Free to Live
March 10, 2010 by Aric · Leave a Comment
Jesus said: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing,” (John 15:4-5). The Fruit of the Spirit is the work of God in your life. You need know only one thing—you need only to stay close to Jesus. In that same text Jesus said, “My Father is glorified in this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love,” (John 15:8-9). So, if you want to live freely go after the heart of God.
Staying Free From “Fixers”
February 28, 2010 by Aric · Leave a Comment
The problem with religion is that it becomes the excuse for critical treatment of everyone else. If religion measures the way people act and what they say, then those of us who speak and act properly can correct those who don’t. It’s true of religion and it’s true of our secular religious society: There are people who are perennial fixers of other people’s lives. For them, religion is quite convenient. But Galatians 5 tells us that we are free—free from religious fixers, whether they be in the church or in the culture at large. This key text says it all: It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery, (Galatians 5:1).
From Wayward Sinners to Cherished Children
February 23, 2010 by Aric · Leave a Comment
You don’t have to do anything to earn His favor. You already have His favor. Just be free! And live the life you were meant to live—the life of a freeborn Christian, the life of a son or daughter of God, with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of this new freedom. It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery, (Galatians 5:1). That’s the heart of Paul’s message. You are FREE! Really Free! Absolutely FREE! Totally and unconditionally FREE!
Royalty By Night, Secretary By Day
February 15, 2010 by Aric · Leave a Comment
The gospel is good news, but not just any good news—not the good news of a pay raise, or of a good grade in school, or of a victory of your favorite sports team, or of the solution to some international problem. It is the unexpected, surprising good news that God is not angry or indifferent or impersonal, but that God loves you and has provided the means for your salvation—all for free. What would your life would look like if you really believed it.
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Breaking Free
February 15, 2010 by Aric · Leave a Comment
The Christian life is a life of faith. . . . Faith in what? . . . Faith in the promise of Christ that you are accepted not on the basis of how good you are, but on the basis of how good He is. Now listen: Every once in a while you need to check the law of the Bible because it reflects God’s will. When Jesus said He had not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it, He meant that He had come to give His people the power to live by God’s law (which is still the best way to live), AND forgiveness when they didn’t. The law (not the laws we create) is a good measurement. He wants you to check it not so you can see how bad you are doing, but so you can see how well you are doing by His grace.
Finding Real Passion Beyond the Poison of Hypocrisy
February 7, 2010 by Aric · Leave a Comment
This is the 6th sermon in our Galatians series. In which we are dealing with the central Christian doctrine of Justification. One of the most personal and poignant moments in all of Paul’s writings is when he says, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20). . . . You can trust Him because He is passionate about you.
Freedom From Religion
January 24, 2010 by Aric · Leave a Comment
I believe that God is forcing us out of the prison of things that are done because they are always done that way. And in the process of leading others out of their prisons of sin, I find myself being let out of my prison of religion. And together we are learning to love Jesus the way Jesus loves us. Christianity is the great anti-religion.
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God’s Good Pleasure
January 10, 2010 by Aric · Leave a Comment
Freedom! “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery,” (Galatians 5:1). Jesus Christ died to deliver you from the curse of the law—glorious forgiveness!—and He died to deliver you from the conceptions of our age—glorious freedom and independence of mind!
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Am I Christian Enough
January 3, 2010 by Aric · Leave a Comment
Somewhere along the line we got confused and we got it backwards. Somewhere, at some time, we decided that if we are good enough and keep all the rules of goodness, we would find freedom. But goodness, obedience, and holiness are the results of freedom, not the cause of it. So, to help us to understand that, we are going to spend some time in Paul’s letter to the Galatian Christians. And the truth is, Galatians is nothing more than a practical commentary on these words of Jesus: If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. . . . If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed,” (John 8:31-32, 36). The message of the gospel is the message of freedom.
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