1137-True Freedom in Christ#
1137-True Freedom in Christ
(JP Text Group - Beautiful Compilation)
Today, the topic we are sharing is True Freedom in Christ.
Our scripture is Galatians 5:1-14:
1 Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 I, Paul, tell you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will not benefit you at all. 3 Again I testify to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the entire law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we eagerly await through the Spirit, by faith, the hope of righteousness.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love. 7 You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough. 10 I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will not accept any other view; but whoever it is that is troubling you will bear the penalty.
11 Brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case, the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 I wish those who are disturbing you might also let themselves be mutilated. 13 For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.
The first verse mentions, Christ has liberated us.
Before we believed in Jesus, what were we like? We were all bound. Some were oppressed! Some were cursed, but Christ has liberated us.
So today, coming to church, we seek Jesus; we are not here to be bound or oppressed by Him, but to receive His freedom.
We share the first point: Jesus saves us from the curse of the law; we are free under the Spirit.
Why does Jesus save us from the law? Because there are many curses in the law, right? The law says if you do not follow it, you will receive a curse. What kind of curse? Many diseases and disasters will pursue you until you perish. This is called a curse.
Jesus came and released us with His own body. So Galatians 3:13 tells us: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
How did Jesus save us? It does not mean we are free from curses; Jesus bore all the curses for us with His body. So in God's eyes, has this curse been issued? It has, but it is not I who bear it; it is our Lord Jesus Christ who bears it for us. Thus, Jesus saved us from sin. Therefore, the Bible says: He saved us from the curse of the law.
Because it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
This is why Jesus had to go to the cross, because He had to be hung up to bear the curse of each one of us. What is the characteristic of the law? The law demands. You must do this; you cannot do that. Is it not the same with the laws of the world? You cannot do this, or you will be punished, etc. The law constantly demands what people should do. The focus is on people. When the law demands people, they often fall under punishment.
Brothers and sisters, if you take out the Ten Commandments and find any person in the world, it will reflect their sins. However, Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law. Everything the law requires, Jesus has already fulfilled for us on the cross. Jesus fulfilled the law.
Many people believe in Jesus but still live under the bondage of the law. Although Jesus saved us from the law, many people's thinking has not been renewed; when faced with situations, they still rely on themselves.
Today, does it matter if many people do not believe in Jesus? Such people are also under the law. When a person curses another, why does that person get angry? It is not just because they feel bad inside. It is because they fear that those words will come to pass in their lives. Without believing in Jesus, people cannot escape these curses and worries.
When you believe in Jesus, you are redeemed from all the curses of the law. When others say unpleasant, cursing words to you, you do not need to care, because you know these will not come to pass. Naturally, you will not get angry.
Colossians 2:20-23:
If you died with Christ to the elemental forces of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? These regulations refer to what is destined to perish by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines. Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.
If we have died with Christ, we have already escaped the elementary forces of this world. You are a new creation. 2 Corinthians tells us: If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and everything has become new. If you are already a new creation, why live like those in the world? Obeying “do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” refers to three aspects of regulations.
The first aspect: do not handle.
During the New Year, some places have the custom of steaming various shaped buns, and some places steam jujube buns, which have various shapes, each with its representative meaning.
If someone gives you such a bun, would you want it? Do you see? Immediately someone says, “No.” Another says, “Yes.” Do you want it?
This food itself has no problem. We should not put ourselves under do not handle; is this not the first of the “do not handle”? Many people think these things are unclean. If you take it, you will be contaminated.
Here, let me tell you a story: There was a young brother who, after believing in the Lord, shared the gospel with an aunt. Although she did not believe in Jesus, she took care of this young brother in every way.
One winter, this aunt might have spent several hundred dollars to buy a very beautiful pair of jeans. Then she found this young brother and said, “Look, it’s cold in winter; I bought you some clothes, please accept it.” Brothers and sisters, if someone shows you love and gives you something, would you want it? Even though she has not believed in Jesus, can you accept her gift?
The brother said, “I cannot accept your gift; you have already been very good to me, and I cannot take more from you.” The aunt said, “No one in my family can wear it; I bought it specifically for you, please accept it.” In the end, she forced it on him.
After this young brother returned home and saw the jeans, he felt as if it was filled with evil. He said to himself, “This is something given to me by a person who worships Buddha; it is filled with the filth and sin of what she worships. How could I wear such a thing and insult our God?”
In the end, he even took scissors and cut the jeans into pieces and threw them in the trash. When I heard this story, I felt a bit cold inside. I don’t know how you would feel? If this aunt knew about this, no matter how well you preached Jesus to her, she would never believe in your Lord.
Brothers and sisters, this is some of the “do not handle” regulations of the world.
We should not adhere to these useless things. Why? Because it is written very clearly, these are human commands and doctrines. They are destined to perish when used. When he was using it, when he was cutting it, he had already damaged someone’s heart. Because people cannot escape this world; all kinds of people around you always exist, and you cannot avoid dealing with them, right? If you insist that other people's things are unclean, then all Christians should go to the mountains and be isolated from the world. So this is human teaching.
These regulations give the appearance of wisdom, what does this mean? It seems to have wisdom, but the practical benefits are minimal. Take that brother's story as an example; he could have accepted it with a grateful heart and worn it. There is nothing wrong with that.
The scripture continues, worshiping with self-made religion,
Many people add a lot of personal elements to worshiping God.
Let me give another example: If we gather and do not recite the Apostles' Creed, is that okay? But many people say, “Why don’t you recite the Apostles' Creed? Why don’t you recite the Lord’s Prayer after the meeting? You are wrong!” Do you see? This has become a kind of regulation.
Jesus tells us: “God is spirit.” To worship Him, we must worship in spirit and truth. Even if you recite the Apostles' Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, if you do not understand the meaning and your heart is not with God, what is the use? It is merely self-humbling. Of course, if you understand the meaning of these contents, that is still very good. At least these creeds tell us simple principles of faith. But we cannot rigidly adhere to them. If it is a regulation that people keep, they will eventually feel very tired.
Harsh treatment of the body. Harsh treatment of the body is better understood; it says: “Do not handle, do not eat, do not touch.” Do you know how much you would lose? It is like during the New Year when everyone gives gifts and blessings to each other; you should just accept them. There is no need to worry that God will be unhappy. The power of the Holy Spirit far exceeds these; as long as you bless these things, they will all become clean. Do not let the teachings and commands of worldly people bind you. Strive to live in harmony with everyone.
Many people are always afraid of not being able to keep the law, thus offending God. I think there is no one in this world who can explain the law as clearly as Jesus did. How did Jesus explain the law? The law can be summarized in two statements: The first statement, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Simply put, love God. The second: Love your neighbor as yourself.
God loves us, so He has set some things for us not to do. Because they are not beneficial to us. Therefore, the things the Bible says we should not do, we can simply not do. For example, there are many animals that are not permissible to eat. We can just not eat them, and this way, we will not have the situation where animal pathogens transfer to humans.
Someone might say, what if I have furniture with dragon patterns on it? How should I deal with such things? What about some old items with carvings; can I still use them?
Brothers and sisters, do you know what the second commandment is? Do not take out a segment of the second commandment to read; what is the second commandment? Do not make for yourself a carved image; do not bow down to them. What is the purpose of these people carving images? To bow down to them. This explains another question. Can you have some stone carvings in your home? Can you have some wooden carvings in your home? If you cannot have even that, then you would have to take a scrubber and erase all the patterns on your sofa.
Today, the Bible clearly states that the purpose of these people carving images is to bow down to them. If you treat it as a craft, there is no problem. Are there carved patterns in the temple? Yes. The beams in the temple are carved with lilies, pomegranates, etc. If that is the case, would God be violating the commandment Himself? The purpose of God's carvings is not for the Israelites to worship them; they all have representative meanings.
Today we must return to the Bible. Do not say, “My pastor taught this way before; others have always said this.” You must check if the Bible teaches this.
Let’s explain again: Why does God not want us to bow down to carved images? Look at those people who made a copper toad, not knowing what it is called, with money in its mouth, covered in warts, looking quite creepy. They place it in a prominent spot and worship it in the morning; these things are of no benefit and will not bring you wealth.
The answer is in Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.
They have mouths but cannot speak; they have eyes but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear; they have noses but cannot smell.
They have hands but cannot feel; they have feet but cannot walk; they cannot make a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will become like them, as will all who trust in them.
This is the true reason God does not want us to worship them. Why? They are of no use. If you put them in the fire, they will perish. If you put them in the ground, they cannot come out. How can they save you?
Now that you believe in God, go seek the God who can truly help you. Because God loves us, He does not want us to do those meaningless things. Only He has the true power to save, and only He can solve problems.
Romans 7:6: But now we have been released from the law, having died to what held us, so that we may serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
I think this verse illustrates this issue well. Today, we are people who have been released from the law; we serve the Lord, and we should not serve in the old ways anymore. According to what? According to the newness of the Spirit. You must serve God according to the newness of the Spirit. Because the Spirit gives you freedom, not bondage. Hallelujah!
2 Corinthians 3:17: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
The law demands people not to do this or that. But the Spirit tells you that everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. These two are completely different.
Thank the Lord, many people say: “The Bible says that everything is permissible, so I can smoke, drink, play mahjong, steal, and do whatever I want.” Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. What does this mean? You can do anything, but not everything is beneficial for you.
Let me give an example of smoking. Brothers and sisters, if a Christian smokes, will they go to hell? No. But what is the benefit of smoking? I can tell you what the “benefit” is: after a long time, in the morning, it’s “cough, cough, cough…”; then after a while, when you go to the hospital for an X-ray, your lungs turn color. While others are red, yours turn black. And what is the “benefit”? This person is very “young,” maintaining a “young” state. They went away very “young.” This is the “benefit.” If you need such a “benefit,” then go ahead. God will not stop you from doing such things. God will not send someone to hell just because they smoke. So, everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.
What the Bible encourages us to do is always beneficial for us. For example, the Bible says to care for your brothers and sisters; remember to do more of such things, and you will receive more help. Is that beneficial? We do not need to give more examples. It just tells us that today you are not under the law. You are under the Spirit. You can do everything, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything builds others up.
If what you do does not build up those around you, and someone stumbles, can’t we just refrain from doing it? But do not put yourself under the regulations of “do not handle, do not touch, do not taste.”
Let me give a testimony to the brothers and sisters. First, let me explain that this sister is a very devout and loving aunt. This aunt fasts and prays for ten days a month; her life is very strong, and her spiritual sensitivity is also very high. At that time, I was still a new believer. One day she invited me to her home, which was very large and beautiful. However, strangely, there was not a single picture on the walls.
Later, I asked her, “Aunt, why don’t you put a picture on the wall? It looks quite bare.” Do you know what she said? “I cannot see these things; as soon as I see them, the devil will use them to attack me.” In fact, this is related to the teaching she received; it is also a kind of law. We should not put ourselves under the law.
We share the second point: Jesus Christ saves us from the power of sin; we are free in Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:2 tells us: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. Earlier, I mentioned something; where did our sins go? Brothers and sisters, all our sins were laid on Jesus when He was on the cross. This is how Jesus saved us from sin. God no longer remembers our sins because someone has taken our place.
For this reason, God no longer condemns you. And today you are under the law of the Spirit. So, the life you now live is not yours, but Christ lives in you. Therefore, you are a new creation. Why? The sinner has already been borne by Jesus; now you are a person with the Holy Spirit, you are a completely new person. Your identity is a child of God.
2 Corinthians 5:18 says, Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. The latter part of this verse is even more important: Not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.
Many people say, “I am still sinning; am I not a sinner?” Have you forgotten what the Bible says? God does not count their trespasses against them. To whom does it count? It counts to Jesus. This is the principle of reconciliation between God and man. Jesus said, “Go tell others this message of reconciliation.”
Romans 6:17-18:
Thanks be to God, that although you used to be slaves to sin, you have obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to.
And having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.
Brothers and sisters, what is a slave? In Jesus’ time, a slave has no freedom. This servant is merely an accessory to the master.
Everything a slave owns belongs to the master. Today, Paul tells us that you have all become slaves of righteousness. It is very clear; using the term slave tells us that everything we have today belongs to God. What does being a slave also mean? Everything he needs is supplied to him by his master in due time.
We have been set free from sin and have become slaves of righteousness. What can righteousness bring? Peace, joy, blessings, life; no one wants to leave all of this. So now that we are willing to be slaves of righteousness, we do not want to be slaves of sin anymore.
Thank the Lord, you are called to be free. Today, believing in Jesus does not give us more pressure or more laws. When you come before Him, what you receive is His freedom. Hallelujah!
Today, although you have freedom in Christ, do not use this freedom as an opportunity for indulgence, doing whatever you want. Instead, cherish this freedom and serve one another in love. When you walk according to the Spirit, you will not indulge the desires of the flesh. What is discussed here are the behaviors of Christians.
How to overcome such a life and have good behavior?
First, you must know that you are free in Christ. Then follow the guidance of the Spirit. The things recorded in the Bible, the things that people consider good, you should try to do.
Freedom is not doing whatever you want; it is not doing what you do not want to do!
Can Christians smoke? Returning to the previous example, can they? Yes. Do I have the right to smoke? Do I? Who can say, “You have no right to smoke!” I have that freedom, but I have the freedom not to smoke. I just choose not to use that freedom. But those who are bound by nicotine addiction do not have that freedom; many cannot live without cigarettes and feel terrible all over.
Second: Can Christians curse? You have the freedom to curse, and you also have the freedom not to curse. Why would you curse? When you want to attack someone with words, are you using your own strength to defeat them? You are not using God’s strength. So when others curse you, you have a way to respond.
First, you can curse back with your own strength; second, what can you do? You can ignore them and declare in Christ that whatever you say will not come to pass, so I do not need to pay attention. If he knows this, wouldn’t he be even more furious? And you will not be hurt by him.
Brothers and sisters, we have the freedom not to curse in Christ. But many Christians also have this right; many people have spread a wrong commandment that you cannot curse, cannot drink, cannot do this, cannot do that.
So what about those who do not believe in Jesus? They will curse you to see how you respond. At this time, Christians do not understand this principle; they endure, endure, endure… until they can no longer endure and start cursing back. That person will say, “See, I knew you were all hypocrites.” Does this situation exist? Brothers and sisters, we need to view this matter correctly; you must tell them that Christians do not lack the right to curse; we just choose not to use that freedom. Thank the Lord! We must use our freedom correctly.
If today what you hear is that Christians cannot do this or that, if you do it, you are sinning, if you do it, you are offending God. After doing it, God will discipline you; this is called the law. Why? Because God has saved us from the law. Why do you say that because he cursed today, he has become a sinner? So we must view this kind of freedom correctly. You have this freedom, but you just do not use it.
Just like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. There were two trees: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God let them choose; this is freedom. In fact, Adam had complete freedom not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but they chose it. Just like Christians, you can rely on Christ not to curse, you can choose not to smoke; you have the ability to completely avoid these things. Why do you choose to do them? After doing them, we gain no benefit. Therefore, I urge you, if something is not beneficial, do not do it.
When you do not do it, God will grant you His heavenly freedom, you can only choose one. Either choose not to smoke, or choose to smoke? You cannot say, “I smoke, but I do not smoke.” That would be deceiving, right? You can only choose one. So, we are free in Christ. You can choose love, and you can also choose hate.
But I wish you all choose to love your neighbor as yourself; life will be different. At the end, Moses also explained the entire law. He said, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life,” Moses did this, choose life, do not choose death.
This is our freedom in Christ.
Sharing the third point, the grace of Jesus Christ is always greater than the law; the grace of Jesus Christ is always greater than sin.
Brothers and sisters, is the law greater or is Jesus greater? Because Jesus can keep all the laws, so Jesus is greater. Secondly, is sin greater or is the grace of Jesus Christ greater? We must remember, many people say if you keep talking about grace, people will intentionally sin, not knowing who is greater. So sin will never be greater than grace; if sin were greater than grace, grace would have no opportunity to operate in this world and could not overcome sin.
Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven.” Is Jesus’ power greater? Therefore, He has the authority to forgive sins.
So when you preach grace, grace can stop the spread of sin. It is not today to say, “Lord, help me overcome this, help me overcome that.” The more you focus on sin, the more you roll in that sin. But when you focus on the grace of Jesus, wherever Jesus Christ goes, sin disappears.
Thank the Lord, this is a very important point. Romans 5:20 tells us: The law came along to multiply the trespass, but where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more.
This means if there are ten sins, there is one hundred grace; which is greater? Grace is greater. Sin cannot stop the operation of grace; the law demands, but grace supplies. Under the law, because God is holy, the people must strive to be holy, regardless of whether they can achieve it.
Under grace, what did Jesus do? He gave us His holiness. Today, we simply accept the holiness of Jesus.
Under grace, Jesus has accomplished this and given it to you. What you need to do is to receive it, and you can receive everything He has done. So we receive His supply from Jesus Christ; He supplies His holiness, His righteousness, His forgiveness, and His healing. You just need to receive from Him.
This is our freedom under the New Covenant. Jesus was surrounded by sinners, and He did not say, “You have many idols in your home; I will not go to your house because if I go, I will get into trouble.” So who is greater? Jesus did not reject these people; He went and ate with sinners and befriended tax collectors. He did not become contaminated by these sins. Instead, wherever Jesus went, sin stopped.
This is our Jesus! The simple way to overcome sin is to come before Jesus and rely on His grace, and you will overcome. Hallelujah!
Let me share a verse with you, 1 John 4:4: Little children, you are from God and have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Brothers and sisters, what is in you? What is in you is the Holy Spirit of God, so what is in you is the Holy Spirit of God, greater than the whole world. He is greater than the powers of the devil in the whole world, and He can overcome all evil. So, this week, I encourage the brothers and sisters to meditate on this verse. At any time, you must know that what is in you is greater than what is in this world.
Returning to the testimony I shared earlier, when I went to that aunt's house, her home was bare, with nothing. I truly admired her. She prays for ten days a month; isn’t that the life we all long for? But you know what? Another situation arose; she was very sensitive to spiritual matters, and on the day I visited, she happened to have a problem.
She said, “This morning, my head has been hurting all morning.” Finally, I discovered the problem; do you know what it was? She said, “I feel there is something unclean in our house, and as a result, my head started hurting. I prayed, but it did not work. Later, God revealed to me that there is something unclean in my house, and I need to find it to solve this problem.”
Then she started searching. I already mentioned that her house was very clean, right? There were no pictures, and there was nothing messy in the house. Her sofa did not even have a single pattern; it was truly like that. Finally, she said, “I finally found the culprit; last night my husband went drinking.” As a result, he brought back some unfinished alcohol and placed it in the room. She felt that something unclean had entered the house, and she finally found it.
She said, “I searched and searched, and finally in the kitchen, I remembered that nothing had entered the house these days, except for what my husband brought back last night; it must be that.” Moreover, she firmly believed that this was revealed to her by God. In the end, she saw that there were two bottles of alcohol, and those bottles had two dragons on them, four dragons in total. After this thing entered the house, she started to have a headache and could not find healing.
Brothers and sisters, I will not comment on this matter for now. Today, in this situation, is the Spirit greater or is the power of sin greater? If the Spirit is greater, how could these things possibly affect you? In her mind, she viewed the devil’s power as too great; as long as there was a tiny bit of unclean thing in the house, she would immediately be attacked.
I said, “Aunt, it’s actually okay; you can put up a picture or something.” She said, “No, no, no, the devil will attack me through that.”
Brothers and sisters, we must return to the Bible and say, Little children, you are from God and have conquered them. Who are they? The powers of the devil; you have already conquered them. It is not that you are fighting something; you have already won.
Jesus Christ defeated the devil 2000 years ago. Why should you be afraid of him? Is there any light that fears darkness? Jesus said: I am the light; where there is light, darkness disappears. So brothers and sisters, no matter how many idols are in that house, if you go there, declare in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: I have come! Devil, you can leave. This is your authority. You may have to go home for the New Year, and when you see idols in someone else's house, many people tell me, “When I see idols in someone else's house, I get a headache.” I say, “Why do you have a headache? It should be the idols that have a headache!”
There was a man who had over two thousand demons in him, and when Jesus arrived, those thousands of demons began to plead, Do not send us to the abyss. The power of Jesus far exceeds these.
Brothers and sisters, no matter where you go during the New Year, whether they are worshiping ancestral tablets or making offerings, just tell yourself: What is in me is greater than what is in the world. Today I have come; the devil should be afraid. So even if there are idols in someone else's house, as long as you do not worship them, you will be fine.
If you bought a picture and put it on the wall, is that okay? If you bought a piece of calligraphy written by someone and put it on the wall, is that okay? Can you put up a “love” or a “blessing”? There is no problem, but the issue is, do not worship it; if you worship it, then problems will arise.
Brothers and sisters, even with the cross, it is not permissible to bow down to it. You see many Western movies where they suppress demons using what? When the devil comes, they take out the cross, and the devil trembles. Is it the object that has the effect? No. Many people tell me that when they return home and see a cross, not a wooden one, but a picture, whenever the devil disturbs them, they just squat under that cross, and everything is fine. Is that an idol? So brothers and sisters, this is the difference between an idol and a picture; it lies in people's thoughts.
So, brothers and sisters, we are free in Christ. You must know that the grace of Jesus Christ is greater than the law. Jesus Christ has overcome all evil, and the authority of Jesus Christ is greater than the authority of the devil. So no matter where you go, Jesus is with you.
As the Spring Festival approaches, do not let yourself be bound. When you encounter such situations, you must tell yourself that what is in you is greater than what is in the world. So how should we act? Walk in the love of Jesus Christ and enjoy the freedom that comes from Christ.
You must always remind yourself that our Lord has defeated the devil; I am not fighting the devil; I am declaring that he has already failed. Therefore, do not be afraid of those idols; in Christ, you are free.
If some things have already happened, you should pray for those things in the name of Jesus Christ. Taking the previous example, when others celebrate the New Year and they are not yet believers, if someone gives you a plate of dumplings, you can declare in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to cleanse that plate of dumplings! Just eat; there is no problem. Hallelujah! Thank the Lord!