The Mandate for Brotherly Love
016 The Mandate for Brotherly Love
Galatians 5:13-15
July 6, 2014
I know we have been studying through Genesis on Sunday mornings
And reserving Galatians for Sunday night.
However, since I am taking some extended time off in August I wanted to make sure and finish Galatians before I left, and since Genesis is at a good breaking point, we’ll hold off on it until September.
I realize some of you have not been involved in our study of Galatians,
And so you are catching this thing sort of in the middle.
On the surface the book of Galatians is a fiery letter against legalism.
You have a group of Gentiles in the region of Galatia
Who had accepted Christ and churches were formed.
However, it wasn’t long until the Judaizers sought to corrupt their faith.
It is easiest seen in:
Acts 15:1 “Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
And that one statement really summarizes the doctrine of the Judaizers
And the doctrine that was being pushed on the Galatians.
They were told that regardless of what they had done with Christ,
If they wanted to be saved and be pleasing to God,
Then they would have to be circumcised.
IT WAS LEGALISM.
Legalism is very simply “The Doctrine of Justification by Works”
Whereas the gospel says that we are made right with God
Through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Legalism says that we are made right with God
Through the performance of specific religious works.
And really depending on who you talk to, the specific works can vary.
· For some it’s dietary restrictions
· For some it’s church attendance
· For some it’s missionary involvement
· For some it’s baptism
· For the Judaizers it was circumcision.
In their book, you couldn’t please God without it.
And because the Galatians were contemplating getting circumcised
As a means to be pleasing to God, Paul wrote this fiery letter refuting it.
And last Sunday night we heard without a doubt his strongest rebuttal of the Judaizers and their condemning doctrine.
Galatians 5:12 “I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.”
That is a raw statement
That is a shocking statement
And yet it is the solution for dealing with heresy.
Those men need to circumcise themselves from the church.
They are the problem.
And so you basically have the overview of the purpose of this letter.
Well this morning we actually start a new section in the book of Galatians.
And it is a wonderful section that deals with brotherly love
(I think we can agree, we all need this reminder)
And there is a very good reason why
Paul jumps so abruptly from circumcision to brotherly love.
Here it is:
While the Galatians faced a different struggle from other churches, Paul knew their base problem was the same as everyone else.
In reality the Galatian’s problem
Wasn’t the Judaizers,
It wasn’t the Law
It wasn’t circumcision
The foundational problem of the Galatians,
Was the same foundational problem you and I have – THE FLESH
If we have learned anything about sin,
It is that sin is no one’s fault but our own.
James 1:13-14 “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.”
· It is true that we live in a world of temptation
· It is true that we live in a world of deception
And all of those things may certainly contribute to sin, but it doesn’t change the fact that there is only one reason why any of us sin.
WE SIN BECAUSE OUR FLESH DESIRES IT
And that was also true of the Galatians.
Sure the Judaizers had come in with their legalistic teaching and
But if the Galatians consented, it would be because they wanted to.
WHY WOULD SOMEONE CONSENST TO LEGALISM?
(people love it)
Legalism gratifies the flesh.
At the end of the day, if I can do something to earn my way,
I feel much better about myself.
Legalism is very appealing.
And Paul had written like crazy to get the Galatians to turn from it.
But here is the issue.
Just because a person turns from legalism,
Doesn’t mean the flesh is under control.
The flesh can pop up in all sorts of areas.
And Paul knows that the flesh is hungry to gratify itself.
It will do that through legalism, or it will do that through licentiousness.
And that is the danger Paul begins to address here.
It is all about keeping the flesh under control.
This section in Scripture is all about death to self.
And the issue Paul addresses to best help us understand
The necessity of death to self is the issue of brotherly love.
It begins in 5:13
Galatians 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
And it closes in 6:10
Galatians 6:10 “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
Those verses book end the section.
And you can see then what the section is about.
We have an opportunity in both of those verses
It is an opportunity afforded us by our freedom in Christ
But it is not an opportunity to be selfish
It is an opportunity to serve
AND THAT IS WHAT THIS SECTION IS ABOUT.
After reminding us not to let the flesh lead us into legalism, now Paul reminds us not to let the flesh lead us into licentiousness.
Now you can break this whole section up into 4 major divisions.
(we’ll see the first this morning)
The Mandate – the command not to be selfish, but to love
The Means – how to actually pull that off
The Method – what brotherly love practically looks like in our lives
The Motive – why we should desire to do it
That is what this section focuses on.
Death to self, evidenced by love of the brethren.
It is Paul’s appeal to resist the flesh, not only in regard to legalism,
But also in regard to licentiousness.
This morning we examine that first major division:
THE MANDATE FOR BROTHERLY LOVE
And in these three verses we see 5 things Paul wants you to know.
#1 OUR CALLING
Galatians 5:13a
“For you were called to freedom, brethren;”
And this statement could really sum up the first 4 ½ chapters of this book.
Believers are called to be free.
Paul said earlier:
Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
I suppose a good question would be, “What is this freedom?”
Romans 6:15-18 “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”
There is one aspect of freedom.
It is freedom from sin.
A non-believer has no choice but to sin.
They are enslaved to it, and because they are void of the Holy Spirit,
There is no capacity within them strong enough to resist.
They are slaves
Sin is their master
They do what it says
The delusion is in thinking that they are in control, when they are not.
Freedom then is from sin’s rule in your life.
Jesus spoke of this freedom as well.
John 8:31-36 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, 'You will become free'?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”
Jesus taught the very same things.
As a sinner, with a sinful flesh, you are a slave to sin.
Only Jesus can set a person free from this horrific reality.
He does so through redemption and the work of the Holy Spirit.
But that is not the only freedom we enjoy.
There is another freedom we enjoy.
Hebrews 4 speaks of the “believer’s rest”
Hebrews 4:10 “For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.”
The writer of Hebrews spoke of a rest from works.
Once the job is finished, there is no work left to do, and rest is available.
This is what Jesus spoke of:
Matthew 11:28-29 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.”
In short, there is no work left to do.
This also is a freedom the Christian enjoys.
We no longer are working to be pleasing God…
We no longer are striving to make ourselves acceptable…
And this freedom also came from Christ.
He made us acceptable, He made us pleasing.
We don’t have to work for it any more.
And since we are pleasing to God, we are also free from condemnation.
Romans 8:1-4 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Because of the work of Christ
Because of imputed righteousness
We are now free from all condemnation.
There is no sentence hanging over our heads, we are free from it.
When Paul speaks of freedom, this is what he is talking about.
We don’t have to sin…
We don’t have to work to be pleasing to God…
We don’t have to fear condemnation…
We are free
And that is precisely what Christ called us to.
“For you were called to freedom, brethren;”
No more works
No more sin
No more condemnation
That is the calling of a Christian that is our reality.
And that is what Paul has been preaching in the first part of this book.
But now Paul takes an important step.
He understands that freedom is in fact our calling, but he also knows that our flesh can take advantage of that reality if we let it.
Our Calling
#2 OUR CAUTION
Galatians 5:13b
“only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh,”
Here is the flip side to the freedom issue.
· You are free from the law
· You are free from sin
· You are free from condemnation
But freedom from the Law is not a freedom from responsibility
· Freedom from sin is not a freedom to do whatever you want
· Freedom from condemnation is not a freedom from consequences
We are free from the Law, but God’s word is full of commands for Christian living that we seek to obey.
We are free from sin, but that does not mean we can live however we want and just claim grace.
We are free from condemnation, but that does not mean that there are no consequences to sinful behavior for a Christian.
If you sin…
If you walk in disobedience…
There is punishment, there are consequences.
Don’t let your flesh take advantage of the freedom
And cause you to think you can now live however you want.
Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
Freedom is a tremendous benefit to the Christian life,
But in no way was it ever meant to be used
As an opportunity to gratify the sinful nature.
Your flesh is begging for your old lifestyle.
Don’t let it use your freedom as its opportunity.
Now granted that is a pretty basic and even generic command.
What did you have in mind Paul?
Our Calling, Our Caution
#3 OUR COMMISSION
Galatians 5:13c
“but through love serve one another.”
Now things are starting to fall into shape.
The command is to “serve one another”
Jesus put it like this:
Mark 10:41-45 “Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. "But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
There has never been a society or a circle were the servants were the most esteemed – except for 1.
When Jesus called the 12 to Himself and began to lead those disciples, He created the first circle in history where the servant was to be the most exalted.
And He created that reality by example.
Who can forget the scene in the upper room?
John 13:12-17 “So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. "Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
Jesus turned society on its head.
He taught that the servant was most important.
He taught that this was His highest calling to His followers.
And this has been backward for every society before or since.
We all know who matters today – it’s the leader.
· It’s the quarterback who makes all the money…
· It’s the CEO who calls all the shots…
· It’s the general who gets the glory from the field…
· It’s the pastor who gets his name on the church sign…
But nobody has dreams of being the custodian…
No one wants to be the kitchen help…
No one aspires to be the yard guy…
Because those jobs come without glory and honor.
But Jesus said, it is the servant that matters.
But in order to be a servant, you will first have to die to self.
· Being a servant requires genuine love
· Being a servant requires true humility
· Being a servant requires steadfast endurance
In short, if you follow your flesh, you will never be a servant,
Because the flesh isn’t interested.
That’s what Paul was talking about not to use your freedom
As an opportunity for the flesh.
Christ made you free, now take that freedom
And use it for someone else’s benefit.
Take that freedom and use it to serve someone else.
The Christian life has never been about serving self,
But always serving someone else.
Our Calling, Our Caution, Our Commission
#4 OUR CONSUMMATION
Galatians 5:14
“For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
We have said it many times over.
We know that we, as Christians, are no longer under the Law.
· We are not Jewish…
· We don’t wake up reading Leviticus…
· We don’t follow the dietary restrictions…
· We don’t grow the hair long on our temples…
Galatians 3:23-26 “But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
The Law put us under sin
The Law buried us under condemnation
The Law put us in slavery
It did all this so what when forgiveness and freedom and righteousness were offered in Jesus, we would not hesitate to accept Him.
Nothing made us ready for Jesus like the Law.
But once we found Jesus, we no longer needed the Law.
Romans 10:4 “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
So we know as Christians we are no longer under the Law.
HOWEVER – do not assume then that the Law has no purpose, or that we just push it aside.
This, in reality, is one of the real confusing agents among many Christians today. They don’t understand what to do with the Law.
We even have some, like the Galatians,
Who are doing their best to try and keep the Old Testament commands,
Because they don’t know what to do with it.
They don’t feel right just throwing the Law aside (and they shouldn’t),
But they also don’t understand that we are no longer under it.
Here is the deal.
You are not under the Law, but the Law has been abolished.
Matthew 5:17-19 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus Himself said that the Law would never pass away.
So what does a Christian do with that?
We say we aren’t under it, but Jesus said it would never go away.
WHAT GIVES?
We are not under the Law,
Because through Jesus we have perfectly fulfilled it.
He perfectly obeyed the Law, He perfectly fulfilled in,
And now “in Him” we perfectly fulfill it as well.
All the righteousness that the Law explained is ours through Christ.
So it’s not gone, but we aren’t under it.
As Christians we are those who fulfill the Law.
So even though we may not be under every specific command,
You should be able to see the message of the Law written on our lives.
AND WHAT IS THE BASIC MESSAGE OF THE LAW?
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
That is a summation of the Law.
That is a one sentence commentary on the whole Old Testament.
Romans 13:8-10 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
Matthew 22:36-40 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
And hopefully you see now what Paul is talking about.
As a Christian we are free in Christ.
We are free from working because Christ has already done it.
And if Christ has already fulfilled the Law in your life, then your life ought to epitomize the righteousness of the Law.
So as Christians we should be models
Of the righteousness that is expressed through the Law.
And the simplest way to put it is that we love our neighbor as our self.
That is the summation.
· If you steal – you obviously don’t love your neighbor
· If you lie – you obviously don’t love your neighbor
· If you commit adultery – you obviously don’t love your neighbor
· If you murder – you obviously don’t love your neighbor
· If you covet – you obviously don’t love your neighbor
And if you don’t love your neighbor, then how can you claim to really be in Christ, since that is what He was all about?
Do you get the point?
So many in the church today claim to be Christians.
· They say they are saved.
· They say the Holy Spirit lives in them.
· They say they love the word of God.
Well do you love your neighbor?
Do you sacrifice self for your neighbor?
And that is what Paul is driving home to the Galatians.
Yes you are free in Christ
BUT THAT MEANS YOU ARE FREE TO BE LIKE CHRIST
Don’t you dare try to use Christ as some sort of excuse to be selfish.
And boy the examples are plentiful.
· We have Paul, free to eat meat, saying he’ll never eat meat again if it offends his brother.
· We have Paul, preaching against circumcision, but circumcising Timothy to keep from being an offense to the Jews.
· We have Paul, knowing that no day is more important than another, yet recognizing that some Jews need to worship in Saturday for conscience sake.
· We have Paul, consenting to pay a Nazirite vow in Jerusalem.
Or how about this one with Jesus?
Matthew 17:24-27 “When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?" He said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?" When Peter said, "From strangers," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are exempt. "However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me."
Freedom was an opportunity for selfishness
Freedom was an opportunity for service
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”
· Paul’s freedom meant he could eat with Gentiles and minister to them.
· Paul’s freedom meant he could worship with Jews and minister to them.
· Paul’s freedom meant he could follow ritual with the weak to minister to them.
· Paul’s freedom meant he could eat meat with the strong to minister to them.
His freedom allowed him to be all things to all people.
He didn’t use it in a self-serving fashion, but as an opportunity for service.
THAT IS THE POINT OF FREEDOM.
Jesus set you free from the Law
Jesus set you free from sin
Jesus set you free from condemnation
SO THAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO LOVE AND SERVE OTHERS
It was never so that you could gratify your sinful nature.
Our Calling, Our Caution, Our Commission, Our Consummation
#5 OUR CONCERN
Galatians 5:15
And here is the real danger.
If you sit here and read this passage and sort of shrug it off.
“I don’t care what it says, I’m not gonna serve others, I’m gonna keep doing things the way I want to do them.”
If you have one of those “Let everyone else change” sort of attitudes, where you are the center of the universe and no one else matters.
If that is you, verse 15 was written for you.
“But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.”
What Paul refers to there is spiritual cannibalism.
And more than one congregation has fallen due to it.
Casting Crowns wrote a great song called “The City on A Hill”
Did you hear of the city on the hill, Said one old man to the other
It once shined bright, and it would be shining still
But they all started turning on each other
You see the poets thought the dancers were shallow
And the soldiers thought the poets were weak
And the elders saw the young ones as foolish
And the rich man never heard the poor man speak
But one by one, they ran away
With their made up minds to leave it all behind
And the light began to fade
In the City on the Hill, the City on the Hill
Each one thought that they knew better
But they were different by design
Instead of standing strong together
They let their differences divide
And one by one, they ran away
With their made up minds to leave it all behind
And the light began to fade
In the City on the Hill, the City on the Hill
But it was the rhythm of the dancers That gave the poets life
It was the spirit of the poets That gave the soldiers strength to fight
It was fire of the young ones It was the wisdom of the old
It was the story of the poor man That needed to be told
That song depicted the tragedy of spiritual cannibalism.
When people put self above others until the whole congregation is ruined.
This morning let me just remind you that Christ made you free.
And so you are free to serve
You are free to love your brother
Now in the coming messages,
We’ll see how to do that, and what that looks like.
But first and foremost I just want you to understand that
Your freedom is not about you,
It’s about you being able to serve your brother.
Philippians 2:1-4 “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”