This is a Galatians for Beginners. This is lesson number nine, the
last one in this series. The title of this lesson is, A Call to Live in Freedom, and
we're going to begin at Galatians chapter 5, verse 1. As a review,
we have said that this epistle was originally written as an effort to turn
a church away from its fall into legalism. That was the problem. Let's take
a look at legalism, a bit of a definition in Romans chapter 9, verse 30, Paul
explains the basic error of legalism. Let's read that, chapter 9 in Romans he
says, "What shall we say then? The Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness,
attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but
Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because
they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled
over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, "Behold I lay in Zion a stone of
stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be
disappointed." He's saying Gentiles, even religious ones, did not pursue holiness
and purity as the Jews did, and yet, they captured the blessings and the Jews
didn't capture the blessings. Why is that, Paul asks rhetorically at the
beginning of this passage. Well here's the reason, the Jews were pursuing the
law, which in itself was righteous. In other words, the law was pure and it was
good and the law was perfect. It was a righteous thing, but the law did not and
could not impart righteousness. It couldn't get - it, itself, was righteous, but
it couldn't make you righteous. That was the problem with
it. The Gentiles, however, captured the righteousness that saves, because they
pursued it from the starting point of faith, faith in Christ. So the Jews lost
the righteousness that saves, because they rejected Christ as the starting
point and they chose instead to try to capture or possess righteousness by
capturing or possessing the law instead. Doing and becoming right
by obeying the law perfectly, that was the method that they chose instead of
coming through Christ. The Gentiles were united to Christ by faith. When I say
faith, faith that includes trust and obedience, and that obedience initially
expressed in repentance and baptism. And so they were united to Christ by faith
and so gained the blessings of salvation, earned for them by Jesus. He earns all
the blessings. How? By obeying the law perfectly. He does that, He succeeds at
that. And the Gentiles accessed all of those blessings, not by living perfect
lives, but by being united to Jesus through faith. The Jews, as I mentioned,
tried to unite themselves to the law through perfect obedience. Hoping that
the qualities that the law possessed would then be theirs, and they were
mistaken. The Judaizers, those are the people in the church, at the time, who
were causing this problem, the Judaizers wanted the Galatians to attempt to gain
righteousness through union with the law and express that union through
circumcision and other things, but beginning with circumcision. So in
chapters five and six Paul makes a final plea for them, meaning the Galatians, for
the Galatians to reject this system and remain firmly united to Jesus through
the faith system. There's a
little introduction. Let's start chapter five, verses one to four, he says, "It was for
freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not
be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you
receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to
every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole
law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by
law; you have fallen from grace." Paul exhorts them to remain united to Jesus,
telling them that to unite themselves to the law, through circumcision, will
effectively sever them from Christ. In other words, you can't have it both ways.
You can't have it both ways. Christ gives the blessings of salvation freely, but
those seeking them from the law must pay the price of perfect obedience to gain
these blessings. He continues in verse 5 and 6 he says, "For
we, through the spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but
faith working through love." So those united to Christ by faith, they have a
true hope of righteousness and their works are not to obtain righteousness,
but rather their expressions of love motivated by faith. That's what he's
saying here. Yeah, we're living righteous lives, we're doing our best, but we're
doing this as a result of our love and our faith in Christ, not as
an attempt to be perfect and to earn our salvation. And therein lies the essential
difference between these two systems.
Legalism produces good works and moral lifestyles and a pious attitude, but
the motivation is pride. God will give me righteousness because of
the good I do. I earn it. I'm a good person,
therefore, I should be treated as a good person, therefore, God should accept me as
a good person. But Isaiah, the prophet, says that our righteousness,
man's righteousness, is as filthy rags in front of God. Whatever we think that we
are as good, the reason that we think that, is that we really don't see
ourselves. And Isaiah says, if you really saw yourself, you wouldn't be
boasting about how good you are or how righteous you are. So legalism, basically,
motivated by pride. Faith produces exactly the same kinds of results, except
the motivation is gratitude for mercy because of one sins. Faith motivated by
love for God, because He first loves us. So legalism fails because it can't
produce a loving heart. And a loving heart is the very image of God.
We're being transformed into the image of God. Well, the image of God is a
loving heart. That's the image of God. God is love, right. The law can't do that. Rule
keeping does not produce that in a person. The exhortation not to abandon
faith for legalism, this is what he does and he even adds a reproach on
those who would lead them in this direction; and a reminder, he wasn't the
one, this was not his idea, he didn't teach them this way. We keep going,
verse seven to ten, he says, "You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the
truth? This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven
leavens the whole lump of dough." He says, "I have confidence in you and the Lord
that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear
His judgment whoever he is." He wonders who led them astray after such
a good start. And he voices an opinion that he believes that they will -
he says, I still have confidence in you that you're not going to fall
apart, here. You're not going to buy into this thing.
I still have confidence in you. This legalism, this is not of Christ and those
who promote it work among them like leaven. Obviously a warning to those who
are teaching this to be careful. He also makes a warning to the one who is
advocating this view, that God will judge him for this. You Galatians, you be
careful. You're being influenced, here. Pay attention. And you, the person or persons
that are doing this thing, you better be careful, because God will judge you for
having taught this. Verse 11 and 12, "But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision,
why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been
abolished. I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate
themselves." Boy, talk about harsh. It seems, between the lines here, it seems the
suggestion had been made that Paul also was preaching circumcision by the Judaizers.
The Judaizers were saying, Paul, he's teaching the same
thing as us. That's the suggestion, apparently, that was being
made to the Galatians, to get them on board with this. Paul answers
this, he responds to this, he says, if I'm teaching what they say I'm
teaching, why am I still being persecuted by these people. If I'm doing what
they're doing. And then secondly he says, if he does, then what purpose is the
cross, because if by an act of human merit we can be accepted by God, what do
we need the cross for? I mean, either Jesus earns it all for us or nothing.
Again, you can't have it both ways. Then Paul suggests that if the Judaizers
really want to outdo him, which was what was going on. We're better than he is.
They wanted to show their religious zeal and they were much
more zealous than he was. So he says, if they want to show their zeal so badly he
says they should go all the way and castrate themselves. That's what I'm
saying, pretty harsh stuff here. Perhaps this would impress the Galatians
on their zeal and their sincerity. In
verse 1 of chapter 6 Paul equates union with Christ, with freedom. He's talked
about righteousness, and the holy spirit, and power, and sonship, and all these
things come to us based on our union with Jesus. He adds one more thing
here, he says, in addition to all of these things, freedom, that also is based on our
faith. And in the next couple of verses he explains that Christian freedom
doesn't mean license to be immoral. Freedom, he says, maturity, brings with it
responsibility and accountability; and he explains what freedom in Christ actually
means. So in verses 13 to 15 he writes, "For you were called to freedom," so
there's the freedom. Remember he's talked about by faith you've received the
spirit, you've received righteousness, you've received all these things,
now he says, "For you were called to freedom," that's another thing that you've
received, all right, "brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity
for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled
in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," but if
you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one
another." We're united to the One who came on earth to serve, not to be served.
We are free to serve others in the name of the Lord and reap the rewards of
satisfaction and joy and peace that comes from service. We were originally
created to serve and that is our most natural and fulfilling activity.
And because we're heading into this period, the summertime, I think
about VBS. I mean, VBS is always panic mode. We always think you have a
lot of time to get VBS organized, then all of a sudden it's upon us
and there's so much to do. And all the people that work, we've often said
that the VBS project that lasts four or five days uses up or uses
more individuals in the church than any other single program. There are literally
dozens and dozens of people that are involved and everybody's here early and
they stay late and it's nine o'clock and the kids are running around the building
and then they're coming here, you missed their naps, they go to bed too late,
they're eating sugar and drinking kool-aid and, I mean, it's -
and by the last night, which is a Wednesday night, I mean, it's a nuthouse.
There the kids are so wired and everybody's exhausted and
everything, but it's a tired, excuse me, it's a happy exhaustion. It's a happy
exhaustion. It's like, yeah, we did it. It was good. I missed
sleep, yeah, I was late for work, the kids are driving me nuts, but there's a
sense of joy and accomplishment. Why? Because everything that was done, all the
service that was rendered, it was rendered because of faith in Christ.
Why else do it. Why else do such a thing like that, such an inconvenient
thing. So there's great joy that comes from service and that's what Paul is
talking about here. Before, he says, we served sin, and we served self, and we
served the devil. Now, he says, we're free to serve God and others in the kingdom.
So all service, in and out of the kingdom, that is done in Jesus's name, is holy.
Any service offered without regard to Jesus, will simply perish with this world.
A lot of good things going on in the world. People build hospitals and do this and
that, so and so forth, with no reference to Christ, not as a basis of faith, simply
because it's a good thing to do. And it is a good thing to do, and
it does serve people, but in the long run, that thing, that good service,
that humanitarian deed, well it'll just end when the world ends.
Period. It'll perish when the world perishes. The promise of Christ
is, whatever good you do in the name of Jesus will survive this world, will be a
testimony of your faith before the throne of God. Freedom, he says, means
service. It also means fruitfulness. Well there we
go, fruitfulness. In verse 16 he says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you
will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire
against the Spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; for these are in
opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
But if you are led by the spirit, you're not under the law. Now the deeds of the
flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery,
enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which i forewarn you, just
as I have forewarned you that those who practice 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. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified
the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also
walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying
one another." Freedom means that we are now able to bear fruit that will last
forever, because we are no longer separated from God. We're no longer
cursed to be destroyed along with everything else that has been built by
us or others, whether good or bad. The key, he says here, is to walk after the
Spirit. How do we walk after the spirit? Well, you obey God's Word. Just another
way of saying, he could have said, so obey God's Word. But he says it, so walk after
the Spirit. How are those things the same? Well, who gives us the Word? The
Spirit of God. This is the Spirit of God, this is Him speaking, the Spirit of God.
If I walk after the Spirit or if I obey God's Word, it's the
same thing, all right. Just two different ways of saying the same thing. The
key is to walk after the Spirit, and in so doing, he says, we will bear the
everlasting marks of the Holy Spirit. Let's face it, if we obey the Spirit,
we're going to become like the spirit. The marks of the Spirit are evident in a
person's character, and they cannot be denied. That's why he says,
there's no law against this, there's no accusation against this, if you bear the
works of the flesh more consistently than the fruit of the Spirit, well then,
it's obvious that you don't walk after the Spirit. And you won't inherit the
kingdom. That's his point. We're free to follow the spirit as Christians, and
Christ has now given us His spirit, but we are capable of rejecting Him, if we
want to. And whether we do or not, is evident in our character. It can be seen.
The things that we say, and the things that we do - what do we tell our our kids?
Watch what people do. You want to judge something, the
fruit of it. What fruit does it produce? What fruit does that person produce? What
are the results of a certain system. That's how you judge
something. Paul is saying here, if your life produces worldly, sinful things, well
then, you're a worldly, sinful person. If your life is producing fruit more
consistently and more often than the works of the flesh - it'd be nice if
it was all black and white, but we know that it's a combination of both, right?
It's a combination of both. We're always struggling with the flesh.
Paul says, the flesh can't do what it wants because of
the spirit, and the spirit can't do what it wants all the time because of the flesh.
That's the struggle that we're in, because we're human beings. Here he's
talking about what you produce. The sum total of what you produce. If the sum
total of what you produce is greater in following the spirit, well then that
tells you the direction that you're following in your life. Freedom
permits and promotes one other thing he talks about, and that is a fellowship.
Freedom in Christ means service, fruitfulness, and the third one is
fellowship. Chapter 6, he says, "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass,
you who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of gentleness; each one
looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another's
burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is
something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his
own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone,
and not in regard to another. For each one will bear his own load. The one who
has taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do
not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also
reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh, will from the flesh reap
corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit, will from the Spirit reap eternal
life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we
do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people
and especially to those who are of the household of faith." In Acts chapter 2,
we see that church growth was a result of the sharing of responsibilities for
one another in the body, as well as reaching out to others. As the
church is growing there in Acts two, people were continually devoting
themselves to the Apostles doctrine, the breaking of bread, fellowship,
you could see the church growing because people were interacting, they were
integrated into one another, serving one another. Here Paul encourages them to
be generous with one another. Generosity is usually a good indicator of
one's grasp of God's mercy. Those who love and give little in proportion to
their means usually have little insight to how much God loves them. If they did,
they would give more.We give of ourselves
the more we know God. The problem isn't, oh, that guy's cheap. Or it
isn't - the problem is, that person does not really know who God
is, because if he did or she did their attitude would be different. This is why
the ministry of teaching God's word or that people will know God more perfectly,
that affects not just the brain, it affects conduct. The more I know God, the
more I want to know Him. The more I know Him, the more I want to do what He wants
me to do, and vice versa. The less I know Him, the less I want to do what He
wants me to do. Paul encourages generosity, generosity towards sinners
and backsliders. At the very beginning he says, if someone's
caught in a trespass, be gentle. Go to them gently. They've made a mistake,
they've slipped, they failed. Don't judge and pound on them. Help
them. Generosity towards the preachers and the teachers, those in the church
whose devotion to the word and to the churches as a full-time ministry.
Generosity to all those who are in need. It's not easy to
give in any one of these areas, but how one does, is a good measure of one sense
of freedom in Christ; because a generous spirit, is a free spirit. A generous
spirit, is a free spirit. Because I'm free in Christ, He enables me to be generous.
There's the the end of the teaching part about the things that we
have through faith in Christ. In chapter six, verses 11 to 18, he'll give
a final warning and a final salutation. First of all, the final words:
there's a warning against the circumcision party that he gives.
He says, "See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand." Here
Paul writes with his own hand. And the reason he says that is, that most
of his letters were dictated to another person. So when he writes bold, large
letters, probably means that he's writing for emphasis. Some people say, well he's
writing large letters because he has vision problems. Others, he's writing
boldly because he wants people to know this is his signature, he is making sure
they notice that he is the author of this particular letter with
the signature. Then he goes on, verse 12 he says, "Those who desire to make a good
showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they
will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For those who are circumcised do
not even keep the law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so
that they may boast in your flesh. But may it never be that I would boast,
except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been
crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor
uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule,
peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God." He reveals that the
Judaizers are basically cowards who want the prestige of religious leadership,
without the risk. Why do you think when the
church is considering men to be elders they look into their lives?
Yes, the church wants men who are upstanding
in their married lives and their family lives, but they're also
looking for men who are already busy serving. You don't
give the eldership to an individual with the hope that they'll begin serving. No,
you give it to somebody who's already serving, who's already involved
in people's lives, who's already carrying a load. You give it to that person,
because that person is already willing to pay the price of leadership.
That's who you give it to. So to preach the cross on the other side of
the ledger, to preach the cross, to serve the church is tiring, it's demanding, it's
risky, it's unpopular, legalism, circumcision, as far as this group was
concerned, that was the safe route and it places all the burden on
the Galatians. None on the teachers, who did not even try to live by the tenets
of legalism, which was a perfect law-keeping. He says about
these Judaizers, they want you to do stuff, but they, themselves, won't do any
of it. They're hypocrites. Well it's the same thing. You can extrapolate
that to the modern day church. You don't want leaders in the modern day church
who want the church to do stuff, but they, themselves, don't do anything. Well, of
course, not. You don't want that in any organization. You don't want that if
you're working in a school, right. The principal's got all kinds of rules and
laws and this and that, reports they want, but they don't
do any of this stuff. They're not there to help. They're not there to support.
In the military, right, you want your commanders to be out there, to take a
risk, to be with their men. It's the same thing, he's saying, these guys, they
love the prestige of religious leadership, but they
won't lift the burden, they won't even keep the rules they're placing
on your back. Paul says that his boast is not in his converts, he doesn't
boast, hey look at all the people I baptize. That's not what he boasts in.
His boast is what the cross has done for him. And his point is, the cross has revealed
my sinfulness, and my lostness, but it has also revealed my salvation in
Jesus Christ, that's what I boast in. I boast in what the cross has done for me.
Circumcision or no circumcision, that doesn't change you, Christ changes you,
when you're united to Him. And God blesses all those who are changed by His
Son, Jesus. Circumcision, it was a sign of the promise to come to the
Jews. Jesus was the one who was to come, and in Him all
the promises are fulfilled. That's why I don't need circumcision anymore. It's meaningless.
It doesn't mean anything anymore. And then he gives a
final farewell, verses 17 and 18 he says, "From now on let no one cause trouble for
me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren, amen." He doesn't want any
more accusations and he lets the scars that he has borne for Christ be a
witness for his defense. We know, right, he was shipwrecked,
he was beaten, he was in prison, he suffered.
choices. All those actual marks on his body, the times he was
whipped, the times he received 39 lashes, I mean, those left scars on his body. He says, you know what,
just take a look at the scars on my body, let that do the talking.
That's my defense, that's my justification for who I am and what I do
and for my sincerity. I'm willing to suffer for the faith. I'm willing to
suffer for the gospel, he says. We need to think, do we have any
scars, do we have any scars for Christ? What are our scars for Christ? What have
we born for Him? Any suffering or disadvantage, inconvenience, denial,
because we're disciples. We ought to be able to make, maybe not the same boast,
with the same degree as Paul did, because man, that guy was beaten a lot. I don't
think I could survive one 39 lashing, let alone how many, three, that he suffered;
but do we have some scars? Could we say here's a scar, here's an emotional scar.
Could we say that? And then, he gives a final blessing to them that Christ be
with their spirit. So with a little bit of time that we've got left I just want
to share three things Galatians has taught us. Takeaways that we
need to keep. Lesson number one, Galatian teaches us about faith. And
here's the thing about faith: it has always been God's method of
transferring blessings. All blessings, everything, has always been based on
faith. Everything you have from God is based on faith in Him, now the response
is different. Somebody built the boat, somebody left this home, today we're
baptized, there's always a kind of response, but it's always the
same thing, faith. And I've told my children, as they were growing up and we
talked about religious things. You try to kind of squeeze it down to
one lesson, many times. I've always said to them, in your life everything is
always about faith. You're looking for a job, it's about faith. You're getting
married, it's about faith. You're having trouble in your marriage, it's about
faith. You got illness, it's about faith. You have a difficult child, it's about
faith. You got a sick child, it's about faith. It's always, always, always, always
about faith. It's as if God picks us up every once in a while and He dunks us
into the fire. And he at us in the light to
see, hmm what needs to be shaved off. What needs to be
sanded down. What rough edge here, what needs to happen here. We
always forget that. We run all around, panicky, and then
finally, maybe, we come to our senses and say, well maybe I ought to pray.
Please don't ever say that in my presence. Don't ever say,
well, might as well pray, it can't hurt.
Don't ever say that. It's always about faith. And I say that to all of you, it's
always about faith. Lesson number two,
all spiritual blessings are only available in Jesus Christ. Some have more
earthly blessings without Christ, but nobody has heavenly blessings without
Christ. All spiritual blessings are only available in Him. Why did I go
into ministry, why me, why wasn't it some of you? Why wasn't it the guy -
I went to school with guys and some of them became lawyers and others went
into business, and why am I the guy that had to go into ministry, why me and not
you. In my case, it was because I really believe that the only way for spiritual
blessings to happen was through Christ. And the question I could not answer and
I couldn't get around was, somebody has to tell people that. Somebody has to do
that job. That was what drove me, pushed me to become a preacher, because I felt
so many people had no clue about how to actually get to heaven, they just didn't
know. They didn't even want to hear it. All spiritual blessings, only available
through Jesus Christ. Third lesson and final lesson, is about freedom. We are
free from condemnation. Yes, that's the good news, but we are also free for other
things, but not sinful things. We're free to serve, and free to give, and free to
grow, and free to love, we have freedom. I told you last week, I would never go back
to Catholicism. Why? Because that's prison. That's like going back, that's like going
to jail. It's one of the most precious gifts that we have in Christ, freedom.
Freedom. Galatians should be an empowering book, that frees us from
slavery to any system that promises to make us better or perfect, any system
that says that it'll enable us to serve God better. Galatians enables us to serve
God freely and enthusiastically, based on our gratitude, not on our guilt. If you
know this book, if you know this book, no one can enslave you to any philosophy or
religion ever again. Ever again, never happen if you know this book. All right,
that's the end. Thank you for bearing with me for these nine weeks.
Over and out, thank you.