is characterized by a kind of independence.

And of all the biblical accounts of men and women who were under this bewitching influence of the enemy, it's the story of Lot and his family that particularly grabs my attention.

Here's a man who is mentioned as being independent or rather dependent on his uncle Abraham.

In fact, when you read his story in the scriptures, you would notice that nearly every time that Lot is mentioned initially in his life story recorded in the Bible, he's always mentioned in the shadow of Abraham, dependent on his uncle.

There in Genesis chapter 4, chapter 12, verse 4, says or reads that Abraham departed, Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him.

Later in Genesis 13, 1 it reads, then Abram went up from Egypt and he and his wife and all that he had and Lot with him to the south so Lot evidently was dependent on Abraham But the time came when Lot accumulated wealth.

Lot was a determined man, no doubt, and he accumulated his own wealth.

So much so that he came to the point where he was no longer dependent on his uncle.

In fact he had so many possessions that it included servants.

His servants begin to get into arguments and fights with Abraham's servants because they shared so many possessions that, well, there was trouble at times.

And the Bible tells us that the day would come when Lot would step out on his own.

Abram on the other hand always remained dependent on God.

I mean, he even went as far as to start on a journey not knowing where he was going.

And so much so, that when the time came for Lot and Abram to actually split, that Abram gave Lot the first pick.

Now here's a man who's the oldest 1 of the 2.

Yet he, he was so humble, characteristic of being dependent on God.

And the Bible says that Lot chose for himself the plain of the Jordan.

And pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.

White commenting on this very moment, this moment in Lot's life, writes in her book, Patriarchs and Prophets, the following statement, Dazzled with visions of worldly gain, Lot overlooked the moral and spiritual evils that would be encountered there.

Lot's mind was so consumed with thoughts of being independently successful that he was not mindful of what he was getting himself into.

I don't blame him though for being so caught up with the reality that now he was going to be on his own.

After all, he would no longer be depending on his uncle, Abraham.

And so the boasting of his independence, as LNG.

White would put it, he apparently overlooked a few, Shall we say, immoral details that would later cost him dearly.

The author of Genesis chapter 14 verse 13 simply puts it this way, but the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.

And I'll put it this way, Lot chose the way that seemed right unto him.

You see, the word independence is defined as freedom from the control, influence, support, aid or the like of others.

As I see my son and daughter grow, 1 healthy aspect of their upbringing, of their growth, is that there's going to come a time when my boy and girl are going to become independent.

They're going to go on their own, leaving us empty nest.

I don't want to even think about that day.

And when the day comes, I'll just say there's going to be a lot of mixed emotions.

But I will, I will be thankful to God that they're prepared to fly away on their own.

There's a place for independence and it ought to be encouraged and even enabled.

But The independence that I speak of, the immediate context that I want us to take a moment here to just reflect on and ponder, is a context of independence which seeks to be free from the control or influence of God, who expects to be Lord of our life, of those of us who profess Christ as such.

When we take on the name of Christ, when we acknowledge God as the 1 true God, there's an expectation that God has of us.

When He said, Thou shalt love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind.

It's an expression of absolute dependence.

When he said, Ashkelon, I have no other gods before me.

What he is saying is, I don't want you depending on anyone else For what I alone can give you.

I don't want you going off, depending on other things or other people for joy or peace or purpose and meaning.

God calls us to know Him in absolute dependence on him.

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A Declaration of Dependence

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