Q: What does it mean that we are free in Christ?

Intro: Church Swindoll says in his book ‘The Grace Awakening’ ‘There are many in the church today who are killers. You won’t readily recognize them. They carry bibles and appear to be clean living, nice looking, law abiding citizens. M<ost spend a lot of time at church, some are leaders. Many are respected. But they are killers…killers of freedom, spontaneity and creativity; they kill joy as well as productivity. They kill with their words and their pens and their looks. They kill with their attitudes far more than with their behavior. Their intolerance is tolerated. Their judgmental spirits remain unjudged. Their bullying tactics continue to go unchecked. And their narrow mindedness is either explained away or quickly defended. Today  in many churches, millions of Christians are living their lives in shame, fear and intimidation who should be free, productive individuals.’

Intro: Bob George says this about the Christians freedom in Christ. ‘Whenever the pure message of God’s love and acceptance in Jesus Christ has been shared, people have raised the same objection: ‘But you’re giving people a license to sin.’ Actually, I have noticed that people are sinning quite well without a license, but that is beside the point.’ He goes on to say that this is not a new objection, even Paul brings it up.

Read: Romans 6:1,15 ‘What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!’

Q: What is Pauls response to the objection of cheap grace or that we have a license to sin if we are a Christian since we will be forgiven?

     God forbid it! By no means!

    George believes the Christian world is obsessed with sin. It’s all we talk about he says. Most of our preaching and teaching is directed toward getting people to quit sinning. Are you ready for a shocker statement? The goal of the Christian life is not to stop sinning!

ILL: To use the analogy of a starving man, George states, most Christian teaching is like a person following a starving man around and telling him ‘Stay  out of the garbage! Do  you hear me? Don’t eat the garbage! You stay out of there!’  But, when you are hungry, you will eat anything. The problem is we don’t give other options. Instead, lets tell the starving man where to get good food. Lets get him used to eating good food and he will not go back to eating garbage.’
George continues ‘The real goal of the Christian life is to know Christ (Jn 17:3) It is only in comparison with the riches of Christ that sin begins to lose its appeal.

Q: What is George telling us about sin and Law consciousness vs Grace consciousness?

Law, restrictions, do’s and don’t will never make you spiritual, righteous or joyful. The law was never given to make us spiritual but to show us our sinfulness. That is why in Christ, we live under grace and not under law, and in grace there is freedom.
Do we live by grace? Are we gracious to others? Do we live by faith? Do we love people..who cares as long as I am following my disciplines and the do and don’t I or someone else has set up for me.

ILL: George states that Christians are better known for what they are against then for what they are for. This is sad. This is not the positive message Christ came to bring. This is not the grace Paul speaks of. We do all the right things (right by our own definition) and don’t do the wrong things, so we feel we are good Christians…but often these individuals have not love for one another, especially those who are not living up to their standards of beliefs. When you live by Law you will never know peace.

Read: Galatians 5:1 ‘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.’

Q: freedom from what?

     Freedom from something and freedom to something.
     Freedom from sin and its bondage, from shame and guilt and God’s wrath.
     Freedom from the constant demands to constantly perform in order to please God and or others.
     Freedom to enjoy the rights, privileges and blessing of being in Christ.
     Freedom to live and experience a new kind of power by the indwelling of the HS
     Freedom to fully be what God is calling me to be.
     Freedom to let others be who God is calling them to be.

Q: What does Paul tell us to do?
      Why is this so hard to believe?
      Why is it so hard to do?

Read: Acts 15:10 ‘Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?’

Read: John 8:32 ‘Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’

Read: John 8:36 ‘So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed’

Read:  1 Corinthians 10:25-30 ‘Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if anyone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience’ sake— the other man’s conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another’s conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?’

Q: What are these texts saying about our freedom in Christ?

Read: Galatians 5:4 ‘You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.’

Q: What is this saying about Law, Freedom, Grace?
 
    Fallen out of grace. This is often understood or misunderstood to mean that people can lose their salvation. This is not the context. The context is law and grace. They have fallen out of the freedom of grace living because they have returned to the slavery to Law.

Q: What does it mean to have returned to the slavery of the Law?

    It is not those Christians who have committed certain sins who have fallen from grace. It says ‘You who are trying to be justified by Law’ are the ones who have fallen from grace. In other words, the very people who would maintain that you can either gain God’s acceptance by your performance or lose it by your failures are the ones this verse is talking about. Legalists are the ones who have fallen from grace. (George)

Q: Why are we no longer under the Law?

Read: Romans 8:2 ‘because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.’

    Through Christ we have been given a new law which not only gives us eternal life but frees us from the law that says the soul that sins shall die.

Read: 1 Corinthians 6:12 ‘Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is  beneficial.
                                           “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything.’
           1 Corinthians 10:23 ‘Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial.
                                             “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive.’

Q: What are these verses saying about our freedom in Christ?
 
    I have freedom for those things not prohibited in Scripture.
     What is not prohibited in Scripture may not be helpful for my spiritual growth.
     What is not prohibited in Scripture may not be helpful for the spiritual growth of others (I am my brothers/sisters keeper).
     What is not prohibited in Scripture must not control me in any way.