Standing or Falling

When we begin our worship, we're going to sing.

We're going to sing to God's praise in Psalm 61.

This is in the Scottish Psalter, page 293.

Psalm 61, page 293.

We're going to sing from verse 1 to verse 5.

The tune is Belmont.

O God, give ear unto my cry, and to my prayer attend.

From the utmost corner of the land, my cry to thee I'll send.

We'll sing from verse 1 to 5 to God's praise.

We stand to sing.

O God, give ear unto my cry,

Unto my prayer attend.

From the utmost corner of the land, my cry to thee I'll send.

What time my heart is overwhelmed,

And in perplexity, to thou me lead unto the rock,

That higher is than I,

For thou hast for my refuge been,

A shelter by thy power,

And war depends against my foes,

Thou hast been a strong tower,

Within thy tabernacle I

Forever will abide,

Forever will abide,

And undercovers all thy wings,

With confidence he hide,

For thou hast for my body to the rest that I did make.

For thou hast given me the Aaron's name,

For thou hast given me the Aaron's name,

For thou hast given me the Aaron's name,

Thou hast given me the heritage of those thy name that fear.

Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer. Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, as we come together to worship you this day,

we do thank you for these words that we've sung.

They remind us from the outset of our worship that as we come to offer praise and worship to you,

that you have given ear unto our cry, that you will attend to our prayer.

And we thank you that as we come today to pray for so much that goes on around us,

that we know that you are God and that you are the one who is able to help.

And that from the youngest to the oldest here, no matter what experiences we may have just now,

you encourage us to come to you in prayer.

There is nothing insignificant to you.

There's nothing that's not important to you.

For we as your people are precious to you and important to you.

So you love to hear us as we come.

You love to hear our very prayers, not with any fancy words or anything like that,

but just to come offering the words that come to our lips.

And so we thank you, Lord, that you are with us,

that you are able to help,

that you are a God who is good to us in so many ways.

You give us food and warmth on a daily basis.

You give us the friendships and families that we enjoy.

You give us this time to come to worship you

and a time to be with your people

and to join in with your people in worship.

And we ask that in all that we do today,

in the church and also in the creche and the tweenies,

that you will be with us, Lord,

that we will hear what you have to say to us,

that we will rejoice in your goodness, Lord,

that we will be thankful for all that you are

and all that you have done.

We know it's a holiday weekend,

and we do pray for any who are away.

Remember them, Lord, and watch over them.

Remember the schools, Lord, at this time too of holiday,

and especially those who are with exams at this time.

Lord, we pray that you will bless them

and help them throughout these days

to know that you are with them,

that they can commit their exams to you in prayer as well.

So we ask, Lord, that you will bless all our young people

and all our families and friends together.

Be with us throughout this day,

and as we go on in this week ahead, Lord,

may you watch over us and protect us.

Pardon us for all our sin,

as we ask it all in Jesus' name and for his sake.

Amen.

It's good to see young folks out today.

A wee minute ago, I was asking everyone to stand to sing.

And did anybody think, oh, it's too dangerous to stand up?

Did anybody feel unsafe standing up?

I hope not, because we're able to stand here on the floor

that's firm, that's secure.

But there's other places we might think,

oh, it might be quite dangerous to stand up.

It might be quite hard to stand up there.

I'm sure in the schools in the coming weeks ahead,

as you come up to the summer holidays,

there'll be sports day.

You'll have sports day usually at some point,

and you'll run races.

And you run races, you're on a field or a track,

and you feel safe enough to run that race.

Well, this morning in our service,

we're looking at one of Paul's letters in the New Testament.

He wrote to a church in Galatia.

And he wrote to the people there,

telling them about where it was safe and secure to stand.

But also he wrote to them about the dangers that there were,

and maybe standing in places where they're liable to fall.

And what he was meaning there was,

we're secure in one place,

and somewhere else is dangerous for us.

So can anybody think of anywhere that might be dangerous or difficult to stand?

Say you were to run a race.

Could you run it on a bouncy castle?

Would that be safe?

Would you feel it's secure,

especially if there's a few of you trying to run?

You start trying to run on a bouncy castle,

and what happens?

You fall over.

Everybody just crashes into each other.

What about if you are on the ferry,

and it's a very rough day,

and the ferry's going from side to side,

and you think it'd be safe to run there?

Oh, because you start getting thrown around as well.

You're liable to fall over.

There's other places, too, that it'll be difficult to run.

Imagine if your races at the sports day were over the Barber's Moor,

across the bogs there.

Would it be easy to run there?

No.

You're liable to fall over.

Or if the ground's very icy or something like that,

or slippy with seaweed,

you're going to fall over.

So there's a number of places that we can think are dangerous for us,

that we can't run, we can't even stand,

because it's so wobbly or boggy or bouncy.

All of these kinds of things.

And that's what Paul is saying to the Galatians.

He's describing our lives as either trying to run away from God,

away from Jesus, apart from Him,

or to run with Him.

And one is being secure, being able to stand,

and one is just finding it so difficult to stand,

we keep falling over and crashing all the time.

So which is which?

Well, Paul says,

the only way to stand firm,

to stand secure,

is to trust in Jesus.

That's the only way to be secure,

and not to fall over.

Because when we try and do things by ourselves,

when we try and go our own way,

when we run away from God,

all we're doing is either running into a bog,

or somewhere that's slippery,

or somewhere we're just going to fall over,

it's not going to end well.

So we want to be able to stand somewhere secure.

And the only place we can do that is with Jesus,

by putting our trust in Him.

Then we are secure.

And that's what we're going to be looking at

as we go through our service today.

We're going to be thinking about how we stand secure,

or if we're falling over.

So may God bless His Word to us throughout this day.

We're going to say the Lord's Prayer together now.

So we'll say the Lord's Prayer.

Amen.

But we sing again to God's praise,

this time in Psalm 92a.

It's in the Sing Psalms version, page 122.

Psalm 92a.

We're going to sing from verse 7

all the way down to the end of the psalm,

verse 15, not verse 11,

as it is on the notice sheet.

Psalm 92a, verse 7 to 15,

the tune is Tracathro.

Although the wicked spring like grass,

the foolish do not see.

That all who flourish in their sin

will die eternally.

But Lord, you are forevermore exalted very high.

All evildoers will be crushed.

Your foes will surely die.

We'll sing from verse 7 to verse 15

to God's praise.

Amen.

Christ, if you will army from there,

In their sin will die eternally.

But, Lord, you are forevermore exalted, very high.

All evildoers will be crushed, your foes will surely die.

You made me strong as any ox, with all anointed me.

I've seen my enemies' defeat, and I have heard them flee.

Like palms and cedars flourishing, the righteous all will be.

And planted in the eyes of God will grow upon me.

So in old age they still bear fruit.

They will stay fresh and strong.

They will proclaim the Lord is just.

Thy rock who does no wrong.

Amen.

Well, we turn together now.

We're going to read in Paul's letter to the Galatians.

We take up our reading in chapter 4 at verse 28.

And then we read on into chapter 5.

Down to verse 15.

So we're taking up our reading in chapter 4.

Paul here is using an example from the Old Testament as he's explaining to the church at Galatia.

The difference there is through the grace that they have through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And those who are trying to lead these people astray and to live a life that's all about the law.

And having to keep the law in all its entirety.

And he's explaining the difference in this way of Abraham having two sons.

One through Sarah, who was his wife.

And one through Hagar, who was a slave for him.

And the difference was that God had promised him a son through Sarah.

But Abraham took things into his own hands.

He felt God couldn't do it.

So he was going to do it himself.

And he had a son with Hagar.

But God showed that he was faithful and gave him a son with Sarah as well.

So there's this difference of being free and being slaves.

This is the way Paul is describing it to the church at Galatia.

And he's saying,

One way, by trusting in God, you are free.

But by trying to do things yourself, you are slaves.

And so as we take up our reading at verse 28, that's the theme of which Paul is speaking of here.

Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.

But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit,

so also it is now.

But what does the Scripture say?

Cast out the slave woman and her son.

For the son of the slain woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.

So, brothers, we are not children of the slave, but of the free woman.

For freedom Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

Look, I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.

I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is bound to keep the whole law.

You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law.

You have fallen away from grace.

For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

You are running well.

Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

This persuasion is not from him who calls you.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine,

and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.

But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?

In that case, the offense of the cross has been removed.

I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves.

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.

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

But if you bite and devour one another,

watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

And so on.

And may God bless that reading from his word.

We'll again join our hearts together in prayer.

Our Father, in heaven, as we continue to praise your name,

we thank you for your word.

We thank you for the truth that it is.

And in a world that is so often being led astray,

down different paths, away from the solid ground of your truth,

we thank you that you call us,

you call your people to return to you,

to return to your word,

to return to the freedom that it offers through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

For we see the world in which we live,

a people running free, as it were, in their own eyes,

and yet still in the bondage and slavery of sin.

And perhaps many of us even here know that bondage even today,

where we are trying to appease you and to please you

through our own works and through our own ways.

But your word reminds us that there is nothing that we can do

that will bring us to know that freedom in and of ourselves.

But we thank you that all the provision that we need

has been made for us by your giving of your Son,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

And we thank you that for freedom Christ has set us free,

and that this is where we are to stand firm.

We thank you that we have that rock that is secure,

that rock that is our refuge, that is our strength,

and for every circumstances and for every need of this world,

that he is there for us.

He is there for us as we delight in different things.

He is there for us through all the difficulties of our life.

But we thank you that through faith in him,

we know one who stays closer than any brother,

as your word says.

We thank you that he is always with us and always for us.

And so help us today and day after day

not to get swept away by the things of this world,

not to get led astray and to feel that there are things

that we need to do to add to our salvation,

but that we would always have our eyes firmly fixed

on the one who has fulfilled all the law

and all the promises of your word,

the one who is your Son, Jesus Christ.

Help us to look to him,

and in him to know the joy of salvation,

in him to know the freedom that he gives,

the forgiveness of our sins,

and the grace and the strength to go on.

So may you bless your word to us

and remember us as a people.

Remember us, Lord, as a congregation,

as a community here.

We give you thanks, O Lord,

for all the good things that you give us.

We give you thanks for our fellowship in Christ.

We give you thanks for your word

and the freedom that we have to gather together.

We thank you for every opportunity that is set before us

to be around your word.

And even as we think of this coming week,

in many ways it can seem a full and a busy week to us,

but help us to delight and rejoice

in being your servants,

in being your people,

in offering up our service and our praise to you,

not just today,

but throughout all the days of the week.

So that whatever we are doing,

be it in church or at home,

in the workplace, in school or college,

wherever we are,

that we would do all as to the Lord

and that we will delight in doing your will.

So bless all that is ahead of us in this week.

We think of the Zoom prayer meeting

on Tuesday morning with Muriel.

We thank you for her,

for her time at home

over these last number of months

and for her going away again to serve you there.

We pray your protection and your blessing on her

and all who are with her

and all the work that she does

for your glory in that place.

We ask, O Lord,

that you will bless and be with her

and that our prayers for her

will be heard day by day

and week by week.

We thank you too

for the work of the Slavic Gospel Association,

again, an organization who does so much

in very difficult and different circumstances

to what we have here.

but we thank you for their faithful ministry

over many years

and for all who serve them as an organization,

for all who will be speaking

throughout our communities in these coming days.

In our own meeting on Wednesday evening,

may we be encouraged in it

and may we be blessed by it.

We thank you too, Lord,

for opportunities to learn more

about your truth and about your gospel.

And we pray for the Prodigal Son course

starting on Tuesday evening.

We thank you for Roddy and Calla

and for all the work that they have done

over many years of leading these courses.

And pray your hand to be upon them

and upon all who meet on these evenings together

that will be enriched by you

and blessed by you.

Encourage us, if we have a desire, Lord,

to go along.

Encourage us to pray for those

who we may ask to come along as well.

Maybe neighbors or friends or work colleagues.

People who we feel a great burden for, Lord.

So often we can be afraid to ask.

But give us, Lord, courage.

Give us a heart for them

just to invite them along

and to see your goodness

in all that is done for you in these things.

Remember our land as well at this time, Lord.

We do pray for your blessing on us.

We think of the coronation

to take place this week

and we pray for our king.

We pray, Lord, that you will bless him

and be with him and his family too.

Lord, we ask that they would be given your grace,

that they would be given your love

over them as a people,

that they would know it,

that you would melt their hearts to it,

that they would see the history of our land,

a nation that's been blessed by you,

and that they would go forward, Lord,

seeking your goodness over us as a people,

that they would seek to rule according to your truth

and to your ways.

We pray that for our governments too.

when we have experienced so much

over these last number of years

and so much disarray in our land,

so much confusion,

so much hurt,

so much pain and grief

in so many different ways.

We do pray, Lord,

that we will look to you,

that you will help us to turn once again towards you,

that we will call upon your name,

that we would seek your goodness over us

as a people.

We pray for our world as well, Lord,

and the many troubles around us.

We pray, Lord,

that you will bless

the word that goes out today

to all ends of the earth

in the prayers of your people.

We again thank you

that you are the one

who is able to hear

and to answer all of our prayers.

Continue to remember us then

and all our families and our loved ones.

Again, we commit students to you at this time

who are sitting exams in school,

in college, in university,

our own young people here in our congregation.

Lord, we pray for them

that you will encourage them

and strengthen them,

thankful for all that is done for them,

all the guidance that is given to them

and help towards them.

We pray, Lord,

that you will bless them and teachers

and all our schools around us.

Remember Scott

as he is sitting exams just now as well

and all the other students

in the seminary in Edinburgh.

Lord, we ask your strength towards them,

your blessing with them

and your peace over them.

So Lord, continue with us now.

Bless us, we pray,

and pardon all our sin

as we ask it all in Jesus' precious name.

Amen.

Amen.

We're going to sing again to God's praise.

This time Psalm 123

in the Scottish Psalter.

Psalm 123, page 417 of the psalm books.

We can sing the whole of this psalm,

the tune as martyrs.

O thou that dwellest in the heavens,

I lift mine eyes to thee.

Behold, a servant's eyes do look,

their master's hand to see.

We'll sing the whole of this psalm

to God's praise.

O thou that dwellest in the heavens,

I lift mine eyes to thee.

Behold, a servant's eyes do look,

their master's hand to see.

As handmaid's eyes,

her mistress's hand,

so do our eyes attend

upon the Lord our God until

to us he mercy send.

O Lord, be gracious to us,

and to us gracious be,

because replenished with contempt,

exceedingly are we.

Our soul is filled with scorn of those

that are there is a bite,

and with the insolent contempt

of those that dwell in pride.

We can turn back together

to our reading in Galatians chapter 5.

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

We're going to look at verse 1

to verse 6 in particular together.

As we were thinking about earlier,

the theme this morning is

standing and falling,

and we see that in these verses.

In verse 1, it says,

Stand firm, therefore,

and do not submit again

to the yoke of slavery.

Stand firm, Paul says there.

But then it says in verse 4,

You are severed from Christ,

you who would be justified by the law.

You have fallen away from grace.

So you have standing firm,

therefore, in faith,

or being severed from Christ,

seeking to be justified by the law,

falling from grace.

That's what we mentioned

to the children earlier on,

how there's places

where we are safe and firm

and secure to stand,

and other places

where we will find it difficult to stand.

It's very hard to stand.

And eventually,

we are going to be in danger

of falling over in these places.

And that's what Paul

is making clear to us here.

There is a place of security

and a place of falling away.

So where are you today?

Where are you when it comes

to your security?

Are you standing in a place

that's firm,

a place that's secure,

or in a place where you're liable

to fall away?

And especially, as it says here,

to fall away from grace.

When you look at Paul's letter

to the Galatians,

it's like many of his letters,

it's divided up

into different sections.

And the first two chapters,

Paul is writing about

his own authority

and being able to proclaim

the gospel.

He has been to Galatia,

which we know as Turkey today,

and established many churches

there before.

And they have come to faith

in the Lord Jesus.

They've come to believe

and find security

in the Lord Jesus,

but now they are being led astray.

You just have to turn back

to chapter 3,

the very opening words

of chapter 3.

It says,

O foolish Galatians,

who has bewitched you?

Who has led you away

from the truth?

Who has added to this burden

that you are feeling already

and leading you away

from the grace that there is

in the Lord Jesus Christ?

So he's writing to them

in chapters 1 and 2,

outlining the authority

that he has as a servant

of the Lord Jesus,

and especially that he is there

to proclaim salvation in Christ.

Then in chapter 3 and 4,

he kind of outlines the problem,

but in a way giving them

a lesson,

teaching much of it

from the Old Testament

to see how they have been

led astray,

how they have begun

to fall away

by looking to a teaching

that is not about faith in Christ,

but that is more about

a false gospel of salvation

by works.

So that's what he has then

in chapter 3 and chapter 4.

Then in chapter 5 and 6,

as he often does,

he applies it to their lives.

He teaches them now

how this is going to affect

their day-to-day lives

and their future,

and maybe more importantly,

their eternity,

their eternal salvation.

So he's preaching

with authority,

he's preaching truth,

and he's applying it

to their lives.

And he begins

with this wonderful statement

as it comes

to applying it to their lives

as to what they have

in Christ in verse 1.

For freedom, Christ has set us free.

For freedom, Christ has set us free.

But what does this mean?

God wants us to be free,

and in Christ we can be free,

but what is this freedom?

What does freedom mean to you today?

To many people,

freedom can mean

a number of different things.

It can be to be free from debt.

It can be to be free from illness.

Freedom has come into our day-to-day lives,

and we talk so often

about freedom of speech,

or freedom from what society

throws our way.

People want to be free

from all kinds of authority.

You see people displaying signs

in America saying,

not my president.

You see, in their own nation already,

even before the coronation,

people are putting up signs,

not my king.

But what we are seeing

when it comes to truth

and the word of God

is another sign that says,

not my king,

but it's a very different king.

We're not going to have Jesus

as king over me.

So they're looking,

many people,

for freedom

in all kinds of ways.

But at the heart of freedom,

as we so often think about it,

there's a desire

just to do our own thing,

to do whatever we want,

whatever we feel is right.

We want to be free

to do whatever we want.

But is that through freedom?

We don't want any man

or any religion

to tell us what we should

or shouldn't do.

Well, often in the Bible,

you see it saying,

there's nothing new

in the world.

And in the Bible,

we see again and again

people wanting

this kind of freedom.

Freedom

just to do

as they please.

And from time to time,

you see the Lord

leaving the people

to do what was right

in their own eyes,

to give them

this freedom

that they are asking for.

But what does it lead to?

It leads to disaster.

They want to be free,

but in this freedom

that they desire,

there is no freedom

at all.

Instead,

we are bound

and in bondage

and slavery

in so many different ways.

And ultimately,

as we see here

when it speaks of

falling away from grace,

it's about falling away

from the freedom

and the salvation

that is on offer

in Christ.

And so the question

for ourselves is,

are we free

in Christ?

Are you free

in this sense

not just to do

your own thing,

but to be free

in Christ,

which is to live

for Him?

And there's three ways

I want to look at this

together today.

I want to see,

first of all,

what it is

standing in Christ.

Then we see

falling from Christ

and then looking

to Christ.

So there's

standing in Christ,

falling from Christ,

and looking

to Christ.

The first thing

we see here

is standing

in Christ.

when Paul says

that it's for freedom

that Christ

has set us free,

we immediately

begin to think,

well,

if He is setting

us free,

what is it from?

Or where is it from?

Where are we being

set free?

Or what are we being

set free from?

And you realize

it's not a freedom

of our own choosing.

It is for freedom

Christ

has set us free.

It was something

we couldn't do

ourselves.

It was something

we couldn't change

ourselves.

But what was it?

For freedom

Christ

has set us free.

What it's saying

here is

that we were slaves.

We were the ones

who were slaves.

But Jesus

came

to set us free.

What do you think

to yourself,

but how

am I a slave?

I don't feel

like I'm a slave.

I don't feel

I'm imprisoned.

I feel

I am free

to do

what I want.

But if you read

through

the Gospels,

if you read

through the Word

of God,

we realize

that we are blind

to what we are

slaves to

until

we know

the grace

and the love

of Christ.

And there are

many ways

we can look

to see

that we are

actually slaves.

we are

bound,

as it were,

we are in chains

to many things

in this world

without even

realizing it.

There are three

things I could say

that we are slaves

to.

We are slaves

to sin.

We are all

born in sin

and we suffer

the consequence

of sin

in this world.

We are under

the condemnation

of sin

in this world.

but we don't

realize it

so often.

We don't

see ourselves

in a bad

sense

as bad

people.

We feel

that we are

maybe good

people

and we are

trying to

do the

right thing

but we are

actually

slaves

to sin.

And so

Jesus had

to come

to set us

free

in that

sense.

But you see,

I don't feel

a sinner

maybe.

I don't

feel a

great weight

of sin

in my life.

Well,

there was a

young man,

a young

teenage man

who had

been listening

to a preacher

preach about

sin and the

great burden

that sin

is.

But the

youth,

the teenage

boy,

was very

dismissive

about it

all.

And after

the ceremony,

he went to

the preacher

and said,

you speak

about unsaved

people carrying

about a

weight of

sin.

But he

said,

I feel

nothing.

So how

heavy is

sin?

Is it

10 kilos?

Is it

80 kilos?

How heavy

is sin?

Because I

don't feel

this burden.

Well,

the preacher

replied to

this teenage

boy and he

said,

well,

look at it

this way.

If I was

to say to

you that I

was going

to lay a

weight of

400 kilos

on top of

a corpse,

someone who's

dead,

would they

feel that

weight on

them?

The teenager

replied,

of course

not.

That person's

dead.

They're not

going to

feel that

weight.

And the

preacher said,

exactly.

And that's

how you are

and everyone

else who

feels that

there's no

weight of

sin on

them.

You are

dead in

the sense

that you

cannot feel

that weight.

You think

there's no

weight of

sin on you

when there

actually is.

But you

need to

realize that

this is a

dangerous place

to be.

If you

feel no

load of

sin,

if you

feel indifferent

to the

whole idea

of sin or

to the

burden that

it is,

then you

too are

dead.

And that's

the danger

that we are

all into.

We feel

maybe we're

not slaves,

we're not

bound in

this way,

but we

are all

slaves to

sin.

And so

Jesus had

to come

to set

us free

from that.

We could

say of the

cross as

Jesus died

that in

my place

condemned

he stood.

He bore

the burden

of our

sin there.

We are

also slaves

to death

because the

wages of

sin is

death.

We all

know the

reality of

that in

our lives,

but we

can maybe

push it

away.

We can

dismiss it

for a

time.

We can

try and

find freedom

in life,

but we

can never

find a

freedom

from death.

It is

with us

all the

time.

And so

the only

way to

be free

from the

burden

of death

is to

be firm

in Christ.

For

freedom,

Christ has

set us

free.

Stand

firm

therefore.

Stand

firm

in

him.

We are

also

slaves

to the

devil.

We are

slaves

to

Satan.

He has

a hold

on us

through

sin

and doubt

and

temptation.

All of

these things

that so

often he

pulls us

back with,

that he's

trying to

take us

away from

standing

firm in

Christ.

And he's

shaking

our faith.

He's shaking

the foundation

of our faith

and making

us doubt

and fear

and be

anxious.

But Paul

is saying,

no,

stand

firm

in your

faith.

And the

devil will

be there

to say,

just like

he's saying

here to

the people,

what have

you done

for your

salvation?

You're

not good

enough.

Look at

the things

that you

have done

that are

wrong or

the things

that you

should have

done that

you didn't.

And he

shakes us.

But Paul

is saying,

no,

stand firm

in Christ.

Jesus came

with a

purpose.

It says in

Hebrews 2,

Hebrews 2:14

verse 14

of Jesus,

so that by

his death

he might

destroy him

who holds

the power

of death,

that is,

the devil,

and free

those who

all their

lives were

held in

slavery by

their fear

of death.

He came

to set us

free.

So he

says,

stand firm

in Christ

so that

what he

has done

for us

and through

faith in

him and

the grace

that he

has shown

us,

we can

stand firm

in him.

We must not

slip into

thinking that

it's about

what we

do and

our obedience

that wins

the day or

by keeping

the law

that we

can be

saved.

That's not

what it

is at

all.

We are

to rejoice

that Christ

has come

to set

us free.

But then

he gives

secondly a

warning here.

And that's

the warning

that when

we try

to do

things

by ourselves

that ultimately

we'll fall

away from

grace.

We fall

away from

grace.

If we

continue

under this

being slaves

to the law,

he says

in verse

4,

you are

severed,

separated

from Christ.

You would

be justified

by the

law.

You have

fallen

away

from

grace.

So again

Paul here

is reflecting

on the

teaching that

they have

received from

the false

teachers,

preaching that

unless you're

circumcised

and unless

you keep

the law,

and in

this he's

saying all

the law,

you have

to keep

every part

of it,

then you

are not

going to be

able to

stand.

But

Paul is

saying,

no,

this is

not

right.

This is

foolishness.

This is

foolishness,

and he

shows it

in three

ways.

Look at

what he

says about

trusting in

anything other

than the

finished work

of Christ.

In verse

2 he

says,

look,

I say

to you,

if you

accept

circumcision,

Christ

will be

of no

advantage

to you.

If you

go down

this route

of saying,

well,

we need

circumcision,

or we

need every

aspect of

the law

before we

can be

saved,

well,

then Christ

is nothing

for you.

He's of

no

advantage.

And this

is foolishness.

This is

like coming

to Christ

and saying,

look at

what I've

done,

it's

meaningless.

if you

go or

try to

go to

a football

match or

to a

concert

that's

sold out,

there's

no tickets

available,

they've

all gone,

but you

go there

and you've

got all

the money

in the

world,

but you

don't have

a ticket,

you're still

not going

to get

in.

It's

only those

who have

a ticket

who will

get in.

And those

who have

got a

ticket may

have got

it,

maybe by

buying it,

maybe by

a gift,

but they

have the

ticket.

But the

one with

all the

money but

no ticket

doesn't

get in.

And that's

what Paul

is trying to

illustrate here.

You can

have everything

in the world,

you can

try to do

it all

by yourself,

but without

faith you're

not going

to get in.

And even

with the

ticket you

maybe have

done so

much that's

wrong in

your life,

you may

have come

through so

many experiences

in your

life,

but through

the grace

of the

Lord Jesus

Christ,

he's given

you this

ticket,

you come

in,

you get

in.

So anything

that we do

apart from

Christ is

of no

advantage to

you.

It's not

going to

get you

in.

It is

only faith.

Then in

verse 4,

he expands

on this,

he says

at the start

of verse 4,

you are

severed from

Christ,

you who

would be

justified by

the law,

separated from

him.

If you're

not trusting

in him

alone,

he's saying

severed,

I knew

you not,

is what

Jesus

says.

We're

apart from

him,

and therefore

we're

falling.

We're

falling away

from our

salvation.

And that's

what he

further

says in

verse 4,

you have

fallen away

from grace.

The very

thing that

you need

for your

salvation,

you have

fallen away

from.

This is a

phrase that

we often

hear maybe

in society.

We hear

people talking

about a

fall from

grace.

It's

interesting how

many phrases

in the

Bible we

see used

commonly in

everyday life.

This is

one of them,

a fall

from grace.

We hear it

about people

who maybe

a scandal

has come

into their

lives.

They've

maybe been

in positions

of power

or authority

or wealth,

but they

have this

fall from

grace as

it's called,

and they

end up in

disgrace.

They end

up losing

that position

of authority

or sometimes

they even

lose their

freedom.

They end

up in

prison.

It's seen

as a fall

from grace.

And we

see these

things and

we think,

you know,

how serious

these are.

But what

about ourselves?

What about

our fall

from grace?

It's not

maybe a

scandal that

makes the

front page

headlines,

but it's

even more

serious

because it's

with Christ.

And a fall

from grace

with Christ

is the most

serious thing

of all.

We lose

all the

benefits

that are

ours

in Christ.

we lose

our

freedom.

We lose

our

salvation.

And so

it's

foolish.

It is

foolish to

think that

we can

live this

life by

ourselves

and do

it all

ourselves

because it

is only

through Christ

that we

are free.

Otherwise,

we are

falling

away.

now,

what was

at the

heart

of their

falling

away?

It's

what's so

often at

the heart

of our

own

falling

away as

well.

It's a

fear of

man and

the expectations

that are put

on us

from man

and trying

to please

man

instead of

trying to

please

God.

You can

see here

their fear

was what

others

thought.

If they

were being

told you

need

circumcision,

you need

all the

law,

they were

afraid of

what man

was saying

to them.

And so

they sought

to please

them instead

of pleasing

God.

And so

often that's

the case

for ourselves.

We're doing

things to

please others

and not

to please

God.

A man

called

William

Garnall.

He once

said,

we fear

men so

much because

we fear

God so

little.

We need

to refocus.

We need

to look at

these things

again and

see who

am I

trying to

please?

And what

am I

trying to

do?

That's what

Paul is

saying to

the Galatians.

You're trying

to please

those around

you by doing

everything that

they're asking

of you.

You're trying

to do

everything that

they ask

of you.

But it's

impossible.

As he

says at

the end

of verse

3,

you are

bound to

keep the

whole law,

everything,

and you

just cannot

do it.

And in

this,

you are

severed from

Christ.

You will

be justified

by the law.

You have

fallen from

grace.

And it

is grace

we need.

So,

our focus

is in the

wrong place.

grace.

So,

finally,

we see

Paul is

saying,

look to

the right

place.

Look to

Christ.

What do

we do

when we

know we

are wrong?

What do

we do

when we

are heading

the wrong

way?

We need

to turn

and look

to Christ.

To look

to him

by faith

to know

this grace.

for through

the Spirit

by faith

we

ourselves

eagerly

wait for

the hope

of righteousness.

For in

Christ Jesus

neither

circumcision

nor

uncircumcision

counts for

anything,

but only

faith

working

through

love.

It is

looking

to Christ

and following

him.

Our works

are nothing

without faith.

We are not

saved by

our works

but we are

saved to

works.

And so

all the

time we

are trusting

in ourselves

and our

own works

of salvation

we are

slaves.

There is

no joy

in it

because it's

impossible.

But when

we look

to Christ

and when

we follow

him

there we

find the

way prepared.

and the

way that

is free.

The way

we are

free to

enjoy

him.

Look at

it this

way.

I was

watching a

program

this week

about

people who

go to

clear

minefields.

Anyway

there's been a

conflict in

the past.

So often

there's mines

left behind

and they're

so dangerous.

People who

don't know

that they're

adults or

children

they find

themselves in

a place

that's so

dangerous

and they

don't even

realize it.

And so

they send

people in

to clear

these places.

Now they

don't send

people in

there by

themselves to

go in with

their own

hands trying

to find

their way

around.

It's far

too dangerous.

And yet

as Paul is

saying here

that's almost

the way

we try and

find our

way through

life.

Trying to

do it all

ourselves.

We're

going to

end up

falling

away.

So what

they do

in the

minefields

is they

have this

machine.

It's like

a tank

with a

bulldozer

blade on

the front.

And it

goes through

these fields

and the

blade on

the front

you can

see it

going

through

just very

slowly.

Almost

every few

seconds you

see an

explosion

under

this shield

at the

front.

It's

detonating

all the

mines.

It's

clearing

the way