Free!

Galatians "The Heart of the Gospel" Series

A Sermon By Jim Hammond from Galatians 5:1-15

 

Gettysburg Video Clip

The movie Gettysburg, based on The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, brings to life the three bloodiest days of American history. The first scenes take place a couple days before the epic battle at Gettysburg. Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain (played by Jeff Daniels) of the 20th Maine Regiment learns that his regiment is going to receive 120 Union soldiers who mutinied. Chamberlain is given permission to shoot any of these mutineers who don't cooperate.

Chamberlain tells the men that he's been told about their problem. He admits, "There's nothing I can do today. We're moving out in a few minutes. We'll be moving all day. I've been ordered to take you men with me. I'm told that if you don't come, I can shoot you. Well, you know I won't do that. Maybe somebody else will, but I won't. So, that's that.

"Here's the situation," he continues. "The whole Reb army is up that road a ways, waiting for us. This is no time for an argument. I tell you, we could surely use you fellows. We're now well below half strength. Whether you fight or not, that's up to you. Whether you come along is…" He pauses and then continues, "Well, you're coming. You know who we are. But if you fight alongside of us, there's a few things you must know."

Matter-of-factly, he states, "This regiment was formed last summer in Maine. There were 1,000 of us then. There are less than 300 of us now. All of us volunteered to fight for the Union, just as you did. Some came mainly because we were bored at home…thought this looked like it might be fun. Some came because we were ashamed not to. Many of us came because it was the right thing to do. And all of us have seen men die.

"This is a different kind of army. If you look back through history, you'll see men fighting for pay, for women, for some other kind of loot. They fight for land, power, because a king leads them, or just because they like killing. But we are here for something new. This has not happened much in the history of the world. We are an army out to set other men free."

The church is likewise a different kind of army. We are an army out to set other men free.

 

THE BIG, BLACK DOOR

   An Arab chief tells a story of a spy who was captured and then sentenced to death by a general in the Persian army. This general had the strange custom of giving condemned criminals a choice between the firing squad and the big, black door. As the moment for execution drew near, the spy was brought to the Persian general, who asked the question, "What will it be: the firing squad or the big, black door?"

   The spy hesitated for a long time. It was a difficult decision. He chose the firing squad.

   Moments later shots rang out confirming his execution. The general turned to his aide and said, "They always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. Yet, we gave him a choice."

   The aide said, "What lies beyond the big door?"

   "Freedom," replied the general. "I've known only a few brave enough to take it." [1]

 

I still run into people who see Christianity the way the prisoner saw the Big Black door, they see it as more frightening than the alternative.  For some reason they think Christianity is an undesirable slavery, the removal of freedom.  They believe that if they were to fully surrender to Christ then that would mean they could no longer live the way they want.  And, they are right.  But what they are wrong about is their assumption that this would be a bad thing.  They have no idea how freeing it is, and how joyful is the freedom found in Christ.  I wish I could describe what’s beyond that unknown door to them.  Let me try, as we focus on a few verses from Galatians 5 this morning. 

 

Focus:  A relationship with God provides true freedom.

Freedom (5:1)

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

 

What is Freedom?

The world’s definition does not match the Biblical definition.

Many believe “Being Free” means we can do whatever we want whenever we want!  Is that freedom?  Freedom is not being released to do whatever we want.

Many believe “Being Free” means free to discover who you are, and in your self authentication you freely express yourself. 

Here’s the problem with this view of freedom.  This kind of freedom is egocentric.  It’s all about me.  Doesn’t the expression, “I want to be free to do what I want when I want it”, smell of profound sinfulness?  God thinks so.  He created us to want to do what he wants, to want to do what is good and right.  But because of sin, these desires have been corrupted.  Now we want to be God rather than creatures.  We want to be our own gods, doing whatever we want whenever we want it.  This egocentric pride is the root of sin.  Wanting to be God.  Glory to self.  Down with any limitations to freedom, up with self-sufficiency and power. This is the sin of Satan.  Pride. 

Ravi Zacharias, said,   I particularly like to warn my American audiences about this. Freedom is not the same thing as autonomy. Freedom does not mean I am a law unto myself. Prince Philip, the duke of Edinburgh, speaking to a hostile university audience that jeered him, stopped in the middle, and in nonregal language he said, "Shut up! Freedom can be destroyed as easily by making a mockery of it as it can by its retraction." That's precisely what man has done.

   In an attempt to be reasonable, man has become irrational. In an attempt to deify himself, he has defaced himself. In an attempt to be free, he has made himself a slave. And like Alexander the Great, he has conquered the world around him but has not yet conquered himself. [2]

 

Biblical Freedom is Freedom From the power of Sin, and Death.  It’s a freedom from sinful self, which according to the Bible forms a bondage!  One is not free to do whatever one wants, but one is truly free when he or she is able to do what is right.  There is a self actualization, but it is a freedom to be all that we are created to be.

If you properly understand what Freedom is From, and what Freedom is For, then you get at Biblical Freedom.

FREEDOM FROM

From Sin,

Nobody becomes biblically free until they realize they need to become free from their bondage to sin.

From Law Dependence for Righteousness.

 

FREEDOM FOR

FOR OBEDIENCE

FOR LOVE

 

BUT there is Freedom.  Freedom is risky stuff!  God created us with Freedom.  Can you imagine what a huge risk that was for God.  God chose not to control everything choice, because he values freedom!  He would rather have us choose to love him freely.  Loving him freely, by choice is authentic freedom!

Inauthentic Freedom is bondage.  Sin.

A brief history of Freedom.

Adam and Eve were truly Free.  They freely loved God, and authentically, until they exercised their freedom and then fell into bondage.  History is now, His Story about restoring authentic freedom.  Redemptive history has a series of interventions of God to restore authentic freedom for us.

Consider the time of Noah, Genesis 6:5 (NIV) 

The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

 

I’ve never thought about this in light of “freedom” before.  Could it be that man’s desire to be “free” to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted put him in this state of bondage so that he could no longer even choose to do one good thing even if he wanted to?  WOW!  God’s judgment then was a merciful act to reestablish the possibility of freely choosing to love him!

The Israelites were redeemed from Egyptian Bondage!  We have been redeemed from Sinful Bondage!

The whole creation groans waiting for the ultimate release from the bondage to sin, death, and decay.  Authentic life, life as it was meant to be, and designed to be, was designed for Freedom!  And it’s freedom for something.  Skip down to Galatians 5:13.

Galatians 5:13 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.

Freedom is freedom for something.  Not just freedom from something.  In other words, with freedom comes…

Responsibility (5:13)

Freedom must rightly be used. 

Freedom is not meant to indulge the flesh.  This moves back in the direction of bondage.  Neither is Freedom to be used to live “independently” from our creator.  This isn’t freedom but rebellion.  Freedom comes with responsibility.  One is truly free when one lives the way we are designed to live. 

When is a train most free? When it runs on the tracks for which it was designed.

When is a fish most free?  When it swims in the environment for which it was created.

 

Cutting Remarks

I want you to notice what one theologian calls “Paul’s cutting remarks”, in this section. The first of these cutting remarks is found in Galatians 5:2

Galatians 5:2-3 (NIV)  Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, [now there’s a cutting remark!] …

1.      “Cutting Around”  (peritemno)  Paul says, don’t depend on “Cutting Around” (the literal meaning of the Greek word for circumcision).  If you do this you are turning away from grace.

The next cutting remark in this section is found in 5:7.

Galatians 5:7 (NIV)  You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?

2.      “Cutting In”  (anakopto)  He then says, who has been “cutting in on you” when he speaks of Christianity as a race.

The next cutting remark in this section is found in 5:12.  And there is some wit and sarcasm in these strong words.

Galatians 5:12 (NIV)  As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and (apokopto--“cut it off”)    emasculate themselves!

3.      “Cutting It Off”  (apokopto)  Then he makes the sarcastic remark why not go all the way “cutting it off” 5:12. making yourselves a eunuch. 

 

So Paul makes a number of “cutting remarks”.  The point he is making is that the path to freedom is not by self reliance, or law reliance, or reliance on religion or ritual.  The point he is making is that we need to rely completely on Christ’s accomplished work of the cross.  Any other way through independence or self effort “cuts you off from grace” 

Galatians 5:4     You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 

Eager Dependence (5:5)

Galatians 5:5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

Any obedience rendered needs to be rendered through dependence on Christ’s Spirit, not through meritorious adherence, or dependence on the Law.

SET FREE FROM THE WEAKER LESSER WAY TO THE BETTER WAY OF EAGER DEPENDENCE

Paul’s point, Christ Set Us Free from the lesser way through fruitless effort, and provided a better way through dependence on His Spirit, and His Merit, and the Law of Christ—which is the law of Love.  Love God and love your neighbor, and just in case you forgot what that means, Jesus said to “love one another the way he himself has loved you”.

THE EASY WAY OR THE HARD WAY

John Piper tells the following story of about his 7 year old when he told him to clean up his blocks. 

I have a playtime with my sons after supper each evening until about 7:00 P.M. It is not easy to please a 10, 7 and 3-year old with one game. Recently we've hit on a new idea: Karsten reads The Tower of Gebura to all of us while I build towers out of blocks with Abraham on the floor. When 7 P.M. comes I usually say, "O.K., Abraham, pick up the blocks and put them in the cart." And he usually says, "Will you help me please, Daddy?" Now I have two possibilities. I can say, "No, you pick them up, and get it done in two minutes or there will be trouble!" He may pout and fuss but generally the job gets done. Or I can say, "Sure I will. Let's see how fast we can do it together." So he hurries and works much faster and more efficiently with my help and we even have fun doing what needs to be done.

Abraham's experience is very different in those two cases. In the first case, he is not free. He goes about his work as though a yoke of slavery were on his back and a big heavy frog were on his bottom lip. He is not acting in freedom because the task is an oppressive weight that irritates and discourages. But in the second case he is free. He does better work with no irritation. He has the freedom of joy and feels no oppressive burden on his back. He still knows that Daddy punishes for disobedience but that is no heavy yoke because he is quite happy to pick up the blocks. What's the difference? Daddy was on the floor helping -- even making it enjoyable. The same work to do: but in one case under the yoke of slavery, in the other case in freedom.[3]

It isn’t discipline that Paul is opposed to here.

   Freedom and discipline have come to be regarded as mutually exclusive, when in fact freedom is not at all the opposite, but the final reward, of discipline. It is to be bought with a high price, not merely claimed. ... The [professional] skater and [race] horse are free to perform as they do only because they have been subjected to countless hours of grueling work, rigidly prescribed, faithfully carried out. Men are free to soar into space because they have willingly confined themselves in a tiny capsule designed and produced by highly trained scientists and craftsmen, have meticulously followed instructions and submitted themselves to rules which others defined. [4]

 

What Paul is opposed to is dependence on the wrong thing for righteousness.  Depending on self effort, or Law, or obedience to the Law, is all wrong!  We need God’s empowerment.  Eager Dependence is the pathway.  Don’t lean on the way of religion, or ritual, but personally depend on Jesus Christ in an ongoing, daily relationship with him.

EASIER WAY BUT NOT AN EASY LESSON TO MASTER

This is a message I need to hear.  This week this message was confronting my own stress.  Why was I stressed?  1) There was so much to do and no time left to do it (all of you know what that’s like).  2)  There is so much going on, and so many unknowns, that create stress. 

I recognized in myself, all the wrong tendencies.  My stress is related to the fear of failure.  That’s not from faith.  I know what it takes, humanly speaking, how many hours of work, etc. to do what needs to be done.  When I run out of those hours, I get stressed.  Where’s my faith in this?  God was taking me through the learning process that all that “gotta-do-stuff”, even stuff nobody else can do, still has to go through the faith process not the works process.  It needs to go through the “eager dependence”.  The “independent-do-it-on-my-own-stuff” is all going the way of pride rather than the way of eager dependence.  The fear of failure comes from the way of  pride.  If I put all the “gotta-do-stuff” through the way of eager dependence, I would be able to smile, my faith would be bigger, even as I face the unknowns before me.  I’d smile and say, isn’t it exciting, I wonder what God is going to do.  There is no fear with this kind of faith.  We need to take everything through the filter of eager dependence.  God wants to be included.

EASY YOKE

Jesus said, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:29-30 NIV)  Why is his yoke easy?  A yoke goes over the shoulders of a team of oxen.  His yoke is easy because he carries the weight.  When I don’t team up with him in dependence that’s when the yoke gets heavy and burdensome. 

I confess, I catch myself going it alone, and feeling stressed out, and the yoke gets hard, and the burden heavy.  You would think I know better, but I still get stressed and forget to take my “got to do this and that” through the process of “eager dependence”. 

Dependence is a choice.  Am I going to pick up the blocks by myself and be burdened and frustrated, or am I going to choose to team up with my loving heavenly Father?

 

Expressing itself through Love (5:6, 13-14)

Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Galatians 5:13-14 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. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Do you want to be free?  Surrender.  Go the way of Eager Dependence.  Then you will know you are really living in freedom.  How will you know?  This eager dependence will find ways of expressing itself through love.  We think of freedom as total independence.  But that ends up as a form of bondage to selfishness.  God has designed us in such a way that we are not totally free until we are eagerly dependent, and that eager dependence expresses itself in love.  When you are adept at expressing your freedom through love for God and others more than pleasing yourself,  And you enjoy it, then you will know what authentic freedom is all about!

 

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.