Sunday English Service – 15 AUG 21

Transcript

We’ve been looking at the blessings of our salvation, the blessings that we have gotten in and through our salvation – spiritual blessings. And for the last few weeks, we’ve been seeing that God is our Father and we are His children. Last week we introduced the word. We are not only children of God, but we are sons of God.

I showed you how in the Bible that is an even higher description than children, in a way because in the family, in the ancient world, next to the father, the son had the highest status and honour and responsibility and rights and inheritance and so on. And so, the Bible describes believers as sons of God. The New Testament looks at all believers and says that we are not only God’s children, but we are sons of God. Let me just again pick up with how the New Testament calls all of us as sons of God in Galatians 3:26. This is one of the highest ways believers can be described: sons of God. Galatians 3:26, For you are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. Looking at all believers, whoever you are, I think this applies to you. Paul himself makes clear towards this later that it applies to male and female. There are no divisions in Christ. All of us, who are in Christ, are sons of God, through faith, in Christ.

So, I’ve already given you the idea that this is probably the highest way to describe a believer, as a son of God. We have entered the family of God; God is our Father; we are His children. And in God’s family, we have attained the highest possible status and honour and rights and inheritance that we could possibly attain. In those days, the highest status and the honour and the responsibility and the inheritance were given to the son in the family. And that’s why Paul looks at even women in a revolutionary way, who were usually, in those days, put aside and not given equal rights as men. But he looks at all believers—men and women—and says, “You are all sons. Because you all entered God’s family”. If you’re a believer, if you have entered God’s family and you have attained the highest possible status and honour and inheritance that is possible, God treats you like He treats his own Son.

Yeah, there’s a difference between Jesus and us, surely. But then, God doesn’t make much of that difference. He loves us as He loves his own Son. He accepts us as He accepts His own Son because He has made us sons. And so, this is one of the, you know, you must realize that salvation has elevated our status to the highest possible level. We were nobodies and nothings before God saved us. But God came and took us from the dust heaps. We were in the miry clay of sin; He lifted us up out of the there, washed us, cleansed us, forgave us, made us righteous – that itself was an elevation of status, when He clothed us with the righteousness of Christ. But then, He didn’t stop there, He elevated us even more. More than the status of righteousness, more than the position of righteousness, is the position that we are God’s children, in His family. And even more than that is this description that we are God’s sons. We are sons of God. This is as high as you can possibly get. Salvation has elevated our status and our position. Every believer, their status and position before God is so high, we would have been happy if God had just rescued us from sin that just allowed us to go to heaven. That’s it. But God says, “No, no, no, that’s not the salvation I planned”. The salvation God planned is where we are elevated to the status of sons. So, this amazing status has been given to each and every believer.

Now, the New Testament, after it teaches believers are all sons of God, then goes on to tell us to live like a son. By status and position, we are already sons. That’s why I read that verse, Galatians 3:26, You are all sons of God. Romans 8:15 says, “You have received the Spirit of adoption”, right. Romans 8:15, you received already; you received the Spirit of adoption. So, you’re already sons, you’ve already received the Spirit of adoption. Our status and position, if you’re a believer today, even if you became a believer only one day ago, you are still a son. In terms of your legal status and position before God, you are a son.

Now, the thing is, sometimes we don’t live like sons; we don’t live like sons and daughters of God. We are sons, but the problem is we don’t always live according to our status as sons and daughters of God. And the New Testament calls believers, encourages believers, to live in line with their elevated status. If you look in Romans 8, where this is taught, how we are sons and Galatians chapter 4, where this is again taught, you will see in both places, Paul is trying to get the believers. He’s writing to believers and he’s teaching them the truth that they are already sons, but he’s also trying to get them to live as sons. He’s saying, “You’re already sons, now live on that level. Because the problem is, many times believers are not living according to who they are. The Bible is always telling us, “Look, you are like this, and so live like this! You are righteous, so live righteous; you are holy already, so live holy; you are already redeemed, set free from the power of sin, so live it out in your practical life. Let’s see you live it out!”

Similarly, you are already a son with everything that that involves, but then you’ve got to live like a son. And today’s message is basically that: live like a son. But let me be more specific. Today’s message, we are going to say, “Don’t live like a slave; live like a son, because you are a son”. That’s what today’s message is about. Let us not live like slaves; let us live like sons, because we are already sons. Right. Let me show you that this is what Paul is actually saying in Romans 8, and Galatians 4. These are two very important passages in the Bible, when it comes to the sonship, right. If you see how Paul approaches the whole topic of sonship, right, he brings it at a climactic point in his teaching. So, he talks about all kinds of blessings of salvation and then he, at a climactic point, brings the idea of sonship. And the most basic thing about sonship, he says, or one of the most —what can I say, the starting points or the starting point of application— the way Paul begins to apply this glorious truth; let me put it like that. We are sons of God. How does Paul apply that? How does Paul take that and apply it to our lives? He says, “Listen, you are sons so live like a son; don’t live like a slave”. He says it in Romans 8 and Galatians 4. Let me show you, and then we’ll start to preach on it more.

Romans 8, verse, 15, For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” Now, look at that: “You did not receive the spirit of bondage or slavery”, right. So, he says, he contrasts the spirit of slavery with the spirit of sonship. He’s saying, “You have not received a spirit that a slave has, you’ve received a spirit that a son has”. What is trying to say is, which means, don’t live like a slave; live like a son. In Galatians again, that’s the same, similar point. Look at Galatians, chapter 4, from verse 4 onwards. If you read, you will see that Paul says, look at for example, let me read from verse 6. From verse 4 onwards, the subject of sons comes even before that it comes in 3:26 itself, but then again, in Galatians 4, he picks it up, and now, let’s pick it up at verses 6 and 7. Again, watch for this concept that because you’re a son, he says, “Don’t live like a slave”. Galatians 4:6, And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ, right. So, as soon as he gets to teaching this truth, that listen, you are sons, who can cry on “Abba, Father”, immediately associated with that, he again says, “You are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir.

Now, this truth of sonship reaches great heights in the Bible. As I showed you last week, remember, we saw the kind of broad overview. How God planned for us to be sons from the very beginning. And He then brings it around to fulfilment and it reaches a great height and so on. You know, one day, when Jesus comes, we will be more fully revealed as the sons of God, when our bodies itself are redeemed and so on and we attain that glory which Jesus has, that glorified body with Jesus as we will get that similar kind of body. And so, what I’m trying to say is this sonship goes to great heights in the Bible, right. And even here, you will see that he says, “If you’re a son, then you’re an heir of God”. You know, you inherit as sons and so on. So, it reaches great heights, but the thing is, the starting point is, you can’t reach the heights unless you cross the starting point. The starting point of the starting application of the truth that you are sons, is very simple. First of all, live like a son, and not like a slave. And that’s where I want to begin today: live like a son, and not like a slave. Because you are a son.

Now, let’s look at this, the way the New Testament teaches it. Today, the two important passages for us are Galatians, 3 and 4, and Romans 8, right because that’s where it talks about this. How does Paul develop this idea of, ‘live like a son, not like a slave’? Go back to Romans 8. He brings up the idea of fear; he associates fear with slavery. Look at that. You did not receive the spirit of bondage to fear. See that? Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, or sonship. He’s saying, “The spirit of slavery, right, makes you to fear”. He’s looking at believers and says, “Don’t allow yourself to live like a slave. When you do, you’ll end up in fear”. So, here’s where we’ll start today. How do you know whether you’re living like a slave or like a son? A very important question today. You have to look at yourself; I have to look at myself and we have to answer. Are we living like sons or slaves? And how do you know? How do you figure that out? Are you living in fear? Are you living in fear because when you live like a slave, what happens is, fear dominates you, because fear dominates a slave? A slave is always afraid – afraid that the master will do something; afraid that if he doesn’t do proper, you know, if he doesn’t meet every requirement, he may lose something or whatever. Fear characterizes the life of a slave. And so, if fear characterizes your life today, if fear is driving you today, if fear is dominating you today, I say to you, that itself shows that we are not living like sons, but rather, we are living like slaves. Is fear driving you, dominating you?

See, there is a good kind of fear in the Bible; that is the fear of God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and so on, right. So, there is a good kind of fear. There is a good kind of but what I’m talking about is this fear, which paralyzes people; this fear which oppresses people; this fear which doesn’t allow people to sleep, doesn’t allow people to function, doesn’t allow people to trust God. You know, if you’re living like that, then you are living like a slave, even if you are a believer. You may be a believer, and you’re a son. But the problem is, you’re not living like it. You’re living like a slave. Now, what do you do? You fight that. See, when fear comes, you don’t just allow it.

So, one person was talking to me, and they were talking about how recently they’ve been gripped by fear, fear that something bad will happen. And when it comes, it just paralyzes them, right. And so, I asked them, “When it comes, what do you do?” They said, “When it comes, I can’t do anything. I just sit there”. I said, “That’s the thing; you’ve got to fight it”. Yeah, it will try to paralyze you, but you’ve got to fight it. It’s a fight; you’ve got to resist it. I say to you, “You can fight fear, as a believer, on different levels, in various ways but here’s a way to fight it: you remind yourself about who you are! You tell yourself, when that fear tries to come over you, you tell yourself, “I’m a child of the living God. God is my Father, I am His child, I am His son. Why should I be afraid?” You speak to yourself like that. You remind yourself about this amazing blessing you have; this relationship with God the Father.

See, if we are afraid and sitting in fear, that it still shows, we are not thinking highly of our relationship with God. We are thinking very highly of our problems but not highly of our Father, not highly of the fact that we are His children, not highly of the fact that He has given us rights and privileges in the family of God. If we are dominated by fear, that means, automatically, we are elevating our problems higher than our relationship with God, and, than His greatness. So, if there is fear, that itself is proof that the person. If the person is dominated by fear, that itself shows, they’re not living like a son, they’re living like a slave. And what they need to do is fight that fear, with the truth of their relationship with God. Look at that fear in the face and tell that fear, “Listen, God is my Father. He loves me and cares for me. He has made me His child; I’m in His family. I’m His son and that means I have rights and privileges. I can go to God; I can call out to Him: “Abba, Father”, and I can ask Him whatever I want, He will answer me. He will come to my aid and rescue; He will help me. He won’t leave me; He’ll always be with me, no matter what happens. He’s always with me; He’ll always be for me. Why should I be afraid?” Remind yourself of Who He is and who you are to Him. So, I can keep talking about how this applies to all kinds of fear and so on. But I want to move on. So, if there is fear, it’s a sign that the person is not living like a son, but rather like a slave, and they need to fight it. One of the ways to fight it, is to fight it with the truth of your relationship with God.

Now, when Paul brings this idea of the spirit of bondage to fear, he’s not just talking about fear, in a general way, bondage, in a general way. He actually has two types of bondage in mind, specifically in both these places – Romans 8, as well as Galatians 4. I want to show you that when Paul writes, “You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear”, he has two specific types of bondage in mind. If you pay attention to the context, you will see those two specific types of bondage. Those two specific types of bondage are this: bondage to the law, and bondage to the flesh; bondage to the law, and bondage to the flesh. I’m going to show you; I want to show you that this is what Paul is trying to emphasize here. Yeah, we can take it in a general way, and fear in general. A paralyzing fear itself, is a bad thing, and it’s contrary to our relationship with God as Father and so on. And all that is true, but the thing is, what is being emphasized by Paul, is that we have been freed from bondage to the law, and the flesh. Let me show it to you from both Romans and Galatians. I want to show it to you on the page; you will see it. I’ll show you that Paul is talking about this, and then only talks about bondage to fear.

The context must guide our understanding always when you’re reading the Bible, or reading anything, really. But people forget about this when they’re reading the Bible, sometimes. They pull verse out of context, like famous verses especially, and just understand them like in a general way and go away. However, they won’t understand. You always have to look at the context. In what context is Paul saying? I want to show you that in this context, he says it. Paul, in the major context of Romans, as well as Galatians is this: that we were in bondage to the law and the flesh and now we are freed from this bondage to the law, and the flesh, and therefore, Paul says, “Don’t live in bondage to these things, but live like a son”. Let me show it to you that this is what is there in Romans and Galatians.

Look at Romans 7. If you look at Romans 7; I don’t know whether you’ve read Romans 7 but if you’ve read Romans 7, you know, the whole chapter is about bondage to the law, how we were in bondage to the law. The law means, God’s law. The law that God gave in the Old Testament; it’s the commandments. The first five books which contain the commandments, like the 10 Commandments. Those are good things – God-given commandments, rules, right. But the New Testament says that we were in bondage, not only to sin, not only to the devil, but to the law. And we have been released from that bondage. As a sample, let me just read Romans 7, verse 6, But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Look at the words carefully: “we have been delivered from the law”. Strange. If it said, you have been delivered from sin, be good. If it said, we have been delivered from Satan, be good. But he says, “We’ve been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by…” The law, in a way, held us down, or held us as a slave in bondage to it.

How did the good law of God…? There’s nothing wrong with law of God. “It’s a good law; it’s a holy and righteous and a good law”, Romans 7 says, if you keep reading. How did that hold us down and keep us in bondage? Well, it’s not really the law’s fault, it is our fault. If you read Romans 7, Paul explains it. The law is good only, the rules that God gave are good, but the problem is, the sin-nature inside of me, the flesh —that’s what flesh is— sinful nature inside of me. Every time I heard the law and the good rule of God, I wanted to disobey it. Isn’t it like that? When we hear rule sometimes, that’s when we want to disobey, like the little child. You know, you tell them, “Don’t touch this”, that’s when they want to touch it. Or, if you take the lockdown, you know, they say, “Don’t go here. Don’t go anywhere. Don’t leave the house”, that’s when the young guys want to take their bikes and go riding around town.

It’s like, the good rule is there, but somehow, it provokes the person to disobey. There’s nothing wrong with the rule; it’s something wrong with the person. It’s like that. The laws of God are good, and was given to man, but man’s sinful nature made him to respond in disobedience and rebellion. And what happened as a result? Because we respond in this negative way to the law, then the law pronounced a curse upon us. I don’t have time to read it but, but basically, once you disobey God’s law, then the law pronounces a curse on you. The law says, “If you do everything God’s law says, then you will be received and accepted by God. But if you’re disobey it, you will be rejected and cursed”. Galatians 3, verse 10 to 13, Paul explains it. “Cursed are those who do not abide by everything the law says”. And so, if you want to go by the law, if you remove Christ from the picture and you try to approach God, just through rules, what will end up happening is, you will end up breaking the law because all of us are law breakers. I’m talking about God’s law. And because we are law breakers, the law then judges us and says, “You deserve to be punished”. And what is the punishment for the law breakers? I’m talking about God’s law, right, if we break God’s law. The punishment is the soul that sins shall die. The wages of sin is death. And so, because we hear the law, respond in disobedience, rebellion, we break the law, then the law gives a punishment. The punishment is death. This is how the law was holding us down. We were under the curse of the law. If it were up to the law alone, we would have been finished.

But Jesus came, entered the scene. What did He do? He redeems us from the curse of the law. Galatians 3:13 says, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. Not just generally curse, curse of the law. Why curse of the law? Because the law has cursed us. Now, Christ comes, redeems us from the curse of the law. How? By becoming a curse, Himself. How did He become a curse? Well, He paid the debt that we owed to the law. We were supposed to have died on that cross, right. We were supposed to have lost our lives, but Jesus came in our place and gave His life for us, paid this debt that we owed. And not only that, we were the ones who are supposed to have fulfilled the law, but we didn’t, we couldn’t. And so, Jesus fulfilled the law, Himself. He obeyed the law perfectly. Every day of His life, He kept it, fulfilled every aspect of it. And then, on the cross, He paid the debt we owed. Positively, He fulfilled the Law; negatively, He paid the debt we owed, by giving His life for us. And because of that, we are now redeemed from the curse of the law.

Colossians 3; I don’t have time to read it, but you can read it. Colossians 2:14 says that He has delivered us from the legal demands by nailing them to the Cross. The Law said, “This person must die; this person must pay for the punishment for their sins!” But Jesus died on the Cross, and with it, the Law’s demands were over. Now, the Law no longer pronounces a curse upon those who are in Christ because Christ has absorbed the curse of the law for them. Now, because of Christ, because of His perfect life, and His perfect death, now we are redeemed from the curse of the Law, the Law no longer has a hold on us; it’s no longer judging us, pronouncing us guilty and cursing us. We have been redeemed from the law; we have been redeemed from bondage to the law. That’s what Paul says, “We have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by”.

This is just a sample. If you continue reading Romans 7, you will see how Paul talks about the struggle with the law that we had. But then how, in salvation through Christ, we have been redeemed from the law, and then, he comes to chapter 8, right. Once, he says we’re redeemed from the law; in chapter 8, then the question becomes, if we are redeemed from the law, then we can maybe do anything we want, right, as some people may interpret that. Some people take, ‘we are redeemed from the law’, how? We can throw out the law, we don’t have to respect the law, we don’t have to have any place for the law in our life and that’s it. No more law – they take it like that. And so that, if taken wrongly, right, obviously leads to a different kind of life. That is exactly why Paul in Romans 8, brings up the idea of the flesh.

He says, in Romans 8, if you look from verse 4, 5 down, all the way, up to where he talks about adoption. He’s trying to say, we’re not only redeemed from the law. No, we’re redeemed from the flesh power. We are redeemed from this fleshly power. See, adoption comes up in 14,15, right, Romans 8. The verses before that are all about how we have been delivered from this fleshly power, and we can overcome this flesh-nature and how we should not give room to the flesh and so on. Let me read a sample there, from verse 9. Romans 8:9, But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit – look what he says. Previously you were in the flesh, when you were unbelievers but now you are not in that flesh, you are in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. And then look, come down to verse 12. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. Verse 13, For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. He’s saying, if you live according to the flesh, because some people may say, “Yeah, I mean, if we are dead to the law and if we are redeemed from the law, let me just go and do whatever I want”. You know, “live according to the flesh” means, please my own desires, right. Paul says, if you live like that, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. If by the power of the Holy Spirit, you go to war against the deeds of the body, if you fight the desires of your flesh— that’s what he’s saying— you will live.

And then, the next verse, he brings in the idea of sons of God: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. What does he mean? People take this verse again out of context, right. If you are led by the Spirit, you are sons of God. Yeah, it’s true, in a general way, but Paul is trying to emphasize a particular way. “As many as are led by the Spirit of God” means, he just talked about how the Spirit tells us to put to death the deeds of the body, this fleshly nature. And so, what it means is, as many as are led by the Spirit of God, to put to death these fleshly deeds. Do you see how, when you read in context, you understand what he’s trying to say? If you’re led by the Spirit, to put to death fleshly deeds, then that’s proof that you are sons of God. You are sons of God but how do you know? One of the proofs is, are you being led by the Spirit, to put to death, this fleshly nature, and these fleshly deeds? Are you fighting the desires of the flesh by the power of the Spirit? Is the Holy Spirit making you do that? That shows that you are sons of God. That’s why this is happening.

And then comes verse 15, For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption… Why does he say that? After saying all this only he says that. Why? He’s saying, “Don’t give room to flesh; don’t live like a slave to flesh. Put flesh to death by the power of the Spirit. If you are doing it, that shows you are a son”. “You didn’t receive a spirit of bondage to fear” means, he’s connecting that with flesh. You were not saved, in order to live in bondage to the flesh, so don’t give room to that. You bring that under your control; don’t let it control you. Don’t let the flesh control you; you control it. The Holy Spirit will help you control it. You are a son of God, with that kind of authority, don’t give into that bondage. Being a son, don’t live like you’re a slave, a slave to the flesh—that’s what he means.

Law and flesh are in Paul’s mind when he talks about adoption, right. Let’s go to Galatians, again, I’ll show you that law and flesh are in Paul’s mind in Galatians also. In Galatians, he brings up the idea that we are sons, in verse, let’s see. Right, we read Galatians, 4:6 and 7, right? In 7, he says, “You are not a slave but a son”. And then look from verse 8 onwards: But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? Do you see that? You observe days and months and seasons, and years. What is he talking about? He’s saying, you’ve just been freed, right, redeemed from the curse of the law in Galatians 3. He says, “We’re redeemed from the curse of the law”, in verse 13, right. And then, in Galatians 4, verse 5, he says, “We were redeemed from being under the law” – Galatians, 4:5. I’m just trying to show you, that he’s having this in mind— this redeemed from this law of bondage— and then again, in 7, he says, “You are no longer a slave, but a son”. And then immediately, what’s he talking about? He’s saying, “Now, you’re a son, not a slave, then why are you, again, turning to the weak and beggarly elements? Are you trying to go back into bondage to that?”, he says. Bondage to what? You observe days and months and seasons and years. What is that? Well, the Jews observed all kinds of festivals, you know. They had a festival of this, in this month. Another festival of that, in that month. And some of the festivals were prescribed by God in His Old Testament law, and some they added, and so they had a very rich tradition and some of them became unbelievers. And what happened is they held on to those traditions and there’s nothing wrong with doing some things as tradition. But the thing is, they elevated it to the place of: if you don’t do this, God won’t accept you. If I don’t observe this particular festival in this month, God won’t accept me because He put it in His law. If I don’t observe these days and months and these festivals, then God will reject me. This is the kind of place they elevated the law to, right. Paul is saying, “You were just redeemed from the law, now, you’re going back into bondage and you’re sticking your head again for the law to bind you”.

If you continue reading in chapter 5, he talks about law again. And then in chapter 5, he talks about flesh. Let me just look at chapter 5, and verse 13. I showed you law, let me show your flesh. Flesh is also in Paul’s mind. For you, brethren, have been called to liberty – what does that mean? Freedom. Brethren, you are not slaves anymore, you are free. You’ve been called to freedom. Only do not use liberty—or freedom—as an opportunity for the flesh. He’s saying, “Don’t use your freedom for the flesh”. For all the law is fulfilled, and so on… We will come back to this but what I’m trying to say is, when Paul is writing about adoption as sons, when Paul is writing and saying, “Listen, believers, you have this most high status before God. You are sons of God”. Immediately, he says, “Don’t go back into slavery. Don’t act like a slave now. Don’t live like a slave, you are a son. Don’t give room to that bondage”. What bondage? The bondage to the law and the bondage to the flesh. Now, why does he bring in these two things: the law and the flesh? Why these two particularly, in both Romans and Galatians? I’ll tell you why. Because everybody in the world can be divided into these two camps. Either they’re in bondage to the law or the flesh. Think about it.

Who are the ones in bondage to the law? These are the super-religious people. These are the people who, you know, are so religious, and so holy (shall we say?) that for them, their whole life is consumed by trying to please God, through doing certain rules. Their whole approach to religion and spirituality and God is this: if I can keep these rules that God has given, then I can please Him; if I don’t keep them, I’m finished. It all depends on these rules and how I can keep them. These are like the Pharisees. For them, the rules are everything; the rules are like God. Their whole approach to God is governed by the rules. When they think they have kept the rules, they have such confidence. When they think they’ve disobeyed one rule, they lose all their confidence, go into extreme guilt. They think they’re finished because God will wipe them out now. It all depends on the rules. These are the super-religious people. They’re always trying to please God by doing all the rules. That’s their approach to God.

Now, on the opposite side, you have a totally different group. This is the group in bondage to the flesh. Now, these guys are actually laughing at these guys. They say, “What kind of horrible life are you living, always trying to keep some rules and always trying to, you know, elevate the rules and “Did I do the rules”, and all this. Forget about these rules. These people are not interested in following any rule. In fact, they like breaking the rules because for them, rules are not important. What’s important is satisfying the desires of their flesh, pleasing their own selfish desires. That’s the number one goal of their life. They don’t care about keeping a rule. All they care about is satisfying their own desires. And they’re thinking, you know, who cares that God gave us the rule and all this? You know, God is too busy. God is the one who gave us these desires, so what? I’m just going to live life satisfying the desires of my flesh. See, it

See, it’s the exact opposite. This person is so opposite, he’s like the Pharisee. This person is like the extreme looser. I’m talking about extremes, right. If you take the two extremes, they’re so opposite: super-religious and super-fleshly loose, worldly immoral, that kind of person you take. Each person is criticizing the other and laughing at the other and the Pharisee is laughing at them saying, “At least I’m not like them”, you know. “Thank God, I’m following these rules”, and this fellow is laughing at them saying, “You know, what a miserable life those fellows are living”. But the truth is, both of them are in bondage. One group is in bondage to the law; for them, it all depends on the law. And the other group is in bondage to their own flesh. Each group may think one is better than the other, but the truth is, both are slaves. It’s just that they’re slaves to different things. They are slaves to the law; they are slaves to their flesh. But they’re both slaves. They’re both living a miserable life. See, this is how you can divide the entire world, along this spectrum. On one extreme, you have those in bondage to the law and under the other extreme, you have those in bondage to the flesh, right. And you draw a line from here to there, everybody falls somewhere on this line. Maybe they’re not on an extreme, but they’re somewhere on this spectrum.

Now, why Paul is talking about this in Romans and Galatians. He is talking to remember believers. Why? Because even believers tend to fall towards one side or the other. Think about believers now. Forget about, generally, but think about believers, specifically. Paul is talking to believers in Romans and Galatians. Why is he saying to believers, “Now, don’t like a slave, live like a son? Don’t live like a slave to the law or the slave to the flesh”. Why is he saying that? Because believers also tend to fall either on this side or on this side. Some unbelievers, even though they’re saved and redeemed from the law, they are still going back to the law. Meaning, they’re still controlled by the law. Meaning, for them, it’s still about the rules. Did I keep the rules? Did I do this? If I did this, then God will accept me; if I did something wrong, God would finish me. For them, it’s all about the rules. There are other believers laughing at them, saying, “You fellows are so legalistic. You know, we don’t care about any rule, and we’ll just live our lives pleasing ourselves do whatever you want! Who cares?” There are some people on the other extreme. You either fall like this or like this. And Paul has both this in mind, when he talks about this bondage, because both of these types of bondage lead to fear for the believer. For the believer, if you fall towards the law like this, go and stick your head and come on to bondage to the law again, that will also lead to fear. If you fall on this side, give room for the flesh that will also lead to fear. Think about it.

A believer is a person washed and cleansed and forgiven and accepted as righteous by God. But if that believer thinks, “Oh, you know, if I follow these rules only, God accepts me, otherwise He’ll finished me off”. If a believe thinks like that, soon enough, he’s going to break some rules, right. Soon enough, he’s going to commit some error. You think believers don’t commit any errors? Just take the 10 Commandments. Soon enough, they’re going to find themselves, breaking one of the commandments, and they will be filled with fear. “Will God finish me off? You know, I disobeyed Him”. Forget about disobeying. Even in their obedience, some believers display fear. Believers sometimes obey out of fear. Why? They’re thinking, if I don’t obey God, He’ll finish me off. That itself shows they’re obeying like a slave and not like a son. That’s how a slave obeys. A slave obeys the master, thinking, “If I don’t obey, I’ll lose my, whatever, my pay, my salary. I’ll be punished. If I don’t do this, the master will take it out on me”. That’s how a slave obeys and that’s how many believers are obeying. Why? Because for them, it’s about the rules. Did you keep the rules? Did you satisfy the requirements? Did you do what is necessary? They’re approaching the relationship with God like that. And Paul is saying, “Don’t! You’re a son, you’re not a slave”.

There are other believers, who look at this and they know that’s wrong and so, they sometimes go to the other side, which is what? I’ll just do whatever I want. It’s okay, I’ll give room to the flesh. And what are they doing? Even that path leads to fear, because soon enough, if they go in the path of the flesh, soon enough, guilt will overwhelm them. You see, the difference between an unbeliever and believer, living in the flesh: an unbeliever who is living in the flesh, he may be enjoying life in the flesh, satisfying his own selfish desires and just, you know, pleasing his flesh and he just enjoying life like that. But the believer can’t enjoy for long. Soon enough, he finds himself miserable; he finds himself afraid because he knows he has gone against God. Going this way or this way, living like a slave to the law or living like a slave to the flesh leads to fear. And Paul, in both Romans and Galatians, has this in mind. And he says, “Don’t live like that, believers. Don’t live like you’re a slave to the law, or like you’re a slave to the flesh. Instead, realize who you are. You’re not a slave, you’re a son. You’ve been freed from slavery to the law, and the flesh. Don’t live like a slave to the law. Don’t live like a slave to the flesh. You’ve been freed from that”.

Let me give you an example, to kind of describe that freedom, right. You know, let’s say there’s a man who violates the laws of the land terribly and they catch him and throw him in jail, right. I’m talking about serious violations. They catch him and find him guilty, and he’s sentenced to life in jail. It’s an example, right, it’s a story that will serve to illustrate the truth. Now, he’s in jail, serving a life sentence and that’s it, he’s finished. He has no hope, it looks like. But then, suddenly, out of the blue, one day, after some years, the prison receives a written notice saying this man is to be freed. You may ask, how? Well, turns out the President has pardoned this guy. He has written a letter of pardon and signed by the President, with the seal and everything. And the letter is there, and this man is called from his cell, and he’s shown the letter. “Look, the President has pardoned you; you are free to go”. And they give him the paper and they send him out of the jail. He is free now. There’s a huge difference between when he was in jail, and when he comes out of jail, right. When he was in jail, every little thing, he needed the police’s permission. He was always under the police, in jail. Under their domination, in jail, not because of their fault because of his fault, you know. He’s the one who did wrong and went in there. And then, even there inside, also he did wrong, continued to violate the rules. And again, be more under their domination.

So, inside, he developed a fear towards the police, as sometimes inmates do. And now, he’s released and comes outside. Once he’s outside, he’s not under their domination anymore. If he sees a policeman on the street, he does not have to fear and tremble. Previously, in the prison, maybe when they saw a policeman, they had to maybe stop and you know, show themselves, submissive and so on. But people in the street, they’re not submitting and bowing before the police. They’re just going about their own business and police are also going out their own work. And so, this man, once he comes out of jail, he does not have to fear the police anymore, like he did, while he was inside. That’s how salvation is. The beginning of salvation is like that. We were under the law, under the domination of the law. The police stand for the law, in the example. We were not only in bondage to sin and Satan, but also in bondage to the law. And salvation redeemed us from the law. The President is like God and God pardoned us, redeemed us from the law. And so now, we are out of the domination of the law. Now, once we’re outside, we don’t have to be scared of the law anymore. But the thing is, like some inmates may experience, even believers, after they come outside also, they’re a little scared of the law.

Sometimes they say, you know, inmates who are released after too many years in prison, after they come out also, they’re not able to get rid of that fear and things like that. They’re not able to live a totally new kind of life because still, those thoughts, memories, those habits are there. And so, they still, sometimes when they see the authorities or police, they get scared. It’s like that, sometimes believers also, even though they’re freed from the law, they’re still scared by the law. They’re still thinking, if I don’t do this, I’m finished. But Paul is saying, “You’re freed from the law”. But he’s not only saying you’re freed, because here, the point is more than freedom; sonship is far more than freedom. Freedom itself gives you reason not to be afraid. But Paul says, “You don’t have to be afraid because you’re not only free, but you’re a son”. There’s a huge difference between being a free and being a son in the Roman adoption process. I told you last week, I think, that if you’re a slave, they can adapt you directly. They have to first free you and then make you a citizen, and then only adopt you. So, being free is one thing, but being adopted as a son is an entirely different thing. It’s a totally different, higher level and so Paul is saying, “You have reason to not be afraid of the law, already, because you’re free, but not only that, you’re a son”. How is that greater? Let me go back to that same example, I’ll develop it, a little more.

Imagine that guy, right, remember that prisoner who got released? And he came out, let’s imagine. And imagine he had the same experience as some believers have. Even though they’re freed from the domination of the law. they’re still scared. And so, this guy, he came out of jail, but he’s still scared of police, whenever he sees them on the street. Let’s imagine. And then suddenly, after some time, you know, after living in fear for a while. After some time, his friend, takes those release papers, which was signed by the President, remember? And he takes it and reads it. And this fellow never read it properly, he just took the papers and came out. But his friend takes it and reads it, and he says, “Oh, he’s not only been pardoned; he has actually been adopted as a son by the President”. Now, just think about this. This fellow walking around in the street, thinking he’s only pardoned by the President, but actually, the letter says, he’s not only pardoned, but he has also been adopted into the family of the President, as a son. Now, the friend tells him, “Listen man, do you know what this is? Do you know that you’re not only pardoned; you have now been adopted as the President’s son?” I’m sure the guy couldn’t believe it. If that was the case, he would have taken the letter and he would have seen it again and again. How is this possible, you know? And then, the more he sees it and the more he reads it, he’s convinced, the sign of the President is there, the seal of the President is there. And once he’s convinced, then if he goes back out onto the street and sees a policeman, he has more reason not to be afraid. Not only is he out of the jail now, but he is also actually the son of the President. There is more, much more reason, not to be afraid.

Let us imagine furthermore that the letter didn’t just say, “You are now legally adopted as a son”. Let us imagine that the letter actually says, “Come to my house”. The letter is actually an invitation from the President. Not only is he pardoned, not only has he been legally adopted, but the President is also saying, “Come to my house; I’m waiting for you. You come and see me; I have a life plan for you”. This fellow is shocked, and he goes. He doesn’t believe it, but he takes the letter, and he goes to the President’s house, and they receive him. They see the letter, they receive, and the President comes and receives him, and embraces him, and treats him like his own son. This fellow couldn’t believe it. So far, he only saw it on paper that he’s a son, but now, he begins to receive special treatment from the President himself. The President showers love upon him. The President has another son of his own and he sees that he treats him the same way he treats him, that other son, right. And he’s shocked by it. It’s one thing to see that you’re legally adopted on paper but it’s another thing to receive the love of the President himself.

He stays in that house, and he begins to spend more time with that great man, the President. And the more he spends time, he’s amazed. He begins to see how kind he is, how good he is. So far, he thought of authorities, all authorities, in a negative light. You know, these criminals always think of all the authorities in a bad way. They think all the authorities are bad. But now, he’s no longer a criminal, he’s out and he’s living with the President. The more he sees him, the more he’s amazed by his goodness and kindness and his character. He’s the best person that can be. And the more he’s with the President, the more experiences the love of the President. Every day, the President loves him like his own son, treats him like his own son, so much so, that this goes on and on. And this fellow starts to feel accepted. Now that’s a different level, isn’t it?

Now, it’s not just on the paper, he’s a son of the President. Now, it’s not just he’s in the house. Now, he feels a sense of acceptance. I am accepted by him. He feels a sense of belonging. And this thing keeps going and he gets closer and closer with this President so that one day, starts calling him “father”. He hesitated so long because he never felt like, how can this man be his father? But somehow, these feelings of affection got stirred up within him. The more time he spent and the more love, he received from the President, his affections were stirred up, his confidence grew, his security in that relationship grew, to the point where he then begins to address him as “father” and “daddy”, or whatever intimate word.

I’m trying to explain what happens, my friend, in salvation. Listen carefully. If a believer experience spiritual growth to this level. See, this is what spiritual growth is. Spiritual growth is not just, you know, you get better and better. No. It is you grow in your relationship with your Father. If a believer experiences spiritual growth to this level. Let me ask you; let’s imagine right. This fellow is staying with the President, growing in his relationships, spending more time, seeing this President’s character, more and more. And the more he sees, he’s drawn by it. He’s experiencing the President’s love; he begins to love him back. And slowly, this fellow’s character begins to change. He begins to want what the Present wants. He begins to copy him; he begins to copy his older son. And slowly, he begins to become more and more like them. Yeah, some of his old ways are still there, and some of his old friends are trying to still pull him, you know, into that old life. But the more time he spends with them, the more he can say no to that and the more he can avoid that, fight that, reject that old life, the old criminal life. The more he becomes like this President.

Now, let me ask you, if there is a growth in this relationship to this level, is this fellow, now, let us imagine he is grown to this point, where now he not only experiences the love of the President, now he loves the President like a father. He calls him, “appa” or “daddy” or “dad” or whatever. And he feels so much a part of his family, he feels like a son. He’s not only a son on paper but he actually has the feeling that he’s a son. Imagine he grows to that level. Now let me ask you, will that person be afraid of the police anymore? Will he be afraid of the police? Or will he get into trouble with the police? Let me ask you like that also. I don’t think he will. I don’t think he’s going to be afraid of the police anymore because now, he’s so secure in his relationship. He realizes whose son he is; he does not have to be afraid of anybody. Not only that, but he’s also not going to get into trouble with the police, because remember, his character has been changing. He has become more and more like this father, this amazing father, and that older son. And so, he’s not going to get into trouble with the police. In fact, the police are going to appreciate him. In fact, he starts to see the value of the police, finally. Now only, he sees the police in a positive light and can appreciate them and the police appreciate him. He’s not afraid of them anymore. He doesn’t have to be. Not only because he’s the President’s son because he just doesn’t get into trouble with them anymore. Previously, he lived a life of getting into trouble with them. Now, he has realized who he is, and he lives on a higher plane, a higher life as the son of a President.

You see, my friend, this is what happens in salvation. This is something like what happens in salvation, but it is even better in salvation because in salvation, God doesn’t just free us from the clutches of the law and the flesh. He then puts us in His family. If He had just feed us and left us, we would have gone back and got into that bondage. We would have been like that prisoner without a home, released, free from jail but without a home. But He took us into His home and made us a part of His family and He said, “Be with Me, spend time with Me, commune with Me”, and He gives us an invitation to grow in our relationship with Him. This invitation is for every believer, my friend. You are invited by God, Most High, your Father to come and commune with Him, spend time with Him, get to know Him, fellowship with Him. And if you do that, you will begin to see His goodness and greatness. If you do that, you will begin to see His glory and His glory will change you. If you do that, you will begin to be transformed more and more into His likeness, because you are not just an adopted son. You are also a son by nature. God has put His very nature, His very life, His very seed abides in us, the Bible says. Something that’s not true in the story I told.

In the Bible, we are not just sons by adoption, but we are sons by regeneration, by being born again. And so, you take all this together, it shows you what can happen in the life of a believer, if they cooperate with God, and if they allow the Holy Spirit to lead them into this kind of growth. What kind of growth? Growth in their fellowship with God. They can grow to the point where they become so close to God, they are so intimate with God, that they are calling out to him, “Abba, Father!” They can grow to the point where they experience God’s love so much that they are drawn to it, and they love God and back. And when you grow to that point and you’re so secure in your relationship with God, you’re not going to fall back into the slavery of the flesh, or the law.

If we are falling, either this way or that way. I don’t mean by falling, we’re backsliding or falling away like, no, no. Even any bit of giving room to this bondage to the law or bondage to the flesh, it shows that we have not grown in our relationship and fellowship with God the Father. On paper, we are sons, but we are not growing in it. We are not. We have not experienced the Father’s love, as we ought to. And we have not had these feelings of affection being stirred up within us. All this is for the believer. Why does the Holy Spirit come and dwell inside of us? He comes in to empower us against the law, and against the tyranny of the law and of the flesh. He comes to show us a new way of living. But not only that, he comes to make us feel like son. The Holy Spirit is called “The Spirit of adoption”. If you look in Romans 8:15, it says, “You have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father”. Not only on paper are we sons, God has sent His Spirit, the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, so that we feel like sons. The more you spend time with God, the Holy Spirit will stir up your affections for God. Not only will He pour out the love of God into your heart, not only will He make you to feel God’s love for you, He will then stir up your love for God and you will call Him, “Abba, Father”. And you will grow in this communion with God, closeness with God, intimacy with God, and you will become secure in this relationship with God, so that there is no room for fear, either by falling on this side, bondage to the law, or falling on the side, bondage to the flesh.

Paul is saying, “Don’t live like a slave anymore, because you’re not a slave, you’re a son. And if you are a son; you live like the son”. See, the thing about the Christian is, he doesn’t have to live in bondage to law or flesh. He can live on a higher plane, being conscious of his sonship, that I’m a son of God. And out of that, when you live, you’re not going to go stick your head to the law or the flesh. Go back to Galatians, chapter 4, Galatians 5, sorry. Galatians 5 – let me show you that Paul actually talks about these two things. What I basically said in the story, well, not the story but basically, Paul covers this aspect of, “Don’t live like a slave to the law or the flesh”, in Galatians 5. Let me just show you quickly. Galatians 3 and 4 is about being sons; that’s the high point of Galatians 3 and 4. You’re sons, you’re son, not slaves. You’re sons.

And then in 5, he applies this, “you are sons and you’re free”, and how should you live? Galatians chapter 5, verse 1: Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. See what he says? He brings in this idea gain. Christ has made you free; stand firm in that freedom. Don’t go back into and get yourself into bondage. What kind of bondage? Look at verse 2: Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. You see, in the Old Testament, circumcision was a big deal. Without circumcision, you can’t be a part of the people of God. That was the ultimate sign. That is the ultimate act. So, naturally. Jews continued to give it importance, but now, they became Christians. Now, if they did it as a tradition, it’s a different story but the thing is, they were mandating it and saying to the Gentiles, “If you don’t get circumcised, God will not accept you”. And they’re preaching like that in Galatians, in the city of Galicia. And it’s got to the point where some people have started believing them. That even though I’ve received Christ, I still need to be circumcised, in order for God to accept me. Why? Because circumcision is in the law. Paul says, that is going back into bondage.

Verse three: I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised, that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. Paul is saying, “Okay fine, you want to get circumcised so that God will accept you. Remember, it’s fine, you go ahead and do it but remember now you’re a debtor to keep the whole law. If you’re going to keep the law as your basis of going before God, if you’re going to think that God will accept you on the basis of your circumcision, that means you are taking on the task of keeping the entire law. Are you ready to do that?” he says.

Verse 4: You become estranged from Christ. He’s saying, “Once you say not Christ, but the law; not Christ, but circumcision. Once you say Christ alone is not enough. I need some other things for God to accept me”. Whether it is circumcision or whatever it is. Once you say, “Christ, plus something, is required for God to accept me”; you have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. He’s saying, “You are entering dangerous territory. You are attempting to be justified, accepted as righteous before God, on the basis of your law-keeping. Once you try that, or if you go in that direction, you are actually going away from grace. You’re falling from grace”. So, Paul is saying, “You have been made free. You’re a son. Now, don’t go back and live like a slave. Don’t go back and give your head to something”. For those people that take for circumcision for today, some other people in Christendom, it’s all kinds of things. They’ve got their own rules today, right. Without this, that’s it, God won’t accept them. Some people think, if you wear jewellery, God won’t accept them. Some people think apply it to even things like prayer. If I don’t pray so many hours, God won’t accept me. If I don’t pray so many hours, I’ll go to hell. There are people who teach like this. If you don’t do this, you’re finished, you’re gone. If you do this, God will accept you. If you don’t do this. So, basically, they make everything to depend on some rule, whatever the rule may be. And Paul says, “If you make your acceptance God depend on anything else other than Christ, you are going away from Christ. You are falling from grace, and you are going back into bondage”. It is unthinkable for that President’s son to leave the house of the President and go back. It is unthinkable. He says, “Don’t you know what you’re doing? How can you go back? Don’t go back. Don’t give room to that kind of bondage. Don’t allow yourself to be ruled by rules, dominated by rules. You are free, remain free. You’re free from the law, remain free from the law”.

As soon as we say that, of course, people will say, “So, then, no rules. So, then, we can live as we like, you know. We can do whatever we want”. No. That is why we already said, “You’re not only freed from the law, but you’re also freed from the flesh”. You can’t just do whatever you want. No, that’s not salvation. Salvation gives you redemption from the law and from the flesh. And that’s why Paul goes on and he continues to apply this idea of freedom now. Look how he applies it in verse 13. Before this, he said don’t give room to bondage to law. Now verse 13, For your, brethren have been called to liberty—or freedom—don’t use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. He says, “You’re free. You’re free, but don’t use the freedom to go back into the flesh. Don’t fall in this side either. But through love, serve one another”.

And then, look at verse 14: For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” He just said, “You’re free from the law, from going back into bondage to the law”. Now, he’s saying, “Don’t go to bondage to the flesh”. Instead do what? “Love one another”. Why? “Because the law is fulfilled, all the law, the entire law is fulfilled in love”. This salvation is so amazing that God frees us from the domination of the law, from the curse of the law, from the bondage to the law and then He makes us do what? Not go to flesh, but love. And when we love, we end up fulfilling what? The entire law. The amazing thing about salvation is God, frees us from the law, and then makes us fulfill the law more than ever before. It’s not we thrown out the law, there is no place for the law. No, we are not under the dominion of the law. We are not in jail, but we are outside and outside, the police have a certain role to play, don’t they? Yeah, we don’t have to be scared of them, but they have a role to play. And similarly, the law has a role to play. Not a dominating role but a role to play. It reveals what God likes and what God doesn’t like. And when you look at it through the lens of the New Testament, the lens of Jesus, Jesus says, “Love fulfills the law”. That’s what the entire New Testament teaches, and when you look at it like that, and when you follow Jesus’ commands. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you’ll do My commands”. Go preach the Gospel, make disciples, teaching them to obey the things. He’s not saying, throw out all obedience. No, no, no. It’s amazing. You are freed from the law, not to go back to flesh, but through love, to fulfill the law.

And then, he continues. Look at verse 16: I say then: Walk in the Spirit. How are you going to do this? It’s the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One Who, I told you already, stirs up the affections inside of you, makes you feel as sons, makes you call H, “Abba, Father”. The Holy Spirit is the One Who will cause you to fight against the flesh. Look at the verse 16: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. If you walk in the Spirit, you’re not going to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another. Do you have the Holy Spirit inside of you? That means, the Holy Spirit is going to want to take you in a certain direction; the flesh is going to want to take you in the opposite direction so that you do not do the things that you wish. So, what he’s saying is basically, allow the Spirit to lead you. Let the Holy Spirit lead you.

And then look at verse 18: But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. He mixes the two. He just talked about flesh, now he’s bringing the law, because I think, he has everybody in mind. You’re either falling this side or that side. Your old masters where the law and the flesh. You have been redeemed from them. Your new master is Jesus Christ. But he doesn’t put it like that, instead he says, “You are free, you are sons. But your Lord is Jesus. And He exercises his Lordship, through the Holy Spirit”. And so that the Holy Spirit becomes the Leader now. It’s not the law or the flesh. The Holy Spirit is the Leader. I’m not led by the law, I’m not led by the commands, I’m led by the Spirit. If I’m led by the Spirit, I’m not under the law. In what way am I led by the Spirit? Not to do work of the flesh. That’s what he talks about next.

I’m led by the Spirit to bear the fruit of the Spirit, in verse 22: love, joy, peace, and so on. And he ends the fruit of the Spirit list with this statement: Against as such there is no law. He says, “If you follow the Spirit, you’ll end up bearing the fruit of the Sprit. The fruit of the Spirit is not against the law”. It’s like that guy in that example, he’s released from jail, he grows in his relationship with the President, to the point that he becomes more and more like him. And then, when he goes out and sees the police, he doesn’t have to be afraid. Not only because he’s the President’s son, but also because he’s living something like the President and his older son. He is living, bearing that kind of fruit. There’s nothing to be afraid of the police if you’re not doing wrong. Only the criminals are afraid of the police. It’s like that. Against the fruit of the Spirit, when a believer is bearing, being led by the Spirit, allowing the Spirit to lead his, he is rejecting the works of the flesh, bearing the fruit of the Spirit. He’s not violating law; he is in fact fulfilling law, in the highest sense.

Go to Hebrews, chapter 8. You’ve got to understand this rightly. So many people go wrong with this. Odds are, we are freed from the law and throw out the law. The New Testament doesn’t put it like that. We are freed from the domination of the law. We don’t have to be scared of the law anymore because you’re not under its power. Everything doesn’t depend on it. It’s not a master anymore. Jesus is our master. I’m not to accepted on the basis of whether I do the law or whether I don’t do the law. I’m accepted on the basis of Jesus’s obedience to the law. Now, the Holy Spirit leads me. But the Holy Spirit leads me how? Hebrews 8:7 onwards: If that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. It’s saying that if the first covenant had everything right, then there’s no need for a second covenant.

Verse 8: Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah”. Now he’s going to tell us, what’s the difference between New Covenant and Old Covenant. “Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them”, says the Lord.

Verse 10: For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. What is the difference between Old Covenant and New Covenant? What’s one of the differences? In terms of the law, in the Old Covenant, the law was written by the finger of God but on a tablet of stone. It was written on tablets of stone and given the Moses. The people of Israel though that’s the greatest thing. The problem is, it was there on the tablet, it never got into their heart. Every day, the law was screaming at them, “don’t do this; do this”, but they didn’t want to do it. They didn’t desire it. In fact, every time they heard, “don’t do this”, they wanted to do it. Every time they heard, “do this”, they didn’t want to do it. Because their nature was like that, their heart and mind were opposed to the law. 

In the New Covenant, God goes in, changes the nature, the heart, and the mind, and it’s described in this way, that He puts His laws in our mind and writes them on our hearts. What does that mean? That means, He gives us a desire for His laws. He gives us a desire to please Him, by obeying his commands. 1 John 5:13. John says, “For the believer, the Commandments of God are not burdensome”. They are not burdensome. Before they were burdensome, now they’re not burdensome because we’re not focussed on the commands. The commands are not the big deal; Jesus is the big deal. The Father is the big deal, our relationship with them is the big deal. The Holy Spirit is the big deal. And when we walk in Their leadership, under Their leadership, They end up leading us to fulfill the commands. They give us the desire to fulfill the commands. They give us the power to live that kind of life.

Go back to Romans chapter 6, 7, sorry. That verse we read earlier, Romans 7:6, We have been delivered from the law… so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. The newness of the Spirit, not in the oldness of the letter. Now, it’s the way of the Holy Spirit. Now, the law’s not in charge. Before, the law was the big deal. And finally, they never fulfilled the law. The Pharisees have the law on their heads, you. They elevated it to such a high level, finally, they don’t fulfill the law. But salvation redeems us from the power of the law, so that the law is not number one anymore. Jesus, the Father, the Holy Spirit, the relationship we enjoy with them. They lead us but they lead us to finally do the law, give us a desire and a power to do God’s Holy Law. You don’t have to be scared of the law. We don’t have to be scared of flesh. For we have been redeemed from both. We’ve been made a son, to live like a son.

Now, listen to me, this is everyday living now. Unless we get this right, how can we talk about reigning and ruling as son? How can we talk about exercising our authority and power as sons? If we don’t even stop living like slaves, how can we start truly enjoying our inheritance as sons? That’s Paul’s first point. He’s saying, first live like a son, stop living like a slave. First stop giving your head again to those old chains of the law, or the flesh. Live like a son. Enjoy your relationship, like a son. And out of that relationship, live on a higher plane. How many of you are living like sons and not like slaves? And it’s okay. All of us, to some extent, are not living like sons. That’s the truth. And that is why, I believe, Paul is writing. That’s why the Holy Spirit inspired Paul right to the early churches in Romans and Galatians. That is why, I believe, God has led us to this truth today.

Don’t live like a slave, like a son, because you are sons of the Living God. You are sons and daughters. Enjoy that relationship, grow in that relationship, grow in that fellowship with the Father. The more and more you do that, you will end up doing the law without ever struggling. You will end up not falling into the flesh without striving, because the power and the desire, and all of it comes from your communion with God, comes from your fellowship with God. Let’s pray.