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True Happiness is Locked-up in Freedom

            “We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all people are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  That Declaration, set forth two hundred thirty-one years ago this Wednesday, is etched into the hearts and minds of nearly every American who cares about this country and the blessings God has channeled to us in living in this land.  Generation after generation has grown up believing that those three words – life, liberty, and happiness – are intimately related, that true happiness in life comes from liberty, from freedom.

            But what does that mean in practical terms?  What freedoms guarantee true happiness in life?  Does happiness in life come when you are debt free – no car payments, medical bills, or mortgage?  Does happiness in life mean you are free to pursue another career if you don’t like your job?  Does happiness in life mean you are free from the powerful urges of an addiction?  Does happiness in life mean you are free from tumors and viruses?  Does happiness in life mean you are free from the responsibilities of raising your children because they’re all grown up now?  In our country people assume that there is a link between happiness in life and freedom, but I believe that they aren’t always sure what level of freedom or what kind of freedom will really make them happy.

            With all the interest in pursuing happiness by focusing on freedom, do you think God has something to say on the subject?  He certainly does.  He speaks to us through the apostle Paul and demonstrates how happiness in life is linked to freedom, but it is freedom that comes from a unique source, namely, the core message about the way God relates to us and we to him.  The second Scripture lesson for this day from Galatians chapter three takes us right to the heart of true happiness by teaching us that, True Happiness is Locked-up in Freedom—freedom from the curse, captivity, and control of God’s law.

            If you had a choice, what kind of God would you like to have?  One who makes errors and mistakes?  Do you think you would want a god who says, “Oops!  Sorry about that!  Looks like I goofed up your life again”?  I don’t think you’d want a god like that.  I know I’d rather have a God who is perfect, who never makes mistakes.  I want a God I can count on, a God who is right all the time, a God who is holy.  Well, that’s the kind of God we have.  The Bible makes it clear that God is perfect and holy.  And since he is holy, he won’t settle for anything less from us.  He simply does not and will not tolerate anything that compromises his high and holy standards.  He states just that in Scripture.  We call it God’s law.  That’s a technical word in the Bible for God’s demand for perfection.

            But here’s the scary part.  Anyone or anything that does not match up to his holy standards is under a curse.  Listen to this, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the law” (Galatians 3:10).  What is this curse?  What is the curse of the law?  Bad weather every time you plan a trip?  Bad traffic every time you drive home?  Bad luck whenever you play Sheepshead?  Hardly!  The curse of the law is this – Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you (Isaiah 59:2).  The curse of the law is hearing God’s condemning verdict, “You’re guilty!”  The curse of the law is hearing Jesus say, “Since you have violated God’s demand to be perfect, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

            When God created a nation to bear the promise of the Savior, he wanted them to know that he is holy and that those who violate his holy demands are under a curse.  How was he going to teach that to the Israelites?  After four hundred years in Egypt they were basically heathen.  They didn’t have a clue about who the true God really is and what his standards are.  So, he took them to an out-of-the-way mountain range called Sinai and unloaded a ton of rules and regulations.  From then on, no matter where they lived, no matter where they turned, no matter what they did, they bumped up against one of his laws, like a little child trying to make her way through a mass of humanity at Summerfest.  Those laws kept poking into the consciousness of every Israelite, “You are not holy.  You are a sinner.  You deserve God’s curse.”

            But the Israelites didn’t pay attention.  Reading the history of how they behaved is sort of like watching a person approach a hallway with signs posted all over the entrance, “Wet Paint on Walls!” and seeing him shrug his shoulders as if to say, “The walls must be dry by now,” walk in, and lean against the wall only to get his coat smeared full.  The Israelites thought, “God really can’t be serious that we’re supposed to keep all of those laws all the time.  That’s impossible!  He’ll never put us under his curse.  After all, we’re in the blood line of Abraham.”  They ignored the fact that God’s laws were designed to make their sin stick out like a sore thumb and point out their desperate need for a Savior.  Thus, they fell under the curse of the law.

            When Paul wrote this letter to the Galatian Christians in south central Asia Minor, he was writing to people who were being told by some self-appointed preachers, “You can’t really be in with God unless you put yourself under all of the laws given to the Israelites.”  Paul was incensed, “Why would you want to go back to that way of life?  Do you think you’ll find happiness trying to please God by keeping his laws?  It won’t work.  All who rely on observing the law are under a curse (Galatians 3:10).  There’s a better way, the only way to true happiness.  You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus; for all of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).  Jesus has established a new way of life.  He has removed the curse of the law by suffering that for us.  The law of God is still in force, but it can no longer bring a curse on those who trust in Christ Jesus because the curse is aimed at those who break the law, at sinners.  But if Jesus removed sin from our record, then God no longer considers to be sinners, which means we are no longer under his curse.  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13).  He was condemned and suffered the curse of being abandoned by the heavenly Father while he hung on that accursed tree outside of Jerusalem two thousand years ago.  He did that so we wouldn’t have to.  Trust – faith – in Jesus makes all of what he did our personal possession.  Thus, we can rightly say that through faith in Jesus we are free from the curse of God’s law.  In another of his letters Paul wrote, There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).  Do you want true happiness in life so that you don’t have to walk around feeling guilty all the time?  Then understand this – True Happiness is Locked-up in Freedom, in the freedom Christ has won for us, in the freedom from the curse of God’s law.

            The apostle Paul knew that God had more than one reason for giving the Israelites his laws.  Not only did they need to know the honest truth about their sin.  God also wanted them to remain a distinct nation until he fulfilled the promise he had entrusted to them, the promise to send a Savior into the world.  He had said, “The Savior will come from this nation.”  But if they intermarried with people from other nations, they would have lost their unique identity, and the promise would have gone, “Poof!”

            To keep the promise safe, the Lord God hedged the Israelites in with all kind of extra rules and regulations.  Paul described the situation by saying, “Living as an Israelite was like living in jail.”  Before this faith came[before living in faith in Jesus], we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until Christ came (Galatians 3:23).  Ever visit someone in jail?  It’s scary.  If you think the metal detectors at the airport are intimidating, imagine passing through a metal detector and feeling like you can’t ever go back the other way.  Imagine living in a room where you can stretch out your arms, touch the walls, and can’t get out.  Everywhere you turn there’s another locked door.  Prison life is no life.  Everything is restricted – food, clothes, time, space.

            That was what the Israelites experienced.  God’s laws kept them separate from other nations by restricting what they ate, what they wore, how they spent their time, and where they lived.  Paul wrote to the Christians in Galatia in some rather harsh tones – and rightly so – “Why in all the world would you want to go back to that kind of living?

            Jesus opened the door to a better way, a new way of living.  He unlocked the prison doors.  What the prophets predicted he accomplished.  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners … release for the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).  Trust – faith – in Jesus makes all of what he did our personal possession.  Thus, we can rightly say that through faith in Jesus we are free from the captivity of God’s law.  In Jesus we are no longer restricted to a certain set of rules on what to eat, what to wear, how to spend our time, and where to live.  In another of his letters Paul wrote, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).  Do you want true happiness in life so that you don’t have to feel restricted or pressured into a certain kind of behavior?  Then understand this – True Happiness is Locked-up in Freedom, in the freedom Christ has won for us, in the freedom from the captivity of God’s law.

            But the logical question I’ve hear many people ask is this, “If prisoners are freed from captivity, what’s to prevent them from going crazy and doing all kinds of evil?”  The apostle Paul has an answer for that.  The laws which God gave to the Israelites served another purpose besides pointing out their sin and hedging them in.  They also served to control the Israelites’ behavior.  The law has been our guardian until Christ came … Now that faith[in what Jesus has done for us] has come, we are no longer under a guardian (Galatians 3:24-25).  In ancient Greek society wealthy people hired a slave to be a legal guardian for their children.  The slave served as a sort of chaperon.  He took the children to school and play time until they grew up.  Then the children were on their own, free to live a mature and full life.

            Children need more rules when they are young because they are immature.  A six year old goes to bed at eight o’clock because that’s the rule.  The rule controls behavior.  When the child is twenty-two and comes home after college for a visit, he or she is free to go to bed any time.  The rules are gone for mature children.  Something else is controlling the behavior – common sense, good judgment, love and respect for parents, and one’s own health.

            Thanks to Jesus’ work on our behalf and in our place, God treats us as mature children.  We are not controlled by his laws.  But God knows that we won’t run around out of control sinning like crazy because there is something else controlling our behavior.  It’s his amazing love.  Trust – faith – in Jesus makes all of what he did our personal possession.  Thus, we can rightly say that through faith in Jesus we are free from the control of God’s law but controlled, motivated, by God’s love.  In another of his letters Paul wrote, “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?  By no means! … You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God and the result is that you live in a holy way (Romans 6:15,22).  Do you want true happiness in life so that you really want and desire with all your heart to please God and follow his will?  Then understand this – True Happiness is Locked-up in Freedom, in the freedom Christ has won for us, in the freedom from the control of God’s law.

            There really is an intimate link between true happiness in life and freedom.  The key is to know that no matter what the Declaration of Independence says, no matter what our nation’s Constitution says, no matter what the laws of the land say, true happiness is locked up in the freedom Jesus has won for us.  So where do we get that confidence to trust that to be true?  Right here in the Word of God.  He gave us freedom through our Redeemer, and he gives us faith to believe it’s true, and that’s enough happiness for this life and the next.  Amen.

Preached at Grace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI (www.gracedowntown.org) on July 1, 2007

Services

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Mondays 6:30 pm

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church | 1209 North Broadway Milwaukee, WI 53202 | (414) 271-3006

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