WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:22.260 Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast. 00:00:22.780 --> 00:00:25.880 This is where you can find audio for our current and past sermons. 00:00:26.100 --> 00:00:30.420 We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear 00:00:30.420 --> 00:00:31.260 the latest message. 00:00:31.680 --> 00:00:32.460 Thanks for listening. 00:00:45.300 --> 00:00:45.740 Amen. 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:46.460 Well, good morning. 00:00:47.340 --> 00:00:48.940 Glad that you guys are here. 00:00:49.440 --> 00:00:52.500 If you've got your Bibles, go ahead and open up to Galatians chapter 5. 00:00:53.100 --> 00:00:59.100 And as you turn there, I want to share just a few moments about kind of our perspective 00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:05.760 on our approach right now as we're going through the coronavirus situation in our country. 00:01:06.420 --> 00:01:11.020 Some people have asked this morning, kind of, what's the approach that we're taking as a 00:01:11.020 --> 00:01:11.940 church with this? 00:01:12.280 --> 00:01:17.480 And so I want to walk through, at least for me as your pastor, how I'm walking through 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:22.140 this and the things that we're thinking through and how we're praying through and actions that 00:01:22.140 --> 00:01:22.880 we've even taken. 00:01:23.380 --> 00:01:27.600 Number one, I do want to say this, all right, because I believe in the authority of Scripture 00:01:27.600 --> 00:01:29.020 and I believe in what God says. 00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:32.120 And so number one, we're going to obey the government, all right? 00:01:32.140 --> 00:01:35.560 We're going to obey the authorities that God's put over us within there. 00:01:35.640 --> 00:01:40.420 So if decisions are made that are outside of our realm, that are outside of our authority, 00:01:40.420 --> 00:01:43.060 we're going to be mindful and respectful of that. 00:01:43.060 --> 00:01:48.660 As far as the decisions that we make, so right now, everything for our church is business as 00:01:48.660 --> 00:01:49.460 usual, all right? 00:01:49.660 --> 00:01:51.980 Everything we're continuing to go forward with. 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:57.460 What we're seeking to do within that is through prayer to use discernment and wisdom for what 00:01:57.460 --> 00:02:02.380 God has for our own particular unique body of people and what God's called us to. 00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:04.080 And so God gives us discernment. 00:02:04.180 --> 00:02:05.240 God gives us wisdom. 00:02:05.240 --> 00:02:10.740 We want to lean in on Him in times like this to understand and to process what is best for 00:02:10.740 --> 00:02:11.460 us as a church. 00:02:11.760 --> 00:02:15.560 And so right now, we feel that that is business as usual. 00:02:15.740 --> 00:02:17.820 Now, there are some things that have changed, all right? 00:02:17.880 --> 00:02:22.640 So then in how we're doing coffee talk, you'll notice there's more hand sanitizers that are 00:02:22.640 --> 00:02:23.120 available. 00:02:23.420 --> 00:02:24.860 Please don't walk off with those, right? 00:02:26.260 --> 00:02:29.340 We want to make sure that we're doing things the right way. 00:02:29.560 --> 00:02:31.720 Even Dave's going to give instructions at the end of the service. 00:02:31.900 --> 00:02:34.580 We're going to take up the offering a little bit different this morning, okay? 00:02:34.580 --> 00:02:35.980 So we want to be mindful. 00:02:36.180 --> 00:02:37.300 We want to use discernment. 00:02:37.700 --> 00:02:43.520 If something happens and we do, we're not allowed or we're not capable of holding services, we 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:45.820 will maintain the office hours. 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:47.960 We will maintain presence here. 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:52.800 And so if you need someone, if you need us, this is what we're here to do as we're called 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:55.080 to be ministers of the gospel and do that. 00:02:55.340 --> 00:02:57.420 As with every Sunday already. 00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:03.720 So if you're at home right now because you're not feeling well, if you're off at the beach 00:03:03.720 --> 00:03:07.980 because you're on vacation, we live stream every single Sunday anyways. 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:12.960 We have our YouTube channel that we go through with live stream, and so we will make that 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:13.420 available. 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:20.600 We still post our messages on our website and through also our podcast platforms every single 00:03:20.600 --> 00:03:20.980 Sunday. 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:23.460 And so we will continue to do all of those things. 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:28.340 So if they shut us down, we will still have the opportunity to have worship just with a 00:03:28.340 --> 00:03:30.820 different venue that God has given us. 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:33.980 So those are our approaches as a church of how we're doing this. 00:03:34.300 --> 00:03:39.440 And then I'd just like to say, as a believer, all right, so what is our perception as we go 00:03:39.440 --> 00:03:40.440 into work, all right? 00:03:40.440 --> 00:03:42.160 What is our perception as we talk to our neighbor? 00:03:42.480 --> 00:03:47.220 What is our perception as we talk to our spouse even about all of this that's going on? 00:03:47.580 --> 00:03:50.040 Number one, I want to encourage us to all do this. 00:03:50.340 --> 00:03:51.720 Listen, okay? 00:03:52.060 --> 00:03:52.720 Just listen. 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:57.440 There are people right now who are a little nervous about everything that's going on, 00:03:57.560 --> 00:04:01.560 maybe more nervous than you or maybe even more nervous than me, and that's okay. 00:04:01.620 --> 00:04:02.300 We want to listen. 00:04:02.740 --> 00:04:05.860 I'm glad that my 94-year-old grandmother is at home this morning, okay? 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:11.680 So we want to listen and we want to be respectful and understand that everybody is trying to use 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:13.280 wisdom and discernment for them. 00:04:13.420 --> 00:04:17.860 And what we want to do is we want to leverage this just like we should look to leverage every 00:04:17.860 --> 00:04:24.480 situation, is how can we leverage these opportunities to share Jesus and to love our neighbors? 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:29.780 And so in every aspect that the Lord gives us these open doors and these open opportunities 00:04:29.780 --> 00:04:31.720 of God, how can we glorify you? 00:04:31.880 --> 00:04:33.160 How can we obey you? 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:34.520 How can we share you? 00:04:34.740 --> 00:04:35.820 How can we love you? 00:04:35.960 --> 00:04:39.340 And in doing so, how can we love our neighbors as they walk through this? 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:45.600 The other night, it opened the door for an absolutely wonderful conversation with me and 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:48.240 a person in our neighborhood who does not know Christ, right? 00:04:48.320 --> 00:04:50.540 So God's working for the good of all things. 00:04:50.840 --> 00:04:55.120 And so we take that approach and we have that perspective with there also. 00:04:55.420 --> 00:04:58.340 So be quick to listen, slow to speak. 00:04:58.560 --> 00:04:59.260 That's somewhere, right? 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:01.080 Quick to listen, slow to speak. 00:05:01.440 --> 00:05:05.360 Use it as an opportunity to glorify God and use it as an opportunity to love our neighbors. 00:05:05.660 --> 00:05:09.180 And then I just want to encourage all of us as a church, and we're about to go into a 00:05:09.180 --> 00:05:13.020 time period where we're going to do this together, to pray, all right? 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:21.080 There are a lot of people, pastors, government leaders, school board leaders, owners of businesses 00:05:21.080 --> 00:05:25.120 that have to make decisions that are bigger than them, right? 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:30.760 That have to make decisions with a consequence and a weight that they have to process and that 00:05:30.760 --> 00:05:31.640 they have to pray through. 00:05:31.980 --> 00:05:36.060 And what we need to be able to do is we need to be able to pray for them that they will 00:05:36.060 --> 00:05:38.760 have the wisdom and the discernment to make the right decisions. 00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:44.860 But also, in our pocket of where we are in the world right now is different than it is 00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:45.800 for some other places. 00:05:46.560 --> 00:05:51.180 And so there's some other places that life has been disturbed more than it has for us. 00:05:51.180 --> 00:05:55.480 Like I know there are situations with what people don't think of, but there are missionaries 00:05:55.480 --> 00:06:00.660 right now who would love to get back into the countries in which they served, where their 00:06:00.660 --> 00:06:04.380 friends are, where they're doing gospel works and they're not allowed to. 00:06:04.860 --> 00:06:10.440 And so I'd like to take this opportunity right now as we here together as a church, but maybe 00:06:10.440 --> 00:06:16.160 even in this season of life, to cause us, to give us an opportunity, regardless of your 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:18.400 affiliation with political parties, right? 00:06:18.400 --> 00:06:23.220 To pray for the leaders that are in place right now, to take this opportunity, to not get 00:06:23.220 --> 00:06:29.740 frustrated when a business owner or when a school management makes a different decision 00:06:29.740 --> 00:06:35.280 than what we like, to instead pray for them and that we give a time to pray for our missionaries 00:06:35.280 --> 00:06:41.280 on our field that this is strongly impacting their life of where they are. 00:06:41.460 --> 00:06:46.180 So before we go any farther in God's word this morning, let's just go to him in prayer. 00:06:47.820 --> 00:06:48.800 God, I thank you. 00:06:50.380 --> 00:06:55.660 Lord, as all the songs that we just sang just remind us, Lord, you are the steady presence 00:06:55.660 --> 00:06:56.820 in the midst of the chaos. 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:03.920 And so, Lord, as we meet here today, may that truth be reminded to us. 00:07:05.400 --> 00:07:10.100 Lord, that in spite of whatever happens in this world, Lord, that you are sovereign, that you 00:07:10.100 --> 00:07:15.800 are in control, that you are good, that you are working, or there is never a moment that 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:21.040 you take off, or there is never a moment where you sleep, or there is never a moment where 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:26.500 you panic, or there is never a moment where you worry, Lord, in all of those things, you 00:07:26.500 --> 00:07:30.520 keep pressing forward in your will of what you're going to accomplish. 00:07:31.780 --> 00:07:33.120 Lord, and we can rest in that. 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:38.660 Lord, we don't know what tomorrow holds, but we know tomorrow you are still God. 00:07:39.300 --> 00:07:40.680 And you are still in control. 00:07:41.740 --> 00:07:48.280 Lord, I pray for every leader that has to make decisions, decisions that impact people's 00:07:48.280 --> 00:07:48.720 lives. 00:07:50.340 --> 00:07:55.240 Lord, I pray that you would grant them and that you would give them the discernment and 00:07:55.240 --> 00:08:02.540 the wisdom they need, or to make the right decision, or the right decision that we as a 00:08:02.540 --> 00:08:07.540 body, that we as a group, Lord, can see and understand how you're working and how you're 00:08:07.540 --> 00:08:07.860 moving. 00:08:08.500 --> 00:08:16.420 Lord, I pray for us as Christians, that we would use this opportunity right now to not 00:08:16.420 --> 00:08:27.400 complain, to not be negative, but to encourage, to love, to share, Lord, and to seek a depth 00:08:27.400 --> 00:08:30.360 of obedience in our life. 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:41.100 Lord, I pray for the people that this is affecting right now, or people who can't go to work, and 00:08:41.100 --> 00:08:44.140 so the loss of their income is greatly affecting their house. 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:48.400 Lord, I pray for people who have lost loved ones. 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:54.860 Lord, I pray for our missionaries on the field who cannot get back to the gospel work that you've 00:08:54.860 --> 00:08:55.740 had laid out for them. 00:08:55.740 --> 00:09:02.200 Lord, I pray that right now, in all of those circumstances, Lord, for the single mom who 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:07.800 can't provide, for the spouse who has lost their spouse, to the missionary who's far away 00:09:07.800 --> 00:09:13.400 from home, Lord, that right now, what would reside in their heart is the peace that comes 00:09:13.400 --> 00:09:14.960 from you and you alone. 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:24.200 Lord, and what we can do as believers, it's not when we look back at this, Lord, that we 00:09:24.200 --> 00:09:29.920 can, with our breath and with our lives, Lord, give praise to you regardless of the circumstances 00:09:29.920 --> 00:09:36.220 because of who you are in your goodness and in your greatness. 00:09:37.220 --> 00:09:40.540 Jesus, I thank you for the opportunity that we have to meet here today. 00:09:41.620 --> 00:09:45.220 Lord, I thank you that there are those who can't be with us this morning and they're sitting 00:09:45.220 --> 00:09:48.580 right now on their computers watching us and worshiping with us. 00:09:48.660 --> 00:09:50.620 Lord, I thank you for that ability that you give us. 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:57.040 Lord, and I pray whether it's sitting here in this auditorium or if it's sitting in a living 00:09:57.040 --> 00:10:03.320 room, Lord, that you would be glorified by the things that are done, by the things that 00:10:03.320 --> 00:10:03.800 are said. 00:10:05.520 --> 00:10:13.020 Lord, and I pray that today, someone today could step out of the bondage of sin and today 00:10:13.020 --> 00:10:14.700 become a child of a living God. 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:21.940 Jesus, we love you, we praise you, and it's in your name we pray, amen, amen. 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:26.840 All right, so Galatians chapter 5, starting in verse 1. 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:29.900 And by the way, isn't this pollen just absolutely wonderful? 00:10:33.140 --> 00:10:34.440 Let's start reading verse 1. 00:10:35.520 --> 00:10:38.300 For freedom, Christ has set us free. 00:10:39.260 --> 00:10:44.540 Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 00:10:45.280 --> 00:10:53.180 Look, I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 00:10:53.700 --> 00:11:00.020 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:08.040 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law, have fallen away from grace. 00:11:08.040 --> 00:11:14.620 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 00:11:15.160 --> 00:11:23.560 For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. 00:11:24.040 --> 00:11:27.920 You were running well who hindered you from obeying the truth. 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:31.980 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 00:11:32.260 --> 00:11:35.140 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 00:11:35.560 --> 00:11:39.320 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, 00:11:40.040 --> 00:11:44.780 and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 00:11:44.780 --> 00:11:50.840 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? 00:11:51.300 --> 00:11:59.280 If that case, the offense of the cross has been removed, I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves. 00:12:00.300 --> 00:12:02.720 For you were called to freedom, brothers. 00:12:03.520 --> 00:12:11.320 Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:15.060 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word. 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:18.460 You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:26.700 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. 00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:37.420 And so Paul comes in in this passage of Scripture and begins to push forward in us being able to understand as believers what it's like to live in freedom. 00:12:37.420 --> 00:12:40.920 And he cautions us at the very beginning with a warning. 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:44.940 And what he's talking about at the very beginning is the loss of freedom. 00:12:45.280 --> 00:12:47.040 And that's what we have to be careful of. 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:55.080 That Paul wants to establish from the very beginning of chapter 5 that there is a loss of freedom. 00:12:55.540 --> 00:13:03.220 Paul begins by reminding them the profound freedom that you and I have in Christ. 00:13:03.220 --> 00:13:09.080 In verse 1, what he literally says is, for freedom, Christ freed you. 00:13:09.820 --> 00:13:17.640 So for the purpose of freedom, for the noun of freedom, he applies the verb of freedom. 00:13:18.100 --> 00:13:20.780 He has freed you. 00:13:21.160 --> 00:13:28.480 Freedom in this, for Paul in the gospel, is both the means and the end of the Christian life. 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:35.880 It's the way that we live our life in freedom, and it's the finish line that we long for, freedom. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:40.120 For Paul, you can't remove freedom from the gospel. 00:13:40.620 --> 00:13:47.760 And so what he begins to set in place is that when Jesus came, he came in a liberation movement. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:50.320 He came to set the captive free. 00:13:50.600 --> 00:13:54.000 He came from what was enslaving us to set us free from. 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:56.200 And this is why it's so important to Paul. 00:13:56.460 --> 00:14:01.320 For Paul, if there is no freedom, there is no gospel. 00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:09.080 And so when the Judaizers come in and they say to the group, hey, hey, hey, for you Gentiles, this is important for you. 00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:11.820 Yes, you have to be saved through Christ. 00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:16.500 But you also, in order to be saved, must be circumcised. 00:14:16.700 --> 00:14:19.900 And Paul's like, no, no, no, no, no, that's not how this works at all. 00:14:20.100 --> 00:14:26.020 That what begins to infringe on is your freedom from what Christ has set you free from. 00:14:26.200 --> 00:14:30.280 It's the noun, it's the verb, it's every part of the gospel. 00:14:30.680 --> 00:14:34.660 For freedom, you have been freed. 00:14:35.680 --> 00:14:39.260 And for Paul, this is the battle worth fighting. 00:14:39.500 --> 00:14:47.780 Because what Paul understands in our life and in the life of a believer, that when you're saved, you're saved for eternity. 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:50.220 That that cannot be taken away from us. 00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:56.660 That when Jesus Christ became my Lord and Savior, that that's the case for my eternity. 00:14:57.040 --> 00:15:00.260 My destination has been sealed. 00:15:01.320 --> 00:15:05.500 But what Satan wants to do is rob us from the reality. 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:10.920 And so what begins to happen in the life of a believer, our eternity has been sealed. 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:16.100 But what can be taken away from us is our freedom. 00:15:16.740 --> 00:15:20.840 So Paul uses words like, hey, do not submit again in verse 1. 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:26.100 He talks about in verse 4 that you've fallen away from grace. 00:15:27.020 --> 00:15:28.580 And so what he does is very important. 00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:31.240 Verse 1, he tells us how not to lose our freedom. 00:15:31.320 --> 00:15:31.960 Right? 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:32.860 That's important. 00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:38.580 Not just what freedom is, but to make sure that we do not lose our freedom. 00:15:38.860 --> 00:15:42.600 So in verse 1, he tells us, stand firm. 00:15:43.220 --> 00:15:48.700 Now when I say those words, you immediately get a picture in your mind of what that looks like. 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:58.780 As Paul's talking, the word that he uses is a military word that implies the person who's on guard or on lookout. 00:15:59.020 --> 00:16:04.560 And so he takes that military term and he imparts it to us in our spiritual life. 00:16:04.760 --> 00:16:07.880 He says, here's how you maintain your freedom. 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:12.560 It's not just you lay back and it's a passive approach. 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:17.780 It's an active approach of what it means to stand firm. 00:16:18.280 --> 00:16:25.520 And so if I'm a commander in the military and I go up to one of my soldiers and I say, look, you need to stand firm. 00:16:25.720 --> 00:16:28.440 There's four things that this means for this soldier. 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:31.020 The first thing, what it means, it means stay alert. 00:16:31.740 --> 00:16:32.420 Stay alert. 00:16:33.540 --> 00:16:38.240 Look, if you're going to stand firm in your freedom, if you're going to stand firm in the gospel, 00:16:38.620 --> 00:16:45.980 what we have to do is we have to stay alert, meaning this, we cannot be ignorant to the things that are around us. 00:16:46.700 --> 00:16:49.000 We can't stand firm. 00:16:49.620 --> 00:16:51.360 We can't stay alert. 00:16:52.020 --> 00:16:55.640 And spiritually speaking, close our eyes to what's going on. 00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:58.940 We can't exclude from what is happening. 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:03.400 We can't be ignorant to the things around us of what's taking place. 00:17:03.520 --> 00:17:06.200 And we need to stay alert. 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:10.680 Christians, we do not need to be ignorant about the things that are happening and taking place. 00:17:10.860 --> 00:17:13.020 We need to be the forefront on culture. 00:17:13.300 --> 00:17:15.300 We need to be in the forefront of technology. 00:17:15.620 --> 00:17:20.700 We need to be the forefront of what is going on as we stay alert of what is happening. 00:17:20.700 --> 00:17:23.340 We can't isolate ourselves. 00:17:25.120 --> 00:17:29.740 And then all of a sudden we're surprised when the lion strikes. 00:17:30.540 --> 00:17:33.840 That we're surprised when the temptation comes. 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:38.060 That we must stay alert. 00:17:39.620 --> 00:17:46.800 Not only must we stay alert, but to stay firm or stand firm means to stay strong as well. 00:17:47.540 --> 00:17:48.660 Got to stay strong. 00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:51.340 Can I tell you what it means when we're doing this? 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:53.780 When you got the person on the watchtower. 00:17:54.300 --> 00:17:58.140 What you want for them to be is they have to stand there all day. 00:17:58.340 --> 00:17:59.740 They have to stand there all night. 00:17:59.820 --> 00:18:02.940 So what you want is a person who's physically fit doing that. 00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:05.220 And so Paul looks at the believers and he says, 00:18:05.220 --> 00:18:12.780 As you stand firm, make sure that you stay strong in your faith. 00:18:13.560 --> 00:18:13.660 Right? 00:18:13.860 --> 00:18:18.840 To walk away from freedom is to walk away from growing in God's word. 00:18:19.420 --> 00:18:21.600 And the two are linked together. 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:31.240 That what we do is we work out, we build up, we strengthen our faith to get together as we push forward. 00:18:31.380 --> 00:18:40.260 So that spiritually speaking, our muscles are built and our muscles are tuned and our muscles are strengthened over and over and over again. 00:18:40.260 --> 00:18:41.320 Because I want to tell you this. 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:43.440 If you're going to stay firm in your faith, if you're going to stand firm in your faith, it's hard. 00:18:44.440 --> 00:18:45.400 It's not easy. 00:18:46.360 --> 00:18:49.440 The temptations come, but we stand firm. 00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:56.020 The enemy tries to pull us away, but we stand firm. 00:18:57.020 --> 00:18:58.780 Because we stay strong. 00:18:59.460 --> 00:19:02.440 Not in ourselves, but in God's word. 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:05.800 We also have to resist. 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:09.360 To stand firm means to resist. 00:19:10.280 --> 00:19:11.760 It's not that we just look. 00:19:12.260 --> 00:19:14.340 It's not that we just stay strong. 00:19:14.580 --> 00:19:16.620 It's not that we just build our muscles. 00:19:16.940 --> 00:19:24.000 But when the picture is given of someone that is standing firm, what it actually means is they have a good base. 00:19:24.860 --> 00:19:26.700 Think about going out into the ocean, right? 00:19:26.700 --> 00:19:35.360 Have you ever, growing up or maybe with your kids, you played the game where the waves come in at you and you fight the resistance of going out into the water. 00:19:35.700 --> 00:19:42.420 The easiest way to lose that battle is to walk into the ocean and put your feet side by side, right? 00:19:42.940 --> 00:19:45.280 Even a small wave is going to come and it's going to do what? 00:19:45.320 --> 00:19:47.260 It's going to pull you back out. 00:19:47.260 --> 00:19:55.860 But when you get the strong base, when you widen your stance so that when the wave comes, you can dig in. 00:19:56.460 --> 00:20:03.240 You feel the pull that is trying to drag you away, but yet the foundation is secure. 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:06.160 Walking in freedom means this. 00:20:06.780 --> 00:20:08.380 We resist the attack. 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:15.980 There's going to come point in time in our life where we want to walk away from the freedom of obedience that we have in Christ. 00:20:15.980 --> 00:20:23.060 And if you're standing there with a weak foundation, if you're standing there, spiritually speaking, with your feet right beside each other, 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:24.360 let me tell you what's going to happen. 00:20:24.560 --> 00:20:25.620 You're going to collapse. 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:27.240 You're going to fall down. 00:20:27.740 --> 00:20:37.740 But if we stand there with the firm base of who we are in Christ, we're prepared and ready for the fight. 00:20:38.620 --> 00:20:39.640 Think about a boxer. 00:20:40.580 --> 00:20:47.360 The boxer doesn't walk up to the bout, doesn't get into the ring and stand there like this, right? 00:20:48.020 --> 00:20:48.780 What do they say? 00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:50.420 Got to get your feet. 00:20:51.040 --> 00:20:51.840 Got to get your base. 00:20:52.340 --> 00:20:59.560 Because when the punches come, when you get rocked, you can stay firm because it'll happen. 00:21:00.560 --> 00:21:01.980 And then the last thing was this. 00:21:03.420 --> 00:21:04.420 Stick together. 00:21:05.820 --> 00:21:11.860 In military, when a person is put on watch, when they're put on guard, do you know they're never put by themselves? 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:14.580 They're always put with someone. 00:21:15.760 --> 00:21:28.220 And so in this concept, as the commander would send his person out to take watch, to hold strong, he would send there with at least one other person so that they could stand there together. 00:21:28.220 --> 00:21:29.980 Church, hear me with this. 00:21:31.100 --> 00:21:36.380 Your Christian life and your Christian growth was never intended for you to face it alone. 00:21:37.360 --> 00:21:39.740 It's always been in the sense of community. 00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:47.640 It's why it's so important that we understand and believe in the trinity of God, that God operates in community, and so do we. 00:21:48.020 --> 00:21:55.460 It's so important that we have men and women of faith to both challenge us, strengthen us, and hold us accountable. 00:21:55.540 --> 00:22:03.620 Because when they see us standing there and they see us, spiritually speaking, begin to get a little weak, they can challenge us and, hey, let's go work out together. 00:22:04.120 --> 00:22:15.380 When they begin to see that we're standing there and our foundation begins to get a little weak, they can walk alongside us and they can wrap their arms around us and hold us as we're being drawn towards something else. 00:22:15.380 --> 00:22:26.240 You see, in the concept of us staying and not losing our freedom, it's the battle that we face together, and it's never been intended to be the battle that you face alone. 00:22:27.360 --> 00:22:41.520 And so if you're sitting here this morning and that's your battle, if you're sitting here this morning and it's a battle of isolation, if you're sitting here this morning and wondering, where is everyone around me? 00:22:42.800 --> 00:23:01.100 Look, look, look, right in the ear, the family that God's given us, the group of people that are here, the opportunities that we have to challenge and to grow, and the opportunity to do it together. 00:23:02.260 --> 00:23:06.220 Paul continues on, he talks about the importance of the yoke. 00:23:06.900 --> 00:23:11.500 He says, do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 00:23:11.620 --> 00:23:12.960 Let me explain what a yoke is. 00:23:13.020 --> 00:23:15.680 There's two yokes in the Bible. 00:23:16.360 --> 00:23:22.660 The yoke that Paul is referring to here is not the yoke that an animal would use. 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:33.800 When you think of an animal, it's the concept of two working together, and biblically we see those as well, where there's a piece of wood with a loop that connects two animals so that they can push together in the work. 00:23:33.800 --> 00:23:35.560 That's not the yoke that we're talking about. 00:23:35.760 --> 00:23:42.140 We're talking about the yoke that a person would use, which ironically enough would oftentimes be connected to slavery. 00:23:42.840 --> 00:23:48.040 And it would be a piece of wood, again, with a curve that would fit over the neck. 00:23:48.260 --> 00:23:53.180 And it would run down some distance, probably about two feet on either side. 00:23:53.240 --> 00:23:55.320 So you're talking about a four-foot piece of wood. 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:58.340 And there would be some ropes that would be attached to it. 00:23:58.340 --> 00:24:10.480 And then on the end would be some type of carrying, like a bucket or something on each end, so that if a person has to move an object from one place to the other, that they wouldn't have to go one bucket at a time. 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:22.580 But instead, they could go and they could fill two buckets up, and they wouldn't just have to rely on their arm strength, but instead they would have a full strength of their body to pick up the yoke and to carry the yoke. 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:34.880 And so when you see someone carrying the yoke, what you could see within them is the burden of the difficulty of their work, or you would know that they are headed to a place of burden where they will work. 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:41.360 And so Paul looks at the believers, and he says, hey, hey, do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 00:24:41.700 --> 00:24:44.660 Don't continue on in this pattern. 00:24:45.080 --> 00:24:49.320 But there's another guy who's kind of a big deal in Scripture, and he talks about a yoke too. 00:24:49.940 --> 00:24:50.520 And it's Jesus. 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:54.740 In Matthew 11, verse 28, he says this, 00:24:55.700 --> 00:25:02.220 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:03.320 Verse 29, 00:25:04.320 --> 00:25:14.580 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 00:25:15.320 --> 00:25:20.920 My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 00:25:21.820 --> 00:25:22.640 Let's notice this. 00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:23.900 First thing about this. 00:25:25.240 --> 00:25:30.240 Jesus takes away a yoke, but then gives another one. 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:34.780 I think all too often we look at the things of what Christ takes from us. 00:25:35.300 --> 00:25:40.140 But the beautiful picture of what Christ does here is he has the removal of a yoke. 00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:43.420 Paul says, don't pick back up the yoke of slavery. 00:25:43.700 --> 00:25:47.320 But Jesus comes back, and he says, but there's another yoke. 00:25:47.760 --> 00:25:50.180 You see, when we're Christians, we're not free from the yoke. 00:25:50.780 --> 00:25:54.600 There's still an aspect of that that is a part of our life. 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:56.060 But it's a different yoke. 00:25:56.420 --> 00:25:58.560 It's different than the one that we were used to. 00:25:58.940 --> 00:26:02.500 It's different than the one that we understand when we come to Christ. 00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:03.880 It's something that's different. 00:26:04.300 --> 00:26:06.220 You see, the first yoke is heavy. 00:26:06.620 --> 00:26:08.800 The first yoke is burdensome. 00:26:08.800 --> 00:26:15.200 The first yoke gives great weight, which creates a sense of never-ending turmoil. 00:26:15.460 --> 00:26:21.960 So you pick it up, and you hope that the buckets have even amounts of weight, and if not, you'll 00:26:21.960 --> 00:26:23.940 begin to wobble from side to side. 00:26:24.100 --> 00:26:29.060 You begin to hope that it's not too much for you to be able to bear, because then you'll fall 00:26:29.060 --> 00:26:32.020 flat on your face, and you'll be punished for the things that you do. 00:26:32.260 --> 00:26:36.060 And so Jesus says, look, this first yoke, that's not mine. 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:38.080 Mine's not heavy. 00:26:39.040 --> 00:26:40.180 Mine's not a burden. 00:26:41.120 --> 00:26:42.600 Mine's not going to give weight. 00:26:43.400 --> 00:26:46.620 Mine's not going to put you in a constant state of worry. 00:26:47.580 --> 00:26:49.920 But mine is easy. 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:52.940 Mine is light. 00:26:53.940 --> 00:26:58.940 Mine eases the burden, and it creates something, Jesus says. 00:26:59.480 --> 00:27:06.600 It creates rest, specifically rest for your souls. 00:27:07.660 --> 00:27:14.480 You see, a yoke always implies two things, whether it's the yoke that Paul refers to or the yoke 00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:15.680 that Jesus refers to. 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:20.380 A yoke always implies obedience to a master. 00:27:21.040 --> 00:27:23.720 It always implies obedience to the master. 00:27:24.340 --> 00:27:30.960 Is it the master that's overwhelming, or is it the master that sets free? 00:27:31.960 --> 00:27:36.640 Always the yoke is connected to the master. 00:27:37.140 --> 00:27:39.420 The first yoke is the yoke of the law. 00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:40.860 It's the get it right. 00:27:40.980 --> 00:27:43.960 It's the heavier the weight, the more that it drags you down. 00:27:44.260 --> 00:27:48.800 But Jesus comes with a second yoke, and it's the yoke of discipleship. 00:27:49.260 --> 00:27:50.900 It's the yoke of faith. 00:27:50.900 --> 00:27:55.780 It's the yoke that causes us to grow in obedience. 00:27:56.560 --> 00:28:01.200 And so when Jesus says, hey, pick up my yoke, it gives rest. 00:28:02.120 --> 00:28:09.180 It's the picture of discipleship that begins to live out in the man and woman of faith. 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:17.020 And what we begin to understand as it deals with the soul is that this yoke is a spiritual 00:28:17.020 --> 00:28:24.620 act, that it's the Spirit of God working in me and working through me, that it's the Son 00:28:24.620 --> 00:28:28.600 sent the Spirit that is made evident in the life of the believer. 00:28:28.600 --> 00:28:31.980 And so this is the yoke that we carry. 00:28:32.360 --> 00:28:37.940 It reminds us that the discipleship is what we're commanded to do, that this is part of 00:28:37.940 --> 00:28:38.440 our life. 00:28:38.700 --> 00:28:43.080 Jesus doesn't say, hey, and if you want to, set that yoke down. 00:28:43.220 --> 00:28:46.060 And if you want to, come and pick this one up. 00:28:46.520 --> 00:28:47.540 No, it's the command. 00:28:47.820 --> 00:28:49.080 It's connected to obedience. 00:28:49.480 --> 00:28:55.320 And so it's a part of us as a believer to understand that this yoke of discipleship, it's what's 00:28:55.320 --> 00:28:56.420 been imparted. 00:28:56.500 --> 00:28:58.920 It's what's been commanded to us. 00:28:59.980 --> 00:29:05.580 And in the concept of discipleship, back to us being together, the concept of discipleship 00:29:05.580 --> 00:29:13.700 is a full circle that continues to work, that I am both being discipled and I am still discipling 00:29:13.700 --> 00:29:14.140 someone. 00:29:14.600 --> 00:29:22.880 So that a life lived for Christ means that I'm invested into as I invest into others. 00:29:23.780 --> 00:29:29.640 Also, what we begin to see is discipleship, this yoke that Jesus talks about. 00:29:29.980 --> 00:29:32.660 It's where obedience and grace combine. 00:29:33.520 --> 00:29:38.940 It's where obedience and grace combines and so it begins to come from us. 00:29:39.720 --> 00:29:41.720 And it's what Paul reminds us. 00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:47.120 Because what we're striving for is freedom, not abuse. 00:29:48.540 --> 00:29:51.580 Look back at verses 13 through 15 of Galatians 5. 00:29:53.140 --> 00:29:55.560 He says, for you were called to freedom, brothers. 00:29:57.480 --> 00:30:04.780 Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another. 00:30:05.520 --> 00:30:09.180 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word. 00:30:09.820 --> 00:30:12.420 You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 00:30:13.100 --> 00:30:21.500 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. 00:30:22.120 --> 00:30:24.900 You see, Paul starts at equal ends of the argument. 00:30:25.380 --> 00:30:29.900 He starts at the very beginning and he says, look, don't lose your freedom. 00:30:30.860 --> 00:30:37.240 And then for the other side, he says, but make sure you don't abuse your freedom either. 00:30:37.940 --> 00:30:42.620 Don't be legalistic in your freedom, but don't be liberal in your freedom. 00:30:42.880 --> 00:30:46.860 Don't approach your freedom and this is what I have to do or else. 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:50.200 But also don't approach it in, I can do whatever I want. 00:30:50.200 --> 00:30:58.760 What Paul wants both sides of the aisle to understand is that in Christ, we have the opportunity to live in our freedom. 00:30:58.760 --> 00:31:05.680 So that the gospel doesn't lead us to a guilty life, but the gospel also doesn't lead us to an unholy life. 00:31:05.800 --> 00:31:07.900 That there's the balance that we walk. 00:31:08.040 --> 00:31:09.600 There's a line that's there. 00:31:09.800 --> 00:31:15.640 There's a fruit that comes from the Christian and it is the fruit of freedom in Christ. 00:31:16.440 --> 00:31:22.120 And what we find in our freedom, and I ask you to check your heart when it comes to your freedom, is this. 00:31:22.380 --> 00:31:27.980 Does your freedom or your perspective of your freedom excuse away your sins? 00:31:28.920 --> 00:31:33.200 Or does your freedom bring you back to repentance before God? 00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:38.440 Does your freedom bring you back to obedience before Him? 00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:49.100 And what we see as Paul wraps up this session is that what freedom creates in us is an obedience to God that affects those around us. 00:31:49.560 --> 00:31:56.220 That our obedience to Him literally molds and shapes the way that we see other people. 00:31:56.780 --> 00:32:04.800 And so what we see from this is our vertical relationship with God affects our horizontal relationships with other people. 00:32:04.800 --> 00:32:15.980 So I can't say I'm right and I'm good with Him, that everything is in order with Him if I look out here and there's nothing but chaos that surrounds me. 00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:19.060 There's nothing but hurt that surrounds me. 00:32:19.420 --> 00:32:27.320 I can't say that my life before Him is holy if my life before everyone else is unholy. 00:32:27.440 --> 00:32:36.840 So the question for us this morning is this, does your freedom in the gospel, for what you're experiencing, for what you're walking in, 00:32:37.060 --> 00:32:43.380 does your freedom in the gospel draw others to Jesus or does it push them away? 00:32:44.820 --> 00:32:53.200 Does your freedom in what Christ has done for you cause other people to be drawn toward or to be pushed away? 00:32:53.200 --> 00:32:58.940 Are we abusing the freedom that He has for us? 00:32:59.500 --> 00:33:01.960 In closing, two things to think about this morning. 00:33:02.660 --> 00:33:04.360 As we go into our time of response. 00:33:05.780 --> 00:33:07.920 Each of us has a yoke on. 00:33:09.000 --> 00:33:14.980 We either have the yoke of slavery or the yoke of discipleship. 00:33:15.500 --> 00:33:20.480 We either have a yoke where we're growing in our sins and the patterns of this world. 00:33:20.840 --> 00:33:24.220 We either have a yoke that restricts us and that holds us back. 00:33:24.440 --> 00:33:28.780 We either have a yoke that tells us we're not good enough and we'll never be good enough. 00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:30.520 Or we have a yoke that's light. 00:33:31.400 --> 00:33:34.680 A yoke that's easy and a yoke that sets us free. 00:33:35.640 --> 00:33:40.300 But not only what yoke do we have, but what freedom are you living in? 00:33:40.500 --> 00:33:47.880 And the closest thing of what Paul points us to, the litmus test that he sets before in our life, 00:33:48.280 --> 00:33:52.140 is when we look at this freedom, that it's not found in our church attendance. 00:33:52.800 --> 00:33:55.820 It's not found in how much scripture we know. 00:33:56.200 --> 00:34:02.240 It's not found in anything of the holy acts of what we try to engage with. 00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:08.060 But it's in our relationship with each other and in our relationships with other people. 00:34:08.700 --> 00:34:10.260 What does that look like? 00:34:10.920 --> 00:34:15.480 What is the freedom that you're living in? 00:34:16.120 --> 00:34:16.980 Would you pray with me? 00:34:20.120 --> 00:34:21.560 Lord, I come to you this morning. 00:34:23.080 --> 00:34:26.000 We thank you so much for this opportunity that you give us. 00:34:28.140 --> 00:34:32.980 God, your word tells us that you've set us free. 00:34:35.280 --> 00:34:41.000 And so we lay aside one, but we're called to something else. 00:34:42.220 --> 00:34:46.840 It's not lay aside and I'll do what you want, but it's lay aside and come and pick up. 00:34:48.140 --> 00:34:52.860 That we're still a slave, but we're no longer a slave to this world. 00:34:53.100 --> 00:34:57.360 We're no longer a slave to the law, but we're the slave to the one who set us free. 00:34:58.140 --> 00:35:06.200 And his work builds, his worth strengthens, his work gives peace, his work gives life. 00:35:06.460 --> 00:35:10.680 And from that work, Lord, what we find is rest for our souls. 00:35:15.740 --> 00:35:20.520 So, Lord, this morning, pray that that's the yoke that we would embrace. 00:35:22.340 --> 00:35:26.360 But also, Lord, may we examine our freedom. 00:35:28.600 --> 00:35:30.100 May we examine our freedom. 00:35:31.900 --> 00:35:36.880 Does our freedom give us the right to treat people however we want to? 00:35:39.340 --> 00:35:43.940 Does our freedom give us the right to speak whatever we think? 00:35:47.940 --> 00:35:58.580 Or does our freedom cause us as an overflow of the grace that we've received? 00:35:59.780 --> 00:36:01.780 Of the love that we've received? 00:36:04.680 --> 00:36:07.060 Cause us to then overflow onto others. 00:36:09.760 --> 00:36:10.920 So we listen. 00:36:12.600 --> 00:36:13.720 We care. 00:36:15.100 --> 00:36:16.360 We love. 00:36:17.860 --> 00:36:19.340 We speak truth. 00:36:20.720 --> 00:36:22.440 We're a person of peace. 00:36:23.600 --> 00:36:25.320 We're a reminder of hope. 00:36:29.740 --> 00:36:33.540 Lord, I pray, especially in this season of life that we're in right now. 00:36:37.760 --> 00:36:44.620 Lord, when we watch the news, we see this person and that person surprised by this and surprised by that. 00:36:45.760 --> 00:36:46.780 Lord, and you're not. 00:36:48.520 --> 00:36:49.820 You're not surprised. 00:36:51.300 --> 00:36:57.380 So, Lord, may we be a people understanding your sovereign hand at work. 00:36:58.640 --> 00:37:11.440 May we walk out of here carrying the yoke of Christ, growing in our faith and our obedience in such a manner 00:37:11.440 --> 00:37:18.220 that as a bee is drawn to the flower. 00:37:19.880 --> 00:37:22.180 Lord, so too people are drawn to you. 00:37:29.460 --> 00:37:31.500 With every head bowed and every eye closed, 00:37:32.560 --> 00:37:36.160 we've got prayer encouragers on either side of the auditorium. 00:37:37.280 --> 00:37:38.460 I'm going to be down front. 00:37:39.760 --> 00:37:41.340 Pastor Dave's back in the back. 00:37:43.840 --> 00:37:44.600 Maybe today, 00:37:45.320 --> 00:37:46.940 maybe you're recognizing 00:37:46.940 --> 00:37:49.200 that yoke that's on your shoulders. 00:37:50.320 --> 00:37:51.260 And it's heavy. 00:37:52.160 --> 00:37:53.120 And it's hard. 00:37:53.960 --> 00:37:55.380 And it knocks you down. 00:37:56.780 --> 00:37:57.780 And it's difficult. 00:38:01.620 --> 00:38:05.160 Maybe today is the day that you set that yoke down and you pick up a different one. 00:38:06.620 --> 00:38:11.220 Maybe the day that you realize that you're not living in your freedom, but you're abusing your freedom. 00:38:13.280 --> 00:38:16.860 Maybe today could be the day where you say no more. 00:38:17.660 --> 00:38:18.460 No more. 00:38:19.520 --> 00:38:21.800 Today I'll walk out living in freedom. 00:38:22.380 --> 00:38:23.480 We'd love to pray for you. 00:38:23.540 --> 00:38:24.520 We'd love to encourage you. 00:38:24.760 --> 00:38:27.420 Maybe you've got a friend or family member that needs to be prayed for. 00:38:27.720 --> 00:38:33.160 Maybe it was all the courage you could do this morning to get up and come here today. 00:38:33.780 --> 00:38:35.900 And you just need somebody to pray with you. 00:38:36.600 --> 00:38:38.760 We would be honored to do that. 00:38:39.680 --> 00:38:41.640 Would you respond in how God leads you? 00:38:42.300 --> 00:38:43.280 Jesus, we thank you. 00:38:43.580 --> 00:38:44.460 We love you. 00:38:44.740 --> 00:38:45.560 We praise you. 00:38:45.980 --> 00:38:46.920 And it's in your name we pray. 00:38:47.420 --> 00:38:47.720 Amen. 00:38:47.720 --> 00:38:47.800 Amen. 00:38:47.800 --> 00:39:06.860 Thanks again for listening to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast. 00:39:07.200 --> 00:39:09.480 We hope that you enjoyed listening to this week's message. 00:39:09.660 --> 00:39:18.540 If you'd like to learn more about who we are or explore additional resources, visit us online at www.willowridgechurch.com 00:39:18.540 --> 00:39:22.100 or by searching for Willow Ridge Church on 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