True Freedom!

Hello everyone! I trust your Fourth of July holiday was a great one. Last Sunday we celebrated our national independence and looked at the independence or freedom the Bible celebrates out of the Letter of Galatians...a freedom from the tyranny of sin and the selfishness it produces. Galatians offers a prescription for personal freedom while exposing the four foes that hinder our freedom (perfectionism, legalism, conformism, and indulgence).

Here are some questions to consider as you work through last Sunday’s teaching.

1. How does the statement, “I don’t have to be perfect to please God” affect the way you worship and serve God? How does it influence your view of God?
2. Why is it important to measure my maturity by the depth of my relationship with Jesus and not a list of rules I keep? Read a portion of Jesus’ scathing diatribe against the religious leaders of His day (Matthew 23:13-28). As you read, notice the “relationship” versus “rules” theme. Finally, read verse 37...what does it say about Jesus’ heart and motive?
3. Share a time when you said or did something that was influenced more by another person rather than by God and what His Word teaches. Share a time when you obeyed God even though it made you less liked by another. Which approach produced the most joy in your life?
4. A deepening relationship with Jesus is foundational to living free from habits and issues that harm others and us. Galatians teaches that freedom is for serving and giving to others (Gal. 5:13-15).  Talk about some practical ways we can live out the truth recorded in Galatians 5:13-15.

May our great God lead us forward in the freedom that was paid for by Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Christ alone we have the potential to experience and enjoy a personal independence day every day!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Frank