So do Lutheran Christians believe that because we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, that the life that follows matters not? Do we believe that since God forgives us, that we can go and do “whatever we want?” See Romans 6 to destroy this terribly mistaken assumption.

We do not believe in “cheap grace.” To receive God’s grace in Christ and to have faith in Jesus translates into transformation. To live for God and to please Him becomes our heart-felt desire and drive. You are now “set free” to live for God.

Our text is from Galatians 5 which is one of the most vivid and powerful portions of God’s Holy Word which teaches and explains the Christian life. You will not want to miss this sermon.

Invite a friend. Share the Word of Life!

Even more, not only will you be equipped in receiving the teaching on sanctification from Galatians 5, you will also receive the medicine of immortality: the body and blood of Jesus Christ which is God’s antidote against sin and death!

Also, we will welcome Rev. Mark Jasa (of University Lutheran Chapel, UCLA) who will present our Vacation Bible School children’s message as we celebrate the 60 Christians who participated in the VBS of this past week which proclaimed and taught the Lord’s Prayer streaming from our lives in Christ.

I hope to see you dear Christian.

You are loved.

Here is an excerpt from tomorrow’s sermon on Galatians 5:

So what comes next is that blueprint, pattern, and form I mentioned before. Saint Paul teaches us what fleshly rebellion looks like on the one hand; and then he teaches us what spiritual freedom looks like. He gives in Galatians 5, sixteen snapshots of the life of the flesh which lives against God; and 9 snapshots of the life of the Spirit which loves and honors God. One way leads to hell, the other leads to heaven. Here they are, but first a vital qualifier:

 

Saint Paul writes this about the life of the flesh I’m about to present:

 

Galatians 5:21b: “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

 

The verb is present tense and is denoting a constant action. We must understand that Saint Paul is describing persistent, intentional, deliberate, habitual, and again — constant — behavior. Scripture is describing a life-style which plans to do these and intends to remain in these. All of this is to say that this section of God’s Word is NOT describing sins of weakness! The Christian will certainly be able to relate to these sins, but not in the sense of embracing them, but in the sense of forsaking them!

 

But it is important that we have a little more to go on for such an important matter. How can we discern the difference? I’ve written this chart to help (note: because the Christian has a sinful nature, the Christian can understand the column on the right (even from experience), but the Christian also constantly knows the column on the left, something which the hypocrite does NOT relate to):

 

 Christian Sinning in Weakness vs Hypocrite Deceiving Himself

 

1.      Relates to the catalog;           1. Revels in the catalog

2.      Hates the sins;                           2. Approves the sins

3.      Is battling these sins;             3. Is planning these sins

4.      Disrupts & undulates;            4. Persists in & practices

5.      Battles guilt & shame;            5. Battles getting caught

6.      Confesses with heart;             6. Confesses with mouth

7.      Remission of Sins;                   7. Permission to Sin

 

In Your Service and To Christ’s Glory,

 

Pastor Espinosa