Freedom! Series

Freedom!

How will you respond to your Freedom in Christ?

You can Reject it for Legalism (Galatians 5:2-4)

You can Receive it by Faith (Galatians 5:5)

How will you live in your Freedom in Christ? (Galatians 5:6)

In your freedom, don’t live a lie. (Galatians 5:7-12)

In your freedom, live to love. (Galatians 5:13-15)

Living a lie looks for fulfillment in the flesh (Galatians 5:16-21)

Living to love finds fulfillment in the fruit (Galatians 5:22-26)

Intro

Braveheart clip. (1:17:14 – 1:18:35) Freedom speech (Are you ready for war – Scene selection)

Slide 1

Freedom!

There is something inherent in each of us that desires Freedom. None of us wants to live in bondage.

Yet, when faced with it, we have choice in how we respond to it.

Slide 1 This weekend is Memorial Day weekend.

A time when we recognize the men and women who have fought and died for the freedom that we have and enjoy in this nation of ours.

Even today, people have many different responses to freedom.

Some are jealous of others freedom.

Some don’t even think about it.

Some will honor it and

others will dishonor it by burning flags or denigrating public places or national monuments.

Some will fight and

some will die for it.

Whatever your response to the freedom we have, there is no question that it is valuable and costly.

We as Christians have been given even more valuable and costly freedom. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, we can have freedom from the bondage of sin and legalism.

But even with this freedom, we have a choice in how we respond to it.

And that is where I want to start out today. I want you to ask yourself

How Will You Respond To Your Freedom in Christ?

Slide 2

Slide 2

We are nearing the end of our study in Galatians. Today we will be looking at Galatians ch. 5 (p. 825-826).

Now just to recap, Paul had started the churches in Galatia and some false teachers had come in claiming that you not only had to trust Christ to be saved, but you also had to obey the law and such things as circumcision.

While the Galatians had trusted Christ by faith and received His salvation by grace, they where now being led back into bondage and falling away from grace.

Slide 3

Lets read what Paul writes to the Galatians in

Slide 3 Galatians 5

1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. 11 Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.