Independence is Impossible

Independence Day, known as the 4th of July, commemorates the ratification of.

The Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776,

establishing the United States of America.

The Second Continental Congress declared that the 13 colonies were no longer

subject to the monarch of Britain, King George III, and were now united,

free, and independent states.

The Congress voted to approve independence by passing the Lee Resolution on

July 2 and adopted the Declaration of Independence two days later on July 4.

So what does really independence mean?

According to Webster, independence means the state of being independent.

But then to really know what that means, you have to look up to see what the

definition of independence is, or independent is.

And it's being free from outside control.

Now we're all looking at independence today and to find out if you can ever be truly independent.

The road to independence was paved by growing dissatisfaction among the colonies

due to British policies, including taxation without representation.

This resolution contained three parts, separation from the British Crown,

a call to form foreign alliances, and a plan for confederation.

No matter how dissatisfied we become in everyday life, the Bible tells us in

Proverbs 3, verses 5 through 7,

Proverbs 3:5–7

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your path straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and shun evil.

We are to trust God like Israel's forefathers who were rescued.

When we trust in him, he will remove the obstacles in our way.

Unfortunately, the colonists were getting good and bad news at the same time.

British troops were making landfall in New York as the Liberty Bell rang in

Philadelphia. At that point, American and British forces already had been engaged

in armed conflict for 15 months.

In 1777, the British occupied the capital city of Philadelphia,

while Washington and his men struggled through a brutal winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

Nearly 2,000 of Washington's 12,000 men died during that winter encampment.

The Continental Army was hardened by the experience and gained even greater

resolve in the campaign to defeat the British.

For the next four years, Americans would fight battle after battle against the

mightiest military on earth.

Thanks to the military leadership of Washington and the combined efforts of

the French Navy and Washington's good friend and ally,

General Marquis de Lafayette, The British surrendered after the siege of Yorktown on October 19, 1781.

The United States had become a sovereign and independent nation after six years of valor and sacrifice.

Independence Day serves as a reminder of the values of freedom and self-determination

that the United States was founded upon.

It is a day of national pride commemorating the sacrifices made by those who

fought for independence from Britain and the ongoing pursuit of liberty and justice for all.

Just as the country went through birth and growth, so do we,

and it's not all on our own.

It takes others that we must depend on from birth and in the early years.

Just as the colonies depended on assistance from France, we also had to depend

on our parents for everything at birth.

As we grew, we continued to depend on our parents or guardians for nurturing,

just as the colonies depended on their allies for assistance.

When we get old enough to attend school, we depend on the teachers and instructors

to teach us and fill our minds with knowledge.

Although we continue to strive for independence as we grow, we continue to become

dependent on other forms.

Have you ever thought about how much you depend on food and water to survive?

Genesis 2, verses 10-14 says, A river watering the garden flowed from Eden,

Genesis 2:10–14

for there it was separated into four headwaters.

The name of the first is Pishon. It winds through the entire land of Havilah.

Where there is gold. The name of the second river is the Gihon.

It winds through the entire land of Cush.

The name of the third river is the Tigris. It runs along the east side of Asher,

and the fourth river is the Euphrates.

God provided a home for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, as well as the water

to drink and the plants to eat.

Depending on God, seven days to recognizing your deep need for him says that

we are not self-sufficient creatures.

Even if we hunt, gather, and grow everything we eat, sow our clothes,

and build our own shelters, self-sufficiency is always an illusion.

We hunt and gather what already exists. We grow crops from seeds that are already there.

We sow and build with pre-existing materials.

We have to have food to survive.

Food helps us recognize that life comes from and is sustained by God.

As Judah Lipsisella wrote in his Bible Devotion Plan, independence is impossible.

From our greatest ancestors, Adam and Eve, dependence on God began until,

of course, they thought they knew better than God and wanted to become independent.

This desire ultimately led them to eat the forbidden fruit.

Look how well that turned out for them. And look at the sin and brokenness we

have in our world, and still experience as a result of their pride,

thinking they knew better than God.

Genesis 3, verses 1 through 11, which is our scripture for today.

Genesis 3:1–11

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had

made. He said to the woman, Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?

The woman said to the serpent, We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden.

But God did say, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle

of the garden, and you must not touch it or you will die.

You will not certainly die, the serpent said to the woman, for God knows that

when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened. End.

And you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing

to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.

She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

Then the eyes of them were both opened, and they realized they were naked.

So they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking

in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

But the Lord God called to the man, Where are you?

He answered, I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.

And he said, Who told you that you were naked.

Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?

John Wesley writes about this fall, on belief begot pride.

Eve thinks she is wiser than God

and capable of finding a better way to happiness than that taught by God.

Eve is determined to do her will and not the will of God who made her for holiness and happiness.

I think we can all say we found ourselves in that place at one point or another in our lives.

A lot of times we feel that we know better.

The Wesley Study Bible states that the creation accounts make clear that we

have been fashioned for relationship.

We are meant to be in relationship to share community with the created order.

As God evidently desired companionship, women and men together sharing life

and love, caring for the world is its bounty and vitality.

Our essential nature binds us in shared responsibility for one another and the entire created order.

That doesn't sound too independent to me. Sounds more like dependency.

So what should you focus on this Independence Weekend?

1 Peter 4.19 states, Those who suffer according to God's will should commit

themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Is independence possible? Not if you are a true believer in Jesus Christ.

No matter how hard you try, you cannot remain sinless.

Philippians 2.13 says, For it is God who works in you to will and to act in

order to fulfill his good purpose.

When you ask Jesus Christ into your heart, that becomes his home and he is in

you, trying to lead you to do the right and perfect things.

Not that you're going to be perfect, but he's leading you in the way you should go.

As Lupsella put it, Those who depend on things of this world,

in anything but in Christ, are like a person who builds the foundation of their house on sand.

Whereas those who depend on Christ, relying on his word and presence,

sustain them, are like someone who builds the foundation of their house on the rock.

When the storms come, the foundations are tested.

The house built on rock will stand, while the house built on rock. sand will crumble.

When the storms of life come, your foundation will be tested.

The beach house always appears more glamorous and fun, just like the sins of the world do.

But when a hurricane comes, the beach houses get hit the worst,

and they're not so beautiful in the end.

Are you depending on the rock, Christ, to be your firm foundation?

Or are you depending on the sand of the world. The storms of life still come

regardless of which you choose.

However, your decision determines if you'll stand through the storm or fall apart.

As Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7 verses 24 through 29, Therefore everyone

Matthew 7:24–29

who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man

who built his house on the rock.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house.

Yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice

is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that

house, and it fell with a great crash.

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,

because he taught as one who had authority and not as their teachers of the

law. You must throw away the idea that we become independent.

We must realize that we are nothing. In depending on God's seven days to recognizing

your deep need for him, it states, Any semblance of power in a creature is a

derived and dependent strength.

It comes from God and depends on him to sustain it.

Therefore, every created thing has an inescapable weakness.

It cannot exist or continue existing apart from God's will.

It goes on to say we depend entirely upon God for our place,

presence, purpose, provision, protection, and partners.

God doesn't get life from anywhere.

He is life. And he alone gives life.

Apart from him, we have no life. to be banished from his presence is to die forever.

Weakness is a gift from God. It reminds us that God designed all life to be lived by faith.

Life, liberty, and happiness aren't found in our independence.

They are rooted in our dependence. It is only by depending on Jesus Christ and

accepting him as our Lord and Savior will we enter the gates of heaven.

There's no way to be truly independent and a follower of Christ.

And when you think about it, there's no way to be truly independent in this world anymore.

I know a man who says he lives off the grid and chose to be homeless,

but I don't think he realizes every time he uses his cell phone, we can track him.

You can be tracked at any time. You're not truly independent.

You live amongst humanity, and we're all dependent on each other.

I can remember as a kid, my favorite song growing up was Jesus Loves Me.

I would walk around the house singing it until I think I drove my mom crazy.

I don't know if it's because she got tired of hearing the same song over and

over, or if I just sang out of tune.

So I would like us all, as we really celebrate on this Independence Weekend,

our dependence on Christ, to sing with me, Jesus Loves Me. Thank you.

Music.

Walking with me on my way. Jesus is always by your side.

As a true believer in Christ, it is impossible to be truly independent.

And that is a good thing. For if you choose independence, you choose to turn your back on Christ.

And as it was noted earlier, a life without Christ is death.