Freedom!

Galatians 5:1-15

English Standard Version Chapter 5

5 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Introduction:

Freedom!!! I was watching a movie this week about a dog who was captured and placed within the pound. However, this was no ordinary dog. After just a few minutes and while making sure that no one was watching, he figured out how to release himself from his cell, while also releasing all the other dogs and cats in the pound as well. Freedom! There is nothing like it is it?

for those of you who work a 9-5 job or have worked one in the past, you know that there is nothing like it when 5 o'clock strikes is it? Freedom!

In preparing for the sermon this morning I read an article about a man who had served a 40 year sentence in prison. Even after being released he had to learn life all over again. Coming out of a brick cell that had been home for the last 40 years and entering into the world was difficult. Scary even. It was then that it occurred to me a saying that I have heard many times before. Freedom is never free.

As we celebrated July 4th yesterday and remembered the freedom that we still have here in the United States as well as the 250th anniversary of the USA, we also remember that this freedom that we celebrate didn’t come free. It was bought with a price. Many soldiers and military men and women have risked their lives so that we can celebrate the freedom we still have today and sadly, many paid the ultimate price.

This morning as we look at this text from the book of Galatians, we will see this same truth, that freedom is never free. And as we do, may we evaluate in our own lives if we are living in the freedom that Christ bought for us or are we still living in bondage and captivity of sin? And with that question in mind, May God bless the preaching of this, His Most Holy Word.

Point 1: Trial and Error and Truth 

Paul begins this text this morning by telling us, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” The New Living Translation says, “So Christ has truly set us free.” Paul begins with a summary statement, summarizing all that he has just said. “For freedom Christ has set us free.” Following this, Paul exhorts the Galatian church to hold fast to this freedom and not fall back into slavery. In this first verse, we find 2 interesting Greek words used by Paul. The first is “eleutheria” which is the Greek word for freedom. It can also mean liberty. The second Greek word we find is  “stēko” and it means to stand firm.

How many of you have ever been to a lecture, a teaching, or even been to see an infamous preacher preach. While you were there, amidst the large crowd of people, you found yourself really caught up in the emotion of the moment. You thought everything this person had to say was wonderful. Yet when the event was over and you were by yourself and began to reflect on what that person was saying, truth began to unfold in your mind and before you knew it, you didn’t agree with anything that person said. It’s happened to me. It is so easy to get caught up in the moment, but when the lights have dimmed and everything is quiet, you realize, woah. That doesn't agree with what I believe at all.

This is what Paul was warning the early church in Galatia about. The entire debate was whether or not circumcision was necessary and if so, what did it get you. Douglas Mangum explains. He writes, “Why would circumcision be such a disaster for these gentile Christians? Because to insist that it is necessary for justification would mean that Christ’s faithful death was insufficient.” Wow! So that was what it was all about. So I ask you today, my dear brothers and sisters, how do we live our lives today? Do we live as if Christ’s death and resurrection was important or do we live as if it was insufficient?

Point 2: False Teaching 

In verses 2-6, Paul digs deeper. Beginning in verse 2 Paul says in essence that if you accept that circumcision is necessary to be saved then you are basically saying that Christ died for nothing. In verse 3, Paul takes it deeper. Douglas Mangum writes, “The Galatians can’t pick and choose: if they submit themselves to one part of the law (i.e., circumcision), they submit themselves to all of it—and become subject to the curse it pronounces on those who fail to obey it all (3:10)!” The same is true of us today. As I have heard it put, “You can’t treat the Bible like a box of Chex-Mix. You can’t simply pick and choose the things that you want to obey and the things you don’t .” It is all or nothing.

Paul goes on to explain the difference between commitment to the law and that of grace. Then in verse 5 we read the beauty. It reads, “For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.” How beautiful is that? This is our faith, the hope of righteousness.

Douglas Mangum writes, “Paul reminds the Galatians of what does and will justify them: the faithful death of Christ Jesus, through which God has already given them the promised Spirit (3:2–5) that allows them to have hope.”

What I feel Paul is saying here is that we should never put our hope in worldly things. As verse 6 reads, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” This should be our aim: “Faith working through love.” You can’t have one without the other.

So what does this look like in our lives? Let us not put our hope in worldly things but may our hope, faith, and trust be rooted in Christ Jesus. Whenever we feel the world tugging and pulling us back in, may we seek Christ and His Holy Word. Faith working through love.

Point 3: Paul’s inward trouble with false teachers

Paul begins this portion of scripture with a statement followed by a question. He writes, “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” He knows that something has happened and wants to know, “Who’s done it?” He then jumps into disproving the fact that their misleading had anything to do with Christ. And this is for us today, dear brothers and sisters, anytime we are misled or confused, we can guarantee that is NOT from Christ.

Then Paul uses a familiar tangible lesson that all of us have most likely heard at one time or another. It is that of Leaven or what we call yeast today. He tells them this to remind them of how pervasive sin can be. Therefore, we must be on guard. if we begin to allow sin to creep in, before long it will have consumed the entire being. Therefore, be on guard.

Then Paul provides us with some confidence. He writes, “I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.” Paul is confident of 2 things. 1 that his Galatian church friends will stay true to Christ and 2 that those who attempted to lead the Galatian church away will be punished.

Commentator David Guzik explains Paul’s words in verse 11. He writes, “Paul makes it clear that he no longer preaches the necessity of circumcision. The fact that he is persecuted by the legalists is evidence enough of this. Instead, Paul proudly bears the offense of the cross.

We, as Christians, should always preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. There is by no means, no other name under which we must be saved. When we begin thinking that we in some small part can save ourselves, we become legalistic. Brothers and sisters, let’s face it, we are nothing without Christ, yet with Him, we have everything we need. In addition, we did nothing to save ourselves. The sooner we come to realize this the better.

I remember when I first started coming of age and realized that I was bigger and stronger than my mom and grandma. It was at this time that I learned that I was to look out for them and their safety instead of vice versa. So anytime I’m with my mom out in public and see somebody suspicious coming towards us, I get in front of her and think to myself, “Don’t you mess with my mama!” And I feel the same way about you, the church. Well in a similar fashion, this is the way that Paul feels towards the Galatian church. Which is extremely exhibited in the final verse of this point, verse 12, which I won’t go into detail about. But above all, may we be on our guard against the false teachers of this day and stand firm upon the truth of Jesus Christ and His Holy Word.

Point 4: We are Children of Freedom! Not of Slavery. Freedom comes from Love.

Our final point for this morning is the wonderful news that we are Children of Freedom. As we celebrated Independence Day and the 250th Birthday of the USA yesterday and remembered the freedoms that have in this country, may today we also remember the freedom that we have in Christ. Amen!

Paul, in this last section of scripture doesn’t let up though. He is still holding us fast. He writes, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Yes! We are free! Praise the Lord! But do not begin to think that we can use our freedom as an opportunity for the flesh.

Now I can already feel some of you asking. What does that mean? Well let me see if I can explain. Paul, by saying not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh is similar to that of someone saying, well I know I am saved and that God will forgive me so I’m just going to drink as much as I want and stay drunk all the time. Or it might be someone saying that they know the Lord will forgive them so they have sex with multiple people. Whatever sin you want to insert in there. We should never use our freedom to gratify our sinful desires.

But this is what Paul encourages us to do. He says in verse 14, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus when asked what the greatest commandment was, said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” I don’t know that we put into practice as much as we should this second greatest command, to Love our neighbor as ourselves. May we seek to be better about this. The next time you see someone in need, ask yourself, “How would I want to be treated if I were in that situation?” And then do it. But also remember, we live in a sinful and dangerous world, so never do anything without the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit.

Our text for this morning concludes with verse 15 where Paul gives another warning. He writes, “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” David Guzik writes, “This reminds us of a pack of wild animals. That’s how the church can act when it uses its “liberty” as a platform to promote selfishness. If you want to see some action, put two selfish people together. Selfish people will eventually be consumed by one another.”

Therefore, let us not be selfish in our wants, desires, and wishes, but let us seek after the good of our neighbor. Let us seek to honor Christ in all that we do and seek to live out our freedom in Him. Therefore, this week, as we go about our days, let us seek to emulate Christ, in our thoughts, in our actions, and in our deeds. Let us enjoy the freedoms that we have been given but use those freedoms to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. May these truths fuel our faith today, tomorrow, and forever more.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!