Gospel of Freedom

Intro

We are continuing our series through the book of Galatians. Last week we looked at this letter that Paul wrote to the church of Galatia.

There was a different Gospel that was being preached from the freedom giving Gospel that Paul preached. This false gospel that was going around was adding to salvation in Christ rules and regulations. You gave your life to Jesus, but you need to follow this law as well.

Whenever you add to Jesus you take away the freedom in Christ. So many people are set free, but they are not living free do to the laws that they themselves or others put on them.

We have to be careful not to put EXTRA rules and regulations on those who choose to follow Christ. Especially if they are not commandments from God.

Jesus was set against any forms of legalism in the church body.

Mark 7:6–8 NASB95

6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. 7 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ 8 “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

When our traditions become Gospel, we are no longer teaching the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus brings freedom, not traditions.

In chapter one of Galatians, Paul is writing to the church in Galatia and he too speaks out against adding anything to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. He goes as far as saying it isn’t even the Gospel. It is a false gospel.

Keep Watch

As we jump into chapter 2 of Galatians, we see Paul quickly defending the true Gospel he preached. There were those who came in trying to disrupt what God was doing.

Galatians 2:4 NASB95

4 But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.

These false brethren were advocates of Gentile circumcision who believed that salvation came from following the Mosaic Law and good works, rather than through faith in Christ. They came in stealthily…and it made sense to many Christians who opened the Scriptures and saw references to circumcision.

This is how the enemy works. Subtly. Paul says that they didn't come in with name badges that said "false brother". They were secretly brought in.

As we continue to move forward in our freedom in Christ it is imperative that we remain watchful.

The enemy will use other so called “people of the faith” to try and entrap you back into guilt, shame, and condemnation. (Spoke with a person this past week about why we worship on Sunday and not Saturday, tattoos, ect.)

1 Peter 5:8 NASB95

8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Notice Peter uses the phrase “like a lion”. It is a false lion. The enemy will come in dressed as a sheep, smelling like a sheep, ready to roar loudly additions to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have to remember that the enemy knows the Word of God just as much as we do. Maybe even more so. Remember he tempted Jesus with the Word of God in the wilderness.

There is nothing to add to the Gospel. Period. It is Jesus plus nothing equals freedom.

So the question comes up then, does that mean I can live my life any way that I want?

We totally miss the message of freedom if we understand the Gospel message as a freedom to live how we want to live.

This Gospel that Paul preached came straight from Jesus. It wasn’t about human rules or cultural or even religious traditions. This Gospel that Paul preached was and is completely different.

Because the true Gospel of Jesus is different, we should live our lives completely different.

The Gospel of Jesus puts certain demands on us.

Luke 9:23 NASB95

23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

And even thought the Gospel sets us free and makes us free, it sets a certain standard for our lives. Remember, the goal of Christianity here on Earth is to look and live like Jesus did as much as humanly and divinely possible.

Romans 8:29 NLT

29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

God has chosen us to represent Christ to this lost and broken World. We do this by the way we live our lives.

We find true freedom in submitting ourselves to the demands of the Gospel. Paul shows us some of those here in chapter two.

Gospel Demands Humility

The Gospel Demands Humility

What is the opposite of humility? Pride. Pride is an enemy of the Gospel. Pride puts everything else above the Gospel. Pride puts you above the Gospel.

Paul speaking about those who were trying to add to the Gospel said:

Galatians 2:5 NLT

5 But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.

What was the goal? To preserve the truth of the gospel.

Galatians 2:6–9 NASB95

6 But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me. 7 But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised 8 (for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles), 9 and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

At first glance this doesn’t seem like humility, but when you take a deeper look you will find that Paul was trying to bring Christ into the center of it all.

By saying the main leaders, the ones who are well known in the community, had nothing to do with the Gospel he is preaching, Paul is bringing it back to Christ.

He is reminding the church in Galatia and to us today that it isn’t about anything other than Christ.

Paul actually does this another time in a letter to another church.

1 Corinthians 1:10–16 NASB95

10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. 16 Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

Paul lives his life in such a way that it points people back to Christ. It is not about this person or that person. It is about Jesus. The moment we make it about anything else, we are following a false Gospel.

Gospel Demands Unity

The Gospel demands Unity.

As we read through Galatians 2, Paul confronts Peter. I find it interesting that historically, this is the same Peter that denied Christ three times. This tells me that none of us have arrived and need a course correction from time to time.

What did Peter do that got Paul all riled up?

Galatians 2:11–14 NASB95

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

You ever have someone hang out with you and then when another person came around they acted like they didn’t know you?

This is what Peter was doing. He hung out with the Gentiles until the Jews came around. Once they showed up, he started reverting back to his old religiosity. He no longer ate, communed with, the Gentiles.

He reverted back to his old religious self and this caused division amongst the Gentiles. So much that Barnabas was led astray.

What caused this division? Ethnic and religious lines. The Jewish Christians didn’t eat the same as the Gentile Christians. In fact, they thought they were better than the Gentiles because of the religious laws they upheld. This created division in the church. Pauls sees this and calls it out.

Paul was protecting the unity of the church.

Division in the church will always lead people away from Christ and away from the freedom that He gives.

We are to create and guard the unity at all cost in the church. Paul does both simultaneously.

How does Paul do this? He brings Christ into the middle of it.

Galatians 2:15–16 NASB95

15 “We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; 16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

Paul was reminding Peter about how salvation is not a matter of works. Salvation is not following a list of rules and regulations. They were justified by the their faith in Christ and the work He did on the cross.

Paul emphasizes that the gospel unites Jews and Gentiles, breaking down ethnic and cultural barriers. Preserving the unity of the church, ensuring that all believers, regardless of background, are treated equally in Christ.

He takes this a step further at the end of the next chapter.

Galatians 3:27–29 NASB95

27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

What’s Paul saying. Paul is saying that it doesn’t matter if you are Jew or Gentile, man or woman, slave or free, black or white, hispanic or asian, and just because we are in the political season, democrat or republican, these are just labels…Paul is saying that if you have accepted Christ, then you are clothed in Christ.

When I look at my brothers and sisters in Christ, I should see them as such! I should treat them as such! Regardless how they vote. Regardless how they dress. Regardless of what diet they consume. If they are in Christ that is all that matters!

It is Christ that brings unity. It is Christ that we should look to when we have disagreements. Because in Christ we are reminded that it isn’t about the things of this world. These things are temporary and church we cannot allow the temporal things of this world divide us from the eternal.

There is a world that is watching the church right now and how it is going to respond to this up coming election.

Here is my advice to you that I give EVERY election year. Pray. Read your Bible. Vote.

But remember this one thing…our HOPE does not come from Capitol Hill. Our provision is NOT determined by some old man or woman in the White House. No man or woman from any political party who doesn’t even know you and I exist, is NOT now or EVER will be our SAVIOR!

There is only ONE man who was willing to give HIs life for me. There is only ONE man who is my true KING. There is only ONE man who is my Savior…and HE even KNOW MY NAME…HIS NAME IS JESUS!!!

Psalm 121:1–8 NASB95

1 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. 8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.

Let’s live this TRUTH out as we live in unity with one another so that the WORLD may see Christ in you and me!

Gospel Demands Sanctification

Paul understood that his life needed to change to look more like Jesus. There were some things he needed to lay down in order for Christ to build up something different, something better in his life. This is why he called out Peter, because Paul used to live this way until his encounter with Jesus.

Here is the thing, our encounter with Jesus will lead to change. This change has a name.

The Gospel demands sanctification.

Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Jesus Christ in our thoughts, actions, and character.

It’s a journey of spiritual growth and transformation that begins when we accept Jesus as our Savior and continues throughout our lives.

Sanctification doesn’t come by trying harder or working our way through it.

Paul addresses sanctification by emphasizing the transformation that occurs through faith in Jesus Christ rather than through adherence to the law.

The first thing we need to understand is that we are justified or made right before God through faith.

Galatians 2:16 NLT

16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”

You don’t earn your way into the good graces of God. It is only through your faith in Jesus Christ. Not by obeying the Law.

Understanding this sets the foundation of being transformed by the Spirit of God.

Paul tried to live under the Law and he said it condemned him. So what did he do?

Galatians 2:19 NLT

19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God.

Paul no longer sought righteousness through legalistic observance. Instead, this death allows him to live for God, highlighting the shift from legalism to a Spirit-led life.

We too are to crucify ourselves, crucify the urge to base our relationship and our salvation on a list of do’s and don’ts.

Here is what happens.

We sin and because of that sin I feel like I have no right to go to God because of what I just did. That is salvation by works.

When you understand that your relationship with God isn’t based on what you do or don’t do, but based on your faith in Jesus Christ, when you sin…because you will fall into temptation…you turn towards Christ and not away from Christ.

You see when we base our salvation on works, the enemy will tell you that you are condemned. You are locked up in your guilt, shame, and condemnation.

But when we put to death that mentality, it is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you.

Galatians 2:20 NLT

20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

The concept of Christ living in believers is central to sanctification.

As Christ lives in you, you are empowered to live out godly lives, reflecting His character and love. Before you know it your thoughts and actions are lining more and more up like Jesus’.

He closes out reminding us that sanctification does not come by works, but by the grace of God.

Galatians 2:21 NLT

21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

Closing

Stand with me today.

Last week I mentioned that true freedom comes from submitting our lives to Christ. When we allow Christ to live in and through us, we will live a life of freedom.

Maybe you are here today and you have been set free, you have accepted Christ, but you are not living free.

You are gauging your salvation by how much you pray, read your bible, fast, give, how many times you come to church.

Today you can be set free from that. Let’s put that old way of thinking to death and pick up Jesus so you can start living free.

The way you begin that is by repenting and asking God for forgiveness for trying to earn your salvation and the graces of God.

God loves you and you don’t have to earn it. He loves you right where you are at. And loves you enough not to leave you there.