4th of July – Independence Day• 1776o Declaration of Independenceo 13 colonies as a sovereign nationo Estimated population of 2.5 million

• 2012o Estimated population of 313.9 million

Independent1. Not influenced or controlled by others in

matters of conduct, etc.; thinking or acting for oneself

2. Not subject to another’s authority or jurisdiction; autonomous; free

3. Not influenced by the thought or action of others

From the Declaration of Independence“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.”

• Lasting Life, Lasting Liberty and Lasting Happiness are not found in independence but in dependence.

Dependent1. Relying on someone or something else

for aid, support, etc.2. Conditioned or determined by

something else; contingent3. Subordinate; subject4. Not used in isolation; used only in

connection with other forms

True Life relies on DependenceEphesians 2:1-9

True Liberty relies on DependenceJohn8:34-36Romans 6:16-23

True Happiness relies on DependencePsalm 49

Ephesians 2:1-9

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

Ephesians 2:1-9

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

Ephesians 2:1-9

made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions —it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:1-9

in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

John 8:34-36

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Romans 6:16-23

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey —whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Romans 6:16-23

But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Romans 6:16-23

I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

Romans 6:16-23

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!

Romans 6:16-23

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 49

Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike: My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding. I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle:

Psalm 49

Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me—those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is eve enough—

Psalm 49

that he should live on forever and not see decay. For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.

Psalm 49

But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish.This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning;

Psalm 49

their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies,

Psalm 49

his splendor will not descend with him. Though while he lived he counted himself blessed— and men praise you when you prosper— he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life. A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

The American Dream is aboutPosition, Purpose, Provision, & PowerThe Greatest Position is Dependent

2 Corinthians 5:21The Greatest Purpose is Dependent

Ephesians 2:10The Greatest Provision is Dependent

Philippians 4:11-13The Greatest Power is Dependent

2 Timothy 1:7

2 Corinthians 5:21

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Philippians 4:11-13

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,

Philippians 4:11-13

whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.