Pastor Tim Dunn "Declaration of Independence" (7-2-23)

Welcome to Life City. This podcast was created to celebrate what God is doing

and what protects us. Our vision is to reach the hungry, the hurting,

and the hopeless. God has given us our heading. Join us today

as we listen to the Word and we pray that God speaks to you in

this message. I'm glad that you're here. And Tuesday we celebrate as a

nation. People are gonna blow stuff up. Someone might lose a finger,

hopefully not in this church. Be careful. Yeah, I've been known too,

and long long ago to be careless. In my younger years, we

used to have bottle rocket fights. Not the brightest thing we've ever done in

our life. Yeah it was. Yeah, when you get hit in the

face, it's a real bright We just weren't the brightest mentally. Um,

but uh yeah. I a few years back went over as actually during COVID

July fourth, during COVID, went over to some people in our churches in

our church, went over their house and we were just outside, and I

went and bought some some things that go high and make loud noises, and

it's like I'm just gonna set in the front yard. Like sounds like a

great idea. So I went out and I said it in the front yard,

and I thought I hadn't secured but I didn't. I lit it and

it fell over after the first one went in the air, and it was

every man, woman, a child for himself at that point, we're ducking

behind chairs and vehicles. Um. One shot over into the people. It

wasn't even my house, it was somebody else's house, shot over into their

neighbors, hit their mailbox, hit the grass, started a fire in their

grass. So I had to run over and put the fire out. Yeah,

great, fun, don't do that. Um, not the first fire

I started in my life. But we're that's for another another time. Not

not any major, didn't burn any structures down or anything like that. But

uh yeah, so yeah, yeah yeah. We have not been invited back

since that time. So they still come to church, just not inviting me

back to their house. So no, just playing. We have been back

to their house. He just told me not to bring fireworks. Narrowly escaped

a lawsuit from his neighbor. No, no, that didn't happen. I'm

just joking, amen, But we are. We're celebrating my fourth is the

celebration of our day of independence from Great Britain. You know the history of

that. We chose a democracy over a dictatorship, and I'm glad they did,

Amen. Even though the democracy is not perfect, it's better than a

dictatorship, amen. Amen. And and not typically political from up here.

But I will say, no matter coming up in twenty twenty four, no

matter how you vote, vote to secure democracy, Amen, in freedom,

freedom of choice, Amen. Amen. And so vote that way because that

lines up with the word of God. Amen. And So I want to

share something with you briefly this morning. And many of you know this,

I'm sure, but some of you might not that the Declaration of Independence was

not actually signed on July fourth, seventeen seventy six. It will is merely

adopted on July fourth, seventeen seventy six. It was officially adopted on the

fourth. Then after they adopted it on the fourth, over two hundred copies

were printed by John Dunlap on the fifth of July, and then on July

nineteenth, Congress ordered that the declaration be engrossed on parchment with a new title.

And the new title on that parchment is that top line up there under

in Congress, And it was this statement the Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United

States of America, the Unanimous Declaration. Basically, this was a letter,

is all it was. Um. The Declaration of Independence is not has never

been a binding, legal binding document. I did not know that until I

studied that it. Actually we learned that in dc the last time my wife

and I went to went to DCU for her job. I we walked through

the rotunda and we were looking at it, and we learned that it was

it's not a legal binding document because it failed to become legal binding. There's

a little history lesson um because legislation was not set up yet, and so

um they there was no legislature in the United States at that point. Um

that comes later, I believe a year later, seventeen seventy eight. It

was not set up yet. So this was not a But what it was

it was powerful? Why Why was it powerful? It made a united declaration

to the king that were no longer under your reign. We're no longer under

your control, amen. And so the adoption of the declaration was a powerful

step that set in motion the process of freedom. Abraham Lincoln made the statement,

he said that in the in the context of it not being a legal

binding document. He said it is powerful, and he called it a rebuke

and a stumbling block to tyranny and oppression. So this, this declaration,

this and this is this was the document that was engrossed in stone. That's

a picture of it. And most all copies came from this engrossment of the

Declaration of Independence, not from the original, not from the original letter that

we see displayed. They all came from all the printing came from this.

And so I want you to catch this. The first thing that was necessary

was a declaration had to be made. A declaration had to be adopted by

all those that were involved. The declaration had to be unanimous. There had

to be a unification of the mindset. There had to be they had to

be in Bible terms, in one mind and one in chord to say,

hey, we're standing together in this and we're making this declaration that we are

going to live free. Beliriate of what Paul wrote in Galatians when he said

it was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore keeps standing firm,

and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. What Paul was

saying that as the Church as those that were once slaves to sin, and

every one of us, Paul says, we're all sinners that have come short

of the glory of God. Every single one of us, at some point

in our life have to make a declaration of freedom to our former life and

the former things, and make that declaration to the enemy of our soul.

I am going to remain free. Jesus Christ has set me free, and

I'm never turning again to that yoke of bondage. I'm never turning again to

those things that held me in slavery. Amen. And so we must,

we must make our own declaration of freedom, declaration of independence from those things.

Man. And that's why, that's why we find repentance being preached throughout

the New Testament. Why what is repentance. It's a declaration of independence.

True repentance is not just a simple sinner's prayer. No, it's a turning

about of your entire life. It's a direction change. It's making a declaration

of freedom that I'm no longer walking in the path of unrighteousness, I'm no

longer walking in the path of addiction. I'm no longer walking in the path

of those choices. No I'm turning my eyes and I'm setting them unto Jesus

Christ. I know where my help comes from. And so true repentance is

a declaration of freedom. It's declaration of spiritual independence from those things that used

to hold you back. Amen. And that's why we find Peter, we

find John the Baptist, we find Jesus, all talking about repentance. Amen.

It's powerful, it's necessary. Amen. Amen. It's a turning about,

doing an about face. It's not just regret, it's not just sorrow.

It's a change, a true life change. Amen. That's what it

has to be. Amen. And that's the power of repentance. And that's

why it's that's why Peter included it. When he stood on the day of

Pentecost and they said, minimum, brother, what must we do? He

says, first of all, you need to repent, you filthy centers.

You need to repent. Now you need to call them filthy centers. If

he just said that, he would have had to say because he was a

scoundrel. Amen. I mean he cut a dude's ears off, ear ear

off. And that was after he started following Jesus, thinking how bad he

was. Before Jesus said Hey, Peter, come and follow me. You

need me, brother, believe me, you need to follow me. Your

life is gonna be cut short. Somebody gonna kill you. He was a

hothead. Amen. And so Peter stands up and he says, you need

to repent. You need to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for

the remission of your sins. The first two things Peter tells them to do.

He says, first of all, you need to change the direction you're

headed. And then you need to have a cleansing of those sins from your

life. And he and those two things are so powerful. And then he

says, then you shall be filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost.

He says, there is this wonderful gift that is given to humanity, that

is given to mankind. And it is the power of His Spirit. Amen.

And it's free. Amen. But this is the deal. The spirit

of God, the Holy Ghost, will not abide in a vessel full of

sin. That's why repentance and baptism is necessary for the infilling of his spirit.

Amen. It's that life change, It's that declaration of independence. This

is the deal. I've got to devare my independence from sin. So I

can set my life independence independence of Jesus Christ. Amen, because as we

saying, there's nothing better than him. I'll tell you this, My wife

and I probably wouldn't be my wife and I had it not been for Jesus.

Amen. Because in nineteen years we've had a few disagreements. Amen,

just a couple. Let's play. Never mind, we just had another one.

It starts after church, just joking. It's kind of flip side that

the other side of that coin. Amen. But I can tell you this,

there's times where it was only Jesus why we made it. Amen.

There's times before I ever met her that I made it to the point to

meet her because of only Jesus. Amen. And my whole life, whether

I was following him or not, is what it is because of Jesus.

Amen. There's no denying it. Am. And so what I choose to

do is I choose to acknowledge him. Solomon wrote in Proverbs chapter three,

he said, acknowledge him in all thy ways, and he shall direct thy

path. Amen. He'll lead you in righteousness, He'll order your footsteps if

you acknowledge who he is. Amen. And that begins with the process of

declaring to the enemy in that former life. I'm done with you no longer.

Are you gonna have a hold of me, those old thoughts, those

old done in my life. Amen. It's that declaration of independence that is

that must be loud and it must be clear if freedom was to be realized

in the United States, if true freedom, because there was those here,

you know, the Revolutionary War. There was those here that were fighting for

the king and trying to bring the that dictatorship over the pond and here,

but no, there were men that stood against it. And this is the

deal. Those men that signed that declaration, those men, sorry, those

men that signed this document, they signed it with an understanding that this is

gonna cost me my life. Amen. Many of these had children kidnapped and

killed because of their signature on this document, spouse's wives, brothers, sisters,

family members, their own life. It cost them. But there was

something within those men that understood it's better to die for freedom than to live

under oppression. Amen. And this is the thing Scripture talks about dying to

our flesh. Paul says, I have to die daily. Amen. There

is a death that is required, amen, in our lives, and it's

dying to this fleshly desires, the lust of the flesh, the lust of

the eyes, the pride of life, all of these things. We must

die out to those things. And that is a part of that repentance that

is so necessary. If we truly want to walk in freedom, Amen,

that we have to be willing to do what's necessary. Amen, to do

what's necessary. Amen. I love the new title. They gave it,

the Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America. It let the king

know, Hey, we're together in this Amen. And the Church needs to

make a unanimous declaration to this world. We stand together, and we stand

with Jesus. Amen. He is the author and the finisher of our faith.

He is the chief cornerstone upon which we are built. We don't we

don't shame away from it. As Paul said, I am not ashamed of

the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot be ashamed of the gospel because the

gospel has power to change your life, in my life, in every single

life out there. Amen. And so we as the Church, we need

to make a very loud and clear declaration to the enemy that we are unanimously

united in the process. The power and the reality of spiritual freedom. It's

not something we just talk about. It's not something we just dream about.

It's not an unrealized dream. It's the abundant life that we have been promised.

Amen. And Jesus said in John ten ten the thief comes but to

steal and to kill and destroy. He says, I've come that you might

have life and life, and have it more abundantly. Amen. That abundant

life is what's promised to us. Amen. Romans eight. Paul goes on

to them that are which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the

flesh, but after the spirit. It's that, it's that motion of walking

in Him. After we make that declaration. There after we die out to

the flesh. There's no condemnation when you're in Christ Jesus. Amen. He

goes on. He says, for the law, the spirit of life in

Christ, Jesus has made you free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the

flesh. God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and

for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. This is what he's saying.

He's saying, you're not condemned. I've already condemned sin. Amen. Jesus

Christ did that. And then in verse four he says that the righteousness of

the law might be fulfilled in us, who walked not after the flesh,

but after the spirit. Amen. This is our declaration of freedom, a

unanimous declaration of the Church of the Living God. Amen. Amen. That's

why David stood there. David stood there in front of that giant Goliath.

Goliath wasn't afraid of David. He called him a young boy, and he

told him he's gonna feed him to the birds. Amen. Goliath didn't fear

David. David understood that, and so when David stepped up, he says,

I don't come to you a sword and shield. He said, I

come to you in the name of the Lord of Host, the God if

the armies of Israel's that's the one who delivered the bear into my hands,

the one that delivered the lion into my hands. That's who brought me to

this field today. That's who's gonna direct this stone to defeat you. Amen.

And that's how we got to live as the Church of the Living God.

Amen. He don't fear the devil, doesn't fear tim done. But

it ain't tim done. That's standing before him. It's tim done under the

power and the anointing of the Holy Ghost, which has all power in heaven

and earth. Amen. Amen, And the same I want my wife to

come. Hallelujah. The declaration has already been signed. But our declaration has

been signed in blood. It's been signed in blood of Jesus Christ on the

cross, when he gave his life for you. When that when that spear

pierced his and that blood flowed out of his body, down his leg,

dripped off of his feet and onto the ground. In that moment, your

declaration of independence was signed by the only one who could buy your freedom.

That was Jesus Christ. Amen. That's why he's worthy. That's why he

must be praised and glorified to be followed. That's why he's worthy to live

our life according to this book and his word. Amen. The difference between

the declaration of Independence and the Church's declaration is that our declaration is binding because

Jesus Christ gave his life for it. He gave his life for you.

Your freedom has already been paid for. Death has already been defeated. The

grave tyranny has no control over you. Paul wrote somewhere in the in the

New Testament. I can't remember exactly, but he says that sin has no

dominion over you. I mean, that's how we must live as you stand

with me this morning, that sin has no dominion over you because it doesn't.

Amen, the former things of your life have no control. Amen.

You're free. Amen, You're free. Do you believe that? I wonder

if you'd close your eyes this morning all over this place. Amen, you're

free. I want you to think about that. You're truly free. You're

free from the restraints of fear. Does that mean you're never afraid? No,

it means fear cannot hold you captive. Amen, you're free from that.

Well, I don't feel free. Your freedom has already been bought and

paid for. It's already been signed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Your

freedom from fear, Amen is available today. All you have to do is

receive it. Receive that Amen. Whatever you have faced, whatever you're facing

today, know this one thing that you're free in Jesus Hallelujah. You're free

in Him. You're free to worship, You're free to magnify. Amen,

You're free to not be ashamed of his gospel. Our world has many voices

screaming all kinds of things. There is one voice it needs. There is

one voice that is absolutely necessary for our world, and that is the voice

of the Church. Crying out Doug last week, priest and wonderful message about

even the warriors cried out. Even those that had tasted victory came to a

point where they had to cry out to him. Amen, Him, and

our world needs to hear the cry of the Church. I am not ashamed

of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the path resurrection for anyone

who receives it. Hallelujah. That's the freedom we live in. Amen.

As my wife begins to seeing, I wonder just where you stand today if

you would just lift your hands, hallelujah. Thank you so much for being

with us today. We hope you were blessed in some way by the message.

To learn more about us, check out www dot my Life City Church

dot org, or you can contact us at info at my Life City Church

dot org. Thank you once again for joining us, and we hope you

have a great week.