Grace Changes Everything, January 4, 2026

Well, good morning, church. Happy New Year to you, and it is a blessing that I get to stand on the first Sunday of a new year and say that this is the day that the Lord has made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it. Pray that you are doing well, that you and your family are doing well. I want to say good morning to those of you online. Thank you for connecting with us virtually today. If you're here in the room, would you do me a favor? Can you look to someone near you or someone around you and just say, I'm glad you're here today? Just tell them that for me. Just tell them, I'm glad you're here today. Amen. Glad you're here today. I believe it's important that we say that to each other anytime we come into the Lord's house, because you never know who needs that encouragement to hear those words, and I'm glad you're here today. Well, my name is Justin Bilson. I'm one of the four teaching pastors here at Fellowship, and I'm excited because we're continuing in our series in Galatians, this verse-by-verse voyage through the book of Galatians. As you can see, we took a break during the Christmas season, a two-part series leading up to Christmas Eve. Last week, my teammate Brandon Bernard did a great job walking us through Galatians, the end of chapter four. As you can see, Christmas is over. The trees are gone. My tree is still up in my house. There's no judgment if your tree is still up as well. Some of you may want to leave your tree up all year long.

You're in the Christmas spirit all year. Nothing wrong with that. You can make it a Valentine's Day tree, a Mother's Day tree, a Father's Day tree. That's totally fine. No judgment. But as you can see, Christmas is over, but we are continuing in our Galatians series. Today I want to open up and look at Galatians chapter five. We're going to look at verses one through 15 today. This is a rich passage, and I'm excited that we get to dive into it together. Much to see and consider in this passage. Would you do me a favor? If you can stand, would you stand as we read God's word together? This is a beautiful passage. As we begin this first Sunday in a new year, let's listen to what the writer has to say. The apostle Paul, in his letter to those in the region of Galatia, it's on the screen. If you don't have it in front of you, Paul says these words. He says, for freedom, Christ has set us free. We could technically leave just off of those words, right? For freedom, Christ has set us free. So stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look, I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ. You who would be justified by the law, you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything but only faith working through love. Verse seven, you were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brother, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case, the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves. For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another, for the whole law is fulfilled in one word. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. If you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. Thank you for standing. You may be seated. This morning, we're going to talk about God's gracious freedom. That's what we're going to talk about today, God's gracious freedom. Let's pray over our time in the word. Father, thank you for the joy that we have today to be alive. live on this first Sunday of a new year. We thank you, Lord, because we know that while we do not know what this year holds, we do not know what the days ahead hold, we thank you that we know the one who holds this year. We know the one who holds our days and our seconds and our moments and our very lives in the palm of his hand. Thank you that we know that you are in control. Regardless of what this year brings our way, thank you that we look to you and our hope is found in you. Lord, I pray as we approach your word today, thank you that your word is life and light to us.

And Lord, let this word come alive in our hearts. Thank you that we have fellowshiped with one another and we have sang songs of praises to you and now we approach your word. Speak to us through this word. Holy Spirit, illuminate truth from this text that we can anchor our hearts and lives and let this word change us, let it challenge us, let it convict us in the areas that we need to grow. Thank you for your word. Fathers, we seek to understand and make sense of what the Apostle Paul has to say and how it applies to our lives today. We love you and we praise you in Jesus' name. Amen. Church, our text this morning comes on the heels of the Apostle Paul's profound exposition of the believers' blessed union in Christ. Because according to Galatians chapter two, verse 16, Paul says that we are not justified by the law. We're justified by faith in Christ alone. This is the argument that he makes in chapter two and then in chapters three and four, which we've covered already, Paul gives sufficient evidence to prove his claim. Also that he can then transition now in chapter five and then in chapter six to address the ethical lives of believers. Those who, according to verse one of chapter five, have been set free and are called to live free.

This is what we will discover in the text. And again, there's so much to see and consider. So before we go into practical application, I wanna take a few moments to break this section of scripture up into four parts to help give an overview of what is going on here, what Paul is saying to the reader in the text. So I wanna break it up into four sections. The first section, we'll look at verse one by itself. Then we'll look at verses two through six. We'll look at verses seven through 12 and verse 13 through 15. Again, verse one by itself, verse two through six, then verse seven through 12 and then 13 through 15. So here's where we begin. In Galatians chapter five, verse one, Paul, in the beginning there, he shares the blessing of living in union with Christ. The blessing of living in union with Christ. We'll leave that up on the screen if you wanna write it down. Here is the blessing, the blessing of living in union with Christ, which Paul says this blessing is freedom. Because when the Galatians received the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, they also received this gift of freedom in Christ by faith. According to Paul, this freedom is not just a freedom from sin. It is not just a freedom from the past.

It is a freedom, he says, from the law. Because again, remember, Paul is talking clearly in Galatians that no one is justified by their belief in the law and placing their faith in the law. No, he says we are justified by our faith in Christ alone. And so then if justification and our righteousness is found in Christ, then freedom, Paul says, is also found in Christ. What I love about this verse, verse one, is the use of the past tense language. Notice Paul says in verse one, for freedom Christ has set us free. The idea there is that he is talking about what Christ has already accomplished on the cross, this single action, this singular action in history that is a completed work. What Jesus did on the cross is a finished work that you and I can rest in and believe in and place our hope in. Paul says to the readers, you have been set free. Now here's my challenge, my charge to you. Paul says stand firm. Stand firm and do not allow the enemy, do not allow yourself to become enslaved again in bondage because Christ has set you free, so learn to live free and live in union with Christ. That's just what he says in verse one. So we move down now to verses two through six, which is interesting and I wanna park here for a moment

because there's something that I think we need to understand in these few verses here. But in Galatians chapter five, verse two through six, Paul warns of the dangers of accepting circumcision. Paul warns of the dangers of accepting circumcision. Okay, what is he talking about here, Justin? Well, he's talking again in verse one, he makes this claim, this statement that you have been set free. Now here's the challenge then. You've been set free, but let me tell you what happens when you don't walk in that freedom because if you choose to walk in Belief and to place your faith and your hope in the law instead of grace Here's what your life is going to look like if you choose to place your faith in Obedience and circumcision and the law instead of Christ and the cross Here's what is your life is going to look like this is what Paul says notice. He gives four examples four things He says number one Christ will be of no value to you Can you sit in the weight of that sobering statement for a moment For Paul to say that Christ will be of no value to you Why because you have decided to choose the law for salvation and Christ essentially says I can be of no value To you because you have preferred to choose the law for your salvation instead of placing your faith in me Paul says Christ will be of no value to you He then says since you're gonna choose the law that you have to not only abide by one part of it You have to live under the whole weight of it It's passage in James chapter 2 verse 10 where it says that if you're guilty of one part of the law You're guilty of all of it So Paul says if you're gonna choose the law then you got to live by all of it You have to live under the weight and burden of the law. He then says you'll also be cut off from Christ And then he says that phrase that you may have heard before maybe even used or said in conversations He says that you will fall from grace If you've been around church before maybe you've heard that phrase before maybe you haven't but but I want to pause just for a moment

To give context to what Paul means when he says that Because if you look at the original translation in Greek and I did this week Paul says that phrase literally, you know what it means. It means to fall out of the realm of grace And Paul says fallen from grace. He's suggesting that you are falling out of the realm of grace. Okay, Justin What does that mean? Here's what it means Paul is suggesting essentially that you fall out of the realm of grace When you think you can hold on to grace and the law at the same time You fall out of the realm of grace because the moment you reach for salvation Through the law you lose hold of grace and that is what Paul is suggesting And I know a lot of times when we've we've heard this phrase used We we think that it's talking singularly about a moral failure or someone who's committed sin But in the context of this passage Paul is saying to those who think they can hold on to the law and grace at the same time Paul says it's impossible. You will fall out of the realm of grace because you can't have it both ways You cannot place your faith in the law and in grace. Paul says you must choose You must choose and I know we live in a culture in a world that says you can have it both ways and you can Have it. However, you want to have it but Paul is clear in the text The gospel ladies and gentlemen is clear. You must choose. I Hear the word saying choose you this day whom you will serve. What will you choose? Will you choose circumcision which is this idea of I'm placing my faith in a religion that is based on human achievement Am I going to choose Christ and him crucified would suggest that I am choosing a Relationship with the crucified Christ and placing my faith in his achievement on my behalf That is a choice that we must all make and if you're here today or you're watching me and you have not made that choice I implore you today To choose grace because the law cannot save you your works will never be good enough The law cannot save you our faith is only through Jesus Christ We find salvation and grace and hope in and through Jesus alone That's what the text says. There's two through six. Let's let's go now

Let's let's go even further verses 7 through 12. Paul addresses. This is important the personal and shared impact of following false teaching Paul addresses both the personal and shared impact of following false teaching Acts chapter 15 tells us that there was this this group this that these these people who would come in the city and proclaim that You must be circumcised. You must obey the law to be saved Paul tells those in Galatia that this teaching from the Judaizers is a false gospel He says no, it is not salvation through your works It is salvation through faith in Christ And so he writes this letter to them to call them back to the truth of the gospel and then in verse 8 He says something profound or verse 7 rather. He says you were running. Well, you started off great But who hindered you who hindered you because you've allowed the false teaching and the false teachers to to spread read false gospels so to the point that it's now contaminated the community of faith. That's why Paul says this impassioned statement in verse 12. He says that, I wish that those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves. Paul, that's a little harsh, isn't it? Here's what I believe. One commentary writer says it like this. He says that in this verse, we see Paul's disgust and his passion. Paul is so concerned, he is so passionate about the gospel. The gospel means everything to him that in his desire to see the truth of the gospel go forward, he says, I wish that every false teacher and every false teaching would be wiped away from the earth.

Church, I pray that that is our same desire, that we value the truth of the gospel above all. We desire that those who are hearing the gospel would not be led astray by false teaching and false truth. Paul is clear about this. And then finally in verses 13 through 15, Paul explains not only that you're free, he explains the true nature of freedom. That's important. Paul explains the true nature of freedom in Christ. And he does this because he wants the reader to understand exactly what he is saying and not saying, meaning he is not saying that this freedom is legalism. It's not free to become legalistic. This idea that I'm trying to impress God and to earn God's acceptance through my good works and behavior. Paul also says it is not license. It is not misapplying the doctrine of grace. It's not you living your life without guardrails, doing whatever I wanna do, however I wanna do it, whenever I wanna do it. That is not what Paul is saying. Paul says the nature of freedom in Christ is yes, you have liberty, but that doesn't mean that you have license to do whatever you want. Freedom in Christ is also, Paul says it's not an opportunity to mistreat your neighbor.

It's not an opportunity to mistreat one another in the Christian community and even beyond because what Paul says, even in the context of the passage, when he says that you're biting and devouring one another, he's talking about mistreating one another. He also argues that it's not an opportunity for me to disregard the law because God still calls his people to holy living. So all of this is what we see in the text. Now that we understand what's going on and what Paul is suggesting, now, before we get to application, I do wanna show you something that I saw this week that blessed me. As I was reading the text, one of the things I noticed is that, and I don't know if you caught this as we read earlier, but the word freedom, in some ways it almost bookends the text. Let me show you what I mean. If you go to verse one, Paul says for freedom, Christ has set you free. And then in verse 13, he says you were called to freedom. Verse one and verse 13, we see the bookends of freedom. Why is that important? Here's why, I'm glad you asked.

Here's why it's important. It's important because what Paul wants us to see is that this section of the letter is about you understanding that Christ has set you free. Here's the danger of what happens when you don't walk in that freedom and choose the law instead of grace. And then he reminds them again, you have been called to freedom. Now here's how you live it out. That's what he helps us to see in the text. And so when I read this text this week, it was a needed reminder. I don't know if you've ever been like me where you read certain passages and yes, I know this and this is not new information, but it was a needed reminder. I thank God for that. I thank God that in Christ, I am free from my dependence on the law and that is beautiful. And yet as I began to process this text and sit with it, I had to admit to myself, church, and this is when the sermon came alive for me, that in Christ, I know I am free, but I don't always live like it. In Christ, I know I am free, but I don't always live like it. What do you mean, Justin? In other words, I know what Jesus did for me.

I know that what he did is all sufficient. I know that it is enough. I know I don't need to add anything to it. I know I don't have to work harder to earn his love or to try to impress him. I know that 1 John 4, 19 says we love because he first loved us. I know all of that. And yet there are still times in my life where I find myself struggling with striving, striving. And in those moments, I think about, okay, how can I self-diagnose? Because you know, that's what we do, right? Whenever we have an issue or a problem, we wanna self-diagnose because we can figure it out on our own, or at least we think we can. And so I tell myself, well, I know why. I know what the issue is, Justin. The issue is it's either a knowledge deficiency or an action deficiency, meaning either I don't know. or I'm not doing enough, I'm not working hard enough. And so my knee-jerk reaction, my internal default is to say, well, if I'm not growing spiritually in a certain area, I need to go learn more about it. I need to go read more about it. Or I just need to work harder, because if I can learn more and work harder, everything will solve itself. Friends, I wish it were that easy.

I wish it were that easy. But the reality is, and I'm learning this in my spiritual journey more often than not, what we tend to view as a head issue is really a heart issue. Maybe you're here today because God has been drawing you to understand that what you think is a head issue that you don't know enough, or a hands issue that you just need to work harder, is really God saying, no, this is a heart issue that I'm working on your heart. Because at the end of the day, true transformation is not just here, it's here. It's a heart issue, why? Because my heart, my fleshly heart always wants to default back to striving and learning and proving. But at the end of the day, God reminds me, all of that, Justin, you need to hide in the cross. What do you need to hide in the cross? All of that striving, all of that trying to prove, all of that, well, Lord, if I just know more, if I just work harder, all of that, I need to hide in the cross. Because when I hide it in the cross, I remember that what Jesus has done is enough. It's enough. And then I'm reminded that the Holy Spirit is at work in me and I need his help every day to not just understand this freedom, but to live it out.

I need his help to understand and to live out this freedom. So understand what Paul is saying. I see where the sermon comes alive now. So there's one more question I want us to consider before we end today. Here's the question. Paul talks about God's gracious freedom. So then what does this scripture have to say about living in God's gracious freedom? If this is what Paul is talking about, God's gracious freedom, which those words are intentional there, right? Because God's freedom is not burdensome. It is not this heavy load that I cannot stand under the weight of. No, it is gracious. So that's what his freedom is. If it is gracious and found in Christ, what does scripture have to say about it? There's two things I wanna show you that I saw in the text that I think are important. First one, and I'll admit, I didn't see this in the beginning of my studies, but probably midweek, the Holy Spirit shifted my attention and I saw this and I said, man, I gotta share this with the church. And the first one is this, that living in freedom means that I recognize, you ready for this? I recognize the beauty of my freedom.

Living in freedom means that I recognize the beauty of my freedom. Church, have you ever considered the fact that the freedom we have in Christ is beautiful? It is beautiful because when I look at a text like this, I cannot help but marvel at the beauty of the freedom that I have in Christ. Why? Because I understand who I was before Christ. I was an undeserving sinner who was destined for eternity in hell. And yet this loving father saw me and sent his son to die on the cross. And through his love and his mercy and his grace, I find redemption and forgiveness and freedom. Not because I've earned it, not because I've deserved it, not because I've done good enough, but because I've placed my faith in the one who could do what no one else could. Jesus saved me and he freed me. And I praise God that in him, I have freedom. And here's the thing that makes freedom beautiful, church. It makes it beautiful when I see my freedom and when I place my freedom up against the ugliness of my sin. What do you mean, Justin? Freedom is beautiful to me because I see this freedom in light of the brokenness of my past.

Because I know that I could not save myself. I know that I was broken. I know that I was a sinner. I know that God sent his son to save me and to die on the cross so that I am no longer, as Paul says, a slave, but I'm a son. Your son, your daughter in Christ. And that is why I can fully understand now what Thomas Watson says in his book, The Doctrine of Repentance. I love this quote. He says, "'Til sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.'" "'Til sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.'" Meaning until I see the ugliness of the bondage of sin, I cannot fully capture the beauty of this freedom that I have in Christ. Because I was once a slave to sin, but now I am a son. And not just a son, Paul says I'm an heir. And you know that's the beauty of the paradox of this faith that we have? That this freedom we have is not that I'm no longer a slave, but now I'm a son. And then Paul says, not only are you a son and daughter in Christ, you're also called to be a servant. How do we know that, Justin? We know that because the second thing Paul shows us is that living in freedom means I accept the responsibility of my freedom. It's freedom in Christ that's beautiful. Make no mistake. But it also comes with responsibility. What is that responsibility? The responsibility is I have to remember that Christ has set me free from, and he has set me free to. He set me free from not just sin, but he set me free, according to what Paul says, from my dependence on the law. I do not have to depend on the law for salvation. I do not have to depend on perfect obedience to be approved by God. I place my faith

in Christ, and I am free to serve Christ, free from and free to serve Christ. And that is what the scripture is teaching us, church, that this freedom in Christ is not a freedom to live however I want and to do whatever I want and to believe whatever I want and live however I choose. No, Paul says that the blessing of the gospel, the blessing of freedom in Christ is that I am no longer a slave, but I am a son and a son who is called to serve. I'm called to serve. I am free to serve. Serve who? To serve the one who set me free. And the way I do that, Paul says, according to the text, is that I'm to serve one another in love. So that means that the mark and measure of my freedom is not me living however I want to live, but it's through my service to God and others, because in Christ we walk in freedom. And Paul is clear in the text that you have an opportunity to live in freedom. But here's where he warns. He says, don't use your opportunity. Don't waste this opportunity that Christ has given you to live by your flesh, which can lead to legalism or licentiousness. That's a big word. Here's what it simply means. Licentiousness is you trying to live your life without guardrails, trying to do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want. There are no rules. I am free to do whatever I want. Paul is saying, no, that is not the opportunity that Christ has given you, not legalism, not licentiousness. Here's the opportunity. Here's how you live in freedom. Paul says, walk in the Spirit. Walk in the Spirit. Pursue holiness, not as if you're trying to impress God, but you pursue holiness. Why? Because I want to be more like Jesus. I love others because I want to love them as Christ has loved me. Church, that is what we're called to do. On this first Sunday of a new year, here is my prayer for our church collectively. One church, seven campuses. Here's my church collectively. As one of your teaching pastors, my prayer this year for us is that we would walk in freedom and that I want to take a tag from the text. I pray that we run well. I pray that we run well with the wind of the gospel in our sails, knowing that we have been saved by grace through faith and rescued and redeemed and adopted into the family of God. I pray that we run well and that we commit and continue to live our lives reflecting the character, the heart, and the love of Jesus Christ. I pray that we run well, and I pray that we remember we don't run alone, because his Spirit is with us. He has given us the gift of community so that we can have people, men and women, godly men and women who love us, who care for us. Even if they don't look like us, they love us, and they care for us, and they can ensure that we are running together, that we don't have to run alone.

Church, I pray that we would live in God's gracious freedom. I pray that we would run well. I pray that we would take encouragement from this text and let no one hinder us so that we can finish strong, because you do know that one day when this race on earth is complete, we will stand before the throne of God and hear two words, well done. I don't know about you, but that's what I want to hear my Savior say, well done. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the blessed peace in knowing that we are secure in Christ, not in our works, not in our efforts, not our good behavior. We're secure in Christ. Thank you for the reminder today that we are free. Lord, forgive us in the moments when our heart defaults back… to striving, trying to know more, or work harder, or think that we can impress you with our perfect Christian life. Thank you, Lord, that we can rest in your grace, hiding all those insufficiencies and inadequacies in the cross, knowing that what Jesus has done is enough. We don't have to seek for approval. We live from it. Help us to walk in this freedom. Lord, help us to run well, to be faithful, to be consistent, to live by your Spirit so that we can finish strong and stand before you one day and hear you say, Well done. We love you, Lord, and we thank you for the freedom that we have in Christ. It is beautiful. We love you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen. through whatever platform you're listening on. If you're needing prayer or you want to talk to someone about your walk with Jesus, reach out to us at fellowshipar.com contact. Have a great week.