Sermons
It's common knowledge: you get out what you put in. This fact is true in our work lives, in our schools, even in our relationships with what another.
It's also true of our spiritual lives. This week, as we conclude our series in Galatians, we ask why Paul chose this simple reality to conclude such a powerful letter.
"Look out for number one," right?
Wrong.
In the last chapter of Galatians we see how our faith in Christ compels us to care for one another—for our neighbors and for the world. True Christian faith inevitably results in generous, compassionate relationships. And these relationships are rooted in our understanding of a God who has been incomprehensibly generous and compassionate to us.
You can't fix a bad apple tree by spray-painting the apples red. The apples may look nice, but if you really want to fix the problem, you have to look at the roots. The same is true of our spiritual lives. We can't "fix" ourselves just by changing our behavior; we have to address our spiritual roots. Find out how:
It's an unfortunate fact that there are some people who teach a false version of Christianity in order to exploit or control people. In fact, any time someone uses "Christianity" to get ahead of someone else, they are embracing a false faith. Christianity is not about control; it's about freedom. This week we see how God set us free not only from spiritual slavery, but he set us free to love and serve one another.
Jesus set us free so that we could live free. It sounds obvious when you say it that way, but we all struggle to embrace the freedom that he offers us. We look at three reasons why religious laws can't set us free, two spiritual equations that help us understand where Jesus fits in the big picture of our faith (hint: he's a big deal!), and two diagnostic questions that can reveal what or whom our hearts really trust.
When we take God's promises into our own hands, things turn out disastrously. It happened when Abraham and Sarah thought God needed their help, and it happens when we think God needs our help. But, when we trust that God does things his way, in his timing, we not only enjoy a more free life, but we avoid a self-righteous or insecure faith.
