Well, good morning, Mr. Boulevard. All right. Thank you, Mom. My mic's on, right? Can you guys hear me? All right. Can you guys hear me? Oh, they're okay. All right. It's been a blessing already being here. Brother Peter, I really appreciate your analogy there with the mustard and the mayo, especially as a father of two teenage drivers. I can really appreciate that. Thank you for sharing that. What we're going to do here for just a moment is look at and kind of compare and contrast dependence versus independence within our own spiritual walk. My apologies up front. I'm going to be relying a lot on my notes. I feel ill prepared for today. So I will probably be looking at my notes quite a bit. But why don't we do this? Why don't we go to the Lord in prayer and just ask him to use this time and to speak to our hearts. And Lord knows he's been speaking to my heart on this topic already. So let's go ahead and just go to the Lord in prayer and just give this time to him. Let's pray. Gracious Father, we just thank you so much for your goodness. Thank you for the blessing of already being in your home, in your house and just Thank You, Father, for the time that we can fellowship and just sing You praises and give You worship that You deserve. And Father, we just thank You for a chance to open Your Word. And we just pray that You bless us during this time, that You just humble our heart, humble my heart, Father, just to be receptive to what You have to say through the power of Your Word. Thank You, Father, that You love us so much. You don't leave us on our own, but You give us Your advice, Your wisdom. And Father, we need it day by day by day. And bless us with this day. I just pray that you use me in spite of my ill-preparedness. It's in Christ and my prayer. And everyone sing. Amen. All right, so let's compare and contrast independence versus dependence for just a moment. If I were to give this a title, if I were to title this message, I would call it declarations of dependence. Can you say that? Declarations of dependence. All right, so we're going to look at that. So ironic that we started here with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We saw that illustration on the screen already. That's where I'm starting. It is our continuation of the 4th of July messages, so I guess that's very fitting, isn't it? So the Declaration of Independence that you saw within that illustration, within that image, it was about to be signed, it was about to be put together. Notice what did our founding fathers do before signing that Declaration of Independence? Before declaring, we are independent of Great Britain, they first of all humbled themselves, fell on their knees, and cried to the Lord saying, God, we need your help. So they were dependent upon God, first of all, before declaring that independence. So the Declaration of Independence is the founding document of good old United States of America, home sweet home. It was on July 4th, 1776 that it was adopted by our founding fathers that you saw pictured and painted on the illustration. The Declaration of Independence explains why the 13 original colonies regarded themselves as sovereign independent states and why they should no longer be under the rule of a British king no longer under British rule. Now, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines independence as this. It defines it this way. It says that independence is not subject to the control of others or being controlled by others. In other words, it's self-governing. So that's what America hoped to do back then, right? We wanted to be self-governing, free of British rule, free of a king. Notice who did our founding fathers go to? they went to the King of Kings for guidance for them. Now, the very words within the Declaration of Independence stated that the 13 colonies will no longer be subject to British control and British rule. This written declaration birthed the freedom from tyranny, the tyranny that America was under. Today, tourists can go and see that very document. If you travel to Washington, D.C., you can visit the National Archives, and you can see the very Declaration of Independence, although it's very fated, very dim compared to what it used to be. You can still see that very document today. Now, as we celebrate our nation's independence and the freedoms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we can also celebrate the freedoms that we have in Jesus Christ, right? Now, as a born-again Christian, We are free from the tyranny of sin in our lives. Sin's curse has been removed from every believer. Romans tells us the wages of sin is, but praise God, we don't have to endure that now, do we? We don't have to earn the wages of sin because we've experienced the gift of God, which is eternal life. So praise God, we are saved from that sin. We're saved from the wages and the tyranny of sin. Praise God, my soul has been redeemed. How about you? The very righteousness of Christ is now living within us. So we know, in and of ourselves, we can't save ourselves, right? It's His righteousness that Romans 8 verse 10 speaks of. Romans 8 verse 10 assures us that if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. That's what we can celebrate, the freedom that we have. You know, But within our Christian life, it doesn't end there. Sometimes I think that we could fall into this trick of Satan. You know, sometimes I think Christians fall into the trap of thinking, well, I'm saved. That's it. Jesus saved me. And now I can simply live my Christian life all on my own efforts, all on my own accord, all in my own way. Now, it's easy to stand here and say that, but it's much easier to slip into that habit. Satan would love for us to live our lives independent of Christ day by day. He wants us to rely on our Christian walk within ourself and not within the power of Jesus Christ. And if you think about it, way back in the very beginning, that was Satan's trick. Satan tried to convince Adam and Eve that they didn't need God. Remember, he told them that they should eat the forbidden fruit so that their eyes would be opened. that they would be as gods. You see, Satan is still trying to dupe us with that same trick today. You can live the Christian life all on your own. You don't have to have a daily dependence on the Savior. Sure, he gives you saving grace, but the reality is we need to be walking in that grace day by day by day. So Satan is still trying to dupe us to live our lives independent from God. Satan knows that we love to be independent. I mean, that's the American way, right? We love our independence. But the reality is we deeply need Jesus Christ. You see, spiritual independence is the enemy of spiritual growth. I'll say that one more time. Spiritual independence is the enemy of spiritual growth. So the reality is we desperately need Christ. We need him day by day. And there is no way that we can be a follower of Jesus Christ all on our own volition. So let's look at the other end of this. We've seen independence in our nation, declaring independence. We also see that Satan tries to dupe us into thinking we can do the Christian life and independence on our own. What does Merriam-Webster define, or how does Merriam-Webster define dependence? Dependence is the condition of being reliant on another for support. Brother and sister, that's what we need from Jesus, isn't it? We need to be daily reliant upon him and his support. The biblical fathers of our faith understood this. They understood it very well, and they had a daily dependence upon God. They describe a close relational dependence upon God in their writings, which are, praise God, recorded for us in Scripture. So just as our founding fathers of our nation recorded the declaration of independence, Our fathers of the faith also declared their need for Christ, their need for God. They make declarations of dependence within scripture. Let's look at just two, just two examples of some of our fathers of the faith and their declarations of their need, their deep inner need for God's help day by day within their life. Let's first of all go to, let's go to Psalm chapter 18. So if you have your Bibles, you can open those up. We're gonna look at Psalm chapter 18, just verses one and two, just two short little verses, but wow, they're powerful. It's where David speaks of his deep reliance upon his savior. So it's Psalms chapter 18, verses one and two. Here, David is fleeing for his life. He knew that he had a call upon him. But he also knew that he needed God. He needed God's help, strength, and deliverance. You see, when we look at these two verses, I want you to keep in mind the context of the situation. My Bible, in a little pre-note before this chapter, says that this was written as David was fleeing for his life at the hand of King Saul. Remember, David knew he was to be the next king. But King Saul didn't like that. There was jealousy, right? Envy. And King Saul was literally after him, trying to kill him. And David was running all over Israel, hiding and fleeing for his life. And that's when David wrote these two verses. In Psalms 18, verses 1 and 2, David writes, I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength and whom I will trust. My buckler, a buckler is a shield. He's a protector. And the horn of my salvation and my high tower. David knew that he needed God in that moment. He declared his deep dependence on God as he ran for his very life. Don't you love how David says, my strength, my fortress, God, you are my deliverer, you are my protector. These words are deeply personal. It's obvious that David treasured his relationship with the Lord by the way he describes his God. Are you this dependent upon God, or does God feel distant? I can ask the same question to myself. Am I this dependent upon my Savior, or does He feel distant? If you or I were to write a paragraph describing our God, would you be able to make such personal words like these words of David? I recently went to a conference in Dallas, Texas, and I heard John Piper speak. How many of you guys have heard of John Piper? Modern day theologian, big man of the faith. And he made a statement that stuck. So when I heard John Piper, he made this statement. He said, God is glorified when we are satisfied. And I'm talking about satisfied in our sins. God is glorified when we're satisfied in him. When we see our deep inner daily need for Jesus Christ day by day by day, that's when our God is glorified. You see, God's heart is for us to have a deep relationship where we're pursuing him, we're satisfied by him day by day, and that brings him glory. And that can't help but spill off to the rest of the world. Are we being satisfied with God's presence? We can be. If you're lacking a satisfaction in God's presence, well, we might just simply be walking too independently from him. Matthew chapter 7 verses 7 and 8 give us great assurance. It tells us that everyone that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Seek. You'll find Him. Seek dependence on your Savior day by day, and He will satisfy your soul. So we looked at the words of David. Let's look at the words of Paul in the New Testament. Father of the faith, you could say. So let's look at Paul. Let's turn to 2 Corinthians 12, and let's see Paul's great dependence and need upon his Savior. We'll visit 2 Corinthians 12, look at verses 8 through 10. You see, in these verses, Paul realizes he's limited, and he has a deep need for Christ. Sure, he's saved, no question about that. but he realizes he has a deep dependence on Christ. This is so well declared and so well written by Paul here. Here Paul has this thorn in the flesh. You guys remember that, a thorn in the flesh? Paul writes about this thing. He says, I have this thorn in the flesh. He doesn't give us a lot of context. He doesn't give us a lot of details. We don't know what it is. We don't know if it's a physical ailment, a mental ailment, a problem with ministry. We have no idea. But he just tells us there's this thorn in the flesh, something that's been troubling him deeply. And let's read Paul's declaration of his dependence on God during this trying moment. Let's start in verse 8 of 2 Corinthians chapter 12. Paul writes, For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, three times, that it might depart from me. He's praying, God, earnest. Please let this thing leave. Three times in earnest prayer. But notice verse 9, God says to him. My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities. So Paul's saying this, I will gladly rejoice in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, and reproaches, and necessities, and persecutions, and distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am made strong." Paul embraced his vulnerabilities, he embraced whatever these hardships were because it allowed Christ's power to be more fully manifested through him. Do we have this kind of dependence on our Savior? Are we petitioning Him in the midst of our hardships, in the midst of our vulnerabilities? Are we admitting our daily need for Him and for His help in all areas of our life? As the Lord knows, we all have our battles, we all have our struggles. It can be pride, it can be lust, finances, marriage, so many things. We need to admit our need for Him. You see, so many times Satan wants us to try to handle that thorn in the flesh on our own, to handle in our own power. But the reality is we need to simply let go and admit our need for Jesus Christ. Allow him to be a sufficient grace and a sufficient strength for you. My friend, the Lord isn't simply a one time fix it salvation experience, is he? Jesus Christ is to be relied upon and savored daily. We need his daily guidance, his daily providence within our own lives. We need his strength. We need his grace. We need his stability. John 15 reminds us that we can do absolutely nothing without Jesus Christ. Let's go to one last passage of scripture. It's John chapter 15. Let's look at verses four and five. Jesus says to you and I, he says, abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except that abide in the vine. No more can ye except you abide in me. Jesus says, I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me you can do nothing." Just as America's founding fathers wrote a declaration of independence, our fathers of the faith found in scripture wrote numerous personal recordings of their dependence. on Jesus Christ. I would encourage you to reflect on your need for Christ today. Maybe the words of David encouraged you. Maybe the words of Paul spoke to your spirit. But in what areas of your walk do you need Christ today? And I would encourage you to clear your dependence for Him. Maybe that means go home. Maybe that means write out some words just like Paul did, just like David did. Write down your declaration. of dependence, your need for him. We'll end this short devotion. I found a song that has been continually on repeat in my mind, and I'll play it here. And as we listen to the words of the song, I would encourage you to just personally reflect on your own dependence and need for Christ. What do you need him for this moment, this day? Lord, I come, I confess Bowing here, I find my rest Without You, I fall apart That guides my heart. Lord, I need you. Oh, I need you. Every hour I need you. ♪ My righteousness, oh God, how I need You ♪ ♪ Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more ♪ ♪ Grace is found, is where You are ♪ ♪ My holiness is Christ in me ♪ ♪ Lord I need you, oh I need you ♪ ♪ Every hour I need you ♪ ♪ My one defense, my righteousness ♪ So teach my soul to rise to You When temptation comes my way When I cannot stand, I'll fall on You Jesus, You're my hope and my guide Amen. Let's today declare our dependence on Jesus Christ.