Pastor Dan Eddy
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Let Freedom
Ring!!!
7-4-10
(Enter sanctuary with words of sins from
the text taped to my body)
I. Introduction: Having true freedom
backwards
Do we as a
society have it backwards when it comes to understanding true freedom? From the
July 1st
A group called Liberty
Counsel filed a lawsuit Thursday to overturn a ban on Bible distribution on
public school campuses in
Mathew Staver, Liberty
Counsel founder said, ”How sad that on
the eve of Independence Day, when we celebrate the religious and political
freedom our forefathers won for us at the cost of much blood and great
sacrifice, we are compelled to sue to protect the right simply to make free
Bibles available to students in public schools.”
Is some people’s
understanding of true freedom all backwards?
Recently at the
“We
consider the Bible to be a very negative force in the history of the world,” student
Ryan Walker said.
Is our
understanding of true freedom all backwards?
Now many of us
may disagree with the actions of those persons or groups just mentioned, but do
we have it backwards when it comes
to true freedom? Do you see the Church
as an institution of freedom or one of obligations, rules and regulations?
Do we feel like
people living in freedom? If so, how are we free? If not, what is enslaving us?
II. What enslaves us?
Almost 2000 years
ago the Apostle Paul was writing to the congregation at
Paul’s purpose in
penning this letter was to show them that with faith in Christ how they could
truly be free in ways no other people can experience.
He pointed out in
verses 19 to 21 what enslaves all people (NIV): “Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish
ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” This is basically a restatement of the 10 Commandments.
Some
of you may be thinking, “I don’t know…doesn’t
some of that sound fun? Why can’t we cut lose every now and then? What’s the
harm? After all, can’t the Church be very enslaving with those words ‘Thou shall NOT?’ I mean doesn’t our Declaration of
The problem is true
freedom was never meant to be selfish or self-serving, because eventually my
selfishness will infringe upon you in a very destruction way or as verse 15
describes it as “biting and devouring
each other.” This happens when we,
as individuals, don’t get what I want or feel my “freedom” is being infringed upon.
And the sins described
may feel good at the time we indulge in them, but then we awake with an awful spiritual
hangover, yet there’s a craving for wanting more. And when this is played out
to the extreme…this selfishness brings total enslavement and spiritual
destruction.
Let me give you
an example of how this can happen subtly: In my three years here, I have found
something wonderful at CLC and yet disturbing at the same time. Our
congregation works hard at helping people like putting together fundraisers for
the Ruth House, or the Consecrated Stewards campaign, or supporting
missionaries Dan and Patty Schmelzer…the Food Pantry or other projects…but I
don’t always see much joy among us in serving. Often times I’ve heard people
describe it as an obligation. Something they feel they have to do. And as a result, people get burned out…dissension,
backbiting, and gossiping can occur…some of the things that I just mentioned can
enslave us. And as result, when the next project comes along, some people say “I don’t have time” or “It can’t be done” or “Why are we doing this?”
The unspoken
proclamation of slavery is “If I am
saved by grace through faith alone in Christ, why the hell should I have to do
anything good?” It’s slavery’s biggest illusion in convincing you that your
freedom can be used as a pretext for sinning and not serving people through the
Church.
In 1 Corinthians
6:12 Paul stated true Christian Freedom this way: "’Everything is permissible for me’—but
not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for me’—but I will not
be mastered by anything.” Paul is saying: “Don’t let your freedom given by Christ become
a pretext for sinning against Him.”
It’s amazing how our
sinful passions enslave and master us….wanting what we want instead what of
others need. Enslavement happens when you do things expecting things in return
or just expect things from others. When we don’t reach out with the love of
Christ we become inward focused and destruction eventually occurs. And Paul did
not want that to happen to you, or you risk falling away from their faith.
III. What frees us?
So if we recognize
that we are enslaved by our passions then let’s remember again how we’ve been
given true freedom. What frees us from our passions?
In verse 1 Paul
is saying that Christ has completely freed us. I invite Dave Isbrandt up here
as he will demonstrate how God’s Word frees us from our enslaving passions. If
you notice I have written all the vices Paul talks about in this text, and
placed them on my body. Imagine if each of these was a lead plate riveted to
me. Can you imagine how much I would be weighed down?
Jesus Christ took
our sins that weighed us down and He allowed God the Father to nail them to His
Son so they would not enslave us for eternity in everlasting condemnation. If
they’re nailed there, they should no longer be weighing us down.
(Dave picks up hammer, pulls sins off of
me, and nails them to a small 3 foot by 2 foot cross)
How did Paul
state it in last week’s Epistle reading from 2 Corinthians 5:21(NIV): “God made him
[Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him [Christ] we
might become the righteousness of God.”
The righteousness
of God is where we find true freedom. The righteousness of God is given by
faith alone in Christ Jesus through the Word and waters of baptism…Your
Independence Day…Your declaration of independence from sin, everlasting death,
and the power of the Devil. We have been freed from sin’s guilt.
That righteousness
is renewed this Independence Day in the Freedom Meal of bread and the fruit of
the vine which will soon also be Christ’s body and blood. A meal that again
drops the shackles of enslavement and remembers again that all your sins of
enslavement…past, present, and future have already been nailed to Jesus, who
showed that He can give all of us true freedom with His victory over death,
seen in His resurrection in the flesh on Easter morning.
What I proclaim
this morning is truth, and as our Gospel reading said Christ is the truth that
sets us free. He is the one who give us
true freedom.
IV. Let Freedom Ring….Living Freedom is…
So this means
that we, as believers in Christ, forgiven and saved by Him, now become “freedom ringers.” (Ring a ship’s bell).
The load of sin has been lifted, so we live lives that resonant the freedom Christ has given us. That what Paul was saying
in verse 1: Keep-standing firm in the freedom given to you by faith, and
stop-letting sin enslave you.
The load of sin
had been lifted, so we are freed to move…do things. Paul described it as
walking in the Spirit, allowing in you the Holy Spirit’s freeing power to serve
others, walking away from the things that enslave you and cause you to sin. In
other words, don’t let your freedom become a pretext for sinning.
It’s the
difference between doing good because you
have to…that would be the rules, regulations and obligations you have in
life versus loving God by serving
others because you want to…your
faith in Christ compels you to.
(Take fruits of the Spirit words written
on strips of paper, pull them out of a Bible, and distribute them to the people
sitting in the pews)
Verses 22 and 23
have the ingredients for freedom walking, freedom living, that you are to give
to others as you love them like Jesus loves you: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
When we serve the
Church as an obligation we fail to see that we don’t serve God for our needs.
Instead you serve Him to help other people with their needs. And when we can do
that…then you are living real freedom.
Let me give you
an example: As many of you know Diane and Julian Herth are in the
“Our experience
here in
Then she goes on
to describe a day helping the poorest of the poor in our nation…rehab their
meager homes or trailers, working in the heat digging
footing holes in clay soil, mixing cement and pouring concrete footings,
building decks. She described how a little girl in their group, Amber, would
heave 80 bags one after another for Diane to split open and mix.
And after that generous act of finishing the deck and stairs for this
family, Diane and her team left the family gifts of folding chairs for the
deck, chew toys for the dogs and water balloons for the kids. That’s living
real freedom.
Living real
freedom in Christ is visiting lonely people in smelling, depressing nursing
homes, and reading a Psalm to them. Living real freedom is praying for people
who you don’t like and then forgiving them for things they have done to you. Living
real freedom is calling an old friend you haven’t seen in church in a while,
and listening to them and inviting them back to worship God here. Living real
freedom is taking the $20 you would spend on video games or DVDs and giving it
to the Church or missions to help projects like Diane and Julian’s or for the
general mission of the Church. Living real freedom is turning off the TV, radio,
computer, iPod, iPhone, and spending more time with your family telling them
not just that you love them but what you love about them. Living real freedom
is expressing to others all the blessings we have from God…now and for
eternity.
V. Conclusion
Don’t let your
freedom in Christ become a pretext for sinning for against Him. Don’t live
freedom backwards. Take the freedom you’ve been given in Christ Jesus and let
that freedom ring in joyful service to others, because you know, believe, and
trust that Christ has completely freed you from your sins, freed you from everlasting
death, and freed you from the power of the Devil. (Ring bell) Let your freedom ring loudly. Amen.