Living In Liberty
Scripture: Galatians 5:1-14
Denomination: Baptist
Introduction:
- Recapitulations Philippine History
- The Bill of Rights guarantees important freedoms, but they cannot free a soul from
slavery to sin. Congress may pass good and useful laws every now and then, but they
cannot pass a law that frees us from greed, lust, and pride. No president, no matter how
powerful or persuasive, has ever found a way to outlaw death. Everybody wants to be
free, even those of us who live in the freest nation in the world.
- It is this desire for a deeper freedom I want us to talk about this morning.
- I want to look at a passage which has been called the Bible’s “declaration of
independence”---the book of Galatians.
- In the words of the apostle Paul in Gal. 5:1-15, God invites you and I to experience a
freedom which no congress, president, or Supreme Court could ever give, or take away.
- Paul tells us 3 things we must realize if we want to live in liberty:
I. FREEDOM COMES FROM CHRIST (v. 1-6)
In v. 1 Paul clearly declares the source of our freedom when he writes about …the
liberty by which Christ has made us free…
Christ bought our freedom by His death on the Cross.
It’s a freedom NA kagaya ng isang napakagandang diamond na may maraming facets
that shines in so many spectacular ways, depende sa kung paano natin ito tinitingnan.
It’s freedom from the guilt and penalty of sin,
a freedom to enjoy peace with God,
a freedom to love God and our eighbour as ourselves,
a freedom from death and for eternal life.
John 8:34…if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
But in the book of Galatians Paul stresses the Christian’s freedom from having to try to
earn God’s grace by our works.
You see, in the early church, there were some Jews who believed in Christ as the
Messiah, but they also thought that in order to be a child of God,
1) if you were male, you had to be circumcised
2) you were responsible for keeping the Law of Moses.
In other words, faith in Christ was not enough to make you right with God.
True enough, you have to believe in Jesus, but in addition you have to do these other
things.
Basically, they were saying you had to become a Jew before you became a true disciple
of Christ.
But Paul says Whoa! This will never do! Salvation is not about what we do—it’s about what
Christ has done!
- All we do is respond by faith to His grace!
- If you add anything else, you are putting people back in slavery!
- Jesus came to set us free!
- The principle behind Paul’s words is this: your relationship to God is based on His grace,
and your faith in Jesus Christ. Period.
- What this means for you and I is that God’s love for us is not based on our performance.
- God doesn’t love you more when you’ve been good, nor love you less when you’ve been
bad.
- He does discipline His disobedient children, and if you really want to, you can walk away
from Him.
- But you don’t have to be a slave to fear.
- You don’t have to worry that He’s through with you because you don’t measure up.
- He treats us as a loving father does, pleased when we do well, punishing us when we do
wrong, but always, always loving us, and willing to forgive.
Psalm 103:8-13 8The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in
mercy. 9He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10He has
not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who
fear Him; 12As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our
transgressions from us. 13As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who
fear Him
- This is the freedom Christ purchased on the Cross for you—freedom to enjoy a
relationship of grace with your Heavenly Father, and not a relationship of rule-keeping
and fear.
- It is the liberty of love—knowing that He loves you, and knowing you can love Him. It is
one of the most precious freedoms you and I can enjoy.
Unfortunately, some people don’t enjoy this freedom. This is why Paul also says
II. FREEDOM MUST BE DEFENDED. (v. 7-12)
- Paul refuses to compromise with those who try to less down God’s grace. Instead, he
goes on the attack.
- Sabi niya sa mga taga-Galacia, “okay na yung ginagawa ninyo, nasa katotohanan na
kayo, sino pa ba ang sinusubukan kayong alisin sainyong pagsunod?”
- You can be sure it wasn’t the Lord!
- Those who oppose grace are way off-base; they are not from the Lord.
- “A little yeast leavens the whole loaf.”; “Napapaalsa ng kaunting lebadura ang buong
masa ng harina/”
- Mag-iingat tayo mga kapatid sa mga katuruan na winawalang halaga ang grasya ng
Diyos!
- It can infiltrate your thinking quickly, and lead you astray!
- Reject their heresy, and leave God to deal with them!
- Turn away from this false teaching, and let God get them straight, even He has to cut
them off! (since Paul is dealing with circumcision here, I’ll leave it to your own
imagination to figure out what he means by the phrase I wish they …would even cut
themselves off! (v. 12)
- Talk about some strong language! Paul leaves no room for compromise.
- Mahigpit niyang tinututulan yung mga tao na sinusubukang nakawin sa
mananampalataya yung kanilang kalayaan
- You and I must be willing to defend our freedom in Christ, too!
- One of the jobs of a pastor is to defend his flock from false teaching.
- Kadalasan, may mga teaching tayo na nauulit-ulit na itinuturo sa atin sa pagkat yung
goal nito is to try to help us na panghawakan yung kung ano itinuturo ng Bibliya, instead
of falling for doctrine that sounds good, but in reality leads you into spiritual slavery.
- Kasi yung nagiging problema ni Apostol Pablo dito sa mga mananampalataya sa mga
Taga-Galacia – na parang bang muli silang nanunumbalik sa mga maling katuruan at
tuntunin.
- Galacia 4:8-9; 8 Noong hindi pa ninyo nakikilala ang Diyos, kayo'y alipin ng mga
bagay na hindi totoong mga diyos. 9 Ngunit ngayong nakikilala na ninyo ang
Diyos, o mas tamang sabihin, ngayong nakikilala na kayo ng Diyos, bakit kayo
bumabalik sa mga tuntuning walang bisa at walang halaga? Bakit gusto na naman
ninyong paalipin sa mga iyon?
- We have the same responsibility to our family, our friends, and our brothers and sisters
in Christ.
- Anytime somebody tries to weaken God’s grace, they lead people into bondage.
- Jesus died to purchase your freedom, but you must hold on to this freedom otherwise
you will lose it!
- Kailangan nating depensahan ang ating kalayaan na trinabaho ni Cristo para sa atin
dahil kung pababayaan lang natin ito, mawawala sa atin ito to the point na nagiging alpin
na naman tayo ignorance.
Gayundin sa ating bansa, diba? Our military men and women are constantly training and
working to deal with threats to our freedom.
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do
violence on their behalf. - George Orwell
- Freedom must be defended, or it will be lost. This is true in the physical world, and it’s
true in the spiritual.
- Jesus Christ died for you to live in the freedom of God’s grace; don’t allow anybody else
or anything else to rob you of this freedom.
- It cost Him His life; it is too precious.
But there is one more truth we have to understand about this freedom our Lord died for you and
I to enjoy:
III. FREEDOM IS NOT BEING ABLE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT, BUT BEING WILLING TO
DO WHAT IS RIGHT. (v. 13-15)
- Christianity promises to make men free; it never promises to make them independent. -
William Ralph Inge
- There is one great challenge to living in a free nation such as ours: you hear so many
people talking on and on about their “rights” but almost nobody speaking of the
responsibilities that come with those rights.
- In the same way, it’s easy to focus on the freedoms of being a Christian, while focusing
very little on the responsibilities that come with that freedom.
- This is why Paul stresses that liberty from the law is not license to do as you want, but
freedom to do as you ought to do.
- Sinasabi niya dito sa ating Hentil, “na ang kalayaan natin mula sa kautusan ay hindi
isang lisensya upang gawin yung mga na gusto natin, kundi pagiging Malaya na gawin
yung mga bagay na dapat nating gawin.
- Instead of using our freedom selfishly, Paul calls us to …through love/out of love, serve
one another.
- He goes on to say na kapag ginamit natin ang ating freedom sa saan dapat ito intended,
you will fulfill the law of God, which is summed up in our human relationships as love
your neighbor as yourself.
- Nakikita po ba natin yung principle here dito?
- When you live in the liberty of Christ, you live in the liberty of obedience.
- God’s grace sets you free to become His obedient child.
- You enjoy not the freedom to sin, but the freedom to do what pleases Him!
- This is the deepest, truest freedom you and I can ever enjoy!
- Warren Wiersbe writes “Freedom does not mean I am able to do whatever I want to
do.” That’s the worst kind of bondage.
- Freedom means I have been set free to become all that God wants me to be, to achieve
all that God wants me to achieve, to enjoy all that God wants me to enjoy. -
Do you see how marvelous our Lord’s ways are?
- Unsaved people say, “That’s not freedom!
- I have to do what He wants me to do” and they miss it.
- Legalists say, “The only way to get people to do what God wants is to make them keep
the rules” and they miss it too!
- But when you and I enjoy this magnificent freedom of God’s grace, we find the most
precious liberty anybody has ever known!
Illustration:
- Mayroong mag-asawa na hindi talaga nila mahal ang isa’t isa.
- Yung husband ay napaka-demanding, kaya mayroon siyang ginawang listahan ng mga
rules para sa kanyang wife na dapat sundin.
- Ini-insist nung husband na dapat aniya ay basahin iyong ng paulit-ulit ng kanyang asawa
bawat araw at sundin
- Among his “do’s and don’ts” ay naka-detalye kung anong oras ba dapat siyang
bumangon pagka-umaga, kalian ba dapat isi-serve yung kanyang pagkain, at kung
paano dapat gawin yung yung gawaing bahay.
- A few years later, namatay yung husband.
- And as time passed, yung babae ay muling na in-love with another man at di nagtagal
sila ay nagpakasal.
- Itong bagong husband nung babae ay ginagawa ang lahat ng bagay na maaari niyang
gawin upang mapasaya niya yung kanyang wife.
- Isang araw, nung naglilinis ng bahay itong si babae, nakita niya muli yung list of
commands na ginawa ng kanyang dating asawa.
- Nung tinitingnan niya yung listahan, parang napagtanto niya sa kanyang isip na kahit
hindi siya binibigyan ng kanyang bagong husband ng kagaya ng ganuong listahan,
ginagawa pa rin niya yung mga bagay na nakasaad sa listahan na iyon.
- Napaka-devoted niya sa kanyang husband, at ang kanyang pinakamimithi sa kanyang
buhay ay mapaglingkuran at mapasaya niya yung kanyang husband out love, not
obligation.
This is the freedom God wants you to have—to obey Him from love, not fear.
To do what pleases Him not because you must, but because you want to.
This is the greatest freedom of all.
It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by
religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ! - Patrick Henry
Are you enjoying the freedom Christ has provided for you?
Conclusion:
- Ang mga pinawalang sala sa pamamagitan ng pananampalataya ay tumanggap sa
Espiritu Santo na siyang nagbibigay katiyakan sa atin ng buhay na walang hanggan.
- Siya rin ang nagbibigay ng kapangyarihan upang makapamuhay ang mga Cristiano na
may kalayaan.
- Ang kalayaang ito ay kalayaan mula sa kautusan sa pita ng laman at kalayaan upang
umibig at pagyamanin ang bunga ng Espiritu.
- Ang pamumuhay sa ganitong kalayaan ay lubusang makakapagpabago ng ating mga
layunin at kilos at magbubunga ng lumalagong pagtatalaga sa pagdadala ng pasanin ng
bawat isa, pagiging mapagpakumbaba at gumagawa ng mabuti sa kapwa.
- Wala na tayong matatagpuan na mas mainam na buod ng pamumuhay Cristiano kaysa
sa sinasabi ng Galacia 5:6, “…ang mahalaga’y ang pananampalatayang nakikita sa
gawang UDYOK NG PAG-IBIG.”
- Now, bakit natin pinag-aaralan ang pamumuhay sa kalayaan in connected sa ating
paksa natin na maintaining the FOCUS?
- Sapagkat ang kalayaan natin ang magpapakita sa atin na kay Jesus na siyang gumawa
ng lahat ng bagay para sa katiyakan ng ating buhay
- Thus, the great reason na sa kanya natin ipo-focus an gating paningin.