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.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
(from New International Version)
Now Paul talks about 2 ways here that you can respond to this freedom that we has been given in Christ.
The first way is
You Can Reject it for Legalism!
Slide 4
Galatians 5:2-4
Slide 4 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. (from New International Version)
Those who go the way of following the law are rejecting their freedom and walking straight back into slavery.
Well, aren’t you supposed to be obedient to what God wants?
Yes we are.
Well How do you do that if you don’t follow the rules?
You will be obedient, not by being a rule follower, but,
By being a Christ follower.
This is not some give and take negotiation that we have with God.
If we read our Bibles more God will do this
If we pray more, then God will do that.
If we serve, then I can expect this from God.
He is not some person that we are in a business relationship with.
He is our God who wants us in a personal relationship with Him.
Our attitude should not be…
God, look over here, I am reading my Bible.
God, now look, I am serving in your church.
It should be…
Lord I love you and I want to know you better through your word
Lord, I love you so your people are important to me so I am going to serve in your church.
Reading the word and serving are good things but they need to be by products of following Christ out of love.
When they become the focus rather than serving out of our love for Christ and His creation, then we miss the boat and we end up rejecting the freedom he gives and become enslaved again.
Blessing does not come from following the rules.
It comes from being in relationship with Christ which gives us desire to show our love for Him.
Even in the OT where it often talks about blessings and obedience, it is a result of not being in relationship with God that disobedience comes.
Deut 11:26-28
26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse-- 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
(from New International Version)
Ps 40:4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust,
Ps 128:4 thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.
Prov 16:20 blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
Being in relationship with the Lord is where blessing is found.
Legalism will not get you anywhere but back into bondage. You will not be free, but a slave.
Illustration – Escape prisoner
Imagine for a moment a person who was innocent of a crime but convicted anyway. He escapes from jail but goes into hiding so he won’t go back. New evidence clears his name from the crime and he is pardoned.
He doesn’t know it however and continues to live in hiding though nobody is looking for him to put him back in jail.
While this man has freedom, he lives as a slave to his fear without freedom.
While he thought he was gaining his freedom, he really entered into slavery that was worse than being in jail.
This is what we do when we seek to earn God’s grace and the freedom that it brings. We end up rejecting it by being legalistic and trying to follow the rules instead of following Christ.
The second way we can respond to the freedom that is offered in Christ is
You Can Receive it by Faith!
Slide 5
Slide 5 Galatians 5:5
5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.
It is not always easy to wait for God to work things out.
Last week we talked about how we think God is taking too long on things sometimes.
And we said that it is not that He is taking too long, but it is that
He is Perfecting His Power in You.
And as He perfects His power in us, the freedom that we have becomes more and more apparent in our lives.
It is through the Spirit that we wait and that He works His power. We need to live according to the Spirits guidance and direction.
Listen to what Paul wrote in Romans about the freedom we have. He just got done talking about the struggles of trying to obey, and I think he is talking about trying to obey in his own power. Then he asks
Romans 7:24-25
Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!
And then he goes on in
Romans 8:1-4
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
We live according to the Spirit not the sinful nature.
This is not as easy as it sounds.
While we are in the body, we seem to be in a constant dilemma between
living by faith or
by works.
John Piper writes this about this dilemma
Works wants the thrill of feeling itself overcome an obstacle.
Faith wants the thrill of feeling God overcome an obstacle.
Works longs for the joy of being glorified as capable and strong and smart. Faith longs for the joy of seeing God glorified for His strength and His wisdom.
In its religious form, works accepts the challenge of morality, conquers its obstacles through great exertion and offers the victory to God for His gratitude and applause and recompense.
Faith also accepts the challenge of morality, but only as an occasion to become the instrument of God’s power, and when the victory is achieved, faith rejoices that all the glory and thanks belong to God.
Works, while it may have a few successes from an external standpoint, lead to burnout and bondage.
Faith will have continual success, if we continue in it, and leads to freedom!
Trust God in His timing and in His power and receive the freedom He offers by faith.
A second question that Paul addresses is
How will you live in your Freedom in Christ?
Slide 6 Slide 6
We have choices here also. First Paul tells the Galatians that
Now assuming you have chosen to respond to the freedom that is offered by receiving it by faith, how will you live in your freedom?
Paul begins by saying
In your Freedom, Don’t Live a Lie.
Slide 7
Galatians 5:6-12
Slide 7 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!
Paul says
Hey you started out following the truth that all you do is by the grace of God
Now you are living the lie that says follow these rules and you will become holy.
Don’t live the lie.
The Galatians needed a reminder, a wake up call.
This is the same thing we need sometimes.
We need a reminder.
Hey Scott, are you looking to follow rules?
Are you doing this in your own strength to earn God’s applause?
That is not the Spirit leading in that direction. That is Satan.
Don’t let Him cut in on you.
Don’t let Him distract you and lead you away from God’s grace.
Sometimes that reminder is all we need.
Paul tells the Galatians here
I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view.
Now that I have reminded you, I know that you will move back into being a Christ follower and be receiving His grace and freedom instead of being a rule follower and rejecting His grace and the freedom that comes with it.
Paul also reminds them to not
Indulge the sinful nature, because while we think that is an expression of true freedom, it really leads back into a rejection of His grace and bondage again.
Jude wrote about people who had come in saying sin all you want. But Jude says that is a rejection and denial of Christ.
4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Don’t deny Christ by living a lie
You deny Christ by following rules legalistically and
you deny Him by living licentiously.
Don’t live a lie.
Instead,
In your Freedom, Live to Love.
Slide 8
Galatians 5:13-15
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.
Slide 8
When we are missing the Grace of God, love as God would have us love, becomes very difficult and then we turn to hurting one another.
The author of Hebrews expresses this same thought.
Hebrews 12:15
15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
When we aren’t walking in God’s grace by the power of His Spirit, we can’t love as He wants.
When we aren’t loving, bitterness begins developing.
We begin applying motives, probably wrong ones, to people’s behavior.
That person is not serving much here. They are just freeloading off of all our work
This person is not giving to this cause like I am, they are not as spiritual as me.
But when we are walking in God’s grace, we are freed to love as God wants us to because we are walking by the power of the Spirit.
So are we living a lie by rejecting God’s grace or
Are we living to love as we accept God’s grace.
Paul goes on to tell us what this is going to look like in a persons life.
Now, before we go through these, understand that you will never make yourself look one way when you are living the other.
If you have been living the lie, we don’t need to deny it and hide it, we need to confess it and recognize it for the lie it is and turn from the lie to the truth of trusting God in His grace.
Ok, so how can we recognize where we are, if we are living a lie or living ot love?
Living the Lie looks for Fulfillment in the Flesh
Slide 9
Galatians 5:16-21
Slide 9 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.
When we are not following Christ by the power of the Spirit, we are following a lie and we begin looking for the fulfillment that we long for through acts of the flesh and many other things result.
Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery are all sensual sins.
Sexual immorality is either adultery or fornication.
Married people commit adultery with someone who is not their spouse.
Fornication is the same acts committed by unmarried people.
Impurity is a filthiness of heart and mind. This persons mind is always in the gutter.
Debauchery is excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures. It has no shame in indulging in anything that will satisfy an appetite.
We think these things will bring fulfillment and joy into our life but they only lead to other sins.
Such as
Idolatry – Putting other things or people ahead of God
Witchcraft – when you are practicing witchcraft or sorcery or dabbling in the occult, you are treading into dangerous spiritual territory with demons and evil spirits.
Hatred -
Discord – lack of agreement or harmony
Jealousy
Fits of Rage
Selfish Ambition – doing things that you think will benefit you regardless of effects on others
Dissensions – Divisions among the people
Factions – refers to cliques that are against other cliques
Envy
Drunkenness
Orgies – unrestrained indulgence in sensual pleasures
When we live a lie, not following Christ by the power of the Spirit, we seek to find fulfillment in these types of activities.
These are the activities and lifestyles of those who do not know the Lord.
Paul is not saying that someone who has committed any of these sins will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. He is talking about someone who has a lifestyle of this behavior without any conviction of wrongness.
If any of these activities describes a lifestyle pattern of yours,
You should be asking yourself some hard questions.
Paul tells us in
2 Corinthians 13:5
5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?
If these things are a lifestyle for you and you realize that this lifestyle has not brought you the joy that you thought they would, turn to Christ and receive Him and His grace and the freedom He wants to give you.
It is then that we can be
Living to love finds fulfillment in the fruit
Slide 10
Galatians 5:22-26
Slide 10 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
When we are following Christ by the power of the Spirit, we are living a life of love and we find the fulfillment that we long for in the fruit that is produced in our life.
Love is the first fruit of the Spirit.
When we love, these other fruits become evident in our lives as well.
We experience joy.
We gain a peace and a confidence in the Lord that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7)will be yours.
We can be patient without worry
We can be kind and good, which is love in action.
We will grow in faith,
We will be gentle, which is not weakness but really power under control
And we will be self controlled.
These are the outworkings of the Spirit as we
live by His power and we
live to love.
These things are marks of the freedom we can have in Christ.
A freedom that allows us to live this way vs. being in bondage to either law or sin.
Receive that freedom.
Live in that Freedom.
Celebrate that freedom.
Lord’s Supper
Just as on Memorial day in this country we honor those who have fought for or freedom and celebrate the freedom we have,
We are coming to a time for Christians when we remember and honor Christ and what He did for us on the cross and we can celebrate the freedom we have in Him.
This is a time for Christians, those who have received Jesus Christ as Savior, to remember what Christ has done.
But just as we saw in the message today, we need to ask ourselves osme questions sometimes.
At this time also, Paul tells us to examine ourselves and to judge ourselves.
If you recognized in your life acts of the sinful nature, you should take this time to
judge yourself, and
seek the Lord’s forgiveness and
repent
before you partake.
If you recognized those things in your life but don’t feel they are wrong, my suggestion would be to forgo partaking of the Lord’s supper and asking God to show you the truth of His word in that matter.
While this is a memorial to the Lord and symbolic, it is a serious time and not to be taken lightly.
I am going to give you a few moments to pray and examine yourselves so that you can seek forgiveness and give thanks to the Lord for His sacrifice.
We invite those who have received Christ as Savior, and examined themselves, to partake with us.
Take and hold it
We will pass out the bread and the cup and as it is passed just take it and hold it
And we will give thanks and partake of it together.
