Today we conclude our study of the book of Galatians, discussing whether our salvation is earned by faith or by works. In week one, we looked at following the right gospel and not allowing anyone to manipulate the Gospel. To follow the right Gospel, we must spend time knowing the Gospel to be able to identify a false Gospel.
Last week we discussed living by faith and not works. The very idea is that you cannot earn your salvation, but out of love for a loving God, we start doing what Christ calls us to do.
And then today we will discuss living in Freedom, staying in step with the Spirit, and helping one another. As we start, take a moment to read Galatians 5:1-15.
So hold onto all of your thoughts from that passage, and let's talk NBA for a moment. In 1954 the average score of an NBA game was 79.4 points per team. They wanted more offense, so they started making changes to the game.
1954 brought the implementation Of The Shot-Clock. The shot-clock quickened the pace of the game and encourage more scoring. The League average in 1954 was 79.4 oints per game. In 1955 it jumped to 93.1. That is a staggering change that shows that athletes need to be pressured slightly for games to be more attractive.
1980: The Birth And Evolution Of The Three-Point Line. This was a complete revolution aimed toward offense and high-scoring games. Players were rewarded with more points for longer shots. The goal of the NBA was simple: encourage more offense and quicken the game to suit some all-time great players playing in that era.
1991: Implementing A Flagrant Foul Rule This rule brought a focus on maintaining player safety and punishing excess physicality in favor of offensive players. With the flagrant foul rule in place, defensive players no longer have the freedom to hack players driving to the basket. They were rules to protect players from excessive force.
All of these rules were put in place to increase offense. So now I want to read you Galatians 5:1-15 again, but this time the NBA version…
Galatians 5:1-15 (NBA)
For offense the Commissioner has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to low-scoring averages.
Look: I, your coach, say to you that if you accept the old rules, the new rules will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who agrees with the old rules that he is obligated to keep the entire old rulebook. You are severed from those rules, you who would be justified by the jumper; you have fallen away from grace. For through the shot clock, by the three-pointer, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of higher scores. For in the new rules, neither 2-pointers nor 3-pointers count for anything but only having the higher score at the end of the game.
You were running well. Who hindered you from trying for more points? This persuasion is not from your coach...
Alright, I’ll stop there… I think you get my idea.
It would be ridiculous to try and win an NBA game with 1954 rules. Instead, play by the rules that 2023 allows. At the same time, trying to justify yourself by the law that existed to point out sin when we have Jesus is equally ridiculous.
Here is what you have to recognize as we head into the back half of chapter 5.
Jesus loved you so much that he fulfilled the law that you couldn’t. So we step into that love, put on Christ and become new creations, and then show that love to others so they can do likewise.
If you are not willing to put on the freedom from Christ, you will be unable to show that same love to others actively. And to do what is coming next, you must walk in freedom first. Let’s now read Galatians 5:16-25.
Keep in Step with the Spirit
What was the point of the law again? To point out where we would fail, to reveal sin. The law revealed that we deal with sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.
So if we walk by the flesh and not in the freedom that Christ brings, we are still prone to dealing with these issues. But when we follow Christ and live in freedom, we produce new fruit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Now I want you to capture something in this passage. There is just one fruit we produce in the Holy Spirit. That means if we are in Freedom and stay in step with the spirit, we experience this fruit.
And this fruit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithful, gentleness, and self-control. The fruit of the spirit requires all of those things. So if we are in Christ, experiencing freedom and in line with the Spirit, we will begin to walk these things out.
We will never be perfect, but when we stay in step with the Holy Spirit, we can avoid many of these missteps. The what could have been moments. Work on the fruit of the Spirit. Seek to be more… Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithful, gentleness, and self-control
Bear One Another’s Burden
As we hit this point, take a moment to read Galatians 6:1-10.
We need to realize that in the family of God, we are all one team. So when we stay in step with the Spirit, we work together as a unit.
You cannot get weary of doing what God calls you to do. You cannot get weary of walking with the Spirit. You cannot get weary of living in Freedom.
It’s not always easy, but we must continue to do what God calls us to do. Every single day.
Lifting up one another, so we can live out what we are called to do. I have to fulfill my calling, and you have to fulfill yours, but we are to encourage and build one another up. So we do not grow weary in doing good. So if we keep it up, we will reap in due season.
And what will we reap in due time? God’s harvest. Not that we should ever be famous, but Christ gets what he paid for…
Do you want to study this more in-depth? Check out the full message here!