Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

We are going to be spending the next little while walking through Galatians together as we look at the grace of God and what he has done for us.

This book is addressed to churches in a region called Galatia.

It’s around modern day Turkey.

Paul is speaking to a church that has been infiltrated by a group who were teaching an anti-gospel, a false gospel.

These false teachers were saying that in order to be saved, you had to believe in Christ plus you had to basically become a jew.

In other words, you had to follow the laws of the Old Testament and, most importantly, be circumcised.

Transition: As we get into this letter, we need to define the terms.

What is legalism?

Defining Legalism

Paul comes and he writes this letter to the Galatians to address this idea of legalism that had infiltarted the church.

It has begun to take over, but it’s important to be able to define legalism because sometimes we label things as legalistic that are not legalistic.

So what is legalism?

Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me,

Paul, an apostle: There was a bit on instagram where a lot of my feed was filled with people who called themselves apostles.

There can be confusion about what this word mean, and even as Paul writes this letter, he is addressing confusion.

It wasn’t through men nor through man that he is who he is.

It’s purely by what God has done for him.

The God who was raised from the dead for our sins is the one who has called him to the office of apostle.

So what is legalism?

Let’s think of it in three ways:

Working in our own Power

Paul comes and he writes this letter to the Galatians to address this idea of legalism that had infiltarted the church.

It has begun to take over, but it’s important to be able to define legalism because sometimes we label things as legalistic that are not legalistic.

So What is legalism?

Let’s think of it in three ways:

It’s working in ourown power.

Something at we can’t forget, is that when we look at the people that Paul is address, it wasn’t that Christ was absent.

He was there.

It was that these false teachers were preaching Christ plus what man can bring to the table.

They were not preaching a message that said it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that one can be saved.

They had added their own little twist to it.

It’s like saying, “Hey, I am a Christian, I am saved by God’s grace.“

Then going out and living the Christian life in our own strength, essentially leaving grace behind.

That’s legalistic because it involves working in your own power.

Think about how I work in my own skills.

“I’ve got this” We just moved into our house on the 14th.

I had all these grand plans and a schedule in my mind.

It was pretty foolish.

There’s no way I could have got it all done.

I could not do this in my own power.

Now, if I could get the work in my house done in my own power, how much more can I get myself made right before God?

I have two tools that I use to help with my alone time.

And yes, they are apps.

But one is

Working According to Our Own Rules

2. Working According to Our Own Rules

What we have here is the great ability to add rules.

Jesus comes and says that if we love him we will obey, or do, all that he has commanded us to do.

We don’t add to what Christ has already said to us

Board games: people who make up rules to play a game.

Families do that.

This goes two ways though.

We have all sorts of ways that either adds to or takes away from what God has revealed.

But this is no game.

God has made the rules, we’ve sinned against him.

And we broke the rules.

No adding or taking away of the rules changes the fact that we can’t be made right before a holy God on our own.

Working to Earn God’s Favour

3. Working to Earn God’s Favour

Legalism is more than just working in our own strength and with our own rules, but is also about trying to work to earn God’s favour.

Sometimes legalism is practiced in order to please men, but the main idea is that by doing certain things one increases in favour before God.

This is were performance-based faith comes alive.

Paul is addressing the teachers, the Judiazers, who taugh that obedience to God’s law was the way to ensure a right stand before God.

So the more obedient I am, the better I am at following all the rules, I am going to have a better standing before a holy God.

And before you go all, “Oh man, these Galatians, they just don’t get it, we are obviously saved by Grace alone, through Faith Alone, in Jesus Christ.

This letter has nothing to do with me..” Yes, you are right, in saying that we are saved by grace, through Faith, in Jesus Christ, but let me ask you:

Have you ever thought: If I’m reading the Bible, praying, going to worship, and doing a number of other good things, then I have favour before God?

Or, I’m a pretty good person, or at less I’m better than so and so next to me, they don’t come to church as often or aren’t involved in as much as I am.

Or, I’ve out lasted all those other people.”

The legalist in us struggles with this idea of God’s grace.

We think, “surely there has to be something I have to do?”

This is what the false teachers were talking about when Paul charged them in verse 6 of deserting the gospel.

Well, you, like me, are struggling with legalism.

And that’s what Paul is addressing here.

That’s why Paul starts his letter with what is most important.

Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me,

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Galatians 1:1-2

Look, Paul completely separates Jesus Christ from the category of all other human and placed him on the side of God.

Why did he do this?

Clearly he was not denying the true humanity of Jesus.

He wants to show us that Jesus is much more than a mere man.

He is qualitatively different from every other human being who has ever lived, not only with reference to his sinless life but also in respect to his unique relationship with the Father.

This was a critical issue for Paul for this one reason: if Jesus Christ were not fully divine, he could never have redeemed us from the curse of the law or freed us from the power of sin by his death on the cross.

If Jesus was not fully divine, there would be no grace, we would have to when God’s favour.

You can’t earn God’s favour by what you do, for the gospel is free and freeing.

Luther put it this way: Let this be then the conclusion of all together, that we will suffer our goods to be taken away, our name, our life, and all that we have: but the Gospel, our faith, Jesus Christ, we will never suffer to be wrested from us....Let every Christ man here be proud and spare not, except he will deny Christ.

The Gospel must be zealously defended, which means that legalism must be vehemently attacked and destroyed.

But how do I counter the thinking that is so ingrained in us that God’s pleasure is based on our performance?

Paul continues to define the gospel.

Transition: The Gospel defines what legalism is for us, but it also destroys it as the Apostle Paul continues on.

You can’t earn God’s favour by what you do, for the gospel is free and freeing.

Without Jesus you’re stuck here: trying to win Gods favour, you’re in a constant rat race of trying to appease God by your works, and it can’t be done.

You can’t earn God’s favour by what you do, for the gospel is freeThe gospel not only defines legalism, it destroys it.

The gospel not only defines legalism, it destroys it.

Legalism Destroyed

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever.

Amen.