How to Stand
Fast in
Galatians 2:4,5
Audio mp3
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
25 Jan, 2009 AM
I.
Introduction (Gal 2:4,5; 5:1)
A.
According to
the Bible, Christians are Free Men and Women in Christ.
B.
We are the
Redeemed of the Lord. Fully Paid for – bought with a high price!
1.
We are no
longer slaves to Satan, death, sin, sickness, demons and fear, or any kind
of bondage.
2.
We now
belong to Christ, and He has not SET us Free, but MADE us free.
C.
NOT free to
live as WE please, but free from the powers that use to control our lives
1.
So that we
can serve God of our own free will
2.
So that we
can love God from our heart
3.
So that we
can represent the Lord Jesus in this world, cleanly and clearly
D.
What a sad
joke Christians are who are saved, but live completely in bondage to sins
still! Their lives are like the
E.
Anytime that
you sense the pull back into the world and into sin, remember, you already
are FREE – Someone, or something just lied to you, and tricked you into
going back into slavery (Gal 3:1)!
II.
Background to Galatians 5:1
A.
God’s word
says that a Christian is not fighting to BECOME free!
1.
Many a
nation has fought to free herself from a foreign power
2.
So many
people live in a constant battle with slavery
a.
b.
Spiritual
slavery reigns today
c.
Most
everyone living in this modern “free” world are more enslaved than the
d.
Physical
chains are nothing compared to the mental, spiritual, emotional chains that
have a grip on this generation!
e.
And they
think they are FREE! They are slaves!!!
3.
Do you want
proof that the world is enslaved? Look at how much money is spent on
prescription drugs, and self-help programmes, and yoga classes, and
meditation sessions – they are all trying to help people get “free” from the
stark reality of the bondage that this world is in
4.
The simple,
powerful truth is, CHRIST has MADE us free!
B.
But every
Christian must fight to STAY FREE
1.
The devil
2.
Your flesh
will always want to sin
3.
The world
will
4.
So… the
Christian has to learn how to stay clear of the traps, and trickery of not
only the devil, but of his own heart (Jer 17:9)
5.
Those lies
so quickly entrap us, enslave us back into the same old sins that we used to
be caught up in
a.
Laziness
b.
Apathy
c.
Old friends
d.
Thinking a
few drinks won’t hurt
e.
Missing a
few Sundays at church
f.
Not walking
with God in daily Bible reading and praying
C.
God uses the
words, “Stand Fast” to describe the effort on our part
1.
Holding our
course like in a storm
2.
Not
backsliding, slowing down, giving up, running
3.
It is a
wrestling term
a.
Digging your
heels in
b.
Positioning
yourself so that the opponent cannot get the advantage, and throw you, and
pin you down, and conquer you
c.
Not letting
size, or strength discourage you
d.
Just stay
standing, no matter what your enemy throws at you
D.
I see a lot
of believers struggling to get back up, after being thrown, and tripped, and
flipped!
E.
But I don’t
see many Christians struggling to just stay up
F.
So, I want
to focus on the wrestling part, not the recovery part this morning!
III.
Message
A.
Blindness to Our Bondage
1.
Many times
we don’t realise just how enslaved we are
2.
It was true
when we were lost – we
a.
Lived in
pleasure – don’t realise it was only for a season
b.
Followed the
crowd – didn’t realise they were all headed to destruction
c.
Were
parented by Satan (
d.
We were
religious, but headed for hell
e.
We thought
we were doing our own thing, but were only puppets of the devil
3.
Children who
grow up fighting, arguing, hateful, and hurting one another, usually are
blind to just how bad they are – they think their behaviour is normal
4.
The opposite
is also true – people who are very good at acting religious, and spiritual,
are also often very blind to just how lost and away from God they are
5.
There are a
lot of people who are in bondage, enslaved, and they don’t even realise it!
Examples include:
a.
A teen
smoking – thinking they are finally free, doing what they want – they are
only enslaved by that weed now!
b.
A girl
c.
Pride blinds
us obviously
d.
Hatred blind
us to the murder that rages in us
e.
Depression
blinds us to the suicidal thoughts that rage in us
6.
Some things
to check:
a.
Check your
nervousness (Bible word is Fretting)
b.
Check the
amount of time you spend complaining (Bible word is murmuring)
c.
Check the
amount of time you stay away from your family and responsibilities (the
Bible calls it hiding)
B.
The Burdens of Bondage
– the High Cost of Modern Slavery
(Deuteronomy 28:64-68)
1.
Spiritual
Bondage is strong – unbreakable by natural means
a.
That’s why
there is such a market for self-help books, and How to Quit Smoking books –
because people find it impossible to get free from depression, or even
cigarettes on their own
2.
God says,
when you live life your own way, you become enslaved
a.
You will
serve (become slaves to) other gods - Bondage to Sins and Sinful Habits
b.
You will
have no rest - Bondage to Religion and Rituals
c.
You will be
consumed with fear and sorrow – Bondage to Fear
d.
You will be
full of doubts
e.
You will be
full of regrets
f.
Bondage to
the World’s Pressures (Gal 4:3). To the downward course of this world - like
a whirlpool sucking all down!
g.
Bondage to
Fear
h.
Bondage to
Satan - To the prince and power of the air - Satan. People are Satan’s
puppets (2 Tim 2:24-26)!
i.
Bondage to
Death Itself. The wages, result of all our sins always is DEATH (Heb
2:14,15)
j.
Some of you
will end up back where you were before you got saved
k.
If you have
never been born again, you are doomed to a future, eternal punishment – the
wrath of God
3.
All of this
is the opposite of what God wants in your life
4.
We
desperately need a way out - someone to adopt us out of the “cycle”
C.
The Breaking of Bondage
(Psalm 107:8-21)
1.
I’m so glad,
God can
2.
You are a
servant of who you follow – who you obey (Rom 6:16-18). Simple
a.
Follow
Jesus, and you are free
b.
Follow
anything else, and you are a slave
3.
How does
Jesus make someone free? He pays off their sin debts (Isaiah 52:2,3)
a.
Without
money!
b.
Without
religious duties;
c.
Without our
effort at all.
4.
God redeems
any and all, no matter how far away, or how lost, all by the precious blood
of His Son (Eph 1:7)!
D.
Building Barriers to Bondage
1.
New Ownership
(1Cor 6:19,20)
a.
Folks,
according to 1Cor 6:19,20, a Christian is not their own master – we don’t
own our future, and we don’t own our selves – not anymore!
b.
And yet, the
struggle with who we are, and what we want, and who controls us, is one of
the most violent struggles in all of history (Mt 11:12)
c.
You are
Redeemed: Great Bible word – means, fully paid off
1)
The picture
here is of a slave being purchased from the horrible system of slavery.
Redemption implies the buying back of something or the paying of a ransom.
Paul's illustration is that we have been bought from our slavery to sin. Up
to the point of redemption, our lives have been the lives of slaves.
2)
Someone
stepped up to purchase us back
3)
Where once
we belonged to sin, the devil and death, a Christian now belongs to God
4)
Gave us real
liberty, and a life – eternal life
5)
What we have
received is the most expensive gift that has ever been given to
purchase mere slaves. We truly have been bought with a price—the very life
of the Creator.
6)
Paul is
using this illustration to emphasize to us that, because we have been
purchased, we are under obligation now to the One who purchased us. As he
writes, "Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are
God's", he is imploring us to become holy.
d.
You Are a Purchased Possession
of God
1)
You are not
your own person anymore – that’s what got you in trouble all the times
before – going astray meant going your own way (Isa 53:6)
2)
If there is
a struggle over authority in your life (just mention the word submission and
you start a fight with a lot of people today), then it may be that you
either:
a)
Are not
saved
b)
Or, don’t
like the fact that with salvation, comes ownership
e.
You are
Owned
1)
Like a
professional soccer player is owned by his team
2)
Like an
Olympian is owned by his or her coach
3)
Like a
slave, who has been freed, is now owned by God!
4)
You are
f.
Build on
this ownership – He knows what he is doing, and He knows what’s best – trust
God!
1)
Follow His
will for your life
2)
Allow His
work in your life
3)
Love His
presence in your life
2.
New Discipleship
(Matthew 11:29-31;
a.
Continue in
God’s word is Christ’s command
1)
Some of you
got so excited when you got saved
2)
Started
reading the Bible
3)
Started into
discipleship
4)
Started
writing down notes from every sermon
5)
Then you
started cooling off
6)
And now, you
barely want to come to church?
7)
The Bible is
the food for your soul
8)
If someone
stops eating, they will only grow weaker and weaker
9)
Get back to
this Book – back to opening it at the
10)
The fire of
life will return!
11)
The love of
God will only grow then!
b.
Learn,
study, know the truth
1)
The devil
capitalises on LIES
2)
The only way
to tell a lie is by knowing THE TRUTH
3)
Jesus died
to make sure you had the truth!
4)
Study this
Book; Come to
c.
Drop the old
yoke, and take on HIS yoke
1)
Drop the old
friends
2)
Drop the old
late night habits
3)
Drop the old
clichés and old excuses!
4)
Follow
everything Jesus did – learn from Him and find awesome rest and life!
3.
New Fear
(Hebrews 4:1)
a.
It is good
to be afraid of some things
b.
Fear being
entangled again – messed up worse
c.
Fear being
derailed from God’s perfect will
d.
Fear falling
short of God’s Promised Land for your life – already going to heaven, but
the promised land is the place, the people that God thinks
E.
If you are a
Christian and you are Bound by or Controlled by any Ungodly Force, or
Addiction:
1.
You need to
settle your salvation
2.
You then
need to fear God and the result of your playing around with sin – AMEN!
3.
You then
need to saturate your mind and heart with this Bible – this will fill your
life with the Holy Spirit and will help you draw nigh to God
4.
You then
need to yield to the Holy Spirit in your life – He has the power to conquer
your sin
5.
You can then
resist the devil and he WILL flee (James 4:7)
6.
Part of Your
Inheritance in Christ is Freedom From Bondage.
7.
So Let
Christ MAKE you Free and keep you Free.
IV.
Conclusion
A.
God’s word
says that a Christian is not fighting to BECOME free!
B.
But every
Christian must fight to STAY FREE
C.
God uses the
words, “Stand Fast” to describe the effort on our part
1.
I see a lot
of believers struggling to get back up, after being thrown, and tripped, and
flipped!
2.
But I don’t
see many Christians struggling to just stay up
D.
We have
Learned About
1.
Blindness to Our Bondage
2.
The Burdens of Bondage
– the High Cost of Modern Slavery
(Deuteronomy 28:64-68)
3.
The Breaking of Bondage
(Psalm 107:8-21)
4.
Building Barriers to Bondage
a.
New Ownership
(1Cor 6:19,20)
b.
New Discipleship
(Matthew 11:29-31;
c.
New Fear
(Hebrews 4:1)