LEGALISM AS IT RELATES TO SANCTIFICATION

LEGALISM AS IT RELATES TO SANCTIFICATION                                                                     2-17-2019        Duluth Bible sermons
As we are prone to be legalistic in the area of being justified, we are prone to be legalistic in our life as a believer in Christ. It carries over to the attitude of belief which seeks to earn or deserve blessings from God by rituals or good works. Just as our justification comes from believing in the finished work of Christ by grace, so does our walk as a child of God comes by grace through faith.  Col. 2:6-7  “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and  established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”  You have received Christ by faith so in the same fashion we are to live our life as Christ as our substitute for living as He was our substitute for our penalty for sin.  Phil. 1:21 “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  Phil 2:13-14: “for it is God who works in both to will and to do for His good pleasure... Do all things without complaining and disputing (grumbling and arguing).”

I. Christ life in a nutshell.  GAL. 2:20 “I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST; IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME; AND THE LIFE WHICH I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME.”
     A. Position in Christ-I have been Crucified with Christ is my position, placed in Union with Christ not law keeping,
           1. Seated in the heavenlies.
           2. Dead to sin.
           3. Dead to the world system
           4. Died to legalism
           5. Died to Satan.
     B. Past Bondage. “it is no longer I who live-bondage to the flesh that elevates “I”.
     C. Power source-“Christ lives in me-is my new source of energy. He is now living in me. Because He says so say not because I feel so.
     D. New parameter- “and life I now live in the flesh” human body –subject to new time-eternal life
     E. Personal dependence-“I live by faith in the Son of God-Christ is our focus
      F. Personal love-who gave Himself for me.
                                                                                                                 BODY
                                  
                                                                                              SPIRIT                             SOUL-Mentality
                                                                                                   God consciousness             emotions
                                                                                                                                                  volition


                                                                                                HOLY SPIRIT
                                                                                                        -enables you to glorify Christ.
                                                                                                                                          OLD SIN NATURE
                                                                                                                                                         Me first, always a problem,
                                                                                                                                                           attracted to the world
                                                                                                                                                           Human good , attracted toward legalism










        G. Thoughts to consider when under Spirits control.                                                      H. Thought to consider under power of Flesh.
                     Spirit will teach through the Word His divine view point about Christ.                  Carnal person can still pray, give, go to church but carnal.
                     Teach through the principle of Grace.                                                                           Can be morally fine, but still carnal
                     Promises to claim and what the will of God is and is not.                                          If you don’t understand carnality and legalism, you are lead to believe
                     Enjoying His presence that He gave Himself for you                                                                         you are a fine good Christian when you are not
                    We are to walk by faith and leave the rest to God.                                                       Legalism always takes your focus off Christ.
         I. Modern day legalism is statements like doing your best for Christ. We are to do heartily unto the Lord. We don’t do this to be spiritual, we do it because we are
           spiritual. A believer is told to wake up and get to work for Jesus.  Try your best and leave the rest to God. Try harder and dedicate harder to please God.



       


 I.
THERE IS LEGALISTIC TEACHING OF SPIRITUALITY BY LAW KEEPING. Foolish to begun in the spirit and go to the law for sanctification Gal. 3:1-3.  People Justified by
    faith and sanctified by law keeping.  (Mental attitude by doing these things will merit favor with God).  You are better than believers if you don’t practice these
    things.
     A. List of does and don’ts of the past. Going to the movies, smoking, drinking, and attending restaurants that sell alcohol, long hair is the sign of rebellion, wearing
          leather jackets, hot pants, hanging around with the wrong crowd. Dancing, having tattoos and pierced body parts. Mixed swimming, listening to Rock and roll  
          music, looking at TV.  Seeing violent movies or reading books of the same. Keeping the Sabbath, not eating meat, fasting, praying at 5 AM. No playing games on
         Sunday. A to do list to help you buy up your time. Give til it hurts, Keep 10% and give the rest. Sell your possessions and goods and give to the needy (Acts 2:45).
        Purpose driven life can focus on doing for God in place of Spirit power in you.

     B. This list can have some value but it does not make you spiritual or close to God that He will more likely answer your prayers. Ask yourself if these things are
          expedient to glorify God

II THERE IS THE LEGALISTIC TEACHING OF SPIRITUALITY BY RITUALISM.  Rom. 6:3; I Cor. 12:13
     A. Water Baptism-it pictures our positional truth we have in Christ who sits in the heavenlies.
         1. Mark 16:16 “He who believe and is baptized will be saved; but who does not believe will be condemned”
         2. Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said to them “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive
             the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
         3. Matt. 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
         4. All these verses has to do identify yourself with the Christ like the wedding ring identify you being married.  The ring does not make you married.
         5. Not meant to be used for church membership.  Some require you to be Baptize to be a member. Not first step of obedience.
       B. Lord’s Supper shows us conditional truth.  1 Cor. 11:23-32
            1. Teaches us to examine ourselves to see if we do it unworthy (in carnality-mental attitude sins reside in your heart).
            2. Teach us to judge the sin that makes us carnal at the cross by means of I Jon 1:9. Warning of being weak in the faith, sick and death among them.
            3. Steadfast in the liberty that we have in Christ not use of ritual of circumcision.   Gal. 5: 1-4   Read
                  a. The word in verse 4 “estranged means still married but not in fellowship
                  b. The phrase “fallen from grace” means the legalist believer puts himself in bondage to the power of the flesh not the power of God.

III. THERE IS THE LEGALISTIC TEACHING OF OBSERVING HOLY DAYS.
        A. Gal. 4:9-10  “But now  after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you  turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you
             desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. “These things are only shadows to what have. Why go after the shadow
              while you have the real deal.  Christmas. Easter, lent.
        B. Col. 2: 16-17 “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the
              substance is Christ.  Observing Holy days or not observing holy days does not matter.
        C. Every day is a Holy Day when we see each day is given to us to glorify the Lord.

IV. THERE IS LEGALISTIC TEACHING OF CONFUSING SPIRITUALITY WITH MORALITY AND ASCETICISM.
         A. In our flesh you can be moral.  Some unbelievers are more moral than believers.  They live according to their conscience.
         B. You can be Moral and yet carnal.  But you can’t be spiritual and immoral.
         C. The spiritual person is enjoying Christ’s presence by His thought on scripture, mind the things above, peace of God, Joy of the Lord and answered prayers.
               1. Not walking in darkness. I John 1:6-7
               2. Love of God shed abroad in our heart (I Cor. 13:4-7)
               3. Fruit of the Spirit   Gal 5:20
               4. Bear fruit principle instead of producing fruit. John 15: 4-5
                5. Shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  Gal. 5:16
           D. Many churches have nice programs but dead as door nail. Rev. 3: 14-20 Have the idea that no need of anything. Content with niceness. Everything going so
                well. Nice looking population.
           E. Asceticism is the thinking that this self-denial of not eating certain foods, drinking, not marrying. Not eating meats, would make them a better Christian.
                Fasting, meditation, quite time, Yoga could fall into this if done to get Christ to answer your prayers and be able to discern God’s will better.  Col. 2:18-23
                Summary is that perfection could be achieved through self-denial and abstinence from pleasure.


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