Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Mistaken Identity





Philippians 3:1-11 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.  Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,  though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

Found my notes, so jumping back in Pastor JJ’’s sermon series. Life can be filled with disguises so that the question of true identity, even of reality, repeatedly surface, and judging by appearances and focusing on who and what a character inescapably is. When our identity is in Christ, we rejoice in life and live out that joy. Our life story centers on the redemption from sin & the consequences thereof by the ultimate act of love and self-sacrifice, the atoning death of Jesus Christ for his people. But, beware, there is a danger that we not allow or involve the Lord in our lives and relationships. We never want to reject God’s revelation in favor of our own wisdom. We never want to say: "Glory be to me.” Life is not to be looked at through Christ plus anything, and certainly never without Christ, but always through Christ. Become the promise of God lived out. It’s not really about knowing all the “right” thing to do, doing all the “right” things, being in all the “right” groups, but about “knowing” Christ and “being” like Christ; having a  “righteousness” through faith in and fellowship with Christ alone. Faith in God alone and His power, not ours. “Soli deo Gloria”, to God alone be the glory.

Our sovereign Creator God’s intent, purpose and concern is to receive glory. Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The only one who deserves glory, because of who He is, what He did, what He does, and what he is going to do in our life. Self-centered glory and adoration is believing the false life. It is certainly the case that moving from truth to lies is the beginning of the end. Our life identity without the Lord is nothing but rubbish and death. We are made for a relationship with Him, believing in the gospel truth. We must clear out our dead craziness that reaps the whirlwind of vanity (sellin our soul to the devil), and find our “true” identity Christ, then live out His purposes through our life, pleasing in His sight. We were created in His image; created for worshipping and giving everything to God. Yes, created to call upon His name and to be holy like He is holy; being like Him. Why did Jesus have to sacrificially die, in our place for our sins, upon the cross? Because He is the “God of life” and heaven, not the “god of death”.  In Christ and through Christ is only way to truly live out our life rejoicing with joy, with a “true”, not a “mistaken” identity.   

1 Peter 2:10
 “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”

In Christ, Brian

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Citizenship in Heaven



Philippians 3:17-21 “Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.  But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

I’ve really been enjoying this verse-by-verse preaching that Pastor JJ has been presenting to us, bringing to light the holiness of God and the deep spiritual meaning and application in our lives. The basic building blocks of our faith’s foundation that we may make no mistake of what it means to be a child of God. Who doesn’t want to go to heaven? Certainly, nobody, but the sin nature of our flesh can take us down the wrong path if we do not know the truth and make it known in this world. I mentioned the three stages of the Christian life (Justification, Sanctification & Glorification), but the enemies of the cross live by Justification and Glorification without Sanctification, (the true transformation process of growing and maturing in Christ) and missing what God has for them now and for eternity. This is not unbalanced, but ungodly. This passage tells us that the natural man focuses on their stomach and glory, while their egocentric mind set is on earthly things (the physical, the emotional, the material and sensual), which is not a righteous pursuit of God, but actually natural man’s futile attempt in His hatred of God to destroy His omnipotent deity. Who is in control of our lives, and who sits on the throne of our hearts? That which is terrifying for the unbeliever and false Believer, is that which is pure for the true Believer. Only those who have experienced the sweetness of true reconciling grace can look at the overwhelming power, sovereignty, and immutability of a transcendent God and find there love, joy & peace. Our race is His race for us, with His finish line and reward. The self-centered world distracts us from God’s path, calling us to take another road to another place called destruction. Citizen of heaven, we are under the King of kings, our Lord, so stand firm in your sanctification and be holy. The eyes of grace (the Vinedresser) penetrate to the soul and to truth, ever hopeful of who a character may become and what he or she may finally do as a child of God. Grace sees redemption and fruit.

Proverbs 7:2Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.”

In Christ, Brian

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

PRESS ON


Philippians 3:12-16 “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.”

Pastor JJ continued this Sunday in His verse-by-verse study of the book of Philippians, explaining the three stages of Christian life in Justification (past), Sanctification (present), & Glorification (future). Justification takes place one time, the moment that we first believe. We are justified by the grace of God, through faith in the atoning death, resurrection & ascension of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ in our place and our sins are forgiven. Glorification is when the Believer passes from this life to eternity in heaven with our glorified bodies to be with the Lord. But Sanctification is the here & now process of walking in the Spirit and growing into the likeness of Christ, by the refining work of God in our life to shape us (Jeremiah 18), and trim off the unfruitful parts of our life (John 15), and teach us (John 6:45). We never get to the place where we think that we’ve “made it”. We haven’t perfection and don’t measure up, so God has more work in perfecting the saints. God isn’t done with us yet. Don’t miss out on this process and direction that the Lord is taking us in personal relationship as we press on heavenward to reach the goal and receive our prize. We are never out of the race. This life-long process is conditioning us for eternity and we need to keep that prospective in view to guide our stride and path. Enjoy the true pursuit of happiness and cherish how far you’ve come. Heaven is just up ahead, on the horizon. Press on.

Revelation 3:5 “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

In Christ, Brian

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Dark Night



John 3:17-21 Jesus replied, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Another senseless act of random violence in America; this time there was a random shooting in a movie theatre, during the opening midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colorado, just outside of Denver. As of this writing, 12 people are reported to be dead, and 50 injured. The alleged shooter was a 24-year-old white male, who was wearing a bulletproof body armor and a gas mask, using tear gas, and firing three weapons.

I agree with Christian writer Jerry Newcombe, when he writes: “How do we make sense out of this kind of thing? Why do things like this happen? I can't help but feel that to some extent, we're reaping what we've been sowing as a society. We said to God, "Get out of the public arena." America’s dark secular humanist have, over years of Bible-attacking lawsuits and atheistic indoctrination chased away any light of fear of God in the land -- at least in the hearts of millions. Recently, I wrote on the subject of Hell and how our society has generally lost its cognizance of it. We've lost this cognizance to the point that a recent bestseller was a book by an "evangelical pastor," who for all practical purposes denied Hell. This makes me think. "Wow, what the heck happened to Hell?" To me, what Jesus said 2,000 years ago is still worth heeding: What does it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your soul?

Newcombe  states that tens of millions of young people in this culture seem to have no fear of God, (No higher power with a pure, healthy & holy standard to follow for balance and stability –no light and the darkness). It's becoming too commonplace that some frustrated person will go on a killing spree of random people or commit suicide. Where's the fear of God in our society? Why? I don't think people would do those sorts of things if they truly understood the reality of Heaven & Hell. An Alabama black pastor said,
“Because before they took prayer out of school, you didn't hear about kids killing each other, about them bringing dope to school, shooting the teachers, you didn't hear about that. You see what I'm saying? That's what's wrong. We need more God-fearing."

The Founding Fathers of America gave us a system where voluntary God-fearing was the underpinning of civility in society. The more internal restraints people have, the less need they have for external restraints. (And the converse is true.) Religion and morality were key to the Founders' vision for a civil society.

"Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." George Washington

"We have staked the whole future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments." James Madison

"We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams

All societies of men must be governed in some way or other. The less they may have of stringent State Government, the more they must have of individual self-government. The less they rely on public law or physical force, the more they must rely on private moral restraint. Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled, either by a power within them, or by a power without them; either by the Word of God, or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible, or by the bayonet.” Robert Winthrop

The horrific Aurora, Colorado massacre was the appalling act of a deranged individual, but the symptom of a much deeper national moral deficiency (sanctity of life, love & respect of others and honoring God, to name a few). The root problem is Sin & Unbelief, where men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. This is my view that the Lord changes the repentant heart that loves and follows Him to say not only: “I won’t kill.”, but also to say: “Why would I kill? I don’t want to!”  “How could I do such a thing against my God and my fellow man?” Know God & eternal life is the key. The Truth must be told and proclaimed in these dark nights. Revival is needed. I pray for the victims, the assailant, the families, and this nation. May God’s loving hand lead and comfort them in this dark time. May we all turn to the "Lord above all" in prayer.

John 3:31-36 John the Baptist replied, “He (Jesus) has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands. And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”

In Christ, Brian

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

A Cup of Joe & a Spot of Tea



Galatians 5:13-14 “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

A decade or two ago, The person at work who was running the inter-office coffee club transferred, and I was asked to pick up the managing of this small operation that provided a cheap cup of “Joe” any time of day for my co-workers. Did you know that Josephus Daniels (1862-1948) was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. Among his reforms of the Navy was the abolishment of the officers' wine mess. From that time on, the strongest drink aboard Navy ships could only be coffee and over the years, a cup of coffee became known as "a cup of Joe". By providing an inexpensive quality alternative to a pricey cup of “mud” from some place with a popular name, a simple joy is given that makes the daily grind a little better and brighter. Did I mention that June and December are free?

Mark 9:41 “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” Read Matthew 25:31-40
Over the years, I added a variety of teas to the “Break Room” beverage selection and it keeps growing with more blends, and herbs and flavors, caffeinated or not. Now, anyone can enjoy a nice “spot of tea” during the work day, so the environment has a measure of comfort and care … and all on an “honor system”, where the drink items are in the open and paying for them is based completely on the honor, the ethics, the morals, the integrity and the character of the employees. Sure, we have some thieves (notice the sign on the wall in the picture), but the system is there to demonstrate a godly principle that blesses or condemns the conscious and soul in community of love your neighbor and thou shall not steal. A small way to live out our faith and be a witness for Christ in action, simply because bringing joy to others is a joyful activity for the Child of God. What’s your favorite cup of Joe or spot of  tea?  Bring Christ to your world.

John 15:10-12 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”

In Christ, Brian

Saturday, July 14, 2012

The Affection that Leads to Direction



Matthew 7:24-25 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”

Was listening to a Christian radio discussion on the relevancy of Jesus Christ in society today. The guest pastor brought up a great point that Jesus Christ and the truth of His gospel message of sin and salvation is unchanging and always relevant. Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” It is the perspective and life of the blind in sin and lost in unbelief that determines that relevancy of the Christian church for impacting the culture with truth that is truly in question. It’s not the “actions that lead to distraction”, but the “affection that leads to direction”. Is the Christian church imitating Christ with their life, or imitating the spiritually blind culture, trying to become relevant in humanity to gain a hearing in the free marketplace of ideas. Today, churches are judged by a man-center world on what it’s “against”, instead of what it is “for”. 

1 Corinthians 2:14 “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

It is not until we admit our sin that we are going to know the mercy and forgiveness of the King. Our pastor’s last sermon was on discipleship, the “Followers & Student” of Christ living the gospel. He explained that It may be safer to not get close and get hurt, but seeking and saving the lost is the shared sacrifice of that common mission with the love of Christ. We are to love others as Jesus loves them, because we love Jesus. Love with your life and “be” love demonstrated. Half the message is “Repent, and receive with joy, salvation by the mercy & grace of God through the redeeming atonement of Christ for our sins”. But the other half is “In love, lay that sin life down to the sovereign Lordship of Jesus in faith and obedience”. This is the affection that leads to direction. Bow before Him today and admit you are lost without Him. God (Father, Son & Holy Spirit), the solid rock foundation to build our house called “Life”, is relevant in every day and age. May we (His church and children) be relevant to a world in darkness that desperately needs the Savior & Lord.

2 Corinthians 7:9-11 Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”

In Christ, Brian

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Two Opposing Worldviews




Joshua 24:13-16I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’ “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods.”

I read this week that since God created and instituted everything, He has the authority to regulate it. Yet God’s sovereignty is being abandoned today and that what is “wrong” in the eyes of the Lord is being affirmed as a public good. Our culture’s rejection of biblical thinking is based on postmodern relativism, and much of the visible church has gone down this road as well. Ultimately, the fundamental issue is God’s right to structure human society. Convince people that government, not God, lays down the rules and people will be confirmed in their relativism, believing that they determine right from wrong. Replace the foundation of human government and society, and the people will believe that might is right. They will believe that rulers of this world are not subject to a higher authority. R.C. Sproul

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

"What had been achieved came to be regarded as a secure and imperishable possession, acquired once and for all. The eyes of the people became fixed on the new demands, the rapid satisfaction of which seemed to be barred by the adherence to the old principles. It became more and more widely accepted that further advance could be expected not along the old lines within the general framework which had made past progress possible but only by a complete remodeling of society. It was no longer a question of adding to or improving the existing machinery but of completely scrapping and replacing it. And, as the hope of the new generation came to be centered on something completely new, interest in and understanding of the functioning of the existing society rapidly declined; and, with the decline of the understanding of the way in which the free system worked, our awareness of what depended on its existence also decreased."  F.A. Hayek

Philippians 2:21 “For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.”

Restoring the biblical view of the world is the only answer, teaching people to apply the Bible to all of life. Someone once asked me if I could answer a debate without quoting some verse out of the Bible. Maybe the real question is “Can they back their view up with a bible verse or passage?” Sproul goes on to say that a biblical worldview is the basic beliefs that are to shape our understanding of life. We contend for a worldview that understands that human beings are creatures who are subject to their Creator. The true battle is about two irreconcilable views of reality – reality as God established it verses reality as a mere human construction.

Matthew 12:30 Jesus explained: “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me."

Knowing Christ and making Him known involves equipping people to know and defend the biblical world-view and to pass it on to friends and family. The Holy Spirit’s use of us all, proclaiming God’s love and truth, to change the hearts and minds of people one by one is how we bring lasting reformation to our society. Revival happens as people embrace Christ and His view of the world. The only antidote for restoration is a truly biblical view of God, His sovereignty, His attributes, and His mighty work of salvation from start to finish.

What has always made the state a hell on earth has been precisely that man has tried to make it his heaven. —Hölderlin

Four things I know. (1) There is a heaven and it is not on earth. & (2) There is a God and He is not me. Let's impact and affect our society for Christ.

In Christ, Brian

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Truth Signs


Acts 2:36-47 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”  Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

I’ve never been one who enjoys those big “baroque” sayings that have a flowery, but vague general meaning. When our little church posted signs with “Seek Truth”, “Belong”, and “Create Beauty”, it immediately came to mind: What “dreamer” came up with sayings without explaining “What that means exactly?” & “How” to do it? - Signs point to something more. These signs pointed to the Acts 2 church, as explained in Pastor’s sermon. It begins with the gospel of Salvation. “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” First admit that you are a sinner, turn from your sins, accept the free gift of God of redemption by atonement and give your life to Jesus the Savior. Then we can evaluate where we are and where we go in our Christian walk & journey in this life, saved in this perverse generation, working out that salvation with god who works in you, according to His purposes. But always remembering that salvation was free for us, but not for Jesus. We have a salvation that was not earned, not deserved, not bough, but given by grace alone through faith alone, and produces freedom from the bondage of sin and death to life and life eternal, so act out of your salvation. Don’t “do”, but “be” like Christ from your new regenerated heart.

Ephesians 2:8-10For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Actively pursuing what God has planned for you and your life, with good and positive works according to His good pleasure always; not acts out of self-serving existential humanistic perverse flesh desires of the world. Have a life pursuit to know God (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) and His Truth more, knowing that you belong in the family & kingdom of God, and using your gifts to make Him known.  But knowing 1 Corinthians 2:14But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know  them, because they are spiritually discerned. As trying to describe fully the sun to a person blind from birth, or snow to someone who has never seen it snowing in person, Christianity is foreign to them, and impossible to explain without seeking out and personally experiencing an encounter with Jesus, walking with Him as who you are, not what you do; to truly know our faith in relationship, and as an individual & as a people of God in Christian community to be a part of what God is doing here and now.   

Philippians 2:12-16Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence —continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

As stars shine in the dark of night for all to see, the child of God needs to shine the light of Truth in this crooked and depraved generation, reflecting the love of Jesus to someone as Jesus loved us. Knowing the wages of sin and the eternal consequences of hell, why not snatch those who do not know the Lord out of this lost and dying world and into heaven now? God works and has good work for us to do in this world today, even if it costs us something. Souls are at stake and heaven is just ahead.
In Christ, Brian

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Dependence Day



James 1:16-18 “Don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.  Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” 

Today, we celebrate the birth of the United States of America in the Declaration of Independence”; a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. That document begins with these words: “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 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.”
In this celebration of independence from England, this new nation was also declaring their dependence upon their Creator God. John Adams (1735-1826) Founding Father, 2nd US President, co-writer of the Declaration of Independence wrote: "You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments: rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the universe." 
This county’s foundational dependence upon the God of the Bible was evident in the1774 first prayer of the Continental Congress, the Founding Fathers that formed the Constitution of the United States of America: O lord, our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give. Take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care. … All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy son and our Savior, Amen.”
Acts 5:29Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!

“It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge. In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own, nor those of my fellow- citizens at large less than either. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency; and in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their united government the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities from which the event has resulted can not be compared with the means by which most governments have been established without some return of pious gratitude, along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage. These reflections, arising out of the present crisis, have forced themselves too strongly on my mind to be suppressed. You will join with me, I trust, in thinking that there are none under the influence of which the proceedings of a new and free government can more auspiciously commence. … Having thus imparted to you my sentiments as they have been awakened by the occasion which brings us together, I shall take my present leave; but not without resorting once more to the benign Parent of the Human Race in humble supplication that, since He has been pleased to favor the American people with opportunities for deliberating in perfect tranquility, and dispositions for deciding with unparalleled unanimity on a form of government for the security of their union and the advancement of their happiness, so His divine blessing may be equally conspicuous in the enlarged views, the temperate consultations, and the wise measures on which the success of this Government must depend.” – George Washington’s First Presidential Inaugural Address - April 30, 1789

Happy “Dependence” Day! In God We Trust.
In Christ, Brian