We have been set free
Galatians 3:23-29
Kxh.Ntxoov Yias Vaj
Greetings: Grace, mercy and peace be to you from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Text: Galatians 3:25
Prayer:
1. Introduction:
a. In this country a person is under 18 years old, he or she is
under the
supervision of the parents.
But when he or she is 18 years old, he
or she is considered an adult and is no longer under the
supervision
of the parents.
b. With some companies, when you
are at work you are under the
company’s supervision, but when you are done with work, you are
free from its supervision.
c. Some people have said that the
word “Hmong” means “Free people
or free men.”
d. Freedom is a precious
thing. We want to be free,
especially free to
be people of God and to serve Him again. This is the purpose in
which God created us in this world.
2. By nature we are slaves under
the law:
a. The Bible tells
us that by nature we are sinful and we are under the
supervision of the law, especially God’s law.
b. According to the Bible, God has
prescribed certain law for the
people of
the law, otherwise they will sin against God.
c. The non-Christians also have their
own law to control them plus
the moral laws of the Bible. They too live their lives under
the
supervision of the law.
d. Everyone was slave under the
law. The Bible tells us tha no one,
whether the people in the Bible or people of other nations,
was able
to keep the law perfectly. Everyone has sinned and fell short of
the
glory of God.
No one has lived up to God’s standard. The
consequence is eternal punishment in hell.
3. Christ has set us free from the
law:
a. The Epistle
tells us that before faith came, we were held prisoners
by the law.
The law was put in charge of us so that we know how
to live our lives according to God’s will and not
sin. The law was
to lead us to Christ, meaning the law shows us our sins
and the need
for Christ to be our Savior. The law has no power to save us, but
only to show us our need for Christ.
b. Now faith has come, in another
word, since Christ has come,
the law was longer in charge of us. Christ has set us free from the
law –
free to be His people and to serve Him.
c. How does
Christ is in charg of us? The Bible
tells us that through
His perfect life, suffering,
death and resurrection, He has fulfilled
the law for us.
He has paid for our sins. He
has overcome death
and the devil for us. He has victoried over the things that
were in
control
of us. Now He is in control of us.
d. Because of what Christ did,
those who believe in Christ have been
set free, not only free from the law, but also free from
the power of
the devil and the eternal damnation which God will bring
upon the
devil and his angels.
4. Closing:
a. When you and
I were baptized, God has set us free from the
law and free from the power of the devil and eternal
damnation.
Now Christ lives in us
through the Holy Spirit.
b. We are all sons of God because
of our faith in Christ. We have
clothed with Christ.
God does not look at us as before, but through
His Son as holy and perfect
people because of what Christ did for
us. Christ now lives in us and we
in Him. He is the Lord of our
lives. We are
all equally important to Christ. We
are the children
that God once promised to Abraham. We are the seed that God
promised to Abraham, heirs of God’s eternal blessings. Amazing
what God has done for us!
c. As people has been set free by
God and heirs according His
promises, we need to let the Holy Spirit rules our lives,
hearts and
minds so that we do not become slaves to the law, sin and
the devil
again. We need
to live our lives with the purpose in which God
has set us free, namely to God love with all our hearts,
souls and
minds and to love our neighbors as ourselves in Christ’s
name.
This is the new law that God
asked of us as His free people. I
want
to challenge each of you in the New Year to truly live
as God’s free
people to truly love God and all people by the power of the
Holy
Spirit in
whatever you do or say.
d. May God bless you and may the
Holy Spirit guides and directs you
so that you may love Him and His people more and more
and
throughout your life time in Jesus’ name. Amen.