Set Free in Christ
Stand Firm in Freedom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Towards the beginning of Jesus public ministry there is an incredible scene that unfolds in a synagogue in the city of Nazareth. Here’s what happened:
Luke 4:16–21 (ESV)
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
In that synagogue in Nazareth Jesus quotes Isaiah 61 and launches his public ministry. At first the people respond well to Him, but a few short minutes later they will turn on Him, trying to kill him.
Their reasons for rejecting Him are many, and not the focus of our message this morning. But, what we need to take note of is that Jesus came to liberate those who were captive. Not to Rome, but to sin and eternal death.
Last week we saw the purpose of the law in the life of the believer, specifically that it reveals guilt and points us to our need for Christ.
In this morning’s passage we will see how Paul is continuing this argument against the Judaizers and challenging the Galatians not to return to the captivity of the law but, instead, to find their freedom in Christ Jesus.
Body: Galatians 3:23-29
Body: Galatians 3:23-29
Verses 23-24
Building off the idea we looked at last week, that the law revealed sin, now Paul takes it a step further using two visual images that would have been familiar to his audience:
Imprisoned by the law…(i.e. a jailer)
For the Judaizers, the law was a fence or a protective wall designed to cordon off the people of Israel from the corruptions of the surrounding nations.
Paul wants the Galatians to understand that this fence or wall was not a protection, but it imprisoned them in performative religion instead of faith-based religion.
The law as a nanny/disciplinarian...
There are various different words are used to interpret the word Greek word παιδαγωγός:
Guardian; tutor; schoolmaster; custodian; moral caretaker.
But none really do a great job at capturing the sense of the word for a modern reader.
In the ancient world, a nanny would often serve as a guide and disciplinarian of children and adolescents.
Timothy George points out: “...in Galatians 3 the law is a stern disciplinarian, a harsh taskmaster. Yet in its very harshness there is a note of grace, for the function of discipline, as opposed to mere torture, is always remedial. ‘With its whippings,’ Luther said, ‘the law draws us to Christ.’”
Thus, the law served to discipline people until the time when the promised Messiah would come and fulfill His ministry.
Until the coming of faith (i.e. the coming of Christ)
With the coming of Christ, and the completion of His ministry to justify the guilty before God through His sacrificial atoning work on the cross, now those who have faith are no longer imprisoned and no longer under the nanny/disciplinarian of the law. Things are different. Let’s see how.
Verses 25-26
With the coming of Christ, the nanny/disciplinarian was no longer needed. Instead of the nanny/disciplinarian, we are now the adopted sons and daughters of God through faith.
Being under a nanny or guardian may have benefits, but nothing in comparison of being sons and daughters of God.
When I was young both of my parents worked, so I would often have to go to a babysitter, a lady named Patty...
Though a babysitter may care for, protect, guide, and discipline a child, nothing compares to mom and dad!
And, God is a perfect Father, not a flawed parent like all other parents!
Verses 27-28
Why the mention of baptism?
Just as it should be today, baptism was a public proclamation and the public commitment to a new way of life.
This isn’t saying we are saved by baptism or that we don’t put on Christ until we are baptized. To be baptized isn’t for just anyone. It should only be for those who have genuinely made a commitment to Christ. Or, as Paul says here, those who have “put on Christ.”
Put on Christ = incorporated into Christ
The idea here is to be included into the group or team.
Beth joining our FCA team mid-season...
Incorporated and made a full member of the team, with any benefits that all others enjoyed.
Just as Beth was incorporated into our basketball team, when we put our faith in Jesus, we are incorporated into a relationship with Christ, which carries all the benefits of that relationship.
We are incorporated into God’s people, not by performing the works of the law, but because we have “put on Christ.”
Notice what Paul says in verse 28...
The distinctions that used to separate us no longer separate us if we are in Christ.
Verse 29
Additionally, we are all heirs of the promises given to Abraham because of our incorporation into Christ.
So What?
So What?
What are the benefits of being justified by faith over being justified by law keeping?
What are the benefits of being justified by faith over being justified by law keeping?
How should that effect our daily walk?
How should that effect our daily walk?
Benefit: We are liberated from the captivity and harsh judgment that comes with trying to be justified by works.
Benefit: We are liberated from the captivity and harsh judgment that comes with trying to be justified by works.
Effect: We now live in freedom that was won by Christ Jesus. So we need to resist the false theology of a works based salvation that is easily fallen back into.
This means that we don’t need to live in a constant state of fear that we are going to rejected by God because we are sinners. We’ve been saved by grace through faith.
Are we guilty? Yes, of course we are. Does our freedom give us license to sin? No, of course not!
But, we need to live in freedom. Not in guilt, in fear, and in defeat.
The liberator has come and set the captives free!
Benefit: We are now sons and daughters of God through faith.
Benefit: We are now sons and daughters of God through faith.
If Jesus only set us free from sin it would have been enough. But we are truly a blessed people. We have been adopted by the Good, Good Father.
Effect: Like children who mimic and emulate their parents, we should strive everyday to follow the Heavenly Father.
How do we do that? By following the example of Jesus. Jesus is the perfect example of what the Father would do.
Thus, we need to spend time with Jesus in His Word, daily. Applying His example to our own lives.
Benefit: We are now incorporated into Christ.
Benefit: We are now incorporated into Christ.
You have been brought into an intimate relationship with Christ and Christ’s family, the church.
Effect: We should never take that relationship for granted.
I don’t love the over-use of the term “relationship with Jesus” today because for too many people today relationships are disposable.
They are wonderful when serving a specific purpose in our lives, but they are often neglected, forgotten, or jettisoned once our attention is diverted or they are no longer fulfilling the purpose we feel they should.
In short, we too easily take them for granted.
Obviously, we should do better.
Side challenge: what relationships are you currently neglecting? What can you do to make adjustments?
Neglecting out relationship with Christ can shipwreck our faith. It’s that serious. It can render our relationship with Him weak, unfruitful, and nothing more than religious play-acting. Worse, it could be a sign that our relationship was never genuine in the first place.
Benefit: We are unified with other believers in Christ.
Benefit: We are unified with other believers in Christ.
Effect: What comes between you and other believers?
Prejudices?
Past hurts?
Fear?
Hang-ups?
Look again at verse 28...
Benefit: We are heirs to the promises of God.
Benefit: We are heirs to the promises of God.
Effect: There are many promises we have as God’s people. Many I’ve already talked about this morning. But, I want to leave you with the most incredible one of all, the one we should long for the strongest:
Revelation 21:1–4 (ESV)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”