Central #5
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Central
Central
Welcome back!
If you’re here for the first time, we are in a series called Central, where we are going through the book of Galatians.
Today, we are going to be in chapter 5 of Galatians, but before we jump in, let's do a quick review.
For those who were here last week, what was one of the points we learned in Galatians 4?
Today, we are going to talk on the topic of freedom from Galatians chapter 5.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
What is the yoke of slavery that the Galatian church kept going back to all the time?
Right, it was following the law to become righteous.
What do we see through this book about that?
If we try to follow the law to prove that we are righteous, then our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags.
Paul said, “It’s for freedom that Christ set us free.”
The reason why Christ came to earth was to set man free.
He was born in a manger, and lived among people with a mission: to set you and me free.
What do you think of when you hear the word "slavery"?
Some of us have a picture in our minds of what slavery is like, based on the things we learn in history class. Things like the African slaves or Indian slaves or Irish slaves.
There are different forms of slaves, and in the Old and New Testament, slaves were typically much different from the picture of slavery that we have in this day and age.
Regardless, when someone is a slave, he or she would love to be set free.
The problem is, they can’t free themselves.
As we continue to read on, were going to skip down to verse 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. 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.
Paul says, "You want to fulfill the law?
Well then, use your freedom to serve one another."
It would be ridiculous to be a slave who was set free and then decide to return to prison.
Imagine if someone spent 30 years in prison and they decided, “It was fun to be free for the day … but I’m tired, so I’m would be to go back to prison now please.”
Paul goes on to say, "But through love serve one another."
If we want to really fulfill the law, we need to serve one another in love.
Let's take a quick look at the 10 commandments found in Exodus 20:
• You shall have no other gods before God.
• You shall not make idols.
• You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
• Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
• Honor your father and your mother.
• You shall not murder.
• You shall not commit adultery.
• You shall not steal.
• You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
• You shall not covet.
Let me describe something to you known as batching.
Batching is when you arrange things in sets or groups. Well, following the law can be batched by doing one simple thing: love.
Look at the Exodus 20 and look at the list of the 10 commandments.
The first four commandments are batched together in loving God, and the last six commandments are batched together in loving one another.
Anyone notice that loving and honoring your parents is right there in the middle?
If you are busy walking in the love of God, you will automatically batch-fulfill the law of God.
Love God, love people.
Paul goes on to say:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
What are you supposed to do when you are free?
You walk in freedom.
Paul tells us how to walk in freedom; he says we are led by the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is literally leading your every step in your day-to-day life
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Because of the gospel, Christians are free from the works of the flesh.
We are free from the slavery to the things Paul named.
Jesus died so we don’t have to be slaves of our sexual urges, He died to set us free from idolatry and evil practice.
A new life in Christ literally changes our attitude and character.
The Holy Spirit leads you to live in what's known as the fruit of the Spirit.
You will only experience the fruit of the Spirit if you are free from sin and walking in step with the Spirit.
Two quick points to summarize this chapter:
What is God telling us?
1. Gospel-centered Christians serve one another in love.
2. Gospel-centered Christians keep in step with the Spirit.
Born-again believers are meant to have a real relationship with the Lord and have a growing desire to know more of who Jesus is and what He requires of us.
Gospel-centered Christians know what they want because they have knowledge of the Bible.
They serve one another in love because we are family, and they keep in step with the Spirit every day through his Word and his direction.
Today you are challenged to respond to the gospel and have your life changed, to be free from the bondage of sin and walk in the freedom Jesus bought for you.
If you are here today and have not repented of sin and started the changed life that only Jesus can provide, we would love to pray with and for you today.
If you are here and you are a follower of Jesus, you are also challenged to look at your life and see how it measures up to this chapter.
Are you serving and loving one another in love?
Are you keeping in step with the Spirit every day?
Or are you operating in the works of the flesh?
Let us be a youth group and a church filled with Gospel-Centred Christians.
Let's close in prayer and ask God to reveal his truth in our hearts regarding the gospel message and ask him for help to live gospel centred lives.
Then we will break into small groups to have a time of further discussion.
