WEBVTT 00:00:00.660 --> 00:00:05.339 Well, again, let me say good morning to you, and if you're joining us for the first time, 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:10.859 normally in our church, normally we follow the lectionary, but we've taken a few weeks 00:00:10.859 --> 00:00:16.199 to focus on something that I think is pretty important for us as a community and something 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:20.100 that we need to revisit from time to time in the life of our church, and that is we're 00:00:20.100 --> 00:00:25.240 taking a few weeks to share our vision for congregational care at Church of the Advent. 00:00:25.239 --> 00:00:32.399 And by that, I mean we're asking the question together of how can we be a truly caring community? 00:00:33.299 --> 00:00:39.379 How can we be a community in which every member, in which every regular attender, if you're 00:00:39.379 --> 00:00:43.920 someone and you consider this to be your community, how can we be the kind of place where you're 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:49.939 going to be known, where you're going to be loved, and when you encounter difficulty, you're 00:00:49.939 --> 00:00:52.959 going to know how and where to get the care and support that you need? 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:55.539 How are we going to be that kind of community? 00:00:55.700 --> 00:00:57.140 And so we're taking a few weeks to look at that. 00:00:57.299 --> 00:01:01.579 We're looking at a few passages in Scripture to guide us in that journey. 00:01:01.760 --> 00:01:11.819 So we began this series a couple of weeks ago by looking at sort of the first theme of 00:01:11.819 --> 00:01:13.120 what it means to be a caring church. 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:16.219 We said that a caring church is one that lives like a spiritual family. 00:01:17.579 --> 00:01:21.299 And what that means is that we all share in the work of caring for one another. 00:01:21.299 --> 00:01:26.140 This isn't just a job for a few licensed professionals that care is the work of the church. 00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:27.939 That was week one. 00:01:28.019 --> 00:01:29.979 And then week two sort of added on to that. 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:37.439 We said that a caring church recognizes the value of adversity, that even in the best church 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:41.700 under the best circumstances, there is going to be some degree of adversity and how that's 00:01:41.700 --> 00:01:42.759 actually a good thing. 00:01:42.859 --> 00:01:47.039 That's one of the major ways that God works in our lives, brings us to maturity. 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:51.740 This week is going to be maybe a little challenging for some of us because we're going to be asking 00:01:51.740 --> 00:01:54.240 the question of how does a caring church deal with sin? 00:01:55.080 --> 00:01:57.780 How do we deal with conflict? 00:01:58.120 --> 00:02:02.280 How do we deal with those things that probably most of us would prefer not to talk about or 00:02:02.280 --> 00:02:02.700 deal with? 00:02:02.860 --> 00:02:04.440 How do we deal with those things? 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:08.280 And so we're going to be considering this theme together. 00:02:08.599 --> 00:02:12.300 A caring church is one that safeguards spiritual freedom. 00:02:13.939 --> 00:02:15.180 Safeguards spiritual freedom. 00:02:15.180 --> 00:02:19.520 We're going to be looking at John chapter eight and then this passage from Galatians five 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:21.300 and six that we've been looking at every week. 00:02:21.819 --> 00:02:22.939 And we'll ask two questions. 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:24.740 Number one, what is spiritual freedom? 00:02:26.120 --> 00:02:28.140 And number two, how do we safeguard it together? 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:29.640 Let's pray. 00:02:31.819 --> 00:02:38.939 Our father who is in heaven, we are so grateful that without even having to ask, we know that 00:02:38.939 --> 00:02:39.640 you are here. 00:02:40.200 --> 00:02:41.620 We know that you are listening. 00:02:41.620 --> 00:02:47.400 We know that you are at work and we know that you promise to work through your word, 00:02:47.500 --> 00:02:50.060 that whenever you send your word out, it does not return void. 00:02:50.140 --> 00:02:53.340 It accomplishes all that you intend for it to accomplish. 00:02:53.480 --> 00:02:55.960 And that is what we need here this morning, whether we know it or not. 00:02:56.780 --> 00:02:59.460 We need our father to speak to our hearts. 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:03.540 Lord, may we be open and receptive. 00:03:03.539 --> 00:03:06.299 May we be attentive. 00:03:07.179 --> 00:03:13.439 And may you do what only you can do in us, that we would be able to glorify you here in 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:17.340 this city, that your name would be held above all other names. 00:03:17.859 --> 00:03:19.479 We pray this in your son's holy name. 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:20.019 Amen. 00:03:21.659 --> 00:03:26.039 So this first question we're going to ask together is, what do we mean by spiritual freedom? 00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:31.459 You know, freedom is something that we talk about quite a lot in our society. 00:03:31.460 --> 00:03:36.060 And by freedom, I think what most people probably mean is the freedom to choose. 00:03:37.260 --> 00:03:44.640 It's freedom of choice, the freedom to do what I want, when I want, the freedom to define 00:03:44.640 --> 00:03:49.879 myself, the freedom to define reality however I want. 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:56.199 So the focus of our common understanding of freedom tends to be on individual autonomy, 00:03:56.639 --> 00:04:02.039 means not being bound by legal or religious or even moral constraints. 00:04:02.280 --> 00:04:04.699 It's the freedom to choose. 00:04:05.460 --> 00:04:10.900 According to Dale Keene, who is a professor of politics, he says, 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:17.300 our public life is governed by three taboos designed to maximize this kind of freedom. 00:04:17.300 --> 00:04:20.360 Number one, do what you want as long as it's consensual. 00:04:21.520 --> 00:04:24.780 Number two, do what you want as long as you don't hurt anyone. 00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:31.939 And number three, don't tell anyone else that their choices are wrong. 00:04:33.740 --> 00:04:39.519 Most people assume that this is what freedom means, and if we live this way, that we will 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:41.240 have a free society. 00:04:41.240 --> 00:04:48.259 Now, it's one thing to talk about this politically or culturally or socially or even in a religious 00:04:48.259 --> 00:04:51.720 context, but underneath all of this, there's a problem. 00:04:53.139 --> 00:04:57.960 And the problem is this, that we are not actually as free as we like to think. 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:01.500 In John chapter 8, Jesus is talking to some Jews. 00:05:01.620 --> 00:05:03.420 Now, these are people who have heard Him. 00:05:03.500 --> 00:05:04.740 They've initially responded. 00:05:04.740 --> 00:05:11.800 But as Jesus often does, He has a crowd who will become interested in Him, and then His 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:17.379 teaching changes from a posture of invitation, of come and see, to I want to make sure you 00:05:17.379 --> 00:05:20.439 know what you're really buying into. 00:05:20.540 --> 00:05:22.740 And He begins to say things that challenge people. 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:29.860 So there's this posture with Jesus' teaching of gathering, and then He'll begin to say things 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:36.660 that confuse and challenge, and some of those people will end up going away. 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:38.280 This is one of those moments. 00:05:38.379 --> 00:05:41.740 He's talking to some Jews who are very interested in Him, and He says, 00:05:41.900 --> 00:05:48.920 If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will 00:05:48.920 --> 00:05:49.720 set you free. 00:05:51.400 --> 00:05:55.680 Now, they're very offended by this, and their response indicates that. 00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:59.620 They say, How dare you suggest that we need to be set free? 00:06:00.199 --> 00:06:01.160 We are free. 00:06:01.740 --> 00:06:03.220 How dare you suggest otherwise? 00:06:03.319 --> 00:06:05.480 We've never been slaves to anyone. 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:10.920 And then Jesus responds by saying, Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin 00:06:10.920 --> 00:06:14.000 is a slave to sin. 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:17.980 What He's saying is that sin in our lives is evidence that we are slaves. 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:24.579 See, being a slave, by definition, means that you can't say no. 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:32.240 It means that someone or something else is calling the shots in your life. 00:06:32.340 --> 00:06:34.699 So if you can't stop overeating, you're a slave to food. 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:36.400 You can't say no. 00:06:37.139 --> 00:06:39.819 If you can't stop drinking too much, you're a slave to alcohol. 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:45.240 If you can't stop losing your temper, then you're a slave to anger. 00:06:46.120 --> 00:06:53.620 If you can't stop conforming to what other people expect of you, then you're a slave to approval. 00:06:53.620 --> 00:07:02.060 If you can't stop working for at least one day a week, then you're a slave to your career. 00:07:03.180 --> 00:07:10.180 If you can't stop hating the other political party, rooting your identity and your sense 00:07:10.180 --> 00:07:12.600 of meaning in your party, then you're a slave to politics. 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:18.840 If you can't stop scrolling on your smartphone, you're a slave to dopamine. 00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:20.900 Right? 00:07:21.140 --> 00:07:28.840 In Romans chapter 7, the apostle Paul is talking about his life before he encountered Jesus 00:07:28.840 --> 00:07:30.740 and everything began to change. 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:36.140 And he's talking about himself and he says, at this point in my life, you know, I don't 00:07:36.140 --> 00:07:37.700 understand my own actions. 00:07:37.699 --> 00:07:42.060 I do not do what I want. 00:07:42.139 --> 00:07:43.939 Instead, I do the very thing that I hate. 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:49.479 I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 00:07:51.240 --> 00:07:55.319 Now, I don't know about you, but I so deeply identify with that. 00:07:55.319 --> 00:08:01.279 How many of us can identify with that way of feeling about our lives? 00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:04.839 Are there times in your life when you don't understand yourself? 00:08:04.980 --> 00:08:09.240 You know, you say something, you blurt something out or you do something, and then 10 seconds 00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:11.339 later, you're thinking, why did I just say that? 00:08:13.019 --> 00:08:16.939 You know, somebody says, oh, did you, you know, have you read that great book that just 00:08:16.939 --> 00:08:17.240 came out? 00:08:17.259 --> 00:08:18.439 And you say, oh, yeah, yeah, it's great. 00:08:18.839 --> 00:08:21.040 And you're like, I haven't read that book. 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:23.620 Right? 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:26.180 But in that moment, you just want to conform. 00:08:26.620 --> 00:08:29.600 You want that person to think that you're the kind of person that reads books like that. 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:31.220 Why did I do that? 00:08:31.240 --> 00:08:32.740 I don't understand why I just said that. 00:08:34.419 --> 00:08:34.779 Right? 00:08:34.840 --> 00:08:39.440 There are times when you desire to do right, but you end up doing what you hate. 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:43.240 You know, you desire to be patient with your kids. 00:08:44.519 --> 00:08:48.379 You know, I'll wake up, go for a run, pray, come back into the house. 00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:51.400 I am feeling so in line with God. 00:08:51.480 --> 00:08:53.200 My heart and God's heart are one. 00:08:53.300 --> 00:08:56.900 We have just communed, right, on the sidewalks of D.C. 00:08:56.920 --> 00:09:00.120 And then I come in the house, and it's time to get the kids ready for school, and I can't 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:01.220 wait to just give them a hug. 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:05.180 And within 10 minutes, I'm yelling at them. 00:09:06.300 --> 00:09:07.940 And then after drop-off, I'm thinking, what? 00:09:08.400 --> 00:09:10.380 I hated myself just then. 00:09:11.860 --> 00:09:13.040 That's not who I am. 00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:14.140 That's not who I want to be. 00:09:14.139 --> 00:09:22.539 You know, or you desire contentment, but every single day you compare yourself to other people 00:09:22.539 --> 00:09:25.779 and resent them for having what you think is a better life. 00:09:26.819 --> 00:09:29.779 And you're like, I want to be filled with gratitude and contentment. 00:09:29.819 --> 00:09:31.080 I don't want to be filled with envy. 00:09:32.279 --> 00:09:37.360 So the question I'm really asking is, why is there always a gap between the person that 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:40.580 we are and the person that we desire to be? 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:42.519 Why is there a gap? 00:09:45.159 --> 00:09:45.399 Right? 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:47.600 Does that sound like someone who is free? 00:09:50.019 --> 00:09:55.159 If we were truly free, we would be able to simply be who we desire to be. 00:09:55.259 --> 00:09:56.879 I would just, I want to be this kind of person. 00:09:57.259 --> 00:09:58.399 Boom, I'm that kind of person. 00:09:58.700 --> 00:10:01.000 That's what a free person would be able to do. 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:04.059 A person who can say yes and no. 00:10:04.139 --> 00:10:06.279 A person who doesn't have anyone calling the shots. 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:10.620 If we were truly free, that would be possible, but it's not possible. 00:10:10.980 --> 00:10:15.559 There's always a gap between who I want to be way over there and who I actually am. 00:10:17.320 --> 00:10:22.460 And this is why self-help is a $12 billion industry, because it's always promising that 00:10:22.460 --> 00:10:26.519 the you that you want to be is just around the corner, just one breakthrough away. 00:10:27.340 --> 00:10:30.879 But, you know, the same people keep coming back and buying all those products. 00:10:31.340 --> 00:10:35.659 The same people that bought the hottest book or hottest video five years ago, they come 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:38.620 back for the one that's breaking out right now. 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:46.000 The point is that the main obstacle to freedom is not social, it's not cultural, it's not 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:47.000 legal, political. 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.700 The main obstacle to freedom is spiritual. 00:10:51.480 --> 00:10:54.299 It's not an external obstacle, it's an internal obstacle. 00:10:54.299 --> 00:11:00.899 And the Bible would say the reason that we're not free is because we're all born in spiritual 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:01.659 bondage. 00:11:03.299 --> 00:11:08.679 You know, David Foster Wallace was a kind of a tortured soul, keen observer of human nature, 00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:10.579 and a kind of genius in his own way. 00:11:10.659 --> 00:11:14.799 And he has this famous commencement speech that some of you have undoubtedly heard called 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:15.500 This is Water. 00:11:15.500 --> 00:11:20.600 And in it he says this, he says, in the day-to-day trenches of life, there's actually no such thing 00:11:20.600 --> 00:11:21.259 as atheism. 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:24.500 There's no such thing as not worshiping. 00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:25.679 Everybody worships. 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:27.820 The only choice we get is what to worship. 00:11:27.820 --> 00:11:33.860 And what you begin to realize when you either look at Scripture or actually just observe 00:11:33.860 --> 00:11:37.879 life and the way it works is whatever we worship will end up enslaving us. 00:11:38.420 --> 00:11:43.879 Whatever that thing is that becomes the thing, the thing, the ultimate thing, we begin to serve 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:44.520 that thing. 00:11:44.760 --> 00:11:50.440 So Wallace goes on, he says, if you worship money and things, if they're where you tap real 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:52.200 meaning in life, then you'll never have enough. 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:54.680 Never feel that you have enough. 00:11:54.679 --> 00:11:58.379 Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure, and you will always feel ugly. 00:11:59.339 --> 00:12:01.779 Worship power, and you'll end up feeling weak and afraid. 00:12:02.419 --> 00:12:06.339 And you'll need even more power over others to numb you to your own fear. 00:12:07.659 --> 00:12:08.519 Worship your intellect. 00:12:08.659 --> 00:12:14.439 Being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being 00:12:14.439 --> 00:12:15.939 found out. 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:20.699 So what is spiritual freedom, then? 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:23.459 It's freedom of the heart. 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:29.659 It's the kind of freedom that truly sets us free. 00:12:29.739 --> 00:12:35.379 See, the kind of freedom that most people talk about and care about in our society, individual 00:12:35.379 --> 00:12:39.879 autonomy, what we were talking about, you know, the kind of freedom that says, I can do what 00:12:39.879 --> 00:12:44.120 I want and no legal or moral or religious constraints can get in my way. 00:12:44.120 --> 00:12:51.500 That kind of freedom is utterly meaningless without spiritual freedom. 00:12:55.620 --> 00:12:58.820 A spiritually free people wouldn't need constraints. 00:12:58.820 --> 00:13:15.820 What good does it do to tell a man that he is free to do whatever he wants if there are still hooks in his heart and chains still held by some unseen master? 00:13:15.820 --> 00:13:20.200 That is only the illusion of freedom. 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:27.720 So in John chapter 8, Jesus is saying, if you want to be truly free, you need to be spiritually free. 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:32.840 And spiritual freedom is something that cannot be gained through your religious heritage. 00:13:33.060 --> 00:13:34.240 I know that you're born Jewish. 00:13:34.400 --> 00:13:37.180 I know that your great-grandfather was Abraham. 00:13:37.179 --> 00:13:40.819 That doesn't guarantee your freedom. 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:45.779 It can't be actually earned through any human effort of any kind. 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:49.719 Jesus says, the only way to be free is for the Son to set you free. 00:13:50.479 --> 00:13:52.099 And of course, he's talking about himself. 00:13:52.219 --> 00:13:55.739 He says, if the Son sets you free, then you will be free indeed. 00:13:55.740 --> 00:14:06.240 And the entire aim of the Christian gospel, by the way, if you're here and you're not a Christian, you're kind of wondering, what is Christianity all about or what makes this different than other religions? 00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:07.460 Here's what it is. 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:14.279 The entire aim of the Christian gospel, the reason that Jesus came was to give us the gift of freedom. 00:14:15.019 --> 00:14:23.639 The precious, costly, unimaginably valuable gift of freedom, which can only be received by grace. 00:14:23.639 --> 00:14:29.340 And when we talk about this kind of freedom, we mean freedom from condemnation. 00:14:29.539 --> 00:14:33.000 Jesus' death atoning for all the sin of the world. 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:35.439 We mean freedom from the power of death. 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:42.000 Jesus was raised from death, and he offers that same promise to us. 00:14:42.179 --> 00:14:44.960 Death, the sting has been taken out of death. 00:14:45.419 --> 00:14:48.379 Death is now simply a doorway into eternity. 00:14:49.059 --> 00:14:50.799 Freedom from alienation. 00:14:50.799 --> 00:15:00.699 Through Jesus, God adopts us as sons and daughters as part of this one great spiritual family made up of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:09.059 And then Jesus, in addition to this freedom, gives us another gift, which is the gift of the Holy Spirit. 00:15:09.179 --> 00:15:11.779 And that is crucial for understanding spiritual freedom. 00:15:11.779 --> 00:15:16.500 And the reason is this, and this is very important for what we're talking about this morning. 00:15:17.019 --> 00:15:25.740 Even though Jesus sets us free when we put our faith in him, we still have to learn how to live as free people. 00:15:25.740 --> 00:15:38.600 When you are someone who has been raised in captivity your entire life, you cannot just throw open the cage door and expect people to know how to live out their freedom. 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:41.659 We need to retrain our minds. 00:15:41.820 --> 00:15:48.360 We need to rehabituate our hearts and desires to live into love as free people. 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:56.080 This is why Jesus says, if you abide in my word, then you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. 00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:02.779 See, he's saying, I'm going to set you free, something that only I can do for you. 00:16:02.779 --> 00:16:16.079 But then the way that you are going to learn how to live out that freedom is by abiding in my word, by following me as my disciples, by obeying all that I've given you. 00:16:16.139 --> 00:16:20.039 If you want to know what a truly free person looks like, Jesus Christ. 00:16:21.019 --> 00:16:27.919 And he's saying, if you want to live in love like I do, like a free human being, you need to follow me. 00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:28.919 Right? 00:16:30.099 --> 00:16:38.179 If you want to learn how to dance, you dance with somebody who knows how to dance, and you follow their movements, and you sink your body with theirs, and you walk in their steps. 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:42.500 And that's exactly what Jesus' invitation entails. 00:16:43.479 --> 00:16:44.500 Live like I do. 00:16:44.679 --> 00:16:45.679 Love like I do. 00:16:46.099 --> 00:16:48.500 Pattern your life after the pattern of my life. 00:16:48.939 --> 00:16:50.439 That's how you learn to be free. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:56.699 But this gift of freedom in the church needs to be safeguarded. 00:16:56.700 --> 00:17:01.259 So the second question we're asking is, how can we safeguard spiritual freedom? 00:17:02.520 --> 00:17:11.759 There are two major obstacles, major threats to spiritual freedom that Paul focuses on in the letter that he writes to the Galatian church. 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:17.220 And these two major threats to freedom sit at opposite ends of the continuum. 00:17:18.100 --> 00:17:21.920 We have on the one end license, and on the other end legalism. 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:22.920 Right? 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:33.860 So the threat of license, right, some people say, well, if Jesus forgives me no matter what, if he's atoned for all the sin of the world, then why can't I just live however I please? 00:17:33.960 --> 00:17:35.920 Why does any of this matter? 00:17:36.080 --> 00:17:37.680 What does obedience have to do with it? 00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:39.600 Obedience sounds like the opposite of freedom. 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:47.740 But here is where we see that the gospel offers us a much richer definition of freedom than you will find in the culture. 00:17:48.879 --> 00:17:51.839 Freedom is not just the ability to choose. 00:17:54.519 --> 00:17:56.399 It's the ability to choose well. 00:17:57.659 --> 00:18:00.980 It's the ability to choose that for which we were made. 00:18:00.980 --> 00:18:06.759 So as Paul says earlier in Galatians chapter 5 verse 13, he says, 00:18:06.940 --> 00:18:09.019 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters. 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:16.940 Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 00:18:17.799 --> 00:18:20.960 So he's saying that freedom has a purpose to it. 00:18:21.620 --> 00:18:23.680 And that purpose is love. 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:29.720 You have been set free to fulfill the purpose that you were created for. 00:18:29.940 --> 00:18:33.820 And that is to love, to love God, to love and serve one another. 00:18:34.320 --> 00:18:35.820 That's the purpose of your freedom. 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:41.500 So safeguarding spiritual freedom means not using it as an opportunity for the flesh. 00:18:41.580 --> 00:18:44.400 In other words, an opportunity to go right back into slavery. 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:50.480 And Paul gives some examples of things that Christians need to be on guard against. 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:58.580 Sensuality, idolatry, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy. 00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:01.680 He says all of those defeat the purpose of freedom. 00:19:02.080 --> 00:19:04.320 All of those erodes right back into slavery. 00:19:04.920 --> 00:19:09.700 That's like somebody threw open the cage door, you walked out, looked around, and then walked right back into the cage. 00:19:09.800 --> 00:19:11.840 He says, be on guard against those things. 00:19:11.839 --> 00:19:23.919 By contrast, the spiritually free life produces fruit that lines up with this purpose to love and serve. 00:19:24.539 --> 00:19:24.720 Right? 00:19:24.759 --> 00:19:33.879 The fruit of love, the fruit of joy, the fruit of peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control. 00:19:33.879 --> 00:19:39.699 All of those are oriented toward loving and serving others in the community. 00:19:39.819 --> 00:19:41.119 That's the purpose of freedom. 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:52.179 So while some people might object to this and say, you know, it sounds like obedience and freedom are opposites of one another, we would say freedom and morality are not mutually exclusive. 00:19:53.619 --> 00:20:05.799 You know, as the Bible scholar N.T. Wright says, to accept appropriate moral constraints is not to curtail true freedom, but to create the conditions for it to flourish. 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:06.799 Having the right constraints. 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:07.799 Having the right constraints. 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:08.799 Having the right constraints. 00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:09.680 Having the right constraints. 00:20:10.740 --> 00:20:15.460 That creates the conditions where freedom can flourish. 00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:24.339 So this one threat to freedom is something that we have to be vigilantly on guard against, the threat of license. 00:20:24.339 --> 00:20:31.980 And yet on the other end of the spectrum, there is an equally dangerous threat that we need to be aware of. 00:20:31.980 --> 00:20:40.379 And this is actually the one that is Paul's most, his highest concern in the Galatian church. 00:20:40.899 --> 00:20:45.000 It's not license in Corinth, it certainly was. 00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:50.319 But in Galatians, the big threat that he's arguing against is legalism. 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:57.240 Now, legalism happens when people forget that freedom is something that comes by grace. 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:00.579 It's something that comes through faith. 00:21:00.579 --> 00:21:08.919 Legalism happens when people start to believe that we don't actually need forgiveness, or at least not that much forgiveness. 00:21:09.220 --> 00:21:11.919 Not nearly as much as that other person needs. 00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:18.240 Legalism happens when people start to believe that they are, in fact, morally superior to other people. 00:21:18.419 --> 00:21:21.500 And they start to show that because they become critical. 00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:23.339 They become judgmental. 00:21:23.339 --> 00:21:32.059 They begin to, if not outwardly, inwardly condemn the people around them who don't seem as devoted as they are. 00:21:33.139 --> 00:21:39.539 And the thing that we need to understand is that most individuals in churches tend toward one or the other. 00:21:41.019 --> 00:21:41.240 Right? 00:21:41.299 --> 00:21:50.740 Even in this room, you go one person to the next, to the next, to the next, and we all have tendencies that would lead us either more in the direction of license, 00:21:50.740 --> 00:21:59.500 in a kind of permissive posture, or legalism, in a kind of restrictive and maybe somewhat judgmental posture. 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:00.799 Right? 00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:06.000 And from one person to the next, we would probably, if we were feeling honest and vulnerable, would be able to say, 00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:08.160 yeah, I'm kind of more like that or more like this. 00:22:08.539 --> 00:22:16.299 And so what that means is that in a church like ours, walking in spiritual freedom is going to look very different from one person to the next. 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:20.859 It is not a one-size-fits-all prescription that we can give everyone. 00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:23.419 That's why there's no sort of code of conduct. 00:22:24.259 --> 00:22:32.399 Because one person may need to be encouraged to change their lifestyle, to adopt a different moral framework, 00:22:32.639 --> 00:22:36.819 to begin to live within the moral constraints that come with following Christ. 00:22:37.579 --> 00:22:40.759 And there are some people who that's what you need in order to grow. 00:22:40.940 --> 00:22:44.339 That's a part of what it means to understand your spiritual freedom. 00:22:44.339 --> 00:22:53.099 But then the person sitting right next to you, they might need to be confronted over the fact that they are overly moralistic. 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:54.339 They are overly scrupulous. 00:22:55.220 --> 00:22:58.759 They are overly fixated on the rules. 00:22:58.939 --> 00:23:02.799 They're overly fixated on the ways they might break the rules. 00:23:03.019 --> 00:23:05.639 They're harshly critical of themselves. 00:23:05.980 --> 00:23:08.779 And maybe they're actually pretty critical of other people. 00:23:08.779 --> 00:23:14.399 And so those conversations are going to look radically different because you've got different struggles, 00:23:14.740 --> 00:23:17.779 but both are threats to spiritual freedom and both need to be addressed. 00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:24.819 So what does all of this have to do with our vision for Advent as a community of care? 00:23:24.819 --> 00:23:29.480 Well, if we look at the reading from Galatians chapters 5 and 6, 00:23:29.700 --> 00:23:35.000 Paul is calling us as a community to safeguard our spiritual freedom 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:40.359 by walking a very careful line between license and legalism. 00:23:40.359 --> 00:23:51.079 What this means is that, number one, we have to guard against license by seeking to restore those who sin. 00:23:52.119 --> 00:23:55.319 That has to be a part of our shared life. 00:23:55.319 --> 00:24:01.419 So in a truly caring community that understands spiritual freedom the way we're talking about this morning, 00:24:01.779 --> 00:24:04.379 we don't just address suffering. 00:24:04.679 --> 00:24:11.200 We also have to do the hard work, the awkward work, the painful work of addressing sin. 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:12.759 Right? 00:24:12.859 --> 00:24:14.579 It says Galatians chapter 6 verse 1, 00:24:14.679 --> 00:24:22.039 If anyone is caught in any transgression, those who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. 00:24:22.039 --> 00:24:26.339 You know, in our sort of overly therapeutic culture, 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:31.480 many people assume that the only purpose of life is happiness and fulfillment. 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:38.319 And so caring for other people often takes the form of uncritically affirming people in their choices 00:24:38.319 --> 00:24:40.559 and encouraging them to do whatever makes them happy. 00:24:41.259 --> 00:24:42.139 We know better. 00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:48.579 Because that understanding of freedom is naive, anemic, simplistic, 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:51.539 doesn't reflect human nature accurately. 00:24:52.039 --> 00:24:57.399 We understand how precious our spiritual freedom is. 00:24:57.500 --> 00:25:02.680 We understand the unimaginable price that was paid to secure it. 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:07.619 And we recognize that in order to live in that freedom, 00:25:07.759 --> 00:25:11.659 we all need some measure of accountability from our friends. 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:15.940 So this is ideally something that you ask people to do for you. 00:25:15.940 --> 00:25:20.340 You say, hey, look, we've known each other for a while. 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:21.080 I trust you. 00:25:21.140 --> 00:25:22.400 I think that you're a mature person. 00:25:22.580 --> 00:25:30.259 If there's ever anything in my life that you see that you feel like is a threat to my relationship with Jesus 00:25:30.259 --> 00:25:31.799 and the spiritual freedom that I have, 00:25:31.840 --> 00:25:35.279 if you see me doing anything that you're concerned about, 00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:38.559 I just want you to, I want to throw the door wide open and I want to ask you, 00:25:38.599 --> 00:25:40.359 I want to give you carte blanche permission. 00:25:41.399 --> 00:25:42.259 Please tell me. 00:25:42.259 --> 00:25:48.319 You know, it's sort of like the image of giving somebody a hunting license on the land of your life. 00:25:48.460 --> 00:25:52.460 You know, if there's anything that looks amiss, fire away. 00:25:52.559 --> 00:25:54.440 Now, you may be wrong, right? 00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:55.740 Maybe more to it. 00:25:55.819 --> 00:25:56.879 Maybe we can talk about it. 00:25:56.900 --> 00:25:57.740 But you may be right. 00:25:58.500 --> 00:26:02.700 And there may be things that I need to see or hear that I'm not seeing or hearing. 00:26:03.099 --> 00:26:04.359 So I want to give you permission. 00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:05.640 Please do that for me. 00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:10.079 I want you to help me safeguard the freedom that I have in Christ. 00:26:10.180 --> 00:26:11.279 I don't want to go back into slavery. 00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:14.000 And by the way, if you're a member of our church, 00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:16.120 that's actually written into the membership covenant, 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:18.920 that we sort of agree as a part of being members in this church. 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:21.779 You're like, wait, I need to read that covenant again. 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:23.039 But it's in there. 00:26:23.099 --> 00:26:23.920 It's in the fine print. 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:28.140 That we agree to hold one another accountable. 00:26:28.300 --> 00:26:31.920 We agree to practice godly admonition in one another's lives. 00:26:33.700 --> 00:26:34.220 Right? 00:26:34.300 --> 00:26:36.820 So this is something that we need in order to safeguard our freedom. 00:26:36.920 --> 00:26:37.960 We've got to guard against license. 00:26:38.080 --> 00:26:41.400 But on the other hand, we also guard against legalism. 00:26:42.360 --> 00:26:45.860 By addressing sin with maturity and with humility, 00:26:46.320 --> 00:26:49.860 any time you bring up sin in someone else's life, 00:26:50.279 --> 00:26:53.120 you are on incredibly dangerous territory. 00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:54.439 You were on thin ice. 00:26:54.559 --> 00:26:55.919 You were standing in a minefield. 00:26:57.139 --> 00:26:58.619 And you need to be very, very careful. 00:26:59.879 --> 00:27:03.639 The danger, any time you're bringing up something like this in somebody else's life, 00:27:03.959 --> 00:27:07.699 pride is right there waiting to devour you. 00:27:09.079 --> 00:27:09.279 Right? 00:27:10.579 --> 00:27:16.579 That kind of prideful legalism that can very easily lead to judgmentalism if left unchecked. 00:27:16.579 --> 00:27:19.599 So Paul is very specific. 00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:25.179 He says this needs to be done by people who are spiritual, meaning spiritually mature people. 00:27:27.659 --> 00:27:29.159 So what does that mean? 00:27:29.220 --> 00:27:34.159 Well, he says, you know, people who know how to keep an eye on themselves and guard against pride. 00:27:34.160 --> 00:27:39.580 People who know that they are also every bit as vulnerable to temptation. 00:27:40.620 --> 00:27:43.240 People who know that no one is better than anyone else. 00:27:43.300 --> 00:27:46.420 Who know that they're the ones on this end of the conversation, 00:27:46.560 --> 00:27:49.120 but tomorrow they might be the ones on the other end of the conversation. 00:27:49.220 --> 00:27:50.519 They're doing the confronting today. 00:27:50.840 --> 00:27:52.300 Tomorrow they're going to need to be confronted. 00:27:52.460 --> 00:27:56.940 People who have no illusions about their standing or their hearts. 00:27:56.940 --> 00:27:59.620 People who know how to be gentle. 00:28:01.080 --> 00:28:04.000 Because restoring someone who has sinned is delicate work. 00:28:04.700 --> 00:28:10.180 And it requires love, it requires compassion, it requires kindness, patience. 00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:17.660 You know, the word restore originally meant to set a broken or dislocated bone or joint. 00:28:17.660 --> 00:28:30.700 So imagine a dislocated arm, shoulder, and the work of setting it back in its place or setting a fracture so that the bones line up again. 00:28:31.840 --> 00:28:32.080 Right? 00:28:32.160 --> 00:28:33.360 That causes pain. 00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:33.980 Right? 00:28:34.040 --> 00:28:35.600 That's painful either way. 00:28:36.580 --> 00:28:41.380 And yet in order to bring healing, you have to cause some amount of pain in the short term. 00:28:41.860 --> 00:28:43.360 It can be very painful. 00:28:43.359 --> 00:28:49.919 But once you set that break or that dislocation, then the healing can happen. 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:52.919 And that's the goal of these confrontations. 00:28:55.319 --> 00:28:59.519 John Stott puts it well in his commentary on this passage in Galatians. 00:28:59.619 --> 00:29:03.179 He says, notice how positive Paul's instruction is. 00:29:03.719 --> 00:29:12.599 If we detect somebody doing something wrong, we are not to stand by doing nothing on the pretext that it's none of our business and we have no wish to be involved. 00:29:12.599 --> 00:29:15.539 He says, you can't just say, well, that's, you know, that's their life. 00:29:15.679 --> 00:29:20.839 I'm, you know, especially if it's somebody who you're close to, who you're friends with. 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:25.139 Nor are we to despise or condemn him in our hearts. 00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:29.299 And if he suffers for his misdemeanor, say, serves him right or let him stew in his own juice. 00:29:29.379 --> 00:29:31.599 That's the legalistic response. 00:29:32.859 --> 00:29:33.039 Right? 00:29:33.199 --> 00:29:34.759 So you have the license response. 00:29:34.879 --> 00:29:35.639 Oh, do what you want. 00:29:36.039 --> 00:29:38.419 Legalism says, oh, you're getting what you deserve. 00:29:38.919 --> 00:29:40.359 Stott says, no, no, no, no. 00:29:40.679 --> 00:29:41.679 Neither one of those will do. 00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:45.320 Nor are we to report him to the minister. 00:29:47.080 --> 00:29:47.380 Right? 00:29:47.740 --> 00:29:51.279 99% of the time these conversations need to be happening within the congregation. 00:29:53.240 --> 00:29:56.400 You know, if somebody comes to me and says, did you know that this person is doing this? 00:29:56.460 --> 00:29:57.400 Did you know that they haven't done this? 00:29:57.539 --> 00:29:57.680 Blah, blah, blah. 00:29:57.700 --> 00:30:00.980 My first question is, well, have you talked to them yet about that? 00:30:03.480 --> 00:30:06.340 Nor are we to gossip about him to our friends in the congregation. 00:30:06.339 --> 00:30:11.519 Rather than talking to the person directly, we say, hey, did you hear about this? 00:30:12.059 --> 00:30:13.779 Hey, can I talk to you about this? 00:30:15.899 --> 00:30:18.939 Now, that does as much damage as anything we talked about this morning. 00:30:20.139 --> 00:30:26.599 That kind of triangulation, indirect, talking around the person does massive damage. 00:30:26.599 --> 00:30:28.240 I cannot overemphasize that. 00:30:29.779 --> 00:30:31.480 So, Stott says, we're not to do any of these things. 00:30:31.599 --> 00:30:33.179 No, we are to restore him. 00:30:34.539 --> 00:30:36.379 To set him back on the right path. 00:30:36.380 --> 00:30:44.640 So, the vision is not, the vision this morning is not about a bunch of Bible thumping and finger wagging. 00:30:46.320 --> 00:30:59.060 We are, friends, we are a community of former spiritual slaves who have been given this great and precious gift of freedom. 00:30:59.059 --> 00:31:07.940 And we are committed to guarding it vigilantly in our own lives and in the lives of those around us. 00:31:08.059 --> 00:31:09.319 That's what this is about. 00:31:10.019 --> 00:31:10.740 Let's pray. 00:31:12.919 --> 00:31:22.000 Lord, we thank you this morning and recognize that the kinds of things that we are discussing this morning require an enormous amount of discernment, 00:31:22.899 --> 00:31:27.079 an enormous amount of wisdom, an enormous amount of humility and courage. 00:31:27.079 --> 00:31:30.019 And these are things that come through the Holy Spirit. 00:31:31.159 --> 00:31:39.539 And so, Lord, we recognize that what Paul is really talking about here is what it means to walk with and keep in step with the Holy Spirit. 00:31:40.439 --> 00:31:50.119 And so, we ask that your Holy Spirit would lead and guide us as we seek to safeguard this precious gift of freedom that we have been given. 00:31:50.119 --> 00:32:02.959 We pray that this would be a community of spiritual rehabilitation where we learn together collectively how to pattern our lives after Jesus and how to live and love as free men and women. 00:32:02.960 --> 00:32:13.660 That we might put the freedom that we might put the freedom that is only available through the gospel on display for this world in desperate need of the hope of true freedom. 00:32:14.100 --> 00:32:17.100 And not the illusions that are so often passed off as such. 00:32:17.860 --> 00:32:19.720 We pray this in your Son's holy name. 00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:20.440 Amen. 00:32:20.440 --> 00:32:20.539 Amen. 00:32:20.539 --> 00:32:20.600 Amen.