Sermon Title:A Threat Against the Gospel

Galatians 3:1-5 NASB

Introduction

In the passages for today’s sermon, the Apostle Paul is responding to the many challenges that are taking place in the congregations in Galatia. The identical challenges are present in today’s society and quite possibly in our congregation. The situation is complex when we try to find a relationship between Law/Torah and faith. The primary question in Galatia and today’s society exactly who are the people of God? What is Paul's Letter to the Galatians about? How does it affect me and my family? What What is the central issue? What is going on from Paul's point of view? What is God trying to tell me?

Are the Gentiles followers of Christ members of God, despite their converting to Judaism?

Is covenantal Nomism the central threat, (explain during sermon)?

Who and what are Judaizers? What role do they play?

How do I apply Paul’s challenges and remedies to present living?

Before we begin with today’s message let us open up in a Word of prayer:

Heavenly Father, we openly confess and boldly proclaim that You are the one and the only true living God. We are so thankful that You sent Your Son Jesus down as our redeemer. Father we are so thankful that our salvation is not based on the good things that I do to please You, but on the good work that Christ did on the Cross on my behalf. Father I pray the you give us discernment we listen to Your message and give us understanding as we Paul’s message of Faith versus the Law. Keep us from trying to add to Christ's finished work on the Cross, but may we live our life in a manner that is pleasing to You, as we die to self and live for Christ. In Jesus' name we pray, AMEN.

Open your Bibles to Galatians 3:1-5;; Galatians chapter 3 verses 1-5… I still hear hear pages turning… when you get there say Amen, the Word of God reads as this:

Galatians 3: 1-5 NASB

New American Standard Bible - NASB 2020 Chapter 3

1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 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 works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

Attention Raiser

Whenever I am teaching/preaching, I always ask listeners to take notes. To write things down and perhaps even highlight the material. As a word of caution, I am human, so sometimes and a lot of times I make mistakes and perhaps not clearly articulate the scriptures to everyone who is listening. There is only one person who is perfect and never makes a mistake, that is the Man above.

So you, the body of Christ must write down the material or highlight it on your electronic device, “study it out”! After, Go home, and read it for yourself to make sure get an understanding of Scriptures. Sometimes a teacher or person may get “carnal “ and not preach or teach with the Spirit present in them. The modern preaching of taking a verse out of context and preaching a message from it with a theme of self-improvement is the reason the nation is becoming so spiritually impoverished (1 Peter 2:2 NASB).

I have one more disclaimer before we begin. The Bible is the inerrant Word of God. There is no mistake in the Bible; even the periods, question marks or commas. If you find one mistake in the Bible, show me and prove it to me, and I will stop reading it, and tell everyone I know to do the same.

Central Issue ( The Nitty Gritty)

A few moments ago I mentioned the term Nomism. This is the central issue of the Pauls Letter to Galatians. Nomism originates from the Greek word “nomos”, which means "Law." Nomism references a religious system governed by rules and regulations with the idea that one can become acceptable to God by such observance. Nomism may be expressed in mere conformity and sometimes in sincere, heartfelt obedience. Either indication can be described as Nomism

Let me paint the picture for you:

In our culture the grudge against the Bible comes from those who insist that God is love and there are a million ways to get to Him. They abhor the narrow nature of Christ alone and final judgment. It is the opposite of Paul's opponents who wanted the way to be narrower.

Today’s society wants the way to God to be so broad it accepts anything. Is faith in Christ's sacrifice enough? Is it too narrow? Paul tells us it is wide enough for all, but faith in Jesus is required (Ephesians 2:8,9). It is wide enough for all in that Christ died for all who will receive Him (Romans 3:22).

It is narrow in that it requires us to humble ourselves and realize it is only what Jesus did on our behalf that can save us. Only His righteousness is acceptable to God, and it is ours only by His gracious gift.

The Book of Galatians was written by Paul around 48-52 AD. The authorship of this Letter is determined by the opening in Galatians 1:1 NASB and the body of the Epistle in Galatians 5:2 NASB. Chapters one and two of Galatians are real-life autobiographies; this determination is evident because the chapters discuss Paul's activities in the first person. These activities also agree with those mentioned in the Book of Acts chapter 9.

The audience intended for Paul’s writings is a question. Paul addresses the Letters to the churches of Galatia (Galatians 1:1-5 NASB); however, the address is a region, not a city. The area of Galatia was in central Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey. It is unknown whether the destination was the northern territory of Galatia, the southern province of Galatia, or possibly both, as it was a circular letter addressed to more than one church. It is not sure when Paul wrote the Letter; it could have been written as early as AD 48, just a few years after the ascension of our Lord into Heaven.

Now enter the Judaizers.

In the Book of Galatians, Paul wrote against Nomism (legalism). The nomism individuals Paul encountered were also called Judaizers (Galatians 1:1-24 NASB). They taught that, besides faith in Christ, a person must submit to the Old Testament Law to be saved. They were not prescribing the Law as a code of conduct but as a means of salvation.

The Law that they were emphasizing was circumcision for Gentile believers. Since circumcision was the rite of conversion to Judaism, the nomists probably had in mind that the circumcised Gentile would then keep all the other laws as well (Galatians 5:3 NASB).

Remember I earlier spoke about some teachers being “carnal” in their teachings? Here is where I must slow down and explain myself. They were not prescribing the Law as a code of conduct but as a means of salvation. The Law that they were emphasizing was circumcision for Gentile believers. Since circumcision was the rite of conversion to Judaism, the Nomists probably had in mind that the circumcised Gentile would then keep all the other laws as well (Galatians 5:3 NASB).

The circumcision Paul speaks of is spiritual not physical. I need you to write these Scriptures down:

Colossians 2:11-4 NASB Circumcision Made without Hands Paul discusses the significance of circumcision in the life of the believer at various places in his letters. In these passages he often insists on its nonessential…

Romans 4:11 NASB “and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,”

Jeremiah 6:10 NASB “To whom shall I speak and give warning, That they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised (closed) And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the Lord has become for them a rebuke; They take no delight in it.”

Jeremiah 4:4 “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord And remove the foreskins of your hearts, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will spread like fire And burn with no one to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.”

Deuteronomy 10:16 NASB “So circumcise your heart, and do not stiffen your neck any longer.”

Corinthians 4.2. 1 and Corinthians 7:17–24 NASB circumcision and uncircumcision is contrasted with being in Christ and terms of not keeping the Law.

In verse 1 Corinthians 7:19 Paul’s reference to the insignificance or irrelevance of both.

The false teachers had apparently downplayed Paul's role and contradicted his teaching. Paul’s declaration that his apostleship is directly from Jesus and God the Father is asserting his place as a legitimate apostle Just as r with the eleven who were originally chosen by Jesus (Luke 6:13 NASB). These false teachers, who he refers to as "super-apostles" knew Scripture and were persuasive, but they were self-ordained, not called by Jesus and the Father.

The Bible speaks of Paul and Barnabas establishing the churches in Galatia in Acts 16 NASB, then in Acts 18 NASB. he returned to the region to strengthen the disciples there. Sometime after his first or second visit, Paul received word that the Galatians had been influenced by the legalistic false teachers often referred to as Judaizers. These were teachers who insisted that Christians needed to become Jews and follow the Jewish laws to be fully accepted by God. The Galatians swallowed that teaching hook, line, and sinker. They set aside the wonder of grace and turned to the law. This took place about twenty to twenty-five years after Jesus' ascended.

Adding required works to what Jesus did for us is all too common today. You aren't a real Christian unless you ____ . Fill in the blank. You cannot be baptised until you become a teenager. You might put in street witnessing, tithing, attend a Bible study, volunteer at a soup kitchen, or any number of good things. It is a very difficult issue because Faith results in a change of life and good works will follow (James 2:17 NASB). But good works do not earn you merit with God. The seduction of the law for the Galatians and for us is that obeying legal demands is so much easier than having our own relationship with God. That is one reason cults can be so successful. The leaders say, "Just follow me and I'll tell you what God is asking of you. All you have to do is obey me." They are false shepherds. Sheep look for shepherds.

Look at the relationship of marriage. Wouldn't marriage be easy if all you had to do was obey a few rules? Men, what if your wife said, "Husband, earn a good living, vacuum once a week, help with the dishes three times a week, and play with the children for half an hour on weekdays and an hour on Saturday and Sunday and I will be totally satisfied with you. Or what if the husband made a similar list for his wife? That's not a relationship. That is an arrangement of convenience. It is the cold, impersonal letter of the law. Sometimes that is what we ask of God. Just tell me what to do Lord! But He has. He asks for our love (Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB). He wants us to receive His love. Out of that love relationship we act in love.

The churches of Galatia had been visited by false apostles who challenged Paul's authority and his teaching that salvation is by Grace alone. These false teachers were trying to get Gentile converts to rely on keeping the Laws of Moses to be saved. In doing so they thought they could fit in with both the Jewish and Christian communities and thereby avoid persecution from their fellow Jews (Galatians 6:12 NASB ). I imagine many of them were Pharisees who had joined the Christian community. Paul answered their challenge by reminding the Galatians that Jesus called him on the road to Damascus (Acts 26:16 NASB).

An apostle is the appointed representative of someone with authority. More than a messenger, it is one who has the authority to represent the one who sent them. Paul was appointed appointed by Jesus just as the other apostles were. The only difference is that it was after the ascension that Jesus appeared to him and appointed him (Romans 1:1-32 NASB). That is just as official and authoritative as when Jesus appointed the others on the shores of Galilee. They were to be witnesses of the resurrected Lord Jesus (Acts 1:22 NASB). Paul's encounter with Jesus enabled him to do the same (1 Corinthians 9:1 NASB). Paul said his calling was not from man, but from Jesus. That implies that Jesus is more than man. He is divine. That does not mean Jesus was not human, but rather Paul stating the Jesus is fully God.

Are the Gentiles followers of Christ?

I will respond to this teaching utilizing Paul’s methodology. Preaching and teaching must always portray Christ crucified as the answer to our fallen condition (1 Corinthians 1:23 NASB). It is there we see the love of God on display to such an extent that we cannot help but be drawn to respond in loving gratitude (John 12:32). Paul had certainly preached that way. How could they forget the merciful wonder of Grace freely offered to those who do not deserve it? No outward temptation has power to seduce, unless we choose to allow it.

Who had bewitched the Churches in Galatia m with such a mesmerizing lie? It was the Judaizers (the believers in Jesus as Messiah but also in keeping the old covenant)! However the original language is regarding the one bewitching them is singular. The understanding I get is saying that the old deceiver, the devil, satan is using these legalists from Jerusalem to try to stop their growth in Grace.

Conclusion

In understanding Galatians, it is Jesus plus the Jewish laws for salvation. In Hebrews, it is to hide your faith in Christ by practicing the Jewish laws. In both instances motivation to avoid persecution by making it unclear to others where their faith was placed. There is no getting around the fact that faith in Christ is offensive to worldly people and will result in persecution (2 Timothy 3:12 NASB). Society has too much pride to admit we can do nothing and need Someone to do what we cannot. Total reliance on Jesus is humbling. We like Marvel superheroes we see in the movies can save us, but not from ourselves.

Mark 6:22 NASB 2020

and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want, and I will give it to you.”

Course preparation to practice a layout of Bible reference material utilizing LOGOS