The Promise By Faith 21st Oct Galatians 7

The Promise By Faith             21st Oct    Galatians 7

Ga 3:10-14 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” Christ has 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”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

I know a man who committed a number of offenses – driving, alcohol related and I think a couple of violence charges as well – but each time he was caught he gave false names and addresses and has hidden away. He escaped detection for quite awhile – but you know every time he went out to work or play he knew one day he would be caught. He lived under the constant threat of capture – even though the Police had not found out where he was – the law hung over his head!

His “wife” also lived thinking that any time he was late home she might get a phone call from prison telling her he’d been arrested. Both of them lived constantly under the threat of the law being fulfilled,  and having broken that law it was only going to be a matter of time before this family was disrupted by the intervention of justice. This man is actually quite a likeable fellow and is helpful and does some good works – but no matter what he does he is bound by the law. – No matter how much he might

change his behaviour and life now, that law has become a curse to him. It has judged him and condemned him and he is currently waiting to be sentenced by it – he will shortly be in jail! No matter how much he changes he is going to pay the penalty for breaking the law. The law is put in place to try and protect society and maintain acceptable social standards – whether we like it or not we must all live under that system of law and it demands obedience or consequence.

2 Pe 1:2-4  Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

When the Galatians heard the gospel preached by Paul and believed, the indwelling Holy Spirit, without words, showed them they had to obey the laws of the land – they knew right and wrong because they had become partakers of the Divine nature – all of us have known this – immediately upon accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour we have KNOWN right and wrong – no one has had to teach us – the anointing abiding within has taught us something of the Divine nature –

Grace and faith flooded the soul – glory, the beauty of holiness, joy unspeakable – it was a marvellous thing to be born again! We had no desire for sin – certainly not deliberate sin and that was long before any discipleship or teaching – simply the divine nature beginning to refine us. We didn’t think in terms of breaking the law or not – we didn’t think in terms of doing or not doing, we were born again. We obeyed the law of the land but we were without rules! Grace and faith began to teach us the divine.

And our new religion brought us delight! This is true! this is salvation! this is freedom! this is glory! this is Christ!! We heard the message preached and we believed by faith! There were no rules or requirements to this faith it was simple and uncomplicated! Suddenly we were free from the bondage we didn’t even know we lived under – the law of grace and faith set us free from the law of sin and death – but before this could be effective, – without words or doctrine or legalism –  The faith we had

received revealed the law to us – not to bind us, but to show us we were actually now free!

I can still remember the first time someone talked to me about the Holy Spirit – not long after I was saved – you know I had been delivered of all manner of addictions and bondages – I had been healed and transformed and the affects of years of alcohol and drug abuse were washed from my mind – but I didn’t know it was by the Holy Spirit – I just thought this was Jesus – this is what God does!!

Ac 19:1-2 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

Then I was told about the Holy Spirit and that all I had to do was believe and I would be filled – I was prayed for and went home and in the middle of the night I was woken by this strange sound – I could hear this unusual language it sounded excited and fervent and fast – speaking so fast – then I realized it was me! I had burst into tongues in my sleep and woken myself up! – I can still remember the excitement and awe and the reverence and fear of God that I felt at that moment.

When I read about the Holy Spirit in I Corinthians and Acts I thought “this is that which I was told about.” If the Holy Spirit is in me He can do all of these things – I saw people delivered of demons as I prayed, I saw healing and miracles and looking back it was one of the most precious times of my life – but you know it was never a ministry, or a calling, or gift or even power to me – it was the Holy Spirit. Simple uncomplicated --- I knew the law of the land and remorse and sorrow for my life –

But this Christianity was freedom Grace and glory – somehow to me this was above the law and beyond the law – greater than the law. But it never gave me a license to break the law – in fact it compelled me to obey the law in a way I never had before – but I was still free – gloriously, wonderfully free. -- Having been freed from sin and all its affects, -- guilt, shame, bitterness, wrath, revenge and the spiritual things of witchcraft and addiction – of jealousy and betrayal –

I could now see the law in another light and yet I was not bound by it – O to be in Christ and know the Holy Spirit was the most precious thing to me – the thought of anything like this had never entered my mind. With the innocence of a fresh, child like faith, I simply believed God – I believed the W.O.G. I took it literally and just did what it said – before theology, before doctrine, before discipleship – before home group --- listen -- with broken marriages and huge debts and hurting children ---

With the consequences of past sin still to be reaped – I KNEW the Holy Spirit – I knew His Presence, I KNEW Him indwelling – the Holy Spirit had shown me this scripture – I had sat at the table and read this at 100mph  – I read it as personal, I read it as God Himself speaking to me – I read it as real and immediate and complete – there was no religion, no need to interpret or translate – I honestly had no idea of Hebrew or Greek or original languages – it was the Holy Spirit speaking to me!  

Ps 103:1-5   Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

I experienced this! I read it and it was real – my soul was overwhelmed with joy – even though in the natural I was broken and shamed and bankrupt – but my soul was filled with this joy unspeakable and full of glory – I was in awe of God and just so thankful – just thankful that He had revealed Himself to me and I now believed! – I didn’t yet even know the teaching of sin – but somehow I knew I was made clean – everything I had ever done against God was forgiven --- and that is how I thought – not the things I had done against men or women – but the things God had seen me do!

All my iniquities were forgiven – everything I had ever done in God’s sight – clean! I felt clean – and all my diseases – you know the alcoholism and drugs were washed from my life – physically and spiritually – no craving no desire no withdrawal – I understood that I had been going down to death – I had no concept of hell yet – demons I knew about – but I KNEW my life was now changed and the course altered – I knew His Lovingkindness and tender mercies – I wept at His tenderness –

Things I had never known were awakened - I knew I was loved by God – adopted – yet I knew not those doctrines – and I was young again --- I read this scripture and I felt as though my youth was literally restored – you know one of the most frequent comments I received from people around me was how young I was looking! --- Now I’m telling you this story again to emphasize a very significant point of truth and faith.

I did not have the Christian language, the use of the words – but in my heart and spirit I knew I had done nothing, not one thing to earn what I was now living – I was not worthy, I was not special, I was not well educated – in fact I had not one thing that could commend me to God – but He chose to reveal Himself to me and in me – I knew GRACE – but not the word – I KNEW forgiveness – but not the doctrine – I KNEW I was filled with the Spirit – all simply because I believed what I experienced and the

Bible confirmed it as true – it was entirely by faith and that was not even of myself – but of God alone. It was simply God working through me – I didn’t question, I didn’t doubt, I didn’t try to reason or even understand – I just believed and obeyed by faith – in faith, and I didn’t even know about faith either. To me it was just God and being a Christian I honestly thought why has no one ever told me about this before --  Christianity is wonderful, God is real!! --- I saw miracles and healing and deliverance.

One day I was asked to talk to a traffic officer who was very depressed having witnessed several children’s deaths in motor accidents – A young man he was unable to get the images out of his mind. He was tormented, tortured and sick – off work in deep depression he sat in a darkened room reading novels and books trying to escape his thoughts --- When I was ushered into the room – (he didn’t know I was there or coming) his wife showed me in and as he looked up and saw me he leaped up and

screamed “Get the priest out of here! Get the priest out of Here!” – the demons manifested and he hurled himself headfirst into the fireplace – he was delivered and set free and was soon playing drums in church! --- BUT IT WAS NEVER ME – IT WAS NEVER MINISTRY OR GIFTS OR ANYTHING –other than “look what God does to those who come to Him!!” - I expected God to do things — I expected God to touch people – somehow it just seemed to me that was what the bible said –

I read about things like this in the New Testament – and God is God and Jesus is real and alive. I think this is just what it was like for the Galatians – I think this is exactly what took place – they believed and that belief was followed by signs and wonders – Paul preached in demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power – they received, believed and were filled and then they walked in the Spirit – they simply, without complication copied Paul ---

1 Co 4:16  Therefore I urge you, imitate me.   1 Co 11:1  Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

The things they had seen Paul do were what they thought Christianity was supposed to be and so they did it! By faith! They just believed on Jesus Christ who was so clearly portrayed among them as crucified – there were no rules, no regulations, no system to follow – there were no external requirements – they did not have to attend meetings or do good works, they began in the Spirit by faith and God worked miracles among them!!

Because of this faith and what it was producing they wanted to gather together and they wanted to go to meetings and they did good works – and they supported the poor and they saw healing and miracles – the faith and belief produced an experience and the experience compelled them deeper into Christ and the gospel spread and churches were planted and prospered. Evangelism was not by systems or programs or rules and duplicating what had been done elsewhere –

It was by demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power – it was by faith in the Word preached – they simply believed by the Holy Spirit what God had already promised through Abraham and all the prophets –

Is 32:15 Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.

Eze 39:29 And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord God.”

Joe 2:28  “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.

God has promised this outpouring of His Holy Spirit for hundreds of years and now He had come upon the Galatians – they were filled by faith – they believed by faith, they began in faith and received all the Spirit promised – and God worked miracles among them BY FAITH – that is because they believed without doubt, -- faith did not seek any other means, it did not need a system or a program or an event – faith was not about position or leadership or religion or tradition –

As soon as the Jews began to introduce the laws of religion and the systems of Judaism into Christianity FAITH was eroded – as soon as they had to attend the synagogue 3 times a day, as soon as they had to be trained and taught and adopt the means the methods and the priesthood systems of hierarchy – FAITH was diminished – the miracles stopped, the healing stopped the power began to dissipate!

It is exactly the same today – leadership culture and a shifting of power and responsibility from the priesthood of all believers to LEADERS – special chosen ones – and formulas and submission and all sorts of things that shift us away from FAITH in God – in Christ –

Vision – to build a man’s dream – everything towards a goal that is not by faith but by works! All these things added to the W.O.G. – so that we no longer need to live by faith but by performance and comparison!!