Freed Children

Title: Freed Children
Text: Galatians 4:8-20

Introduction
Paul continuously pointing out that as God’s people we are now free from the law and are now under grace. In chapter 3, Paul said that being enslaved by the law brings a curse and the law is our tutor. Now that Christ died for our sins, we are now under grace and have been freed from the curse. The Law served as our tutor for us to have faith, but now we are no longer under a tutor for are supposed to have learned to have faith.

Do our best not to enslave again (v.8-11).
Formerly, so many gods like all other pagan worlds enslaved Galatians. And after Paul preached, some of them believed God and had faith to Jesus Christ. They have known the truth, but after a while another group of people came whom they have known before preaching another gospel that they can be saved by following the law. And this is why Paul was somehow disappointed and alarmed.
Paul’s concern to the Galatian churches was shown by presenting a truth and clarifying questions about following the Law. Now, take note here that Paul mentioned about observation of special days. The Jews have tons of special days aside from the Sabbath, the day of rest. And for Paul, due diligence in observing these laws will cause the people to go back in slavery, slavery of false beliefs and practices.
Paul clarified to the Galatians that they were no longer slaves but sons of the living God, a co-heir to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Until now, we still have this kind of picture in our churches nowadays. That’s why we have the so-called “back sliders”. After hearing the gospel, they change for a while but turn back to their old ways. But Paul is reminding us not to be enslave again.
How about us? What is our commitment before the Lord? Are we to turn back to our old ways when someone offends us in the body of Christ? What about when someone entices us to be our old self again? Are we going to stand our ground or are we going to give in, anyway it is only “sometimes”?

Do our best to imitate what is good (v.12-16).
As an apostle and a disciple, Paul is encouraging the Galatian churches to imitate Him. Going back to the beginning as Paul first established these churches, Paul became like them. This means that Paul did everything he could in order to reach them for Jesus Christ. Not that he became sinful as them, but he lived like the way the Galatian churches lived.
In verse 13 to 16, Paul reminisce the love and acceptance the Galatian churches gave to him the first time he preached the gospel to them. But unlike now, Paul is faced with various intrigues started by Judaizers. This is one of the reasons why Paul wrote this letter, to defend himself against Judaizers and to those people who tries to question his authority.
In addition to this, as Paul is trying to reminisce all the things and the relationship he has with the Galatian churches, he is also questioning what happened to that good relationship they had. Where is now the joy that they have shared with each other? Paul even raised the question if he became their enemy now that he had told them the truth.
Are we doing our best before the Lord? Or did we settle in mediocrity? Please know that once we settle in mediocrity, we begin now to fade before the Lord and is also the beginning our back sliding life.
To imitate what is good, this is our goal. But obviously, people love to imitate what are worldly. People try to imitate what are of the world and try to forsake what are of God. Let us try to ask ourselves if we are like the Galatians who were easily tossed back and forth by the waves and falter to the faith that they have known.

Do our best to be zealous in the faith (v.17-20). Judaizers are so zealous in attracting Galatians to join them but to the fact that they are only alienating or leading Galatians away from the grace of God. Paul then explained to them that these Judaizers are very zealous in winning them so that they will be separated from Paul and that they will be zealous for these Judaizers (v.17). Verse 18 is a warning that it is good to be zealous provided that the purpose is good and is consistent. Figuratively, Paul felt the pain that he is having learning that the Galatians are almost to turn their backs against Paul as Paul now is like having pains for as a childbirth (v. 19). Instead of learning what Paul already have preached to them, the Galatians where deceived by false teachers and Judaizers.
Imitating is a little different from being zealous. We are not only to imitate but to be zealous in all our efforts to be of God propagating the faith that and the teachings that we have received. This is the extension of our extra effort to please and to obey God. This is going beyond our second mile. The more we are zealous, the more we are focused.