Without question, the signers of the Declaration of Independence understood the gravity of their action. Surely they understood enough of the possible consequences that they must have agonized over the decision. Certainly they must have envisioned that most of them would lose their money and property. They must have also realized that many of them would give their very lives and that the lives of their family members would be in jeopardy also. The final sentence states it pretty plainly, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” These 56 men absolutely knew that they were giving up everything for the privilege of switching allegiance from one ruler to another. They were not declaring independence from King George in order to live in a land with no rules or ruler. They could not have known what their new government would be like but they had lived long enough under the previous government to want to throw off its shackles.
Have you lived long enough under the dominion of the ruler of this world that you are ready to be shed of his shackles? Second Corinthians 4:4 calls Satan “the god of this world”. Acts 26:17 says that the gospel enables sinners to be released from the “dominion of Satan”. Matthew 12:25-29 tells us that Jesus (the Stronger Man) has bound Satan (the strong man). John 16:11 tells us that Satan, the “ruler of this world”, has been judged. Ephesians 2:2 says that Christians formerly followed after Satan, “the prince of the power of the air”. Oh, lost person it is long past the time that you should have signed your declaration of independence from the tyrannical rule of Satan. It is long past the time that you should have been set free from the bondage of sinful behaviors that are destroying your life. In the same way that the signers of the Declaration of Independence did not know what awaited them, neither do you. However, surely you know by now that Satan is not able to deliver on his promises. Surely you have grown tired of the costs associated with the sin that has ruined your health, destroyed your finances, and wrecked your relationships.
But what lies ahead? What can you expect after renouncing the sin that has held you captive? Just like the signers of the Declaration of Independence, you can expect that your former ruler will not go away quietly. Just like the signers expected that self-government would be a far better experience, you can be sure that living under the dominion of King Jesus will be far better; in fact it will be the best choice you could ever make. The signers found out that just because they declared independence a war had to be fought in order to keep that independence. In the same way, the believer in Christ must fight a war to keep that independence from the bondage of sin. Just as King George did not give up his minions without a fight, neither does Satan. Second Corinthians 2 speaks of the schemes of Satan. First Timothy 3 speaks of the snares of the devil. Second Timothy 2 speaks about being held captive by the devil to do his will. In all three cases the Scripture is referring to Christians. Just like the signers of the Declaration, Christians must expect a long and difficult war in order to stay faithful to their allegiance to their new king, Jesus. You had to give up everything to follow Jesus but it will be more than worth it.
---
pastorsteve8800@gmail.com