What is Christian Liberty?

True Christian freedom is to be free from slavery to self desire and to be totally liberated to do whatever God wants you started with simple our aim is not to please ourselves. That's real free is down to figuring out what they're allowed to do. Can you watch films rated PG-13.

Are you allowed to drink alcohol.

What desires are you allowed to indulge in well today on grace to you.

John MacArthur shows you what Scripture says about Christian liberty and why it's not really about fulfilling your desires at all. John's lesson is part of his current series. It's a collection of some of his most memorable sermons we titled the series. The New Testament beginning to end. If you have your Bible handy turn to the book of Galatians as John begins today's lesson. The greatest liberty in the world to be free from yourself right to be able to give the best illustration the world. This is Jesus.

He knew liberty like it's unbelievable in the Romans 1314 put on the Lord Jesus Christ to make not provision for the flesh is a contrast there. You either make provision for the flesh or you put on Jesus Christ to say what is to be put on Jesus Christ. We see Jesus Christ made no provision for his own desire. No, not at all. He said this and this is what Paul said in Romans 53 Christ didn't please himself. Christ said this, my meat is to do what the will of him that sent yes Christ was free. He didn't please himself is the perfect example of self. Less mess. True Christian freedom is to be free from slavery to self desire and to be totally liberated to do whatever God wants you did as an exciting kind of liberty implication is simple. Our aim is not to please ourselves to please the Lord. That's real freedom. Christian liberty is not freedom to please the flesh, but to please the Lord and our motivation is not just the stiff upper lip of duty was the loving service of gratitude to want to set us free is great flexibility in great flexible.

As we look at the Old Testament, for example, the area of sex is very, very, clearly defined, God tolerates no extramarital premarital sex at all. Nothing outside the marriage bond and there are some very severe prescriptions for anybody who engages in adultery, fornication of any kind, beastie alley, which is sex with animals. Homosexuality, anything like that is tremendously condemned in the Old Testament and New Testament are we to assume all of a sudden got changed all his patterns now because we have liberty in Christ we can do whatever we want to do and we can say well we love each other is a who never say something dumb like that all plenty of people believe me, as if God is has thrown the Old Testament out. Nothing is changed. God's pattern have a JJ more than God is changed, the day God changes his morals as the day God dies and some new God is born right Jesus Christ the same yesterday today and forever God is and changed the advocates of free sex today have infiltrated even Christianity taken for granted that sexual love is the most important thing in the only way to express love is through sex and it's got to be right because we like each other.

After all, we prayed and everything in the name of freedom in Christ is not freedom in Christ. That's the same old slavery to self. The same will slavery the less the same will slavery to the flesh, God's ethics haven't changed one bit. Not one bit Christian freedom.

That is not freedom to indulge the flesh. Secondly, Christian freedom is not freedom to injure others in on this is a very important area. Look at verse 13 again. Back to Galatians or 513 for brother you have been called on the liberty only use not liberty. Fornication of the flesh, but by love serve one another less so good, something to say man I'm free in Christ want to do what I want and that's how it is and you go waltzing off stomping all over a lot of other Christian somebody put it this way, not in the biblical context, but he said your freedom is where my nose begins and that's right spiritually. The argument of the Judaize would've been no that's great.

Everybody's free server you smell is down anybody anyway.

And here we get into this whole area of Christian liberty in relationship to my brother, my liberation is not to hurt my Christian brother verse 13. Look at it. It's very simple. It says this by love to pay supreme kind by love serve one another. Here come again with the death to self. Your freedom in Christ and to do whatever he wants to do that which is going to help your brother not heard.

I like this word serve its due rule means bonds slavery means to do that which would serve someone else. Make yourself a slave of someone else says, paradoxes, liberty, and slavery gets a paradox, but it is the contradiction for such services. Voluntary now looking at Romans 14 notice verse one him. It is weak in the faith receive you, but not to doubtful disputations and here we have two kinds of people. Two kinds of Christians do you know other two kinds there are say men and women. That's two kinds with us two different got two kinds of Christians you say, what are they weak and strong.

You say what's a weakling a legalistic one. What's strongly a free one. A mature Christian is one who understands liberty a week. One is one who still hung up on the law and the weaker brother just couldn't.

Except as ever you say what wedding you let me illustrate this with our in the church. For example Rome. You've got a lot of Jewish people. Okay some Jewish people get saved and some of these Jewish people get saved and told all of a sudden you're free. No more bonnets to the ceremonies you can change your diet. You can change your cooking habits you can change all the feasts you can alter and everything you're free from all that and he just gags. There's no way he's going to do that.

There's no way he can get by the Sabbath and not keep all the laws he not about the Kerry sticks on the set he not about to work on Saturday so I can meet with the Christians on the Lord's day the first day of the week he can't do that in his conscience, yet, and he may get invited over to liberated brothers houses have a pork chop. She can't eat them. He'd there's something in his conscience that just doesn't let him accept his freedom. You see, he is free, he can accept his freedom. So what is this other liberated character over here. There is a just and fellow what's wrong with you and sit and eat pork chop right in his face that would be to flaunt his liberty wouldn't and all you'd be doing would be hurting and wounding and injuring him and making them think less of you because he still thinks these things are right. The best thing to do is donate those pork chops because then you don't offend. That's the point. There are some that are weak in the faith. Verse 21 believes that he may eat all things.

Another HootSuite is a vegetarian. Say what is a Bible teacher to be a vegetarian.

No, but if you want to be a vegetarian, you can be a vegetarian.

Notice it says who is weak Edith herbs I say that it's right there and perhaps they were not pure vegetarians but they were trying to avoid meats offered to idols. Some guy who's legalistic, you know, of course, it says in first Timothy all things to be received with thanksgiving, and all his animals in the sheet and asked tenant and the Lord said to Peter rise, Peter Killen, what eat so don't worry about trying to defend vegetarianism biblically can be done, so there may be a guy though, just doesn't want to take a chance on Eaton some meat that have been offered to an island.

You know, people would offer things while they go out the back door with the stuff and sell on the street to people and then they would wind up buying food that was offered tonight. It was no big thing but for some was stunningly so.

Verse three says let not him that each despise him that each not let not him elites not judge him that eats, for God's received innocent God takes the weak and the strong leaders in the nonleaders, so don't make a big issue over whether he eats or doesn't eat a certain thing and he says to the strong.

In chapter 14 listen. Just remember the weak person hasn't yet discovered the meaning of his freedom and hearty stilt legalist, he still sees Christianity as a set of rules. He hasn't yet understood his liberty. Boy there are a lot of questions like that. I'm telling you, there are churches like that were in the church. They set up a code of rules were everybody has to function by the rules. You know what they're doing there, implying that the work of the Holy Spirit inside is inadequate. Try there trying to go mosaic there trying to reestablish an external code. There are some people who don't understand their liberty and so they live according to certain ritual and rules know what you do if your stronger brother. You're not hung up on that you mock him and say look at him, look at him weakling know you're receiving is a beloved brother yes verse one receive the receive. That's very important. Your freedom is no excuse Innotek about neutral things non-moral things like eating certain foods and such neutral things you say what you mean neutral well you say is that mean baptism know it does mean baptism is a mean reading the Bible and so does it mean shopping at Montgomery wards on Sunday. Yes, if, in your mind, there's something wrong was shopping at Montgomery wards, or Savon on the Lord's day, then that's fine. That's a nonmoral thing that's just the way you feel.

Maybe you been raised that way. I'm not going to take you over there and push you in the door and save me free my brother be free. That's where you love you and I'll say praise the Lord and I don't go there either because I don't want somebody to see me go there who doesn't think that's the thing to do and then say, well, look at Johnny did that and I'm offended now. What he's saying is let the Lord deal with verses four and five. He just says let the Lord take care of this, who art thou, the judges another manservant to his own master he stands or falls.

You let God be the judge of here verse five. One man esteems one day above another, another steams every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind if the guy wants to keep the Sabbath for a while. It's fine. Just don't offend just let them do it. No sense in making an issue out of it verse six he that regards the day. Regards of the Lord. I mean, if a guy was to keep the Sabbath is doing for the Lord. He thinks it's right either regards it, not to the Lord.

He doesn't regard me saying that I'm free from that.

I don't want to keep that anymore. He did eat seeds to the Lord and gives God thanks and he that eats not does it to the Lord and gives God thanks so don't make an issue Lord will take care of all the decisions. Verse 10 at the judgment seat of Christ. He will make all the disposition. What did Peter say in first Peter 216 member.

This never use your liberty as a cloak of what maliciousness. Don't flaunt your freedom over somebody who doesn't understand you gotta meet legalistic brothers economy. People think it's wrong to dress a certain way is wrong to do certain things on the Lord's day. It's wrong to use certain kinds. In other are some people who you say all golly and you will a minced oath and leave his long lecture about golly is a contraction of God or something that you reverted the blessing to is devoid you certainly don't want to just flaunt know you want to serve lovingly the need of your brother even always weaker.

I look at verse 13. Let us not therefore judge one another anymore but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. Don't do anything it's going to make your brother stumble.

Verse 21 Jump down. It's good needed to eat meat or drink wine nor anything by which thy brother stumbles is offended or made weak. That's right if somebody is offended that nobody today is is is offended in terms of meat our food certain foods as we would have foods offered to idols, but there are some people get offended by people drink wine.

I don't drink wine.

One of the real reason I don't is just because of this verse is good not to do that because it will inevitably make somebody stumble and make somebody be offended and somebody will be made weak and I just rather not do that to my brother. Now you know those three concepts. In verse 21 is good needed to eat meat, drink wine or anything, but what's our brother stumbles or is offended or made weak, stumbling means to halt the progress.

You can actually halt the progress of a Christian by doing something in front of him which his conscience doesn't allow him to do. You say will how do you mean it will pursue little further, you can offend them. First of all you jeopardize your testimony.

Don't you think less of you as a Christian, as well as the fact that you've offended him. In other words you said and affected him. I don't care what you think. I'll do what I want and that hasn't shown in love. But notice this little phrase be made weak that is really interesting if you stumble and become offended, he will probably fall back further in the legalist's right because when he sees that thing going on his face.

Such liberty will nauseated him, and often forced him back into the deeper legalist will fall further away from real freedom in Christ well. Verse 14 I know and persuaded by the Lord Jesus, there's nothing unclean of itself, but to him that his team at the anything to be unclean, to him it's unclean is not right way. It may not be unclean in itself, but if a guy thinks it is.

He just can't handle, so bring them along lovingly, slowly verse 15, if thy brother be grieved with thy food you're not walking in love destroy not him with your food, for whom Christ died.

Jesus loves that guy loves his heart, don't exercise your liberty in his face to the point where you destroy your testimony and you cripple him and push them further in the legalist verse 17 for the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Most of the things that matter. Verse 24 food destroying not the work of God. Well, one other verse two and three chapter 52 verses tell us call three. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the week and not to please ourselves. I see there is the crux of the whole issue were not to please ourselves, but every one of us please his neighbor for his good notification for even Christ pleased not what himself. I'll tell you something, beloved Christian liberty is not the freedom to injure my brother you see it now is not the freedom to do whatever I want say I'm sorry I live it up.

It is the freedom to lovingly serve that brother there are some things that I could do that are not wrong, but they are those gray area things that to some people would be very very wrong and so I don't do those because I wouldn't do anything conscious to offend my brother for that would be a misuse of my liberty that would be a gross misuse of the freedom the Lord is given out. Go back to Galatians chapter 5 and let's wrap it up on the other hand, if you decide you're just going to use your liberty, you're going to do whatever you want. You're going to live it up. You're going to go out drink and smoke do whatever else and dancing party around and go to Las Vegas and do whatever you want and maybe even throw in some of those old kind of neutral things in the just live it up. You know the result. Verse 50. If you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed. One of, if you're just going to accept exercise your liberty and to stop all over everybody else. You know it's going to happen.

You just can have the whole church fight in itself and all have of the unity of the body of everybody does that. Everybody exercises all liberty will destroy these people say will John you could sure really change your whole life verified it was go around worrying what everybody thought, yeah, but it's wonderful to because that's what the Bible says by love serve one another still use like Peter said don't use your liberty as a cloak of maliciousness so Christian freedom then is not the freedom to indulge the flesh is not the freedom to injure others. Thirdly, and lastly Christian freedom is not to ignore the law, you can so I'm free in Christ.

I will ignore the law.

Verse 14.

Look at for all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Listen people freedom in Christ is an freedom to ignore the law and its freedom to what fulfill the law in Negri freedom to fulfill the law.

For Paul, the moral law was still the expression of the will of God. Romans seven you read.

He loved the law.

He says I delight in the law, it was still God's law, but pauses I'm not bound externally in the concrete forms of Judaism, but I have the internal form of the law love of Christ bubbling out of my life in which the whole law is fulfilled the law is summarized in love. That's nothing new. That's Leviticus 1918 tells us the laws summarize in love clear back then as now made possible by the power of the indwelling Christ know the requirements haven't changed, but the basis of operation has gone inside in the lawsuit for this love thy neighbor as thyself.

This then is the message that Paul is giving Christian liberation does not result.

Listen in pagan vice. It does not result in the destruction of others in a platform of personal pleasure seeking and Christian liberty does not ignore God's moral law, it fulfills it from the inside. You know, if you read Romans 13 8 to 10.

He says you know you for the law. Thou shall not kill shall not covet. Thou shalt not do this.

That's on that and this is the whole law is fulfilled in this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. You know if you have love, you don't need those lots do I need a lot of says don't kill if I love someone drying a lot of says don't covet if I love someone 20 law that says don't steal if I love somebody by going to steal from the one I really love them. I get to kill the one I really love my going to covet from the one I really love my going to commit adultery against the one I relive my seek if love is there, all the rest of the law is fulfilled. You say that you like to have that love you do. The moment you save.

That's the point of the whole text when you were saved, the love of Christ was what Romans 55 shed abroad in your heart and you fulfill the whole it's there and when the Christian acts on the principle of love. He is fulfilling everything that the Mosaic law was intended to accomplish, but he's doing it from the inside so were called to freedom, beloved freedom in Christ not to serve self anymore, but I'm liberated from myself to serve God number one. Serve and to serve others. Knowing those three points I gave you we have every relationship covered right. First of all I told you that Christian liberty is not freedom to indulge the flesh right that's self-control. Christian liberty is self-control not fit into indulge the flesh control so secondly I said that Christian liberty is not freedom to injure others that has to do with loving others ministering to others.

Thirdly, I said Christian liberty is not freedom to ignore the law but to fulfill it. That's toward God.

The first point toward self. Second point toward others. The third point toward God. My freedom is expressed in self-control, love of others.

Obedience to God's will.

Every relationship is harmonized in Christian liberty sage. I sure wish I had to how I mean, it's nice to say all that about my Christian liberty.

But how does it operate. That's the third and last question. In our study. How is the expression of freedom possible. I ready for this one, a house possible for 60 this I say then what's the next phrase walk in the spirit walk in the spirit or that's so exciting.

Listen the operation of Christian liberty is not automatic. We must walk in the spirit.

The spirit is there when I was saved I came out of the control of self out of the control of a system of legal enactments in the control of a person God the Holy Spirit, God sent the law side at the cross. He knew what he was doing. He can leave the world without a restrainer.

No, you won't hear some interesting. Did you know that God ran the world for 2500 years plus before Moses ever arrived without the law. Yes, you did a good job in Ontario. God can run the world after the law has been set aside just as well as event before using it without the rules probably restrain see the restraints in by the indwelling presence of whom Holy Spirit people limitation personal for my life.

I chafe like gangbusters under in the legal system. I spent the most carnal years of my Christian life in a legalistic Christian institution. Those were the most carnal years of my Christian life. You know why because externals were being substituted for the work of the Holy Spirit, and consequently I ignored the work of the Holy Spirit and endeavor to subscribe myself to externals. I didn't do the spirit any favors today. God will fulfill his entire law in me. If I do what wall in your listening to Grace to you with John MacArthur he's chancellor of the Masters University in seminary is lesson today is part of his current series. It's a collection of landmark sermons from John MacArthur's five decades of ministry. We call this series the New Testament beginning to end. Will John the title for today's message was a simple question. What is Christian liberty and that made me think when I study Scripture. I often approach it with questions and I think that's really one of the best ways to study the Bible ask questions as you read what you think about that know I do it every week of my life. I asked the text questions what is this mean Williford means that then will. How does that connect with this passage over here the whole process of Bible interpretation is this is querying the text it's it's one question after another and I will.

I've often said to seminary guys. The master seminary that I'm through my preparation when I don't have any more immediate questions because sometimes you could say will what is this mean well, maybe it sounds like it means this then you have to say what is that contradict anything else in the Bible because the Bible has to be consistent. So I just continually ask questions which eventually led to the MacArthur study Bible, where I tried in the footnotes to answer the pertinent questions in every text, so a study Bible may not appear in the format of a question-and-answer book, but that's exactly what those notes are.

It has 25,000 footnotes. I found out the other day MacArthur study Bible notes have one .2 million words well is 1.2 million words and all of those words are designed to answer the question that a reader would ask about the verse that the person is reading MacArthur study Bible is available to help you understand the word of God to bring the Bible to life to give you the true message which is the divine revelation. So it comes in the new American Standard, the new King James ESV you can get a MacArthur study Bible in English, obviously, but also Spanish, French, Italian, Arabic, German, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, one book and you have a library that helps you understand all the Bible reasonably priced lots of different additions, free shipping and you can order one today.

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