Run - Galatians 5:7-15

Turn Bible to ch. 5

This is what Paul is talking about in chapter 5

v. 1 Stand - in liberty

v.7 Run - in a free relationship

v. 16 Walk

this section is about relationship

at first its about our position but builds up to talk about how it is worked out.

This is about going from

hears to doers

from truth to action.

Outline

the problem (v.7-8)

What now (v. 10-12)

Moving forward (v.13-15)

THE PROBLEM VERSE 7-8

Galatians 5:7 NKJV

7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

all throughout scripture our relationship with God is described as a race or a run

*mostly because the original readers would have been very familiar with the Olympics.

so there are a lot of verses:

you may want to screen shot or take a picture of this next screen showing us...

Verses describing our relationship as race or a run:

2 Tim 4:7, Gal 5:7, Heb 12:1, Is 40:31, Ps 119:32, 1 Cor 9:24-27, 2 Tim 2:5

in verse 7

He says the Galatians were running well but then they were hindered.

that word hindered is a nice way to put the Greek word: “anakopto”

it means to get pushed back, to drive back...

So what is Paul describing

looks something like:

play video

So the Galatians were pushed or driven back from

the truth.

so what is the truth?

John 8:32 NKJV

32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 14:6 NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Plus the last several weeks we have been learning how Jesus sets us free from the law…

so we have no reason to be guilty

or self righteous.

So the truth is

there is freedom in Jesus

So someone had pushed the Galatians down from that truth of grace.

that someone ...

as verse 8 says... did not come from God…

this is an important point because He is speaking about the law that is God’s Word.

these false teachers were using words from the Bible like righteousness, purity, holiness.)

they were quoting God’s Word

but again the problem

is that these teachers were tackling the Galatians from freedom with just one part of the law.

For you this may be 10 commandments, purity, devotions.

why is that so wrong?

WHY - VERSE 9

Galatians 5:9 NKJV

9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

1. I love how Paul goes from talking about running and being active to food.

so much like me

So many interpret this verse to refer to sin.. and he in a sense is

because

leaven is generally pictured as a symbol of evil.

During Passover, for example, no yeast was allowed in the house (Ex. 12:15–19; 13:7).

Worshipers were not permitted to mingle leaven with sacrifices (Ex. 34:25), though there were some exceptions to this rule.

Jesus used leaven as a picture of sin when He warned against the “leaven of the Pharisees” (Matt. 16:6–12);

and Paul used leaven as a symbol of sin in the church at Corinth (1 Cor. 5).

So Paul is saying that this taking up the law again is like sin.

Showing us that even righteousness can keep us from Jesus.

which what a concept that is.

our rights and wrongs both can keep us from God.

What freedom there is in learning that God is not a charma type God

but a gifting God

before we needed righteousness to reach up to God

now Righteousness has reached down to us in Jesus

Philippians 3:9 NLT

9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

This was the problem with the Pharisees and an issue we can face

that we become so focused on our righteousness that we lose sight of Jesus

we can be so focused at serving at church we forget who we are serving.:

we get so devoted to our devotions that we draw a blank of Jesus

So Paul is saying that

because they are taking up some tiny part of the law

that their whole walk with God effected

teaching us that basing our relationship with God on even just one part of our law

keeps us from freedom and ruins the point of Jesus.

we saw this in our study last week

whether you been centering your relationship with God on your purity, or following 10 commandments.

for Galatians they were thinking they had to become circumcised.

Jesus has set us free…

our position with God is as Col 1:22 says

Colossians 1:22 NLT

22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

none of your righteousness or sin can change that position you have with God.

you cant be any more holy then what Jesus did

So Paul says accepting just one part of the law destroys the grace you have with God

Romans 11:6 NKJV

6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

your saved and kept by grace .. no work good or bad can change that.

In verse 10-12 - Paul begins to talk about what now

WHAT NOW? - Verse 10-12

2 things:

about Galatians

1. about the false teacher

1. About Galatians

Gal 5:10a “ I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind”

Here Paul reassures to them that he believes that they will return back to God’s Grace

I think this verse in Galatians should gives us hope.

Maybe you have walked away from the grace of God.

you have been basing your relationship with God by your own actions

but like the Galatians we can get back to Jesus and the grace He has for us.

Paul now wants to address the false teacher.

which hey may be you

if your basing your relationship with God by your righteouesness

2. About the False Teacher

Gal 5:10b-12

“... but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. ”11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. ”12 I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!”

in verse 12 he says he wishes that that person would be cut off himself

actually that GK word cut off actually means to be mutilated

basically he says that the person that is taking God’s people away from God’s grace

will be taken from God’s grace.

that the person that is putting God’s people back under the law will be judged by the law,

Paul contrasts the fact that they should be persecuted with him being persecuted.

he pretty much is saying it should be the other way around and that other fool getting persecuted.

But the fact Paul is getting persecuted for this shows us that

People like to earn their way

People like to deserve their glory

while the message of grace may sound like the greatest gift ever

others are offended by it.

MOVING FORWARD PRACTICALLY - VERSE 13-15

Here Paul is transitioning from our position with God to our practical relationship with God.

Okay so many christians get confused here…

so many misinterpret this.

Lets just read it first and you will see

Galatians 5:13–15 NKJV

13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

Like I said Paul is now moving from our position with God to our practical walk with God

remember this is the difference of the title barista being your position

and practically doing the work of a barista.

Positionally we are sons and daughters of God regardless of if we are keeping the law or not.

But as it goes hand & hand to have a position and doing the work of the situation

the same is true with being a child of God and living like one.

as it says in James 2:17

James 2:17 NKJV

17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

So many people think James and Galatians speak towards to opposites

While Galatians is about Jesus giving us freedom from the law

James is focused about works

Martin Luther said:

“We should throw the epistle of James out of this school, for it doesn’t amount to much. It contains not a syllable about Christ. Not once does it mention Christ, except at the beginning. I maintain that some Jew wrote it who probably heard about Christian people but never encountered any. Since he heard that Christians place great weight on faith in Christ, he thought, ‘Wait a moment! I’ll oppose them and urge works alone.’ This he did.”

The confusion is between the position and the practical

there is absolutely nothing but trust in Jesus that makes us positionally sons and daughters of God

practically that changes things.

since our position has changed from sinner to saint

If Jesus was able to forgive us we forgive others.

If Jesus was able to love us we love others.

doing this doesn't save us…

but doing those things is a sign that we understood the forgiveness and love God has given to us.

So Paul is changing from our position

to what we should be doing as forgiven, and loved people of God.

the first thing Paul says is in verse 13

1. God’s freedom is not for freedom to continue sinning (v.13)

Paul speaks about this in Romans 6:1

Romans 6:1 NKJV

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Okay so if your looking for a free pass to keep sinning… Jesus is not the person …

the person your looking for is Satan.

Satan is cool with you sinning all you want!

Jesus is for those who are sick of sin ruling and reigning in our lives..

Jesus is for us who want to have a relationship with God.

Jesus is for those seeking help

Now as we see Jesus paid the price for all of our sins and failures…

but if someone is like yeah I believe in God and Jesus

and he paid for my sins so I am good to do whatever I want

it would seem that you really weren't looking for a Savior but for a free ticket to sin

the free ticket to sin is with Satan

Salvation from sin is with Jesus.

Imagine someone with this huge weight on his back..

and so the person asks if someone else can take the weight off.

One person says yes I will carry this for you.

And the person says okay thanks… and then walk off still carrying the burden

Thats what it is like if a person asks for forgiveness of sin and continues sinning

Now if you are truly sick and tired of the weight of sin.....

If Jesus offers to take off that burden ..... you do not want to put that burden back on right?

now keeping with this thought… when we do sin…

we dont put that burden back on because all of your sin was taken by Jesus.

so Jesus’ freedom from our sin is not so we can return to sin.

America didn’t get free from England so that America can go back to England.

Were set free from sin … not to go back to sin

The second thing in moving forward practically is

2. Love Others (v.13-15)

1 John 4:19 NKJV

19 We love Him because He first loved us.

verse 14 even said the whole law is fulfilled by loving.

John 13:34 NKJV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

1 John 4:19–21 NKJV

19 We love Him because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

1 John 4:7–11 NKJV

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

With things going on today.... Move than ever we need to learn to love each other

While people of the world desire to be loved

we are to love others

If you are focused on getting attention

give your attention

If you are hoping to be complimented

compliment others

If you are waiting to be invited to a group

reach out to others

Being like God is to get your eyes off yourself and to look out for others

So because God has loved and forgiven you

love and forgive others!