Freedom – Freed But Not Free

‘Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “ Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. ‘ Galatians 4:6-7

This week Pastor Rurel from Crosspoint Church in Niceville, Florida, continued the sermon series Freedom, a study through the Book of Galatians. Here are the links from the previous messages:

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times; the church would be great if it weren’t for the people. That is a pretty interesting statement because the church is the people. It’s not the building; it’s not the chairs or the alter. The church is the people.

From the beginning of the Christian church, Satan has been working hard to keep people away from the saving grace of Jesus. And one of his favorite tools to accomplish this is people. And this is what was happening with the church that Paul had started in Galacia.

Paul was a missionary, and he planted churches everywhere he went. And it wasn’t long before people came in behind him to sabotage his efforts in establishing these churches. And the way that they did this was by propagating that there was more to God’s saving grace than simply accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Jesus said that this exact thing would happen, and it should be a surprise.

‘Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ” ‘ Matthew 13:24-30

I’ve heard that the most significant mission field for the church is right in the church’s pews. And not only that, but they are the hardest to reach because most people who go to church think that they have it all figured out.

In the parable of the wheat and tares, Jesus pointed out that there will be people who talk like Christians and even act like Christians, but in the end, their hearts were never submitted to Him. They will have known about Jesus, but they will miss heaven by 18 inches. The distance between their heads and their hearts.

Pastor Rurel made a great point today when he said, “Every evil spirit that Jesus told to come out of the people obeyed Jesus.” Legion requested Jesus to allow them to go into the pigs, and once Jesus gave that spirit permission, that’s where the spirit went.

‘Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces ? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. ‘ Galatians 4:8-11

“How is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces?

Why do we tend to turn back to our old way of doing things?

There are a couple of things to consider here:

We don’t spend enough time in the Word of God. I believe that this is the single most important spiritual discipline to develop.

Reading God’s Word is like showering our minds.

‘Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ‘ Joshua 1:8

‘“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. ‘ Isaiah 55:8-12

The only way that we will ever know the promises of God or find our identity is by reading the Word of God.

The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalms 119; its single purpose is to show how important it is to read God’s Word. It contains every human emotion and how being in God’s Word affects our thoughts and actions.

I’ve heard many people say that they avoid reading the Bible because it is hard to understand. We can’t allow this to be a stumbling block. A dear friend and brother in Christ of mine who barely had a 9th-grade reading level made it a mission to read through the Bible. And I have been blessed by his discipline, repeatedly sitting in his Bible studies and our daily conversations.

If he didn’t push through the limitations he had set in his mind about his reading; I would have missed a lot of great insight.

Make it a daily habit of being in God’s Word. It will affect your life and the lives of those around you in profound ways.

We don’t spend enough time in the presence of God’s people.

When we turn our lives over to Jesus, there is a work in our hearts, and being in the presence of other believers is vital to our spiritual growth.

For two reasons, some people need us, and there are people that we need. There is an insight that others have for you, and you have an understanding that other people need as well.

‘And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. ‘ Hebrews 10:24-25

‘I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. ‘ Romans 1:11-12

‘Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. ‘ Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

God made us in His image, but He also knew that we needed others in our lives.

‘The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” ‘ Genesis 2:18

If we do not engage in these spiritual disciplines, we leave ourselves open to any form of teaching. But when we have the Word of God firmly in our hearts and make sure that we are looking out for others and they are looking out for us, it will be hard to pick us off with doctrine that does not line up with God’s Word.

‘If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. ‘ James 1:5-8

Paul was struggling with the scenario that was going on with the Galatians. When he presented the Gospel to them, they accepted it with open hearts. The seeds had taken hold, and they started to sprout. But they had people come into their midst who began to pollute the message that Paul taught them by adding the dos and don’ts of the law.

They added rules to their salvation. They made it Jesus “+” instead of Jesus alone.

‘I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? ‘ Galatians 4:12-16

Paul does this on several occasions; he challenges the people around him to “become like me” or “imitate me.” I would find this a challenge. But not for Paul.

Paul talked the talk and walked the walk.

‘Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you. My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you! ‘ Galatians 4:17-20

This world is ripe with false teachers. People will try and convince you that if you are not prosperous in this world, your heart is not right with God.

Some will try and convince you that if you are ill, then you are not in God’s family. They were trying to do this with Paul back in his day, and it continues even to this day.

There is a statement that says, “Come as you are.” And this is a true statement. We don’t have to clean ourselves up to be saved by God’s grace. But true saving grace will create a change inside of you. You will be a different person.

You will desire to be in God’s Word to grow in your relationship with Jesus. You will choose to be around God’s people to encourage others and be encouraged by others. This will be a desire that does not feel like a duty.

The complete statement is, “Jesus says, “Come as you are, BUT I love you too much to leave you there.”

For us to effectively be a witness of the saving grace of Jesus Christ, our lives have to be affected by the power of Jesus living in our hearts.

‘You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. ‘ 1 John 4:4-6

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. I pray that You continue to make Your Word an ever-consuming desire in my life and that I get to know You deeper every day.

I pray that Your work in my life is evident to those around me and that it will help affect the hearts of those who You have chosen.

I thank You for the faithful preaching of Your Word every week by our Pastors.

I pray that Your wisdom penetrates my mind and affects my heart so that my actions, words, and attitude glorify You in every way.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️