Freedom
Galatians 5:1, 13
July 2, 2017
Am I really free? YES!
John 8:36
Justification by Faith: We are justified before God, not by our works, but our genuine faith in Jesus and His atoning work on the cross.
What am I free from?
We are free from the penalty of sin
“It is finished” John 19:30 tetelesthai: paid in full
We are free from the bondage of sin
Galatians 5:1
We are free from the burden of the Law
Ephesians 2:8-10
What am I free for?
Galatians 5:13
Opening quote from book on freedom on back shelf
4th of July weekend. Lots of people traveling. We have freedom to do that because of the sacrifice of brave men and women for the last 400 years.
But as wonderful and good as our national freedom, as believers must remember that the things of this world are only temporary. No nation, no matter how powerful, even the United States, is going to last. Just survey human history: Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, British… we need to maintain that perspective.
There is, however a kingdom that is eternal and everlasting, and that is the kingdom of God. Is. 9:6,7 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.”
There is one ultimate kingdom and one ultimate king: Jesus Christ. And He has established earthly kingdoms for His own kingdom purposes. And I believe the greatest kingdom in the history of humanity is our own United States of America.
But sadly, in a country with all these personal freedoms, there are millions of our citizens that are not in freedom, but in bondage.
Stats on meth, etc…Ohio, etc; financial…porn…depression…fear…
Turn with me to the book of Galatians. The book of Galatians was written by the Apostle Paul in about 50 A.D. to the churches in a region called Galatia, which is modern day Turkey. The gospel had spread to this region; churches had sprung up, and Paul is taking on a issue that was plaguing these young churches. The issue was this: If Christ has set us free, what does that mean in everyday life? Am I really free? What am I free from? What am I free for.
So let’s answer three basic questons:
Am I really free? (build) The basic answer is YES! This freedom was not secured by any nation or military. It was secured Jesus the Messiah. He said in John 8:36 “if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”
At the heart of this question is the bedrock biblical concept of Justification by Faith: We are justified before God, not by our works, but our genuine faith in Jesus and His atoning work on the cross. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus and by faith asked that His atoning death on the cross pay for your sin, then YES, you are really free. This freedom supersedes anything any nation or people can provide for you.
But what does that mean for everyday life? So the 2nd question is: What am I free from?
Well, there’s a lot we’re free from in Christ, but let me focus on the three main issues.
We are free from the penalty of sin When Jesus hung on the cross, His last words were: “It is finished” John 19:30 The Greek word used there is tetelesthai: paid in full
Term used in commerce and also a legal term. If you bought some goods, you would get a bill of sale that would have tetelesthai written across it: paid in full. If you had been thrown in jail or prison, they would enumerate your crime and the penalty on a parchment, and once you had done your time, they would write across the parchment, tetelesthai: paid in full. That thai on the end of tetelesthai is an infinitive. So when Jesus said “It is finished” He was declaring that His payment for our sin was complete and infinite. If I am in Christ, Jesus paid the penalty, the debt for my sin and imperfection and His payment was complete and infinite. Hallelujah!
We are free from the bondage of sin Notice what Galatians 5:1 says: Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.
The freedom Jesus secured for us with His blood is intended to keep us from being a slave to any sin in our lives. I’m not talking about sinless perfection; no one is perfect but Jesus. But what I am talking about is being in bondage to our fleshly desires.
What might those be? Bondage to fear. Bondage to drugs. Bondage to alcohol. Bondage to sex. Bondage to food. Bondage to social media. Bondage to anything that is controlling us other than being under the control and dominance of the Holy Spirit. If you are in bondage, if you’re caught in the snare of a sin habit, this is not what Jesus saved you for…this is not what He died for. He wants you to experience all the freedom and joy and peace a human can have. (RESTORE logo) Can you gain the freedom that Christ died to secure for you.
We are free from the burden of the Law When I say the Law, I’m not talking about the law of the U.S. or the laws of Texas. I’m talking about the Old Testament Law: the 1st five books of the Bible…
You see, There were those who insisted that to be justified before God; to be saved; to be in right standing with God, you needed faith, yes—but you needed something more: you must keep & obey the Old Testament Law of Moses. The inescapable result of their doctrine was that Jesus’ blood was not enough to save a person.
There are still those today who believe the same thing. Roman Catholic doctrine is very specific on this. One Catholic writer puts it this way:
“Catholics and Protestants differ on many particulars regarding Justification/Salvation, but the basic point upon which we most strongly disagree and which most enters into the Faith /Works debate is this: Man has the ability and obligation to cooperate with God’s grace in securing his own salvation. In the practical order, this means that he must do good and avoid evil in order to be saved.” Brother Andre Marie, Benedictine Order (Catholicism.org)
This position requires that one must accept that Jesus’ atoning sacrifice and our genuine faith in that is not enough. That we must add something to what Jesus did, that is, good works. I’m not going to go through all the scriptures that contradict that, but let me just point out one:
Ephesians 2:8-10 “8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.”
We are saved by grace through faith. Yes. It is a gift. Yes. We can’t earn it. We don’t deserve it. But it’s a gift—that’s what makes this such good news, right? I don’t have to be good enough to gain salvation. I accept it as a gift from God. And this gift is imperishable and irrevocable. It’s not Jesus plus—it’s Jesus period!
Someone might say, “Well, since I’m justified before God and my sin has been paid for by the blood of Jesus, I’ll just do whatever I want to do.” That’s where v.10 comes in: 10 For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.”
We’re not saved BY good works. What does it say? We’re save FOR good works. If you are genuinely saved, then the Holy Spirit is in you and transforming you and giving you the appetite and desire to do good works. Not out of obligation, but out of what? Gratification.
My love for Sue…
One last question: What am I free for? Look at Galatians 5:13 “For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.”
Ah. There it is again. The Higher Path is the path of humility; the path of serving others; the path of loving others. The more I fall in love with Jesus, the more I want to love others and serve them.
Sept 10 3 services; need people to give their lives for children…
Closing illustration
