Pressing on with Power in Liberty

SO Paul has now sufficently defended himself. Now He turns from himself to his message.

Who gave him this Gospel?

HIS GOSPEL CAME FROM GOD

He told them of His Past

He told them of His conversion

He told them how God called

HIS GOSPEL DID NOT COME FROM MAN 16-24

Who Received Pauls’ Gospel?

SO Paul has now sufficently defended himself. Now He turns from himself to his message.

Throughout Chapter 3, Paul is going to give 4 distinct arguments defending the gospel of Faith.

Over the

Imagine yourselves in a court room. So far Paul has been proving his case. Point hafter Point he vindicates himself. Now he moves form himself onto vindicating his message.

Its Paul’s turn to examine now. Picture the Galatians, or any Christian for that matter, taking the stand now.

PaUL IS GOING TO BUILD 5 SEPERATE ARGUMENTS TO Defend the gospel:

Their own EXPERIENCE

Now right away we really want to be carful.

How were you saved? How did you receive the Holy Spirit?

How are you kept saved?

“Its like cooking a pizza in an oven, only to try and finish it in a refrigerator”

“Imagine a man jumping out of a plane, clinging tightly to his parachute as his only means of survival, but about half way to the ground he realises the thing thats gonna hit the ground first are his shoes and so he discards his parachute and begins to tighten his shoe laces.

Imagine someone in the middle of the pacific, you come to their rescue. They get on the boat and about half way to shore they decide the best option would be for them to swim the rest of the way.

NOW THE DIFFERENCE HERE IS WITH SALVATION YOU CANT DISCARD IT. NEITHER COULD THE GALATIANS DISCARD THEIRS.

Its like a man riding an ox looking around for an ox saying man it sure would be nice to have an ox.

HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED FOR YOUR KEYS FOR EVER ONLY TO REALIZE THEYD BEEN IN YOUR HAND THE WHOLE TIME.

PAUL SAID I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED AND AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE!!!

3. Has everything been for nothing?

4. Does the Father, who showers blessing, daily, do the things He does because of the Law or because of Faith?

If we are saved by Faith then We are kept by Faith

ABRAHAM the GREAT EXAMPLE

The key word in vs 6 is “accounted”. Paul quotes here from . In this story, Abraham

Who are the children of Abraham?

Paul introduces here a theme that will be carried all the way the through to the allegory of the two mothers: Sarah and Hagar

The Blessing comes to those who Believe

CURSE

The Law can only curse you

This is not some Alicart meal

You dont get to just pick out what you like and what you dont

The Law cannot save me

The Law is the opposite of Faith

Doing is not Believing

Now Christian works have their place. But if you are living your life, coming to church, giving a tithe every week, doing doing doing to try to please God and be a good Christian before HIS eyes then You need to read this passage again. What pleases God is Faith!

Now if your goal is to be a good testimony to others, to your Children then by all means standards are a good thing in their place. But Christain if you think that its these things are whats pleasing God as He looks at you today… Then we need to get back to the milk of the word for a moment.

If we would learn to Trust the Spirit to make us more like Christ instead of Trusting ourselves to be so much better than we really are. Christain I am a sinner!

But Christian do you want so bad to stand before God completely pure and have HIm smile down on you… Then I have some news for you believer YOU ALREADY DO!

So many thing that so many beleivers get caught up in to try to please God. ITs all another Gospel. Its not the gospel that saved you.

Paul said “If Abraham were Justified By works then Had something to glory about.” Abraham had done so much to be justifiied by works

The moment we stop focusing on trying ot be the right person and we begin to trust God to make us the right person I beleive this passage will finally begin to come to life as it has never come to life before.

Of course its about this time when I hear that agnostic argument, You know that free gospel of yours is so foolish. If People really believed what you are teaching then they could just sin all they want because it doesnt matter what you do.

My response is that I really don’t know anyone like that. Man when I see believers who have put their confidence in the work of Jesus they don’t want to sin. They don’t have a desire for Grace to abound in their life through their sin.

CHRIST

Jesus became a curse so I could be blessed

Jesus did for me all that was needed to be done

COVENANT

COVENANT

Rules given later can never change a Promise

Its like a Dad promising his boy a brand new bike for Christmas. Then 8 months later Christmas comes around and the dad realises how much that Bike is going to cost him. Now Son, the dad says, I know I promised you this bike, but if I am going to get it for you then you are going to have to do something for me.

Then why give the Law?

If the promise was already given and it cannot be of works then why give the law later? What good did it do?

If the Law could not give the spirit vs 1-5

If it could not give righteousness vs 6-9

If it had no blessing but only a curse vs 10-14

If it could not change the Covenant

Then why did God give the Law?

“It was added...”

So that sin would become transgression

TILL the Seed should come IT WAS TEMPORARY RESTRAINER

By a mediator!!!!

It was given to conclude ALL under sin

A mediator is proof of only one thing: TWO Parties. The mediator was the middleman between the two parties of the covenant

CONCLUSION

The Key of Promise

In one memorable scene from Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian, finding the pathway difficult, climbed over a stile to walk in a meadowy bypath. Eventually the ground grew soggy and covered with poisonous vines. The sky became black, and Christian spent the night huddled at the foot of an oak tree, caught in a downpour. Next morning, Giant Despair came upon him, captured him, beat him, and imprisoned him in the dungeon of Doubting Castle with its grim battlements and thick, black walls. Christian tried to sing, but couldn’t. His mood was dungeon-dark. Giant Despair beat him mercilessly, and he grew weaker each day. At length he found in his cell a rope, a knife, and a bottle, the tools of suicide, and for a moment he was tempted to end his misery.

But one evening about midnight he began to pray, and …

… a little before day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out into this passionate speech: What a fool am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty! I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am sure, open any lock in Doubting Castle.

It did. Using the key of God’s promises, Christian escaped, never again to fall into the clutches of Giant Despair or Doubting Castle.

Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson’s complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed., p. 647). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.