House of the Lord, Run to the Father, Glory Belongs, O Come All Ye Faithful

What kinds of freedom do you enjoy the most? Does any of those freedoms come with a price?

Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. 3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

Do you know what the true gospel is? Paul addresses this in his letter to the Galatians. You and I must first know what the gospel is before we can share it with others! 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 gives us the gospel of Jesus Christ: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” We also need to understand the gospel in the context of our biggest problem— sin. Even the corruption in our country exists because of sin. Jesus is the only One who can save us from our sins. Galatians chapter 4 is about how the gospel sets us free.

Genuine freedom is not the ability to do what you want. It is the ability to live the life God has for us. Not everything that you want to do is going to be good for you. We’re free to eat anything — but if we eat foods that causes high cholesterol, that can destroy our health! How does the gospel set us free?

FREEDOM FROM PERFORMANCE (Galatians 4:1-11)

We all grew up in a world where excellent performance is rewarded. To achieve good results at school, our jobs, even in a romantic relationship, we all must work hard for it. How about if you want to have eternal life?  A lot of us associate eternal life with good performance in life. Most people are enslaved to the idea that they need to perform to be saved. All religions and belief systems in the world has this mindset — except for biblical Christianity. Paul gives the example of a son and a slave in the same household who both have guardians over them; the Law guards us against doing the wrong things, but it cannot save us from our sins (Galatians 3:23-24). In Old Testament times, sins had to be atoned for (covered over) by the offering of animals every time a person sins. The law is our guardian because it exposes our sin and leads us to the realization that we need a Savior (Romans 3:20). Jews and Gentiles alike were all under bondage to “elemental” things of the world. At the right time, God sent Jesus to redeem us that we may become His children Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, so that we no longer have to keep offering sacrifices repeatedly (Hebrews 10:11-12). We now have freedom from the penalty of our sins. Moreover, we have been given the Spirit of God’s Son through which we have an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father God did not just free us from the bondage of performance; He also gave us His spirit to grant us the joy and willingness to do His will. The Galatian believers though, were going back to the Law, to the place that enslaved them. But if the Son sets you free, you have true freedom from sin (John 8:34-36). Anything apart from Jesus will never be enough. Don’t go back to your past life of slavery to sin!

FREEDOM FROM PSEUDO PREACHERS (Galatians 4:12-20)

Paul reminded them of their close relationship when he first preached the gospel to them. However, they took offense when Paul rebuked them with the truth. If somebody rebukes you because of your sin, even if you feel it’s harsh, take it to heart and go back to God. Many times, we get angry at the way we get rebuked, rather than on the truth that we have sinned. Paul rightly warned the Galatians about false teachers, but he also wanted to be with them and change his tone (having rebuked harshly) because he couldn’t believe how easily deceived, they were by the false teachers. Today, we can also be easily deceived by social media, or what other people say. Satan’s greatest strategy is deception – to make distorted gospels humanly appealing (e.g., “I’m good enough to go to heaven…”; “Since God loves us all, He will bring everyone to heaven regardless if they believe or not.”, etc.). These beliefs are based on a wrong understanding of who God truly is and is very dangerous. The early believers were warned that even from within the church will arise false teachers (Acts 20:29-30, 2 Peter 2:1). The motive of these pseudo preachers is their greed (1 Peter 2:2-3). We have to test the spirit behind those who preach or teach; any belief who does not confess that Jesus is God is a false gospel (John 4:1-3).

FREEDOM TO PARTAKE OF HIS PROMISES (Galatians 4:21-31):

Through the gospel, God has given us freedom to inherit His amazing promises (Galatians 4:7). Jesus came to grant us access to what God has in store for us. Paul uses a story in the Old Testament to illustrate the contrast between children of freedom and those in slavery:

To force things not God’s will is to invite more pain in our life (Genesis 16:2-6, 21:9-10). Like Isaac, believers are children of promise. This is the freedom that we have been given through the gospel of Jesus Christ! We gain everything when we hold on to Christ, and we lose everything when we hold onto our flesh. It was for freedom that Christ set us free (Galatians 5:1). Praise God!

Pray for the gospel to spread widely among those in our nation who don’t know the true gospel yet.

This coming Christmas holiday, more than giving material gifts, share the gospel of Jesus Christ to family, friends, co-workers and even strangers.

Take advantage of the celebrations you will share with loved ones to talk about why Jesus came to earth 2,000 years ago and give them the opportunity to experience true freedom from sin’s bondage through the gospel of Christ.

• Worship God for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do in our lives.

• Upright and moral governance of public servants; repentance and salvation for government leaders and citizens for a Christ-centered Philippines.

• For legislators to promote and support bills and laws aligned with God’s Word.

• PRAY for the protection, safety and release of kidnapped American Christian missionary, Kevin, serving in Niger (West Africa). For God to turn the hearts of the kidnappers to repentance and salvation. Peace and comfort for Kevin’s family.

• Pray for persecuted Christians in Sudan and Nigeria) — many have been beheaded and murdered; earnestly seek God’s intervention to stop the bloodshed. Pray for freedom from oppression, that God’s word and His people bring them comfort and hope.

• PRAISE God that the rest of the living Israeli hostages have been restored to their families safely! Continue to pray that even all the dead hostages will be returned to their families for burial.

• For Israel’s war with terrorists to end according to God’s purpose and for His glory. For Jewish people worldwide who are experiencing a surge of antisemitism; may this lead them to the Messiah, Jesus as they turn to God for help and comfort.

• For protection of Iranian, Syrian and Lebanese Christians and other minorities, and freedom from oppression. Pray for the gospel to spread rapidly throughout their region.

• War in Ukraine to end, loss of lives prevented.

• Typhoon victims in different parts of the Philippines.  Seek God’s mercy upon our land. May many more Filipinos turn to Jesus!

• That CCF Members would honor and love God and make disciples.

• For elders, pastors, dleaders, and families to become holy, humble, harmonious, happy, and heart-working.

• Ministries and churches expand worldwide.

• Worship and Training Center

• Prayer Mountain

• Deeper intimate relationship with God.

• Righteous living.

• Salvation of family and friends.

Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.