True and False Religion: Galatians 5:1-15
Is it going to be Liberty or Bondage? - You Choose

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32).

On Saturday in Odemis, 65 miles east of Izmir in Western Turkey, attackers firebombed the Protestant church. Unidentified assailants hurled six Molotov cocktails breaking windows and inflicting minor damage on the exterior of the building. The attack followed months of repeated harassment against the small Protestant congregation. Pastor Coban said ‘Attackers had been throwing stones at the church building almost every night for the past two weeks’ The 46-year old pastor, who converted to Christianity 14 years ago, said his congregation has been unable to obtain formal 'church' status since it began meeting seven years ago. Local security police have since pressured the group to close the church.

On Wednesday, in Rajasthan, in Northern India, Gospel for Asia missionary Jakson was attacked as he stepped off the bus. Four men from a radical Hindu group grabbed him, taking him by force to a nearby field. A barrage of questions were hurled at him about two local Christian young men planning to attend Bible college to prepare for mission service themselves. Jakson’s attackers beat him until a neighbor approached and pleaded with the men to stop. The four men left, issuing threats—warning the missionary that his church fellowship were not to meet for worship or engage in any kind of Christian activity. They then visited the parents of the two young men planning to attend the Bible college, warning them they would die if they allowed their sons to go. Jakson’s neighbor got him safely home. Although not yet a Christian, his neighbor has been attending the fellowship group. The village remains tense.

And on Monday last week, the BBC issued a report on the plight of Christian Arabs in Bethlehem.  Entitled, “Exodus on Upswing” the report by Matthew Price from the town claimed "Most of the Christians here are either in the process of leaving, planning to leave or thinking of leaving," Sami Awad, executive director of the Holy Land Trust, added "Insecurity is deep and getting worse."  Price observed,  "The little town of Bethlehem is perhaps more associated with Christianity than any other place in the world; but now there are fears it could soon be home to hardly any Christians at all." … latest figures published early this month, show that Christians now account for just 15 per cent of the population of Bethlehem. Not so long ago they were 80 per cent. "Publicly Christians … insist there is no friction with the Muslim majority. "Earlier this year however the Islamist Hamas movement came to power; and Bethlehem's Christians are not just scared," … "but they also feel weak and squeezed. And many are deciding that the best way to protect themselves is to leave."  No other world faith faces so much persecution as Christianity.

Around 90 per cent of all martyrs that die for their convictions are  followers of Jesus. 'Martyrs 2006', an annual report on the persecution of Christians published by IDEA, the Evangelical Alliance in Germany, estimates that annually 90,000 Christians are being murdered. Their research shows that Christians suffer three-quarters of all injuries inflicted
on people because of their religious convictions. This is directly related to the growth of the Church, especially in Africa and Asia. In many, the governments support traditional religions as part of a nationalistic strategy. Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Today, 200 million fellow believers are under surveillance, deprived of jobs because of their faith, ostracized from non-believing family members, beaten, tortured, imprisoned and even killed. We must pray for our sisters and brothers that they will remain strong.

We must pray for their oppressors that they will realize the injustice of their actions.  We must pray for the underground churches in these countries that they may continue to proclaim the gospel fearlessly. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free.”  The truth is dangerous for many in our world today. And Christians there, it seems, are willing to pay the price to stand for Jesus. Yet in the West, we have domesticated Him.

We don’t necessarily see the link between truth and freedom. We probably don’t experience opposition to our faith on a daily basis. So we take freedom for granted and we are liable to compromise the truth. When was the last time you brought Jesus into a conversation at a dinner party or meal with friends or neighbours? Die for Jesus on the streets of Virginia Water? I don’t think so. Hard to imagine. Last week we paused for two minutes silence to remember the names of people from Virginia Water who gave their lives to preserve our freedoms and defend us from fascism and totalitarianism.

Imagine if those lists were the names of Christian brothers and sisters from our church family who had given their lives in the service of Christ? Would we honour them differently? What of those Christ followers we remember today? In many parts of the world, the persecution Paul writes of in our passage today is the norm. Can we take it for granted that it won’t happen in our country? In our community?  Will opposition intimidate us from proclaiming the truth that Jesus Christ sets us free from sin and death? With a rise in global terrorism as well as insecurity over climate change, the role of the Church in the next decade, and the importance of our gospel witness is going to be even more critical.

That is why our 2007 Pledge, launched today, is so crucial if we are to maintain our witness and build on the growth we have seen. We are developing a strategy for 2007 that will enable us to reach more children, more teenagers, more students, more singles, more families, more senior citizens with the gospel, and we need you to make this possible. The question is not, “How big do we want our church to grow?” but rather, “Is there anyone locally who has not yet heard about Jesus?” One more for Jesus. Just one more for Jesus. That’s our goal for 2007. To ensure everyone in our community hears the good news of Jesus Christ. To ensure everyone has the opportunity to hear the truth and be set free from sin and death. So help us by pledging your tithes and offering for 2007 on Sunday 3^rd December. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32).

Yet, in our reading today, Paul asks “Brothers and sisters… why am I still being persecuted?” (Galatians 5:11). That is the question we want to answer this morning. If the truth sets us free, why so much  persecution? The reason, as we shall see, is because the truth about God’s grace is dangerous. It is a threat to organised religion. And that is why it is typically religious people who persecute the Church because they have the most to lose. Think about it, if I introduced a legalistic version of Christianity - if we listed two or three hundred rules for you to keep, you would know what was expected of you and it would be easy for me to pastor you. Every time we met I’d just go through the checklist with you. Like the page you get when you take your car in for an MOT. Tick, tick, tick, cross, cross, oh dear…. If you let me impose that kind of system on you, I would be able to control you, intimidate you, manipulate you.

You would be fooled into thinking that if you kept the rules you would be spiritual. You would respect those who kept more rules than you and look down on those who kept less than you. It would lead to pride and exclusivity, but it would also lead to slavery, for there is no way out. That’s what most cults do - you don’t have to choose or think, just submit and behave. Yet legalism - that is a religion of rules and regulations cannot change your nature. As we shall see in the next few weeks from Galatians 5-6, only when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ and experience forgiveness for our sin can we be set free from bondage (Galatians 5:1-12). Born again into his family we become adopted children of God. Filled with his Spirit, we become more and more like him (Galatians 5:13-26). Led by the Spirit, we desire to glorify God and share that liberty with others (Galatians 6). That is why Grace is dangerous - Because the truth of what Jesus has done sets you free. The religious systems of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, as well as some versions of Christianity found in Roman Catholicism, Greek & Russian Orthodoxy and even so-called Liberal Anglicanism, are based more on law and works rather than grace and faith.

They do not want their followers to be free to choose, free to opt out, hence the ridicule, opposition and even persecution faced when someone trusts in Jesus. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1), Paul promises.  In the following verses, Paul highlights three ways to avoid persecution - but there is a price. If you are tempted to take the path of least resistance and avoid persecution, you need to know what it is going to cost you. Three things you will lose if you turn your back on the grace of God.    

1.  The Slave – You Lose your Liberty

“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” (Galatians 5:1)

Turn your back on grace and you become a slave again. Jesus promised in Matthew 11: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

The yoke of religion is a burden. The yoke of legalism enslaves. The yoke of Jesus is easy and light - because he carries it for you. The word for ‘easy’ means ‘gracious’. That is what grace means. Jesus Christ carries the burden so we don’t have to. He guides and strengthens us by His Spirit, so we don’t have to be enslaved again to do’s and don’ts. The slave - you lose your liberty.

2.  The Debtor - You Lose your Wealth

“Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” (Galatians 5:2-5)

Paul uses three phrases to describe the losses a person incurs when they turn from grace to law. “Christ will be of no value to you.” (5:2), you are “obligated to obey the whole law” (5:3) and you become “alienated from Christ.” (5:4).  The word translated ‘obligated’ in verse 3 means a ‘debtor’ or one who owes. It is bad enough that legalism robs a believer of their freedom, but it is worse because legalism robs them of their wealth also. The wealth we have received by virtue of all Jesus has accomplished for us.

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:7-8)

Trade that to look good in the eyes of some legalistic Christians who judge you by what you wear, by what you do, or what you drive? To gamble law for grace and lose all you have in Jesus is foolishness. Because, says Paul, if you want to be judged by what you do, you are obligated to keep the whole of the OT Law. This is the hypocrisy of legalism.

Keeping some of the law won’t work. It is like being stopped by the police on the motorway for driving at 100 mph and then boasting that you have never committed adultery, stolen anything or cheated on your tax return. It may make the policeman smile but it won’t get you off. The desire to judge one another by rules and regulations is like gambling with your family heirlooms. You’ll lose everything.

But there’s worse - Trade law for grace and Christ become of no value to you, says Paul. You lose the credit Jesus gives. Try and be righteous before God through keeping the law and you lose the righteousness of Christ that is credited to us. The believer who chooses to live by rules and regulations becomes not just a slave but a bankrupt slave. The believer who chooses legalism robs themselves of their spiritual liberty and wealth. It is the path of bondage and bankruptcy. The legalist is like a slave - you lose your liberty. Is like a debtor - you lose your wealth.  The third analogy Paul uses.

3. The Runner – You Lose your Direction

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.” (Galatians 5:7-8)

Paul liked to use athletic illustrations to describe the Christian life. In this races, so popular in Roman times, each athlete was assigned a lane. But some runners would cheat and cut in on their competitors to try and put them off course. This is what the Judaizers were doing to the believers in Galatia. They cut in on them and were forcing them to change direction. To take a spiritual detour, back to the Old Testament which they had already left behind.

This is the third consequence of trading law for grace. It is not wrong to have standards in a church. That is why we have a membership covenant. Not to judge but to motivate. I am pleased to say that our Bishop is supportive of our membership covenant, as is our Archdeacon. Both have commended us for taking discipleship seriously. They realise that it has been a common tradition of the historic church to use Lent as a time to call Christ followers to a deeper commitment. They realise it is not intended to add to the gospel, but helps us define what it means to be a Christ follower.

It should be the norm for every believer to meet with God daily; to attend Church weekly; to be part of a small group bible study; to be using their God given gifts; to be stewarding their God given resources and to be active in sharing the love of Christ with others, in word and deed. This is what membership of Christ’s church has always meant. But the lesson this morning is that we must avoid the spirit of legalism. We must never imagine that keeping religious standards will make us spiritual, or impose the keeping of standards as evidence of spirituality. We are saved by grace and we are sustained by grace. Three things you will lose if you turn your back on the grace of God. Slavery - you lose your liberty.  Debt - you lose your wealth. Running - You lose your direction. The believer who abandons grace for law becomes a slave, a pauper and a runner who has lost their way. But the believer who lives by God’s grace, is free, is rich and running in the lane that leads to reward and fulfilment. But will also lead to persecution. For, as Paul explains to Timothy, “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12).  In the days to come, the temptation to compromise and settle for a nominal faith will be strong, especially when Christians in the West begin to experience the persecution so prevalent in other parts of the world today.

But if we hold onto grace, we will find like Paul, that God’s “grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). For God’s grace is sufficient for every demand of life (Hebrews 4:16). We are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). We serve by grace (1 Cor. 15:9-10). Grace motivates us to give (2 Cor. 8:7). Grace enables us to endure suffering (2 Cor. 12:9).

Grace empowers us to share God’s love with others (Galatians 4:6). And grace will one day lead us home. Lets pray.

With thanks to Warren Wersbie (Galatians Be Free); John Stott (Only One Way) and Scott McKnight (The NIV Application Bible)