LBC Sermons & Messages

Text: Galatians 5:1-12

Not only are we enfranchised into true Liberty through Christ which makes us indebted to Christ, we are then obligated to serve Christ. Our duty and obligation then is to stand fast in the liberty and be not entangled in this old world. We are to stand firm on the truth and not move one step toward the world and its philosophies. Our duty is to base our entire life upon the Word of God. When we do this, God will reveal Himself in great and miraculous ways and give us supernatural strength.

David comes to mind when he faced the giant, Goliath of Gath. Goliath laughed at this little boy named David but David told him that the very God who he defies shall indeed give David the victory. He was unwavering in the truth, never backed down, and God gave the victory.

Another unwavering man was Job. Job lost everything and everyone in his life. He went through great physical affliction. His wife and acquaintances told him to curse God and die. Yet, when it came down to it, Job responded, “though He slay me, yet will I serve Him.”
Paul himself could have extended his own life if he would have just changed his message a little bit and made it more acceptable to society. All Paul had to do was to recant and then not be so dogmatic about the resurrection of Christ and he could have lived. Yet Paul saw the fact that he was obligated to serve the Christ whom he loved at all costs. He was going to serve God and let God deal with the world. These three men, along with many others, stood firm upon Christ and they did not even have the completed scripture like we do. So, what is our excuse?

In Rom. 7:4-6 Paul reminds us that we are dead to this world and our sin nature and we are to serve Christ in newness of life or in other words in Christ’s liberty. Eph. 4 we are told to walk worthy of our vocation which is being set free from sin to serve the Almighty God. So, what will you and I do, I Cor. 9: 19-f.f. Will we serve God with Christ’s liberty or will we squander it on ourselves? Will we get out of the way and become all things to all men that Christ may win some?

We looked at Paul’s honest concern; now let us look at Paul’s continued care. Even though the believers had strayed in doctrine, Paul continued to care for them. He gave them truth and pleaded with them to listen to the Holy Spirit. In I Thess. 3 we see Paul again in action and continued care when the church of Thessalonica is going through persecution and tribulation. Paul himself has gone through great trials and yet he still takes time to encourage fellow believers. He was not concerned for himself but others.

Notice in Galatians, that Paul’s purpose was not for himself or what he could gain but he used his strength to push the Galatians toward godliness. Hebrews 3 tells us not to harden our hearts but to listen to God and His Word and to steadfastly hold on to truth and fight for it till the end. Once again, it is not about us but about God. It’s all about God receiving the glory and for truth to be upheld. If we stand on truth, there will be people that do not like us, there will be people that get offended, and there may be times of loneliness. We must keep in mind that it is about exhorting people and encouraging their relationship with Christ. We must not help people based on what we get out of it or what they can do for us. We help people because there is a heaven to gain and a hell to fear.

Paul’s goal was just this, to lead people into a vibrate relationship with God through Christ. I Tim. 6 encourages us to watch out for false and selfish teachers. If one teaches and it does not strengthen and lead to God, it is proud and leads to strife. It also leads to bondage. This is exactly what the Judiaizers were leading the Galatians into. It was all about them and taking care of them instead of
leading the Galatians to Christ likeness.

With the scriptures, there is no confusion and disputations. God is not the author of confusion, I Cor. 14:33. Christ also wants to give us the abundant life not chain us down, John 10:10. He came to give us freedom, Rom. 8:2. So, let’s have continued love and push people using the truth of God’s Word into a vibrant relationship with the Father. Let’s look after other’s souls and not our own well being.

This afternoon let us look at our response to these truths. Once again, knowledge should lead to a relationship of faith and obedience. Unguided knowledge lead the Jews to the weaker and beggarly things according to Galatians 4:9-11. This is exactly what false religions, sects, and cults feed on. Satan knows that he can take this knowledge that is unguided and lead people down a road of self-indulgence and self-righteousness. It is the job of those who know the truth to spread true liberty and freedom in Christ for “the Truth shall make you Free,” John 8:32.
So, then we are left with our response and our job as those who know truth. This by the way is not a boastful statement about ourselves but rather about God for He is the one who set us free and has shown us the truth as He will for anyone who cries out to Him. Remember, it is His truth and the faith of Jesus Christ not us, Romans 3:23, Galatians 2:16.

In Galatians 5 we are reminded of our job as truth bearers. We are told not to use this liberty to serve our flesh but rather to serve one another. The knowledge of the Father through Jesus Christ works in us and illuminated us to the truth, encourages us to have a relationship with Him, and then teaches us to agape` love one another.
I Peter 2:16, 17 teaches the same thing. We are to use our liberty to serve others not self. However, we are still human and prone to wonder from the Love of God. This is why we must have a relationship, not just knowledge, of the Savior that is growing and maturing moment by moment.

Lastly, Philippians 2 also teaches us to use knowledge to serve others. We are told here to esteem others rather than ourselves. Can you imagine if we could grasp this one? What a difference that would make in the church and in the world. Christ told his disciples that the world would know Him by their love for one another.

Once again, you and I are faced with a choice. We can serve our selves, or we can allow the knowledge of God to mature into a relationship that allows us to serve God by serving each other. What will it be?

There have been great men and women of God that have let the wrong perspective get in and ruin their lives. There have been great men and women that have finished the course and held on. It is possible. Paul is such a one. You talk about someone who lived surrendered to the Lord and was able to give out of great poverty. He once had it all. He was a Pharisee and lived very well. He had people, funds and anything he needed to live comfortably in the world’s eyes. Yet he gave it all up and surrendered to the Lord. Once he had nothing on his own, God was able to richly bless the world through him and his deep poverty.

David was a little bit different and he had to learn the lesson the hard way. He went from nothing as a shepherd boy to everything as a mighty King. He obeyed the Lord and God used David greatly in securing His people in this world. However, David’s perspective knocked him off course and he began to live according to his own desires. It caused heartache in his family and eventually cost him the kingdom.

Can you imagine what the Lord could do if we would pull together and let Him live through us. The Lord used men like David, Rahab, Paul, Peter, and others to change this world. He is still the same God today and He still has the same desire to see this world reached and transformed with the gospel of Christ.

This is why it is so important to first make sure you are living like an heir, sold out to Christ. God is searching for children that will recklessly live to bring honor to Him and one’s that have the faith of a child. What do you have to loose that would compare to pleasing the Father and receiving a reward in Heaven?

This is why it is important to support missionaries. Support is financial but it is so much more than that. We need to encourage missionaries. We need to pray for missionaries. We need to stay in touch with missionaries. They are a part of our ministry and we need to watch out for them and lift them up so that this world may be reached for Christ. So, what does God want you to do? Are you fulfilling that role?

Psalms 1 gives us some insight in walking and staying the right course. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the council of the ungodly, therefore, blessed is the man that walks in the council of the godly. Blessed are we when we seek out godly council and when we live true to the Word of God.

Blessed is the man that does not stand in the way of sinners. Is your life leading people to Christ or pushing them away? When our life compels people to come to Christ, we will be blessed. God goes on to say that blessed are we when we are not scornful. It is so easy to be a people of scorn and mockery today.

Then God gives us the key to staying the course. Our delight should be in the Word of God. There are so many things today that people hold on to, that we hold on to. They all will pass away and change. There is nothing in this life that stays the same apart from God and His Word. Why then would we hold on to anything else? When we hold onto the Word, we now have an anchor that will hold through the tempests of life. We have a foundation to build upon that will never shift or sag. We have a sure foundation and yet we take it for granted too often. Lord, give us a love for Thy Word and give us grace to stand unchanging in an ever -shifting world.

God then goes on and describes the ungodly or those who do not stand upon the Word. He says they are like the chaff blown about by the wind. What ever the culture dictates, they follow. What ever their peers believe, that is where they stand. It is not politically correct to stand upon something that is contrary to the culture. Then to stand unchanging is unacceptable in their eyes. Yet this is what God calls us to do. God Himself calls us to reflect the True Light of the world and this is the only light that people will see. People will not and cannot follow chaff but they will follow a light house that stand true and secure. Which will you be this year? Let us put last year behind us. Let us learn from it and then press forward and use the gift of time that we have being light houses for Christ standing proud and secure in the Word of God.

Moses lost his temper with the people of Israel. Try to put yourself in his shoes. He has helped these people out and is now traveling with all of them and all they do is complain. They loose their tempers and say hurtful things and they blame Moses for it all, Numbers 20. God gives him the instructions and Moses decides not to follow and instead looses his temper and smacks the rock. God still is gracious and the people receive water from the rock, however, Moses pays a price. This little incident costs Moses the promise land. Moses never set foot into the promise land with the Children of Israel. Eph. 4:26 tells us to be angry and sin not, do not let your temper get the best of you because then all
you have left is your worst.

So, what do we do? James tells us in vs. 21 that we are to lay aside our foolishness and receive the engrafted Word. Once again, this does not happen by osmosis. We must think and actively put the Word into our minds and into our lives.

We also must look into the perfect law of liberty and continue there, vs. 25. It does not do us much good if we only know the Word. That is what James is getting at. If we do not enact the truth in our lives we are like a man who looks into the mirror and forgets what he looks like. It would be foolish and most miserable.

This year, let us reflect upon the past 12 months and learn from them. Let us look at our failures and our successes. Let us learn and then forget as Paul tells us in Phil. 3:13 and press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling. We each have a high calling and that is to honor and Glorify God the Father in all that we do. In 2011, let us look at our reflection, see Christ, and bring honor to God.

Now let us look at another passage and glean what we can about being satisfied in God, II Cor. 10:12-f.f. Paul starts off by telling the reader that we are not to compare ourselves to each other. Paul understood prosperity in this old world. He was part of the Sanhedrin and very successful. It would be very easy for Paul to be angry at what he left behind for Christ if he was to compare himself others. Yet we fall prey to this satanic influence often. We think that if someone else has more than us, God is not fair. We think that the more we serve Him, the more we should have. Once again, this is socialism not godliness.

Second, Paul reminds us that we cannot measure our spiritual blessings in full while on this earth for we do not know the fullness of Christ influence through us. You never know how for a simple act of kindness will go. You never know how far a single dollar you give to missions will go. We must be spiritual minded and we must set our affections upon heavenly things, Col. 3:2.

Then we must make a choice to glory in Christ not in ourselves. We must live our live to lift God up and Him alone. Christ was able to forget about His own comforts and possessions in exchange for the pleasure of the Father. Paul was able to lay aside his affluent life in exchange for the pleasure of the Father. You and I can do the same if we would make the choice to be satisfied in Christ.

Satan will attack and try to lead us astray but we must stay the course. We must run the race with patience that is set before us, Heb. 12:1, 2. We must remember that not matter what happens, His grace is truly sufficient, II Cor, 12:9. lastly, we must remember that true satisfaction comes through Christ and is in God the Father, Prov. 19:23. When we are truly satisfied in Christ, we will have life. Many think that Christians have no life and we live according to a bunch of dictatorial rules, however, true freedom only comes with surrender and satisfaction in Christ. This Christmas, let us choose Christ. He is much more than just a reason for a season, He is a reason for our living.

Paul then encourages them to look to the past and judge their own actions, vs. 3, 4. If we forget the past, we will be doomed to repeat it. We must remember the past and our own experiences. The more we forget what God has done the more the wonder of serving Him becomes dull and insipid. This is one of the reasons that we gain strength from the Word. We serve the same God today that men and women served in the past. The same God who shut the mouths of the lions is the God we serve today. The same God that brought down the city walls is the same God we serve today. The same God that kept them safe in the furnace is the same God we serve today. The same God that picked me up and washed me clean, is the same God I serve today. We must never forget. Then we would be compelled to live a life for this great God.

Lastly, Paul appeals to the Spirit, vs. 5. Our job is to give the truth and then let the Spirit do His work. The Holy Spirit has been doing His job for thousands of years. He is good at it and knows much more than we do. So, let’s do our job and leave the Holy Spirit’s job to God.

Let me close with two questions. First, is there someone that God has placed in your life that is falling prey to the lies of Satan? Let me encourage you to give them truth and love on them. Secondly, Christmas is the greatest celebration on earth for our great King. Satan therefore works over time to nullify the truth. What are some lies about Christmas that we fall prey to?

Now how does one let Christ live through them? It sounds easy and good to preach but what are some practical steps we can do to get ourselves out of the way and live for Christ? Paul ends the verse I live in flesh, I live by faith. How can we keep the flesh and faith from mixing?

First, it is by Christ. We can do nothing except what God wants us to do. Paul goes on to say that it is by Christ who loved me, gave himself for us. It is mind-set. We live in a physical world, God gives us physical abilities, but we must do all to Him, Col 3. The roof is not going to just replace itself. We must do the work and do it well to please the Lord and bring honor to Him at every turn. How do you and I conduct ourselves when things go bad? How do we speak when those around us are not honoring Him? Do we take or make opportunities to witness with those around us? We must live in faith by Christ and for
Christ.

Second, Heb. 12 challenges us to remember the author and finisher of our faith, Christ Jesus. We are told to consider Him who endured such contradiction of the sinners. Christ is not calling us to do something that He has not already done and been victorious over. He can and will give the victory as well if we will just let God have His way in us. We must stop living to feed our flesh and our own desires. Then we must put on Christ and the new mind of Christ, Phil 2:1-8. We can do it, Phil 4:13.

I Thess. 4:1-7 gives us more motivation to live Godly. First, notice that it is purely through the Lord, Jesus Christ, vs. 1. You and I cannot live a godly life on our own. Apart from Christ, our works are simply a pile of dirty rags, Is. 64:6. When we work under the Lord, our works are transformed to bring honor and glory to the Father and He is pleased.

Also, it is the very will of God, vs, 4. God has told us how to live and given us the guidelines; therefore, we know how to possess our vessels. If not, we can look into His glorious Word and find out. God is not hiding His will from us as a game but He does want us to search out the scriptures and find His heart.

Next, God has called us to holiness, vs. 7. You and I can choose to wallow in the pig pen living the way we want to and feast upon the scraps that have fallen from the master’s table facing pain and tribulation with out the true peace of God. We can also sit at the banquet table and feast upon food that is not of this world, prepared by the Heavenly Father, and have the complete peace of God knowing that Jesus Christ is by our side and that we are being uplifted by the Holy Spirit no matter what befalls. The Father is pleading with us to choose the banquet feast. Col. 1:10-17 also sheds light on our walk with the Lord.

In closing, remember three passages: II Peter 1:3, II Cor. 5:17-f.f., and Eph. 2:10. God has given to us all the things we need to live and to glorify Him. We are new creatures created in Christ Jesus made in His righteousness unto good works.