Amazing Grace: Freedom, Part 1

Well, good morning. How's everyone this morning? Do you remember the movie Braveheart? The last word in the movie, I think the last word spoken by Mel Gibson, Braveheart. We went to Scotland a few years ago, my family and I did, and they actually had a statue of William Wallace.

You know, that's who Mel Gibson supposedly portrayed in the movie Braveheart, this great Scottish warrior fighting the British. And the statue of William Wallace that they had in Scotland looked just like Mel Gibson. But do you remember the movie? Fighting for freedom, but then William Wallace, played by Mel Gibson, is finally captured. And they're going to make an example of him.

And they make an example of him by torturing him. And ultimately, and this is true, William Wallace's body was quartered. And they sent each part of his body to the four corners of the kingdom as a warning. But in the movie, they're torturing him. And the last word he says is,

Freedom!

It was the climax of the movie. It was about all they had been fighting for. It was about freedom. And not even torture would make him give up that which he sought. Freedom.

In our own history, freedom has been an important component, hasn't it? Give me liberty or give me death. Patrick Henry and the Revolution. And even in our own day, freedom is a great call.

Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington, D.C. look forward to that day when in the words of the old Negro spiritual we can sing free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty we are free at last.

Where there is grace, where there is grace, there is what? Freedom. We started our study last week of the radical, liberating, demanding, transforming power of God's amazing grace.

And we talked about where there is grace, there is kindness for those who are broken. Where there is grace, there is no fear. Where there is grace, there is generosity. And today we're going to look at where there is grace, there is freedom. You know, freedom does not come easily, and once earned or won, freedom usually must be maintained with vigilance.

In Christ, we have been set free.

by God's grace we have been set free our freedom came at a great price the price was the death of Jesus Christ on the cross but by God's grace we are set free through what Christ did for us and today we're going to begin what is going to be a two-part lesson this week and next week where there's grace, there's freedom. And I'm going to focus on four areas of freedom when we find the grace of Jesus Christ. Okay? So get ready, let's pray, and let's talk about grace. Dear Lord, I just pray this day

that we will be captured by your amazing grace.

and that where we were once bound, we will now know we are set free. And I pray that where there may still be slavery, in any sense, that you will come to us today, and by your Spirit, help us to understand what it means to be set free. And having understood, may we grasp that freedom, and hang on to it tenaciously. never, never, never letting it go. For it's in Christ's name we pray, and for His sake, amen.

So in your handout, where there's grace, there's freedom. There are four aspects of this freedom, and I'm going to tell you the four aspects, and we're only going to talk about one of them today, but here are the four. There is first, freedom from legalism. Secondly, there's freedom from the penalty of sin Thirdly, there's freedom from the power of sin And finally, one day, there will be freedom from the presence of sin Those are the four freedoms that we get in grace that we're going to talk about And today, we're going to talk about the first of those That is freedom from the slavery of legalism That is freedom from a system that demands that we conform our lives to standards, usually external standards, imposed by people but not by God. Does everybody understand what legalism is?

Legalism is these sets of rules set up by people who then demand that we conform to those standards if we're going to prove we're truly in Christ. but they are standards imposed by people but not by God. When we find God's grace we find freedom and the first aspect of that freedom is freedom from human legalism. Now before we read the text of scripture that I think supports this view let me say this. One of the I've been teaching for a number of years now

when I get ready to teach a lesson, my greatest concern, my number one concern when I teach is I teach accurately the truth.

My second concern, which is close, is that I teach it the truth with love, with grace. That it doesn't, my goal is never to come across as harsh. It's to be, speak the truth in love. Sometimes when we prepare to speak the truth, I know, I suspect, I imagine that today the truth is going to press us. It's going to stretch us.

And you're going to think I'm about to step off the precipice into the abyss. I'm going to press us, but we're not going to step into the abyss. we're going to step into what I hope is, I hope you will recognize and agree, is the light of what it really means to be free in Jesus Christ and set free by His grace.

I encourage you to always go back and study behind me. And if you think I was not accurate or clear or made a mistake in what I said as you study the scriptures, please come and tell me. never be offended by somebody saying, David, I think you missed it here. I think this is where God's truth really hits. Rest assured, when I come here, I've studied, and I've thought, and I've prayed, and I've come hoping that by God's grace, what you receive will be the unvarnished

truth. Not truth slanted

to tickle the ears of the audience but truth that is designed to help us better understand what Christ provides to us by His grace. Okay. You with me on that? Okay. Well let's go, if you have your Bibles open to Galatians.

We're going to go to Galatians 5. And I'm going to actually read but I'm going to take you to what I think is the most important single verse probably in this whole book.

The book of Galatians has been called by some the Magna Carta. I'll remind you what that is if you don't remember your history. The Magna Carta of Christian liberty. The Magna Carta was sort of like the Constitution for England. In 1215, a bunch of the English lords forced the king of England to sign a great letter, the Magna Carta, that guaranteed certain freedoms to the people.

Galatians is Paul's Magna Carta to us by the Spirit of God to tell us about God's freedom. So here, verse 1 of chapter 5, where Paul writes, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Now flip back and read a few other verses with me. Go back to chapter 1, verse 6.

Let me give you the background before I read these verses. But I'm going to read a few verses so you'll get a sense of what Paul's saying in this whole book. Here's the problem. to whom did Paul take the gospel? Primarily to the Gentiles.

To the Jews too, but primarily to the Gentiles. But when he took the gospel to the Gentiles, he took it to a group of people who knew nothing about all of those Jewish laws and traditions and customs. They knew nothing about the right of circumcision. You know, all the male Jewish boys circumcised on the eighth day. They knew nothing about the Jewish food laws and all their rules of cleanliness.

But it became apparent as the gospel was preached that God's spirit fell in a powerful way on the Gentiles. and it became apparent that God did not demand that Gentiles, in order to be fully Christian, observe Jewish laws. Circumcision was not necessary in order to be a full-fledged Christian. Following their food laws was not necessary in order to be a full-fledged Christian. But when these Gentile Christians came into the church with other Christians who were Jewish, there's suddenly some tension.

Christians want to maintain the Jewish customs, the Jewish rituals, the Jewish laws even as Christians. And some of these Jewish Christians begin to tell the Gentile Christians if you're going to really be a full Christian, yes you professed your faith in Christ, yes you've received the Spirit of God, that's all good. But if you really want to be God's Christian you must be circumcised. You must observe these food laws. And the Apostle Paul says, Freedom!

And listen how he says it. Chapter 1, verse 6. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ. I love that word grace. And are turning to a different gospel, which is really no gospel at all.

Evidently, some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. If we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preach to you, let him be eternally condemned. These are strong words. In the original text, the Greek text, this is so strong. Let him, and forgive my language here, but I'm going to try to give you the sense of what Paul says.

Let him be eternally damned. And he says it again. as we have already said, so now I say again, if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally damned. Paul knows the heart of the gospel is at stake here. And he uses this very strong language.

And goes on to say in verse 10, Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God, or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Jesus Christ. and look at chapter 2, verses 3 to 5.

Paul went to Jerusalem at one point to meet with the Jerusalem leaders like Peter. And he took Titus, an uncircumcised Gentile. And he says in verse 3 of chapter 2, Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks To spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.

Apparently some people were checking out this Titus. Spying. This is a Gentile. Has he been circumcised? Has he not been circumcised?

Well if he's not he better be circumcised. Paul said we refused. We would not let Titus be circumcised. The gospel was at stake. Go down to verse 11.

When Peter came to Antioch, the place where Christians were first called Christians, I opposed him to his face because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, that's James the Lord's brother who was the leader of the church in Jerusalem, Peter used to eat with the Gentiles.

But when they arrived, the Jews from Jerusalem, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. Now this is bad when Barnabas gets led astray. This guy who encouraged Paul early in his faith. When I saw they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel I said to Peter in front of all of them You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew.

How is it then that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? And Paul really confronted Peter and Barnabas about this issue of following their customs. Now go back to chapter 5, verse 1.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. The first freedom we have by the grace of Christ is freedom from the slavery of legalism. That is a system that demands that we conform our lives to standards, usually external standards, imposed by people but not by God. Everybody with me?

Next point. The gospel and the Gentiles, the demand of slavery. I've already explained this one to you about what was happening. Must the Gentiles adopt the Jewish customs in order to be fully Christian? Must they be circumcised?

Must they follow their food laws? Or was faith alone in Christ alone sufficient for salvation? That was the issue. The gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul says, is a gospel of freedom. legalistic demands that have no place in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul urges the Galatians not to be enslaved by legalism.

The problem that was going on here is that some of these Jewish Christians were trying to win the approval of their fellow Jews. They were afraid to step out and say, no, these Gentile Christians don't have to be circumcised. They don't have to follow our food laws. Instead, many of these Jewish Christians, in order to be approved by their fellow Jewish Christians, were saying, yes, you must follow these Jewish food laws. Paul says, we're not here to please men.

We're here to please God. We're not here to enslave people who have been set free. Don't go back to slavery, is what he says. He says, in strong language, stand firm. Don't yield to these legalists.

Don't surrender the freedom you have in the gospel. And in fact, he cites a very strong warning about legalists. Beware of the legalists. Are there legalists on the loose today in the church of Jesus Christ? Chuck Swindoll in his book, Grace Awakening, says this, If I were asked to name the major enemies of vital Christianity today, I'm not sure but what I wouldn't name legalism first.

As I have stated from the beginning of this book, legalism is a killer. is his book, Grace Awakening. Legalism kills congregations when a pastor is a legalist. It kills pastors when congregations are legalistic. Legalistic people with their rigid do's and don'ts kill the spirit of joy and spontaneity of those who enjoy their liberty. Strict legalistic people in leadership drain the very life out of a church even though they may claim they a service. Our legalist on the loose today. Listen to the code of Connecticut. This is from our colonial era in this country. Connecticut was set up as a Christian state initially, but listen to some of the laws that existed in Connecticut in our colonial days in this country. No one shall run on the Sabbath.

Forbidden. No one shall travel, cook meals, make beds, sweep house, cut hair, or even shave on the Sabbath. If any man shall kiss his wife or wife her husband on the Lord's Day, the party at fault shall be punished at the discretion magistrate. How about Geneva in John Calvin's day? There would be no feasting, no dancing, no singing, no pictures, no statues, no church bells, no wearing of rouge, no jewelry, no lace, no attending any theatrical plays.

Chuck Swindoll in his book Grace Awakening talks about a missionary couple that went to the mission field. This is in our lifetime. And they went to the mission field and they liked peanut butter. But in this particular location where they were you couldn't get peanut butter. So they made arrangements for someone in this country to ship them on a regular basis peanut butter.

But this created a real problem in the missionary community because the long-term missionaries had determined that they would just give up peanut butter completely, that that would be their way of sacrifice for the Lord, no peanut butter. And when these new missionaries came and began to eat peanut butter and had it brought in, they were very much ostracized by the other long-term missionaries who viewed them not quite as spiritual peanut butter to serve on the mission field. And ultimately, true story, that couple, that younger couple, left the mission field because of the harsh criticism they got because they ate peanut butter.

We laugh, don't we? The Shakers, a particular group that identified with Christian faith, prohibited marriage and sexual relationships. They didn't last long.

no marriage, no sex. You're not going to last long, folks. About one generation is all you've got.

But how about today? We laugh, don't we? We see that these legalists are taking the freedom we have in Christ and handcuffing people, taking them back to slavery. They're sort of like the children of Israel got freed from Egypt and were promised the freedom of the promised land. Yet in their moment of distress said, we'd rather go back to slavery than be here in freedom.

There are legalists on the loose today who want to take us back to slavery. One year during high school, I attended a private Christian academy.

and some of the rules you're about to hear are rules that were enforced at that academy but then there are other rules that I have here that I throw out for your consideration. Are these not some legalistic demands that some people impose that say if you're really a true Christian these things you will not do and if you do them then you're not viewed quite as spiritual. No hair touching ears for men. Got to have short hair. Okay?

Some segments would say that. No facial hair for men. At this particular school I attended for one year, there were people as we went into chapel each day that were stationed at the door to check to see if we had hair that touched our ears or we even had the hint of a mustache or a beard. If you were caught, you got demerits and were chastised. How about this? No earrings for the guys.

All right, some of us, you know. We have young folks show up at our church on fire for the Lord. But he's got an earring in his ear, you know. So what?

Some Christians would say women could have no jewelry. If you wear a dress, women, and it must be a dress. Please, no slacks or shorts. below the knee. No holding hands with one of the opposite sex under any circumstances.

Only a coat and tie on Sunday. No card games of any type. Do you know in this church, years ago, someone was put out of this church because they were playing bridge. No gambling, but they were playing bridge. True story. No dancing of any type under any circumstances.

No movies. If you're a true Christian, you won't go to the movie theater and see any movies. No cable TV. No internet. No buying from any store that sells alcohol.

No contemporary secular music. It's not holy. No contemporary Christian music. Because it's not holy.

Certain beverages prohibited.

No alcohol under any circumstance at any time, not even a glass of wine with your meal. No caffeine, some would argue. No tobacco at any time, not even on the birth of your child, not even a cigar.

We've gotten to the point that when the pastors teach on Jesus at the wedding of Cana, it's such a hard lesson. that pastors are even afraid to say that the wedding of Cana, Jesus most probably danced and enjoyed a little of the wine that he made in such abundance for the group that was there.

We could give other examples. I was in a discussion with a group of Christian men one time and we got off onto some political issues

when I indicated I thought term limits were a terrible idea.

I was in a definite minority because surely, you know, and this view is given in some Christian circles that Christians will all hold to a lockstep view on certain political issues. True. In some circles that is held. Christians are against term limits or excuse me are for term limits they are for less taxes they want to get rid of the Department of Education there are some Christian groups that would argue those sorts of things that Christians must all hold to those views

are these not examples of legalistic demands that sometimes are put upon us am I right or am I wrong legalism wrenches the joy of the Lord from the Christian believer and with the joy of the Lord goes his power for vital worship and vibrant service. Nothing is left but cramped, somber, dull, and listless profession. The truth is betrayed and the glorious name of the Lord becomes a synonym for a gloomy killjoy. The Christian under law is a miserable parody of the real thing. So I'm going to press us because in our hearts all of us have legalistic tendencies at some level.

I'm going to press us today that when we were set free by the grace of Christ we were set free from legalism. A system where standards are imposed on us that people demand but God does not demand. in any sense arguing we don't meet the demands that God requires of us for holiness. But I'm talking about these things that are not essential to Scripture where Christ does not demand that we hold to a certain view or a certain behavior. There's freedom. Now here's some observations.

Isn't there a danger in this message I'm teaching this morning? I just went through this list of legalistic things that Christians sometimes impose on others. Churches sometimes impose like you can never have a drink of alcohol in any circumstance at any time. And I'm saying that is not a requirement of the gospel. Is there not danger in this message? The answer is yes.

Because there's a danger that people will abuse the freedom they have in Christ.

But I'm going to preach the full message. The message is we are free. At the same time, our freedom is not to be abused. And the Apostle Paul will make that clear in his writings. We are not to abuse the freedom we've been given in Christ and abuse it by violating his demands on our lives, which are his demands, not human demands.

But what I'm preaching against and teaching against is being bound by these legalistic human standards that Christ does not demand of us. So is there a danger? Yes. But I'm going to preach the full gospel, which says there's freedom, but then at the same time say, let's don't abuse that freedom. By God's grace we have been saved, and out of gratitude to Him, we should embrace what He requires of us.

But let's embrace what He requires of us, not the legalistic demands of human beings. Everybody with me on this? Okay? I want to be clear. Whether you agree with me or not, I want to be sure you understand what I'm saying.

This is what Chuck Swindoll says in his book, again, Grace Awakening. It has been my observation over the last 30 years that the vast majority of believers need to be freed, not restrained. And he says, yes, there is danger in this message of freedom that someone will go out there and abuse their freedom. He says, in my observation as a pastor for over 30 years, what Christian believers need today is freedom. They need to be set free from the legalistic demands that people have imposed upon them and have squelched the joy out of the Christian life.

They need to be set free more than they need to be restrained. Are there some who need to be restrained? You bet. But he's saying more often than not, They need to be set free. There are a lot of folks who are out there working to restrain, particularly in evangelical Christian circles where we take the lordship of Christ seriously and the biblical authority seriously.

But he says there are not a lot who are saying, you're free. You're free. Here's the third lesson or third observation. All of us sometimes need fences. So while we have freedom, we want to be sure we don't abuse our freedom and violate God's demands for holiness in our lives.

So sometimes we need to build fences to protect. Let me illustrate this. If when you go to the mall you fall into the trap of materialism, of not being a good steward of what God has given you money-wise, of forgetting the great poverty that so many people feel in life and find themselves in. And if you go to the mall and you just are a spendaholic,

well then maybe you need to build a fence so that you don't fall into the sin of materialism. And the fence may be, well I'm not going to go to the mall. Or I'm not going to go to the mall unaccompanied. Maybe I'll take a friend with me that will help me be accountable. So maybe you need to build the fence.

you build the fence of always taking a friend to the mall or not going to the mall, don't impose your fence as a yoke of slavery on someone else who doesn't have your particular spin-a-holicism. I can't say that word. Don't impose on someone who's not a spin-a-holic like you are. Do you follow me? We make the fences God's law. The fence is there to protect us when we fall into the trap, when we have the danger of falling into the trap of violating God's law.

But don't make defense God's law. How about this? The internet. If when you get on the internet, you just find that you cannot stay away from that chat room where you begin to converse with someone of the opposite sex and begin to develop this emotional attachment to that person that is injurious to your marriage relationship, then build yourself a fence. Don't go on the internet. Or you can get somebody else to put parental controls on your internet so you can't get to those chat rooms. But just because you need that fence, don't tell others, well, Christians should not go on the internet.

How about this? Alcohol. If you take a glass of wine with a meal, and you have the danger of getting into drunkenness, which is clearly prohibited by Scripture, the abuse of alcohol, then build yourself a fence. Don't drink.

Let's not abuse the freedom. If we need the fence individually, build the fence. but our personal fences should not be imposed as a yoke of slavery on others where God has not imposed that demand. You follow me? Everybody with me?

I was talking to a friend who was trying to talk with a man about Christ, and the man said, you know, I just know that if I come to Jesus, I'm just going to have to give up my beer. And I just can't bring myself to give up my beer. well I had two thoughts when I heard that story I had this image of this guy who was making this decision he's got Jesus on this hand and his beer on the other he's trying to decide you know my first reaction is Jesus is worth infinitely more than all the beer ever created or made so if you really think that's your choice the choice is pretty simple choose Jesus right

But then on the other hand, my other thought was this.

Who put the obstacle to this gentleman coming to the gospel of saying he could never have a beer? Did God put that obstacle there?

Or did some humanistic, legalistic Christian?

What's the answer?

our fences easily become barriers to the pure and unadulterated gospel. Here's the reason I am so pressing us on this issue today about legalism. I want people to come to Jesus Christ. And we build these fences that are our personal fences, but we put them out there as if they are God's law. And when somebody comes to see the gospel, gospel is way back there but they've got about a hundred fences they've got to knock down to get to the gospel.

We should not erect any barriers to the gospel of Jesus Christ that God himself has not erected. And when we do in trying to appear holy we are keeping people from that which is most precious. A relationship with our living Lord. That is why Chuck Swindoll says he believes if he had to name probably the greatest danger in Christianity today in evangelicalism, he would say it's legalism. Because legalism builds barriers between the lost person and the gospel.

The gospel is too important.

we sometimes surrender our freedom to please others rather than to please God. And I'm going to press this again. Let's not abuse our freedom. For someone who may have a particular problem with having a glass of wine with a meal, I'm not going to go, let's not go have a glass of wine in front of them and create a problem for them. But let's be sure that our goal in life is not first and foremost to please people.

many of us are shackled throughout life in our Christian faith because we live to please people and when we're shackled like this long term the danger is we will not stick with the Christian faith because all we view the Christian faith as being is a bunch of rules and regulations that all they do is squelch my joy in the Lord

we're not here to please men. We have an audience of one. At the end of the day, the question is, is Jesus Christ standing up and applauding how I lived that day? And if the rest of the world is unhappy with how I lived, but Jesus is standing and applauding, I'm okay. The reality is when we please Jesus, we're going to please a lot more people most of the time.

please Jesus first. Lastly, we're never to surrender our freedom in Christ. As Paul says, stand firm. Do not give up your freedom.

Okay. I close with a story. Well, don't give it up because it cost too much for us to surrender it. Our freedom in Christ came at the cost Of Jesus Christ on the cross. He bought our freedom.

Don't give it up.

You're free to come talk with me. And correct the error of my ways. After class if you would like. But I encourage you. To take a serious look at this issue.

And maybe. Maybe for us as Baptists. Maybe. For us as Baptists. This is an important issue.

maybe more so than for others. For others, we might need to be talking more about the importance of holiness and being sure we do live according to God's laws. Maybe we as Baptists may have the danger of this legalism a little more. I close with this story. Billy Graham went to the Soviet Union several years ago, sort of as part of the move toward some reconciliation between our countries.

He went and met with Brezhnev. You remember, I think it was either Premier or President of Russia, Brezhnev. And Billy Graham went over, and there was the news, if you remember, a lot of news about Billy Graham going to meet with the Soviet Union, the great evil empire that had attempted to put God out of the public arena all those years. And many were very critical of Billy Graham, number one, for even going, but for number two, when he was there, when he met with the Soviet leaders, He was very courteous, very respectful. They knew where he stood.

He was clear about where he stood. But he was very courteous, very kind, very respectful, very gracious. And that's not what some wanted. Some wanted him to go over there and just lower the boom. Graham came back from Russia.

One of his critics came up to him and he got up in Billy's face and he said, Graham, you set the church back 50 years by how you acted in the Soviet Union. You set the church back 50 years. Billy Graham paused, bowed his head, looked up and looked at the man and he said, I'm sorry, that was not my intent. My intent was to set the church back 2,000 years.

I want us to recapture the rugged gospel like it was preached 2,000 years ago. By God's grace, we have been set free. Freedom! Don't go back to slavery.