Living free part 2

We are continuing into part 2 of our series Living Free, going through the book of Galatians. If you weren’t here last week we talked about the Gospel of Grace and that it is free to receive. We don’t have to work for it, and we can’t work hard enough to receive it

We receive it by faith. Ephesians 2:10 says “It is grace through faith, not of our own works” And when we sit and think about it, and analyze it, it’s difficult for us to fully trust that. We think that there has to be more to it, in our minds we say there’s no possible it’s that easy. Our whole lives we have to work to earn something. We have to work to earn money, we have to work at maintaining relationships, we have to work to survive so surely we would have to work to earn favor with God right? That’s what the Galatians thought. They received the Gospel of grace and faith and have been reconciled through Christ, but then they thought there has to be more to it, and wouldn’t you know Jewish missionaries come through and try to confirm that lie by selling it as a truth and when Paul hears this he is very upset and conveys that in chapter 3

3:1-3 - You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?

Paul saying “Hey you goofballs! Do you think you can progress by going backwards? Do you reach maturity by behaving and thinking as a child? You have been blinded to the truth!”

I know its true for me, as for some of you in here, that when God gives me something I’m too quick to take it in my own hands and make it happen by my own power. And every time I do, I not only ruin it but I add stress and problems to myself that could have been avoided if I just simply believed.

Dallas Willard said “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action.” Our human nature is to work, and what Willard is saying is yes there is a natural responsibility to pursue God, but when our pursuit turns into performance we become a threat to grace because we’re too busy thinking about ourselves.

Verse 4- “Did you experience, so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? 5 So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard—6 just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness?”

Did God save you, take you from shame to salvation. From depression to appreciation, from being lost to be found, from lonely to loved for NOTHING? Did he heal your mind and heal your body, work miracles in your family, broke off the generational curses because you were working up the ranks and deserve it OR…did God do that because He loves you and you said yes to him? Abraham was blessed, because of his belief. God promised him that his lineage would outnumber the stars in the sky and all the nations will be blessed because he believed in His heart that God would do for Him what He couldn’t do for himself, and the full embodiment of that promise is rooted in a seed and that seed is revealed to be Jesus Christ. Therefore, Abraham’s lineage, those who will inherit his blessing, are those who put their faith in God.

Here are three truths to the Gospel of faith

#1- The Gospel of Faith brings an INHERITANCE

When you get an inheritance, you receive something of immense value, not because you earned it but because somewhere in history there was an agreement about passing down this item or possession through the family line. In Biblical times, the firstborn son would be the recipient of all the treasure and notoriety once the father passed away. Where did that start? In Genesis with Abraham. Abraham has Isaac, and Isaac has Jacob and Esau with Esau being the firstborn and this is possibly the most wellknown story in the Bible regarding an inheritance, because we read that Esau sells his birthright to the inheritance to Jacob for a bowl of soup

In more modern context, The Royal Family of England preserve a historic inheritance that go back thousands of years and the inheritance has to do with respect, honor, and authority to rule over the land

For us here, our inheritance is the Kingdom of Heaven through Jesus

I’m going to read several scriptures in a row so stay with me

Titus 3:7 CSB

so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.

Colossians 1:12 CSB

giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.

Ephesians 1:13–14 (CSB)

In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

Revelation 21:7 CSB

The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.

1 Peter 1:4 CSB

and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

Galatians 3:28–29 CSB

There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.

And there’s 60 more verses I could find for you, but this just goes to show that through faith you receive an inheritance that has its origin before time began and will still be yours after time ends. You inherit God, God gives you this authority through Christ and with it you have power to overcome any troubles in this life, to overcome Satan and his demons, and when we reach Heaven our inheritance through Christ gives us authority to judge angels. And you did nothing to earn that. All you did was accept the gift that God already wanted to give you.

#2- The Gospel of Faith brings FREEDOM