Vineyard Church of Knox County
Mature Dependence
Sermon Audio from Sunday, May 29, 2005 — We so highly value independence in this country. Americans celebrate our independence every year. It's a national holiday. Conversely, I believe that we absolutely hate dependence. We educate ourselves and accumulate wealth to extricate ourselves from dependence on others. Certainly we do need to find our own footing in life, but in our search for independence of others we tend to seek independence from God, too. The problem is not in the education itself nor is it in our possessions and wealth, but in how those things have trapped us into a damaging (with regard to our Christianity) perspective. You see, I believe with our degrees and our savings accounts, with our retirement accounts and insurance policies, we have extricated ourselves out of dependence on God, usually without even knowing it. And the truth is, whether we recognize it or not, we can do nothing apart from Christ. We are completely and totally dependent upon God for everything in life. Knowing this truth and embracing this truth is a key to walking by the Spirit. We will not walk by the Spirit of God through life unless we come to believe wholeheartedly that we can do nothing apart from Christ, and conversely, that we can do all things when we remain in the Spirit of Christ.
