Living in Freedom by Keeping the Faith

Intro.

There are some here this morning that might understand what I am about to share.

Freedom in Christ!

Freedom from SIN

Freedom from hurts, hangups, or habits that wasn’t glorifying the Lord.

I knew a guy in Jefferson Ohio who put down Heroin and walked away from it.

No drug treatment facility

No 12 step program

Just a cry out to Jesus and (IN FAITH) believed Christ would deliver him from this HABIT.

I want to share with you this morning, you may not be doing heroin or any of the tragic sins we find in the world today.

Your hurts, hangups, or habits might be something more common (Attitude, anger, pain, insecurity, or sexual).

Some of you here this morning might have experienced delieverance from these things as did the gentleman from Ohio.

But the sad truth of the matter is, many (way to many) find themselves falling back into the lifestyle or mindset the Lord had delivered them from, after a period of time.

WHY?

This is what I want to share with you this morning.

Body

If you have your Bibles turn to Galatians 5:1-15

Galatians 5:1–15 ESV

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Over the next few weeks we are going to be looking at Galatians 5

Today we will be focusing in on Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Could be translated to mean - “Christ has set us free so that we could truly be free.”

A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians Galatians 5:1

“Christ has rescued us so that we need not be slaves at all,” or “… so that we need not live like slaves.”

Slave is not the terminology we like to use today.

But the fact is, this is exactly what and who we are when it comes to the enemy and Sin.

We are enslaved to his lies and his ways.

This all took place when SIN entered into the “perfect world” God created for mankind (Adam).

We screwed it up!

But Christ has come to set the captives free.

This is the message Paul had shared to the Galatian church.

What was happening was there was this group of people

(Judaizers) - Members of the church who insisted on Christians conformity to Jewish Customs.

This is what we read about “Circumcision” and Paul addressing it to this church.

Paul states that “Christ has set us free so that we could truly be free.”

Free from the law!

This is what took place on THE CROSS!

no more sacrifices (the law)

no more “faith in the actions they performed”

ALL their faith was to be in Christ and what he had done.

What Paul was hearing about was that those of the faith were starting to be swayed by Judaizers.

Paul states this to them ...... “stand firm therefore”

This is a command!

“Stand” in Faith of God’s promises.

(Steko) This word is use 9 times in the N.T. (Mainly by Paul)

- in freedom from legal bondage; to be constant, preserve

What Paul is dealing with and what we find in our world today is the lack of BEING CONSTANT.

The reason people gave up from being free from all of their hurts, hangups and Habits is because they stopped “STANDING”.

How do you stop standing?

You give up on your faith!

Story of the Kid who was trapped under a pile of rubble and never gave up his Faith off His father finding him.

Paul warns them to not “Submit” again.

Don’t go back ......

Stay the course ......

Continue to live in the freedom Christ offers.

KEEP THE FAITH