“Service or Selfishness”
Galatians 5:13-15
Sermon Series: “Choice”
Main Idea: The way to exercise our freedom in Christ is not by selfishly indulging ourselves but by lovingly serving others.
I would like to share the following from Timothy George that I think summarizes this section of Scripture in an excellent manner. “Thus the fruit of the Spirit is freedom-freedom to love, to exude joy, to manifest peace, to display patience, and so on. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. This means that Christian liberty is freedom for others, freedom that finds its true expression not in theological privatism (‘I am free to believe anything I choose’) or spiritual narcissism (‘I am free to be myself no matter what’) but rather freedom to love and serve one another in the body of Christ. Evidently one of the major problems among the churches of Galatia was that believers there did not know what to do with their Christ-won freedom. Some were using their liberty as a pretext for license, to the gratification of their sinful nature. Others were Lone-Ranger Christians, having forgotten the mandate to bear one another’s burdens. Still others had fallen into discord and faction, backbiting and self-promotion. Thus in these closing two chapters Paul summoned the Galatians to a mature use of their spiritual birthright, reminding them that it is love, the love of Christ shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit, that brings liberty to its fullest expression.”
It is interesting to see that Paul clearly shows that these legalizers who harped on the law were not fulfilling the law because the law is fulfilled by love. Instead, their actions were leading to fighting and bickering. The same thing happens today when churches are not led by the gospel. The gospel is what produces love. We are motivated to selfless service when we see the selflessness of Jesus on our behalf. When we begin to realize how much the Lord loves us and start to love Him in return, we also have a love in our hearts for others that produces genuine service and not simply religious efforts for our own glory. Thus, the gospel enables us to fulfill the 10 Commandments that are summarized in the two Great Commandments that Jesus gave. On the other hand, churches that are not full of love through the gospel are usually lacking in unity and evidenced by factions, gossip, backbiting etc.
Paul then goes on in the rest of chapter 5 to talk about walking in the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to love and genuinely serve others. Then in chapter six, he gives some specific ways that we can serve one another through love. They include:
1. Restoring those who are overtaken in sin (v. 1).
2. Bearing one another’s burdens (v. 2-5).
3. Supporting those who teach the Word of God (v. 6).
4. Doing good to all, especially other believers (v. 9-10).
Conclusion: Tucked in this section, there is a powerfully motivating challenge and summation of what is being taught. Paul reminds us that we reap what we sow. Living for the flesh brings destruction, which is a wasted life now and eternal punishment later. Sowing to the Spirit brings eternal life. In other words, when we are saved and walking in the Spirit, we will have a blessed life now, eternal life in heaven, and an abundant reward in heaven. Part of the way we sow to the Spirit is by lovingly serving others. We are to use our freedom to love instead of indulging our flesh.
