Series: Playing A New Game [#3]
A TIME TO REMEMBER
Galatians 5:1
Introduction:
On this Memorial Day weekend, we remember those who gave their lives for us so that we can live in a free country. Freedom to worship where we choose. Freedom to work wherever we choose. Freedom to get as high of an education as we choose. As wonderful as this freedom is, it is not the most important freedom you can have. The freedom I am talking about belongs to all sorts of people and comes from Jesus Christ. This freedom has nothing to do with social status, wealth, or political power.
Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
“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.”
Remember…
1. Who set you free.
You were set free from…
? Slavery of sin.
Sin blinds. Satan deceives. You were a slave to sin and did not even know it until the Holy Spirit convicted you of your sins. As Jesus Christ was hanging on a cross for my sins and yours, He cried, “It is finished.” That tells us that the price necessary for our salvation was paid in full. Christ paid the price.
You were set free from…
? Rituals.
Because Jesus bought us, we are no longer under the Law. As Galatians says, the Law is only there as a schoolmaster, as a guideline. We are not held accountable to the Law for our salvation, we are held accountable to the surrendering of our lives to Jesus Christ for our salvation. We don’t have to offer sacrifices for the cleansing of sin, Christ did that for us. We no longer have to go to some priest and confess our sins to them so that they can make sacrifice for us. We can go to God through Jesus Christ Who is our High Priest. You can go directly to God anytime you want! You are free! By the way, that is why when you go to God in prayer, you must ask for forgiveness of your sins.
Remember…
2. You are to stand firm.
Resist…
? Sin.
We were set free from the clutches of sin. Sin is the reason we die. Although we will die physically, (unless Jesus comes and raptures you out before that time), Christians will not die the second death. But, the book of Revelations tells us that those that die without Jesus will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the 2nd death. Jesus sets us free from the second death. We were spiritually dead, but with Jesus He makes us new. He brings us back to life.
Sin has done us no favors and yet we can’t resist? Stand firm. Stop allowing your “pet sins” to hold you captive. Stop allowing sin to enslave you because you have been set free.
Resist…
? Rituals.
As you stand firm, don’t forget Who set you free. It was not something you did on your own. When we forget Who is in charge and begin to think we got it all figured out; then we begin to become legalistic like the Pharisees were. Just as the Pharisees, we try to add to salvation. For the Jews it was circumcision. We must be careful that we not forget our focus. Rituals did not set us free, Jesus did. Without Jesus Christ, all of your rituals and services mean nothing. Don’t forget you are serving god for His purpose not yours.
Remember…
3. You are no longer a slave.
Christians, we are no longer slaves, we are free. Just as those that we are honoring this Memorial Day day died for freedom so did Jesus. The difference is Jesus died for all, even those that drove the nails in His hands. As people free from the grips of sin, how should our lives look? How can lost people know that there is something different about our lives from theirs? We must not “blend in” with the world, we must look different!
Conclusion:
If you are a Christian here this morning, I’m not trying to cause you to doubt your salvation, but you should be bearing fruit in your life. If you are asking, “What fruit?” Can others see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in your life? If one or all of those are missing, then you need some pruning in your life so that you will begin to bear fruit and God is the One Who does the pruning. You need to go to God this morning and allow Him to clean out the junk.
If you are here without Jesus, listen to me very closely. As Jesus died on the cross, there was a requirement necessary for the cleansing of sin and salvation. That requirement was blood from a “spotless”, perfect lamb. See, Jesus’ blood that flowed from His body is what bought my freedom, but I had to do something also. I had to surrender my life to Jesus. When I did that, I was washed clean by the blood of the Lamb. How do you surrender? You simply give up trying on your own and give full control of your life to someone else and that someone else is Jesus Christ. Do you want to be freed? Do you want to be saved? It’s simple. The Bible says that you are to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son Who died on a cross for the sins of the world and was raised from the dead and you will be saved.
On this Memorial Day Weekend, don’t forget Who died for your spiritual freedom so that you can live with Him for all eternity in Heaven.
