July 3, 2022 – CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday July 03RD 2022, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

This morning I’ll lead my church family in Communion:

Tomorrow we celebrate America’s 246TH birthday. It’s the 4TH Of July tomorrow. It’s Independence Day here in the U.S.A. It’s the day each year that we go out of our way to celebrate our nation’s freedom – as defined in the Declaration Of Independence – written by Thomas Jefferson – with help from others including John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.

You see our Founding Fathers declared our independence on July 04TH 1776, but we didn’t fully gain our independence until 7 years later in 1783 after over 8 years of war with the British. It was a bloody war – one of our deadliest as a nation. We lost anywhere from 25,000 to perhaps as many as 75,000 American Patriots during those 8 years – in battle, from disease, and as prisoners-of-war.

Freedom costs a lot. This nation’s freedom was paid for in blood.

Sometimes it doesn’t seem that we are as free as a nation as we were just a couple of years ago, but we still live in the freest nation on Earth. Nevertheless – lots of Americans really aren’t truly free. They are not free because they do not believe and follow our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. They believe and follow the world. They say and do what the world tells them to say and do. They are not independent. They are not free.

Christ is the Son that God sent to buy freedom for us when we were still slaves to the law. God adopted us as His very own children. And God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, so that we may call out to Him, “Abba – Father !” (Galatians 4:4-6)

Our God is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son, and (He) forgave our sins – all of them – past, present, and future. (Ephesians 1:7)

We were once prisoners of sin, but now we are free from God’s judgement. We are free from bondage to sin – because of the blood of Christ. We are free indeed.

Let’s observe. Let’s rejoice. Let’s celebrate – this believer’s Communion – this declaration – of the Godhead 3 in 1 – Father, Spirit, and Son. This Communion is open for everyone who hears me – everyone who believes that we didn’t experience true freedom until we repented of our sins – until we accepted Christ as our Lord & Savior.

At this time – I invite you to come forth to the table to accept these elements – the bread and the juice. Take them back to your seat, and remain standing (if you can). If you need to sit down then you can do that. We’ll accept these elements together as a church family.

Let us take this bread, and know that it represents the sacred body of Christ that was given up for us on that cross. We take this bread in remembrance of Him.

Let us take this juice, and know that it represents the precious blood of Christ that was shed for us on that cross. We take this juice in honor of Him.

Let us pray. Thank You Jesus for that ultimate sacrifice on that cross. Thank You God for blessing Your children here at Living Waters – those who are physically here today – and those who are elsewhere today enjoying the freedom that You have given us. Thank You Lord for Your awesome presence in our lives – and Your intentional purpose for our lives. May all of Your beautiful blessings and marvelous miracles constantly strengthen our faith in You, increase our love towards others, and unify our hearts and our souls. We honor You Lord. We praise You Lord. We worship You Lord. We celebrate You Lord. And all God’s children say – AMEN.

And as the Bible says in Galatians Chapter 5 and Verses 13 and 14:

For you have been called to live in freedom my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead – use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed-up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Don’t let this celebration end here. Keep it going out there. Enjoy the rest of this day that our LORD has made – whether you do it outside or inside. Remember who you belong to. Remember that you are truly free because of what Christ did for us on the cross. He bled for us. He died for us. He rose again for us. His Spirit lives within us.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.