Sermon Tone Analysis

“BLESSED OR CURSED”

HAVING APPEALED TO THE GALATIAN’S XIAN EXPERIENCE, PAUL NOW DIRECTS THEIR ATTENTION TO THE WITNESS OF THE SCRIPTURES.

HIS ARGUMENT IS THAT THE SCRIPTURES SPEAK OF WHAT HE HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET THEM TO REALIZE.

HE IS REPEATEDLY TELLING THE GALATIANS THAT FAITH, NOT WORKS, IS THE MEANS OF GAINING A RIGHT STANDING BEFORE GOD.

AND HE BEGINS THAT WITH A TESTIMONY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT CONCERNING THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM IN VS 6-9 THEN FOLLOWS IT UP WITH A STATEMENT CONCERNING THE CURSE OF THE LAW IN VS 10-14.

SO IN VS 6-9 WE SEE THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM: JUSTIFICATION IS THE ACT OF GOD WHEREBY HE DECLARES THE BELIEVING SINNER RIGHTEOUS IN JESUS CHRIST.

THE ARGUMENT HERE WOULD GET THE ATTENTION OF THE JUDAIZERS BECAUSE IT WAS THE CUSTOM OF THE RABBIS TO SETTLE THEIR CONTROVERSIES BY WHAT THEY FOUND IN ABRAHAM’S LIFE STORY.

THE REASON ABRAHAM HAS SO MUCH CLOUT IS THAT GOD USED ABRAHAM TO BRING ABOUT THE JEWISH NATION.

HE WAS HIGHLY RESPECTED BY ALL JEWS AS THE FOUNDER OF THE RACE AND WAS LOOKED UPON BY THEM AS A RIGHTEOUS MAN AND WAS CONSIDERED BETTER THAN ALL OTHERS.

PAUL AFFIRMS THAT THIS PATRIARCH WAS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH AND ARGUES FROM THIS THAT ONLY THOSE OF LIKE FAITH PARTICIPATE WITH HIM IN YAHWEH’S BLESSINGS.

PAUL IS COMPARING THE EXPERIENCE OF ABRAHAM WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF THE GALATIANS WHICH ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME.

EACH OF THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH GOD CONFIRM EACH OTHER.

PAUL USES THE ABRAHAM STORY TO MAKE A COUPLE OF POINTS: (1) ABRAHAM’S RIGHTEOUS STANDING BEFORE GOD OCCURRED PRIOR TO THE INSTITUTION OF CIRCUMCISION AND THE LAW GIVEN TO MOSES.

(2) ABRAHAM’S RIGHTEOUS STANDING BEFORE GOD WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH A GRACIOUS DECLARATION OF GOD, IN ACCEPTANCE OF ABRAHAM’S BELIEF.

SO THE TYPICAL JEW IS TO BE VIEWED AS ONE WHO RECEIVED HIS PLACE IN SACRED HISTORY BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH!

V6 CONCLUDES THAT CONTRARY TO THE JUDAIZERS VIEWS, THE TRUE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM MUST BE THOSE WHO ENTER INTO PEACE WITH GOD IN THE SAME WAY AS ABRAHAM, WHICH IS STATED IN VS7.

Paul’s utilization of the Abraham story is basically designed to make two major points: (1) Abraham’s righteous standing before God occurred prior to the institution of circumcision and the Mosaic law; (2) Abraham’s righteous standing before God was made possible through a gracious declaration of God, in acceptance of Abraham’s belief.

Thus, the prototypical Jew is to be viewed as one who received his place in sacred history by grace through faith!

ABRAHAM’S EXAMPLE OF EFFECTIVE FAITH IS SHOWN IN GOD JUSTIFYING HIM; AND THIS …RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS… OCCURRED BEFORE THE CIRCUMCISION WAS INSTITUTED AND EVEN CENTURIES BEFORE REVEALING THE LAW.

THE OLD COVENANT, AS WELL AS THE NEW, HAS FAITH IN THE PROMISE OF GOD AS ITS FUNCTIONING ELEMENT.

Using a quotation from Genesis 15:6 (LXX), Paul recites what he believed to be the most explicit statement concerning God’s means for justifying humankind: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (v. 6).

SO PAUL POINTS BACK TO ABRAHAM AS A WITNESS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH.

REMEMBER, ABRAHAM IS THE FOUNDING FATHER OF THE JEWISH RACE; LIVING LONG BEFORE MOSES INTRODUCED THE LAW.

ABRAHAM’S FAITH IS SEEN AS A READINESS TO SURRENDER WITHOUT RESERVATION TO THE WORD OF THE LORD, REGARDLESS OF HOW INCREDIBLE IT SEEMED.

On the basis of the proposition in verse 6 Paul concludes that, contrary to Judaizing views, the true children of Abraham must be those who enter into peace with God in the same way as Abraham (v. 7).

Abraham becomes the prime example of the effectiveness of faith since his justification occurred prior to the ceremonial rite of circumcision, and centuries before the revealing of the law (see Gal. 3:17).

The old covenant, as well as the new, has faith in the promise of God as its operative element

GOD INVITED ABRAHAM TO BELIEVE THAT HE WOULD GIVE HIM MANY DESCENDANTS AND MAKE HIM A GREAT NATION.

THIS WAS A HUGE LEAP OF FAITH, BECAUSE BOTH ABRAHAM AND HIS WIFE WERE OLD AND CHILDLESS.

AND WITH THAT BEING THE CASE THEN HOW COULD HE HAVE DESCENDANTS?

BUT ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD;

READ

DO THE GALATIANS SEE WHAT PAUL IS SAYING?

THAT IS; BEING RIGHT WITH GOD DOES NOT COME FROM KEEPING THE LAW.

THERE WAS NO LAW IN ABRAHAM’S TIME.

NOR DOES IT COME FROM CIRCUMCISION.

ABRAHAM WAS RIGHT WITH GOD BEFORE HE WAS CIRCUMCISED.

SO WHERE DOES RIGHTEOUSNESS COME FROM?

IT IS GOD’S GIFT TO US WHEN WE REPENT OF OUR SINS AND BELIEVE IN HIM

GOD WANTS EVERYONE TO BE SAVED THROUGH FAITH.

HE CALLED ABRAHAM TO BE THE FATHER OF A NATION, SO THAT HE COULD BLESS ALL THE NATIONS THROUGH HIM.

FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST ARE THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM, NOT BECAUSE THEY BELONG TO HIS RACE, BUT BECAUSE THEY SHARE HIS FAITH.

Paul brings Abraham as a witness to the importance of faith.

Abraham, after all, is the founding father of the Jewish race—living long before Moses introduced the law.

God invited Abraham to believe that he would give him many descendants and make him a great nation.

This was a mighty leap of faith, because both Abraham and his wife were old and childless.

But Abraham believed God, and his faith was ‘credited to him as righteousness’ (Genesis 15:6).

Do the Galatians see what Paul is saying?

Being right with God doesn’t come from keeping the law.

There was no law in Abraham’s time.

Nor does it come from circumcision.

Abraham was right with God before he was circumcised.

So where does righteousness come from?

It is God’s gift to us when we believe in him.

God wants everyone to be saved through faith.

He called Abraham to be the father of a nation, so that he could bless all the nations through him.

God’s people are the children of Abraham, not because they belong to his race, but because they share his faith.

IF WE LOOK CLOSELY AT THIS WORD RECKONED; IT MEANS TO CREDIT OR CHARGE SOMETHING TO ONE’S ACCOUNT.

THE THOUGHT IS THAT GOD ACCEPTED ABRAHAM’S FAITH AS EQUIVALENT TO RIGHTEOUSNESS.

SO ABRAHAM ENTERED INTO HIS PARTICULAR BLESSING BY REALIZING THAT HE COULD DO NOTHING FOR HIMSELF, CONFESSING TO GOD, COUNTING ON GOD TO DO WHAT HE COULD NOT AND IT WAS THIS ATTITUDE ALONE IS WHAT IS ‘RIGHT STANDING’ WITH GOD.

BECAUSE ANY OTHER ATTITUDE IS STUBBORN PRIDE AND SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.

THIS THOUGHT IS DEVELOPED MORE FULLY IN WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU A FEW VERSES OF AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ CHAPTER 4 THIS WEEK FOR YOUR QUIET TIME WITH THE LORD.

NOW THIS CHAPTER HAS 25 VERSES; SO IF YOU WILL READ 5 VERSES EACH DAY, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY YOU WILL READ THE ENTIRE CHAPTER.

BUT I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT TONIGHT OR MONDAY THAT YOU READ THE ENTIRE CHAPTER FIRST THEN BREAK IT DOWN THE REST OF THE WEEK.

TURN WITHE ME TO READ 4:1-8

SO PAUL LAID DOWN HIS BASIC FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH AND NOW HE WILL SHOW THE RELEVANCE OF ABRAHAM’S EXPERIENCE TO THE GALATIAN’S EXPERIENCE.

MOST LIKELY A MAJORITY OF THE READERS OF THIS LETTER WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE OLD TESTAMENT AS PAUL WAS.

WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT WHETHER THE GALATIANS WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE O.T. OR NOT, THE O.T. AND THE O.T. ALONE, WAS THE BIBLE OF THE FIRST CENTURY NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH.

WHEN TEXT OF SCRIPTURE WHERE USED IT WAS FROM THE O.T. AND ADDING INCIDENTS AND SAYINGS FROM THE LIFE OF JESUS TO SHOW HOW JESUS FULFILLED THESE O.T. SCRIPTURES.

READ VS 7-9

SO PAUL SHOWS THAT ONLY THOSE WHO HAVE THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM CAN ACTUALLY BE CALLED THE DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM.

…ARE OF FAITH…MEANS BELIEVERS.

BELIEVE, LIKE ABRAHAM, COMMIT THEMSELVES TO GOD; THESE AND THESE ONLY.

AND THE …SONS OF ABRAHAM…ARE SPIRITUAL DESCENDANTS.

REMEMBER THE JUDAIZERS TAUGHT THAT TO BECOME ‘SONS OF ABRAHAM’ (HEIRS OF THE PROMISE) THEY HAD TO BE CIRCUMCISED, TO BECOME JEWS.

PAUL TAUGHT THAT CIRCUMCISION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, THAT SPIRITUAL KINSHIP, NOT PHYSICAL DESCENT, IS THE DETERMINING FACTOR.

AND SINCE KINSHIP WITH ABRAHAM DEPENDS ON FAITH, THE PROMISE GIVEN TO HIM AND HIS DESCENDANTS CAN BE SHARED BY BELIEVING GENTILES; WHICH PAUL CONFIRMS IN VS8 SAYING THIS IS THE TEACHING OF THE SCRIPTURES.

THE STATEMENT IS THAT JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IN GOD’S RULE OF ACTION IS FOR EVERY AGE.

WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAY IS THAT ALL THE NATIONS SHALL BE BLESSED IN YOU…(ABRAHAM)

SO WE CAN SHARE IN ABRAHAM’S BLESSING BY JOINING ABRAHAM’S FAMILY.

GOD’S BLESSING OF ABRAHAM IS EXTENDED TO OTHERS THROUGH ABRAHAM.

NOT MOHAMMED OR BUDDHA, OR OPRAH OR THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OR YOUR FINANCES OR YOUR STRENGTH OR OUR CHURCH AND MOST ASSUREDLY NOT THROUGH ME.

IT ONLY COMES THROUGH ABRAHAM.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO BE A MAN OR WOMAN OF FAITH LIKE ABRAHAM?

WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE A CHRIST-FOCUSED FAITH.

WE WOULD BE MISTAKEN TO MAKE ABRAHAM INTO A DIVINE BEING OR HAVING SOME HIGHER POWER.

WHAT IT MEANT FOR ABRAHAM TO BELIEVE IN GOD WHO HAD SPOKEN A VERY SPECIFIC WORD TO HIM, A WORD OF PROMISE.

BUT NOW, IN THESE LAST DAYS, GOD HAS SPOKEN TO US THROUGH HIS SON.

…IN THESE LAST DAYS HAS SPOKEN TO US IN HIS SON, WHOM HE APPOINTED HEIR OF ALL THINGS, THROUGH WHOM ALSO HE MADE THE WORLD…

JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONE WHO HAS DIED AND WAS RAISED AND NOW SITS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD AND WILL ONE DAY RETURN TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD; AND IT IS JESUS IN WHOM ALL THE PROMISES OF GOD ARE BOTH YES AND AMEN.

AND SO TO BE A PERSON OF FAITH, AND AS A RESULT A CHILD OF ABRAHAM, IS TO LIVE A LIFE OF FAITH THAT IS FOCUSED ON ALL THAT GOD HAS PROMISED TO DO FOR US AND FOR THE WORLD IN HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST.

SO WHEN WE EXERCISE THE SAME FAITH AS ABRAHAM WE ARE JUSTIFIED AND ARE A TRUE FOLLOWER AND A CHILD OF GOD.

THIS IS FAITH FOR SALVATION, RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD AND GODLY CHARACTER.

GOD DEALS WITH ALL PERSONS ON THE SAME MORAL BASIS.

GOD IS NOT INFLUENCED WITH A PERSON’S STATUS, WEALTH, ETC.

VS8 IS PAUL’S ANSWER TO THE FALSE ASSUMPTION OF THE JUDAIZERS.

AS A RESULT OF GOD FORESEEING THAT HE WOULD JUSTIFY THE GENTILES BY FAITH ANNOUNCED THE GOSPEL TO ABRAHAM, A MESSAGE THAT WAS TO BE RECEIVED BY FAITH.

WHAT WAS THIS GOOD NEWS ANNOUNCED TO ABRAHAM?

THAT SOME DAY THE SAVIOR WOULD ARISE OUT OF HIS NATION ISRAEL, AND THAT THE GENTILES WOULD BE SAVED THROUGH HIM AS ABRAHAM WAS SAVED.

AND AS A RESULT, JESUS SAID IN …YOUR FATHER ABRAHAM REJOICED TO SEE MY DAY, AND HE SAW IT AND WAS GLAD...