20260712 Liberty in Christ Sunday Sermon Mike Dickmann

Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we're thankful

for your help thus far. We're coming now to ask

you once again to give us aid as we attempt to

study your word. That we would have need of that

aid is obvious. Without it, we can do nothing.

We pray that you would own the word, your word.

that you would accomplish all of your purposes

through it, that you would guide and direct me

as I proclaim it, that you would enable us all

to hear it, to receive it, and to apply it to

ourselves as we leave today. We would plead for

change. We would plead that you... indeed would

sanctify us more and more, that you would conform

us to Jesus Christ more and more, that our love

for you would glow as it never has before, perhaps.

But in any case, Father, we are praying for you

to accomplish your perfect will in the lives

of your people. And we ask in Christ's name.

Amen. We'll turn with me, if you would, then

again this morning to Galatians, the fifth chapter.

Last week, you'll remember that we looked at

the first half of this chapter and we saw all

of the great benefits that are ours in Christ

Jesus. We are set free. We're to stand in the

liberty that Christ has purchased for us. And

we're not to go back to anything else or we're

not to go forward or anywhere. We're not to go

anywhere else except for Christ and all that

he is, all that he's done, and all that he is

working and doing in us day by day. In other

words, we have been restored with the ability

to make a choice, a good choice. We're no longer

in bondage. We can choose what we're going to

do. Hopefully you know that. Hopefully you remember

from sermons past when it was taught. But the

liberty that is ours in Christ Jesus is a liberty

to put away sin and to serve God. To make a choice.

Day by day we make choices. We're not robots.

We're not zombies. We're not just going through

life without any recognition of what's before

us, what's in us. What does God want? Yeah, we

want to know. What does God want us to do? So

we make choices. So today then, we're going to

read about the necessity of choice and how we

indeed can and should make the right choices.

We should make the choices that please God. We

should make the choices that enable us to serve

God. We should make the choices that... show

forth our love to God. We should make the choices

that are beneficial to our brothers and sisters

in Christ. We should make the choices that say,

these church meetings are a priority in my life.

They're not just something that I happen to stroll

into. They're something that I look forward to.

Something that I need. Something that I can contribute.

Something that I can give to my brothers and

sisters. There are no spectators in the church,

remember? I know that's just totally counterculture

in our day. In the Christian church, there's

nothing but spectators. You got a handful of

people that come up here, and the rest of the

congregation just sits there and adores them.

And that's not right. That's not how it is in

the Bible. That's not how it should be in our

lives. We all have something to contribute. God

uses every one of us. He expects us to be useful.

He expects us to love Him. He expects us to love

our neighbor, our brothers and sisters. So here

we read. Galatians 5. We're going to just do

a bit of a review. 13. For brethren, you have

been called unto liberty. Only use not liberty

for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve

one another. There's the Bible for what I've

already told you. For all the law is fulfilled

in one word, even in this. Thou shalt love thy

neighbor as thyself. Remember last week? We all

affirm that we know right well how to love ourselves.

Nobody has a problem loving themselves. We're

to have that same love for our neighbor. But

if ye bite and devour one another, take heed

that ye be not consumed one of another. You see

the choice there? Did you get it? Did you hear

it? You can love and serve one another, or you

can bite and devour one another. Because we're

Christians, we're not exempt from sin. We're

not exempt from our flesh. It's a choice that

we make to subdue our flesh and to live for the

good of one another. So then in 16, this I say

then, walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill

the lust of the flesh. Okay, that's a key verse.

It's a key verse in all of our understanding,

all of the New Testament. The New Testament never

proclaims a helpless, hopeless Christian life.

Just the opposite. It claims a victorious Christian

life. Walk in the Spirit. You won't fulfill the

lust of the flesh. That's a fact. Do we recognize

it as a fact? Do we claim it for ourselves? Do

we pray it back to God enough? Do we pray for

the Spirit's power to indwell and to enable us

to live the abundant life that Christ has given

us? Hopefully we do. And then in verse 17, this

is new territory. For the flesh lusteth against

the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.

And these are contrary, the one to the other,

so that we cannot do the things that we would.

But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under

the law. Get that? Did you hear that? There's

a warfare within us. Our flesh is easily led

astray. We love ourselves so much that there's

nothing we'd rather do than please ourselves.

Paul says he buffets his body and brings it under

subjection. That was Paul that had to do that.

Are we just floating along? Are we just letting

ourselves go in any old direction, anywhere we

want to, without giving it even a thought? Well,

that's not going to work. That's not led by the

Spirit. The Spirit doesn't lead us in that way.

So there's this battle. But there's a good thing.

If you recognize a battle, that's a good thing.

That's what you want. You want to know and be

aware that you are in a battle. And this is a

quote from John Owen. They that find or know

the power of sin within themselves have evidence

that they are alive to discern it. They that

find not its power are under its dominion. Do

you understand that? Did it sink in? The conflict

is inevitable, folks. That's the Christian life.

We're not in glory. We're not perfect. We're

still subject to fits and starts. We're still

subject to giving in to our bodily desires, our

bodily lust, Paul calls it, the lust of the flesh.

We're struggling against that. And if we are,

we can... take from that evidence that we have

the Spirit, that we have been born again, because

the world knows nothing of this. The world doesn't

have any struggle. The world has just gone over

into sin. And the fact it's in so much bondage

to sin, that's all that it can do. It has no

choice. It hasn't been set free. Its sin hasn't

been paid for. It has no liberty in Christ. We

do. We as Christians feel the tension, feel the

struggle, hate the sin that remains, buffet our

bodies, bring it into subjection. Do we always?

No, we don't. That's just a sad reality. But

that's what we should be doing. If you don't

feel the struggle, you need to be a little concerned

about your salvation. That's what John Owen is

saying. That's what the scripture says. That's

what I'm saying. There's a struggle. But if you

are led by the Spirit, you are not under the

law. You're no longer under that law of bondage,

under that law of condemnation, under that helplessness

that was theirs before Christ came. The law had

no power. It only could condemn. It only could

help you see your sin. It only could help you...

Look and long for the coming Savior. And that's

what it did. And people were saved by looking

for the coming Savior. Not by keeping the law.

That's impossible. But we're not there. We're

in the age of the Spirit. We're in the age of

the Holy Spirit. We have power. We can overcome.

We can be more than conquerors through Christ

who loved us. And he goes on, I'm not going to

read this whole list of the works of the flesh.

Everybody's familiar with it enough. But in verse

22 it says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love,

joy, peace, long -suffering, gentleness, goodness,

faith, meekness, temperance. Against such things

there is no law. The fruit of the Spirit. Edgar

Andrews, I got another quote this morning. Edgar

Andrews tells us that these are attitudes that

control and dictate actions that flow from this

genuine inner principle, not from adherence to

an external law. This is the age of the spirit.

Just like an apple tree bears apples. The Christian

who is in the Spirit bears the fruit of the Spirit.

Again, it's not optional. He's not saying that

if you're good enough, you're going to bear some

fruit. He doesn't say anything like that. It

says the Spirit works this fruit in you. It is

the fruit of the Spirit. If you have the Spirit,

These characteristics are going to begin to manifest

themselves more and more in you. Glory to God.

Would that would that you all were manifesting

these things to the nth degree. What a life it

would be to have the fruit of the Spirit pouring

out of us. What glory to God that would be. What

a benefit to our neighbors that would be. How

our brothers and sisters would benefit and love

us the more. It would be a glorious thing. We

should all be indeed praying that this would

be the case. That this work of the Spirit would

be unhindered by us, but given full reign to

be worked out. In our lives. The fruit of the

spirit. And it says that in verse 24. And they

that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with

the affections and lusts. If we live in the spirit,

let us also walk in the spirit. You see the choice?

You see that there's a choice to be made. It's

not automatic. There's nothing automatic about

this. It's do you want it? Are you going to pursue

it? Do you love God more than you love yourself?

Do you love your neighbor more than you love

yourself? Do you desire to walk after him? Do

you desire to please him above everything else

in your life? That's the choice. What's most

important to you? Now, I just want to remind

us of this. We had the misfortune of a family

that left. Left the church. And we had a meeting

about it. And many things were said at that meeting.

And we all agreed that we need to put this to

good use. We need to put it to the church's advantage.

In other words, put it to our own advantage.

We have to, in other words, learn something from

the events that God has orchestrated in our midst.

And God did orchestrate it. It happened because

God wanted it to happen. So what are we going

to do? What's going to be our reaction? Do we

have a reaction? Well, we said we were going

to at the meeting. And I noticed that there was

some different actions. And hopefully they continue.

In all ways, we want to do, the actions that

we take, we want them to be biblical. We don't

want to have a reaction. We want to have a positive

action that we're pursuing as a result of this

incident. An action that does conform to the

Bible. I ask again. If you're walking in the

Spirit, you will serve God. You will serve His

people. You will put others before yourself.

You will have a desire to please God in everything

that you do, think, do, and say. As Galatians

tells us here. You will not fulfill the lust

of the flesh. So, how important is it? are our

brothers and sisters. How important are they

to us? Do we want everyone to be as important

as I think that I am? That's how we should think.

We want to build each other up, in other words.

We want to be those who go after one another.

If you're a woman, you want all women to be Loved

and included in all of the various opportunities

and ministries that are here for the women. If

you're a woman, you should want to be at the

Monday night prayer meeting. How are relationships

formed? Well, they're only formed when people

get together. And they live together, they work

together, they pray together, whatever it is.

You can't have a relationship without being there.

You can't form a relationship from a distance.

So you want a relationship? You have to be at

the meetings. The women's ministry. How involved

are we in the women's ministry? Well, I'm not

involved in it at all, obviously. How about you

guys? Is it important to you? Is there any priority

to come? Let me remind you of this. We spent

a ton of money on this book. I'm just going to

lay it out there. That was not a cheap book that

the church bought. And it has a nice workbook.

And we were just thrilled that you guys, you

women, were going to study that book. We were

glad to provide it. It's a goldmine about God

and relationships with God. And you all said

you wanted to do it. You all wanted the book.

Well, I don't take attendance or anything, but

I'm sure and I know that everybody is not there

all the time. I know some of you are hardly ever

there. But you said you were going to be there.

Church bought you a book. The women spend the

whole month getting ready to lead it. And really

everybody does because everybody's got to answer

the questions. And then some of you don't show

up. It's discouraging. It's not helpful. It hurts

feelings. I know when I prepare for the men's

meeting, I prepare. I don't prepare any less

than if I was going to speak to a thousand people.

It makes no difference. You prepare. You want

to give the word of God as best that you can.

You want to get the most out of it. And you want

to give the most to those who hear. And then

the meeting comes, and we've got four people

that showed up that had an interest in having

a relationship with the men and of hearing the

word. You know, sometimes it's more than that.

You know, it varies. Sometimes it's six. But,

you know, that's discouraging. I'm sorry. I'm

telling you the truth. I want the word of God

to be implanted into everybody here. I want that

change. I want that word in there grinding and

bringing about the God's purposes. In all of

our lives. What do you want? Do you want to serve

God and his people? Or is it all about you? If

it fits in your schedule, fine. I'll be there.

If I happen to have something else, I probably

won't be there. I mean, you're making the choices.

You're a Christian. You have the Spirit. You're

supposed to be walking in the Spirit. You're

making the choice. That's the freedom we have

in Christ. That's the glory of it all. If you

think of any of these things as anything other

than glories, you're thinking about them wrong.

It's a wonderful thing to gather with believers

and study the word. It's a fun time. Is it not?

Well, evidently it's not fun enough for everybody

here. But that's how we should think about it.

It's not a job. It's not an obligation. It's

not a duty. This is the greatest thing of our

day. When we get to get together with all the

Christians and we get to study the word, have

discussions, we get to lay our burdens on one

another, pray for one another. I mean, what could

be better than that? How can you not appreciate

that reality? Are we having each other over to

our houses? Are we interacting with each other?

Did you go home and talk to your husband or your

wife and come up with a schedule that this month

I'm having this family over, that this next month

I'm having another family over? Did anybody do

that? You don't have to answer. But that would

have been a good thing to do. When a visitor

walks in, Have you guys welcomed the visitors

that we've had? Have you really? Have you made

them feel welcome? I mean, I'm asking. That's

a legitimate question. I'm not trying to accuse

you. I don't know if you have or not. You do.

When we have a visitor, every one of us should

go over to that visitor and talk to them. Every

one of us. It's not, oh, they'll take care of

that or he'll take care of that. Every one of

us should greet that person. Try to learn about

him. Is he a Christian or is she a Christian?

Does she need any prayer? These things are important.

This is the Christian life. This is what pleases

God. This is how we walk in the Spirit. I haven't

even touched upon our personal devotions and

all that other stuff. I feel like you've been

beat over the head with that constantly. That's

all I'm going to say about that. I'm not even

going to bring it up again. I mean, that's kindergarten.

Faithful in devotions. I mean, I could go on

and on. Do you find it a joy to share the gospel?

Just think of the God of the universe. brought

a person across your path that you could share

the gospel with. Maybe he's prepared this person

with the gift of the Spirit and regeneration,

and he's brought them to you directly for you

to sow the seed, to you to give the gospel, and

for him to respond in faith. I mean, that's exciting.

To me, it is. See people saved. See people saved

as a result of me sharing the gospel? I was the

second cause or however you want to describe

it. That's glorious. That's the Christian life.

That's how you walk in the Spirit. Do we get

up and expect something to happen today? Or is

this just another humdrum day that we're going

to go through the same routine? We don't expect

anything good. We don't expect anything bad.

It's just going to be a normal, everyday thing,

and I'm going to go out, do whatever it is I

do. I'm going to come home, do whatever it is

I do, and I'm going to go to bed. Boring! Let's

have a little higher view of God than that. So

Paul gives us an example. He doesn't leave us

without example. If you go into chapter 6. Brethren,

if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are

spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of

meekness, considering yourself, lest thou also

be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and

so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think

himself to be something when he is nothing, he's

deceived himself. But let every man prove his

own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in

himself alone and not in another. For every man

shall bear his own burden. Did you get that?

Did you see what appears to be a contradiction

there? Bear one another's burden was the beginning.

Let every man bear his own burden was the ending.

We're not slaves. We don't take on the whole

load. We're helpers. Every man is responsible

for himself. That's the Christian truth. That's

what I just read to you. Everybody is to bear

their burden. Whatever it is. And he doesn't

specify. That's because it doesn't matter what

it is. He's to be bearing that burden. In other

words, he's to be fighting a fight. He's to have

the victory over this burden. Eventually, he's

going to put this burden aside, whatever it is.

But he's not to bear it alone. We're to bear

it with him. We're to help him, in other words.

We're to encourage him. While he's bearing that

burden, we're to make it as light on him as we

can. We're to do what we can. He shouldn't expect

us to carry the whole thing. But he does have

an expectation of us to be helpers, encouragers,

comforters. We should be willing to do those

things. That's what we said. The Bible tells

you. Bear that man's burden with him. Help him

along. Whatever he needs. Whatever it costs.

I'm going to read a couple other verses and then

we're going to quit. Hopefully you've been hearing.

That this is a burden to me. I want God to be

glorified over and above at this church. I don't

want anything. I don't want mediocrity. Mediocrity

is no good. I want to see God. glorified to the

nth degree by all of us here i want everybody

to know that they can come to anybody else and

get some love in other words get some help whatever

they need i want that freedom open up yourselves

you can't be helped if you don't share your needs

You can't become approachable if you never pray.

Why would anybody think you care about them if

you don't even pray? You don't come to the women's

prayer meeting. You don't pray on Sunday mornings.

It's like it's a foreign thing. Prayer. It's

not part of my life, you're saying. So why should

anybody come and open themselves up to you? It's

not right, is it? Hopefully you can see that.

Well, what did I do? I don't know. There it is.

Okay, John 13, verse 14. Actually, we'll start.

John 13:14

So after he had washed their feet and had taken

his garments and was set down again, he said

unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? You

call me Master and Lord, and ye say, Well, for

so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have

washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's

feet. For I have given you an example that you

should do as I have done to you. Do we even think

about this verse? In evangelical Christianity,

I mean, that's just like, doesn't exist. But

it's an excellent example, because Christ said

it was an excellent example. Isn't he supposed

to be washing people's feet? Of course not. That's

how they helped one another back in the day.

We're to be one another's servants. The lowest

servant washed the feet. That's what Christ is

saying. Nothing is too low for us to do. Because

nothing was too low for Christ to do. You want

to be Christ -like. Remember your humility and

your need to serve others. Then we see 1334.

A new commandment I give unto you, that you love

one another as I have loved you, that ye also

love one another. By this shall all men know

that you are my disciples, if ye have love one

to another. Okay, it's pretty clear. This is

a commandment from Christ that we love one another.

And this is how the world is going to know that

we're Christians. By our love one for another.

Not for all of the doctrine that we can spout.

But for the love that we have one for another.

I was at a wedding one time. I may have told

this story a long time ago. I don't know. I can't

keep them all straight. But I was at a wedding.

A Christian wedding. And there were lost people

there. And they, I've never experienced it any

other time, but they were amazed at the love

that they saw at that wedding amongst all the

congregation of the people, not just the bride

and the groom. They thought that this was something

that they had never seen before, this much love

being expressed amongst the people. Of course

they were told. Yeah that's because we're Christians.

Because the love of God is in us. We love Christ.

Therefore we love one another. It's true. And

then we've got. 1322. Let's see. 21. When Jesus.

Had thus said. He was troubled in spirit. And

testified and said. Verily verily I say unto

you. That one of you shall betray me. Then. The

disciples looked. One on another. Doubting of

whom. He spoke. Now that's got to be our attitude.

Toward one another. They could not believe. That

one of their closest associates was going to

betray Christ. They couldn't believe it. They

had that much love for one another. Didn't always

show it, but they did. They had that much concern

for one another. That they would not believe

that it could possibly be true that one of them

would be the betrayer. Again, I'm just, it's

a model. Hopefully we feel that way about each

other. Hopefully there's that love and that companionship,

that relationship that exists amongst ourselves.

No, he couldn't have done that sin. I'll never

believe it. But that's how it is. And of course

we're going to have to receive one another when

we do sin because we know we sin. But that can't

be our attitude. That can't be our general attitude

toward one another. It has to be a shock to us

when we learn of something sinful being done

by any of us. And it has to be a willingness

right away to go, forgive, help. One more here.

I think I got one more. Chapter 15. John? Yes.

15, beginning at verse 12, I think it is. Yeah.

This is my commandment, that ye love one another

as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man

than this, that a man lay down his life for his

friends. Ye are my friends if ye do. whatsoever

I command you to do. Read another one. Henceforth

I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth

not what his Lord doeth. But I have called you

friends. For all things that I have heard of

my Father, I have made known unto you. So again,

it's just a beautiful picture. Of a relationship

with Jesus Christ. Relationship with one another.

Another. I mean. It's his second time in two

chapters. That he's emphasized this command.

He calls it. Command that you love one another.

And it's not the same. As the Old Testament command.

Because you can find that in the Old Testament.

Love one another. That's as far as it goes. The

new commandment is that we love one another as

Christ has loved us. Which puts it in a whole

new level. Christ sacrificed everything for us.

Gave himself completely for us. Why? He loved

us. And there's no other answer. Don't let any

fancy pants theologian ever tell you there's

another answer. There is no other answer for

the explanation of why God planned the gospel

and Christ carried it out and the Spirit applied

it other than he loved us. That's why. It's just

like Jake said, I think it was Jake, that million

dollar ransom. It's a wonderful story. It's a

wonderful life. It really is a wonderful life.

To love and serve Christ. To be loved with Christ.

To be able to choose the good. To reject the

evil. Embrace it. Get involved with it. Do it.

Walk in the Spirit. And you will not fulfill

the lust of the flesh. Amen.