Dangers of Freedom Gal 5 1-15

Dangers of Freedom

Introduction:

Freedom! It’s what we celebrate this week, Wednesday specifically.
The 4th of July is when the 13 colonies declared their independence and became free from England.
It was a new union dedicated to the idea that each human being had a right to be free.
One of its earliest acts was to institute a Bill of Rights, which forbids the government from infringing on the freedom of people to practice religion, speak, to assemble, and so on.
Throughout the history of the United States most of our conflicts have been about freedom.

The Revolutionary War – Freedom from England
The Civil War was in part about freedom for slaves
Worker’s rights
Women’s rights
Each of the major conflicts (including wars) have always been, at least in the popular mind, about setting people free.

But what is freedom?

According to Webster

i. “the condition of being free of restraints”

ii. “the power to act, speak, or think without externally imposed restraints”

iii. “the capacity to exercise choice; free will”

iv. “exemption from the power and control of another”

For the founders of the United States

i. It was freedom from the tyranny of government.

ii. It was about people telling the government what to do instead of the government telling the people what to do.

iii. It was about being free to worship or not worship God as desired.

iv. It was about being free from excessive taxation

v. It was about being able to say what you think without fear of being thrown in jail.

vi. And for the most part we experience those freedoms in the United States today.

But are we truly free? i. Are people stuck in the cycle of poverty really free?

ii. Are people ensnared by materialism really free?

iii. Are fearful people who lock the world out either physically or mentally really free?

iv. Is the average American really free?

No not really! i. We Americans may be freer from government intrusion than other nations (which is slowly slipping away).

ii. We are slaves to our prosperity.

iii. We are slaves to our desires.

iv. We are slaves to our fears.

v. As a people we are slaves to SIN.

Perhaps now would be a good time to look at what the Bible has to say about freedom… #. Lets look at Galatians 5:1-15 and ask ourselves, “What do I do with my freedom?” The Dangers of Freedom! There are two of them…

Outline:

I The Temptation to Abandon Freedom (vs. 1-12)

A Paul just got done retelling and explaining the situation of the Jewish people (ch4)

1 Abraham had two sons but one was from a slave girl and the other was from the promise of God.

2 He was saying that the people who are looking back to Abraham aren’t the ones who are free

3 But the ones who are looking forward to the promise of God, the Messiah, are the ones who are free.

4 Holding onto God and His promises makes them free, not the holding onto the past and the traditions of old.

B Freedom is ours for the taking all because of Jesus Christ and His payment on the cross of Calvary.

1 The battle has been won, now it must be claimed and maintained.

2 This is illustrated quite vividly in the Middle East…

a Sure the oppressing leader(s) may have been “dethroned”

b But it is another thing to make sure that Freedom takes root

c That is why for what 4, 5, 6 years so far we are still over there trying to make it happen and get the people on board a move forward.

d Enough of the political remarks but spiritually, that is what Paul is driving at here in this passage.

3 Christ has set people free from the demands and oppressiveness of the Law of Moses.

4 We are no longer slaves to the Law…

5 Christ didn’t Abolish the Law he Fulfilled the Law, which no man could do.

6 We are no longer slaves to the law but we are free in Christ so live like it!

C So for the next six verses Paul argues this point Theologically

1 Vs. 2 “Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.”

2 Paul is telling them that they cannot enhance their Christian faith by adding the law to it.

3 You see when you add anything to what Christ did on the Cross you are essentially saying that what he did wasn’t good enough.

4 And to say that Christ wasn’t good enough makes His death meaningless.

5 When it comes to being justified there is only ONE way.

a John 14:6 “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’.”

b Jesus didn’t say, “except through me and by adding ______.” No he simply said, “I Am”…

6 Paul spoke of this aspect of the Law – Circumcision.

a This was something that the people of God had to do for God to show them favor, and to work in their nation.

b You even remember that after the Exodus out of Egypt and how the people who were born in the wilderness wandering were not circumcised that once, under Joshua’s leadership they were to go in and conquer the land. They had to first stop, worship God and be circumcised.

c It was a sign that they truly were seeking to obey God and follow His leading

d This was a BIG part of the Law.

7 But Paul is saying here that if you hold onto that part of the law then you are setting yourself back under the law and you must keep the whole law (vs. 3).

a As vs. 4 says, “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”

b So according to this verse you can either:

i Trust in Christ, and you are saved by grace or

ii You can trust in some other system – the Law of Moses, or some system of your invention and be lost and out of the reach of Grace.

iii It is one way or the other, there is no sitting of the fence or taking what you like out of Christianity and adding anything else to it and having a Smorgasbord religion. It is God’s way or the broad Highway!

c Vs. 6 says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

d Christianity isn’t about doing this or not doing. It is about faith that expresses itself through love.

e Faith is what makes a Christian and love is how we can tell who is a Christian.

D So don’t add anything to the Cross, Christ set us free don’t place yourself back under the Law, which can’t save you!

E Vs. 7-12 Paul deals with the fact that there is a false teacher spreading lies about what it means to be Christian and what you have to do or not do.

1 He was warning them not to be so easily swayed in their understanding of the message that he preached to them.

2 A little bad theology can corrupt the whole body of believers.

3 He is basically saying in these verses, “You all know better or you should know better, read and study the Word so that you can accurately discern true from false teaching.

F This idea of circumcision is applied to us today in the light of being Legalistic.

1 We find it easy to make up rules and regulations that are not found in Scripture so that we can keep ourselves (and others) far away from things that are sin.

2 Enslaving ourselves again.

3 Anything that we add to or take away from scripture is wrong.

G The first danger that comes with our Freedom is Abandoning it!

H The second danger that comes with our Freedom is …

II The Temptation to Abuse Freedom (vs. 13-15) Read

A Paul knew that when he preached this GRACE;

· Eph 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”

B That there were going to be the people that were going to use this as a license to do whatever they wanted.

1 Romans 6:1 “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?”

2 Rom. 6:15 “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!”

3 Vs. 13 here seems to be saying the same thing, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”

C It is a natural response for us to go overboard. When we realize we are free we take it to the extreme, and use that freedom to do whatever we want.

D This is exactly what Paul is warning them about right here.

E There were apparently people in Corinth who were using this wonderful message of Grace to do whatever they wanted to do, “so they could get more grace.”

F Paul was not preaching that kind of message but rather a message that released them from the bondage of the Law to a Free life.

G Just like here in the United States of America

1 We have the right to bear arms – but some use that “right” and murder someone else.

2 We have the right to our speech – but some use that “right” to tear other people down.

3 We have the right to the press – but some use that “right” to print things which are an abomination to the Lord.

4 We have the right to be silent – but some use that “right” and obstruct justice.

5 So you can see that the “rights” and “freedoms” that we have weren’t meant for us to abuse and give ourselves a license to do whatever we feel like doing, that is why Paul goes on in vs. 14

H Vs. 14 “The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

I Jesus said the same thing in Matt. 22:37-40 “Jesus replied, ‘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.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”

J The whole law was fulfilled, not in the Ten Commandments, as important as they are to our morality and of our adherence to God’s standards, but in “one word,”: “Love;” Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.”

K If we were to truly love others as ourselves we would fulfill the law.

1 We would not want to do any of the harmful tings that Moses outlawed; we would want to do the good things that Moses commanded

2 That is how we are Free.

3 We are free to make the choice to do good to others instead of doing it out of duty.

L Vs. 15 is pretty severe, “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

1 Biting and devouring are words that should describe wild animals not people and especially not Christians.

2 You don’t have to read Galatians very far to see that Paul was not a “Peace at all costs” kind of guy.

3 He didn’t avoid conflict.

4 For those of us who tend to look for peace at any price, and who look at verse 15 to back up their position, need to remember that,

5 Paul never wanted to see Christian communities self-destruct.

6 Christians can be as bitter, as quarrelsome, hot headed, as vengeful, etc., as those who don’t know Jesus.

a Not only is it sad; it is WRONG.

b We should be marked by our Love.

c People should be able to see that there is something different about us.

7 If we use that “Freedom” to justify ourselves that is abusing Freedom!

Conclusion:

So how are you using your freedom? a. Are you Tempted to abandon your freedom and live under the law?

b. Living under the law would be adding anything to our Gracious Salvation

i. Baptism

ii. Communion – two examples

Even being Legalistic – adding rules that aren’t found in Scripture and forcing them on other people.

a. We all need to be careful about forcing our convictions on other people.

b. Convictions are things that you have established between you and God.

But be careful that you aren’t Abusing your Freedom. Christ gave us Freedom!

a. Don’t use that freedom to indulge the sinful nature!

b. Instead use your freedom for what it was given:

i. To Love God

ii. To Love Other People

This week as we are reminded of our Freedom in this Country let us remember our Freedom in Christ and live according to his plan for Freedom. Love

Hymn # 429 “They’ll Know We Are Christians” Vs. 1&2