Our New Testament reading today is from The Book of Galatians. This letter which was written by the Apostle Paul has been termed by many Bible scholars as the “Magna Carta” of the Christian faith because of its emphasis upon the freedom that we have when we place our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
If you recall from history class, the Magna Carta is one of the most famous documents of all time. I recently read how one student actually put as an answer to a test question, that the Magna Carta was a document that provided that no free man should be hanged twice for the same offense.
If you want the real scoop, the Magna Carta was drafted in England in the year 1215 to insure feudal rights and to guarantee that the king would not encroach upon the privileges of the barons. There were also provisions guaranteeing the freedom of the church and the customs of the towns. This document of freedom was needed because the King of England at the time, King John, was trampling over the freedoms of the people in order to finance his unpopular wars abroad.
In 1215 at Runnymede, the people rebelled against the King, forcing him to adopt this document gaining particular freedoms for the people. And since the Book of Galatians is known as the Magna Carta of the Christian faith and we recently celebrated the Fourth of July, it’s timely that we focus on the theme of “Freedom.”
Galatians helps us to focus on how the freedom we have in Christ reminds us of our true identity and our purpose in life.
Before we begin by looking at how God frees us to embrace our identity, I want to offer a little background about the Book of Galatians to provide a little context about Paul’s letter.
It might be interesting to note that the Book of Galatians was written by the Apostle Paul not that long after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, probably about 20 to 25 years after the time of Christ. So we’re not talking about a very long time between the time of Christ and Paul’s letter.
Paul wrote this letter to the churches of Galatia which were located in central Asia Minor.
And the really important piece of background information about this letter is that Paul wrote it because of false teachers who were teaching that people needed to be circumcised in order to become a Christian. This is the underlying issue that you find throughout this book. This issue of having to do something in order to become a Christian.
Christianity isn’t about earning your way into heaven. It’s about receiving God’s free gift of grace made possible through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Penny and I had a dog calendar that had a Mark Twain quote that says, “Getting into heaven is all about favor. If it were based on merit, your dog would get in, and not you.”
I like that. I’m glad that getting into heaven isn’t about me earning my way because I wouldn’t make it. The good things that we do aren’t meant to give us enough points to make it past the pearly gates some day. The good things that we do are our response to God’s free gift of grace in our lives.
The main purpose of Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches is to correct the false teachers that were saying in subtle and not so subtle terms that you have to do something to earn you’re way into heaven. And for these false teachers, it was all about being circumcised.
I think it’s hard for people to believe that there’s nothing you can do to earn your way to heaven. It’s too good to be true for many of us. That’s why we have this Magna Carta type letter in the New Testament. To remind us in no uncertain terms, that we are free in Christ by simply receiving God’s gift of grace.
There’s nothing that you can do to make God love you more and there’s nothing that you can do to make God love you any less. The only thing that you and I can do is accept God’s free gift of salvation by faith.
What does it mean for us to know our true identity in Christ?
One of the most basic theological statements about our faith is that we have each been created in the image of God. When God created Adam and Eve, the scriptures tells us that God breathed his life into them. And that’s what God did when we were born. He breathed His divine life into us which gave us life.
We were born with this potential to live out God’s plan for our lives, this wonderful plan in which we can use our unique personalities, our skills, our talents, and our gifts to bring glory to God and to be a blessing to others.
Some of you are in the medical profession and you do amazing things to save lives. I stand in awe of you. When the doctor wants me to have a blood test, it’s all I can do to not faint when they take blood from me. And yet, God has wired some of you to do incredible things in the medical profession.
Many of you are awesome at being able to repair things. You just look at something, and you know right away how to fix it. Again, I must admit that I can’t relate to those of you who can do that. God gave you that unique ability and mind to be able to fix things.
We are all born in the image of God. We were each uniquely created by God. The Book of Galatians reminds us that God loves us for who we are and wants us to be all that we can be.
And even though I can’t draw blood from people or fix things, that’s Ok, because I know that God has created me with purpose and potential. Several years ago, I went on a retreat where I thought about my purpose and potential in this world. After a lot of prayer and time to think and input from other people, here is what I finally wrote down as my purpose.
My purpose is to equip and encourage the church to effectively and enthusiastically make disciples of Jesus Christ. God made me for this purpose. This is my potential. To be the best that I can be to live out the purpose God has given me.
Listen to Paul’s words in our Galatians passage this morning. The first part of verse 20 – “…and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.”
This is the key for you and me to claim our true identity, to know that Christ lives in us.
I had breakfast with another pastor and we were talking about the ups and down of pastoral ministry. And he said, “sometimes we forget as pastors, that we’re not the ones who are to change lives or to grow the church. That’s God’s work in us. It’s not about us.”
What a great reminder. It’s not about you and it’s not about me. It’s about remembering as a Christian, that Jesus Christ lives in us. Without God’s strength, I can’t do anything. With God, all things are possible.
Sociologists tell us that we like to talk to ourselves. Have you ever noticed that? Do you ever find yourself talking to yourself? Sometimes, I’ll be doing something, and all of the sudden, I realize that I’m talking to myself. That’s pretty sad that I don’t even pay attention to myself sometimes.
What’s even more interesting is that 70% of what we say to ourselves is negative. 70%. That’s a huge percentage. Why are we so negative? Why do we get down on ourselves so often? Could it be that so often we forget that Christ is living in us?
How can you and I fulfill our potential while we’re spending so much of our time being negative and believing things about who we are that just aren’t true? The Apostle Paul gives us the answer. He reminds us that Christ is living in us. Christ makes all the difference in the world.
So often we hear people say, and I have said things like this as well, so I’m just as guilty, “If only I would have had a different upbringing…or if only that teacher wouldn’t have been so mean…or if only I had a different boss…or if only I would have had opportunities like other people.”
That kind of thinking doesn’t get us anywhere. When we say that our potential is tied to our background or how we were raised, we are limiting the power of God to make a difference in our lives.
Neil Anderson has written a book that’s been around for a while now. It’s called Victory Over Darkness. And in his book, Neil Anderson reminds us as Christians of who we are in Jesus Christ. It’s really an eye opener. And when we remember who we are, it frees us to reach our fullest potential.
I’ve asked some people in worship today to read some of these statements of who we are in Jesus Christ. And as you listen to these, just think what a difference these statements can make in your life as you seek to reach the potential that God has for your life.
Adult:
“John 1:12 – I am a child of God.”
Adult:
“John 15:15 - “I am Christ’s friend”
Adult:
“Acts 1:8 – I am Christ’s personal witness sent out to tell everybody about him.”
Adult:
“Romans 8:17 - I am a coheir with Christ, inheriting His glory.”
Teenager:
“I Corinthians 3:16 & 6:19 – I am a temple – a dwelling place for God. His Spirit and His life live in me.”
Adult:
“II Corinthians 5:17 – I am a new person. My past is forgiven and everything is new.”
Child:
“Ephesians 2:19 – “I am a citizen of heaven with all of God’s family.”
Adult:
“Colossians 3:4 – I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life.”
Adult:
“I Peter 2:9,10 – I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.”
Adult:
“I Corinthians 6:19,20 – I have been bought with a price; I am not my own; I belong to God.”
Adult:
“Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live is Christ’s life.”
Child:
“Ephesians 1:3 – I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.”
Adult:
“Ephesians 2:18 - I have direct access to God through the Spirit.”
Teenager:
“Colossians 1:14 - “I have been forgiven of all my sins and set free. The debt against me has been cancelled.”
Adult:
“Colossians 2:12,13 – I have been buried, raised and made alive with Christ.”
Isn’t that incredible? This is who we are in Jesus Christ. And if this is who we are, there is nothing that can keep us from accomplishing all that God wants us to accomplish in his name.
I still need to be very intentional about reminding myself of who I am in Jesus Christ. Because when I don’t, I end up forfeiting my potential.
To help me be more intentional with remembering that Christ is living in me, I have developed five different personal affirmation statements.
I use a simple formula to come up with these statements. First of all, I begin every statement with, “Because Jesus Christ is living in me…” That’s the key. Reminding myself that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
The second thing that I do is to put the statement into the present tense rather than the future tense. And that reminds me that my potential isn’t something I can reach way into the future but I can live my potential in the here and now.
The third thing is I make it short so it’s memorable. If it’s too long, it probably won’t have too much of an impact.
And the fourth thing. It’s good to make the statement action oriented. I like to put a lot of verbs in my personal affirmation statement so that I begin to live into my God given potential right away.
Here’s two of my personal affirmation statements to help me live into God’s potential for my life.
The first one is, “Because Jesus Christ is living in me, I eagerly seek to make a positive impression within the 1st four minutes of meeting someone.” I have noticed what a difference it makes to me whenever someone makes me feel welcomed and at home in the first few minutes of arriving somewhere. I want to do that for others.
Another statement of faith that I have is this. “Because Jesus Christ is living in me I share positive words of affirmation to encourage others.” Since I developed that statement, it’s been amazing how many times God has provided opportunities for me to offer encouragement.
I invite each of us this week to create personal affirmation statements. It’s a wonderful way to be free in Christ and be reminded of not only who we are but who Christ wants us to become.
So many times, we live far below the potential that God has in mind for us. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Like the story of the farmer’s son who was returning from the market with a crate of chickens his father had entrusted to him, when all of a sudden, the box fell and broke open.
Chickens scurried of in different directions, but the determined boy chased all over the neighborhood scooping up wayward birds and returning them to the repaired crate. Hoping he had found them all, the boy reluctantly returned home, anticipating the worst for being so careless.
“Pa, the chickens got loose,” the boy confessed sadly, “but I managed to find all twelve of them.”
“Well, you did real good, son,” the farmer beamed. “But you only had seven to begin with.”
The truth is we can be far more in our lives that what we think many times.
Never forget Paul’s words, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.”
That’s when we are truly free.
Freedom: My Identity
Sermon Discussion Questions
Galatians 2:15-21 & 3:23-29
July 7, 2019
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians has often been described as the “Magna Carta” of the Christian faith. Our American democracy and emphasis on freedom can be traced back to 1215 in England when the Magna Carta was established which protracted the freedoms of the people including the rights of churches and towns. In this letter to the Galatians, Paul wants them to know that we have been made free through the grace of Jesus Christ.
In what ways are we “free through the grace of Jesus Christ?”
Galatians 2:20 says, “and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” This means that we are free to be who God has created us to be and we are also free to live to our God given potential.
How does your faith help you to accept who God has created you to be and to live to your God given potential? What helps you to remember that you are free in Christ?
During Sunday’s sermon, several people in the congregation took turns sharing a scripture verse that reminds us of who we are in Christ Jesus. Read these verses listed below and share which one(s) stand out for you the most to help you to remember how you are free in Christ.
John 1:12 – I am a child of God.”
John 15:15 - “I am Christ’s friend”
Acts 1:8 – I am Christ’s personal witness sent out to tell everybody about him.”
Romans 8:17 - I am a coheir with Christ, inheriting His glory.”
I Corinthians 3:16 & 6:19 – I am a temple – a dwelling place for God. His Spirit and His life live in me.”
II Corinthians 5:17 – I am a new person. My past is forgiven and everything is new.”
Ephesians 2:19 – “I am a citizen of heaven with all of God’s family.”
Colossians 3:4 – I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life.”
I Peter 2:9,10 – I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.”
I Corinthians 6:19,20 – I have been bought with a price; I am not my own; I belong to God.”
Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live is Christ’s life.”
Ephesians 1:3 – I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.”
Ephesians 2:18 - I have direct access to God through the Spirit.”
Colossians 1:14 - “I have been forgiven of all my sins and set free. The debt against me has been cancelled.”
Colossians 2:12,13 – I have been buried, raised and made alive with Christ.”
In addition to Christ setting us free to live out our identity, we also have been set free to live out our fullest God given potential. Pastor Robert shared how we can live out our potential by writing out personal affirmation statements. One of his personal affirmation statements is “Because Jesus Christ is living in me I share positive words of affirmation to encourage others.” Write out some of your own affirmation statements with these helpful guidelines in mind: 1) Begin each statement with, “Because Jesus Christ is living in me...” 2) State it in the present tense. 3) Keep it concise so you will remember it. 4) Make it action oriented by using verbs.
Spend time this week writing out at least 3 personal affirmation statements based on the guidelines above and share them with someone to help you remember that you are free to reach your God given potential in Christ.
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