A. Last year, a movie called Big Miracle was released. How many of you have seen the movie?
1. It is a movie that told the true story of a 1988 international effort to free 3 gray whales trapped four miles from freedom by early ice formation in Alaska.
2. At first few bothered to notice their plight, except a few compassionate Eskimos who decided the great creatures needed their help and a local news reporter.
3. His news story drew international attention and set into motion a massive, two-week, international effort to free the whales from the ice.
4. Drawn into the collaborative rescue work were several normally hostile factions: Alaskan whale hunters, a Greenpeace environmental activist, an oil executive, ambitious news reporters, the National Guard, the American president and politicians on the state, national and international levels.
5. Also joining in the effort were two entrepreneurs from Minnesota, who provided de-icing machines to help keep the hole open.
6. Finally an enormous Soviet ice-breaker arrived to remove the last barrier before the whales die.
7. The ship's first attempt didn’t work and left only a dent in the massive ice formation.
8. The ice was finally broken and the adult whales, named Bonnet and Crossbeak, escaped to freedom.
9. Sadly, the infant whale, named Bam-Bam, died from injuries and did not surface again.
B. Stories like that one capture our heart and our imagination.
1. Whenever someone or something is trapped or imprisoned, then our natural instincts for survival and the preservation of life kick in.
2. That’s true when the imprisoned ones are whales in Alaska, or miners in Chile in 2010, or a child, like Jessica McClure, who at 18 months old, was trapped in a well, 22 feet in the ground for 58 hours, back in 1987.
3. Whenever someone or something is trapped or imprisoned, we want to help them find freedom – that is true on the physical level, but it is also true on the spiritual level.
C. God wants us to be free and for that reason, God has set us free.
1. God wants us to be free from condemnation, free from sin, and free from bondage to the Law.
2. That’s why God sent Jesus into this world – to purchase and provide a path to freedom.
3. And that’s why Paul was a missionary to the Galatians and later wrote this letter to them.
4. The Galatians had been set free by the Gospel, but they had willingly given up their freedom in Christ and had again become imprisoned and trapped.
5. Paul was not about to leave them stuck in that prison.
D. Throughout this letter to the Galatians, Paul has been making his case that Salvation is a free, grace-gift of God.
1. We are not worthy of it and we cannot earn it.
2. We are justified (made right) with God by God’s grace through the Gospel - Jesus’ redeeming work on the Cross.
3. Paul has spent the first 4 chapters of Galatians expounding on the wonder of salvation by grace and being set free from the Law.
4. Each time he makes that point he basically asks the question: After being set free, why would anyone want to go back into prision?
5. Just like the whales in our opening illustration – after having been set free from their ice-bound prison, no one would expect them to return to it, for returning would mean certain death.
6. The same is spiritually true for us.
E. Today, as we move into chapter 5, we move into the practical section of the book.
1. You might remember how in an earlier lesson I pointed out that the book falls nicely into 3 sections: chapters 1 & 2 were personal, chapters 3 &4 were doctrinal, and the final two are practical.
2. In chapters 5 & 6, Paul addresses the practical implications of the Gospel.
3. Let’s work our way through the first half of chapter five and see what lessons God would have us learn.
F. Look at verse 1: For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
1. Verse 1 is the summary of the last 2 chapters of the book, and in a sense, a summary of the whole book.
2. In this verse, Paul declares that we have profound freedom in Christ.
3. The first phrase is even stronger and more emphatic in Greek than how it comes across in English.
a. Paul literally wrote: “For freedom Christ freed you.”
b. Both the noun and the verb are the word “freedom.”
c. We understand from this statement that freedom is both the means and the end of the Christian life.
d. Jesus’ whole mission was an operation of liberation!
4. The verb translated “has set us free” is in the aorist tense, which in Greek, points to a single, past action that is now completed.
a. So, in the most definitive way, Paul tells us that we, Christians, have been set free.
5. We also notice in verse 1 that this freedom we have in the gospel can be lost.
a. It is important that Paul mentions this, because his emphatic declaration of the first half of verse 1 might lead us to think that our gospel freedom is so great and strong that it could never be lost.
b. Paul, therefore, is quick to point out that our gospel freedom is fragile and can slip from our grasp.
6. To keep our gospel freedom, Paul commands us to stand firm.
a. Standing firm is essentially a military word that mixes together the ideas of keeping alert, being strong, resisting attack, and sticking together.
b. Those are all things we must do in order to maintain our gospel freedom.
7. Paul finishes the verse by pointing out the opposite of our gospel freedom, which is a yoke of slavery.
a. Pursuing salvation through law-keeping and self-effort always lead to the same end – bondage, slavery and failure. Let me tell you, being in a yoke is no yoke!
G. Let’s notice the next few verses: 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
1. Both the Galatians, and everyone else, face an “either-or” decision.
a. We must choose the Gospel or the Law, we can’t have them both.
b. We must either make Christ our treasure, in whom we find our forgiveness and fulfillment, or we must look to the Law and to circumcision as a means of salvation.
c. You can’t add anything to Christ without subtracting from Christ.
d. Either Christ has all value and is the only thing we value, or He is without value to us.
e. It is all or none.
2. The implications of pursuing salvation through the Law and through circumcision are huge!
3. If we go the circumcision route, then we must keep the whole Law, which is impossible for us.
a. We can’t look at the Law like it is a cafeteria line, where we pick and choose which laws we want to follow.
b. Again, it is either all or none.
c. If we drive through a red light and get pulled over by a police officer, we can’t justify ourselves by pointing out that we keep all the other laws and only broke that one.
d. The officer is not going to be swayed by the fact that we were not speeding at the time we ran the red light, and were not talking on our cell phone and had our seat belt on, and had no stolen goods in the car.
e. No amount of obedience can make up for one act of disobedience.
f. That is the prison and tyranny of salvation by law-keeping.
4. So if we choose to go the way of the Law, then we must keep it all, perfectly.
5. And if we choose to go the way of the Law, then we are severed and separated from Christ and the way grace and of the Gospel.
6. Anyone here want to try to be saved by law-keeping? No thanks!
H. Look at how nicely Paul contrasts the slavery of the Law with the freedom of the Gospel in the next two verses: 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
1. Instead of striving for righteousness – an effort which is doomed to failure – Paul encourages the Galatians to “eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.”
2. Biblical hope does not have the weak meaning that most people give “hope” in modern usage.
a. In the Bible, “hope” does not mean “hope so”, as in “I hope it will be sunny tomorrow, but I have no confidence that it will be sunny.”
b. Biblical hope is a powerful assurance and certainly of something.
c. So biblical hope means “totally sure,” not the English “not so sure” type of hope.
3. So with the biblical kind of hope in mind, Paul tells us to eagerly await the righteousness that is going to be given to us.
a. Ultimately, we are not saved because we are righteous, but because Christ was righteous and we will get to share in His righteousness.
4. So Paul is saying that when we put our trust in Jesus for salvation, then we can live with assurance because we know we will be counted as righteous, and we know that we are God’s children and heirs.
5. Paul concludes that when it comes to the Gospel, circumcision is meaningless, but what does count is faith expressing itself through love.
6. When God comes to judge us the question will not be whether we were obedient to the law, but whether we responded to God’s love toward us with faith and love.
7. Doesn’t that give you a wonderful sense of assurance and freedom?
I. Look with me at the next few verses: 7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.
1. Paul interrupts his positive flow of verses 5 and 6, to once again warn the Galatians.
2. Paul employed one of his favorite metaphors for the Christian life – running a race.
a. Paul points out that they had been running a good race – they were in the race, they stayed in their lanes, and they were running at a good pace.
b. But then something happened – the Judaizers cut them off and hindered them.
c. If you have ever been in a race and someone cut in front of you or behind you and caused you to lose your step, or trip up, then you know it is not good thing.
3. Paul wants them to know that their place in the race is in jeopardy.
a. Those who had cut them off in the race were keeping them from obeying the truth – no one is going to finish the race if they don’t compete according to the rules.
b. Paul reminds them that this “persuasion” or direction or instruction is not from God – from him who calls you.
c. Paul warns them that that kind of false influence has a way of spreading like yeast.
c. And he warns them that the ones who are troubling them and who are causing them to get off course will pay a penalty – punishment is ahead for them.
4. When Paul says that that one will be punished “Whoever he is” indicates that Paul must not know who it is or that he does not know them personally.
5. In the midst of these warnings, Paul is careful to infuse some confidence and hope – he expresses his confidence that the Galatians will agree with him and will return to the truth.
J. In the final 2 verses of this section, Paul’s frustration and anger come through clearly: 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
1. It appears that the Judaizers had insinuated that Paul agreed with them that circumcision was necessary.
2. So Paul retorted, “If I’m preaching circumcision, then why am I being persecuted?”
3. It would have been simple and easy for Paul to water down the gospel, but he was not willing.
4. The wisdom and power of the cross may appear “foolish” to the Greeks, and scandalous to the Jews (as Paul discussed in 1 Corinthians), but Paul was not willing to avoid persecution by appeasing his hearers.
5. Next Paul made a most shocking statement.
a. He was so emotionally involved in this personal appeal, and so angered by what the false teachers had done to the Galations, that one of the bitterest and cruelest expression poured out in verse 12 – “I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!”
b. There was a pagan religion in that region where the priests and other devout worshippers, in frenzied devotion, mutilated themselves by castration.
c. The dramatic point Paul made was basically this: if salvation depended on the merit of a physical operation like circumcision, then why not go all the way and castrate yourselves like the heathen priests?
d. Certainly the Galatians, who knew about those priests, could not miss his point.
e. Perhaps if the false teachers would do that, then they wouldn’t be able to produce any more spiritual children in bondage to the law.
K. Next week, Lord willing, we will give attention to the second half of chapter 5, where Paul turns his attention to Gospel Character.
1. The two main errors that Christians must avoid are the two extremes of legalism and license.
2. We must not lose our Gospel Freedom, but neither should we abuse that Gospel Freedom.
3. Being given freedom from the Law does not give us the freedom to sin.
4. There is Gospel truth that must be obeyed through the power of the Holy Spirit and motivated by the grace of God.
5. But that is a discussion for next week.
L. Our main focus for today is Gospel Freedom.
1. For freedom Christ has set us free.
2. We must stand firm in that freedom and not be moved.
3. Because we are freed from the Law and saved by grace through the righteousness of Christ, we should have great assurance and peace.
M. I began this sermon with a movie illustration, and I want to end with another movie illustration.
1. How many of you saw the movie 127 Hours?
2. 127 Hours is the true story of outdoor adventurist Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashed on his arm and trapped him in an isolated canyon in Utah's Canyonlands National Park.
3. Aron Ralston believed that he was invincible and could do it all alone while on his outdoor adventures.
4. On Saturday, April 26, 2003, Aron went for an adventure trek alone through the generally secluded Blue John Canyon, and like he had done on many of his other treks, he had not told anyone where he is going.
5. But on this day, as Aron began to descend through the narrow passage where boulders were suspended, wedged between the walls of rock, one boulder was jarred loose.
6. He and the rock fell down to the bottom of the crevice, where he landed virtually unharmed, but unfortunately, his right hand was wedged between the boulder and the crevice wall.
7. Aron had access to his gear and his small supply of rations.
8. He initially yelled for help, but the extreme isolation of his location meant that nobody was within earshot.
9. He resigned himself to the fact that he was on his own.
10. He began recording a video diary on his camera and used the larger blade on his pocket multi-tool to attempt to chip away at the boulder. And he also began rationing his water and food.
11. After five days of trying to free himself unsuccessfully, and having used up all his rations, Aron decided his only chance of survival was use his knife to cut off his trapped arm.
12. Aron freed himself on Thursday, May 1, 2003 at 11:34 A.M.
13. He made his way out of the canyon, where he was forced to rappel down a 65-foot rockface and hike several miles before, exhausted and covered in blood, he finally ran into a family on a day hike.
14. The family sent for help and Ralston was evacuated by a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter.
15. The film ends with pictures of Ralston from his life after his ordeal — including several of Ralston's further adventures in climbing and mountaineering, which he continued following the accident.
16. Since that tragic day, Aron Ralston married his wife, Jessica, whom he met three years after the accident, and they have a son born in 2010.
17. Ralston now always leaves a note whenever he goes anywhere alone.
N. So you might ask, “Why would David end this sermon with this movie illustration?”
1. The point that I want us to consider is that when we find ourselves in bondage and slavery, there is often a price that must be paid to set us free.
2. Aron Ralston had to sacrifice his right hand in order to free himself from his bondage.
3. Even though Jesus paid it all on the cross to free us from bondage to the Law and to sin, and even though salvation is by grace through faith, there is still a sacrifice that we must make in order for our freedom to be realized.
4. That sacrifice is described by Jesus in these words, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).
5. Aron Ralston could keep his arm and lose his life, or lose his arm and keep his life.
6. Our choice is similar: we can keep our life for ourselves and therefore lose it, or we can give our life to God, and therefore keep it.
7. When we deny ourselves and daily take up our cross and follow Jesus, then we experience the Gospel Freedom that Jesus accomplished for us.
8. Let’s remember that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free – let us stand in that freedom.
