Marks of Discipleship – Liberated to Love Galatians 5:13-15

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another.

1. You can’t have one without the other – LOVE and FREEDOM (verse 13) "Love does not seek its own" 1 Corinthians 13:5 “Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God. So, since we're out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we're free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you've let sin tell you what to do.” Romans 6:14-16

2. You have been set FREE to love (vs 14) “Then an expert in Moses' Teachings stood up to test Jesus. He asked, ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, ‘What is written in Moses' Teachings? What do you read there?’ He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind.' And 'Love your neighbour as you love yourself.'" Jesus told him, "You're right! Do this, and life will be yours." Luke 10:25-28 GW “Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do. Our firm decision is to work from this focused centre: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat.” 2 Corinthians 5:14 “This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9 MSG

“Does this mean that by this faith we do away with the Law? No, not at all; instead, we uphold the Law.” Romans 3:31 GNB “Pay your debts as they come due. However, one debt you can never finish paying is the debt of love that you owe each other. The one who loves another person has fulfilled Moses' Teachings. The commandments, "Never commit adultery; never murder; never steal; never have wrong desires," and every other commandment are summed up in this statement: "Love your neighbour as you love yourself." Love never does anything that is harmful to a neighbour. Therefore, love fulfils Moses' Teachings.” Romans 13:8-10 GW

3. Warning against a love VACUUM (verse 15) “And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you.” 1 Thessalonians 3:12 MSG

Response Pray for the person on your right and left that they will be enabled by God’s Spirit to “love their neighbour as themselves”.