In these troubling times of  economic worry, job losses, daily struggles, high prices, terrorism and on and on……we need help to discern the right things to do………….the right things to do to weather these storms. Again, I encourage you to look closely at, and to begin with the Beatitudes in your life. These “inner attitudes” that Jesus spoke so beautifully about…. eight attitudes of our “inner heart” that bring blessings of peace and fullfillment in our lives. And why are these so important?

Matthew 7:24-27 ( TNIV )
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

 As we look closer at this great sermon of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, we come to see some wisdom that we often bend or don’t apply. Jesus tells us to let our “YES” be YES and our “NO” be NO………to simply tell the truth. This next teaching from The Sermon on the Mount comes from Matthew 5:33-37.

Matthew 5:33-37 ( TNIV )
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’  34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;  35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.  36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.  37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.[or from evil]

One of the things Jesus is talking about here is honesty. Let’s look at a little background, a little context:  It is interesting that just like so many times before, Jesus starts with “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago..”. It is also interesting that just like so many times before Jesus is repeating a common thought of the day and is preparing to explode it…. to say….”people….you have it wrong….let me tell you the truth”. So, what is it that they had wrong?

 Let’s look at what Jesus says here, “Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.”  Jesus is quoting a prevelant thought of the day that was assumed rooted in Scripture….but was taken wrongly. He is about to “fulfill” it’s meaning. While this thought is not wholy inaccurate, it is also not an accurate quotation of any of the laws of Moses. However, this is a pretty good summary of a few things we find in the Old Testament. Let’s take a look at these things:

Exodus 20:7 (TNIV) the third commandment:
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God…”…. We often remember the KJV: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain’”

Leviticus 19:12 ( TNIV )
12 “ ‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. …

Numbers 30:2 (TNIV)
2 When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.

Deuteronomy 23:21 ( TNIV )
21 If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, …

So, Jesus is saying, “Let’s look at this whole oath thing and let me set things straight!” In Old and New Testament  times people used oaths to affirm that they would keep their promises or that what they said was true. We do the same thing often today: “I swear to God”…..“I swear on my momma’s grave”……“God be my witness”….

In fact, what Jesus was addressing was the fact that the religious leaders of the time, the Pharisees, had gone to great lengths to address the “oaths” rather than the underlying principal of telling the truth. They developed elaborate rules and formulas for taking vows….. and those formulas that included “the divine name”, or a reaonable substitute, made the vow binding…….while those that did not were less binding. This was Jewish law.

Does this sound familiar? Remember the Pharisees teachings on divorce? The Pharisees had gone to great lengths to address the “divorce” part of the equation rather than the underlying principal of a God honoring marriage. The joining of together of two as one. The key point here is, don’t focus on what we can’t or shouldn’t do, .focus instead on what we should do.

Let’s continue to look closer at the next part of this teaching from the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus says in verses 34-36: “do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;  35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.  36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.” 

In early Judaism, people, out of reverence, would not utter the name of God when making a vow. Instead, they would substitute something else when making the vow. However……God created this earth and everthing in it…..everything is of God! The earth; the sky’s; the temple; the people….us. Now is the moment we’ve been waiting for…….Jesus, what exactly do you mean?

Matthew 5:37 (TNIV)
All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.[or from evil]

The bottom line is, it should always be our practice to tell the truth. Jesus taught us to tell the truth under all circumstances and we won’t have to make an apeal for credibility. Our word becomes a living testimony to the grace of God in our lives.

Remember the Beatitudes…….what Jesus taught us about our “inner” selves? What Jesus taught about our “heart”? Our mouth can only give up what is stored up in our mind.  A person whose mind is polluted with profane thoughts, a person who’s mind is focused not on God but on themselves, finds it easy to be dishonest. Because dishonesty seemingly often works to our benefit.

Dishonesty is always wrong. Jesus is wise in saying “be honest!” In the short run it may seem to be to our benefit, but in the long run it harms us….mind…body…and soul!

How many times years ago, did I take my kids to the movies and, to save a few dollars, tell them to be a few years younger? That’s not so bad, right? What am I teaching my children? Be honest only when it benefits you. Not such a great thing to teach the kids, huh?

How many times did I lie to myself and did I “justify” my addiction and reckless living by lying to myself and those around me until it was to late. “I don’t have a problem…everyone else has the problem”. Little did I realize then what the cost of my dishonesty with myself would cause me……it cost me so much time in my life, so many relationships, so much pain. While I have found a true love in my life……I missed a true love in my life.

Let’s look at how we apply the Beatitudes to being honest….our YES being YES and our NO being NO (Matthew 5:3-10):

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit………blessed are those who trust in God and don’t feel the need to have to lie to gain something in their lives (to gain money, pride, honor, power …or whatever it is that we lie to gain for)

2. Blessed are those who mourn…….blessed are those who see the wrong of their own untruths as well as the wrong of untruths told by others and how it hurts them.

3. Blessed are the meek……..blessed are those who are strong in Christ and who don’t feel the need to lie to increase their status or something in their life….blessed are those who accept who they are and accept their wrongdoing by relying on God.

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…….blessed are those who hunger to be truthful, honest, and to be stand behind their word.

5. Blessed are the merciful…….blessed are those who help their friends and family around them to see the great truths of God’s Words.

6. Blessed are the pure in heart….blessed are those who have discovered these truths, have put them to the test and who live their lives in God’s will.

7. Blessed are the peacemakers……blessed are those who despite the untruths of others seek to not hate but to show Christ love.

8. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness ……blessed are those who stand strong in who they are in truth and in spirit, and don’t allow those who would make fun of them for being honest  or truthfull to dull their spirit or to lead them down the wrong path.

What Jesus emphasized in his teaching was that honest people do not need to resort to oaths. It was not that they should refuse to take an oath if required by some “external authority” to do so, but that our YES should be YES and our NO should be NO. How does this teaching contribute to our stability in times of pressure as Jesus promised?   The answer can be found later in the Sermon on the Mount….in Matthew 7

Matthew 7:21-24 ( TNIV )
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven [remember, this is not just the place we go when we die….but is also right here among us, the kingdom is right here, right now…should we choose to live in this kingdom with Jesus, indeed God, king in our life], but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven. 

22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ [in other words….many will say….but I did such good things all my life] 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 

By eliminating the contamination of lying and untruthfullness we develop a strong, pure basis for our lives. When the storms come, we will respond as the disciples did in the storm at sea in Matthew 8:23-27

Matthew 8:23-27 ( TNIV )
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.  24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.  25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

The point is that when we eliminate lying and untruthfullness ………..when our YES is YES and our NO is NO…………we gain strength in Christ. We gain strength in who we are. The waves and the storms in our lives become calmer. 

I have trust and faith that God will bless the truth. How can God bless us if our hearts are full of lies? Let your YES be YES ….and your NO be NO.

This man came to his lawyer to seek a divorce. The lawyer asked him, “Do you have any Grounds? The man replied, “About three acres. “
The lawyer tried again, “No, I mean do you have a Grudge? The man said, “No, but we have a carport. “
The lawyer made one last effort: “Are you really sure you want a divorce?” The man told him, “No, I don’t but my wife does. She says we can’t communicate!”

Today, again, we are looking at verses that may cause many of us to be uncomfortable. But  please, look at this closely…….and hear ALL that God is saying.

 Matthew 5:31-32 ( TNIV )
31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus was teaching the disciples , His listeners, and us, about how…. so very often….. we  mis-intrepret God’s wisdom or place the focus in the wrong place. Here again He speaks to the disciples about that misplaced focus. The primary message that Jesus is conveying here to us is that God’s plan, what He knows is best for us, is that when a man and a woman come together…..it is a special relationship of marital commitment. In fairness to those of you who are single it is possible and indeed practical to live a pure. meaningful life, without marriage. However, for those who choose to marry it is important to understand that God intends it to be for life.

Let me first take you on a small journey through Scripture. This Scripture was not so easy for me…especially because I am “a used husband”…I’m divorced. However, I realized that I needed to gleen God’s wisdom and accept it no matter what I have done in my past because truth is truth whether I want to believe it or not. I hope you would agree that one of the greatest emotional pains that someone can experience often comes from the breakup of a marriage.

In the 1700’s in the book, “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” by Edward Gibbons it is reported that one of the primary reasons for the decline and fall of this empire was, “The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society.”

 The splitting of a relationship and the bitterness that engulfs peoples lives…. the splitting of this relationship that God intended to be lifelong and fulfilling…….. is one of the greatest tragedies that I know because everyone get’s hurt: adults…children….friendships and family relationships. ….all often suffer.

Jesus, in His widom and teaching from Matthew 5:31-32, seems to be talking here about divorce. However, I believe that the thrust of what He shares with us is actually about marriage.He is talking more about God’s intention for us in the marriage relationship to join together as one ……to join together as one flesh. Jesus is also talking about the  “devient treatment” of God’s intention  for marriage by the Pharisees (the religous leaders in ancient Israel). We can come up with a million reasons why a marriage should be disolved by divorce however, what we should focus on is “the million ways to work at keeping these relationships together…and healthy.”

Let’s look at where, I believe, the thrust of what Jesus is saying in the Sermon on the Mount comes from. In order to fully understand what Jesus is teaching us we need to look at what Jesus taught about divorce in the larger context. This can be found in Matthew 19:3-9:

Matthew 19:3-9 ( TNIV )
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’[this comes from Genesis 1:27] 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’[this comes from Genesis 2:24] ?  6 So they are no longer two,…………. but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.  9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

So basically what I see here is that, as people, we often focus on the divorce part and not the beauty of God’s plan….the joining of two people…a man and a woman….as one. There is almost no unhappiness so painful as the unhappiness of an unhappy marriage and almost no tragedy so great as the degeneration of what God wants for us……..a relationship of love and fullfilment……… a degeneration into a “non-relationship” of bitterness, discord and despair. Likewise, I have found that there is almost no greater joy and fullfillment than a happy marriage. 

I know that right now there are many things going through your minds….the same things that have gone through mine…. ”Hold on, wait a minute, it’s not that easy!”….. you’re right…..it’s not that easy.

It seems that the prevelent attitude today (I would say that it is an irresponsible attitude) towards marriage is not God’s plan…..it’s less of an attitude of a life long commitment and more of an attitude of “what can you do for ME”. Remember the third Beatitude (Matthew 5:5): “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” ? We have talked about worldy wisdom and Godly wisdom before….this is another case of that contrast……worldly wisdom centers on “ME”….Godly wisdom centers on Him and OTHERS.

The attitudes that say “I’m not happy; we’re not compatible; he (or she) doesn’t meet my needs” are shallow and ”ME” centered. It is important for us to understand God’s ideal.  This ideal is clearly stated in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.  The apostle Paul is talking:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ( TNIV )
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails…..

Two normal people committed to these principals cannot help but find pleasure, happiness, and love for each other. Remember the fourth Beatitude (Matthew 5: 6): “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” ?  Married couples who habitually date and court each other will find their love growing deeper.

Jesus specializes in mending broken lives….. even those fractured by divorce. Notice God’s attitude toward failure.He never asked how they got into trouble…….He knows. He never leaves broken people where He finds them. He moves people from where they are to a higher level of living.

You can see this in the story of the Woman at the well. (John 4)

John 4: 13-18 ( TNIV )
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

It is interesting that this woman recognized that Jesus was the Messiah:

John 4:25-26 ( TNIV )
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”

For those of you that are like me and for whatever reason have a divorce in their past…….don’t dwell on the past but look to the future. Divorce is forgivable but like any sin in our lives it must not become habitual. Look at what Jesus says to the woman caught in adultry that was about to be stoned for her sin…..

John 8:11 ( TNIV )
11…… “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” 

Some married couples live in emotional divorce and that also is not God’s plan. This occures when they live together but do not share a love for each other. I believe that the cure for this is to live in Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3. God gives us His wisdom…we need only to apply it to reap the blessing. These two full chapters are so important and strong in the wisdom of our daily life…….let me share two short excerpts out of those chapters:

Ephesians 5:8-10 ( TNIV )
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light  9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.

Colossians 3:12-15 ( TNIV )
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  

There is no room for divorce in a committed Christian home. Remember Matthew 5:23:

 <<– Officiating my daughters wedding….what a blessing

Matthew 5:23-24 ( TNIV )
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,  24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to that person; then come and offer your gift.

Remember the seventh Beatitude (Matthew 5: 6): “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”

What would our life be like if we were to apply the wisdom of the teachings of Jesus about our inner self, our inner heart……the Beatitudes? The bottom line comes from the fact that our relationship with God will determine the quality of our relationship with not only that special person in our life that we are joined together with in marriage, but also in all of our relationships.

Each week I prepare a devotional for our Leadership/Staff Meeting. This week I was asked to look closer at “encouragement”. My encouragement to you is that you apply God’s Word to your life….as you not only believe….but follow Jesus each and every day…….my encouragement toi you is that you will see a transformation and find hope that wasn’t there before.

How can we encourage others?
It is encouragment to others to work along side them, to have them involved. It is more than “hollow” praise….it is praise in action. Barnabas was a great encourager. When we encourage others they see Christ in us and ultimately see Christ in themselves…..the key is…..encouragement helps others see Jesus.

Acts 11:23-24 ( TNIV )
23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.  24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

Hebrews 10:24-25 ( TNIV )
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Encouragement is personal and relational. It affirms others work and the work theyare doing for God.

Philippians 1:3-6 ( TNIV )
3 I thank my God every time I remember you.  4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

As leaders, we see people who struggle and often struggle ourselves. Encouragement given and received gives us strength from the compassion we experience.

1 Samuel 23:16 ( TNIV )
16 And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. 

How do we communicate encouragement?
Words are like that double edged sword….they can both help and hinder encouragement. Choose our words wisely and use words and thoughts that are uplifting.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ( TNIV )
11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 

Ephesians 4:29 ( TNIV )
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 

God’s promise to us:
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 ( TNIV )
16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,  17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

Grace and Grits June 24th, 2009……LifePoint serves with a heart like Jesus!

Harry Houdini was the greatest of escape artist. One time he issued a challenge, a challenge that he could be locked in any jail cell in the country and that he would be able to set himself free pretty quickly. And he always kept his promise. But on one occasion……. something went wrong. Houdini  entered  the jail in his street clothes. The heavy, metal doors clanged shut  behind him.

He took from his belt a concealed piece of metal and started working with it right away, but something seemed to be unusual about this lock. For thirty minutes he worked and got nowhere. An hour passed, and still he had not opened the door. By now he was sweatin’ and concerned…… but he still could not pick the lock. Finally, Houdini collapsed in “frustration and failure” against the door that he couldn’t unlock. When he fell against the door…..  it swung open! It had never been locked at all! But in his mind it was locked……… and that was all it took to keep him from opening the door and walking out of the jail cell.

Our “freedom” is often like this. …….. it’s there…. waiting for us to simply choose to open the door….but in our mind the door is locked…and that’s all it takes for us not to do what’s right!

Freedom is important to us. Our country was founded on freedom…….political freedom, economic freedom, social freedom and most of all we cherish the freedom of our own will. But I think so very often, in a similar way to Harry Houdini, we don’t realize that true freedom is so close….that the door is unlocked, just waiting for us to go through. Something else we don’t realize, freedom is not the power to do what ever “WE” want to do….that‘s what the world tells us……..Freedom is doing what we “OUGHT TO DO”, what God would have us do in our lives.

When you go to Philadelphia you can see the liberty Bell. You can run your hand over the surface of this “symbol” of our freedom here in America. The Liberty Bell is scared and has been through so much. When you look at the Liberty Bell, you sense something of the history of our United States. It’s a treasured relic of America’s earliest days. Interestingly enough, on this symbol of our freedom are these words from Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof”.

The apostle Paul proclaimed that freedom, “true freedom”, throughout the land. In speaking to the church at Corinth he said in 2 Corinthians 3:17 “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”. The Freedom that the apostle Paul described is a special freedom…it is true freedom for our lives. We’re going to look at that freedom today.

Christian Freedom…TRUE FREEDOM….. means freedom to do the right thing. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the gathering of Christ Followers at Galatia, tells them, and us in Galations, chapter  5,  all about this freedom.

Galatians 5:1-4 ( TNIV )
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.

So the apostle Paul is telling us here that Jesus has already set us free……..free from what?    Jesus has set us free from the slavery of our own sinful desires. While we can’t be sinless, we can learn to free ourselves from slavery to those sinful desires. First…….Jesus paid the price for our sin on the cross. And second….Jesus, indeed God, shares with us right here in His Words what it takes to live a fulfilled life of freedom. The door is actually open, it’s not locked. It’s often only in our mind that it’s locked!

Paul goes on to say: 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.  3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.  
 
Paul here is talking about “The Law”……. the bondage to the Old Testament  Law….not the wisdom of God’s Words, but the ritualistic following of His wisdom. When Paul is talking about circumcision here we have to realize that like many things….it was an outward sign of an inner covenenant with God. However, the religious leaders of the day, and often people, had turned it into a ritualistic action of saving grace. While these rituals are well-meaning and symbolic….God teaches us in Scripture that salvation is not found in these things……..

Paul is saying that the ritual itself will do nothing ……..it’s living in the freedom of Christ that will save us….loving God and loving each other.

How many people have their “ticket” to heaven?…..there is no ticket! God wants us to live each and every day….passionate lives, loving Him and loving those around us! And in doing this we willl have freedom. We will have an eternity with Him as we follow Christ…….we find true freedom. We choose to live in the kingdom of heaven….the kingdom of God….with Jesus as king in our lives….but there is no ticket……It’s more of a passport………a passport records where you’ve been and opens the door to where you are going.

Paul goes on: 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 

What is Paul saying here?  First….let’s look at this word we translate as “FREEDOM”. The Greek word is eleutheria [el-yoo-ther-ee-ah] and it has the meaning in Greek of “liberty”. In fact this word in other places in Scripture is often translated as “liberty”. Eleutheria  also carries with it the thought of a liberty of “living as we SHOULD…..not as WE please”. Second, let’s look at this whole thing about the bondage of the Law:

Again, Paul says in verse 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.  

In that day, and often in this day as well, the emphasis by the religious leaders was to follow the law by the letter, not so much in concept….but by the letter. This is why Paul says, “do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery”. He’s talking about being bound by the yoke of the Old Testament Law. Now let me explain what he is talking about. Maybe this will make it clearer:

I have a financial assistant, Bobbie, that I trained to help with the tedious task of handling, reporting and entering all the financial transactions here at LifePoint so that we can see clearly what we are doing with God’s money….. so that we can be good stewards and do the right thing. When Bobbie first started, she made endless list of procedures  and rules for how we enter the thousands of transactions we deal with each month. I told her that “this was okay”…..it was okay to document these procedures, in fact it is a good thing and helps in learning. However, what I wanted more was for her to learn the CONCEPTS of what we were doing. Why?

One…..so she could make decisions on her own and not be “bound” to the procedures. So that she could do the right thing and when a situation arises that is not  “standard” or clearly spelled out. So she would know how to handle it on her own.

Two….I wanted her to feel the fullfillment of knowing what the right thing was to do, not just know how to follow a list of rules that is. while helpful, kind of “hollow” when it comes to truly knowing how to do the right thing.

Three….I want her to truly know how to do the right thing and not feel the frustration of doing the wrong thing when she is faced with making decisions.

So…the procedures, the rules, the LAW, is important. But it should not be our emphasis as much as the underlying emphasis of the concepts. I believe that this is what Jesus meant when He said that He came to “fulfill the law”. God doesn’t want us to be slaves to “the law”….He wants us to be free to do what is right.

NOW AT THIS POINT HERE….maybe you realize that the door is actually open…..and it is only in your mind that it is locked……..let’s get ready to open that door. Where do we start?  Where did Jesus tell us to start so that we could be free?

Paul continue’s on: Galatians 5:5-6 ( TNIV )
5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope [Jesus taught that He would leave with us a helper…the Holy Spirit]. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value [remember…it’s not about the law…it’s about the concept]. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love [this is the big thought…let’s  look at that].

This is where we have to go back to the very beginning….the core of what Jesus taught….the core of God’s wisdom…..and it can be found in a sermon that we call the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was teaching primarily his disciples, the apostles, so that they could carry on this great message from God after His death on the cross……a death he knew was coming. This last year as I have studied and preached the Sermon on the mount…I have come to realize that the Beatitudes are the very core of what we must understand first in order to live a fulfilled life…a life of FREEDOM.

Why do I believe this? First….because as Jesus choose to teach the disciples…..and this is where He started. He started with the inner attitudes of our heart…the Beatitudes……these are the concepts…..these are the concepts we must understand first!

Let’s take a quick look at Matthew 5:

1.  Blessed are the poor in spirit………blessed are those who trust in God with a childlike…daily…trust

2. Blessed are those who mourn…….blessed are those who see the wrong of their own sin as well as the wrong the sin or the bad in the world and mourn it’s effects on not only their own life but the lives of others. Jesus is saying blessed are those who care for others.

3. Blessed are the meek……..MEEK…not WEAK….what is the difference between meekness and weakness? weakness=lack of strength…..meekness=not flaunting your strength, it is strength under control

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…….blessed are those who hunger to be truthful, honest, and to be stand behind their word.

5. Blessed are the merciful…….mercy is grace in action….blessed are those who show mercy for others by helping them…by loving them and helping to carry their burden.

6. Blessed are the pure in heart….blessed are those who have discovered these truths, have put them to the test, and who live their lives in God’s will.

7. Blessed are the peacemakers……blessed are those who seek an attitude of peace on all levels…in their lives….in the lives of those around them and in the world.

8. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness ……blessed are those who see the truth of Jesus and stand strong in their hearts and actions at all cost .

As we apply these eight attitudes to our lives (and we often need the strength of the helper, the Holy Spirit, to do this) we will see a faith that expresses itself through love.

Christian Freedom Means Service. Paul tells us to “Use our freedom to … serve one another in love”. Real freedom is living by the Spirit…….living with the strength of Jesus and bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:13-14 ( TNIV )
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.

Remember the Greek word translated as “FREEDOM”: eleutheria [el-yoo-ther-ee-ah]  and remember that this word carries with it the thought of a liberty of living “as we SHOULD…..not as WE please”.

Paul goes on to tell us: But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature [Or the flesh]; rather, serve one another humbly in love.  14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [Leviticus 19:18]  15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Are we getting the picture here? Freedom is serving one another in love. So, now we start to come full circle in what Paul was teaching……there is a slavery to sin……there is a slavery to our sinful nature…….Jesus came so that we could be free of this slavery….so that we could be free to do what is right:

Galatians 5:16 ( TNIV )
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.  18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

I want you to look closely at this next part of what Paul is teaching us…..Paul spells out the “sinful nature” , that if we are not careful, comes out and,if you look closely, each of these things hutrts somebody…..

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;  20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions  21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. [None of these are things that help us to love one another. They are all things that break our relationships.] I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Jesus taught us that the Kingdom is right here among us…it’s right in our midst………the door is unlocked………..all we have to do is open it and walk through. Paul also goes on to tell us what that freedom looks like…..the freedom to love God and to love one another. Paul comes full circle and sums it up. Notice that these are all attitudes of the heart:

Galatians 5:22-26 ( TNIV )
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Jesus gives us the great promise in His own words found in the Gospel of John

John 8:36 ( TNIV )  (Jesus talking)
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 

In conclusion……as we sum up what the apostle Paul was teaching about this FREEDOM that we all want:

1. True FREEDOM means the freedom to do the right thing.
2. True FREEDOM starts with a love for God and a love for others…it starts in our heart and…… the inner attitudes of our heart.
3. True FREEDOM means serving one another humbly in love.