DIVINE DEPENDENCE, JULY 4
We trust today’s message encouraged and guided you in your journey of following Jesus. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or to be used for a sermon group discussion. CLICK HERE to find a discussion group. Enjoy!
Sermon Title: Divine Dependence
Main Scriptures: 2 Chronicles 7; Psalm 33
If you’re going through this discussion with a community group this week consider taking the time to read the provided scripture to catch everyone up!
Teaching Notes:
I am:
A Brother and a Son; A spouse, serving my wife; A stepdad, serving my kids and grandchild; A pastor, serving my church and community; An American, serving my country
But above all, I am a Christian, child of God, serving my God
We are a lot in this world, but God is above all!! Without God, there would be nothing else.
The reality is this:
God is the creator, we are His creation. God’s way completely outdoes our way. Our wealth can’t compare to God’s riches and provision. God is wiser than any man can ever be. God holds the future better than anyone can worry about it.
Any kingdom we build is dwarfed by God’s Kingdom that is eternal and everlasting. God’s Word is greater than any of our agendas or philosophy. God is greater than any political party or government system. Our freedom and purpose in our country were authored by God who worked through our founding fathers.
I love the Word of God. I love American History My favorite war to read about is the American Revolutionary War. Many miracles occurred with a rag-tag army against a powerful established foe. Consider the Knox Expedition – the expedition of 25-year-old Continental Army Colonel Henry Knox
60 tons of cannons, mortars, and howitzers, including several 24-pound cannons known as “Big Berthas”, which were 11 feet long and weighed 5000 pounds. They took all this equipment from Fort Ticonderoga at the north end of Lake George to Boston. Across lakes, semi-frozen rivers, through forests, swamps, and hills of the lightly inhabited Berkshire mountains; through ice and snow in the wintertime. They used horses, boats, ox-drawn sleds, and manpower along poor-quality roads. And did it in 56 days!! Historian Victor Brooks called it, “one of the most stupendous feats of logistics” of the entire Revolutionary War!
“The general principles of which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.” – John Adams 1813 to Thomas Jefferson
“Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. Continue steadfast and with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.” John Hancock
“Religion and good morals are the only solid foundation of public liberty and happiness.” Samuel Adams
“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” Benjamin Franklin
“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” George Washington
“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.” George Washington
“The founding fathers believed that faith in God was the key to our being a good people and Americas’ becoming a great nation.” Ronald Reagan
What does God say:
Proverbs 14:34
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” (NIV)
“Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” (NLT)
“Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” (AMP)
Proverbs 28:2
“When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily, but wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.” (NLT)
“When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order” (NIV)
Proverbs 29:2
“When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.” (NLT)
“When the righteous triumph, there is great elation. But when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.” (NIV)
“When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice. But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh.” (AMP)
Psalm 33:12
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” (NIV)
“What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord.” (NLT)
“Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the nation whose God is the Lord.” (AMP)
2 Chronicles 7 shares the story of the dedication of the temple of God.
14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land”
19 “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.
TWO MAIN CONSIDERATIONS
1. We have to be anchored to a single standard – God’s Word. It is a standard that never changes. It moors us to God who never changes.
There are so many voices, philosophies, changing views, progressive thoughts, worldly ideas, and personal agendas. If we are not moored to a standard, anything can be a distraction for us and take us away from our devotion to God and His Word.
OVERTON WINDOW The range (or window) of policies that the public will accept. The idea is that any policy falling outside the Overton window is out of step with public opinion and the current political climate, and formulated to try and shift the window in a different direction or to expand it to be wider.
In view of God, our “window” is the word of God. Anything falling outside of that window wants to become part of our belief system. We must protect our standards, our beliefs, our godly lifestyle.
God is the solution to every problem and every circumstance we face! What we stand on will ultimately be what guides us. Stand on His Word – The Rock!
2. We need to develop and maintain critical thinking. We can’t afford to believe everything we hear. We can’t afford to live our lives by shifting standards. DON’T BELIEVE everything that you hear.
Proverbs 14:15
“Only simpletons believe everything they are told! The prudent carefully considers their steps.” (NLT)
“The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.” (NIV)
“The naïve or inexperienced person [is easily misled and] believes every word he hears. But the prudent man [is discreet and astute and] considers well where his is going.” (AMP)
Prudent – crafty, shrewd, sensible; to have understanding; practical wisdom; takes careful thought before action.
What is “Critical Thinking”? – An analysis of facts to form a judgment. Rational, skeptical, unbiased analysis, or evaluation of factual evidence. Disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.
In a Believer’s mindset, everything should be run through the filter of God’s Word. Why is this important? Our experience, biases, prejudices, training, influences tend to cause us to hold on to beliefs that may not line up to God’s understanding. “His thoughts are not our thoughts”
Consider the Example of the Ten Spies in Numbers 13 and 14
Ten Spies influenced an entire nation in such a way that the Israelites failed to inherit God’s promise for them.
Psalm 33
Takeaways:
God’s word is the supreme authority we need to cling to for every decision we make.
God’s word is the supreme authority in critical thinking.
We must humble ourselves before God, pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.
We need to stay unwavering on the sure foundation of the ROCK of Jesus Christ.
Discussion:
What was one big takeaway for you from today’s message?
What something new you learned, from the message?
What scripture verse stuck out to you and why?
What did you sense the Holy Spirit was saying to you during this message?
How can you develop a deeper commitment to God’s word?
In what areas of your life and beliefs do you need to evaluate using God’s word and the guide?
The most important decision you will ever make!
Are you ready to experience salvation and be transformed we encourage you to say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I see my sin and how wrong it is. I see how without Jesus I’m lost. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me from my sin, my past, this world, and your judgment. I repent, I turn away from that life and I put my faith and life in Jesus! Amen!
We would love to know if you made the decision to accept this wonderful gift from God. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hoped you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!