Freedom in Christ

Pastor Bill Bush · Aug 8, 2022

In Galatians 5, Paul contrasts two false approaches to faith — legalistic self-effort (the 'combat boot') and self-directed license (the 'running shoe') — with the true path of following the Holy Spirit (the 'hiking boot'). Both false approaches are rooted in fear and a desire for control, and both reveal a shallow understanding of sin and God's love. Real freedom comes not from trying harder or running further, but from trusting the extravagant love of Christ, which the Holy Spirit uses to transform us from the inside out and produce His fruit in our lives.

Pastor Bill Bush · Jul 31, 2022

Drawing from Galatians 4 and the story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and their sons, this sermon argues that the tension between law and grace is not merely about how we are saved but about how we live every day. When we grow impatient with God's promises and reach for the culturally acceptable or emotionally convenient option — the 'possible' route — we forfeit the impossible things only God can do. True freedom comes not from controlling our own outcomes but from trusting the God who parts seas, brings water from rocks, and keeps every promise He makes.

Pastor Pat McCalla · Nov 30, 2020

In Galatians 5, Paul urges believers who have been set free by Jesus — saved by faith in Christ plus nothing — not to return to slavery but to walk in the Spirit's power. Because every Jesus follower has died with Christ and been raised to new life, the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives within them. The practical question is not whether believers possess the Holy Spirit, but whether they are surrendered enough to listen to His voice and obey it in the small, daily moments of life.