Free to Serve

Welcome

Good morning Skycrest! I’m excited to be here once again. I last joined you in November of last year and Mr. Egerdahl was kind enough to invite me back. I love you guys and I love this school so its an honor and a privilege to be here today.

I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Galatians 5:13-15. I’ll read those couple of verses, pray, and then we’ll dive in.

READ Galatians 5:13-15

PRAY

Introduction

Has anyone seen finding Nemo before? Yeah, me to. An incredible movie. If you’ll remember, Nemo’s dad Marlin is super nervous with his son Nemo. He’s nervous about him going to school and something going wrong and Nemo getting hurt.

Now, as the movie goes Marlin eventually drops Nemo off at school and gives his son a little bit of freedom. But then he finds out that Nemo’s class is going to the “drop off”. Long story short, Marlin finds Nemo and is super upset with him because he thought Nemo was doing something dangerous.

Y’all know the story, Nemo then reacts to his dads overcorrection, takes the little bit of freedom his dad had given him, and swims all the way out to touch this boat. And so the story goes…

Nemo gets captured by the guys on the boat and his dad has to go looking for him, very sad. What even this Disney movie shows us here is that mishandled freedom is dangerous.

That’s the idea that Paul is communicating here in Galatians 5. Those who have placed full faith and trust in Christ have been given freedom! From the Law, sin, and death. But, we cannot misuse this freedom!

I’ve titled this devotional “Free to Serve”. We’ll look at these three verses in two short sections: Freedom Leads to Serving and A Warning. My hope is that, as we continue in this theme that you all have been studying on “serving”, you’ll grasp that as disciples of Jesus we have been given freedom…not from serving but freedom to serve!

Freedom Leads to Serving

We begin with freedom leads to serving in verse 13. Galatians 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brothers……” What freedom is Paul talking about here? Well, he references this freedom again in Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

If you have placed full trust and faith in Christ for your salvation, you have been set free and called into freedom! Freedom from sin and death of course…but Paul has something additional in view. Look at Galatians 3:10–11 “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.””

Works of the Law or the Law is God’s command and instruction for His people. The Law also reflects who God is as our Lord and Creator (Wellum). So, Paul is reminding the Galatian believers here that IN CHRIST they aren’t relying on their works to be saved, but on Christ’s finished work!

As Galatians 3:11 stated, no one is justified or made right before God by the law but by faith!

Students, you need to be reminded this morning that your salvation depends on the Lord Jesus Christ, who He is and what He’s done. STOP trying to earn your salvation, your right standing before God…but LIVE in freedom…for Christ has set you free!

Like the rest of Finding Nemo goes, his dad seeks Nemo out, chases him down, and rescues Him! That’s what Christ has done for us…He finds us, calls us to Himself so that by faith we are saved…because of HIS saving work!

Now, This doesn’t mean that Jesus came to abolish the law…He came to fulfill it because we never could!

Take a look at the back half of verse 13: Galatians 5:13 “……Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” We’re now given instruction along with this encouragement of freedom… don’t waste your freedom!

Wasting it is living in the freedom of Christ and serving yourself, allowing yourself the freedom to sin. This also looks like be so consumed with your own life that you pay no attention to the needs of others!

Instead of using our freedom as an excuse to sin and serve ourselves, let us revel in our freedom by using it to point those around us to Christ!

A Warning

We’re left with a warning in verse Galatians 5:14–15 “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.”

In its truest sense, the law is summarized and fulfilled in the second half of Jesus’ greatest commandment. To love your neighbor as yourself practically looks like 1 Corinthians 10:24 “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.”

So, students, are you seeking to serve in this way? Does this define how you are living out your freedom in Christ? Or does your day completely revolve around yourself and what you want?

Seek to help your classmates today with your assignments. Check in on those around you. Include those that may be on the outside of your circle. I want to challenge you with this: pray and ask the Lord to reveal to you how you can seek the good of your neighbors today?

The warning is this: Galatians 5:15 “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” This is what happens when we don’t walk in love for our neighbor. We rally against each other and consume each other by harming one another deeply.

If we’re real for a second, I think most or at least some of you know what I’m talking about. Devouring and consuming one another looks like bullying. Picking on each other. Talking down to those around you. Gossiping about each other. In person and ESPECIALLY online!

Students, this cannot be among Christians, even young Christians. Let biting one another be far from us. Use your freedom in Christ instead to serve, uplift, and point one another to Christ.

Conclusion

For freedom Christ has set us free. Freedom from the Law, from sin, from death, from the wrath of God because of our sin.

Students, how are you walking in this freedom? Is it to serve yourself or is it to serve Christ by serving your neighbor? Does you serving look like loving your neighbor as yourself?

PRAY