True Freedom

Independence day yesterday was the 4th of July. I was I was not aware that the 4th of July was not actually when Independence was declared. Apparently that happened on the 2nd. But anyways, we celebrated yesterday and we celebrated in Grand American Style by blowing things up. And if you get a chance, sometimes it go down and watch the the Cedar City fireworks display. It's always fantastic. It's always fantastic particularly because at the end after they've shot off all the fireworks they lied. I don't know how many gallons of jet fuel off and it is absolutely remarkable. However this year This year we went and we parked on the right by the airport. We were watching everything and the fireworks show ended and there was no explosion. And I was like, oh man 3 waited for a little bit then maybe it's delayed. No, I was like, all right. Well, this is just isn't happening. So we hopped in the car and we proceeded to drive away and we're in traffic, you know, there's a ton of cars down there and all of a sudden we hear this Fang and the whole truck shakes. And my wife says I think somebody just ran into us. So I put it in park and I'm going to get out to go see in a who ran into us when all of a sudden I look behind and there's this giant orange Fireball behind us and this mushroom cloud billowing up from the much-delayed but none the less impressive explosion. So July 4th fireworks. I don't want you guys think less of me, but I could very easily very easily go overboard when it comes to Fire and explosions and I love July 4th 4 for that but it was interesting to reflect. On that holiday, right? This is a uniquely American holiday, right and and it is a unique celebration of this idea of freedom. I would I would say that no up. In the history of History has ever so closely tied its idea and its identity of itself to the idea of freedom in from many America is synonymous with freedom. Unfortunately, we sometimes Define freedom in a way that is counterproductive for many people freedom is defined as the ability to do what I want when I want where I want. The ability to do whatever I want because it's my right and then if that is the definition of freedom than any attempt to impose a limit on myself expression. Well, that's just the imposition of tyranny, right and dog-gone-it. We fought a whole War about that. We don't put up with that. We're Americans. But I don't think that that is appropriate as a matter of fact this morning. I want to commit what some would view as treason. Against that idea and against that definition of freedom to remind the followers of Christ. I want to remind us whether we're in America or in Kenya or in Ecuador or in Australia or China. I want to remind us of this fact. Freedom is not doing whatever the heck I want. Freedom let's not be viewed through the lens of an American culture. the values self-expression over any other good Freedom instead for the Christ follower must be interpreted through the lens of our faith. We should not interpret it through the lens of our national. We should interpret it through Christ. And that is what brings us this morning to this discussion of what is true freedom. And we look at the book of Galatians and I'm going to read Galatians 5 1 through 15, even though it in the sermon. We're just going to focus on 13 through 15. I want us to get the contact. I want to understand this. I know before I read it. I want to set the stage for Galatians, right? We haven't spent a lot of time walking through chapters 1 through 4. So I want to catch us up. Right galatia was a region in the Roman Empire. And in that region there were many churches that were started as the god what was going out from Jerusalem and the gospel was going out and people were getting saved in these these churches were springing up and you had this this kind of Freedom that was coming to be in these places, but then they're kicking people who were trying to get these new Christians experiencing their freedom in Christ. They were trying to bring them back and say no if you're going to follow the Jewish Messiah Jesus, then you need to keep the Jewish. You need to follow the dictates of the Old Testament you how you must become a do in order to become a Christian. Paul write the book of Galatians to counter that writes the book of patience to explain to these Christians exactly how it is that we are saved and it is not through works. It is not through obedience. It is not something that we are earned favor with God by our external actions instead. It is in Christ. It is in Christ that we find our freedom from that Paul called it out as idolatry. Just say that we must keep a law in order to be right through Christ. He says no, it is in Christ that we find Freedom, but he qualifies that freedom. And he does not defined as the ability to do whatever you want instead as we'll see in the second. He shows us that Christ set us free in an entirely different way. Let's read together Galatians chapter 5 starting in verse 1 For Freedom Christ has set us free stand firm therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look I Paul say to you that if you accept circumcision, which Paul is using as a short hands if I can just interject into the Textra moment, which was one of the laws as a shorthand to refer to all of the law. The glacian Christians were adopting circumcision as a picture or symbol of there at the option of the whole lot. But he says if you accept that Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again that every man who accept circumcision he is obligated to keep the whole law you are severed from Christ you who would be justified by the law. You have fallen Away From Grace. 4 through the Spirit by faith we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness for in Christ. Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything but only Faith working through love you were running. Well who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you a little leaven leavens the whole lump I have confidence in the Lord that you will take. No other view than mine. And the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty whoever he is. But if I Brothers still preach circumcision, why am I being persecuted in that case? The offense of the Cross has been removed. I wish those to unsettle you would emasculate themselves for you were called to Freedom brother's only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh but through love serve one another 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. Nepal is building a case and I would I would urge you to spend some time looking at Galatians this week. I would urge you to go back into read this in to get some idea of the of the setting for this but Paul is writing to say to this church or to these churches rather. Don't forsake your freedom in Christ. Don't go back into slavery. Don't go back into idolatry. Stay true to Christ now today and I don't want to be entirely too specific, but I don't think this is much of a Temptation for us. I don't think any of us read The Book of Leviticus and thank you know what I really should be keeping all of this. You know what? I really want to try to obey all of these dictate to make myself right with the I don't think that's a Temptation for any of us, right if it is, let's talk about that and let's talk about why that's not the right approach right? Let's talk about that, but I don't think that that's where we're at. But I do think that there is a different kind of idolatry that is rampant. In the church today particularly the church in America, but it is not limited to that if it's the idolatry. of Rights It's the idolatry of Rights. It's the idolatry of saying I can do what I want to do without regard for those around me. Right? It's not the idolatry of the law that says I can earn my favor with God. It's it's an entirely different idolatry that says Because I have the favor of God. I don't have to have any concern for those around me. I can just do whatever I want just as the law was seen as essential. By these false teachers to the Christian Life today. There are those who in this country and in other countries who cannot understand separate their understanding of the Gospel from their pursuit of their individual expression and their individual rights. I want to say something really clearly because this is something that we might miss if we're not careful. The truth of the Gospel is that freedom is the experience of every single Christ follower. regardless of the government that they find themselves under Freedom experience of every hour regardless of the country they find the government they find themselves under too often our expression of the freedom we have in Christ gets all muddled up with the freedom. We have As Americans then we view the freedom of expression the freedom to gather the freedom to bear arms at the essential parts of the Gospel. We can't imagine how anybody would follow Christ in the country like North Korea where it's a crime. To preach he live jannetty. We can understand how anybody could be free in such a setting and we say it well. At least we live in America. Where were free. to follow Christ I want to drive that notion away from us. Because the current reality of the American church is not likely to be our forever reality. These increasing likelihood. Is it eventually the American church WIll face the setting much more similar to that face by brothers and sisters in other countries than those in the path of our own country. It is highly likely that we will need a gospel that is robust enough to deal with the removal of our rights. And I'm afraid that because we so conflated civil Freedom with religious freedom that our faith does not know how to act the truth of the matter is in cry regardless of what the government says the Christians whether they are in North Korea or Iran or America or Australia or Canada? Doesn't matter. Christ we have true freedom because Freedom given by a government could be taken away by a government and freedom taken away by a government limits the understanding of freedom in that Nation, but in Christ, Freedom is never Limited. By the government it is never something that can be given or taken away. It is the experience of every single Christ follower freedom in Christ is essential and Universal for every Christ follower or freedom is an American today is entirely incidental. It is not essential to it. So even as we are grateful for the freedoms that we enjoy in this country, even as we are thankful for living in a country that allows us as Christ followers to preach the gospel to pray together to worship. We need to recognize that those things are not essential our allegiance to the country of our birth or the country of our citizenship is conditional and temporary. Our allegiance to Christ is unconditional and is eternal we keep these things in this perspective or we conflate the two and lose both. True freedom is found not in a country not in a flag. Much as it pains me to admit it is not even found in fireworks. It is found in submission to a King every Christ follower lives in an unconditional monarchy. Regardless of what country they live in so it's easy for us to forget what freedom in Christ means because we view it through the lens of our country where freedom is the right to do what I want. But that is not how Paul Defiance Freedom that is not how Christ defines Freedom instead instead. We see a different picture and look at this in verses 13 through 15 with me. Look at versus 1314 first for you or called to Freedom brother's not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh through love to serve one another.

For the whole lies will field in one word. You shall love your neighbor as your self. You were called to Freedom brothers and sisters not as Americans. but as Christians the author of this letter would not live in Freedom. He was persecuted by his countrymen the Jews for preaching the gospel of Christ. He was imprisoned by the Roman Civil Authorities for preaching Christ. And yet he says we've been called to Freedom so Freedom cannot me. Simply the right to do what we want under the laws of the government of our land for Freedom. It must be something else that he's talking about. What's the freedom that he's talking about the freedom from trying to earn favor with God through external acts of obedience. He's talking about the freedom from religion. That would say what you do is determines who you are. Paul is saying no, the freedom that we have in Christ is is freedom from that desire freedom from that obligation to earn our standing with God instead. Who we are as Christ followers who we are as those bought with the blood of Christ who we are as those who have been Sanctified by his sacrifice and who have been in dwelt by his Holy Spirit who we are and sermons what we do. And the freedom that we have based on that identity in Christ is not freedom to do whatever we want. It's the freedom to deny. Are selfish and destructive Tendencies and to love others. Well for their sake without regard for our self verse 13 and 14 States. You're called the freedom from earning God's favor, but that freedom does not excuse you from an obligation to love your neighbor. Well, you've been set free. Yes, but use your freedom as an opportunity to love and serve one another not as an opportunity to gratify your selfish desires. He says the whole life summed up in this love your neighbor as yourself now in in in recent Days A lot has been made of that phrase. Love your neighbor as yourself. And there's been a lot of discussion about how well you can't love you don't love yourself. And so you really need to focus on learning how to love yourself so you can love others that way to there's there's a word for that and I'm not allowed to say in church. Is nonsense, okay. for the sake of argument

I don't need to learn how to love myself. I don't need to know how to do that. I automatically do that. Right just recently let this last week. We had the chance to go up in and visit my family up in Idaho and it was a great time. We had a good trip and loved it. We went fishing one day. Now, there's something you need to know about my family and my wife's family time anytime you get married you're bringing kind of two cultures together and they're certain assumptions certain approaches to things that they're difference when you do that and my family we were all about the experience. We're all about the activity were all about the adventure not so much on the planning. Not so much on the thinking ahead of you know, what we might need for said Adventure, but it came up again this week and Meghan's family growing up sheet. He was there all about the planning right? They knew what they were going to do which day how they were going to do it where they were going to eat along the way. Just doesn't enter into the bun calculations. So when Wednesday rolls around and we decide we're going to go on a guys fishing trip. We're going to go on a guys fishing trip and it's going to be great right except that we're going out in the middle of nowhere and Idaho. There's no restaurants. There's no nothing say my son is used to eating three meals a day. I don't know where he got this idea that that's normal. But that's what he's used to and so when we leave at 11. 3 hours after eating breakfast and forget to make plans for lunch. He's understandably concerned about the lack of food available to him. We get back and my wife's first question is well, how'd it go or second question is what did you eat? My son says we can do it. We didn't got the lunch. We didn't need anyting. Well that just appalled my wife. I on the other hand operate on the understanding that most dads operate on right my kids say I'm hungry and I say didn't we just feed you yesterday? This is like an everyday thing with you or what? And yet it's funny. I don't do that to myself. Right. I do feeding my children as a chore. I believe you feeling myself as like well, no, duh. That's what I mean by I don't need to be taught how to love myself right? I may not sink in and just to defend myself before anybody, you know makes a phone call or anyting. I took snacks. We had chips. We had cookies. I don't know what else you want for a well-rounded lunch, but that's about as well-rounded as a gift. Right? We have snacks. We don't have to remind ourselves to eat when we're hungry. We don't have to remind ourselves to breathe. We don't have to remind ourselves to sleep when we're tired. Right we do it. Naturally. That's the kind of self-love in view in this love your neighbor as yourself. Love your neighbor as naturally As You Love Yourself by feeding yourself, when you're hungry providing safety for yourself when you're scared giving yourself shelter, right? These are the kind of things that we naturally do for ourselves that Paul and Jesus and the gospels say this is how we have to approach our life with others. Our freedom is not merely meant to be a means of feeding our own appetites and looking at those around as Michael didn't you eat yesterday? Our freedom is meant to be loving them as naturally and is easily as we love ourselves saying you've got a need and I can meet it. Let me do that. That is the kind of Freedom that is being talked about here this freedom to serve others. I don't need to learn to love myself. I do need to learn to use my freedom to serve others. I do need to learn to recognize the need. And to see the Christ has given me the means of meeting that what price does for us in the cross. Is he get a true free? Far from requiring us to keep the law to make ourselves individually right with God, right if listen if there's any view of Salvation that includes you doing good works to make God happy with you you will end immediately begin to turn the people around you into objects. To receive your good works turning them into Stepping Stones on your path towards salvation. You begin to use the people around you as recipients of your good works. That serve to advance yourself crisis. I'm going to set you free from that. He also says I'm going to set you free from the kind of selfish destructive life that puts your needs and desires ahead of those around you that has no regard for others isn't just concerned with feeding your own appetites and desires. I'm going to set you free from that from using people as objects to advance yourself from ignoring people because you're only focused on yourself. I'm going to set you free from that the freedom of Christ offered to us by his substitutionary death on the cross. Is the freedom to say I don't have to in Prescott.

The freedom to say what I do I can do because this is a person worthy of love.

Just like Christ died for me. I can die to myself for my neighbor. For my son for my spouse I can die to myself because Christ freed me from this need to justify myself before God freed me from this need to just try to fill the vast emptiness inside of me with some sort of entertainment. So I don't have to think about what's going on around me. Freeze me to say what can I do for others rather than what can I get from others? You are set free from the obligations of the law. but not so that you can serve yourself you are set free the obligations of the LA christ-follower so that you can serve those around you in complete freedom

So verses 13 and 14 you were called to Freedom Brothers only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh to gratify yourself, but through love love serve one. Another to meet needs for the whole lies will field in one word. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The implications of that are huge how we approach one another for how we engage with one another. The implications are huge. Also, not just for what we should do. But for what we shouldn't do, right if this is true if we've been set free not to serve ourselves but to serve others.

Then if we don't do that, if we don't exercise that freedom destruction will result look at verse 15, but if you bite and devour one another watch out that you are not consumed by one another. If you bite and devour one another watch out that you are not consumed by one another Paul is holding up for a c or two sides of the same coin on the one hand if you use your freedom rightly to serve. Then that's good. Without debating the law you fulfilled the law love your neighbor as yourself, but if on the other hand you use your freedom as an opportunity to pursue your selfish to pursue your selfish Ambitions. The end result is chaos destruction. Not just for the people you're ignoring. But for you as well, if you bite and devour one another watch out that you are not consumed by one another the kind of totalitarian Freedom. Can I use that intentionally kind of totalitarian Freedom that is advocated by some in this country is the kind of Freedom that leads to Mutual destruction. Doing whatever. I want whenever I want no matter who it hurts in. The process is ultimately not just going to destroy them. It's going to come back and it's going to destroy me. this idea of rampant individualism Is one of the things that we need to be on guard against as Christ followers, we need to be on guard against the other centered nature of our freedom in Christ freedom in Christ is not self-centered. It is other centered totalitarian Freedom. Just Freedom this if I can do what I want is entirely self-centered and is ultimately destructive. any use of your freedom Which does not take into account the lives perspectives and needs of those around you. Is you planting the seeds of your own destruction? Because if it's okay for you to live that way. Then it's okay for them to live that way. And ultimately what you end up with is the kind of life that says. Whoever's got the might is Right. Whoever's got the power winds. Whoever can enforce their will on those around them. They must be the right one. That has nothing to do with Christ. and everything to do with the Antichrist that has nothing to do with the gospel. And everything to do with a god breath philosophy that would Elevate the individual to the place the throne. the kingship and if it's every other human against every other human in a state of complete Anarchy and chaos. any use of freedom the disparages the worst of another human being is ultimately destructive not just to them. But to you as well. Any view of the world around you? That does not include the Dignity of every single person created in the image of God.

is shorts of the goal of freedom in Christ Anyview that would turn another person into an object for self advancement or self-gratification is sin. And does not Accord with the gospel of Christ.

I've been reading a lot of the guy named Elton Trueblood lately. So much so that the owner of the bookstore that I ordered some of his books from apparently I ordered enough of them. She said if you can't find Any of his other books, don't worry. I'll come in for a parent Lee. I've got a bit diction going on right now. But Elton Trueblood was a was a Christ follower back earlier in the last century. Middle part of last entry and he wrote on a lot of different things the book. I just finished reading by him that I will come into you is Declaration of Freedom Declaration of freedom, and it talks about these to compute competing ideas for Humanity. One is at the state is right and he talks about the fact that that can fall over into communism or in the fascism right that the right and the left both are equally susceptible to this wrong view that the state is right in the individual is merely a cog in the wheel. Right or this idea that every individual because of the fact that God Made Them In His Image, every individual has rights and freedoms that no government can give or take away. Fantastic book fantastic. Thank the one that jumped out at me the most. Was it and he's paraphrasing another Rider Immanuel Kant. It was when he said that the basic moral rule to which there is no possible exception is treat every person as a person and never as a thing. Treat every person as a person and never as a thing. when we treat people

Those who disagree with this those are those are those people. right those people they don't have the rights to expression that I do. They can't express themselves publicly because they don't agree with me. We're treating them is things not as people when we say to another person here. Let me help you so that it makes me look good. And so that I can advance my standing with with God. They're no longer person their thing. The fundamental truth of the Gospel is this none of us? None of us Merritt the love of God. And yet he gives it anyways granting us an incredible dignity as individual people. So much so that the Son of God himself Jesus Christ willingly died. for you willingly died for all Who would repent and believe willingly sacrifice his life not just for the good people. Of which the total count was none. But for the enemies of God the sinners. If that's how God treats his enemies. How about we the people redeemed reconciled to God by that sacrifice? How are we to treat our enemies? those who disagree with us politically those who look different than S racially those who think differently than us philosophically those who don't live the way we do those who don't share a common culture with us those who are by their birth place and by their faith radically opposed to

we still recognize their dignity and treat them not as those idiots. Not as though stupid liberals. none of those blind conservatives we treat them as people. We don't let the adjectives to find them. The noun is key. These are men. These are women made in the image of our God and freedom means sacrificing my own desires. For their sake giving up my rights. To serve them.

This is what true freedom is not the freedom to do whatever I want not the not the freedom to live in a free country. Not the freedom to exercise my Democratic rights. Those are all great but true freedom is found in the love of Christ flowing to us. and through us If it cost Christ his life. To love us. What will it cost us to love one another?

He put a different way if it cost Christ his life to love us. If there is no cost to our love is it love? If I am not having to give up anything.

when my Saviour gave up everything Have I truly grasped the gospel? If I will take a stand for my rights. That supersedes the sacrifice that Christ made who did not regard equality with God as a thing to be grasped to be held tightly onto but instead humbled himself becoming a man taking the form of a servant. Going all the way towards death. Have this mind in you which was also in Christ who gave up his rights. To love those that God loves whether they deserved it or not. Have this mind in you let the love of Christ flow to you and through you. That is true Freedom my friends that is joy in Christ. That is what God has called us to

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