Make Way, The Spirit is Working

Text

Galatians 3:1-14.

Introduction

Paul closes chap. 2 with an interesting thought that he “died to the Law” in order to “live for Christ” - this means that keeping law (the system of bondage) cannot work side by side with Jesus and his gospel.

Nothing that is put with the gospel can result in righteousness: no program, policy or preference. No standard from the imagination of men. No rudiments of the world.

It continues to be Christ plus nothing else = SALVATION

Paul said I stopped trying to meet the requirements of the Law so that I can be free to live for Christ and let Christ live in me.

When we are busy trying to maintain and keep up with church creeds and codes of conduct, you have no time to FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS!

These are the shackles that must be loosed to ensure I am properly and securely in Jesus

For Paul and the Galatians, the shackle of the Law must be discarded so that they can be totally wrapped up in Jesus.

Paul strengthens this point even further when he states, “if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die”

If there were other things besides Christ, then I don’t need Christ, His death was in vain.

Truth is, it doesn’t matter what we are or think we are. It doesn’t matter what he have; skill, intelligence or experience.

In the economy of salvation, WE COME UP SHORT. We could not save ourselves.

We needed Jesus and the gospel. . .and we still need it right now

This is why Paul spends the time to “get the gospel right”.

Paul, in chapters three and four allow us to get an insight into the major doctrinal theme of the book: Justification by faith in Jesus alone.

For those who might be wondering what JUSTIFICATION is,

It is the activity of God where He declares you as righteous based on your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. He makes you as though you had never sinned on the account of Jesus.

This rightness that God brings you into, is based on himself.

THANK GOD FOR JESUS!

If it had not been for the Lord; there’d be no life, no salvation, no hope! We’d be stuck without a way to get out of this situation. Thank God He loved us so much, that He allowed Jesus to take our place on the cross, die in our stead, be raised the third day so that for those who obey,

He can declare: RIGHTEOUS

That is the only message man needs to hear, so that they can be saved.

Our Text

Our text takes us to an interesting place

There are really two things to highlight:

The role of the Holy Spirit in our salvation

This salvation was given in promise and received by faith

# 1 - The Role of The Holy Spirit

This is a major point in the book. The theology Paul explains is to get the Galatians to act according to their calling

Don’t make the mistake and think this book is just to meant to give a didactic dissertation only to leave us devoid of a responsibility to apply it its teachings.

Paul wants them to back right and to be right, but you can’t do that with a gospel that you added requirements to.

A church will never be what God wants it to be if we keep sidestepping the plain gospel for familiar practices and preferences.

What we end up with is a system of doing things and doing it well, but we lack love, joy, peace, long-suffering, forsaking the assembling of ourselves, always ready to start a new church because I can’t get my way, full of strife, lacking a life and ministry of prayer.

That’s what we get when we don’t exalt the gospel ALONE

But I think all is well because the pews are clean and straight. The floor is clean and the building is cool and the yard is trimmed. The ministry exists. The worship service goes off without a hitch and blessed be the name of God, it ends on time. Those that officiate brought their ties -

And because those things are covered we are deluded into thinking all is well. And we think we’re doing church right because of that. We think we are transformed

Are we?

This is not just a theological exercise - it leads to a practice of your faith.

Paul is saying, this is where the SPIRIT comes in.

Galatians 3:1 “1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?”

This was explained so well it was though you saw a picture of Christ on the cross yourself - This explains the shock Paul felt in Gal 1:6.

Galatians 3:2 “2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

They received the Spirit when they obeyed the gospel (Acts 2:37-38).

Paul establishes that it was their faith in what they heard (THE GOSPEL - which stands in contrast to what they are hearing now)

Galatians 3:3 “3 Are you so foolish? Having begun (aorist middle) by the Spirit, are you now being perfected (present, passive) by the flesh?”

“Having begun” indicates that a starting point of a process

“Being perfected” indicates an ongoing process

The Holy Spirit was instrumental in our conversion but He did not go dormant, He continues to work.

When this different gospel came to the Galatians, it threatened this perfection that will be made by the Holy Spirit

So do not think Paul is just ranting about freedom because he wishes to become popular, nor is he interested in pushing the envelope

This “Christ-plus” doctrine will stop the work that the Spirit is doing in the believer

Look at the Spirit at work

John 3:5 “5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Acts 2:38 “38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Titus 3:5 “5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,” [Salvation not only involved God’s mercy, but the Spirit’s renewal]

This regeneration means renewal, rebirth, new age, the beginning of a person and renewing of the Holy Spirit - The Spirit began something new in you when you were saved.

Romans 8:16 “16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,”

1 Corinthians 6:11 “11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Ephesians 1:13 “13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,” - Notice what Paul says, the Holy Spirit of promise!!!!

It all ties together

The Holy Spirit played and continues to play a vital role in our conversion and transformation. His role is linked by Paul to the gospel that was preached by the apostles, which they believed.

If that gospel is taken away, if it is perverted, if it is paired with anything else. . . Paul argues, the Spirit cannot finish what it started

That’s how detrimental, another gospel is!

APPL. Embrace the Spirit’s work, by submitting to what He teaches - The churches were encourage to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches” - What they actually heard was the word.

APPL. That means I need to study. I need to tune in to Bible Study. I’m getting an opportunity to hear the word, which means I’m getting an opportunity to listen to the Spirit.

We don’t always like what He has to say, because we enjoy what we do.

Some of us are listening to the wrong spirit

James 3:13–15 “13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.”

And another reason why we need to get the gospel right is that those in the world have “a spirit working in them, that is not of God” (Eph 2:2.)

Perverting the gospel only prevents the Spirit’s work.

This lament certainly hits home

Galatians 3:4–5 “4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

#2 - The Role of The Promise

This is where you might say, he segues, and gets back on the thought in vs. 14.

To solidify this point (of the Spirit), and his point about justification - he introduces a historical figure that gave a prelude to Jesus.

So, you’re trusting law to give you righteousness

To that, Paul says Galatians 3:6 “6 Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

Abram predated the law, the promise predated the law

SO you’re trusting in a temporary system that ushered the way for the permanent solution.

This is serious. Galatians 5:4 “4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”

The real ones are those who believe in Jesus

Galatians 3:7 “7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.” - if you go back to the Law, don’t dare say you’re from Abraham [this was something Jews prided themselves in] - Jn 8:33.

It’s the same now

Galatians 3:8–9 “8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” - be a believer, not a law-keeper

For those seeking justification by law

Galatians 3:10–12 “10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” 11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” 12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.””

No one was able to do this. For those who try to do it now, the curse remains because your guilty of all, if you are found guilty of one.

The alternative is faith in Jesus/gospel/the message they heard.

Trying to have this system now doesn’t encourage faith!

Thank God for Jesus

Because of Him, we don’t have to worry about this system anymore. Additionally, we should not now today, try to create such systems. We should not try to make the gospel of Jesus Christ the updated Law of Moses

Galatians 3:13 “13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—”

The reason He died is to fulfill what was being jeopardized in vs. 1-5

The issue of trying to finish in the flesh, what began in the Spirit.

This promise was made a long time ago, but God fulfilled it.

These agitators cannot be allowed to nullify or dismiss what God had promised

Or, is this all in vain.

To trust in the flesh (Flesh in the context wasn’t sin [vs. 3]) Galatians 3:3 “3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

The flesh is referring to a system of operation (that they sought to bind on Gentiles) that brings rightness with God.

Paul is saying, based on the promise God made to Abraham, that will not work.

MAKE WAY, THE SPIRIT IS WORKING!

Stop trusting in your plan, why not entrust your plan to God

Proverbs 16:9 “9 The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” Psalm 37:23 “23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way.”

Trust in the Lord, let go of the hindrances and yokes. Drop the shackles and reconnect with God

You could be doing a thing that’s right, and still not be right with God

Remember the Pharisee that fasted?

Luke 18:9–14 “9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.””

This is not primarily a shift in practices as it is a shift in mindset

MAKE WAY, THE SPIRIT IS WORKING