Freedom to Flourish

Intro

Imagine a garden. Some plants are flourishing—bright, green, and full of life. Others are struggling, their growth stunted. Which one describes your spiritual life right now?

For this year, I’ve been thinking on I can come alongside you as your pastor to to help foster living lives are like those flourishing plants, alive and thriving under the guidance of the Spirit of God.

The truth is we really do want to live transformed lives. We really do want to live lives that show we indeed have been changed by a Holy God; lives that show we have experienced the divine restoration.

There is no better place to go for this than to the book of Galatians. There is no better place to park for some time than in the Fruit of the Spirit.

I’m calling the series Fruit of Freedom. That is the heart of what Paul called the Fruit of the Spirit. This fruit is intended to reflect the freedom that we have been called to.

Today we’ll kick things off with Freedom to Flourish. Jesus died and gave you and I his Holy Spirit so that we might be free to flourish in the life he has created us to live.

What does it mean to you to live a life that is flourishing? Does having enough cash in the bank a picture of a flourishing life? Is wearing the latest designers, even if they’re not the real deal, a sign of flourishing?  Maybe it’s having a spouse, a couple of kids and a dog the picture of a flourishing life? Whatever picture of a flourishing life you may have, there is only one picture that sits at the very top of the list.

It is the picture of a life that is in step with the Spirit of God. We can be confident that our lives are flourishing by the most important metric when we are living in step with the Spirit of God even if the bank account is looking lean, and designers are no where to be found and only the dog is around.

So, how can we live a life that truly flourishes? Paul gives us two simple but powerful steps in Galatians. 1) Reject the legalism and antinomianism. 2) Embrace the call to walk by the Spirit

Open your bible to Galatians 5:13, 19-25. We’ll read and ask for God’s blessings on the proclamation of his word.

Reject Legalism and Antinomianism – 5:13, 19-21

So, what do we mean when we talk about legalism and antinomianism? Let me break it down.

What is legalism? Legalism is like thinking you have to earn God’s love by following all the rules perfectly. It’s when we believe being a ‘good Christian’ is all about checking off a list of dos and don’ts, instead of trusting in God’s grace.

I remember meeting someone who said they stopped going to church because they were judged and shamed for having a baby outside of marriage. They thought God cared more about their failure than their restoration.

On the other hand, there’s the mindset of ‘God’s grace is enough, so I can live how I want.’ I’ve seen this lead to broken relationships and spiritual emptiness. That’s what we call antinomianism.

Legalism says, ‘I have to do everything right for God to accept me.’ Antinomianism says, ‘I can do anything I want because God will accept me no matter what.’ But the truth is, real freedom comes from walking with God in a way that’s both trusting and accountable.

Can you relate to either one? Have you seen this in your life?

These two must be rejected if we are to live in our freedom to flourish.

This is the reason why Apostle Paul wrote the book of Galatians to the local churches in the city of Galatia. They had a legalism problem. Some folks, whom were not identified, came in preaching what Paul called a different gospel. This was a gospel of doing a little bit more in order for God to accept you. It was a gospel of requiring circumcision in order to be called a child of God.

The local churches in Galatia were starting to succumb to the teachings that there was more to be done for them to flourish in the life of Christ that they now have. They were told they must seek validation in what they did rather than in their faith in Jesus.

If they were living in our day, they might have been told they gotta dress a certain way at church, or they can’t come to church with long nails and long hair, or they must speak in tongues to show evidence that the Spirit really is within them.

Paul was completely against such legalism because it is a distortion of the true Gospel and it prevents God’s people from flourishing. He hated it so much that he said curse be on anyone who preaches a distorted gospel.

What is that thing in your life where you feel you are accepted by God only if you do it?

Maybe it’s porn. Every time you engage serves as a reminder that you’re not doing what is needed for God to accept you. Maybe is sexual immorality of some sort. Maybe it’s some other sin, some other habit that keeps you from flourishing because they serve as a reminder that you are not truly in.

That’s legalism and it must be rejected if we are to flourish.

Maybe it’s not only the legalism of following rules perfectly for God to accept you, but also following rules of other people perfectly so they can accept you.

You try very hard to make sure they don’t get offended, you try to be please them so they can think well of you. You try to follow their rules perfectly, rules that you made up on their behalf. That’s legalism and we don’t need to live that way.

This is an area of struggle for me and I cry out to God to help reject it so that I can flourish. Church, you don’t have to live this way, you can reject the legalism that others have placed on you, you can reject the legalism that you have placed on yourself. You can be free.

Free from the disease of people-pleasing for the sake of acceptance, free from the sin of God-pleasing for the sake of acceptance.

If legalism is one trap, there’s another waiting on the other side of the road. Let’s talk about it—it’s just as dangerous but wears a different disguise. If rejecting legalism means rejecting following rules perfectly to be loved by God, then it stands to reason that we can begin to believe that we can live our lives without following to any laws, that we can do what we want, when we want without repercussions. Afterall, God has accepted us by faith.

This is what Paul means by the works of the flesh in 5:19-21. When he says “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.” These are the things that are done when we do not believe we are bound to any sort of ethical and moral standard.

Now you may not do all of what is listed or any of them, but are there things that you do or don’t do and you’ve never stop ponder on if God is okay with it.

Or maybe there are things that you do and you know God is not okay with it but you keep on with it because it seems harmless.

Here’s what’s true: there is no spiritual flourishing unless we reject legalism and antinomianism.

We reject them to so we can live in the freedom of following Jesus. Our freedom is not freedom to be a legalist nor is it freedom to give into the desires of the flesh.

That’s why Paul encouraged the churches in Galatians is 5:13 not to use the freedom they have in Christ as an opportunity for fleshly pursuits.

Don’t use your freedom to hold people to a standard that God doesn’t hold you to. Don’t use your freedom to engage in destructive behaviors without repentance; behaviors like jealousy, enviousness, porn, sexual immorality, selfishness, outbursts of anger, and other similar behaviors.

There is a difference between committing a sin, acknowledging it’s a sin, confessing the sin to the Lord or a brother or sister in the faith, and repenting from the sin; there’s a difference between that and committing a sin, acknowledging it’s a sin and choosing to not repent from the sin because you say to yourself God’s grace is sufficient to forgive.

Paul says those who live in this manner, either legalism or antinomianism, will not inherit the kingdom of Heaven because they have rejected Jesus by putting their faith in their own works in the case of legalism and because they have chosen to live contrary to Jesus in the case of antinomianism.

We must reject this license to sin and break the chain of unbiblical expectations we tie ourselves and others to.

This is the first step to flourishing.

Call to Walk By the Spirit – 5:22-25

So, if these traps hold us back, what sets us free? Paul doesn’t just tell us what to avoid; he shows us what to embrace.

The remedy to rejecting legalism and antinomianism is walking by the Spirit and we walk by the Spirit by embracing the fruit of the Spirit and making that our daily pursuit.

That’s why this series is called the fruit of freedom. This is what is produced from the freedom that we have by faith in Jesus.

This is the means by which we actually measure our maturity in Christ, it is how we evaluate how much we are reflecting Jesus truthfully, it is how we can see clearly the work of the Spirit in our lives. It is how we live a flourishing life.

Notice Paul used the singular phrase “fruit” and not plural “fruits.” All these flavors, as I like to call them, are meant to work together in unity, they are meant to show us what it means to reflect Jesus because this is who Jesus was when he walked the earth.

Friends, we can’t embrace love and reject self-control. We can’t pursue peace but forsake gentleness. We can’t desire faithfulness but neglect kindness. All these attributes must be what we seek to live out for however long God has us on this earth.

Christian maturity is not about speaking in tongues but about pursing the fruit of the Spirit. It’s not about emphasizing a certain cosmetic look but about emphasizing the fruit of the Spirit.

If we are to flourish in the freedom that we have in Christ, then we must pursue with prayer a life that embraces the fruit of the Spirit.

This is what it looks like to live as a Christian.

I know a man whom I respect so much because he exemplifies gentleness in every interaction. Even when others are rude, his calm response brought peace to the situation. Friends, that’s the Spirit of God at work.

Think about kindness. It’s not just about being polite—it’s going out of your way to serve someone in need. Have you ever had a moment when someone’s kindness changed your day? That’s the Spirit of God at work.

You will notice that there is not an area of your life that these attributes do not affect. They inform your relationship with God, with people, and yourself.

It is of no good to be financially secure but rotten with the fruit of the Spirit. It is of no value to have your spouse, two kids, and your dog but have a fruit that is not recognizable.

It is of not good to pursue and attain the life you have always wanted but have a life that is marked by legalism and antinomianism.

Jesus said what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul.

The well-known Pastor and Theologian C.H. Spurgeon wrote this about the fruit of the Spirit, “this fruit comes only from a rooted abiding. It could not be conceived of in connection with a transient sojourning, like that of a traveler.”

This fruit will not blossom if you’re not rooted in Christ, if you are not committed to a life of following Jesus, if you’re not devoted to looking more like Jesus.

Here’s the beautiful truth: flourishing isn’t about trying harder; it’s about staying connected to the One who makes us grow.

Where do you stand today?

We flourish spiritually when we accept the call to walk by the Spirit and embrace the fruit that the Spirit willingly wants to grow in us.

Conclusion

A fruit does not grow by itself. It requires not just a gardener who plants the seed, but the fruit must also have the right conditions to grow. It needs the right amount of sunlight, water, and care. You can’t plant strawberries in the winter months and expect them to grow. You can’t plant orange seeds outdoors in Maryland and expect to reap ripe oranges.

In the same way, growing in the fruit of the spirit requires the right conditions. Faith in Christ, spending consistent and regular time in prayer, and the scriptures, spending consistent and regular time with God’s people.

You’ve been given the freedom to flourish. If you don’t feel like you are flourishing spiritually, then this is God calling you to make a change. This is your moment to commit to identifying and rooting out “weeds” that hinder your spiritual growth.

Over the next two months, we will spend time each Sunday diving deep into each flavor of this beautiful fruit. If you’ve got plans to miss a Sunday that are not beyond your control, cancel them. You don’t want to miss this. God is ready to free you from the bond of legalism and antinomianism so that you can flourish and be all that he created you to be.

Next week, we’ll start with love—what it looks like and how it transforms relationships. You won’t want to miss it.

Freedom isn’t just what we’re saved from; it’s what we’re saved for—a life rooted in the Spirit.