Liberty Doesn't Mean License

July 5, 2009 MW Stockwell Road MBC

LIBERTY DOESN’T MEAN LICENSE
Galatians 5:1, 13
INTRODUCTION:
The following is a quote from William Wallace as quoted in the movie Braveheart, “I am William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here, in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight? Aye, fight and you may die, run, and you’ll live…at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days, from this to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our FREEDOM!”

What will you do with freedom is a question we all need to ask ourselves this morning. Because many people hold to the philosophy that I can go ahead and sin today because I know that God will forgive me tomorrow. We have been freed and given liberty by the blood of Jesus Christ. However, many people take their Christian liberty as a license to do whatever they want to do. Like the idiot tat believes he can burn the US Flag because of his freedom of speech, we think we can do whatever we want because, “Thank God almighty, I’m free at last!” A Christian that believes that it is ok to sin because of his salvation or eternal security has a very flawed view of God, a flawed view of what it means to be saved, a flawed view of the consequences of sin and a flawed view of the judgment of God.

Your salvation was never intended to be a license to sin. Even though this is commonly believed…THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN LIBERTY AND LICENSE. I can sin tonight and God would forgive me according to I John 1:9, but to KNOWINGLY DECIDE to sin on the basis that God will forgive me is a sign of a deep spiritual problem.

BODY:
I. THE FREEDOM OF LIBERTY (vs. 1, II Cor. 3:17, John 8:32)
Note: The bible speaks a lot about the believer’s liberty they have in Christ. Sadly, this liberty is often misunderstood. Notice…
A. The Person of Our Liberty
1. the work of the cross
2. the words of the Christ Jn. 8:32

B. The Purpose of Our Liberty
1. to free us
a. from the eternal punishment of Hell
b. from the entanglements of sin
2. to secure us

II. THE FOOLISHNESS OF LICENSE (vs. 13, Romans 6:1, 15)
Note: To believe that you have a license to sin and do whatever you want to do is foolishness for many reasons.
A. To Ignore the Clear Commands of the Scriptures
1. to behave Christ-like
2. to abstain from every appearance of evil
3. it is a failure to understand repentance II Chron. 7:14

B. To Invite the Chastening Hand of God Hebrews 12:3

C. To Harm Your Testimony
1. your personal testimony
2. Stockwell Road’s testimony

D. To Deny the Lordship of Christ—Jude 4—lasciviousness--without restraint

E. To Fail to Recognize Your Accountability on Judgment Day

CONCLUSION:

Today, you are either living in the freedom of our Christian liberty or you are living in the foolishness of license. Which do you think the Lord wants you to live in?