Freedom: God's Gift - Our Hope

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father -- to him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen. Dear liberated children of the Heavenly Father, We are Christians celebrating Reformation in Albuquerque, NM. More specifically, we are Christians who are at Shepherd Lutheran Church in Albuquerque. We know why we are a church - we are the "gathered together." We are "Shepherd" because those who started the church first called the church "Good Shepherd." We changed our name so that we could be more easily identified from another church named Good Shepherd. We know why we are Lutheran as well. Because we follow the teachings of a man named...wait, do we actually follow Martin Luther? The question I want to pose this morning for us to keep in mind is, what is the one thing that makes our church distinctly Lutheran? I would venture to say that some would think it was our liturgy. The parts of the service that are always present to show that we are Lutherans by how we conduct our worship services. Others would say our strong doctrinal hymns that emphasize the deep truths of God's Word. Others would say it's the hymnal itself, following Luther's tradition of having a hymn and worship book for the laypeople. Others might say our real presence teaching of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Still others maybe our organ because not many churches these days still use one. I want to tell you that these are great things that help show that we are Lutheran. But the reason that we put Lutheran in our name is that we confess, as Martin Luther did: The first and chief article is this: Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins and was raised again for our justification (Romans 4:24-25). He alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), and God has laid upon Him the iniquities of us all (Isaiah 53:6). All have sinned and are justified freely, without their own works or merits, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood (Romans 3:23-25). This is necessary to believe. This cannot be otherwise acquired or grasped by any work, law, or merit. Therefore, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us. As St. Paul says: For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law (Romans 3:28). Upon this article everything that we teach and practice depends.1 Yes, we call ourselves Lutheran. But not because we follow Luther. We do not follow Paul. We do not follow George Swanson or Josh Rathje. We follow Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, who alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He has given us freedom from the law. By his perfect life, through faith we receive the justification that gifts us eternal life. This is what makes our church Lutheran. We are Lutheran because we preach freedom! Freedom from the works of the law. It's freedom that you and I now have through faith. It's freedom: God's gift and our hope. God's gift A little history helps better explain Paul's stern words to the Galatians. The letter to the Galatians has three main parts. The first part, chapters 1-2, prove that Paul has the authority to teach from Christ. He defends his apostleship and his ability to rebuke, train, and encourage. The second part of the letter, chapters 3-4, is a thorough explanation of what Jesus did so that those who trust in Jesus' works will be saved by grace. That leads us to our lesson today. Paul cared so deeply for these members in Galatia that he was willing to make big statements. These statements showed what Christ had done to save us from the curse of the law. Therefore, Paul told the Galatians, don't let it happen again. The key word is again. At one time the people of God were yoked by a burden - the burden of following the laws that God had for his people. The Israelites were to bring daily sacrifices to atone for their sins. They were to follow strict dietary restrictions. They were to not intermarry with those of other nationalities to shield them from falling into idol worship. The laws that God put up for the people were good. They were to keep the people close to God and far from idols. But the law, in and of itself, was not enough to save these people from their sins. The blood of bulls and goats that were offered as sacrifices were not enough to atone for the people's sins. The Old Testament believers had to rely on the promise given to Abraham, to David, the promise made through the prophets. A Savior would be born who would take away the sins of the world. He would bear their iniquities. By his wounds they would be healed. This was what Paul had told the Galatians. The Messiah they were waiting for, had come. Jesus saved them. Plain and simple. But in came this group - the Judaizers - whose goal was to supplement Paul's message. The Judaizers taught that one must follow the Mosaic law to be saved. God gave his people laws, and you can't just throw them out. In other words - they taught works righteousness. When Paul told the Galatians to no longer be burdened by a yoke slavery, he was talking about the Judaizers' teachings. Christ has won freedom for the Christian. We are to stand firm in that freedom. Concerning salvation, circumcision means nothing. Concerning salvation, following the law means nothing. Freedom in Christ means everything. And it is God's gift to us. Just as God's people in the past had been, we once were burdened by a yoke of slavery. We were burdened by the awful yoke of having to follow the law perfectly. We were burdened by the guilt of not doing the good we were supposed to do and doing the evil we were not supposed to do. We were burdened by our sin and guilt and shame. We could not hold up to the standards God had placed for eternal life. And this is the reason that Christ has set us free! It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. The law to us, is no longer a binding contract. The law to us, is no longer the rule by which we must live our lives. We have been unshackled from the chains of the law. We have been yoked no longer by the slavery that the law requires, but rather yoked to the one who carried the weight of the law so that we can be free. This freedom means everything to you and me. It meant everything to Luther. It meant everything to Paul. Without this freedom, we would still have something to do for salvation. Luther saw the church selling indulgences. Paul saw the Galatians being sold back into a bondage to the law. Those people were not free but burdened. And that is why Luther was so intent on this message of salvation by grace alone apart from our works. This is why Paul was so intent on this message of salvation by grace alone apart from our works. This is why we still are so intent on this message of salvation by grace alone apart from our works. This is a gift from God. And this gift is freedom. Freedom to know that salvation is 100% God, and 0% us. The devil has worked his influence to alter the gospel to be a 99+1 type of gospel. That we must believe to a certain degree, and only then do we understand fully what salvation is like. It makes our lives here on earth better. It makes our works actually mean something. God wouldn't prepare works for us to do without having a reason for them. We have to do those works to garner the favor of our God. The devil has worked this teaching into the church, again and again. If you think that in any way that your works influence God, read what Paul says in verse 4. This person has been alienated from Christ and fallen away from grace. Maybe some of you are trading card collectors. I have about 1000 cards that I just went through during my quarantine, wondering if any of them would be worthwhile to sell. Unfortunately, mine are not. But I do know of a friend who has an autographed Babe Ruth baseball card. It's authentic and could be sold for at minimum $250k. What would happen to the price of that card if my friend put his signature on it too? It wouldn't enhance the card; it actually would detract all of its value. The card would be rendered useless to card collectors. This is what Paul was fighting against. The gift of God is that autographed card. It is a card that guarantees your inheritance in heaven. Its price is immeasurably great. Jesus did all of it. His work here on earth made it worth everything in the world. If you try to add your works to it, you actually subtract everything that Christ did. You are telling God that his gift isn't enough. You are saying that you can add more to Christ. This is reckless and foolish. The person who has this thought process, that following the law to any extent to gain salvation, has fallen away from the grace that God has so freely given as a gift! The freedom that Christ has won for this person has been thrown away. Christ's freedom is pure and complete. It is a gift for you through faith, not works. Our hope And this gift of freedom from the law is our hope. And just as we have been set free from the law by Christ, so too Christ gives us a hope that moves us to not just sit and wait for him, but to live out our hope to show other's the freedom we have been given! Hope is God's for sure future for us. That future was won for us by Jesus by his perfect life and innocent death. And it is by faith alone that this hope is certain. Paul says, For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. Paul reminds us that it is not our own doing; it is God's work to make us righteous. Paul does not say For through our works we eagerly await...He doesn't say For through our good intentions we eagerly await...He says, through the Spirit. Our hope is not rooted in something that we do. It isn't rooted in how much money we give to church. It isn't rooted in what kind of liturgy we follow or what hymns we sing. It isn't rooted in the ability to recall every word of a sermon three days later. Our hope is rooted in the Spirit whom God has given us. Our hope is rooted in the faith that God has worked in us. Our hope is rooted in the righteousness that Christ won for us. Our hope is not yet fulfilled. That comes on the day when Christ calls us home. So until then, Paul tells us not to sit idly and wait for that day, but to express our faith through love. It doesn't matter if you want to be circumcised or not. It doesn't matter if you want to receive the common cup or individual. It doesn't matter if we sit, stand, or kneel for prayer. It doesn't matter if we read the King James, the NIV, the EHV. For in Christ Jesus the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. This freedom that Christ has won for you and me means that everything done in love for God and our neighbor is an expression of faith. It means that our hope is not based on the way we express our love. It is based on faith in Christ Jesus. And that faith cannot help but express itself in love. Out of love for our neighbor we show them kindness. Out of love for our neighbor we forgive. Out of love for our neighbor we help them build up a good name, we protect their property, help them keep what is theirs. Out of love for our neighbor, we cannot help but express our faith. Through actions and also through words, we show and tell others that we belong to the one who has given us real freedom. We invite others to come with us and find out more about this freedom that has given us hop - a for sure future with God. Freedom. It's what so many who come to America search for. Freedom to work, to live as they please, to worship which god they want. Freedom is a big part of what makes America, America. Land of the free, home of the brave. Freedom. It's what so many people are searching for. And it's what Christ has given. He freely gives it to us as a gift. And this freedom is our hope. No longer weighed down by the law, we are free to serve out of love. This is what makes us Lutheran. Not weighed down by anything, but knowing that by grace alone, through faith alone, revealed in Scripture alone that Christ Jesus alone has set us free. Stand firm, then, and be free. Amen. 1 Smalcald Articles: Article I. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ Pastor Rathje0Freedom: God's Gift, Our Hope0Reformation Shepherd Lutheran Church Galatians 5:1-6 November 8, 2020