Galatians 5 – Enjoying our Freedom in Christ

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My goal today as we go through Galatians 5 is to re-instate, re-emphasize & remind you the truth of the gospel message pointing our hearts to Christ and the Freedom he achieved for us through his death burial and resurrection.

Read Galations 5

The Epistle of Galations is a letter written by Paul to the church in Galatia to address a very crucial concern and we see his concern for the church of Galatia in Galatians 1:6

1:6 – “I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ”

As you all know that Jesus was born in Jerusalem, in a Jewish culture. Jews are known to be the descendants of Abraham & David, people rescued from slavery in Egypt. They were the keepers of the law that was passed on by Moses on the mount of Sinai.

As decades passed this same people who knew God became a mere Law abiding citizens but their hearts were far away from God. Everything they did and performed were just external rituals mixed with traditions and influenced by the culture around them.

It is in this context that Jesus was born – The true messiah in whom all the requirement of the Law was fulfilled.

In Matthew 5:17 Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.”

Jesus was the answer to the Law and the fulfillment of God’s promise made through his prophets and it is now by faith in Christ that we are saved and not by keeping the requirement of the law

(Ephesians 2:4-10) “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

This message of the cross is not just for the Jews but also for the gentiles (people outside Israel)… for people like us.

We see at the end of his life Jesus sent out his disciples to make disciples of all nations. Th apostle Paul was chosen to preach to the gentiles this simple gospel of Christ because of which the church of Galatians – a gentile church – who believed in this simple gospel and were living in freedom.

In this letter to Galatia Paul was upset because some Jews (the trouble makers) were infiltrating the gospel and leading people’s heart away from Christ.

1:6 – “I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ”

2:4 – “This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us”

These Jews started teaching them that it was not enough to just put our faith in Jesus but we also need to be circumcised (it was a practice of the law) to be accepted and loved by God.

Paul was angry because this teaching was diminishing the truth of the gospel and leading people astray.

The issue was not about circumcision . – 1 Cor 7:17-24

“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.”

Paul also complaints in 4:10-11 that the people were now observing special days, months and seasons.

4:10-11 – “You are observing special days, months, seasons, and years. I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted”

We see this kind of infiltration even in our present culture where the church is led astray by making them believe in a different gospel rather than the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Galations 5 Paul is re-instated, re-emphasizing and remind the people the truth of the gospel message pointing their hearts to Christ and the Freedom he achieved for them through his death burial and resurrection – Not by keeping the law but by simply putting their faith in Christ Jesus

Here are 5 Things Paul reminds them about the Freedom in Christ

1. EMBRACE YOUR FREEDOM (5:1)

“For freedom Christ has set us free”

• It is one thing to say we are free and another thing to truly believe and live it out
• We have to enjoy the fact that we are free … free in Christ .. and cherish it to the fullest
• Freedom is the goal of the gospel

o Roman 5:12,17 We are free from the curse of the Law, we are free from the curse of Adam
o Eph 2:5,6 free from spiritual death
o Free from the fear of death – Heb 2:14,15
o Free from condemnation Romans 8:1
o Free from the power of sin Romans 6:17,18
o Free from the authority of satan Colossains 1:13
o Free to inherit all that Christ has purchased for us Gal 4:5,7

• Breathe the fresh air of freedom
• It is sad to see Christians who continue to live in slavery
• Have not understood the meaning of freedom
• Freedom – Not dependent on our circumstances and situations – Depends on the truth
• We will have problems as long as we are on this earth
• The true meaning of “Freedom” is not what the world defines but it’s what Christ offers. Freedom from sin and slavery.
• We may perish on this earth – but we will flourish in heaven
• Embrace your freedom daily by reminding the gospel
• Share my heart

2. PROTECT YOUR FREEDOM (5:1)

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery”

• Paul demonstrated it in 2:4-5 saying “This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us. But we did not give up and submit to these people for even a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you”

Wherein we also see another example in 2:11-12 where Cephas failed to protect his freedom

2:11-12 – “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. For he regularly ate with the gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party”

• Fear of man
• We don’t realize the harm it brings

Effect of Cephas hypocricy

2:13 – “Then rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy”

• If the freedom is lost the gospel is lost
• How do we protect our freedom?

o Don’t give in to the fear of man – Continue to do what is right
o Speak up against false teaching and defend your faith just as Paul did

3. EXPRESS YOUR FREEDOM (5:5-6)

“For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”

• Express your freedom by waiting on the Lord for the hope of righteousness
o Which means not trying to be righteous on our own strength but by waiting and hoping in the Lord to gradually change our hearts.
• Express your freedom by putting your faith to work through love
o Which means to put your “Faith in Christ” at work through Love not your faith in your own abilities and wisdom.
• Our expression of our freedom is what talks volumes to an unbelieving heart
• When an unbeliever looks at our lives he/she notices that we have the same fleshly struggles they have but we are not enslaved by it – they see that our hope is in the Lord to rescue us and save from our treachery.
• And as time goes by they see the difference in our lives

4. EMPLOY YOUR FREEDOM (5:13-14) or USE YOUR FREEDOM

“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.”

• Our freedom is not something to keep to ourselves rather it is given as an opportunity to love and serve one another
• Our freedom in Christ should propel us to reach out to others .. the unloved ones in our family … in our neighbourhood … on the streets … in our offices … in our colleges.
• Sharing the good news of this gospel of Freedom to one and all.

5. IMPROVE YOUR FREEDOM (5:16-26)

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. 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.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

• In this fight for Freedom we must choose sides in this war
o We are either led by the Spirit or led by the flesh
• It is living by the Spirit that keeps us in step with the Spirit
• We know whether we are in step with the Spirit by consistently evaluating the outcome of our lives.
• Verses 19-23 serves as a diagnostic tool to help understand whether are living by the Spirit or by the Flesh.
o The work of the flesh will lead us into sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these
o But the work of the Spirit will lead us into love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control.
• Let’s be careful not to choose a fleshly desire listed above and say it is from the Lord. For that will be wrong to say. God does not tempt us, God did not make us this way.

Quote by an unbeliever that gives us a wise understanding of our depravity and how to guard against it
I’ve been with my wife for almost 15 years. In those years I’ve been with anyone then the mother of my son, but that’s not because I’m a good person. Infact, I am wholly in possession of an unimaginably filthy mind. When it come to giving in to my filthy mind I’m not the one who believes in getting in the moment and then exercising will power. I believe in avoiding the moment. I belive in absolutely been clear with myself on why I’m having a second drink and why I’m not. Why I’m going to a party and why I’m not. I believe the battle is lost at the happy hour and not at the hotel. I am not a good man but I’m prepared to be an honorable one. This is not just true of infidelity, its true of virtually I’ve ever done in my life. I did not lose 70 pounds through strength of character, goodness of will power, my character and will anchors towards cheese cake, fried chicken and beer and in no particular order. I lost that fight by not fighting that battles on desires terms but fighting before desire can take effect. There are compacts I have made with myself and with my family just like other compacts we make with our country and society. I tend to think that those compacts work best when we don’t fool ourselves and are fully aware of our enemy in us.

• We cannot feed our flesh and at the same time please God. We must crucify along with its passions and desires
• The only way to fight this war is at the level of desire not external behaviour
• The good life God wants for us comes through the Spirit
• It is this life that protects the church from pride and division

Let’s ask ourselves – who’s side are we fighting against in this war. Are you siding with the Spirit of God through faith, using your freedom for the blessing of others, embracing it as precious.
And remember whenever you start living this life if freedom, people will come with wrong teaching infiltration your minds, adding stuffs that was never part of Gods plan for us.

2:4 – “This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us”

• We must resist it
• Do not be deceived but continue to live your Freedom in Christ

For Christ died for our sins, giving us liberty from sin and slavery even when we were deep down in our sins, defeated sin and sin and rose again on the third and is now sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.