Sermon Tone Analysis

Freed to be Free #13

Galatians 5:1-15

The Purpose of Freedom

 

Confusion -

Confusion that’s what had overtaken the Church in Galatia.

They knew Christ had set them free but they didn’t know what that meant.

The Judaizers were telling them that the “/freedom of Christ was completed in the law.”/

There were always those who said “/no I have grace, I am free to do anything I want, THAT’s the purpose of freedom.”

/

 

But is that it, Legalism or License?

Is there any other option?

Is there a greater purpose?

Well, let’s find out.

Go back with me to our Text

 

READ Galatians 5:1-15

 

Ok before I show you the purpose … I’m going to show you what is NOT the purpose of Liberty.

 

1.

NOT the Bondage of Legalism

 

That has been the focus of this letter to the Galatians so far.

The Legalist will defend themselves as protecting the integrity of their belief system.

Remember that Legalism is /“a strict or excessive conformity to the law or a religious or moral code”/

 

So the legalist finds it easy to defend themselves by the root of truth, adding tradition, teaching their interpretations, enforcing authority, and increasing fear.

The Problem for the legalist is that

  A.

there are no GOOD legalists.

1.

No legalist keeps the whole law and statutes.

Legalists keep the things that they deem important.

Let me give you some oversimplified examples.

Many a legalist says, any good Christian would never under any circumstance work on the Lord’s Day.

The Pharisees called Jesus and the Disciples to task for taking some corn while walking through a cornfield on the Sabbath and accused them for working because the shucked the corn and rubbed off the kernels to eat, because you can’t work on the Lord’s Day.

Interestingly, Today many of those that will place the strongest restrictions on Sundays for Christians will themselves go out to eat on Sunday, causing others to work. 

    3.

/“Take your hat off, this is God’s house.”/

Most churches I’ve been in, where this is said, they make this a biblical command but they don’t tell women to COVER their heads, which is the flip side of the same scripture.

If you are going to say it, call it what it is, cultural, respect for tradition, but not a spiritual issue.

4.

Other says “they shouldn’t play that loud music in the church this is God’s house” (they like to remind us of that) But those same churches often play some of the loudest organs I’ve ever heard.

Our organ in college could rattle the windows, so maybe only certain KINDS of loud Christian music aren’t pleasing to the Lord.

Some legalists will take it so far as to say that in church music, certain meters or tempos ¾, 6~/8, or 4~/4 are more spiritual or less so than other.

4.

“/Shhhh, be quite and reverent, this is God’s house/.”

Usually this is said by a parent who can’t control their kids so they make God the bad guy.

But if it is “God’s House” and this should control our behavior, then how about “/stop passing judgment, this is God’s house/” or “/get rid of your jealousy, this is God’s house/.”

Or “/Put a smile on your face, this is God’s house/” or “/Love each other, this is God’s house/” maybe “/don’t critique the sermon, this is God’s House/” J …

    5.

Other legalists say “The KJV is the Only correct translation …” But funny some of those would read from the KJV and then explain it by using different words, the same words I had in my NIV Bible …”

    6.

They aren’t good legalists … the legalist wants to keep what they like or their version of the law and pass the rest like a Spiritual Pot Luck.

“I want some of this … some of this … not this … none of that.”

It can’t work that way.

If you want the Law you have to take the whole thing and the Spirit and Purpose of the Law, not just the letter of the law.

7.

ANY disobedience is sufficient to make us a law breakers.

You can’t keep 8~/10 of the law or 9~/10 or 9.5~/10 of the law and still be a law keeper.

Jesus taught us we can’t say you are not a murderer, when in your heart you wish someone were dead.

That wish, that hatred is the same as the physical act.

To mentally break the law is to spiritually break the law.

Look at what Paul showed the Galatians

 

  B.

what legalism does …

 

(3:1) Bewitched into believing lies

(1:6-9) Disobeying the Truth and Removing them from their place

(4:9) led them to Turn Back from the right way

(5:1) Entangled them in bondage

(5:4) Fallen from the Grace they had known

 

Wow, what a progression.

Legalism isn’t a vehicle to lead us into deeper communion with God … on the contrary it leads us into pride and misplaced affections.

Instead of it all being about Jesus and our love for him, it leads us into unhealthy self love or affection for an institution or system more than we love the Lord.

From Bewitched to Fallen

 

  C.

Fallen from Grace

Let me take just a minute to address this often confusing and misunderstood phrase in verse 4 “/fallen from grace/.”

Are you paying attention?

    1.

The legalist who is trying to instill fear and keep you in line will say “/you better stay in line or you will fall out of faith with the Lord and lose your grace.”

/

 

    2.

They are teaching that you can lose your position once it has been given to you by God’s grace through faith.

Let me take a minute to explain this phrase that is only here in the whole New Testament.

3.

We have just read 4 chapters of this letter.

It is very clear that Paul is correcting false teaching, but he is addressing the CHURCH in Galatia.

Furthermore it is clear what Paul’s opinion of them is.

They ARE believers in a Position of Grace in Christ.

Over and again he calls them “/brothers/” a term only used for fellow Christians.

He calls them “/we/” in 4:28,31.

He calls them Sons of God in Christ 4:6.

It is clear that Paul believes they are born again.

Yet he says they have “/fallen from grace/”.

How can they be believers, children of God, but be OUT of Grace?

They can’t.

Paul doesn’t mean they fell OUT of Salvation but fell from living in the REALM and influence of Grace.

Grace depends on God right?

It is dependant on him giving to us, what we do not deserve and couldn’t provide.

It depends solely on Jesus.

So, if it depends on Jesus then you can’t fall out of it, because it isn’t up to you.

You can’t fall out of it, but you can fall from living according to it.

4.

If you put verse 4’s reference to “/falling from Grace/” together with verse 1 “/stand firm then and do not be burdened again by the yoke of slavery/.”

It is like being set free from jail, walking about in freedom, then going back to an unlocked cell and living there by choice. 

     5.

Freedom leads to walking by faith.

Legalism is walking by sight.

Freedom and faith is based on God.

Legalism is based on what I can do.

That would be “/falling from freedom/” That is what Paul means by “/Falling from grace/”

and that IS Bondage

It is falling from the realm of Freedom

 

So, what is the purpose of Freedom?

Some would say legalism, but NO

 

Others would say the purpose of freedom is Indulgence.

Is that the purpose?

Paul asks that question in Romans 6:1-2 – /What shall we say then?

Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?