INTRODUCTION
OPENING SLIDE
• Have you ever noticed how we’re really good at celebrating big moments—but not always sure what comes after?
• Graduation day comes… now what?
• The wedding ceremony ends… now what?
• Retirement finally arrives… Now what?
• Every milestone creates a next step.
• And the same is true in the Christian life.
• When we come to Christ, our sins are forgiven, the burden is lifted, and we rejoice in freedom—but eventually we ask: what does a free life in Christ actually look like?
• Once the chains come off, once the burden is lifted, once the debt is paid, what comes next?
• The Galatian Christians knew what it meant to be set free in Christ—but they were struggling with what to do with that freedom.
• Part of the struggle for them and for us today is the fact that we really do not understand what freedom is.
• How many of you remember telling your parents that you could wait to become an adult so that you could do whatever you wanted to do when you wanted to do it?
• This was likely said after your parents set a curfew or forbade you from doing something.
• Then reality hits you one day because the day you longed for finally came.
• Imagine standing at the edge of a vast wilderness, the sun shining brightly, representing the freedom you’ve always longed for.
• But as you step into this freedom, you realize that it comes with responsibility.
• When we mature in life, we realize that freedom does not mean we get to do whatever we want; it actually brings us enormous responsibility.
• Adults who fail in life do not understand this, and Christians who fail in their faith do not understand this either.
• What to do with our freedom in Christ.
• Paul answers that question clearly—and maybe uncomfortably.
• Paul writes to the Galatians, addressing the confusion surrounding freedom in Christ versus the bondage of the law.
• They had experienced the liberating grace of Jesus but were tempted to revert to legalism.
• Paul clarifies that true freedom is not about self-indulgence but about loving service to one another.
• Freedom in Christ is not the ultimate goal of the Christian life; it is merely the beginning.
• Let’s turn to our text together this morning as we explore three key aspects of our passage of taking the next step in keeping in step with the Holy Spirit in our lives today.
Galatians 5:13–14 NET 2nd ed.
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”
MAIN POINT 1 SLIDE
SERMON
I. The Call
• Paul begins with a reminder—not a command, but a calling.
• Verse 13 begins with the statement to the Galatians that they were called to freedom.
• The Greek preposition (for) used here indicates a goal or purpose; consequently, the very purpose of the Christian calling is that the believer might be free.
Galatians 5:1 NET 2nd ed.
1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.
1 Corinthians 7:23 NET 2nd ed.
23 You were bought with a price. Do not become slaves of men.
• This freedom is something Christians ought to treasure because it was purchased with the "priceless blood of Christ."
Freedom begins with God’s initiative.
• Paul says, “You were called.”
• That language matters.
• This is not something they achieved.
• This is not something they earned.
• This is not something they maintained on their own.
• Freedom in Christ is the result of God’s grace, not human effort.
• For a church shaped by God’s Word (which the Restoration Movement, from which our church finds its roots), this is essential:
• We restore New Testament faith—not to earn salvation.
• We follow Scripture—not to prove ourselves.
• We obey Christ—because He has already set us free.
• Freedom is not a reward for obedience; obedience is the response to freedom.
• This means that our freedom, which was purchased by the blood of Jesus, comes with responsibility.
• Paul reminds the Galatians that their calling is rooted in the freedom offered by Christ.
Freedom Is the Opposite of Bondage—Not the Absence of Direction
• Our freedom in Christ is not merely a license to do as one pleases but a divine invitation to embrace a new way of life.
• The Galatians had been enslaved to the law—rules without relationship.
• Paul has fought fiercely in this letter to protect their freedom.
• But here’s what Paul does not say:
• He does not say:
• “You were called to be free—so figure it out on your own.”
• “You were called to be free—so do whatever feels right.”
• Biblical freedom is not lawlessness; it is liberation.
• When I was a kid, I thought freedom was the ability to do whatever I wanted.
• Biblical freedom, which is true freedom, means we are liberated from the law’s curse, and we are empowered to live by the Spirit.
Galatians 3:10–14 NET 2nd ed.
10 For all who rely on doing the works of the law are under a curse because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not keep on doing everything written in the book of the law.”
11 Now it is clear no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous one will live by faith.
12 But the law is not based on faith, but the one who does the works of the law will live by them.
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)
14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.
• The focus of this series is to help us stay in step with the Spirit that inhabits us and directs us.
Romans 8:1–2 NET 2nd ed.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.
• I love verse 1; therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
• Taking the braces off a child doesn’t mean they can run into traffic.
• Freedom removes restriction, but it doesn’t remove purpose.
Freedom Always Comes With a ‘From’ and a ‘For’
• Do I see my faith mainly as freedom from something…or freedom for something?
• The call of the gospel is not simply to be free—it is to live like freedom has changed us.
• Paul knows something about human nature.
• If freedom isn’t understood rightly, it can be misused quickly.
• So before he tells us what freedom is for, he warns us what freedom is not for.”
• Let’s look at our passage again.
Galatians 5:13–14 NET 2nd ed.
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”
MAIN POINT 2 SLIDE
II. The Warning
• The warning from Paul is for us not to use our freedom as an opportunity to indulge the flesh.
• The Greek word translated as "OPPORTUNITY" speaks of a "base of operations" or a starting point for an expedition.
• Paul warns against using freedom as a pretext or base of operations for sin.
• He doesn’t question their freedom.
• He protects it by warning them how easily it can be wasted.
Freedom Always Faces a Counterfeit
• We were called to freedom, and then Paul says ONLY or BUT.
• That single word signals danger.
• There is always a counterfeit version of freedom—one that looks appealing but leads back to bondage.
• The "flesh" represents our base instincts, desires that lead us away from God’s best.
• The flesh says:
• “If you’re free, you deserve this.”
• “If you’re forgiven, it doesn’t really matter.”
• “If grace covers it, why fight it?”
Paul says, “Don’t take the freedom Christ gave you and turn it into permission for the flesh.”
• Freedom that feeds the flesh eventually enslaves the soul.
1 Peter 2:16 NET 2nd ed.
16 Live as free people, not using your freedom as a pretext for evil, but as God’s slaves.
• Our freedom is meant to glorify Him, not to indulge our flesh.
Misused Freedom Harms Relationships
• Paul’s concern isn’t only personal holiness—it’s community health.
• Later in this chapter, he warns that unchecked flesh leads to biting and devouring one another.
• Freedom used selfishly results in:
• Division instead of unity.
• Criticism instead of encouragement.
• Isolation instead of connection.
• This fits Paul’s larger concern:
• A free people who stop loving one another stop looking like the body of Christ.
• Paul’s warning isn’t aimed at new Christians—it’s aimed at Christians who know better.
• These were freedom-celebrating Christians.
• The danger is not open rebellion—it’s quiet self-indulgence.
• This issue manifests itself when we start thinking only about ourselves and what we want, or when we focus on getting our way instead of looking at how what we want impacts the spiritual life of others.
• Identify areas in your life where you may be misusing your freedom.
• Are there habits or attitudes that lead you away from serving others?
• We must guard our hearts against selfishness, using our freedom to point others to Christ.
• Does my freedom lead me closer to Christ—or more focused on myself?
• Has grace made me grateful—or careless?
• Am I using freedom as a gift… or a shield?
• Christian freedom does not remove restraint—it replaces it with love.
• Let’s take a final run at our passage.
• This is where you turn the corner from warning to hope.
• Paul doesn’t stop with what freedom must not become.
• He shows us what freedom was always meant to produce.
Galatians 5:13–14 NET 2nd ed.
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”
MAIN POINT 3 SLIDE
III. The Mission
• I want to focus on the last phrase in verse 13 and verse 14.
Galatians 5:13–14 NET 2nd ed.
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”
• We see a shift of focus from the warning to our mission—serving one another in love.
• Love is the driving force behind the Christian life.
• To fulfill the law is to embody Christ-like love in our interactions with others.
John 13:34–35 NET 2nd ed.
34 “I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
35 Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.”
• Paul doesn’t just warn the church what not to do with freedom—he tells them exactly what freedom is for.
• For those of us who tend to be more task-oriented, this can be difficult because we often focus more on completing tasks than on the individuals involved.
Freedom Finds Its Highest Expression in Service
• The word Paul uses for “serve” is intentional and jarring.
• The Greek word for "serve" literally means to "slave" or act as a bondservant.
• Paul presents a paradox: the Christian is free from the Law but voluntarily becomes a slave to others through love.
• This instruction sets freedom in the proper direction—away from selfishness and toward the welfare of others.
• Freedom in Christ is not the liberty to do whatever one wants, but the freedom to do what God wants (i.e., not to sin).
• It means to place yourself at the disposal of another.
• Paul says you were set free from slavery to sin so you could willingly choose the posture of a servant.
• This is not forced service; this is chosen humility.
• Jesus modeled this; He had all authority, yet He washed feet.
• He had all power, yet He gave His life.
• Freedom that looks like Christ will always move toward others.
• Paul provides the reason (gar, "for") why serving one another in love is the appropriate guideline for the Christian life.
• He states that the whole Law is fulfilled in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
• In verse, Paul summarizes the Greatest Commandment.
• “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
• This is not a reduction of obedience—it’s a reorientation of it.
• The mission of God has always been relational: love God and love people.
• Paul refers to the spirit and intention of the Law regarding human relationships.
• By loving one's neighbor, the Christian fulfills the Law without having to become a Pharisee or adopt the "works of the Law" advocated by the Judaizers.
• Paul argues that love in the heart is a superior method for controlling human behavior compared to any set of external laws or penalties.
CLOSING SLIDE
CONCLUSION
• The Galatians were free—but they had a choice to make.
• So do we.
• We can use freedom to serve ourselves, or we can use freedom to serve one another in love.
• When we choose love, we don’t just obey a command—we fulfill God’s mission.
• May our freedom always point to Christ and our love always lead others to Him.
