Pastor's Sermon
3rd Sunday after Pentecost – C (Proper 8) LSB #’s 913, 579, 848
Text – Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. STANDING FIRM IN FREEDOM If you watch television, you’ve likely seen the commercials where dogs are locked up in cages or chained to trees, while looking as if they haven’t eaten in more than a week. If you like animals, that sort of cruelty is infuriating, but the commercials are also irritating. They lay a massive guilt trip on us in order to raise money for their cause. In the days of Martin Luther, the Catholic church was laying massive guilt trips on people in order to sell indulgences. The indulgences were said to forgive sins & shorten the amount of time a person would spend in purgatory. The money raised in that coercive manner paid for the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica & the artistry it contained by Michelangelo. It’s a common tactic – using coercion – to pressure people into doing something they otherwise might not do. Whether it’s for a good cause, or not, pressuring people into contributing or conforming is quite the opposite of how God is at work in our world. Most Christians understand that Jesus died for our sins so we can live forever in heaven. What is infinitely more difficult to navigate is how we should live our lives before we get there. Sin has completely corrupted our heart, mind & soul. You & I cannot make a single decision without being pressured by temptations to put our own interests first. After all, we instinctively think of freedom as the unlimited opportunity to do whatever we want to do. In other words, we get to put our desires first. School is out for summer is a classic example. The students have been set free. An example that more closely resembles the life struggles of Christians is getting a driver’s license. Having a license gives you freedom to drive a car, but it is not legal to drive that car in any manner you choose. The driver’s license also places you under obligation to drive safely & in a manner that is respectful of others. For example, a license does not give you the freedom to run a red light. It does not give you the freedom to run into pedestrians who are walking on the road. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1 ESV) Standing firm in the freedom Christ has given does not mean lawlessness. That’s why our American freedom of speech does not include the right to riot & set things on fire. Christian freedom is not about my desires. It’s about the desires of God. “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.” (Galatians 5:13 ESV) The freedom we have in Christ was earned on the cross where Jesus died, not for Himself, but for others. The freedom we have in Christ has limits – we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Standing firm in freedom means that we are free of having to earn our way to heaven. What Paul is teaching is this: Christians enjoy true freedom as we walk responsibly in virtue. What does Paul mean by virtue? He gives examples: “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV) It is those attitudes or attributes which reflect the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Those attitudes or attributes reveal that we are standing firm in the freedom Jesus won for us. They mark us as children of God. They make known that we are living, not in our own power, but in the power of the Spirit as opposed to living in lawlessness. And, living by the Spirit is not simply doing good things rather than bad things; it is being transformed, by the Holy Spirit, to exhibit what Holy Scripture calls the fruit of the Spirit. Paul also gave us a list of attitudes & attributes that are of our sinful nature. “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, & things like these.” (Galatians 5:19-21a ESV) Those reveal a lawless heart, one that is not centered in Christ, but in self & in the works of the devil. Our sinful nature views that as freedom, but it is a freedom which destroys rather than builds up. It is a freedom that is actually slavery to Satan. It is our sinful nature that makes it so difficult to navigate how to live our lives before Jesus takes us to heaven. It is our sinful nature that makes it difficult to stand firm in the freedom that Christ earned for you & me. Sin has corrupted how we function & what we choose. That is what makes our lives such a struggle. We cannot prevail in that struggle except by the work & the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus made our salvation possible. His Spirit accomplishes that salvation in us. As we attempt to earn righteousness by our own efforts we are submitting again to slavery to the Law. That path leads to hell in every case. That is the path Satan encourages us to choose. He paints a picture of that path as one of ultimate freedom. By the grace of God, Jesus has made our rescue possible & He sent His Spirit to accomplish that in each & every one of us. In all the struggles of life, the work of Jesus is where we find rest. That is where we find hope. That is where we find peace. That is where true freedom exists, in the grace & mercy of the works of God. For now, our sinful nature still corrupts our heart, mind & soul, but it does not control our eternal future. It can only misguide us in this life. That is not to minimize the threat of Satan nor the threat of our sinful nature. This life will always be a struggle between freedom to sin & freedom in Christ. That’s why Christ came to overcome the world & the struggle we endure while living here on this old earth. The new heavens & the new earth are still in the future, where there will be no more struggle, no more tears, & no more brokenness. Until then, all we really have is Jesus to lean upon. Whenever we try to lean upon ourselves, or something we’ve contrived for our protection, then we are in danger. Then, we are submitting ourselves again to a yoke of slavery. Our freedom comes entirely from the call of the heavenly Father to find rest & peace in His love for us. That freedom exists nowhere else, & in that freedom our Creator calls us to focus our energy upon others. Whatever thoughts hold us back from serving others also hold us back from fully experiencing the freedom that our Lord intends for us. In the OT reading, when Elijah became totally focused upon himself, he surrendered to despair. God searched for Elijah & came to him to rescue him. In V. 18, God informed Elijah that there were still 7000 others like himself, who had not bowed to Baal. God could have beat Elijah silly with commands about what Elijah needed to do to be strong. Instead, God sent help. The Law is not meant to guilt us into serving our Lord or our neighbor. It is love for our Lord that enables us to serve Him & our neighbor. Without love for Christ, nothing that we do is pleasing to Him. What motivates sinners to turn from sin? The answer is ever, always, & only: Turn them into saints. It is the only way. It is God’s way, & it is God’s work. The fruit of the Spirit is the stuff that spills out from all who have the Spirit of God delivered to them by God’s Word & Sacraments. Fruit is not a precondition. It is a byproduct. It reflects the overflowing measure of grace that has been poured out on you in Christ. In this life it is only in that grace that any of us have freedom from sin. Amen. The Law of God is good & wise & sets His will before our eyes, shows us the way of righteousness, & dooms to death when we transgress. Its light of holiness imparts the knowledge of our sinful hearts that we may see our lost estate & turn from sin before too late. To Jesus we for refuge flee, Who from the curse has set us free, & humbly worship at His throne, saved by His grace through faith alone. Amen. LSB 579:1-2, 6. |
AuthorPastor Dean R. Poellet Archives
July 2025
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