For Freedom!!
Notes
Transcript
Last week:
We saw this wonderful picture of grace in the story of Abraham and Sarah
In Abrahams life, we saw him try to get rid of grace, set it aside, count it inadequate, but every time God restored the grace to Abraham, not because he deserved it, but because God gave it.
Today, freedom takes center stage
Be prepared, if the grace we saw last week was offensive, grace continues to shatter all of our human wisdom, and sometimes is hard to swallow.
Illustration:
About two years ago, our family got a cat. We had friends that needed a new home for her, and we were really in need of something that, at the very least, deter the rats from coming to our house. When we brought her to our house, she was in a cage. When we got home, we placed her cage in the room we designated for her, opened the door, and just let her come out when she was ready. What was interesting, was it took her hours before she came out for the first time. But even then, the first notice of us around her, she hurried back into the cage. This lasted until the next day, where she finally was able to leave her cage for good, but it took a long time.
I think of that story and think of how we are similar. Freedom is there, the door is wide open, but what we have a tendency to do is hide in the bondage because freedom is too scary, too unknown to us. Hopefully today, you will find out, that in fact, freedom is the Lord’s desire for you, He wants you to be free.
Don’t Go Back (V.1-6)
V.1
O: It was for freedom that Christ set us free;
I: Christ came to free us so we could enjoy freedom
A: It is for freedom, and God wants us to enjoy that freedom, as He intended it to be
O: therefore keep standing firm, and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
I: because of our freedom, stand in that freedom, unwavering, unshakable, do not put yourself under the hardships of the law.
A: This is where we have to be determined, to stand firm. This is an imperative verb, or a command. Knowing our freedom, this isn’t a suggestion, but you are to stand firm in that freedom, in that truth.
The question people have with grace, is how to handle the freedom we now have.
So as we struggle through issues of sin and failure, what we do is abandon grace and go back to following a bunch of rules and programs.
Most of these things are great, by the way, things like setting up accountability partners and programs that keep us on the straight and narrow. But the issue comes when they become your source of salvation, you NEED TO DO these things to be right with God. You have set up what we call guardrails in your life, but what that is slang for is the LAW.
And as a kid who has spent nearly my whole life in church and seeing how this happens, the failures we have become condemnation instead of restoration, and instead of overcoming, what we see is that we start to fight the flesh with the flesh, meaning, what rules and law must I follow to overcome my sinful behaviour and shortcomings.
What Paul is saying here, DON’T BE SUBJECT AGAIN to a yoke of slavery… The Lord wants you to live in freedom, because that is what he set you free for.
V.2-3
O: Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be no benefit to you. (3) And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.
I: If you put yourself under the Law, then the good news of Christ won’t mean anything to you. Why? Because when you start to follow the Law, you will be compelled to follow the whole thing, and you will be under bondage once again.
V.4
O: You have been severed from Christ you who are seeking to be justified by the Law; you have fallen from grace.
I: Those who seek self righteousness from the Law, you have cut yourself off from the grace of God.
A: How does one fall from grace??
It isn’t in poor behaviour, its in trying to find righteousness outside of Christ
When we seek justification by the Law, the works of the Law, in our own efforts, we fall from grace, we cut the Lord off and say, “No, your grace is not sufficient for me.”
V.5
O: For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness
I: It is by faith and through the Spirit working in us that we are waiting for the Lord and the perfect righteousness He has for all of us.
A: You see, while those who are abiding by the Law are seeking for righteousness right now through their own works, our righteousness will come by faith, for those who have their hope set on the Lord, not through their works.
V.6
O: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.
I: When we are in Jesus, our ability to follow rules means nothing, the most important thing is trusting God in love.
A: This reminds me of Mark 12:28-31
28 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?”
29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord;
30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
31 “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
It isn’t about finding the right things to do or avoiding the wrong things to do, it is about living a life that believes God at what He says, and our motivation will be loving Him with everything we have.
Leaven of the Law (V.7-12)
V.7
O: You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?
I: Paul recognizes how well the Galatians were doing in their faith, how were they so easily deceived?
A: This is why we need to recognize grace… we all have run well, we have all run a bit sloppy. But none of us are beyond the deceptions that try to knock us off. Even those who were running really well.
Don’t be surprised, or dumbfounded. Be gracious, be loving, but be willing to correct and bring people back.
V.8
O: This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.
I: It wasn’t God who told you to go away from the truth.
A: Be careful, maybe better said to be mindful, of saying “God told me…”
God did not tell you to go and find your self-righteousness
That wasn’t God, that was someone else!!
V.9
O: A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
I: A little compromise ruins the whole thing
A: This is where we have to be careful, because this leaven comes in very subtly
For the Galatians, it was in circumcision (Maybe not so desirable lol)
What is it for you??
“I just feel like God wants me to honor Him by worshipping on the Sabbath?”
“I feel God leading me to just eat vegetables”
“God told me to obey him getting rid of my television.”
Its not that any of these things are horrible, but it becomes leaven, and even a little leaven leavens the whole lump.
V.10
O: I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view;
I: The assurance Paul has for the Galatians is that the Lord will not allow them to accept a different teaching on this.
A: This is the confidence we can all have… the Lord is faithful to His sheep, to His church.
O: but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgement, whoever he is.
I: The people who lead us astray will face judgement for what they do
A: This is why we read in James 3:1
1 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.
leading astray, leading from the truth is a dangerous and terrible game
V.11
O: But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.
I: Why are people still coming against Paul if he is still preaches circumcision. If Paul does preach circumcision, then the gospel has lost its meaning and its power.
A: The thing is, nobody will hate you if you teach good morals and the right thing to do. What people will hate you for is when you preach grace
V.12
O: I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.
I: Those who were making the Galatians circumcise themselves, that they would make sure they are doing the same thing.
A: If people are going to entice you to be miserable and follow these rules and laws, I hope they aren’t being hypocrites and are also following their own directives.
Flesh vs. The Spirit (V.13-26)
V.13
O: For you were called to freedom, brethren;
I: Your calling is to be free
A: Similar to v.1, Paul now says it is our calling to be free,
Now instead of standing firm in your freedom, instead of not going to back to bondage through the Law, he now addresses the second aspect to bondage… the flesh
O: only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another
I: Do not use your freedom to be used to indulge in the sinful desires of your body, but instead, in the love you have for the body of Christ, be servants of one another
A: Instead of placing a bunch of rules and works on yourself, just serve one another through the love you have.
What you do isn’t motivated by law, but through love!!
The flesh is powerful, it is destructive, it is hard to handle appropriately.
What our tendency to do is to start following the law all over again, which is why we see Paul say to stand firm in your freedom and not to be under bondage again.
So how do we not give an opportunity for the flesh??
Through love, serve one another!!!
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Why would we do this… because Jesus set the example
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
V.14
O: For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
I: The entirety of the Law can be summed up by saying to love others
A: So even if you want to follow the Law, this is what it is wrapped up in, to love others
V.15
O: But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
I: If you are going to come against one another, make sure you don’t end one another.
A: Biting and devouring happen through the Law, and we need to be careful that this doesn’t destroy another believer.
This is where people get hurt and get damaged, is by biting and devouring one another.
What Paul is saying, that instead, love one another. Build one another up. Strengthen others who are struggling.
We have all struggled, whether we like to admit it or not. Instead of allowing someone to be consumed by your biting and devouring… love one another.
This is when it comes to grace, the rubber meets the road.
You are to extend the same grace you received towards others… not devour them. You are to love them, not condemn them. You are to serve them in love, not fight their flesh with your flesh.
V.16
O: But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
I: Instead of following the Law, instead of fighting the flesh with the flesh, follow the Spirit. This is the way to not carry out the sinful nature.
A: So instead of falling from grace, running to the Law, running to programs, rules, regulations; walk by the Spirit.
What Paul is getting at, the only way to not give opportunity to the flesh is to walk by the Spirit.
People want to think it is in programs and rules, in the law, in bondage.
But if you walk by the Spirit, you will not carry out the desire of the flesh
V.17
O: For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things that you please.
I: The Spirit and flesh are enemies of one another, they have no agreement. This is why you struggle to do what you know is right.
A: The flesh wants what the Spirit despises, and the Spirit desires what the flesh hates. They are in opposition and in a battle against one another.
What is the desire of the flesh?? Its to lead you into bondage!!
Bondage under sin, bondage under the law
What is the desire of the Spirit?? Its to bring freedom
Freedom from your sin, freedom from the Law
V.18
O: But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
I: If the Spirit is your standard for living, the Law has no effect on you
A: When we live by the Spirit, walk according to the Spirit, led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
What the law cannot do, the Spirit can.
Our flesh wants to revert back to a list of things to do, to fight the flesh with the flesh, but if we really want to fight the flesh, it has to be with the Spirit.
Conclusion:
Remember this, it is for freedom that Christ has set you free!! You were called to freedom, and this is where the Spirit will lead you. But we have the flesh that wants to bring us into bondage, and that is where the battle is, that the flesh and the Spirit are against one another.
Next week, we will continue to see what this really means, the battle of the flesh and the Spirit, what both sides look like, and the need we will always have to hold onto the promise and grace of our wonderful God
