Galatians: Let me introduce you to True Liberty

Liberty is the God-given freedom to live without unjust restraint and to pursue what is right with responsibility and dignity.

You see there are are two sides to Liberty. Freedom and Responsibility.

Liberty is an important word for both the American and the Christian it is at the heart of what sets us apart in this world.

There is a danger that when we forget the meaning of liberty when our compass gets off course, liberty can be abused and when liberty is abused one can quickly fall back into the dangers of Tyranny,

This is a message that is important both for the Christian and for the American.

Tyranny is bad!

Tyranny is the exercise of power without rightful authority, accountability, or restraint—used to control, oppress, or exploit people rather than serve them.

Our nation felt the tyranny of the British Empire, the king of England abused his power over our land. And the thirteen colonies wanted Freedom from his rule. Never did they intend for people to live their lives as a bunch of radical evil doers free from civility.

George Washington “Virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.”

Washington believed that without moral citizens, the republic would collapse into tyranny or chaos.

John Adams “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Adams insisted that freedom requires self‑restraint, honesty, and personal virtue.

Thomas Jefferson “Their minds are to be informed by education what is right and wrong; to be encouraged in virtuous habits and deterred from vice.”

Taught that citizens must be educated in right and wrong so they could use their freedom responsibly.

James Madison “To suppose any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without virtue in the people is a chimerical idea.”

Warned that liberty cannot survive without virtue:

Benjamin Franklin “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.”

Franklin believed moral corruption destroys liberty.

So it is with the Christian life. The Law Sin the Devil and Death are Tyrannical leaders. They enslave their people without restraint they take what does not belong to them, they abuse their people and supress your rights.

Jesus came to give you Liberty.

Christian Liberty is a two sided coin, it is freedom from tyranny and the responsibility to live and worship justly before God and man. If the Christian or the nation lose its way it won’t be long before we fall back into tyranny.

That is the message of the book of Galatians. Christian Liberty. Yes the Christian is free in Jesus Christ. But Freedom isn’t just to do what I want when I want.

I have a little girl who used to say “I can do what I want.” and usually meant that she can do something wrong. We cured her from that. I want her to make her own choices and be free to make her own decisions but that comes with responsibility. Well this little 6 year old ain’t driving a car. I want her to drive a car but if she is going to do that it comes with Responsibility. Then her parents won’t be tyrants. I like to think that I am a citizen of two free countries HEAVEN and AMERICA! But in both I am not free to live without concern for the well being of others, I have LIBERTY, the freedom to do as I please with the responsibility before God and man to live a virtuous life.

If we are going to understand Galatians we have to understand its roots we need to venture to the book of Acts where Paul on his first missionary journey visited the churches of Galatia in Asia Minor those churches were Antioch Iconium Lystra and Debre.

Acts 13 describes Paul teaching in the Antioch one of the Galatian churches. Turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts 13 we will be looking at verses 13-43

Paul confronts the Tyranny of the Law.

Acts 13:14–15 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.”

If you have listened to the study of the book of Romans on Sunday nights you will learn that Paul talks a lot about the Law about how you can not do enough good things to earn your salvation. The Law even though it is perfect because it was given by God becomes a tyrant in the fact that you can not fulfill the law and so the law becomes a slave master whose end is death. You can’t escape it. That is why we read phrases like

You can not meet the demands of the law.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death

Paul will talk about the Jew and Judiazer who want the Christian to meet the standards of the law as a condition of salvation. They want them to do things like get circumcised follow dietary restrictions and the immense rigors of the jewish laws and customs so ridiculous are these demands that Paul will call them

The law is cruel tyrant.

Galatians 5:3–4 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

I will tell you this the true tyrant is SIN HE who sins is a slave to sin. He who is dead in sin is under control of the devil. But you get the picture anything that is not of the grace of God for salvation is under tyranny.

Embrace Christian Liberty.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Freedom from the LAW SIN DEATH HELL AND THE DEVIL, Free to live responsibily and virtuously before God and man as your reasonable duty.

God gave our forefathers Liberty.

Acts 13:16–20 Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment. “After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.”

I know that I am using a play on words here. I believe that God gave Washington Jefferson Madison and Adams Liberty. God was behind it. Born out of books like Galatians which paved the way for the protestant reformation which paved the way for the US of A but also Abraham. He was a man of faith and God gave him freedom through faith and the responsibility to live right before God and man. Paul’s point remains Liberty in a relationship with God is nothing new.

Beware of falling back into tyranny.

Acts 13:21 And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

The Jew begged for Saul a tyrannical ruler. They thought they needed to be like other nations they needed a king. and well that didn’t end well. I worry for our country. We change Presidents with the changing of the tides. Each being more radical than the next. Executive power we see is dangerous. We need to embrace both our Christian and Civil liberty.

Liberty begins in the heart of a Godly man.

Acts 13:22 And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’

David was a man after God’s own heart. He was the king the people needed. He found freedom in God and he lived virtuously before God and man. We need leaders like David. Pray for your executive legislative and judicial branches to have a heart like DAvid/

God sent a herald of liberty.

Acts 13:23–25 From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus— after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’

Patrick Henry “Give me Liberty or Give me death!”

March 23, 1775 at the second Virginia Convention in Richmond urging armed resistence against British Tyranny

Our liberty was purchased with Jesus death.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

I give Patrick Henry all the credit in the world that is one amazing montra for a nation, but I must give the superior call for liberty to John the Baptist the Herald of Christian Liberty. I was given liberty because of His death. PRAISE GOD it is Freedom with Responsibility. Are you living up to the call of Patrick Henry and John the Baptist. Liberty is worth it, its cost is a life.

Liberty is for all.

Acts 13:26–27 Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.

From the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self‑evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal and their rights include LIFE LIBERTY AND HAPPINESS. I would change the word happiness to joy, but who am I to infringe on such a good document but that is what Paul is saying that ALL men regardless of who they are or where they were born should have the opportunity to LIFE AND LIBERTY AND JOY, all things found in Christ. That is what Paul is saying to the churches of Galatia. The Gospel is a message of LIFE AND LIBERTY presented to all!!!!!!

God’s grace brings liberty to all.

Titus 2:11–12 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

Do you see how in this verse. It is to all men. and it includes Liberty Freedom on oneside that is best achieved with responsibility on the other.

Liberty includes sacrifice.

Acts 13:28–29 And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.

General Richard Montgomery -one of the first American Generals to die in the war of independence

Dr Joseph Warren - killed at the battle of Bunker Hill in 1775

“Founding Father who died too early.”

Jesus laid down His life for Liberty. It cost Him His life. He gave Himself a sacrifice for our sins and we should live to remember those who gave their life for us. As a Americans by remembering the sacrifice of soldiers and as Christians by remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross.

We do this by living free and Right. Could you image this nation if everyone embraced both Christian and American Liberty. If people looked out for each other with love and forgiveness. If we did right by a moral code not in fear of a tryrant but before God the creator of heaven and earth because it is the right thing to do. If we looked out for each other displaying the fruit of the spirit and were free to embrace joy. This place would be much different than the world we see today.

Life and Liberty lead to Victory.

Acts 13:30–31 But God raised Him from the dead. He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people.

God proved that our liberty was complete with the victory that was shone when rose from the dead. In the resurrection there is hope. Today we have those stars and stripes they lead us to VICTORY! Because Jesus rose from the dead our victory is secure. Here we have the best that anyone will ever get. We have American Liberty and Christian Liberty. Fight for that. We need more messages like this. The American Way is By the People for the People. We have seen Socialism Facisim maybe Communism making their way into our society. Be careful remember Israel begged for King Saul. The Galatians let Judizers into their church. Our Church Our Country should not let threats to liberty in

Declarations of Liberty:

Acts 13:32–37 And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus.

1 As it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.’ And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption,

2 He has spoken thus: ‘I will give you the sure mercies of David.’

3 Therefore He also says in another Psalm: ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’ “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He whom God raised up saw no corruption.

The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776

The war of independence ended on October 19, 1781

The treaty of Paris which officially ended the war was signed on September 3, 1783

It took over 7 years for the full measure of independence to be achieved.

The Old Testament was often a declaration of the coming independence from the Law

Paul quotes from David but we could quote from Genesis to Isaiah. That the law was just the beginning Christ would end complete or fulfill the law gaining us out independence. The declarations were just the beginning. But in them we have the evidence that God had a plan!

I urge you to embrace your independence.

Acts 13:38–41 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: ‘Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, A work which you will by no means believe, Though one were to declare it to you.

Christ offers you LIBERTY. Forgiveness and Freedom from Sin. The ability to live responsibly and virtuously before God and man. Americans have the chance to live Liberty. Too many aren’t they are living in tyranny their lives destroying this great nation. Give God your heart. Live right hear before God and man.

America is more than I live in a Free Country Man

Christianity is more than just I’m Free Man.

It works best when it is about Liberty! We will all be better if we will embrace the Liberty we have here in our earthly home, a great country one to be proud of and in our greater home the home of heaven. TRUE LIBERTY is a wonderful thing!