Galatians 5:1, 13-25: LIVE YOUR FREEDOM
Today is Independence Day, the day that we as a country celebrate the fact that we are free. Freedom is such a great blessing, but unless you’ve been a slave, or you’ve been in jail, you’ll probably never really know just how great it is to be free. What do you think is the biggest symbol of freedom in our country? Some might say the Statue of Liberty, standing in New York, welcoming all those who come to our country looking for freedom. Or maybe the biggest symbol of freedom is the flag. Maybe you have one in your front yard today.
Of all the people in the world, what group of people enjoy the greatest amount of freedom? Strangely, the answer is not Americans. Of al the people in the world, the people who enjoy the greatest amount of freedom are Christians. Did you know that? Christians are the free-est people in the world. Many people would say that Christians aren’t free – they’re bound by all kinds of rules to live by. But that’s not true. Christians are free. In fact, a Christian living in communist China enjoys more freedom than an unbeliever living in America.
How is that possible? Today, we’re going to spend some time with God as he speaks to us through the book of Galatians, and he teaches us about greatest kind of freedom that there is. For a Christian, every Sunday worship service is a celebration of freedom, and every day is Independence Day. Today we’re going to ponder our Christian freedom, and as we do, God is going to encourage us to live our freedom every day.
The freedom that God talks about in the Bible is a special kind of freedom. In the first verse of our section, God speaks through the Apostle Paul, and says, “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yolk of slavery.” That yoke of slavery Paul was talking about here was the pressure of trying to earn your way to heaven. Every day, trying to be a perfect person, hoping to please God enough to someday earn your way into heaven – that’s slavery in the Bible. And Paul here tells the Galatians, “Christ has set you free from that. Christ has earned salvation for you. You are free from trying to earn your way to heaven, from frustration, from guilt, from fear. You’re free!” That’s the special kind of freedom God talks about here in the Bible.
Now in our country, we enjoy a great deal of political freedom. As Americans, we are free to believe whatever we want, to say whatever we want, and to do whatever we want, as long as we don’t break the law. And all of that is good. But sometimes people use their American freedom in a way that doesn’t please God. People use foul language, promote immorality, or say hurtful things about other people – we can do that in our country, because we have freedom of speech. People live immoral lifestyles, focus their entire lives on money, eat and drink excessively, live incredibly self-centered lives – once again, we can do that in our country, because we are free.
Now, a person that lives that way may look free, but, according to the Bible, that person is really a slave. A person who speaks crudely, or lives immorally, is a slave to his sinful nature. That person may feel free, and he may look free on the outside, but on the inside, he’s being held captive by his sinful desires. What Paul told the Galatians, he also says to us. Look at verse 13: “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature.” Jump ahead to verse 16: “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” You and I have been freed from our sins by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But we are surrounded by people who indulge their sinful desires, and that’s slavery. And that’s our temptation too, to go along with everyone else, to gratify the desires of our sinful nature.
Today we have a banner up, and that banner is based on this section of the Bible – it describes the fruit of the Spirit – what Christian freedom really looks like. Can you imagine if we had a banner up, that describes the sinful nature? It wouldn’t be a pretty banner. Verse 19 describes the sinful nature that lives inside each one of us. As we read through this list, ask yourself, “Have I ever done these things?” Look at the list, verse 19: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity (even in your thoughts), and debauchery; idolatry (that means loving anything more than God) and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage (we’ve all had our moments, haven’t we), selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
We have fallen into these sins, haven’t we. As Americans, we are politically free. As Christains, we are spiritually free. But at times, we use our freedom to indulge the sinful nature. It’s almost as though Christ has set us free from a prison of sin, and yet at times we walk right back into our prison cells and lock ourselves in. Have you allowed yourself to become a slave to your sinful nature?
What a comfort it is to know that Jesus forgives you of all of these sins. He did that by being the kind of person you and I could never be. He was loving, joyful, peaceful, patient; he was kind, good, faithful, gentle, and a man of self-control. Jesus was all these things. And he did that as our substitute. When you see this banner up here, remember, “This is what Jesus did for me. He sacrificed his life on the cross for me. And he did all these things for me, and then he credits his life to my account.”
Many of you will be taking the Lord’s Supper this morning. As you do, think about this – this is a sacrament of freedom. The body and blood of Christ, sacrificed for you, so that you could be free from guilt, free from fear, free from punishment. You are free. You can say “goodbye” to all those things, and live a new life of freedom.
And what does that life look like? Freedom doesn’t look like drunkenness or selfishness or impurity. Freedom looks like this (banner). Christ has set you free to love other people as you would love yourself. You are free to be a joyful person, to be peaceful. You are free to be patient when a person or life in general just wont’ cooperate with you. Christ has set you free to be kind and good and faithful to those who are depending on you. Christ has set you free to be the most gentle person around, and to be a person of self-control. That’s what freedom looks like. You see, when you’re not trying to earn your way to heaven, when you’re not feeling guilty, or afraid – when you realize that Christ has taken your sins away – then you really are free, and you can be this person. Even a Christian living in communist China – he may be limited by the laws of the land. But, as the Apostle Paul says here, there is no law against these sorts of things, and in that way, a Christian can live his freedom anywhere in the world.
Now, you might ask, “Where can I get the strength to be that sort of person?” The answer is found in verse 24: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” A Christian is someone who crucifies the sinful nature, and keeps in step with the Holy Spirit. Do you know how to do that? Everytime you go to God, and confess yours sins to your God, and then you thank him that, because you know that in Christ, God forgives you – confession, and pondering God’s forgiveness – that’s what gives you strength. That’s what changes you. Every time you confess your sins and receive God’s forgiveness, you are crucifying your sinful nature and keeping in step with the Spirit. We’re going to do that in just a little while, right after the sermon. And every time you come to the Lord’s Table, maybe there’s a certain sin on your heart – maybe a sin of immorality, or a sin of anger or selfishness or bitterness – whatever it might be - you can take that sin to the Lord’s Supper – give it to Christ. “I’ll take your sin,” Jesus says. “And I’ll give you my body and blood. You are forgiven.” That’s how you crucify the sinful nature and keep in step with the Spirit. That’s how God changes you into someone who is free.
Today, we see flags all over our community, symbols of freedom. To be free to live and to believe as we want - it really is something to thank God for. But even more than that, everyday we thank God for our spiritual freedom. Our symbol is the cross. And this banner is our life. May God bless you as you live your freedom every day. Amen.
