ILL. Today we’re celebrating the birthday of our nation & the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It was a momentous decision for each one who placed his name upon it. As John Adams signed, he said, "Whether we live or die, sink or swim, succeed or fail, I stand behind this Declaration of Independence. And if God wills it, I am ready to die in order that this country might experience freedom." It was that kind of patriotism which led men, armed with little more than hunting rifles, to engage in battle with what was the most powerful nation in the world. Many of our forefathers paid a terrible price in the Revolutionary War, but finally they won the victory so that you & I might be citizens of this "land of the free & home of the brave." PROP. But what we often forget is that in declaring their independence from England, our forefathers made an equally strong declaration of dependence upon Almighty God. I. THEY DECLARED THEIR DEPENDENCE UPON GOD A. The second paragraph 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 Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The closing words of their Declaration solemnly states: "With a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes & our sacred Honor." APPL. It is important that we recall this very basic declaration of their dependence, for in a time of prosperity & power & world leadership, the United States today is rapidly forgetting the God of our fathers, the God who gave this nation its birth & its greatness. Now listen to these words from Patrick Henry. "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians - not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ." His Last Will & Testament was filed in the Brookneal County courthouse in Virginia. Read his Will & you’ll see that he bequeathed everything to his children, just as most people do. But the last paragraph in his Will is especially interesting. He wrote, "I have now given everything I own to my children. There is one more thing I wish I could give them & that is Christ. Because if they have everything I gave them & don’t have Christ, they have nothing." Patrick Henry, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, and many of the other patriots gave of themselves valiantly that we might enjoy the freedoms that are ours. B. But we need to be reminded of the solemn warning that God gave to another nation which was experiencing the thrill of independence after centuries of slavery in Egypt. Although it was written over 3,000 years ago, this warning could very well apply to the United States today. In Deuteronomy 8:7-14 Moses tells the people, "For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land. . .where you shall eat food without scarcity. . . When you have eaten & are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. Beware. . .lest, when you have eaten & are satisfied, & have built good houses & lived in them. . .& your silver & your gold multiply, & all that you have multiplies, then your heart becomes proud, & you forget the Lord your God." II. WATCH OUT THAT WE DON’T FORGET GOD The testimony of history has made it abundantly clear that not only nations, but also individuals, need to heed that warning. The greatness of a nation does not rest in its military power, technological advancement, or its national wealth. Righteousness & justice are the determining factors. Solomon, the wisest of men, said: "Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people." [Proverbs 14:34] And what is happening in the United States today? To a great extent, our modern objectives have become success, status, & security. These are followed closely by self-indulgence, comfort & pleasure. Our permissive society turns freedom into license; rights into riots; & pornography into profit. Concerned about a higher standard of living, some fail to live by any standard. Riches are elevated above righteousness, & science above the Savior. We abandon the moral law & then shake our heads in disbelief as crime increases. ILL. Someone wrote: What in the world is happening with our kids today? Let’s see…I think it started when Madalyn Murray O’Hair complained that she didn’t want any prayer in our schools, and it was agreed. Then someone said “You had better not read the Bible in school” – the Bible that says, “Thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal,” & “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And it was agreed. Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn’t spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped & we might damage their self-esteem. So we said, “Okay, we won’t spank them.” Then someone said that teachers & principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. And our administrators said, “No one in this school is to touch a student when he misbehaves because we don’t want any bad publicity. And we surely don’t want to be sued.” Then someone said, “Let’s provide our children with condoms so they can have all the ‘fun’ they desire.” And most people said, “That’s a great idea.” Someone else said, “Let’s provide abortions for underage girls, & they won’t even have to tell their parents.” And most people said, “That another great idea.” So now we’re asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don’t know right from wrong, & why it doesn’t bother them to kill. Probably, if we think about it long & hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with “We reap what we sow.” Wow! What a concept! III. DON’T LET OUR FREEDOM GET OUT OF HAND We say, "I’ve gotta be free," but sometimes our proclaimed freedom has become the very thing that enslaves us. In Titus 3:3, Paul says, "At one time we were foolish, disobedient, deceived & entangled by all kinds of passions & pleasures. We lived in malice & envy, being hated & hating one another." This is the enslaving & deceiving nature of sin. People who are caught up in sin think they are free, but in reality they are enslaved to sin. ILL. Go to the wino on the street & say, "I want to set you free from alcoholism." He will say, "I’m not a slave to anything. Give me back my bottle." ILL. The prodigal son came to his father & said, "I want to be free. Give me what is mine." Then he wandered into the far country, saying, "I’m free! I’m free!" But his freedom was brief. His friends left him when his money ran out, & he found himself enslaved to a Gentile taskmaster & to a group of hogs in the hog wallow. It was not until he came home & submitted to the father that he really found freedom. IV. OUR REAL FREEDOM COMES IN CHRIST So when we stand back & look at this land of the free we begin to wonder, "Is there any real freedom anywhere?" But thank God, as Christians, we have a greater freedom than any constitution can grant us. We have the freedom that is offered in Christ Jesus. There is a word for freedom in the N.T. It is the word, "redemption." "Redemption" means "to be set free." It means that we have been bought with a price, that we have been freed of our bondage, & now we are really free. In Paul’s letter to Titus he tells us that we have been set free from the bondage of sin. "For the grace of God. . .teaches us to say ’No’ to ungodliness & worldly passions, & to live self-controlled, upright, Godly lives in this present age. . . Jesus Christ. . .gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness, & to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good." [Titus 2:11-14] CONCL. If you really are a patriot; if you are truly concerned about America; if you earnestly want God to bless her - then live a life in harmony with the will of God. Only then does one truthfully have the right to sing: God bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her, & guide her, Through the night, with the light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam; God bless America, my home, sweet home. So, as we celebrate again the birth of our nation, pray that our country might have a new birth of freedom; not a freedom from God, which always leads to license & ultimate slavery, but rather a freedom built upon God & His commandments. Also, may each one of us, as individuals, reaffirm our dependence upon God so that, "looking unto Jesus the author & finisher of our faith," we might experience the freedom He gives not only from worry, doubt & fear, but also from all those sins which do "so easily beset us." Then, as did the founding Fathers of our country, we will find in Him our life, liberty, & true happiness. WHAT KIND OF FREEDOM WOULD WE HAVE? Almost 226 years ago, a group of men were meeting in trying circumstances. A war was on. Armies were marching and doing battle. They believed in certain truths that ultimately would form one of human history’s greatest nations. They were willing to sacrifice their very lives for making these truths a reality in a new experiment called democracy. What if Ben Franklin would have said, “I give up. This stuff is too hard. I’m going kite flying.” What if George Washington would have telephoned from the battlefield and said, “I can’t do this anymore. I am out gunned, out manned, and out trained. I am going back to Mt Vernon and farm, get a new general!” What if James Madison had said, “This will never work. We can’t do it. I don’t have time for all this Declaration of Independence work. I’m calling Dolly and telling her 'Let’s start the snack cake business you’ve been wanting to start!'” What if Thomas Jefferson had said, “I am getting writer’s cramp. Can’t you guys do anything to help me out? I’m going back to Monticello!” What kind of freedom would we have?