Andrew G. Pittman
Sunday Morning (4th of July)
July 1, 2007

The Character of Freedom.
Galatians 5: 1, 13 – 18.

I. Introduction.
Which is more important? What is on the inside? What is on the outside?
How do we define a person’s character? By what can be seen? Or by what has been hidden in their hearts? There is a great biblical story that illustrates this fact…1 Samuel 16…The story of Samuel @ Bethlehem…

People of Israel demanded a king, so God gave them King Saul… Eventually, Saul sinned grievously against God and failed as the 1st King. God then selected another young man to serve as the king and sent Samuel the prophet to anoint him in his home town of Bethlehem…
When Samuel arrived in Bethlehem, he asked to visit with a man named Jesse in his home so he could look over Jesse’s sons…And at 1st sight it was obvious to Samuel that God had a great plan for Jesse’s sons…Eliab was Jesse’s oldest son and one of the tallest and strongest and best looking man Samuel had ever seen…This man had charisma and people would follow Eliab...He would make a great President and King… This was the one to replace Saul…But God said, “NO!”
Then Samuel looked at Abinadab…Not quite as tall as his older brother, but he was obviously a warrior…He had learned how to go to war from his great love for the outdoors. He collected deer heads and lion skins and even wore alligator shoes…This was a man who could lead the armies of Israel into victorious warfare against all their enemies…But God said, “NO!”
Then Samuel noticed the 3rd son, Shammah…Not as tall…Not as strong…But this young man had a way with words…He could sell ice to the Eskimos…He would make a fantastic diplomat and broker peace on all borders…The best statesman Israel had ever known…But God said, “NO!”

Why did God say No to each of these choices? We don’t have to wonder, because God gave us his answer in 1 Samuel 16: 7…

“Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

There is something very significant about that verse…God teaches us how we are to judge other people…Not by things on the outside…But by things that deal with the heart…What is on the inside…
Things on the outside can be manipulated…A person can misrepresent external qualities…For example, cosmetic surgery to appear younger…Another example, a politician’s lying about his or her faith…

The Fourth of July is a holiday that we remember the signing of the Declaration of Independence…The document that began the American Revolution…And guarantees many of the freedoms that we enjoy as Americans today…
In the church, the Fourth of July gives us an opportunity to reflect on an even greater freedom…The freedom that we have in Christ… But today as we think about freedom, let’s think about two kinds of freedoms: the external freedoms we have as Americans…Freedom of Speech…Freedom of Religion…Freedom of Assembly…Freedom to Vote… Let’s also think about the freedom that is on the inside…The heart of freedom…The Character of Freedom…

I think one of the best places for us to look for this description of Freedom in the New Testament book of Galatians…This book can be described as our Christian Declaration of Independence…Because Paul wrote this letter to criticize the false teachings within the church at Galatia…
These false teachers have been described as the Judaisers…They can be defined as a group of legalistic teachers who tried to control the doctrine of the church…They made the false assertion that in order for a person to be saved he or she must have faith in Christ, be circumcised, follow the dietary laws of the OT, follow the schedule of feasts in the OT, participate in regular Temple sacrifices as described in the OT…In other words, they taught salvation came from Jesus Christ PLUS the Jewish law…
Paul wrote the letter of Galatians to say an emphatic and resounding NO! Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone! There have been Judaisers in every generation of Christianity…And let me give you a warning…Jesus PLUS anything is false doctrine…


Read Galatians 5: 1.


II. Not Inalienable Right…But Hard-Fought Right (v. 1).

A. No one deserves to have Freedom…We receive it as a gift…As a Grace from God alone…
In a purely physical sense…Our freedom as Americans has been at risk several times in the course of history…One such time was World War 2…There was a crazy man in Germany who literally thought he could rule the world…Our Freedom was at risk…And we do not have that Freedom as an Inalienable Right…There were men and women who fought, who gave their lives (some who gave their lives in life others gave in death) so that we could receive that Freedom as a gift…
In a spiritual sense…There are 3 kinds of Freedoms that Xns possess…Freedom from Law…Freedom from Sin…Freedom from Death…But these are not Inalienable Rights that every human being deserves…God himself, in the Person of Jesus Christ gave his life that we might receive these Freedoms as a gift…

B. Freedom does not come without a fight…
Freedom is won by fighting…WW2…Cross…
Freedom is characterized by a constant fight, a constant struggle…That is why it is important that America maintain military strength…Because we must constantly fight for our Freedom…
That is also why Paul challenged the Galatians to Stand Firm…Satan hates Grace…Satanic forces are always at work against the 3 Freedoms that we as Xns enjoy…In order to remain Free, we must resist the advances and the constant attack from Modern Day Judaisers…Jesus PLUS anything is false doctrine.


Read Galatians 5: 13 – 15.


III. Not Indulgent…But Fulfilling Highest Purpose (vv. 13 – 15).
Paul warned us about one danger we face as Christians: Indulge the sinful nature. This is the person who thinks that because he or she is forgiven, now they can sin as much as they want. Salvation is like a “blank check” of forgiveness…This person says, “I am free from the law, so I can live any way I wish.” Or they say, “Jesus Christ has freed me from sin and has forgiven me, therefore I can sin as much as I want.” Now they may not use those exact words…They may say, “My God is a God of Grace, not Law.”
However, there is a second danger we sometimes face. There is a common tendency among us to preach about Grace but live like we can earn God’s favor. Like the Galatian Christians. They taught that salvation = Jesus + the Law. Some churches teach us that salvation = Jesus + the Republican Party…Or Jesus + Baptist Faith and Message…Or Jesus + Lifestyle, Theology, or anything else… This is idolatry! It is idolatry, because we have chosen something that is NOT God and elevated it to the point where it is just as important as Jesus. And to make something just as important as Jesus is to worship a false god…An idol.
On one hand, we might face the danger of indulgence. On the other hand, we might face the danger of Idolatry. But either way, we are choosing Slavery over freedom! Freedom is not indulgence, because to be indulgent…to do whatever you desire without any regard to what is right or wrong…is actually Slavery…Slavery to Sin…Idolatry is not Freedom…It is slavery!


Read Galatians 5: 16 – 18.


IV. Not Independence…But Dependence on God (vv. 16 – 18).

Paul described human nature in these verses in a characteristic Pauline way…A struggle between flesh and spirit…

Flesh is used as a symbol for sinful nature…Spirit is a symbol for life under the direction and leadership of God’s Holy Spirit…

This does not mean that you have a good side and a bad side…A good nature and a bad nature, so follow the good nature (spiritual side of human life)…You do NOT have a Good side…There is nothing Good about your human nature…Human nature is sinful!

Rather this is a description of slavery…To be human is to be a slave to something… The is no such thing as an Independent human being…Every human is a slave to something… Therefore, you have a choice…

1. Will you remain a slave to the fleshly, sinful desires of what it means to be human?

2. Will you become a slave to the Spirit of God? Through faith in Jesus Christ, allow your life to come under the guidance and direction of the Spirit. To follow wherever he goes…Dependent


V. Conclusion.

A friend of mine shared a story that I cannot confirm whether or not this is a true story. The story says that Abraham Lincoln owned a slave…For just one day. The man who most identified as being the President who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all American slaves, was actually a slave owner.
The story is told—remember this may not be a true story—that Abraham Lincoln showed up at a slave auction. He surprised everyone by placing a bid on a slave. Lincoln won the auction, and he paid the price for slave.
It was an ordinary slave transaction, except for one thing. After paying the purchase price for the slave, Lincoln approached his slave and handed the man his Freedom Papers.
The slave didn’t understand what was going on, so he asked Mr. Lincoln. “What does this mean?”
Lincoln: “You are Free.”
Slave: “What does that mean?”
Lincoln: “You may go wherever you want to go and do whatever you want to do.”
Slave: “You means I can go wherever I wants to go?”
Lincoln: “Yes.”
Slave: “You means I can do whatever I wants to do?”
Lincoln: “Yes.”
Slave: “You means I gets to pick?”
Lincoln: “Yes.”
Slave: “Then I wants to goes with you!”