“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.”

These words were based in the Bible, just as our country was founded on the Bible. Today we are going to briefly explore the unalienable rights endowed to us by our Creator.

Unalienable rights by their nature cannot be taken away, violated, or transferred from one person to another. That means that God gave them to you and no one can take them away, and you cannot give them away. They are your birthright. They belong to you.

Let us look at the first of these rights, LIFE.

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ( John 1:1-4 )

Jesus Christ is the Word and “In Him was life.” Life is knowing Jesus Christ, not just know of Him. Life is a true relationship with God.

⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. ( John 14:6 )

²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  ( John 11:25 )

¹⁰The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. ( John 10:10 )

³And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. ( John 17:3 )

¹¹And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹²He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ( 1 John 5:11-12 )

From these verses, and many more in the Bible, we see that JESUS IS LIFE! Asking Jesus into your life is like asking for Life. Do you have true life in your life?

Now let us look at LIBERTY.

³¹Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³²And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

³³They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. ³⁶Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.    ( John 8:31-36 )

To have true freedom (liberty) you must learn, live, and practice the truth (God’s Word).  Do you have something that you are a “slave” to? No one is perfect. We all sin. But, being a slave to sin is continually walking everyday on a path that you know with cause you to sin over and over again. Asking God for forgiveness and changing your path will set you free.

⁹If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ( 1 John 1:9 )

¹⁸    “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

    Because He has anointed Me

    To preach the gospel to the poor;

    He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

    To proclaim liberty to the captives

    And recovery of sight to the blind,

    To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

( Luke 4:18 )

Jesus was sent “to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” Are you oppressed by something? Does temptation continually draw you into a sinful situation? A life of sin can hold you captive. Call out to God for freedom!!! He is listening, and waiting for you.

 ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. ( 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 )

Now let us take a look at the Pursuit of Happiness.

We are all chasing after something that we think will make us happy. Be it a new car, a bigger, better house, a new mate, the bottom of a glass, or the new hot drug. Things will never make you happy. You may feel happy for a time, but it quickly fades and you are off looking for the next think to make you happy. What are you looking for? The next big thing? Or the REAL thing?

¹¹    You will show me the path of life;

    In Your presence is fullness of joy;

    At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore

( Psalm 16:11 )

      If we seek God first, he will provide all our needs. He loves us and wants to do wonderful things for us. Just as we love our children and want to do wonderful things for them.

²⁵“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ( Matthew 6:25-26 )

³³But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

( Matthew 6:33 )

       I challenge each one of you to take a look at your life and ask some hard questions. Are you truly free or held captive by the things that you think will make you happy? I’m not saying that possessions are bad. I’m just asking you to stop chasing after the next happy fix and turn to the Lord. In Him is true happiness.

       I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July. We live in a wonderful country. God Bless America!!! And, God bless you!