In this sermon, Pastor Timothy R. Carter shares a story. A mother found faith and began attending church with her children, but the father refused to join them. During a revival, the little girl repeatedly asked her father to attend church, but he declined each time. On the last day of the revival, she asked him to live for Jesus for just one day, and he finally agreed. This highlights the importance of focusing on living for Jesus one day at a time, trusting in His sustenance and provision.
Pastor Carter emphasizes that focusing on the present and what Jesus is doing for us now is essential, as He sustains and provides for us while giving hope for the future. Hebrews 11 is referenced to illustrate the faith of Old Testament figures who longed for a heavenly country, trusting in God’s promises without seeing their fulfillment. The pastor encourages the congregation to live for Jesus daily, holding to His promises.
A prayer follows, thanking God for His goodness and the liberty found in Him. The pastor then shifts to discussing the approaching 4th of July, sharing personal memories and emphasizing the importance of liberty in Jesus Christ over national celebrations. The historical struggle for religious freedom is highlighted, mentioning figures like William Tyndale and the pilgrims who sought to worship God freely. The sermon underscores that civil and religious liberties are intertwined and worth fighting for.
The pastor invites the congregation to partake in communion, reflecting on the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice. The ceremony involves peeling back layers to expose the bread and juice, symbolizing Jesus’ body and blood. A prayer for the congregation’s unity and strength in reflecting God’s love follows, ending with a call for unity and thanksgiving.
Sermon
There was a mother who found faith and began attending church, bringing her children along with her. However, the father refused to join them. The children wished to see their father in church. During a revival, the little girl asked her father, “Daddy, will you come to church with us?” He replied, “No, I’m not going.”
The next day, she asked again, “Daddy, please come to church with us.” His answer remained the same. On the final day of the revival, the little girl sat on her father’s lap and asked, “Daddy, why won’t you come to church with us?” He replied, “Darling, I can’t live for Jesus.” She asked, “Daddy, couldn’t you live for Jesus for the rest of your life?”
He answered, “No, darling, I can’t do that.” She asked, “Well, Daddy, can’t you live for Jesus for just one year?” He said, “No, baby, I can’t live for Jesus for a year. I tried, and I can’t do it.” She continued, “Daddy, can’t you live for Jesus for a month? Just one month, Daddy, please.” He replied, “No, I can’t live for Jesus for a month.”
She pleaded, “What about a week, Daddy? Just one week. That’s a lot shorter.” He paused, tears welling up in both their eyes. With a crack in his voice, he said, “Darling, I can’t live for Jesus even for a week.” Then she asked, “Daddy, what about one day? Can you live for Jesus for just one day?” He thought momentarily, looked into his daughter’s eyes, and said, “Yes, I believe I can. I can live for Jesus for just one day.” She said, “Then please, Daddy, live for Jesus just one day at a time.”
That’s what we should do—live for Jesus just one day at a time. Thinking about all the challenges we might face as Christians throughout our lives can be overwhelming. But if we focus on the present moment, what God has given us, and what He is doing right now, we can hold on to Jesus today. The past is already behind us.
Those Things Which Will Come Have Not Yet Happened
Let’s focus on right now. What Jesus is doing for us right now. He is sustaining us, providing for us, and giving us hope even for our future. Even those things that have not yet come, Jesus has already promised. He has given us His Spirit deposited in us as a promise and a hope for the future (John 3:16).
Live for Him One Day at a Time
We can live for Him and hold to His promises, knowing that He keeps His word. Our Jesus is a mighty God. Let’s live for Him just one day at a time. We live for Him, hold to Him, and honor Him. When life gets overwhelming, when difficulty comes, let’s hold to Him one day, or one moment, at a time.
Locate Revelation and Hebrews
Let’s go to Hebrews, specifically Hebrews chapter 11.
Let’s Go to the Lord in Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You. We praise You, Lord, because You are good to us. Thank You, Lord, for Your Word. Thank You that Your Word sets us free. Thank You for the liberty that we have in You. We are no longer bound to our sin. We are no longer enslaved to our past but can live for You one day at a time. Thank You, Lord. Amen.
The 4th of July
As you know, the 4th of July is approaching. When you think of the 4th of July, what do you think of? The red, white, and blue? The family gatherings? The extra pay for working on a holiday? The nation’s birthday? Hot dogs and hamburgers and grill outs? What is your favorite memory of the Fourth of July?
While I was growing up, my family didn’t make a big deal about the Fourth of July. I don’t remember us celebrating the 4th of July other than occasionally, Daddy would buy fireworks. It wasn’t to celebrate the 4th of July necessarily; it was just an excuse to watch stuff blow up. We, as kids, would get a hold of the fireworks. Children do not do this at home. Do not do this. But we did. My cousins and I were rough.
Back then, I don’t know if people didn’t know or care about the danger, but our parents didn’t stop us from doing this because we did it regularly. We would get fireworks and bottle rockets and have war. We already had plastic guns; when we didn’t, we would use sticks. We’d find a stick with a bit as a handle and make it into a gun. We’d play cowboys, have shootouts, play cops and robbers, and shoot each other with our sticks.
One of us had a slingshot, and we would fight over it, using it to shoot one another. We got darts for the dartboard and would throw them at each other. I have scars even today from darts that stuck in me while we were having war as kids. We would throw the darts at each other, pull them out, and throw them back. When it came to fireworks, we would light them and aim them at each other. Sometimes they would hit a cousin and explode. I don’t know how none of us ever got a permanent injury, but we did this repeatedly.
We would shoot each other with fireworks. So that’s the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve. When we got fireworks, we would have a war. These are good memories, though dangerous. Having fun together as a family was fantastic. But what’s more important than the fun we had as a family is remembering that we have liberty in Jesus Christ. We have freedom in this country.
As I grew older, I started learning that fireworks celebrate not just explosions but also symbolize war. When fireworks explode, they represent gunfire in war. When the bottle rockets flash in the air, we stand and say, “Ooh, how pretty.” But soldiers in that war see death, fighting, and sacrificing for freedom. Our soldiers in this country have fought and died for our freedom from the very begiing. When the white man came over and took the land from the Indians, we fought for this country. Whether you believe it was right or wrong, that’s the history. The white man came in from Europe, some Hispanic people came from Spain, and some from Paris.
We All Came Into This Country
We fought our way through and settled in this country. Not everyone came for the same reason. Some came because they were ruing away from their past, government, or family, but others came seeking religious freedom.
The Quest for Religious Freedom
If we look at the religious freedom side, we can see that in England, the entire country is separated from the Catholic Church. When that happened, they continued in traditional Catholic worship but adopted a few doctrines not approved by the Catholic Church. These were very similar to Catholicism. Slowly, people started saying, “I want a different doctrine. I want to study the Bible for myself.”
William Tyndale’s Efforts
A man named William Tyndale studied the Bible and wanted others to study it too. He petitioned to have the Bible printed in English so the commoner could read it. The government said, “No, you can’t do that.” So, he snuck around and published the Bible, translating it into English even without the government’s permission. This became known as the Tyndale edition. As his Bible circulated, more people could read it and wanted more of God. They studied the Bible, sparking a desire for religious freedom.
The Pilgrims’ Journey
A group of individuals in England decided they wanted religious freedom. They wanted to teach from the English Bible and study it together, but it was illegal. Those studying the English Bible were seen as traitors to the church and the country. The official religion was the Church of England, and the official Bible was the Latin Bible. These people were considered traitors because they wanted to study the Bible in English.
Seeking a New Home
They escaped to the Netherlands but couldn’t thrive there. Hearing about the prosperous new world, they came to America, settling in the Massachusetts area. These people, known as the pilgrims, sought religious freedom. They wanted to study the Bible in English and have God’s word taught to them in English. They believed that not only preachers but every individual had the right and duty to study God’s word (John 3:26).
They Fought for This Purpose
They gave up everything for this purpose. Did you know there are countries in the world today where it is illegal to study the Bible? Did you realize there are countries even today where the government says you are not allowed to speak openly about Jesus Christ? Did you know there are countries today where it is dangerous if a person openly admits, “I am a Christian, I am a follower of Jesus”?
Freedom in America
There are countries today where other religions dominate, but here in America, we have the freedom to declare any religion we desire without the fear of true persecution from our government. As Christians, we acknowledge it is becoming more difficult, but we still have liberty in America. We can still stand today and say, “Jesus Christ is my Lord,” without fearing imprisonment. We can stand today with freedom and say, “Jesus Christ is the Savior and Lord of all,” without fear of imprisonment. We still have liberty and freedom in this country, and we should celebrate that (John 3:26).
Sacrifices of the Past
Men and women from our past have given their lives in battle for our freedom. Wars have been fought over taxes, land, and religious freedom. You hear about the Revolutionary War where we fought against Great Britain. Great Britain was entering the colonial colonies and pressing more on the Americans. All the colonial colonies were tributing everything to Great Britain at that time. France had claimed this land for themselves, Great Britain had claimed it, and Spain had claimed it. These three major global powers were all fighting against what we know as American Indians or Native Americans.
The Birth of a Nation
Some groups had allies among the Native American tribes, but it was a major war for this land. Great Britain, France, and Spain lost, and the colonial colonies won. We became a nation in our own right, recognized by global powers. Everyone knows America as a nation because our forefathers wanted religious freedom. They wanted freedom from taxes without representation and from the oppression of a tyrant king. They wanted freedom for many reasons, but religious freedom was significant. They wanted to worship God freely in their style and way.
Worshiping God Freely
Today, we can worship God openly. Yes, others can worship their gods in their religions. In America, you can worship any god you choose. You don’t have to worship Jesus. You have the legal right to select another god. But we, who are followers of Christ, can celebrate that we can worship Jesus Christ openly without hiding. We can worship Him and lift His name because people have died and sacrificed their lives for this freedom.
The Declaration of Independence
When we think about the Declaration of Independence, which gives us this freedom, that document started the Revolutionary War. The Declaration of Independence was signed and written to say to the king, “We don’t like what you’re doing. This is a list of things we will not tolerate anymore.” In essence, they were telling the king to stop bullying them because they were going to do things their way. The Declaration of Independence is a wonderful document. From what I understand, it was influenced by prayers and led by people dedicated to God and studying the Word. It was influenced by ministers, such as Jonathan Mayhew of Boston, Massachusetts, who pastored Old West Church. He said in one of his sermons, “It is blasphemy to call tyrants and oppressors God’s ministers.”
More Than Messengers of Satan
They are more appropriate messengers of Satan to buffet us. Jonathan Mayhew used biblical support from Romans 13:1-7, which discusses submission to government authority as conditional, arguing that we should obey government powers up until they tell us to commit sin or to lift a human higher than Jesus. At that point, we must stop because Jesus comes first (John 3:26).
Early American Pastors
This was a pastor in America before we became the United States, back in colonial times. In the 1700s, another pastor named John Witherspoon, the founder and first president of what is today, Princeton University, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He stated, “There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost and religious liberty gained.” In other words, if you let them take away your civil liberty, you’re also losing your religious liberty. If they take away our civil freedom, it is an attack on our spiritual and religious freedom. That’s what John Witherspoon taught his congregation.
The Value of Liberty
Samuel Davies, a Hanover, Virginia pastor who pastored Pole Green Church, said, “Liberty, both religious and civil, is so valuable that nothing can be sufficient for the price of it.” There is nothing too costly to give for our freedom. He used biblical support from Psalm 119:45, which says, “And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.” We ought to seek the precepts of God—the teachings, statutes, and law of God. We need to look to God’s word.
Encouragement to Soldiers
David Avery was a chaplain to the colonial army and encouraged soldiers who were fighting in the war so that we could have freedom today—freedom from the tyray of England. He told his soldiers, “Let us fight for our liberties.” He meant fighting with guns and bullets. Let us fight for our liberty and our God with the spirit and courage of Christian soldiers.” He used Joshua 1:9 to support his statement: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” This encouraged his soldiers to go out and fight.
Our Call to Action
Are you willing to fight for your liberty? I am not advocating that we take up arms or encouraging you to attack someone, but I am encouraging you to be people of prayer, to turn to God’s word, and to be people of prayer because we have liberty. We have the freedom to pray. We don’t have to be ashamed or fear public persecution from the government. We can pray openly and proclaim Jesus’ name openly. We ought to do so. We celebrate because of what we have here in America.
Biblical Celebrations of Liberty
People in the Bible also celebrated their liberty. When we look into the Bible, in Hebrews 11, we find examples of faith and perseverance, reminding us of the importance of our spiritual and civil liberties.
Examples of Faith in Hebrews 11
We see a list of people who are strong in the faith, standing as examples of people who stood for faith in God. Let’s begin reading in verse 13:
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (John 3:26).
The Faith of the Old Testament Saints
These people who put their faith in God are listed in the Old Testament having a faith and hope for the promise that God was giving them—that one day the Messiah would come. They hoped that one day they would be a nation united under God. They still had hope even though they didn’t see the promise fulfilled.
Our Greater Hope
But today, we have a deposit of the Holy Spirit inside of us as a promise for that hope in our future. We have the Holy Spirit living in us. They didn’t, but we do. How much stronger should our hope be, how much stronger should our faith be because we have that assurance of our salvation? We have the hope of Jesus Christ living and thriving inside of us, crying out, “Abba, Father.
Celebrating Communion
We could celebrate Him. We have the chance to join Him, even in communion. When we receive communion, Jesus said, “As often as you do this, do this in remembrance of Me.” Remember what Jesus has done. Communion was established initially, even before Moses. Before Abraham, they were already receiving bread and wine in the name of the Lord.
The Old Testament Communion
In the tabernacle, it was established to receive the bread and the wine as a symbol of what God has done when He rescued them out of Egypt. It served as a remembrance that God was establishing them from the tyray of an evil king. Bringing them out and establishing them as a nation to worship God. Remember what God told Moses? “Tell Pharaoh to let My people go so they can come out and worship Me.” They were to be established as a nation for religious freedom to worship God.
A New Covenant
When they would take communion in the Old Testament, they would receive that blood, that wine, and that bread. It was a remembrance to them that they had been established as a nation to worship God. God set them free from bondage to be a nation committed to God. Today, we celebrate communion not because we are American but because we are citizens of that new country, which is heaven.
A Heavenly Country
Let’s read that again in verse 16: “But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.” A heavenly country. If you desire that heavenly country, you have faith in Jesus Christ, and when you partake of communion, you are celebrating that you have the hope and promise of eternal life. Being a citizen of that new country, that heavenly country, His blood unites us as the ultimate sacrifice of freedom and liberty. The blood of Christ unites us as citizens in this heavenly country.
Prayer and Invitation
Heavenly Father, we thank You. We thank You, Lord, because You are worthy. Amen. Thank You, Lord, because You have set us free. Lord, You have bought us with Your blood. You’ve given us freedom, and You’ve given us liberty. You unite us into Your heavenly country. Lord, search us. Search us, O Lord, and see if we have any weakness. Search us and see if we are indeed cleansed and united.
Caution with Communion
It is dangerous to partake of communion without discerning the body of Christ—the body and blood of Christ, and also the body of Christ as fellow believers. So if you have discord with others, broken relationships, or contention with other Christians, do not partake in communion. It is dangerous. We ought to have liberty and unity among the believers.
Invitation to Communion
I want to invite you to come forward and receive communion. Hold on to your communion when you come forward, and we will receive it together. Would you come?
Before You Partake
Peel back the layer to expose the wafer on top. As a reminder, at the Last Supper, Jesus lifted the bread, blessed it, and signified that it represents His body. He told His disciples, “Eat My body, for it is broken for you,” to receive the body of Christ (John 3:26, ).
The Bread
Thank you, Lord. Help us to discern the body of Christ. Help us to recognize the holiness of Your body broken for us. Help us, Lord, to truly understand Your sacrifice. Lord, help us honor You and give ourselves completely to You. Holy, holy is Your name. Holy is Your name.
The Cup
Peel back the foil to expose the juice. Jesus lifted the cup and said, “Drink this, all of you. Drink all of this. Because it is My blood that is poured out for you.” His blood is poured out so that we can be united with Him. His blood is poured out for the remission and cleansing of our sins. We are washed whiter than snow in His blood. His blood is shed for you. Jesus said, “Drink this blood. It’s poured out for you.” Receive the blood of Christ.
Thank you for Your life, Lord. Holy, holy, holy. Thank you for Your life.
Prayer for the Congregation
Father, I pray that You will bless this congregation. Bless these believers and strengthen them. Unite this body as a united church. Strengthen us and unite us as Your body. Help us reflect You, bear Your image, and be people of love, genuinely sharing Your wondrous works and Word with others. Unite us with Your blood.
Lord, as we submit to You, I pray that You bless this congregation, that You bless this body, that You bless these individuals so that we can bear Your image with honor. Lord, we thank You. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. Amen.
Thank you for being here today.
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