For Freedom, Christ Has Set Us Free

We Have Freedom in Christ

As Americans, we place high value and importance on our individual freedom. As tempting as it is to think of ourselves as masters of our own destiny, we are ironically slaves to our own flesh. Think of it: Our flesh wants to be comfortable. It wants to be fed, watered, and to be kept safe. It requires clothing and sometimes medicine. And while people can ignore a few of these things, it’s for a short time and with great effort.

Even worse, our flesh is quite selfish about this. It doesn’t really care who gets hurt so long as it gets what it wants! If unchecked, it will act like a beast that attacks and consumes everything around.

Fortunately, Christ has set us free from all this. Christ did the hard work of fulfilling the Law and then gave us eternal hope. Once we have this hope, we are free from our flesh’s desires because we know that Christ gives us the satisfaction that we crave, but have no way to attain in ourselves. He reconciled us to God.

So, then, we are no longer slaves to our sin but are instead brothers with Christ. This lets us be brothers also to one another, setting aside our fleshy comfort and serving one another in humility and grace.

Thanks be to Christ!

Here is today’s sermon text from Galatians 5:

¹ For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. . . .¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

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Announcements

Bible Study: Our midweek Bible study meets on Wednesdays at 7 pm via Zoom and is covering the book of Revelation. Our Sunday morning class meets at 9:45 and is currently discussing the papacy.

Historical Note: On June 25th, 1530 the Augsburg Confession was presented to the Emperor and is now accepted as the primary confession of faith by the Lutheran church.

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