Outward Series: Serve One Another

Galatians 5:13 ESV

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.

Intro - Nothing rings more American than “freedom”…it is plastered on various monuments, historical documents, songs...”land of the FREE”....but what does freedom mean to a believer? Let’s examine that this morning

TR: First let’s take notice that we have been summoned by freedom

Summoned

Believers were summoned to freedom from law and sin

Paul throughout his discourse is outlining the uniqueness of the Christian privilege.

During Paul’s time, through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Jews were being freed from sin and the provocation of the law.

What I mean by this is that, as Paul outlined in Romans 5, sin took opportunity through the law to kill us. It severed our relationship with the Father and therefore with life Himself.

When the righteous law of God came in it provoked us to disobedience. Not because it was flawed but precisely because it wasn’t.

We were flawed and placing boundaries on us, just as with many people today, just provoked us to test those boundaries. “Forbidden fruit is always more delicious” right?

However, in doing so we became enslaved.

It is interesting to me how much we fight today for “freedoms” but there’s very little definition on the purpose of the freedom. What direction am I to point it?

Freedom to own a gun? Freedom to drive a car? Freedom to eat at a restaurant? But why do we pursue these freedoms??? What is their purpose???

That is what we will answer. See Paul here, advocates for our freedom…but never forget…whereever there is a freedom from something there is enslavement to another.

Freedom is the great farce of humanity, for we are never truly free, as we will see, the question is what are we enslaved to.

Nonetheless, God has called us to freedom from sin and law. A freedom to not be under the guilt and eternal consequence of our sin.

A freedom to not be bound by a Mosaic Covenant that was satisfied and brought to a close for all those who believe.

This freedom calls to us…it summons us to embrace it.

I’ll never forget the story of Frederick Douglas and how he said that one day while he was working on his master’s field during American slavery, he looked up and saw a bird flying. The bird was unbound by the distance. It was free and it was at that moment, when he compared his life to that of that bird, that he felt more like a slave than ever before.

That is what we wrestle with…what boundaries are in place in your life? What restricts you? What rules govern you? Expectations? What are you enslaved to?

You are called to freedom from definitions, programs, social constructs, political affiliations, etc.

The reason why people press so hard for boundaries and keeping them in place is because it grants them power. Just like a bit in the mouth of a horse, you are able to be controlled.

The amazing thing is some of you fear freedom. One of the interesting things I learned about American slavery was that there were some people that were so enslaved that they preferred to remain on the plantation AFTER being freed, simply so they could have something familiar.

I think of Jesus on the boat during the storm. I think of the psychology of the disciples who were so engrained that their security rested in calm waters that they neglected the reality of the King of Peace being right there beside them.

What enslaves you? Do you hear freedom calling you?...

TR: However, whereever there is an emancipator there is also an enslaver....

Severed

Believers are to sever their relationship with the flesh

Just like the church in Galatia, we not only have to be convinced of our freedom but warned of our impending enslavement.

The believers in Galatia were wanting to go back to enslavement to the Law in order to become righteous.

We’ve seen this before! As long as you obey these rules…you are good, you are accepted.

Many times we will even erect our own rules to try to abide by and fulfill.

I remember talking to my counselor one day and telling him my frustration that not only do I conjure up unimaginable expectations for myself that are rooted in everything other than God, but then I beat myself up for falling short of unreasonable expectations. Then to remedy that I just create even higher expectations believing somehow I need to overcome my previous failure with exceeding success only to start the cycle over again.

The sad thing is all the while, what I’ve really done is walked onto the plantation of the enslaver and said “here I am to serve”…and that enslaver is my flesh.

No matter, how much those expectations are directed outwardly, no matter how noble they may be, or how justified I may be in pursuing them....at the end of the day the real reason I pursue them is to satisfy ME!

To make ME feel better...

So what my freedom was released me from I run back into, just of my own doing, and my freedom becomes a launching pad for my flesh to fulfill its desires.

My desires of self-righteousness, of success, of the American dream, of what defines a good father, of wealth, etc.

I remember when I left the Sheriff’s office and started my own business. I had employees and contracts. If I didn’t like something I could just change it. If I didn’t want to come to work that day I didn’t have to. If I didn’t like someone they weren’t there the next day. I was free!!!! Until I wasn’t. See my flesh started getting in there....you’re free but how successful are you? Success is just outside of your reach, just go a little bit farther. Grind! Grind! Grind! Don’t stop, your kids are counting on you. You don’t want them to see a failure do you? You’re wife has sacrificed so much don’t let it be for nothing. Just keep going!!! Before you know it I was dying…because guess what…living a law based life will always lead to death.

This is the stewardship of freedom. Americans love our “freedoms” and yet look around you. We are freer than we’ve ever been, as prosperous as we’ve ever been, and yet possibly deader than we’ve ever been.

Our flesh has taken opportunity in our freedom and made us turn inward to self-satisfaction, selfish pursuits, and selfish ambitions.

To the point where even wearing a mask for someone else’s sake is scoffed at as an infringement of our “freedom”....what are you free to do Christian?

You are FREE to SEVER THE OPPORTUNITY FROM OF YOUR FLESH

TR: and in turning from your freedom from the flesh you are to become enslaved to the service of one another...

Served

Believers are free to serve one another

Your master awaits Christian and His name is love…an unrelenting effort on behalf of those in the body.

It demands no reciprocity, comes with no conditions, is gentle yet forceful.

What would happen if each side of the political spectrum stopped their agenda and instead sought the well being of the other?

What would happen if we believed that the most important people weren’t people in our particular tribe but instead were other people in the body?

You have freedom Christian but you’re freedom is a freedom to serve others not self. A freedom to lay down your life, your desires, and your ambitions for the betterment of others!

One of the greatest things I’ve learned in this life is the sacrifice of the parent. There is literally nothing I wouldn’t give for the provision of my children. In addition, they rest in that reality so much that they don’t even THINK about provision…they just exist.

And in a stunning strike of irony, I have found so much more joy, peace, and fulfillment in the progressive losing of myself to the service of my children.

It doesn’t mean they run my life or always get to dictate HOW I serve them. However, to know that all that I do I seek to do it so that they can grow is the pinnacle of satisfaction in this life as a parent.

What would that mean, if we were to strive to do that for one another?

Now I must be clear that there is balance and harmony in this. I’m not called to serve others and forsake other duties…that too is out of step with what is being said here.

However, just as with forgiveness…is the orientation of my heart one that is eager to labor on behalf of those around me and help them to be great?

The interesting thing here is that there may come times when our service to others, and pursuit of making them great will result in brutalization…see the example of Jesus.

So to serve must first come from the vision that these people are valuable. That view comes from understanding how God views them.

At times that’s going to be out of step with how they view themselves…but we have been called to love and serve those who are deemed by this world as unworthy of love.

How can you serve murderers, adulterers, bigots, fornicators, liars, cheaters, slanderers....sinners???

JESUS DID!!!

WHILE THEY WERE KILLING HIM HE SERVED THEM....WHILE THEY WERE HATING HIM HE SERVED THEM....WHILE THEY SPAT UPON HIM HE SERVED THEM....

See the service isn’t rooted in your flesh…it’s not for YOUR benefit…it’s not self-service....instead it’s rooted through love and LOVE is directed outwardly to your brother or sister in Christ and to this world!!!

How can you serve today? How can you Republican place yourself in the service of a Democrat? How can you liberal place yourself in the service of the conservative? How can you who has wealth place yourself in the service of those in poverty? How can you American place yourself in the service of the immigrant? How can you BLM activist serve law enforcement?

It’s interesting that all of these people can believe in the same Gospel BE FROM THE SAME KINGDOM…HAVE THE SAME CITIZENSHIP!!!! YET....because of the labels that identify our flesh…we won’t serve them....let us repent…and use our freedom to serve one another through love.