In Christ Alone (Part III)
Galatians 2:17-21
Many years ago in New Orleans, and an attractive young 17 year old Negro girl, was being sold at a slave auction. She had been taken from her parents and was very bitter over the whole experience. When she was turned over to the highest bidder and he came to take her, she said defiantly, “Well, what are you gong to do with me?” Much to her surprise, her new owner said, “I am going to give you your freedom.” And saying this, he handed her the papers of emancipation. That is what God the Father has done for us. Through Christ HE reconciled the world unto himself. —1989 Ministers Manual, Ed. by James W. Cox (Harper & Row, 1989), p. 62.
A common theme throughout Paul’s epistle to the Galatians is “Liberty”. Liberty is defined as freedom from captivity or slavery. Before Christ, we were in bondage to sin - Galatians 4:3 … when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Those who truly appreciate liberty are those who recognize the terrible bondage they have been delivered from!
> Songwriter Phil Cross put it this way:
“I was a slave in a foreign land”
”So very far from the Father's loving hand”
”He rescued me, one glorious day”
”He brought me out, paid a debt I could not pay”
”I am redeemed, I am redeemed”
”Jesus loosed the chains of sin and set me free”
Praise God for the liberty we have in Christ Jesus!
* Last week we began a sermon entitled “In Christ Alone”. We saw that:
I. We Are Justified Through Christ Alone (Part I)
II. We Are Accepted Through Christ Alone (Part II)
* I would like to continue to walk through these verses and see that:
III. We Are Free Through Christ Alone
IV. We Are Victorious Through Christ Alone
Background: Paul has been confronting issues brought about by the Judaizers among the Galatian believers. There was a point of contention over how man becomes right with God. In verse 16 Paul asserted that the only means of Justification is through Jesus Christ. He makes it clear “that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ” - Justification doesn’t come by obeying the law. No one has ever or will ever be “made right with God by obeying the law.” Thankfully, Jesus has done what the Law could not do, He made a way for us to be justified and accepted! And along with this, He has supplied us with LIBERTY!
* This fact is explained in verses 17-19. Notice that:
III. We Are Free Through Christ Alone - v17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
There are several areas in which we are FREE THROUGH CHRIST ALONE.I would like to examine four of them today… Consider:
A. We Are Free From The Suppression Of The Law
In these verses Paul is asking Peter “if being set free from the restraint of the law causes more sin to occur?” He then states that if this is the case, then “Christ who freed us from the law would be a promoter of sin” Paul then declares that this would be a ridiculous notion…Concerning this he says “God forbid”
On the cross, Jesus took our punishment so that we are no longer under the curse of the Law. Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…
This doesn’t mean that we are given license to sin! It means that we are free from the Law of Moses and under the Law of Christ. The demands of the Law were met in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul goes on to clarify this freedom from the Law. Notice - v18 for if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
For some time Paul had been preaching the message of Grace. Here he states that he refuses to call for the Gentiles to observe the Jewish rituals. This is seen in his question to Peter in verse 14 “since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?”
If Paul was to revert to the Law that he had abandoned when he trusted in Christ then that would make him a “transgressor”. He was in Christ… Christ removed the law, thus delivering him from sin. Because of Christ we are free from the Law… Because of Christ’s finished work, we HAVE A NEW LIFE IN HIM!!
Romans 6:4 "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
The Apostle Paul had first hand knowledge of this “new life in Christ” , He had tried to keep the Law, and he did a better job than most. But the Law still condemned him to death - v19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. Being “dead to the law” means that you are free from the obligation to obey it. The purpose of being freed from the law is so that the Christian “can live for God.”
The law is of none effect in the believer. The price was paid in full by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! This idea of freedom from the Law directly contradicted the actions of those that Paul encountered at Antioch, and it contradicted what the Judaizers were teaching at Galatia. And there are many legalists that you will encounter in the church today that just can’t grasp the liberty that we have in Christ! But I am thankful that THROUGH CHRIST ALONE WE ARE FREE FROM THE SUPRESSION OF THE LAW! Now we live in the grace and love of God
Jesus’ work at Calvary didn’t just free us from the Suppression of the Law. As we move further we will see that THROUGH CHRIST ALONE We Are Free From The Shackles Of Sin”
B. We Are Free From The Shackles Of Sin
When Jesus died for sin on the cross, He dealt with EVERY aspect of sin completely. This is why Jesus came, to deal with our sin problem and deliver us from those sins!
> In 1838, slavery was abolished in Jamaica, to take effect on August 1. On the evening of the last day in July a large company of former slaves gathered on the beach for a solemn, yet joyous, occasion. A large mahogany coffin had been constructed and placed on the sand next to a hole in the beach. All evening the soon-to-be-emancipated slaves placed, with some ceremony, symbols of their enslavement. There were chains, leg-irons, whips, padlocks, and other similar symbols of slavery. A few minutes before midnight came the box was lowered into the hole in the beach. Pushing sand into the hole to cover the coffin, all joined their voices with one accord to sing: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise him all creatures here below, praise him above ye heavenly host, praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.” They were free from their slavery.
Through Christ’s death we are free from our slavery to sin.
1) We Have Been Delivered From The Penalty Of Sin- Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
As a result of Adam’s sin we were destined for condemnation. We were “born in sin and conceived in iniquity!” Through Christ’s victory on the Cross… He made a way for us to be delivered from the Penalty of sin!
*Notice also that:
2) We Have Been Delivered From The Power of sin - Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
The Bible tells us that the flesh… “The old nature” is dead… but if we are honest it sure seems alive and well! You have been saved, you have no doubt about it, yet you continuously find yourself committing certain sins. Because you are saved you then face the conviction of the Holy Spirit. You are consumed with guilt and shame because you have sinned against God. Then the devil begins to whisper in your ear and try to convince you that you are worthless or maybe he even tries to convince you that you were never saved in the first place. I am here to tell you that the only reason that “the old man” has control in your life is because you allow him to!
Let’s go back to Galatia for a moment. The issue that Paul had been addressing was that the people had been freed from the bondage of the Law and were intentionally returning to that bondage. The issue that we have is that Christians have been freed from the bondage of sin, but many make a conscious choice to return to the very bondage that they have been delivered from. Through Jesus, we have freedom from the shackles of sin!
* Though we are freed from sins penalty and power we still live in a fallen creation but… Praise God one day…
3) We Will Be Delivered From The Presence Of Sin
God created a perfect world and then man went and messed it up!
- All of our pain is a result of sin
- All of our heartaches are a result of sin
- All of our sadness is a result of sin
1) War - RESULT OF SIN
2) Murder – RESULT OF SIN
3) Hunger - RESULT OF SIN
4) Hate - RESULT OF SIN
5) Sickness - RESULT OF SIN
6) Death - RESULT OF SIN
One of the greatest promises concerning Heaven is found in - Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
When that day comes, all the saints of God will be forever delivered from the presence of sin! We will have a new body and live in a land that is free from temptation & sin! And all of this is possible… THROUGH CHRIST ALONE!!!
* Another blessing that we possess Through Christ Alone is that:
c. We Are Free From The Scheme Of Satan
We can trace the “Scheme of Satan” back to the beginning: In the Garden, Satan corrupted Adam and Eve, robbing them of their immorality. This scheme of Satan had an impact on all of mankind from that point forward! But God promised redemption!
Eventually, Mary gave birth to the promised seed. Satan prompted evil King Herod to destroy the child. The babies of Bethlehem were slaughtered… But Jesus was taken to Egypt until Herod's death. In Nazareth, Jesus grew to become a man. (SATAN’S SCHEME FAILED!!!)
Then, in the wilderness, Satan came to Christ and tempted Him… Jesus was victorious over this temptation and refused to give in to the Devil’s deceptive plan. (SATAN’S SCHEME FAILED AGAIN!!!)
For 3 ½ years Jesus taught with authority and performed many miracles. In time, Jesus was betrayed, arrested and crucified. There on Calvary’s cross, Jesus died! On Friday about sundown, when they took Jesus down from the cross, it appeared that Satan had won the battle. Then on Sunday morning, the Victor walked out of the grave, alive from the dead. (SATAN’S SCHEME FAILED ONCE AGAIN!!!)
God had raised him just as he had promised. Redemption was accomplished….Satan was defeated!!! - I John 3:8 …For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Obviously Satan still exists and we have do endure his presence, but not his power. The only power he has over you is what you give him! Christ defeated Satan and through Christ WE TOO HAVE THE VICTORY!
* Through Christ Alone We Are Free from the Suppression of the Law, We are Free from the Shackles of Sin, We Are Free from the Scheme of Satan and praise God as we move further we see that:
C. We Are Free From The Sting Of Death - 1 Corinthians 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 but thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Death is perhaps the most feared subject on earth! Barring the Rapture each of us will face death sometime in the future. If you are lost, you will encounter the horrible sting of dearth! If you are saved, you may encounter death …but its sting has been removed. On that Resurrection Sunday when Jesus walked out of that Tomb He rendered death ineffective in the lives of His children. Because of that we don’t have to encounter the “sting of Death” The believer simply passes from this world to the next!
> Dr. Alan Carr shared a story about - A boy who crawled up into his mama’s lap one hot summer day and just sitting there, loving mama, and mama loving him, and then the little fellow became afraid and the little fellow pulled closer to its mama and the mother said, “What’s the matter, Son?” And the little boy said, “Oh, Mama, look at that bumble bee! Look at that bumble bee buzzing all around me. Mama, Mama, I’m afraid of that bumble bee.” She said, “Aw, Son, you don’t have to be afraid of that bumble bee.” “Well, Mama, that bumble bee will sting me.” “No, no, no, Son. That bumble bee won’t sting you, you don’t have to be afraid.” “Why don’t I, Mama?” And Mama reached out her hand and she showed the little boy her hand and in her hand she pulled out a stinger and she said, “Son, you don’t have to be afraid of that bumble bee; that bumble bee has already stung your mama and it can’t sting you. I’ve got the stinger.”) The Sermon Notebook\new testament\1 Corinthians 15_50-58
Aren’t you glad that THROUGH CHRIST WE ARE FREE FROM THE STING OF DEATH!
*Let’s go just a little farther and see that:
D. We Are Free From The Sentence Of Hell - Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
When Adam and Eve sinned, Satan gained rights over man. God’s demands punishment for human sin. But God Himself provided us with a way of escape - 2 Corinthians 5:21 for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Everyone here must understand… HELL IS A REAL PLACE!!! And if you die lost in your sins that is where you are headed!
Of the 162 references to Hell in the New Testament, 70 were spoken by Jesus Himself. Why did Jesus speak so much on this subject? Because He knew of Hell's reality… He warned people about Hell because He did not want them to go there.
* Through the Word of God we find that Hell is a place of:
1) Never Ending Fire - (Mark 9:43)
2) Unquenchable Thirst - (Luke 16:24-25)
3) Misery and Pain - (Revelation 14:11)
4) Frustration and Anger - (Matthew 24:51)
5) Eternal Separation -(Revelation 21:8)
6) Undiluted Wrath
7) Memory and Remorse - (Luke 16:25)
In Luke 16 we find an account of a man who died and went to this dreadful place. The pain in Hell was so horrible he begged that someone warn his family. He has realized that it was too late for him to be delivered! He realized that there was no second chance. All the happiness that he experienced in his life was over and there was nothing left for him:No hope, No joy and No peace would he ever find!
And if you die lost in your sins you will join him. And when you reach this place it will BE TOO LATE. There will be:
- NO MERCY
- NO GRACE
- NO PRESENCE OF GOD
- Nothing but endless torments!!
If you are lost, I hope you understand that Hell is real… You will feel it… you will face it! But you don’t have to!! We live in a day of grace, there is STILL an opportunity for salvation, Jesus came to make a way of escape, and you can forever be delivered from the Sentence of Hell. You can be delivered…THROUGH CHRIST ALONE!!!
*Thanks to Jesus we can experience all that we have seen today!
i. In Christ Alone We Are Free From The Suppression Of The Law
ii. In Christ Alone We Are Free From The Shackles Of Sin
iii. In Christ Alone We Are Free From The Scheme Of Satan
iv. In Christ Alone We Are Free From The Sting Of Death
v. In Christ Alone We Are Free From The Sentence Of Hell
Dr. Alan Carr shares the following story in his sermon “Thou Art Loosed” (www.sermonnotebook.com)
In 1863 as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation slavery was abolished. All across the country the newspaper headlines read “Slavery Legally Abolished!’ But something amazing took place. The greater majority of the slaves in the South went right on living as though they were not emancipated. This continued throughout the Reconstruction Period.”An Alabama slave was asked what he thought of the Great Emancipator Abraham Lincoln. He mumbled…. ‘I don’t know nothin’ ’bout Abraham Lincoln cep they say he set us free. And I don’t know nothin’ ’bout that neither.’” A war was being fought. A document had been signed. Slaves were legally set free…yet most continued to live out their years, and many of their children some of their years, in fear, saying, “I don’t know nothin’ ’bout that neither.” In a context of freedom, slaves chose to remain slaves, though they were legally freed. Even though emancipated, they kept serving the same master throughout their lives.
The believers at Galatia had been freed from the bondage of the Law… but they were voluntarily returning to that bondage. Many of you have been freed from the shackles of sin… yet you willingly return to that bondage. Some of you are lost in your sins and headed for an eternity in hell, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE!!
Each and every one of us here has the opportunity to be free. And that FREEDOM is found …IN CHRIST ALONE!
(there is still one more part of this sermon that we have yet to reach. Join us next week as we examine the fact that "We Are Victorious Through Christ Alone" )
