Seeking Out Truth
The Freedom of the Gospel
Galatians 5-6
Lawrence D Vinson
Forest Lake Christian Church
If there was one thing that you could say to a person you cared about what would it be? What if you knew, deep-down inside that you were never going to see or hear from them again? Would you say what you thought needed to be said? Even if it was hard to do?
I have a lot of friends in ministry and one in particular had a chance to say what he had been waiting to say to his now former church when he resigned from his position. He had only been there six months, but it was long enough to realize that there were some problems within that particular church that he could no longer ignore. So, in a long letter to the leadership he told them exactly how he felt. He told them that he could no longer support a church that is scripturally inaccurate, and more worried about what people make rather than what people possessed in their hearts. This was a tough time for my friend, but inside he knew that he had to do what was expected of him by God, and stand up for the principles of Christ. That resignation was a defining moment in the life of my friend, it literally changed his outlook on ministry and gave him a confidence that he had never known before.
It is amazing to see what happens to a person when they stand up for what they believe in, even admist strong opposition. Galatians was Paul’s first writing. It came during his second mission trip, which was about 10 years past his conversion experience. So far, in the last two weeks we have talked about the problems that exist within the Galatian Church. We have talked about the false teachers and the acceptance of those false teachers by the congregation. We have also talked about Paul’s strong opposition against those practices. There is a lot we can learn from these first 4 chapters of Galatians, and plenty more to learn in the final two.
As far as we know, this is the last time Paul ever has any contact with the Galatian church, and just like my friend, Paul wants to make sure that he tells them everything that he feels needs to be said. However, instead of doing the status quo and condemning the church and its people, Paul takes the time in the last two chapters of Galatians to exhort and encourage the people that he is writing to.
Listen to what Paul writes in the very first verse of Chapter 5, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free, therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” This verse is at the forefront of Paul’s mind as he concludes his letter to the Galatians. He is literally saying that those who are reading this letter need to stand firm in Christ. As modern day readers, we too must stand firm in Christ.
I have to admit though, when I first read this, I had no idea what it meant to stand firm in Christ. If you feel the same way, don’t worry Paul wraps up his letter by explaining exactly what he meant. The first thing Paul teaches us is to stand firm by having faith, hope, and love (CH 5 vv. 1-6).
Did you happen to notice the three key words used in the first six verses of Paul’s conclusion? Paul says that we through the Spirit, by our faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. He then goes on to say that the only thing that matters, the only thing that has meaning in our lives is faith working through love.
Paul wanted to instill the values of faith, hope, and love within the very hearts of the Galatian Christians, to him it was of utmost importance. I truly think that this should be taught within our society as well. As a Father I have to say that I am disappointed with a large portion of men in this country who share that title. According to the most recent U.S. Census, 43% of American children do not live with their father. Coinciding with that statistic is this: Those children who grow up in a fatherless home are twice as likely to drop out of high school; twice as likely to end up in jail; four times more likely to need help for emotional or behavioral problems. This is an issue that must be dealt with and the answer is found in the words of Paul that we just read.
Author and Motivational Speaker, Zig Ziglar was quoted as saying that, “When you put faith, hope and love together, you can raise positive kids in a negative world.” We need fathers to stand up to the negativity that surrounds this world, and to fight against those things that threaten to damage the children of this country. The only way we can do this is by taking the advice of Paul; stand firm in Christ.
By possessing faith, by possessing hope, by possessing love we can make sure that we stand against the things that kill us spiritually and stand for the righteousness we have gained through Christ.
This is just one way that we stand firm in Christ. The second thing that Paul teaches us in his conclusion to the Galatians is to stand firm by walking by the Spirit (vv. 13-16; 25).
Allow me to summarize what Paul just said here in one statement, “If you are going to talk the talk, then walk the walk.” In other words, don’t be a hypocrite. It is here that Paul’s exhortation gets the most challenging because it is here that Paul is basically calling out everyone who is reading this letter.
Paul is telling the Galatians, and us as well, that if you are going to claim to possess the Holy Spirit, if you are a child of God, a heir to His Kingdom, then you better start acting like it. I can only imagine what was going through the head of Paul as he wrote these words. I honestly believe that Paul was confused. It was hard for him, in my opinion, to understand how some people can live out Christ within their words, but not in their actions.
For us it almost seems as if being a hypocrite is a way of life. I have been called a hypocrite a lot in my life (whether or not they were accurate is up for debate) and the response I always gave was this, “Sure I’m a hypocrite, but at least I’m a saved hypocrite!” Do you feel the same way? Do you feel as if sometimes you say one thing with your mouth but say something totally different with your actions? I stumbled across a poem the other day that speaks on this subject, allow me to share that with you here this morning; it is entitled, “The Praying Hypocrite”:
I knelt to pray when day was done, And prayed, "Lord, bless everyone; Lift from each heart the pain, And let the sick be well again." And then I woke again one day, And carelessly went on my way; The whole day long I did not try To wipe a tear from any eye. I did not try to share the load. Of any brother on the road; I did not even go to see The sick man just next door to me. Yet once again when every day was done, I prayed, "Lord, bless everyone." But as I prayed to my ear Came a voice that whispered dear, "Pause, hypocrite, before you pray; Whom have you tried to bless today? God’s sweetest blessings always go, By hands that serve Him here below." And then I hid my face and cried, "Forgive me Lord, for I have lied; Let me but live another day, And I will live the way I pray."
I know that this sounds a lot easier said than done, but in order to stand firm in Christ; to enjoy the freedom, we must practice what we preach. That means that we must walk by the Spirit, not just talk about it. That means living out the characteristics of Galatians 5:22-24, the fruits of the spirit. That means we must possess love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control instead of possessing immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, and carousing. This is what walking by the Spirit looks like, and ultimately what standing firm looks like as well.
There is something to say when we decide to start living the way God intended us to live, and that is exactly what part of Standing firm in Christ is all about. Let’s continue to put this complex puzzle together as we see that Paul also teaches us to stand firm by possessing gentleness (CH 6 vv. 1-10).
Earlier this week, Iowa encountered one of the most destructive tornadoes that has ever hit that state. One of the places hit, as we prayed about today, was the Boy Scout Camp where 4 teenagers were killed. Even in the midst of this tragedy, however, there is something encouraging to talk about. As soon as that tornado past through the camp, the Boy Scouts jumped into action, setting up their own triage. These boys grew up learning the benefits of helping one another and knew exactly what to do despite the obvious safety risks they were taking to save the lives of those they cared about.
There is no doubt in my mind that God’s hand, through the Holy Spirit, was a part of that recovery effort. While it’s not the same instance that brought up this discussion in Galatians there are obvious parallels between the two.
What they Boy Scouts did displayed a spirit of gentleness towards a physical devastation; what Paul was trying to do was display a spirit of gentleness towards a spiritual devastation. The Galatian church was in turmoil and their were plenty of people hurt by the destruction left behind. These false teachers who came into the scene only brought pain and hurt, and now Paul is telling the rest of the church to overcome that and to restore their church through a spirit of gentleness. The truth is, God wanted them to not just forgive those who caused the pain and suffering, but to help them get back on track with Christ so that they too can stand firm once again.
Let’s face it, when someone hurts us we want nothing to do with them. Depending on the level of hurt involved, there are some who wish the worst for those who bring that hurt on the innocent. However, those who stand firm in Christ must learn that we cannot be like that. We have to overcome not only what they did, but who they have become. We have to understand that they need Christ just as much as we do, and when they stray it is our duty to make sure they make their way back.
Standing firm in Christ means that we possess faith, hope, and love. It means that we walk by the Spirit, but it also means that possess gentleness in our hearts. However, before he finishes his letter, Paul has one more thing to say: Stand firm by proclaiming Christ (vv. 14-16).
The last note of exhortation Paul gives just happens to be the most important. We can possess a spirit of gentleness, we can have faith, hope, and love; but if we don’t walk by the Spirit and proclaim the name of Christ in the midst of opposition then it means nothing. If no one can point out why you have that faith, why you have that hope or love, or why you are so gentle then what’s the point of having those things at all? Being a Christian is being proud of your Savior, that means we are not ashamed of proclaiming His name wherever we go or whoever we are facing.
Take for instance what happened to General Von Zealand from Prussia. The Prussian king Frederick the Great was widely known as an agnostic. By contrast, General Von Zealand, one of his most trusted officers, was a devout Christian. Thus it was that during a festive gathering the king began making crude jokes about Christ until everyone was rocking with laughter--all but Von Zealand, that is. Finally, he arose and addressed the king: "Sire, you know I have not feared death. I have fought and won 38 battles for you. I am an old man; I shall soon have to go into the presence of One greater than you, the mighty God who saved me from my sin, the Lord Jesus Christ whom you are blaspheming. I salute you, sire, as an old man who loves his Savior, on the edge of eternity." The place went silent, and with a trembling voice the king replied, "General Von Zealand--I beg your pardon! I beg your pardon!" And with that the party quietly ended.
General Von Zealand knew the consequences of his actions. He knew that there was a strong possibility that he may be sentenced to death if he spoke out against his king. Even with death staring at him, he did not care. He knew that even if he die, he had a much bigger God to answer to, and because of the General’s love for Christ, he stood firm and did not waiver.
I think we lack this kind of boldness in today’s culture. We are so used to people cracking jokes at Christians, and more importantly Christ, that we have become numb to it in certain aspects. We are no longer so easily offended when we hear someone blasphemy our God, or we’re too timid to actually speak up. Part of standing firm in Christ is to proclaim the cross on which He died. The great thing about this is that it finishes with a promise, “And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.” Those who stand firm receive this promise, let’s stand firm together.
Before we leave this morning, I would like to read to you a poem written by Tom Roberts Diamond who despite his own emotional prison was able to overcome all the problems of his life so he could experience freedom once again. Diamond was hospitalized because of Schizophrenia and was told that he would never get out to see his family again. However, through his resiliency and determination he was able to prove them wrong. This poem is a reflection of that:
Resiliency—One of Humankind’s finest graces— Time and time and time Without end— life bends us, twists us, knots us, stretches us, Out-out-out-out Till we’re positive, we’re going to break— But out of our pains, our agonies, our heartaches, We snap back and go on. That power and strength to be stretched and stretched And stretched—And then to snap back Again and again and again And go on And live on— Of all human Kind’s Finest graces—one of the finest Is Resiliency
I believe there are obvious parallels between Diamond’s experience and the experience of the Galatian Church. Both have had serious issues to overcome, both have been able to overcome them. If we are to overcome our own personal prisons, false teachings, battles, or whatever we are in opposition with, we must take the advice of Paul and stand firm in Christ, otherwise we will no longer be free but slaves of something far worse. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take Christ any day.
