John 8:32-36 (NKJV) 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Faithfulness Our theme for 2017 is “Faithfulness” We have covered several topics concerning the idea of our faithfulness to God and His faithfulness to us Today we do a bit of what we might call a combination lesson…

Faithfulness Independence Day, as we recognize it in our country, is Tuesday We celebrate that day because we love our independence We live in a time where independence is desired and celebrated more and more

Faithfulness As we grow up, we look forward to having our independence Many people start their own business so that they can be independent Financial management is big today because people want to be independent

Faithfulness What about us? What do we wish for? Do we desire independence? Do we desire dependence? Or perhaps, there is a measure of both we should strive for…

Independence Independence is defined as “freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others” Certainly there is one major area that we wish to find our independence in Independence from sin should be at the top of our priority list

Independence Jesus spoke of freedom to the Jews in John 8:32 Although they denied being in physical bondage, Jesus was speaking of spiritual bondage “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin”

Independence These Jews certainly did not have their independence when it came to their spiritual lives Jesus was showing them the way to be independent from sin Paul spoke of this same independence in Romans 6:6

Independence Paul again uses this idea in II Timothy 2:25-26 “and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” Jesus died for this very independence

Independence When we think of Independence Day, we should desire a greater independence We should desire independence from Satan and from sin So in this sense, we say “Yes!” to independence

Dependence We also consider our theme for 2017 Faithfulness carries with it the idea of dependence rather than independence While we should strive for independence from sin, we should also strive for dependence on God

Dependence Our faithfulness says that we trust and rely upon our God In other words, faithfulness says that we depend upon God, that we realize we are nothing without Him A faithful life should be one that shows complete dependence on God

Dependence Sometimes we have to learn the hard way to depend upon God Paul spoke of a “thorn in the flesh” that he had dealt with and wanted to have removed (II Cor. 12:7-10) When the answer was “no”, it was dependence on God he learned

Dependence “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (I Cor. 1:25) “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1) “The Lord is my Shepherd…” (Ps. 23)

Dependence “From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:1-2) “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5)

Dependence Our dependence on God is something that is undeniable Many a strong man may suppose that he can handle things on his own, but at some point he finds he is wrong We need to recognize our dependence on God to live as He wills