Letter to the Galatians

Letter to the Galatians

Intro: You know I love music and I am not a musician but I love the stories in the songs, I love the stories and the music also helps tell the story. One of my fondest memories from like kindergarten or so, that we listened to Peter and the Wolf. Each character had a pan instrument and the sounds or notes can be made to emote sounds and feelings. The notes are generally differentiated between major and minor Chords. Major chords have a brighter, happier sound while minor chords produce sounds that are sad and melancholy.

Likewise, the Law and Grace are like minor and major chords. They have to be played together in a way that we focus on the major Chords, but we understand the reason for the minor chords.

And So Paul has to explain this concept of Law and Grace and the role God’s Grace through Christ plays in their lives. He does not spend a lot of time on the law because many of the Galatians may not be Jewish. But they have been introduced to the idea of the law. The Judaizers were flipping things around and telling them the law was the major chord and that they had to obey the Law in order to be Christ followers.

Read Verses: 5:1-13

Main Idea: Christians must know the True Gospel and how the Good News affects your entire life Galatians 2:16

Background: Galatia is a region in Asia Minor, which is modern Day Turkey. The Galatians are related to the Gauls’ or the Celts. Some of the Celts moved from The Danube Region of Austria and Bohemia into what is modern day Turkey.around 278 BC. Others, tribes that we know as the Celts as the ones who moved eastward to France, and then to Ireland and Scotland and Wales.

Germany westward to France, and Ireland and Scotland. Others, this group, moved south eastward toward Turkey and the Anatolian Plain. By Paul’s Day, It included Cities of Ancrya in the Northern region, and Iconium, Derbe, Lystra in the South. In the wider sense it also included the Roman provinces of Pontus, Cappadocia , Asia and Bithynia. And Peter addresses his 1 letter to the same regions.

Paul’s letter refutes the false teaching of the Judaizers to the new Christians to explain that they had to follow the Law of Abraham and Moses to be considered Christians. One of the main topics they were trying to convince the Christians of was being Circumcised.

Explanation

I. The True Gospel Brings Freedom

From the Law

It is not entirely telling if Paul received a letter from someone or he got word of what was going on in the churches of Galatia. Since it is a widespread area and a number of churches, the problem must have been widespread.

Knowing that Paul tells the Galatians his conversion story, we see that this situation of being an adherent to the law was particularly close to his heart. Why? Because Paul was the one voted i the one who is most likely to follow the law in his yearbook. But know He is the one following Grac. And he is instructing other churches, perhaps his first churches that he helped plant. So Paul is angry. His language of You foolish Galatians, makes sense because by telling them his lineage, he is saying look if anyone should be and would be following the law if I had to, it would be me. But i am not. I preached t you then true gospel because we know In 2:16, yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the Law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

And anyone who tells you differently is lying. There is no faith plus works that saves you. It is Faith because Faith has been supplied by God. We will see how our works coordinate or pour out of our new found freedom at the end of the letter.

From the Lies

They Judaizers could not make the leap to Jesus as God and messiah. So they were stuck. And what’s the saying, Misery loves company. They could stand to see the Galatians free to worship the One True god and revel in His Glory and Grace. So thy tell them a Lie. They say, you are signing the wrong words. Hey if you want to be a true worshipper, these are the words to the song. And they are confused. And since the new words involve circumcision, the men in particular probably said hold on a minute. Paul didn’t say anything about this.

If Paul received a letter from some of the Galatians, they must have known enough of the Gospel to possibly ask about the differences in the messages.

Paul was astonished and “perplexed” by their departure from the truth of the gospel. He feared that they had been “bewitched” and deceived. In frustration he dubbed them, as J. B. Phillips translates it, plainly as “my dear idiots” (3:1).

Luther understood what Paul was saying to the Galatians, ‘Partial obedience to the law does not justify before God, for it is evident from Gal 3:10 and other texts that perfect obedience is required,and hence it is impossible to keep the law (Rom 8:7 – 8).”

When unbelievers ask you what about all. The other rules, that you Christians conveniently ignore.Point them to Galatians in particular. We are no picking an choosing. We do not need to follow the Law in order to be righteous. We are made righteous through faith in Christ. That it is His life and His work on the cross fulfilled the law.

II. The True Gospel Fulfills Promise (3:18)

Abraham's Seed

The Judaizers told the Galatians that they had to follow the law and have faith. But Paul explains that The promise or covenant was made to Abraham before the law. The Judaizers linked the circumcision to the law, but it is not important for salvation.

As Paul puts it the law was a guardian unto Christ came. It was the bumper rails n they bowling alley. When you learn music, you start off with songs like Mary had a little lamb and other simple songs. Because they are rudimentary and teach you the basics. But you progress and get better. Things become second nature. You don't need the law.

And with Christ and the new covenant, we are made Abraham's heirs. As he says in 3:29, if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise and that promise is the New Covenant.

A New Covenant

The new covenant is not an adjustment to the humans not getting it right or following the law, but as Paul points out in 4:4-5 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth this Son, born of a woman born under the law. To redeem those who were under the he law so that we might receive adoptions and sons.

Jesus Incarnation, and his death and resurrection was really the one sided Adoption ceremony for all of His people. And we are included when we repent and believe with Faith that Jesus is Lord. That is what brings us into the family and we are free from worry and fear now for our eternal state.

But what about the time spent on this earth that we have to endure? Are we perfected and perfect. Now living a sinless life?

III. The True Gospel Propels You Forward

In 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Away from the Flesh

Paul is telling the churches to stand firm in what you know to be true. Stand up for the Gospel and do not be bewitched by other messages. Do not put yourself under the Law. It negates the Grace that God has given you. It negates your freedom in God.

Luther also stated that “God gave the law, then, to put us to death, to kill us, so that we would see the enormity of our sin.” God used the law to put our old fleshly seles to death. Paul says in more than a few of his letters I have been crucified with Christ and have been raised in the newness of life. It is what Jesus means when he tells Nicodemus he needs to be reborn by the Spirit.

Toward the Spirit

We see the question asked or the statement made today. I am a good person, why don't I get into heaven if i have done all these good things. That doesn’t seem fair. Today’s society is basing their understanding of good on a carnal or worldly understanding. The works we have today have replaced the law of Paul’s day and what he is referring to to the Galatians. The fruits Paul mentions is what the law is about,loving your neighbor.

Their idea of good is not based on God’s understanding. And that is where the Holy Spirit comes to convict you or me that turns the mirror on your soul and you finally realize,you are not good enough. And the things you thought made you good enough were not motivated by faith, but flesh. Our cart of works is before the horse of faith.

But when we have the faith in Christ that his work on the cross was sufficient all of a sudden it is freeing and we have now we have the correct set up of the horse pulling the cart. And we are not careening out of control trying to make the faith go.

Paul says in 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Application

1. Christ Made Your Freedom possible

You are free because it was a rescue mission, not a prison break. And while there is a point of time when you choose to go with Jesus as he walks by your cell, he’s the one that has destroyed the enemy camp, killed the guards, unlocked your cell door, and has the helicopter waiting to take you home.

Christians are righteous because they belong to Jesus Christ; they are righteous because they are married to Christ.

2. Our Freedom should make us Zealous for God

Paul is irritated or angry at the Galatians because they seem to not get it. they do not seem to share his zeal for God. and they jumped to the next shiny object or “new song” that sounds like the one they jut heard.

What if we were so excited for God and what what he has done for us, that we want to run through the streets telling everyone and everything we say, or do glorifies God.

These are the fruits of the spirit that Paul is talking about in Galatians 5

3. Our Freedom should make us and Keep Us Amazed

Not because we chose the right answer But because God’s grace has made you free if you are under his rule and in his love. Talking about Music, Everyone knows Amazing Grace.

We recognize the tune, especially if it is played on bagpipes or sung really well. And we hear the words.

Conclusion

In songs, the instruments produce the different notes when they harmonize, that is what makes the song what it is.High notes and low notes happy ones and sad ones. And we can recognize the song almost immediately. But if you have ever heard a bad rendition where someone is off just a little, you can tell.

Jesus fulfilled the Law and through Him, everything else that was deemed unclean in the law was now clean and we see this in Acts 10 with God giving the same message to Peter. So now the only things unclean are sinners and sinful behavior.

We should know the words of the Gospel message, of God’s story by heart so when some tries to do a Weird Al version, you can say , that is not the original. You have just made a parody of the Gospel. And Weird Al’s songs are wonderful and witty, but the wrong Gospel message and getting people to believe it is damning.

A perfect God requires perfect obedience. A task that is impossible for humans to do. Instead of starting over or just watching us painfully struggle and live our futile existence, God had a plan to free us from the bonds of slavery to sin.

Sending his son in human form,

Jesus, our sins he did wear

and Gods wrath he did bear,

His brethren to save

Three days later he rose from the grave

Freeing us from strife

and granting us eternal life.

Do you believe?

that he did this for you and for me?

Are you truly free?