Sunday Message- unalienable rights?

A few days ago, I was listening to David Jeremiah telling a story.  I miss a lot of details listening as I do at work, but the gist of it was a quote from an Englishman who said that the main difference between the Brits and the Yanks is the American "Obsession with being happy".  Of course, isn't that written into the core of the Christian Nation of America?

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.

Let's look at this rightly for a change.   Number one, did God give us "unalienable" rights?  The only one I know of from the Word is this one:

Joh 1:12  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
Joh 1:13  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

But what of the ones the Founding Fathers put here in the Declaration of Independence?  Life?  It is a gift, not a right.  Job said it best- "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, The Lord gives and the Lord Takes away.  Blessed be the Name of the Lord."

Liberty?  Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
Joh 8:35  The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
Joh 8:36  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.


Liberty isn't even on the same scale in the Declaration and the Word.  God says there is one slavery- sin.  Did you get that?  ONE SLAVERY.  And it isn't political, isn't about quarantines or even reparations.  Only sin is slavery- only Jesus is liberty.  Again, not a right, but a gift.

So why would we believe that the pursuit of happiness is a right?  In the process of yet another round of "let's growl at God for all this overtime", it was pointed out to me my problem was the gap between God's "six days shall you labor" and the current American worker concept of it.  I wasn't getting God's view, and God's view is the one Paul expressed:

Php 4:11  Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
Php 4:12  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
Php 4:13  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.


God doesn't promise happiness, but He strengthens us to find contentment with or without it.

Point?  This is yet another reason to keep your faith and your politics separate.  Because  even if the Founding Fathers wanted to establish a nation based on the fear of God, they were flawed men without complete understanding, who were (not without noble intent) gilding their politics with a faith they didn't even all agree on.  So maybe we need to think of our nation as less of a Christian Nation- a concept that we never have understood- and more of a nation with the trimmings of faith.