Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:18 — 14.9MB)

5-22-2022 Weekly Messages

Meditation of the Week: Psalm 91:1-16

Text: Galatians 5:1-14

Word Title: God-Given Liberty and Man-Given Freedom

       Apostle Paul entreated the saints in Galatia with earnest heart, ” Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1).

        At that time, the Jews and all the Gentiles living with them were reminded not to be circumcised any more. As for the reason, he said that those who were circumcised were obligated to do all the law. Also, those who were justified by the law no more need Jesus, the Christ, became useless and fell from grace.

       Then we must realize what the Liberty that Christ has given unto us is. The freedom that worldly politicians offer to the people refers to things like freedom of assembly and expression, as examples, but the Liberty God has given through Christ Jesus means complete freedom from all sins, curses, death, and the punishment of hell. It is eternal freedom.

        The Bible is clear about why death comes:

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-56).

        After God gave the law through Moses, everyone born into the world has been born under the law. The Bible says that breaking one law is the same as breaking the whole law.

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. ” (James 2:10).

      Therefore, all those who have broken all the laws because of their sins are stinged by death, and go to hell through grave, and their souls have no choice but to fall into hell. In other words, it is impossible to see the glory of God forever and ever.

       But justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. To be justified is to be set free from sin, death, and curse forever through the Liberty that Christ gives.

         Then, we need to understand why, God gave the law that people could not observe, so that all people are born into sin, curse, and death.  and what kind of freedom God gave us through Christ Jesus?

          Apostle Paul testified with parables to the saints in Rome of  the grace given through Christ Jesus and through which grace he gave to all who believed in him this great unimaginable Liberty for eternity and eternity:

” Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” (Romans 7:1-4)

        Apostle Paul testifies of  the law as a naughty and tyrannical husband who constantly condemns and tortures his wife. Also, no matter how much she wants her husband to die, he never dies, and he never agree for divorces of her, so she desperately need to take extreme choice as suicide, but she cannot do it. How miserable she is!

        Jesus spoke of the Law:

” Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled..” (Matthew 5:17-18)

         Apostle Paul testified that Christ died for the people of the world who suffered unspeakably harshly from sin, death, and curses under the law:

“ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

        Jesus said that not one jot, one tittle, will pass away from the law until all things are fulfilled, but as to what it means when all be fulfilled,  saying, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.”

Jesus means by saying all be fulfill when he dies for all sinners in the world and resurrect the third day.

        He did this by imputing the sins of all people in the world into his own body, accepting all sinners in his own body, and dying on the cross to make all sinners die in his own body legally, and by resurrecting after being set them free from the law, whoever believes in himself When she accepts him as a new husband, he gives her his Spirit so that she could marry him. The mystery of the marriage between this mysterious Christ and sinners is contained in the words, “so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

      Apostle Paul testified of how he accomplished all the will of Jesus Christ:

“The Apostle Paul testified of how he accomplished all the will of Jesus Christ:

“The Apostle Paul testified of how he accomplished all the will of Jesus Christ:

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” (Colossians 2:14).

         Finally, Jesus Christ took care of the bad husband she couldn’t kill by nailing it to the cross and removing all the ordinances in the Law, the judgment paper that made us sinners miserable slaves under sin, curse, and death for the rest of our lives.

      One day, while we were wandering through the valley of death amidst the wretched circumstances of sin, curse, and death, the resurrected Lord came in through the door and proposed to marry Him. How thrilling and happy was that day when we received the Lord Jesus Christ, just like the Sulamite woman who met and married a prince as Solomon on a white horse?

        Apostle Paul continued to testify to the saints in Rome of this great mystery of the marriage of sinners to Christ:

“For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” (Romans 7:5-7).

         We have lived in extreme pain under the law and could not even die ourselves. We were living as  slaves to sin under the law. One day, we suddenly found Christ Jesus, who died for our sins and  resurrected. By becoming the Son of the Father, we enter into the kingdom of God where there is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

       Of this wonderful fact, Apostle Paul testified to the saints in Galatia:

” To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:4-7).

         To the Christians who have been given this tremendous Liberty through Christ Jesus, he earnestly beseech them not to return to the primary education they had been taught:

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, ” (Galatians 4:19).

        That’s right! Christians who have been saved and married to Christ are to fill their bodies and minds with the knowledge of the truth about Christ from now on until their hearts are filled with Christ and His image is formed in them.

        The Apostle Paul testified of the glorious day of the Rapture, when Christians, filled in the image of Christ, will appear in heaven for their wedding ceremony with Christ:

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. ” (Phil 3:20-21)

Amen! Hallelujah!