Galatians 4

I am PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! This week we celebrated the fact that we are American Citizens and that we are free. America was built on Independence Liberty and Freedom. The Colonies were tired of Taxation without representation. They were tired of being told who their governors would be without a vote. They were tired of British troops being forced to stay in their homes. Imagine! Imagine. If after the Revolutionary War. The Sacrifice of the continental soldiers the fight of men like Washington Adams and Jefferson that the new citizens of the USA said OK come and tax us without our consent. Come on let your soldiers live in our homes we kind of miss them sleeping in our beds and eating our food. Imagine them writing a letter to King George saying you know what we miss you telling us what to to do, please would you chose our President for us.

I think children need to learn what is so special about the USA. If they don’t know. They will lose the freedoms that we cherish. We need to teach them. Parents don’t count on the fact that they will learn these things in school. If you count on someone else to teach them, they won’t be taught the right things. Oh they will be taught something, you just may not want them to be taught what they are taught. Kids are told today that it doesn’t matter what bathroom you use. That is put women in slavery in fear.

They will be taught that they can mutilate their bodies. Today children get so mad and angry at virtue that we are raising a generation that takes guns to school to kill their classmates. It is sad, you need to teach your children what it means to have liberty. That while their neighbors become slaves to drugs they can be free in Christ. That while the people who fought taxation without representation are bowing over to socialism and borderline communism need to understand what captialism is. If you don’t teach them who George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are they will be tearing down their statues tomorrow. Fight for Freedom! Teach children to honor and respect police politicians and soldiers. They need to learn it some place. If they don’t they will go back to the old ways.

You once served the old false gods.

Galatians 4:8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.

This verse says that before the Galatians became Christians, they were idol worshippers. I mean that they were worshipping Greco Roman gods like Zeus Poseidon Athena Apollos and Ares. It was a wicked time.

Paul fought to overthrow the false gods.

Acts 17:16–17 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.

I am so glad that Paul fought to bring down the false pagan gods during the time of the early church. The evidence is all around us. As you walk down the streets of America today you will find churches on most corners. I know what you will say. Well those churches are empty old and dying. BUT let me tell you God’s spirit is still at work and young people are still getting saved and while some churches skrink others are thriving and alive. We need to fight like Paul did for the gospel and work hard at evangelism to see the chruch thrive. But Aren’t you glad that there aren’t pagan temples with their prostitutes to Athena and Artemis on every street corner. I don’t have neighbors worshipping those gods. I give all the credit to the Church that is enpowered by the Holy Spirit that keeps the devil at bay. That is why this place is so important for when the church is removed. The world will wallow like it did once.

Beware false gods.

Deuteronomy 32:15–17 But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals That your fathers did not fear.

Moses told us that the gods of the Canaanites if they have any power it is not a divine power but an evil demonic power. While we do overt devil worship in the world today like their once was their is still that subtle power of the devil. Christians have been warning people about the workings of the devil for years. I grew up in church being warned of weigie boards. And the world mocked us. They have a term for what the church did they called it a satanic panic. The world says that the church just looked for the devil under every rock and blaimed every wrong thing on him. They said that is just myth and legend.

Go to the movie theater. Look at the movies playing. You will see some that are just evil! Don’t go running to that movie. I have told you from this pulpit that you have liberty in Christ. Liberty is freedom from sin and the devil that wants to enslave you. When you go watching wicked things it’s like you go. I really liked being a slave of the devil. Here put this back on I like being a slave of wickedness. Demons are real.

You used to be a slave to the devil.

Ephesians 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

That was the past and leave it in the past. Christians should not play around with evil things. I know that you have Christian Liberty, Americans have Liberty. But we still put poison labels on things that are dangerous in this country. So as a Pastor I am saying stay away from evil. It will enslave and destroy you soul.

Christ is greater.

1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

I believe that the devil is real evil and powerful. But I don’t cower in fear of him because I have the Spirit of God living right here.

Please don’t turn back around.

Galatians 4:9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?

The word repent means to stop turn around and go the other direction. This verse describes someone who can’t figure out which way they want to go.

The desire to return to bondage is nothing new.

Exodus 16:2–3 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

This was a difficult moment in my sermon preparation. Because I knew exactly what I wanted to talk about the problem was narrowing down and focusing the sermon. What event should I talk about, when Israel complained and said God all you gave us was this lousy bread we wish we were back in Egypt and God sent fiery serpents. And God put that bronze pole on the serpent and said LOOK and LIVE! Or how about at Sinai when they said to Aaron make us gods like we had in Egypt that we can worship and God is about to wipe Israel out because they deserved it and Moses says WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE! Or Kadesh or the Baal of Peor how about the rebellion of Korah. Well I focused on Exodus 16 GOD had done miracle after miracle to save them, even better yet He redeemed them. AND they are like WE WANT TO GO BACK, it’s taking to long to get to the promised land. We do the same thing. People complain about church. That person eats too loud, that person drives me crazy, the pastor talks about God and sin too much, I don’t like the music, they don’t have the coffee I like. Let’s go back to sin our sinful world.

Do you know how you should approach church. I should approach church! This is God’s house, this is the gateway to heaven, we are priviledged to be on this pilgrim journey, we are all on a journey to our true home. We should be on our knees every Sunday just saying Thank You Jesus. I know two people I have seen on there knees at the altar. Imagine what would happen to this church if you changed your attitude and it was all about Him and not about You!

Beware becoming a prisoner to Satan and Sin again.

Matthew 12:43–45 When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.

I know that in context this passage is talking about bondage to idol worship so Matthew 12 is really a fitting passage and if I were to present it that way many of you would say I have never been possesed by the devil, I have never worshipped an idol. This doesn’t apply to you. Well I will tell you this that addiction is a bondage that is a tool of the devil that works just as well. Pornography and Adultery will hold the same prison over your life. If you get it out of your life and not clean up your heart and let the Holy Spirit reign there. The Devil will haunt you with that spirit. You will remember the past and keep it there. Some of you have addictions. To pornography evil movies, ungodly music, drugs, and you have not completely cleaned your life of those things. I had a past I believe I have told you about that. I remember cleaning house. It was the best thing I ever did. I would love to have a good old music burning or movie burning or pornography burning.

Don’t creep back to the elements of the world.

Galatians 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.

Paul is reminding us that this was life before you were in the family of God. It is a family wants you. It wants to love you change you remake you free you, but you are like it was better before and you want to go back to bondage. You want to rebuild the prison, put the chains back on. In Christian music today My chains are gone I’ve been set free, or the famous Triumphant song, if you got chains he’s a chain breaker. They are so true. This verse says ok God you broke those chains that was great let me put them back on they were comfortable. They may have been killing me, but I kind of liked that in a weird twisted way.

You are free, not in bondage to holidays.

Galatians 4:10 You observe days and months and seasons and years.

Every one I read says this about Galatians 4.10 that it was Paul’s way of confronting the Judaizer and saying that they were making people have to keep the Sabbath, the fetivals the holidays like passover pentecost the feast of trumpets and the day of atonement in order to earn God’s favor. That makes perfect sense. Let’s add it to the list, you don’t have to be circumcised to get to heaven, you can eat with gentiles if you want, you can eat food like bacon and who cares if it has been offered to idols and you don’t have to celebrate religious holidays, Christ completed them all. We don’t go out back and sacrifice a passover lamb. I agree with all that but I wonder if because of context Paul was talking about their pagan holidays maybe or maybe it has to do with all of it.

Let’s consider ignoring Christmas.

Romans 14:5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.

I mean really let’s consider doing away with Christmas, or saint patty’s day or thanksgiving, or memorial day. Sometimes holidays sneak up on me and I don’t give them enough respect. People get offended. So what? I am not saying that you or this church is sinful in celebrating any of those. We live in Christian Liberty, you want to celebrate a holiday about Jesus birth that’s fine. Just as long as it isn’t leading you back to the prison of worshipping the devil you are fine. Do that! But here is my point what is more important the gospel or a holiday? If I stopped sharing the gospel, didn’t give an altar call. Some people wouldn’t confront me. They would be like what’s the big deal? BUT IF I NEGLECTED CHRISTMAS! I will tell you my Christmas caroling story. Every year I heard Pastor when is Christmas caroling. We would get like 8 people out. One year I purchased hot cocoa, pizza had a map and people to visit and it was the Willson family. That’s it. We aren’t the best singers We are like OH HOLY NIGHT it was bad. So next year NO CHRISTMAS CAROLING. I heard about that. Oh that’s a shame, we really should do that. Things are just heading in the wrong direction. Where in this book does it say THOU SHALT HAVE CHRISTMAS CAROLING! People who never went Christmas caroling were telling me that we as a church need to have Christmas Caroling. NO WE NEED THE GOSPEL. I enjoyed the 4th of July yesterday but let me tell you I will stop celebrating that long before I stop preaching the gospel.

Days are not more important than Jesus.

Colossians 2:16–17 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

The preachers fear is that the gospel goes in one ear and out the other.

Galatians 4:11 I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

We preach the gospel to set you free. But it doesn’t look like the gospel if you run back to the world. We want you to know the truth so the truth can set you free and the truth has a name and His name is Jesus and He died on that cross to set me free and He rose from the dead to make sure I am free. I am not enslaved to holidays I belong to Jesus, I am not enslaved to sin and the devil I belong to Jesus. That is the Gospel. Are you enslaved! Is Christmas the most important thing in your life, It should be Jesus. Try cancelling Christmas this year. Is pornography, horror movies you God, are you a servant of the devil. Make Jesus your all in all. Clean the house give Him the throne of your heart. Don’t be in bondage to old tired things, be free!