Free Indeed!

The Need to “Stand fast” in Our Liberty

Galatians 5:1-24

DATE: 28 May, 2000   AM & PM PLACE: BBC Blarney

 

I.         Introduction (Mt 11:28,29; John 8:32,36)

 

A.      Free; at Rest; liberty. These are the opposite of bondage, slavery, captivity.

B.       Jesus tells us that people without Himself, are in bondage, and are slaves to passions and burdens that cannot be carried long by the human heart (Eph 2:12,13).

C.       But the implications are clear that what Jesus did on His cross, was sufficient to sever the hold of sin on our lives! Do you understand this?

D.      So, what is wrong with people then? Why are so many people STILL in bondage to their sins? Several reasons:

 

1.        They are only actors – pretending to play the part of the Christian. Still going to church, and through the rituals – but no change ever ocurrs.

2.        They are immature – and don’t know any better

3.        They are carnal - unwilling to LET GO of sins – become free INDEED

 

E.       I hope to help you deal with all three areas this morning, but primarily the last area – that of LETTING GO of sins and things that bind you and hinder you

F.       Jesus Christ not only meant for a person to be free, but the words in John 8 were, FREE INDEED – REALLY free!

G.       There are five areas of bondage in life that every Christian must be free from! I am convinced that this is why we don’t grow, and mature as we should!!!

 

1.        We all need to be free from Religion

2.        From Sin

3.        From Fear

4.        From the World

5.        From the Past

 

H.      Every person in this room needs to be free from these things – I mean FREE from them so that they do not dominate your lives anymore, so that only Jesus is Lord of your life! He cannot be Lord when there are other “lords.”

I.         Some thoughts on Freedom

 

1.        No man in this world attains to freedom from any slavery except by entrance into some higher servitude. There is no such thing as an entirely free man conceivable. Phillips Brooks (1835- 1893). Therefore, to be free from sin, means you must become the servant of something greater!

2.        Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. John Diefenbaker

3.        The story of the elephant in a cage – morale: Freedom is not just something that happens on the outside, it is something that must be experienced on the INSIDE.

 

J.        What Christ did for you was MAKE you free – you must now LIVE as FREE. Oh there is such a difference between being free and free indeed!!!

II.       Message - Free Indeed! (Galatians 5:1-24)

 

A.      Free from Religion (Gal 5:1-6). Did you know, that when you got saved (if you are born again), you were made FREE from religion? All the requirements of religion, no matter how good, and necessary they were, were all fulfilled by Jesus Christ! So, measure yourself – are you free from:

 

1.        The traditions, and religious ceremonies that dominated our understanding of God?

 

a.       Long robes on the priests and ministers – backward collars

b.       Large cathedrals – golden altars

c.       Lots of candles, and darkness, and echoing churches

d.       Most people imagine THAT is what church is supposed to be. Not the Bible-believing Christian (2Cor 11:3)! Aren’t you glad to be free?

 

2.        The superstitions

 

a.       Lots of mysterious, magical sayings and powers

b.       Fearful of black cats, horoscope predictions

c.       Carrying miraculous medals

 

3.        The confusions

 

a.       Never knowing ANYTHING for sure

b.       “We commend our dear sister into your hands – We hope she arrives into your presence” HUH?!

c.       We worship God our Father, and our Mother!!! HUH?

d.       All this ecumenicalism – anything goes these days!

e.       I’m glad I have been delivered from it all!

 

B.       Free From Sin (Gal 5:7-10; Rom 6:18,22; 1 Jn 2:12)

 

1.        What sins control us, enslave us? Two types according to Gal 5:19 – actions and attitudes

 

a.       Actions – all of these enslave the victim

 

1)       Adultery (don’t be fooled – it enslaves its victim)

2)       Fornication

3)       Uncleanness – filthy talk, filthy thoughts, filthy action

4)       Lasciviousness – lust – acting out ungodly desires

5)       Idolatry - religion

6)       Witchcraft - religion

 

b.       Attitudes

 

1)       Hatred – don’t tell me you don’t have problems with hatred

2)       Varience – always being at odds with others!

3)       Emulations – desiring to be like others

4)       Wrath

5)       Strife

6)       Envy

7)       Sedition - rebellion


c.       Back to actions again

 

1)       Heresies – the teaching of things that are blasphemous

2)       Murders

3)       Drunkenness

4)       Revellings – rioting

 

d.       You say, “those things are not in my life!” You had better go back over the list! If your sin is not listed, it is in the “such like.”

 

2.        According to Gal 5:1, Jesus Christ MADE us free – why are people, especially CHRISTIANS not free indeed then?

 

a.       Because people are “entangled again”

b.       Because they are not STANDING when everyone else is bowing to the pressure!

 

3.        Make a choice, a vow before God that SIN, and SINS are not going to dominate and control you anymore! Yearn for true holiness!

4.        Then make sure that you are not walking back into a dominating situation again (1Cor 6:12)

 

a.       That’s why Christians stay out of pubs, away from things that enslave

b.       That’s why Christians stay at home and around their kids, and are busy in the work of God – because they want to be FREE!!!!

c.       It is so important that we not only be free FROM some things, but free TO another thing – RIGHTEOUSNESS (Rom 6:18)!

 

C.       Free from Fear (Gal 5:11)

 

1.        From the fear of being persecuted – don’t ever be ashamed of living publicly for the One who was not ashamed to die publicly for YOU!

2.        Free from the fear of being misunderstood – that hinders me so much!

 

a.       You try and talk to folks about the Jesus of the bible, and the will of God, and the way of salvation, and people are naturally going to misunderstand you! So! Keep trying!

b.       Jesus certainly was misunderstood! So will you!

c.       But you will only be misunderstood if you at least TRY to open your mouth and tell the good news!

d.       You will only be misunderstood if you TRAY and live the godly Christian life!

e.       You will never be misunderstood if you stay in your closet, and only live the life on Sunday morning!!!

 

3.        Free from the fear of the unknown

 

a.       Fear is not a bad thing

b.       But the devil uses the fear of the unknown as THE main way to control people

c.       I believe it is a method of the devil to instill fear into this world through all the horror movies, and blood and guts films. People have become so fearful of each other, and of tomorrow that they are almost immobilized – anxiety

 

4.        Free from the fear of being wrong.

 

a.       I am so glad that since I got saved, I can be wrong! Seriously!

b.       To be religious and wrong was so devastating (EX: of mormon who realised she had been wrong now TWICE)

c.       Honestly, now that I know HIM who is right, I am safe – not because “I” am right, but because I am in the care of HE who is all right!!

 

D.      Free From the World (Gal 5:12-15)

 

1.        Its Criticism. People were troubling these Christians in Galatia, and criticizing their liberty and simplicity of life! Let them criticize!

2.        Its Programming.

 

a.       The world teaches people to use opportunity for SELF

b.       Jesus says use liberty for the service of others!

c.       We seem to only act like the world – no difference, if not worse than the world. I know some “Christians” who are more carnal and fleshly in their “liberty” than a lot of people who are lost and hell-bound!

d.       It is because they have never let go of the programming of the world – still believe everything they see on the Discovery channel, etc.

 

3.        Its Attraction. People are enamored by the things of the world (video games, new movies, new soundtracks, etc) – I’m free from all that because my eyes and ears are fixed on Something so much better!

4.        Its Debt. Every person in this room MUST make every effort to become FREE from debt! The world’s economy is only debt-driven now, and will collapse in a bad way! No Christian ought to knowingly get entangled into this world’s debt! AMEN! Better to wait, and do right!

 

E.       Free from the Past (Gal 5:24)

 

1.        All the things that still haunts your conscience, and seems to overwhelm your thoughts

 

a.       Like regrets

b.       Like failures

c.       Like past sins – these so weigh down on the backslidden Christian!

 

2.        All the things that made up who you WERE

 

a.       Your plans that you so wanted accomplished

b.       Your needs that never seemed to be fulfilled

c.       Your affections that never were returned – fulfilled in Christ!

 

3.        All the things that dominated your heart – the lusts (things that burned out your brain and heart).

4.        Let go of those things in your past that tie you down, and hold you back! Christ already made you free, now be FREE INDEED!

 

III.     Conclusion – Are you free? Are you Free INDEED?