Sermon Tone Analysis

Land of the Free!

We live in a Country that claims to be the land of the free and the home of the brave, but is that enough?

In our Country just like in our Christian walk you have choices in your freedom, what you do with it, or not do with it.

Paul is going to elaborate on freedom, the opportunity to live in the flesh or in the Spirit.

(FDR Picture)

On Jan 6, 1941 at the end of a speech to Congress FDR shared his vision of the kind of Country, kind of world he wanted to see after the war was over.

He elaborated on 4 freedoms

Some basic desired freedoms

Freedom of speech

Freedom of worship

Freedom from want

and Freedom from fear

Does man need any other freedom?

The answer is yes, man needs another freedom, one they cannot obtain on their own.

Man needs freedom from himself and the tyranny of our sinful nature.

Legalists, or in the case of the Galatians Judiazers believe more rules, more regulations, that legislation and bigger government will solve the problem.

But, in reality legislation cannot change a man’s sinful nature.

It’s not the law on the outside that changes things, it is the love on the inside that changes things!

Its not the power of the people that changes things it is the power of God, the Holy Spirit that changes things.

Galatians is filled with contrast of flesh and Spirit and this is a great reminder to us today that we too have the Spirit when we received Christ and our sins were forgiven.

How did you receive the Spirit (Gal3:2)

Did you get it in the flesh by works?

Or was it by faith?

You were born of the Spirit (Gal4:29)

You were born, reborn, according to the Spirit

The Spirit cries out “Abba Father” on your behalf as a child of God saved by faith.

It is the Spirit that empowers and enables us to live for Christ.

It is the Spirit that assures us of our salvation (Gal4:6)

He is the divine person God gives to us, to live, dwell in us.

In a paraphrase quote from W Wiersbe

What God the Father planned, God the Son purchased for you on the cross.

What the Son purchased the Spirit personalizes it for you and gives you everything you need to apply it in your life as you yield to Him.

Before we were born of the Spirit (Jn3:5) we were ruled by sin (Rom5:21), even if we do not want to admit it.

Sin brings death, death to joy, relationships, and it even destroys families.

Praise be to God that we were called from that and that is not who we are anymore when we surrender in obedience to Christ through the gospel message.

(Freedom’s cost picture)

This liberty, this freedom, this opportunity is not liberty to sin, but liberty from sin.

No longer in bondage to it!

Our liberty, our freedom, just as there was a, is a great cost to our Country to protect it came at a great cost to God.

The cost was His only begotten Son.

To the Son it was a great cause becoming a curse and dying on a tree for you and me.

Remember Paul is writing to Christians and his words may be hard to hear, but all the more necessary so they do not give up, loose their freedom.

We have freedom, we have an opportunity walk in the flesh or walk in the Spirit, so chose wisely.

Chose our Christian Freedom!

God sent the Christ so that all may come to repentance and have freedom from bondage and the wages of sin, but man has a choice.

our choices matter.

(Freedom-1 picture)

In our Christian freedom we can be extremists can’t we?

Liberty, Freedom = Licence to do whatever we want

Liberty, Freedom = legalism, rules, regulations for everything

True freedom is not a license and it is not legalism, it is love!

Christian freedom we are no longer slave to sin (Rom6:6)

The body of sin is done away with and we are no longer slaves to sin, so don’t enslave yourself to something God set you free from.

Christian freedom is free from penalty of Sin (Rom3:23; Rom6:23)

Wages of sin is death, but God, through Jesus took on those wages, that penalty for you.

Christian freedom is free from the power of sin (1Cor15:56-57)

Death loses its sting, for the power of sin is the law, but our victory is found in the death of Christ, confirmed by the resurrection of Christ and promised by the ascension of Christ.

Jesus purchased our freedom on the cross, we received our freedom when we were buried and raised with him (you can read on that in Rom6:1-7) for then we know the truth and the truth sets us, makes us free (Jn8:32)

The truth has made us free!

This is important, we do not want the freedom that He purchased for us, that we received by faith to become a license for the flesh since the flesh has already been done away with.

Don’t desert the Gospel, the grace of God (Gal1:6)

Don’t cut yourself off or fall from grace (Gal5:4)

So, be sure to make the best of your opportunities today, love one another (Gal5:13)

We live in what is known as the land of the free, a democratic Country.

A government of the people, for the people as the constitution says, take a second and think of forms of government.

Monarch - governed by one

Oligarchy - governed by few

Aristocracy - governed by the elite

plutocracy - governed by the wealthy

Democracy - governed by the people

Christianity is the only true democracy because a Christian thinks of his neighbor just as much as he does himself.

So, may we learn to be a promoter of Christianity by our love.

I don’t want us to loose out on the opportunity we have to love, to grasp the freedom we have, having been set free from the bondage of sin and the bondage of our flesh, we know that our faith speaks through the working of love.

May your working of love speak of your faith (Gal5:6)

Faith working in love has set you free from law (Gal1:1-5, 12)

Faith working in love has set you free from flesh (Gal5:14-21)

Faith working in love will result in change in your life when you apply it (Gal5:22-6:18)

Oglivie says it like this

“When we focus on the ‘thou shall” and not the “shall not’s” then we will see the love that set’s man free and keeps man free in the grace of God.”

Law builds fences; love builds bridges

Bridges to ways and places we can serve and love one another better so we do not devour one another.

Devouring was going on for there were two camps going on, one grace alone, the other grace plus the law

Today we can have the same problem when we get legalistic for that tears down when love wants to build up.

May we remember it is not about the physical (circumcision) but the spiritual, faith working through love (as mentioned Gal5:6; and see in Gal5:22-23)

We will get into these verses next week, but the point tonight is the opportunity of flesh or spirit, may we chose the spirit and the spirit is love.

For the Spirit works in the people of God through the Word of God to accomplish the will of God all for the glory of God.

Paul calls, challenges them and us today to chose to walk in the Spirit.

Choose to walk by the Spirit

The flesh and the Spirit are contrary to one another,there is a conflict, but thanks be to God there is conquering through love too (Gal5:16-17).

The spirit and the flesh do not get along, maybe like you and a sibling when you were growing up; maybe like Ismael and Isaac.

If the Holy Spirit controls the body, then we walk in the Spirit, but if the flesh controls the body, then we walk in the lusts (desires) for the flesh.

Both have different appetites, so which one are you going to feed?

In this battle between flesh and the Spirit we need the power of the Spirit, not the spirit of legalism that days deal with the flesh by doing this or not doing that.

We are called to surrender to the Spirit to the power of God to work i and through us.

Paul puts it like this, if sin is preoccupying your thoughts; choose to walk in the Spirit

If the lusts of this world (eyes, flesh, pride of life - Jn2:15-17) are taking your thoughts; choose to walk in the Spirit.

The simplest way to walk in the Spirit is to know and to embrace the goodness of God.

Let His spirit lead you if it be a practical expression of love, or a powerful word of prayer for someone, maybe even an encouragement offered or an act of mercy given.

We cannot overcome the flesh by our power, we need God’s power, God’s Spirit to do it.

We may thing we are ready, willing and able, but the flesh is weak (Mt26:41; Ro7:15-25)