Christ Has Set Us Free! Series

“CHRIST HAS SET US FREE!” Gal. 5:1

FBCF – 7/9/23

Jon Daniels

INTRO – “My Chains are Gone!” – Remember first time I heard & sang that song – a new take on an old hymn. Blew me away! Strong reminder of the GRACE of God that frees us from EVERY chain that binds us & holds us captive to our sin.

- Titus 2:11-12 – “For the GRACE of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”

EXPLANATION – Galatians 5:1 (974)

If you’re going to preach or teach on freedom in the Christian life, you have to use Galatians in that preaching or teaching. This letter was written by Apostle Paul to the churches at Galatia to counter a Judaizers’ heresy that was being spread among them. That false teaching was that a person could only be saved by keeping the OT Law in addition to having faith in Jesus. It was a “Jesus PLUS” teaching – Jesus PLUS keeping the Law – Jesus PLUS being circumcised. Adding ANYTHING to Jesus is heresy!

“One of the main themes of the book of Galatians is found in 3:11: “The righteous shall live by faith.” We must stand firm in this truth. Any compromise with legalism or the mixture of human effort and the grace of God for salvation leads to heresy.” If we could be saved through the keeping of the Law, then Jesus did not need to die (Galatians 2:21). Trying to save ourselves nullifies grace.” (https://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Galatians.html) All believers enjoy complete salvation & freedom in Christ!

APPLICATION – Only Jesus Christ can truly set us free!

Here are 3 awesome truths & 1 action point for you if you know Jesus today:

FREE INDEED! – Not just free but free indeed! Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

- Gk word for “indeed” – ontos – really, truly, certainly, surely

That’s some awesome freedom right there! And only Jesus can set you free really, truly, certainly, & surely! He did not say:

- “If the government sets you free…”

- “If your money sets you free…”

- “If your position of influence/career…”

- “If your family/spouse/friends…”

- He said, “If the SON – Jesus Christ – the Son of God – God the Son, the 2nd Person of the Trinity – If HE sets you free, then & ONLY THEN, will you be really, truly, certainly, surely, free indeed!

Be careful! To be free indeed doesn’t mean that you are free to do whatever you want to do whenever you want to do it. 2 questions must drive everything in our lives:

1. Am I being a stumbling block & causing someone to sin?

2. Am I glorifying God in all I do?

To be free indeed means that we are free now from our old life of sin & free to live for Jesus, grow in Jesus, & free to worship & serve Jesus for the rest of our life.

- We have a new Master

- We are a new creation

- We have a new motivation for living

Nicki Cruz – Born in Puerto Rico into abusive home. One of 19 children. Parents practiced witchcraft. Regularly abused him. Mother declared him the “Son of Satan.” Age 15, father sent him to NYC to live w/ an older brother. Got involved in the vicious Mau Mau gang. Rose through the ranks & became their warlord. Led life of violence & alcohol & drug abuse. Met a skinny country street preacher, David Wilkerson, who loved him, shared Gospel w/ him, & never gave up on him, even though Nicki would beat him up, spit on him & threaten his life. Finally, gave his life to Christ. Now at age 84, still preaching Gospel as fulltime evangelist to people of all walks of life. Heart is still reaching gang members & street kids in urban areas.

- That’s what it means to be free indeed!

RELEASED FROM LEGALISM! – The Galatian believers’ battle against the Judaizers was serious. This was a group of people who said that salvation was not by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. They taught that salvation was through Jesus PLUS keeping the OT laws, specifically circumcision in this instance. They taught that in order for a Christian to be truly right w/ God, he/she must conform to the Mosaic Law. It was a works-based salvation. There’s a modern-day group called the Hebrew Roots Movement whose beliefs are virtually identical to the Judaizers. The Catholic Church also teaches that certain sacraments are necessary for salvation.

If we try to add anything to the complete & finished work of Christ for our salvation, then we are negating God’s grace & “Christ will be of no advantage [value] to you” (v. 2). And if you are going to strive to be saved & free by keeping the Law, then you’ve got to keep ALL 613 of them perfectly – circumcision, all the sacrifices, all the dietary laws, all the feast days, all the purification ceremonies, & the list goes on. We are not saved in any other way than believing on Jesus Christ & confessing Him as the Lord of our lives.