Galatians in light of Easter

INTRO

So we have been walking through the book of Galatians for the past few weeks and it has been quite refreshing to me personally to spend time diving into this wonderful book. Now, we are going to be in chapter 2 but verse 2 this evening. But we are not going to talk through the entire chapter yet. We are actually going to do a bit of review on somethings we have already talked about back in chapter 1.

I think this review is going to be very helpful and actually very timely in the sense that we have what is sometimes jokingly called the Christian Super Bowl and that is Easter. The Easter holiday is a day in which we celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promise to put things back into order.

This is the Gospel. So, before we can move forward in our study of Galatians and since we are not going to be meeting next week, I think it would be fitting to review WHAT IS THE GOSPEL. But we are going to do it through Galatians.

Galatians 2:1–2 (CSB)

2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. 2 I went up according to a revelation and presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those recognized as leaders. I wanted to be sure I was not running, and had not been running, in vain.

Let’s look at these 2 verses and see how we can go back and review. So Remember Paul is fighting against a group of people called Judaizers. These Judaizers goal is to force people essentially to become Jews. They have been on a mission to reverse everything Paul has taught them about what the Gospel is. So, Paul knowing this is going on goes up to Jerusalem because the Lord revealed to him that he needed to, to present to them the Gospel. That is exactly what Paul does. He goes to present the proper Gospel to them, and make sure he himself is on the right path, then to show them what the true GOSPEL is. So tonight we are going to do that. We are going to leave you heading into your spring break knowing at least a working knowledge of what the Gospel is. So, lets begin.

God

To understand the Gospel we need to start with who the Gospel is about. Its about God. So that is where we will start. At some point we are going to do a more exhaustive study of God and who He is, but for the sake of time and sake of this sermon ill helicopter it for you. God is Holy.

Biblical use of the term “holy” has to do primarily with God’s separating from the world that which He chooses to devote to Himself

God is not like us, He is separated from us in essence and being. There is no fault, no blemish with God. God is the highest moral authority and He alone sets morality. So, everything we know that is good and moral comes from God. There is nothing higher than God. The crazy thing here is that the world has gotten into the mode where we try to set what morality is, and when humanity tries to set morality things seem to fall apart. As we will see as we continue moving through the talk. Before can understand the depths of your sin, we have to grasp the holiness of God. I think a place to see the depths of this is found in Isiah 6 Listen to this.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth. The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke. Then I said: Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies.

Now why is Isaiah feeling this way, Why does he cast woe on himself? Because he realizes that God is holy and that he is unworthy of being in the presence of God. Let’s keep our finger on this passage because it will come back up.

Man

So that us to that reason as to why he feel unworthy? Why would someone feel unworthy at seeing the Holiness and Glory of God? Heres why? In Genesis 1 God creates all things, and he creates all things good. He makes all things perfect. God then creates mankind in His image. Now what is Gods image? Gods image is holy and blameless. So when we read in Genesis 1:27 that he made male and female in HIS image, the idea is that God created good and upright thats the image we are to uphold. Lets make this more personal for us. When we look at a statue of somekind the idea is not to think about the statue, the idea is to remember what the representation of that statue did. So, when we see a statue of Nick Saban or Bo Jackson the idea is get you to remember those mens accomplishments. Its a projection of what they did in their time as a coach and a player. So, God created mankind in His image to display His moral character.

God also in creation establishes law and rules. His first law to man was not to eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. God had already blessed mankind so much already. He gave life, he gave them many trees in which they could have eaten from.

Christ

Response