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Mar 11, 2018

What is Gospel Freedom?

What is Gospel Freedom?

Passage: Galatians 5:1-15

Speaker: Colin P. Thornley

Series: Free, a study in the book of Galatians

Freedom is often misunderstood at best and abused at worst by an incorrect understanding of what it means to be free. This is very pertinent to our society today, as you can see and hear from all directions via media and academia. Today we will focus our attention on what exactly freedom is before we move on to what freedom looks like for be redeemed people of God in the last half of chapter 5 next week.

Order of worship

Call To Worship: Psalm 99: 1-3 (ESV)
Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 27: 1-9 (ESV)
New Testament Reading: Romans 8:18-25 (ESV)
Sermon Title: What is Gospel Freedom?
Central Text: Galatians 5:1-15
Benediction: Revelation 1:5b-6 (ESV)

03.11.18 Song Lyrics
*There were no "notes" slides this week.

Introduction

"Up until this point in Paul's letter to the Galatians he has been addressing the importance of gospel freedom. His alarm over the abuse of freedom cannot be contained. In the next 15 versus Paul turns his attention to the essence of what freedom is and what freedom is not. He has been addressing the dangers of compromising the freedom that those who trust in the finished work of Christ have been enjoying by tempting to gain a right-standing with God through the obedience to the law which is clearly impossible apart from Christ. It's almost like he is now opening a brand new front on the war on freedom, where is he has focused on how living under God's law is slavery. He also is waging war on the idea that man's law is also slavery. Freedom is often misunderstood at best and abused at worst by an incorrect understanding of what it means to be free. This is very pertinent to our society today, as you can see and hear from all directions via media and academia. Today we will focus our attention on what exactly freedom is before we move on to what freedom looks like for be redeemed people of God in the last half of chapter 5 next week. Paul points out in this passage that is easy to confuse freedom with doing as you please according to our own desires without any outside expectations or even internal expectations. He tells us about living as a slave to either the law of God or to our own flesh is a fall from grace and an attempt to establish our own righteousness apart from trusting finished work of Jesus." - Colin Thornley

Readings & Scripture

Call To Worship: Psalm 99: 1-3 (ESV)
The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! 2 The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. 3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 27: 1-9 (ESV)
Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the whole commandment that I command you today. 2 And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. 3 And you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you. 4 And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. 5 And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; 6 you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God,7 and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. 8 And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”

New Testament Reading: Romans 8:18-25 (ESV)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Central Text: Galatians 5:1-15
1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

13 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. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Benediction: Revelation 1:5b-6 (ESV)
LEADER: To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

ALL: Amen.

Related Scriptures:

Isaiah 61.1-2a ESV The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor: he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,

John 8.31-32,34-36 ESV 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” . . . Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

1 Corinthians 4. 1-4 ESV This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.

2 Corinthians 3.16-18 ESV But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Galatians 2.3-5 ESV But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

Titus 2.11-14 NIV - For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Revelation 1.4b-6 ESV Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Quotes

Grace has to be drunk straight: no water, no ice, and certainly no ginger ale; neither goodness, nor badness, not the flowers that bloom in the spring of super spirituality could be allowed to enter into the case.”
― Robert Farrar Capon, Between Noon & Three: Romance, Law & the Outrage of Grace

“Grace is the celebration of life, relentlessly hounding all the non-celebrants in the world. It is a floating, cosmic bash shouting its way through the streets of the universe, flinging the sweetness of its cassations to every window, pounding at every door in a hilarity beyond all liking and happening, until the prodigals come out at last and dance, and the elder brothers finally take their fingers out of their ears.”
― Robert Farrar Capon, Between Noon & Three: Romance, Law & the Outrage of Grace

“But all the while, there was one thing we most needed even from the start, and certainly will need from here on out into the New Jerusalem: the ability to take our freedom seriously and act on it, to live not in fear of mistakes but in the knowledge that no mistake can hold a candle to the love that draws us home. My repentance, accordingly, is not so much for my failings but for the two-bit attitude toward them by which I made them more sovereign than grace. Grace - the imperative to hear the music, not just listen for errors - makes all infirmities occasions of glory.”
― Robert Farrar Capon, Between Noon & Three: Romance, Law & the Outrage of Grace

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Inview Media Album 03.11.18