"Called to Freedom"
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Ours is a day that cries for freedom! Men, women, and even children are demanding more freedom to do as they please!
In the name of personal rights, people want to do WHATEVER THEY WANT!
Like the Israelites in the days of the Judges (17:6), sinful people want to do "what is right in their own eyes!"
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.
The very behavior our culture desires to be ‘free’ to engage in, leads to BONDAGE!
Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
When a person chooses to persistently engage in sin (there’s no ‘victim’ status here), their behavior may lead to addiction—which is another way of saying bondage to sin!
A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever.
So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.
That is the great message of Christianity and the theme of Paul’s letter to the Galatians: Freedom in Jesus Christ!!
By the way, this is not some side benefit to the Christian life...God has called ALL believers to freedom!
For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.
· "What sort of freedom is this?"
· "Does it include freedom from every kind of restraint and restriction?"
· "Because I'm no longer under law can I live lawlessly?"
NO! The believer lives in the constant tension of (Romans 5:18-6:2)
"What sort of freedom is this then?"
It is freedom from CONSCIENCE! No one is truly free until Jesus Christ has rid him of the burden of guilt!
It is freedom from having to EARN the favor of God – (Romans 8:1-4) It is freedom to fulfill the CALLING of God! – (Galatians 1:6; 5:8, 13)
ANSWER: (Galatians 5:13-16)– READ, PRAY
For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.
For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.
But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.
Paul gives five purposes of God’s Call to Freedom:
I. It is Freedom to OPPOSE SIN – (5:13b)
I. It is Freedom to OPPOSE SIN – (5:13b)
"…opportunity" – (ἀφορμὴν, aphormen) was used to indicate a central base from which all operations of a military campaign originated.
"…flesh" (σάρξ)– does not refer to the physical body but to the sinful inclination of fallen mankind!
Paul's declaration is that Christian freedom is NOT a base of operations from which our sinful nature is given opportunity to carry on its campaign of sin freely and with out consequence!
Christ does not give freedom to believers so they can do what they want but so they can, for the first time, do what God wants, because of love for Him!
Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God’s slaves.
For some people, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.
Jesus Christ gives us freedom FROM sin, not too sin!
II. It is Freedom to SERVE OTHERS – (5:13c)
II. It is Freedom to SERVE OTHERS – (5:13c)
Then a dispute also arose among them about who should be considered the greatest.
But he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who have authority over them have themselves called ‘Benefactors.’
It is not to be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever is greatest among you should become like the youngest, and whoever leads, like the one serving.
For who is greater, the one at the table or the one serving? Isn’t it the one at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,
who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.
Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man,
When Christ lives in believers, He endows them with the same nature of SERVANT-HOOD that He exemplified!
He was the SON of God and the SON of Man, yet He lived as the SERVANT of God and the SERVANT OF MAN!
III. It is Freedom to Fulfill God’s MORAL LAW – (5:14)
III. It is Freedom to Fulfill God’s MORAL LAW – (5:14)
“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and most important command.
The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
God has always called His people to serve Him because of love!
Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.
IV. It is Freedom to Avoid HARMING OTHERS – (5:15)
IV. It is Freedom to Avoid HARMING OTHERS – (5:15)
"But if you bite and devour…" - speaks of wild animals engaged in a deadly struggle!
(Romans 14:1-13) - The ruling principle of Christian freedom is always to be love!
V. It is Freedom to WALKin the Spirit – (5:16)
V. It is Freedom to WALKin the Spirit – (5:16)
(Romans 8:5-17)
Conclusion – (5:13)
Conclusion – (5:13)
The reason this message is titled, “Called to Freedom” is that there is a CHOICE involved! God does not veto, or over-ride your will.
The question is, “Will you respond to the call of freedom?”