Jackson Hole Devotion 2019

Galatians may be the first letter written by the apostle Paul, and so we are going to take it up now in our survey of the New Testament. The date of Galatians depends to a great extent on its destination. An older view holds that Galatians was written to churches in north-central Asia Minor, where Gauls had settled when they invaded the area in the third century B.C. Paul supposedly visited this area on his second missionary journey, though Acts contains no reference to such a visit. This view holds that Galatians was written between A.D. 53 and 57 from Ephesus or Macedonia. This is called the North Galatian Theory.

In recent years, most scholars have come to favor the South Galatian Theory. The Romans had conquered the Galatians in 64 B.C. and the province of Galatia was established in 25 B.C. This province included not only the ethnic Gauls of the north but also such cities as Galatian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe in the south. Paul had founded churches in these cities on his first missionary journey, A.D. 46–48. Thus it makes sense that the epistle is addressed to these churches. Since Paul says that they have quickly deserted the true faith, it seems that Galatians was written soon after the churches were established, in A.D. 48 or 49, from Syrian Antioch.

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What is the gospel and how do we share it with people who grew up in the “church” and how do we share it with people who didn’t?

Galatians 1:6–7 ESV

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Galatians 2:21 ESV

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Galatians 1:6-7

Paul starts with an exclamation and then a sarcastic rhetorical question.

You idiots!! Harsh, we’ve speculated where this comes from, anger, fear, frustration, love,

Galatians 2:

Bewitched or cast a spell on you. Clearly something drastic has affected you, otherwise a clear thinking rationale person would never turn away from the Gospel of Jesus.

Bewitched or cast a spell on you. Clearly something drastic has affected you, otherwise a clear thinking rationale person would never turn away from the Gospel of Jesus.

Jesus was publicly portrayed as crucified, preached and commentaries indicate that at times the preacher would act out for visual affect.

Chapter 3 of Galatians

In verse 2 Paul says the meaning of Christ’s death was made clear to them, what does this mean?

This one question breaks down into 5 questions,

A. Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the Law of Moses? no

The it must have been by hearing with faith, clearly.

Receiving the Spirit, to Paul, is a clear indicator of authentic conversion and inclusion in the body

Romans 8:9 ESV

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

How foolish can you be? Very

After starting in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? What does this mean and is this true of us, what is the balance?

Work from, work for, work out-what is the objective and what is the motivator??

Philippians 2:12 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

Philippians

Have you experienced so much for nothing? A call to remembrance, how have we seen and experienced God’s power and grace not by works?

Surely it was not in vain, was it? Have we truly experienced His grace? Do we continue to?

Does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! it is by belief and faith. A return to the original question, God gave the Holy Spirit, what more could you want. You’ve seen evidence of it, so what would make you think you need to do something in order to earn something from God?

My return from Cuba was marked by a struggle with porn, a strong desire and temptation to view. I slipped up and was beating myself up over it big time, so much guilt and shame. We went to church on Sunday and I realized it was communion this week. I told myself I wasn’t going to receive it, I wasn’t worthy and would sit there and pray, asking for forgiveness. But we didn’t have to go up, they were passing the plates fo bread and wine down the aisles, I thought I won’t take any, just pass it along. But God had the ushers, two of them, one at each end of my aisle both pass plates, they both met at me and I was overwhelmed with a feeling of love and forgiveness, of God’s clear sign of grace to me.

Starting in verse 6, Paul writes of Abraham, Faith vs Law,

Abraham is declared righteous long before the Law was given, he had no opportunity to “obey” the law. But He did have the opportunity to be do what God told him.

The Law is good but creates a problem, we can’t keep it, will never be able to keep it, therefore we are cursed, doomed to fail.

What is the purpose of the Law? If we go back to Mount Sinai, why does God give the Law?

A return to 2:21

But God takes on the curse for us and gives us life through faith in Christ.

So what does this section mean for us? How are we trying to justify ourselves? What is our “Law”?

Conflict

Conflict is inevitable, but it does not have to create hostility and be ugly. It will be ugly when it’s handled in the flesh. As we look throughout history conflict and hostility has existed and happened in the flesh. A quick look at the Bible shows this as well and Paul is pointing out this constant conflict in contrast of flesh vs spirit. But in the beginning it was the conflict of life vs death.

Genesis 2:9 ESV

And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:16–17 ESV

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Life to Death

Life to Death

Life to Death

Tree of Life vs Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

Obedience vs Rebellion

Submission vs Autonomy

Adam and Eve vs the serpent

The seed of the woman vs the serpent, Conflict and hostility now will wind and wreak havoc throughout history

Garden vs Wilderness

Death vs Life, Flesh vs Spirit

After being banished from the Garden do Adam and Eve have Cain

Cain vs Able, Adam and Eve give birth first to Cain, flesh and death

The flood is a reboot, a recommissioning and giving of the Garden blessing

Ham vs Noah, sin and death quickly realized again

Lott vs Abraham

Ishmael vs Isaac

Eaau vs Jacob

Jacobs sons vs Joseph

Pharoah vs Moses

Israel vs Moses

The land of Canaan vs Joshua

Israel vs Jesus

Enter the Holy Spirit

The Church vs the world

In this letter, the Church vs the Judaizers

Paul vs Peter in chapter 2, faith vs law

Faith vs the Law

The spirit vs the flesh

Son vs an outsider

Jeremiah 31:31–34 ESV

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Abel vs Cain

Jeremiah 31

Ezekiel 36:25–28 ESV

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Reliance on the Spirit and consumed with love, obedience is a bi-product of love, compliance is law based religion

Chapter 3 of Galatians

In verse 1 Paul says the meaning of Christ’s death was made clear to them, what does this mean?

This one question breaks down into 5 questions,

A. Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the Law of Moses? no

How foolish can you be? Very

After starting in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Is this true of us, what is the balance?

Have you experienced so much for nothing? A call to remembrance, how have we seen and experienced God’s power and grace not by works?

Surely it was not in vain, was it? Have we truly experience His grace? Do we continue to?

Does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! it is by belief and faith.

My return from Cuba was marked by a struggle with porn, a strong desire and temptation to view. I slipped up and was beating myself up over it big time, so much guilt and shame. We went to church on Sunday and I realized it was communion this week. I told myself I wasn’t going to receive it, I wasn’t worthy and would sit there and pray, asking for forgiveness. But we didn’t have to go up, they were passing the plates fo bread and wine down the aisles, I thought I won’t take any, just pass it along. But God had the ushers, two of them, one at each end of my aisle both pass plates, they both met at me and I was overwhelmed with a feeling of love and forgiveness, of God’s clear sign of grace to me.

Starting in verse 6, Paul writes of Abraham, Faith vs Law,

The Law is good but creates a problem, we can’t keep it, will never be able to keep it, therefore we are cursed, doomed to fail.

But God takes on the curse for us and gives us life through faith in Christ.

Noah vs Ham

Abraham vs Lot

Joseph vs his brothers

Moses vs Pharoah

True Israel vs Israel in the flesh