Freedom: Justified by faith
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Promises, Promises
Promises, Promises
There are pivotal promises in the Bible that are played throughout the bible and you see the fulfillment of them in the New Testament and in our passage tonight we will look, reflect and rejoice in some of the promises found.
Did you know that Abraham is a key figure to more than just the Jews?
Father Abraham:
Father of the Jews through son Isaac
He is the first Jew and through his seed Isaac came God’s plan for the Messiah to come.
Father of the Arabs through son Ismael
Now they called him “Ibrahim” but this is the same person and through His seed Ismael came the Arab people.
And is a spiritual father to Christians (Gal3:29)
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
The name Abraham, which was the God changed name means “father of many” and I think you can see that. Hence one of the promises made.
So, speaking of promises maybe take just a few minutes and may we look at some of the promises made to Abraham, especially since he is key figure in our passage today when we get to Galatians (eventually).
The promises made to Abraham which became a covenant are a central part, theme of the Bible, so open and turn to Gen12:1-7
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;
Gen
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” 4 So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
5 Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land.
Gen12:7
7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.
Three promises are found here that are worth noting:
Land promise (Gen12:1, 7)
Reconfirmed in (Gen13:15-17)
Nation promise (Gen12:2)
Reconfirmed (Gen13:16, 17:6 and 18:18)
Seed promise (Gen12:3)
Reconfirmed Gen22:18, 26:4 and 28:14)
The Bible shows fulfillment of those promises so we should note those too. You can look up the passages on your own and see the fulfillment.
Land promise (Jos2143-45, 23:14-15) - in the days of Joshua
La
Nation promise (Gen46:3; Exo1:7; Deu26:5) - in the descendants of Israel
Seed promise (Act3:25-26) - in the days of Christ
25 “It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 “For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”
Our passage today Paul defends the promises and fulfillment in pointing back to the promises that were indisputable. There were those who were trying to make problems making the Gentiles follow the law of Moses too. That, we have already looked at with (Act15:1, 5)
Two things want to look at tonight.
True heirs of Abraham (Gal3:6-9)
Free from curse of the Law (Gal3:10-14)
True heirs of Abraham
True heirs of Abraham
Heir; one of the definitions reads: a person inheriting and continuing the legacy of a predecessor. So may we look at our passage as it concerns heirs and who are the true heirs of Abraham.
6 Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. 7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.
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.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
Some questions to consider and discuss (don’t look at your outline):
Who are the heirs?
They are ones who had faith, as Abraham offered as example (vv.6-7)
Why are they the heirs?
Their faith, for we know it is impossible to please God without faith (Heb11:6)
This is the fulfillment of the seed promise
What are they the heirs of?
Justification by faith (v.8)
Faith, I should expand on that some more since that is where justification is found.
What kind of faith are we to have? That like Abraham (Gal3:9)
For His faith accounted him for righteousness (Gen15:6)
Have the faith to do the works of Abraham (Jn8:39)
walking by faith which was problem Jesus was addressing in John8 where the Jews were not doing that.
Having the faith to walk in steps of faith as Abraham did (Rom4:11-12; Heb11:8-10)
I should give you these passages at least, the others I encourage you to look up.
11 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, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.
and then from the faith chapter
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;
Heb11:10
10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
The only way to be right with God is by faith!
Just another quick point before moving on, The promise preceded the command (Gen15:6) the promises, Land, seed, nations came prior to the command for circumcision found in (Gen15:6). Abraham was not trying to impress God, he just believed God and he was reckoned as righteousness.
For those who are justified by faith are free from the curse of the law, our next point.
Free from the curse of the Law
Free from the curse of the Law
Those seeking to be justified by the Law (Rom9:31-32)
Those seeking to establish their own righteousness (Rom10:1-13)
Redeemed! oh how we love to proclaim it! May our faith be an explanation point and not a question mark.For we are freed from under the cure of the Law. For true freedom is found by faith not by the Law or works.
Oh yes, we do love to proclaim it, but do we believe it to our very soul? Do we ever have questions about it? Do we wonder if we are truly redeemed? Is it really as simple as we have been told, been taught to receive Christ? Is it be washed by His blood in baptism when we hear, believe, confess and repent? Then walk in obedience, to walk in newness of life? So may we look at our passage now and get into this more.
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.” 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”—
14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Gal3:
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
Paul uses the Law as his defense for justification by faith (Gal3:10)
Paul reminds them of the covenant that they entered (Deu27:26)
the covenant they entered into at Mt Ebal and Gerizim, whereas they all agreed (with a hearty amen) to live by or to be cursed and suffer. This is the covenant of blessing and cursing as noted in Deu27, but just look at this one verse as the final terms of the covenant are voiced by Moses
26 ‘Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
If they were going to live by the Law, they needed to live by all of the Law or be cursed. Simple things like dishonoring your parents could make you cursed and that could cost you your life.
The true curse is not the Law in and of itself, it is the belief that by keeping it you have salvation.
Paul saw the CROSS not the CURSE
Think about it, how hard would it have been on the other side of the cross, to have to live by perfect obedience to the law or you are cursed?
OK, have you ever made a turn, ended up on a dead end street and you have no where to go? That is exactly where Paul has them now, but that is where he wants them so he can introduce them to to the true hope that is found by faith. We see it in (Gal3:11) but it is still an O.T. concept
Here you are on that dead end street, your works, your power cannot justify you before God.Even what appears to be good works cannot do it, for look at (Hab2:4; Rom1:17; Heb10:38)
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Paul corners them by using the law to prove justification by faith (Hab2:4; Rom1:17; Heb10:38)
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4 “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.
Here you are on that dead end street, your works, your power cannot justify you before God.Even what appears to be good works cannot do it, for look at (Hab2:4)
Don’t let pride keep you from the kingdom, for the kingdom comes by faith
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
Righteousness, justification is revealed by faith and in faith then is carried out by works of faith. Not for salvation but from salvation.
38 But My righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
Justification happens in an instant, but the results are for eternity when we live and when we walk by faith. Don’t stop short, don’t give up, keep going, live obediently walking by faith and be well pleasing to God, so that you may become the righteousness of God.
The Hab2:4 what is going on is that Israel is under tremendous pressure from the Babylonians in or about 605BC, they are discouraged, dismayed but God wanted them to hold on and to standfast that deliverance was to come and they needed to live by faith.
We too need to have the assurance of faith, in our justification that even when it is hard times, difficult times, trying times, yes depressing and discouraging times that God is with us and will be with us as we walk by faith.
Christ’s redemption is by faith (Gal3:12-13)
The law is based on doing, not on trusting. Paul shows that whatever the choice is, law or faith they are exclusive and they do not work together.
Paul’s argument is logical
Justification is “of faith” (Gal3:11)
The Law is not “of faith” (Gal3:12)
Therefore, the Law and faith are not part of each other.
So law, or faith, man has to chose and then live by that. (Rom10:5)
5 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.
Perfect adherence demanded of imperfect people, it is not possible is it? Hence why we need grace that came by the Jesus becoming the curse first. (1Pt2:24; Deu21:23)
24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
I said he became a curse here is where that comes from
23 his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.
Crucifixion was not a way of death for the Hebrew people, stoning was. But if the person committed a heinous crime he would be killed and then hung on a tree for a time but then taken down by night so not to defile the land. When hung on a tree the person would be accursed of God.
So, when do you think Jesus became a curse from God?
At His birth? No, he was called holy (Lk1:35)
During childhood? No, for said he advanced in favor (Lk2:52)
OK, how about during His ministry? No, Father said he was well pleased with Him (Mt3:17)
IT was on the cross, when He offered himself up, fulfilling the prophesy of Isaiah (Isa53:3-5)
To Him a place of shame, to us a tree of life!
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(Scriptures referenced: Lk1:35; Lk2:52; Mt3:17 Isa53:3-5; Gal3:14)
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FInal note, look at (Gal3:14) one more time at the benefit of justification by faith.
14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
It is the promise of the Holy Spirit in which we received when we were justified, justified by faith, by believing, not by doing.
Do we have the Blessed assurance that Jesus is mine? Do we proclaim “Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb?” Do we know we have “Victory in Jesus”/ and do we truly “I Surrender all”
I pray and hope we can say yes to all those things for that is where our freedom is found, justification by faith.
(Pray)