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Freedom, Responsibility, Fruit &&nbsp;Not Giving Up!&nbsp;– Galatians 5 : 1, 13-25
Andrew M first preached this sermon at St Denys in July 2025. Speaking from Galatians 5 he reminds us that true freedom is serving others in love, true freedom means crucifying the sinful nature &hellip; and true freedom keeps in step with the Holy Spirit. If we want to enjoy the freedom that God wants us to enjoy, we need to walk in lock step with the Holy Spirit and be imitators of Christ.&nbsp;&nbsp;The character traits of someone who knows this true freedom Paul describes as the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control.
 
We have already been thinking about how with freedom come responsibilities, but we will now shift gear a bit and think how this is the case not just in a game show on TV but in the game of life.&nbsp; And it is the Galatian church who we are going to learn from and what their founder evangelist and frequent visitor has to say to them.&nbsp;
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In brief, the Christians in Galatia were beginning to be influenced by false teachers and to slip back into legalism.&nbsp; They were being encouraged to believe that they needed to follow the Jewish law and traditional rules on top of believing in Jesus &hellip; if they wanted to be saved.&nbsp; But this was a fundamental misrepresentation.&nbsp; A falsehood.&nbsp; We cannot be saved by keeping the law and the ten commandments.&nbsp; The law served as a guide to point out our need to be forgiven.&nbsp; Christ fulfilled the obligations of the law for us.&nbsp; He alone can make us right with God.&nbsp; And that forgiveness becomes ours through believing in Christ alone.&nbsp; And with that comes true freedom.
 
Now, crazy as it sounds, the Galatians were prepared to trade this freedom for a return to the strictures of the law.&nbsp; So in this part of the letter, Paul goes to great lengths to say No!&nbsp; This is what true freedom means, this is how it is maintained and this is what it looks like in action.
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So &hellip; v1, Paul says: Everything that Christ has done has been to set us free - free from the penalty of sin, free from the power of sin in our lives and one day, free from the very presence of sin when we go to be with him in heaven.&nbsp; Don’t go back to a life of slavery and of bondage to sin.
 
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Now, we skip a bit where Paul spells out how they were running a good race but got misled.&nbsp; He has harsh words for those who had been misleading them, including over the matter of circumcision - v12 “As for the agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!”&nbsp; Strong words but what they were doing was wrong, destructive and needed calling out.
 
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True freedom is serving one another in love
 
&nbsp;So &hellip; in v13 we start to see that true freedom is not about doing what we want for ourselves, a life of no constraints, but carries responsibilities for others.&nbsp; Back to basics, Paul says, it all comes to loving your neighbour as yourself.&nbsp; We are free to do right and to glorify God through loving service of others.
&nbsp;The idea of freedom and responsibility being linked is not unique to Christianity.&nbsp; Albert Camus: “Freedom is not primarily constituted of privileges but of responsibilities”.
&nbsp;Charles Kingsley: “There are two freedoms.&nbsp; The false, where man is free to do what he likes: and the true, where he is free – and desires – to do what he ought”.
&nbsp;But for the Christians the motivation is to glorify God and the key to success is doing this not in our own strength or as an act of will, but with the inner resources that God supplies &hellip; through the Holy Spirit.&nbsp; Paul tells the Christians in Galatia what character the Holy Spirit is working in us to produce (we’ll come to that in a minute).&nbsp; But these character traits are almost all – if not all – about our relationships with others.
&nbsp;In their context in the letter, they are set in contrast to a list of behaviours which nearly all hurt other people in one way or another, v 19-21, including sexual immorality, hatred, discord, jealousy and fits of rage. The same is true in all the ethical passages in Paul’s letters.&nbsp; Godly living has everything to do with how we treat those around us.
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True freedom means crucifying the sinful nature
 
&nbsp;So, that’s simple then - just stop doing these bad things.&nbsp; How I wish it was as simple as that!&nbsp; Because I know and we all know as Christians, that our former sinful nature clings to us and isn’t easily shaken off.&nbsp; Paul describes the two forces conflicting within us – the Holy Spirit and the sinful nature (our evil desires or inclinations that stem from our bodies).&nbsp; Paul is not saying these forces are equal – the Holy Spirit is infinitely stronger.&nbsp; If we try to follow the Holy Spirit by own human effort we will fail.&nbsp; Our only way to freedom from our evil desires is through the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
&nbsp;We must deal with them decisively.&nbsp; We still have the capacity to sin, but we have been set free from sin’s power over us and no longer have to give in to it.&nbsp; In v24 Paul say that those who belong to Jesus, those who are his friends and followers, have crucified the sinful nature.
&nbsp;That’s a very strong word.&nbsp; Crucify is not electrocute, hang, or shoot.&nbsp; Crucifying is a slow death.&nbsp; So it means that these things are gradually dying.&nbsp; We say: I set my will against it each morning - against my capacity for anger, against my capacity for lust, against my capacity for pride &hellip; I set my will against it.&nbsp;&nbsp; I am going to be in step with the Spirit.&nbsp; We must daily commit our sinful tendencies to God’s control, daily crucify them, and moment by moment draw on the Spirit’s power to overcome them.
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True freedom keeps in step with the Holy Spirit
 
&nbsp;I have left the best to last in finally getting to v 22 where Paul spells out what the character traits are of someone who knows this true freedom that he has been talking about.&nbsp; He describes them as the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control.
&nbsp;Love means not having favourites but serving everyone and sacrificing yourself.&nbsp;
&nbsp; Joy is delight in God for who He is and not just for what He gives us. And it is recognising that God is in control.&nbsp;
&nbsp; Peace is the ability to trust in God and that He is in control &hellip; and so you become less anxious and less worried and more able to focus on others.&nbsp;
&nbsp; Patience is the ability to suffer and be wronged without melting down and becoming bitter.
&nbsp;Kindness is generosity as opposed to envy.&nbsp; It is a generosity of spirit.&nbsp; It delights to see others doing well and being lifted up, so there is no smallness of spirit here.&nbsp;
&nbsp; Goodness really means in the Greek sincerity or integrity &hellip; as opposed to hypocrisy.&nbsp; It’s being the same person in private and public. It’s being transparent.&nbsp; You are not spinning everything. You are the same person with everyone.&nbsp;
&nbsp; Faithfulness is being dependable.&nbsp; It’s being absolutely whole-hearted as opposed to half hearted, so you are reliable and dependable.&nbsp; We make promises and keep them, however much it costs.
&nbsp;Gentleness is a poor translation and the word is humility.&nbsp; It’s not thinking less of yourself – it is thinking of yourself less.&nbsp; It’s self-forgetfulness&nbsp; You are not self-obsessed and thinking about what others are thinking of you.&nbsp; It’s the opposite – we forget ourselves because our identity is in Christ.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Self-control is the ability to make the right choices.&nbsp;&nbsp; Self-control is to pick the important over the urgent, to not gratify the flesh, to just not go there.
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Notice that the word for fruit is singular not fruits.&nbsp; They are like the multiple facets of a beautiful cut diamond.
 
&nbsp;The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us.&nbsp; The Holy Spirit produces the character traits that are found in the nature of Christ,&nbsp; If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us we must join our lives to him.&nbsp; We must know him, love him, remember him and imitate Him.&nbsp; The fruit of the Spirit are the by-product of God’s control&nbsp; - we cannot obtain them by trying to get them without his help.
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So &hellip; True freedom is serving others in love, True freedom means crucifying the sinful nature &hellip; and True freedom keeps in step with the Holy Spirit.
 
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So what does this mean for us in practice today.&nbsp; Tim Keller, an American pastor, once said this : “Hearts can never be unlocked from the outside, only from the inside.&nbsp; Only God’s Spirit can go there”.&nbsp; If we want to enjoy the freedom that God wants us to enjoy, we need to walk in lock step with the Holy Spirit and be imitators of Christ.&nbsp; We must read the bible, pray, and be in fellowship with other Christians.&nbsp; These are the practical things that nourish us and equip us to serve others and bring glory to God.&nbsp; For many, this will not be things we haven’t heard before, but we need to remind ourselves and encourage each other to keep on keeping on in the Christian life.
 
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 Not Giving Up
The final thing I want to share with you in finishing is that, as I look at the freedom I experience as a Christian and long to see others experience the same - sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the world we live in and events going on around us.&nbsp; I know in my heart of hearts that I can be a light wherever it is that God places me but it seems so little when there is so much darkness around us.&nbsp; So much heart-break, inequality, loneliness and despair.&nbsp; A world in which wars rage, innocents are being slaughtered, tyrants rule mercilessly, climate catastrophe haunts us, economic forecasts are increasingly gloomy.
 
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There are times when it’s as if I am beginning to lose sight of the sovereignty of God – I cannot see that He is still really in control &hellip; in these dark times.&nbsp; This week I received an email from CMS, one of our mission partners, promoting what they are calling Not Giving Up Day.&nbsp; 2nd July, pretty much the midpoint of this year that seems so bleak humanly speaking, is when we are encouraged to join an online event and make the #NotGivingUp pledge.&nbsp; And I thought I would read this in finishing.&nbsp; These words may be helpful as we reflect on the responsibilities we have because of the freedom we enjoy in Christ, and to recommit to being light in the world and to serving others for God’s glory and that His kingdom might come.

 
Not Giving Up Pledge (see more from CMS <a href="https://churchmissionsociety.org/past-events/not-giving-up-day/#:~:text=I%20will%20look%20for%20God,Neither%20should%20I." target="_blank">here</a>)I’m not giving up.
I acknowledge that there might be many reasons to give up. On people. On hope. On the idea that things can ever change.
Yet, as a seeker or follower of Jesus, I know I am called to trust him through the storms.
Tough as that might be, I will persist in hope.
No people are beyond his reach. No place or space is beyond his love.
And so, at the midpoint of this turbulent year, I will look to him.
By God’s grace, I will choose curiosity over cynicism.
I will take risks.
I will turn my anger into action.
I will be generous.
I will love.
I will look for God at work at the edges.
I will join with other Jesus-followers and stubbornly love this world back to wholeness.
I can do this because I know Jesus never gives up.
Neither should I.

St Denys Church, Southampton

Freedom, Responsibility, Fruit & Not Giving Up! – Galatians 5 : 1, 13-25

Andrew M first preached this sermon at St Denys in July 2025. Speaking from Galatians 5 he reminds us that true freedom is serving others in love, true freedom means crucify...

Freedom, Responsibility, Fruit and Not Giving Up

This sermon was first preached by Marion H&nbsp;in June 2025 at St Denys. Through looking at this passage in Galatians 3:23-29 she reminds us 'we cannot earn our way to God, Jesus has done it all and we are saved by faith and the grace of God.&nbsp; We live in the freedom of Christ, and not as those under law. We are beloved children of God, who are clothed in Christ.&nbsp; Our social status, ethnic heritage, or gender make no difference to our Heavenly Father, he loves us because of who we are, his children, not because of what we are or what we might or might not achieve.&nbsp; And finally, we stand as heirs of that promise made to Abraham.'
 
I feel&nbsp; like I should give a bit of a disclaimer as we start to look at this morning's passage.&nbsp; In no shape or form am I a linguistics expert.&nbsp; If I tell you that I went to a school that specialized in French and I got nine percent in my O level French mocks, you will understand the scale of my language abilities!&nbsp; To get the maximum meaning out of this reading relies on the careful translation of Ancient Greek.&nbsp; You will therefore be pleased to hear that I have relied heavily on theologians and Greek scholars who are far more gifted than me!
 
The Galatian Problem
Before we start looking at this mornings passage, it would probably be helpful to have a little background.&nbsp; Let's start with who were the Galatians, where did they live and where did they come from?&nbsp; They were a group of mainly Gentiles, living in central Anatolia in what is now the northern area of modern day Turkey.&nbsp; They were called Galatians because they were of Celtic origin and had originally come from Gaul, the ancient name for France, (fans of Asterix the Gaul will know this!). So their name meant people from Gaul.&nbsp; They had invaded Greece in the third century BC and migrated to Anatolia.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The letter to the Galatians was written by the Apostle Paul.&nbsp; He wrote to the churches in that region following his missionary journeys there, in this case, accompanied by Barnabas. The letter was addressed to the churches of Galatia, so more than one.&nbsp; He wrote this letter to address an issue that made Paul angry.&nbsp; One commentary I read described Paul as very angry and another as livid.&nbsp; When I say that at the beginning of Chapter 3 Paul addresses his readers as 'you foolish Galatians' I think we can get the picture that Paul was not just a&nbsp; bit upset, he was proper angry!!&nbsp; So what had caused this state of affairs?
Paul and Barnabas had previously travelled through this area preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead.&nbsp; Many came to believe, put their trust in Jesus, decided to follow him and were baptized. A little later Paul heard that another Jewish missionary party had come, sometimes referred to as the Judaizers, who told the new converts that in order to follow Jesus, they also had to accept some of the law given to Moses, particularly regarding circumcision and the food regulations.&nbsp; Now&nbsp; I have been on many outreach missions and I can only imagine the effect these days, on a bunch of grown men, being told that circumcision was part of the deal!&nbsp; I imagine it wasn't much better received 2000 years ago, before anaesthesia! In effect, these missionaries were saying that faith alone in Jesus was not enough for salvation, they also had to follow the law.
So let's turn to this mornings passage and see how Paul addresses this.&nbsp; When I read this passage to prepare for this morning there were a few things that really stood out.&nbsp; Firstly we are saved by faith and the grace of God not by our own works.&nbsp; We are one big family, all our cultural and social divisions do not matter as through faith in Jesus Christ we are reconciled to God and one another as the Children of God, and we are clothed in Christ.&nbsp; We are also heirs of the promise that God gave to Abraham.&nbsp; So let's explore this a bit further.
 
#1 We are Saved By Faith (not by our own works)
At the beginning of this letter, in Galatians Chapter 1, Paul sounds incredulous that people would put themselves back under the constrictions of the law when they had been living in the freedom that faith in Christ had given them. In verse 24 of this passage Paul explains that living under the law was only a temporary measure that would lead people to Christ when he came to fulfill the law.&nbsp; That following belief in Christ we are all able to live in the freedom that such faith brings.&nbsp; In Matthew 5:17 Jesus said "I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it".&nbsp; One of the Greek words Paul uses to describe the law means guardian, so he is saying that God gave the law to Moses as a way of keeping the people safe and by guiding them in the way to live their lives.&nbsp; Remember guardians are usually given to those who are under age, so Paul was saying that the law was given until people could grow up in the fullness of Christ. The law&nbsp; was not meant as a way to totally reconcile people to God, that could only come by faith.&nbsp; I remember standing here a few months ago and quoting Genesis 15:6 "Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness".&nbsp; I said this was one of the most important verses in the Old Testament as it was the first example of salvation, that is being made righteous with God, by faith alone and not in keeping the law.
&nbsp;I think it is important for us to remember that Jesus was not God's plan B when humankind had failed to keep the law.&nbsp; Jesus was always God's plan A!&nbsp; The law was simply there to point people in the right direction until the coming of Jesus the Messiah, when by the grace of God, those who came to believe in him would be saved. The famous Christian writer John Stott said"God gave the law in his grace in order to make the promise (that is Jesus,) more desirable".
Salvation by faith sometimes raises questions about good works, along the lines of well don't they matter any more?&nbsp; Another name for good works is works of love.&nbsp; If we love someone we often want to show our love in large or small&nbsp; acts of kindness and it is the same in showing our love for God and those around us.&nbsp; As Simon said last week there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, we cannot earn God's love and approval. This is all part of our freedom in Christ, as opposed to living under the law.&nbsp; We do not need a list of good works so long that it would make Mother Teresa look lazy, God already loves us more than we can imagine, all we have to do is believe.
 
#2 We are One Big Family &&nbsp;Clothed in Christ
In verses 26 & 27 Paul goes on to describe all believers as Children of God, accepted and forgiven by the Father.&nbsp; He is implying that we are grown up children as in verse 27 where he says that we are clothed in Christ, the Greek words used refer to the toga virilis which a boy would put on to show that he had entered manhood, a sign that he had grown up.&nbsp; To be clothed in Christ is a call to believers to identify with Christ and live a life that reflects his character. So Paul is saying as God's grown up children we can enjoy the privilege and status of being heirs of his Kingdom.&nbsp;&nbsp;
In verse 28 the words Paul use literally mean you are all one person in Christ. All the social, cultural and racial boundaries are not important to God, before him we are all his children, of equal worth and status. Of course the boundaries remained and still remain to a greater or lesser extent in society, and particularly at the time of Paul when we think of slave and free, but Paul is emphasizing that this is not the case in the Kingdom of God, we are all one in Christ.&nbsp; We are reconciled with God and with each other.&nbsp;&nbsp;
There is an old hymn that says&nbsp; “In Christ there is no East or West, in him no South or North, but one great fellowship of love across the whole wide earth.” That is what the God given work of reconciliation is there to achieve, but for now, that is a work of faith, as it is not what we see when we look at the world.&nbsp; Last week I found a quote on a Celtic Christian website that said "Faith is seeing light with your heart when all your eyes see is darkness." So we can pray that we are given the faith to hold the promise of peace from God in the light of our hearts, when our eyes see a lot of strife and darkness around us. This is truly what it means to walk by faith and not by sight. To concentrate on the promises of God and not on the circumstances that surround us.&nbsp; We can look at our increasingly troubled world and remember that some of Jesus's final words to his disciples was a promise of peace 'My peace I leave with you' and it is that promise we need to hold by faith in violent circumstances.&nbsp; God's truth is peace.&nbsp; It doesn't mean that we can ignore the circumstances, but it means we can look at them and pray for them in the hope of God's promises.
 
#3 We are Heirs of A Promise
Paul finishes this morning's passage by telling his readers that they, and by implication us as well, are heirs of the promise given to Abraham.&nbsp; If you want to read the full story can I suggest that you look at Genesis 15.&nbsp; In short, God promised Abraham that from his seed, that is his descendents, would come a blessing for all nations.&nbsp; Jesus was that seed and through him all nations have been blessed as he offers salvation to all who have faith in him.&nbsp; As heirs of the promise it is not just that we are blessed by this grace, but it is our role to make sure others hear about the good news that Jesus brings.&nbsp; As heirs of Abraham we gain an identity.&nbsp; We cannot think of ourselves as being insignificant in history, we can take our place in the noble succession of people of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11.&nbsp; This is our place in the unfolding purposes of God. In Christ we find our identity.&nbsp; When we are in Christ we find our place in eternity, related to God as his sons and daughters.&nbsp; We find our place in society, related to each other in one family and we find our place in history, related to the succession of God's people through the ages.
 
Jesus Has Made So Much Possible
So to recap, we cannot earn our way to God, Jesus has done it all and we are saved by faith and the grace of God.&nbsp; We live in the freedom of Christ, and not as those under law. We are beloved children of God, who are clothed in Christ.&nbsp; Our social status, ethnic heritage, or gender make no difference to our Heavenly Father, he loves us because of who we are, his children, not because of what we are or what we might or might not achieve.&nbsp; And finally, we stand as heirs of that promise made to Abraham.&nbsp; I find it incredible that a promise made over 4,000 years ago affects me today. That I am saved, put right with God, because of Jesus whom God said would come as a blessing to all humankind.&nbsp; I shouldn't be surprised that the promise has lasted that long, this was not a promise made by humans but by the loving, faithful God we follow, worship and serve.&nbsp; &nbsp;Amen.

This sermon was first preached by Marion H in June 2025 at St Denys. Through looking at this passage in Galatians 3:23-29 she reminds us 'we cannot earn our way to God, Jesus has done it all and we are saved by faith and the grace of God. We live ...

Jesus is Enough, and So...

St Denys Church Garden – Summer wildlife blog June 2025
For a number of years now we have let some of the grass in the church grounds grow longer during the summer to create a wildlife habitat. We have also encouraged native wildflowers ranging from meadow buttercups, knapweed and oxeye daisies. This meadow is home for butterflies including meadow brown and – for the first time this year – small skipper, together with buff-tailed and red-tailed bumblebees.
 
The lime trees are home to common nesting birds including woodpigeons and at least two of the nestboxes were used this year, both by great tits. We were delighted to find another first this year – a caterpillar of the lime hawkmoth. Earlier this year we had to lose a birch tree which was slowly rotting and in danger of falling, We have left these logs in shady corners because they provide a habitat for dozens of life forms including stag beetles which appear regularly each summer. They have also been used to make seats for the many human visitors who enjoy sitting under the trees.
 
We hope passers by will read the signs explaining why the grass has been left to grow longer and get a glimpse of a passing butterfly&hellip; come the autumn we’ll cut it back and remove the clippings to encourage wildflower seeds to germinate. Please let us know if you see any wildlife!
<figure><img src="https://edge.churchdesk.com/non/ckeditorlarge/public/o/2354/1_4.jpg" data-image="2285901"></figure>

For a number of years now we have let some of the grass in the church grounds grow longer during the summer to create a wildlife habitat...

Gardening for Nature & People: news from the church grounds 2025

All the 'Creation' dates for the rest of the year now available here.

Freedom, Responsibility, Fruit and Not Giving Up

Jesus is Enough, and So...

Gardening for Nature & People: news from the church grounds 2025

Dates for Creation: June to December 2025