Freedom Through Identity

Intro

- Illustration- Who’s kid is this?

o In this passage Paul is identifying the Children of Abraham

- Paul was making an argument form experience in verses 1-5- his own experience and the Galatian’s experience- “you know”

- Now he turns to an argument from Scripture

o This was his ultimate foundation

o We must be careful that we do not build our theology through experience, but rather through God’s word

o It’s not about what God means not us or what we feel- yes, in our relationship with God we experience many things, just as the Galatians did, but Paul made sure to draw them back to scripture.

o Our experience is only valid as it agrees with what we read in Scripture- we do not make our own truth

- Read Gal. 3:6-9

- Paul not only goes back to Scripture, he purposefully goes back to the story of Abraham

o Why Abraham?

o The Judaizers often referred to Moses, but Abraham was where it all began. He was the Father of the Jewish Nation. This was the beginning of God’s covenant with his people

o So this is no longer just about what we do, the works of the Law, but who we are

o The importance of knowing scripture- we may recognize false teaching, but if we don’t know scripture, how are we going to counter it?

Faith alone identifies us as God’s children and the recipients of his divine blessing.

Our Identity

A. Why is identity so important?

1. It is what defines you and where you find your worth and sense of belonging

2. Our identity is who we are, not who we choose to be

a. If we’ve placed our faith and trust in Jesus, it doesn’t matter how we feel, the reality is that we are justified and forgiven- we are God’s Children

b. I we have not made the decision to place our faith in Jesus, no matter how good we feel, we still stand condemned before God

B. As Christians, we must be sure of our identity

1. Our actions flow from our identity- not the other way around

Cowboy illustration

C. We are God’s Children

1. Son’s of Abraham- God’s Chosen People

a. The Jews based everything on the fact that they were the physical descendants of Abraham

b. "Look, through Abraham God chose his people, the Jews. He then gave the Jews his Law through Moses. So, to be identified as God’s people, to truly experience His salvation, you must be both Jew and follow his law, right?

c. The Judaizers believed that Abraham's promise (Gen. 12:2-3) must always be coupled with his circumcision in Gen. 17:4-14, but they are forgetting about Abraham's faith in Gen. 15:6- that’s what Paul is pointing out.

(1) Gen. 12:2-3- “I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

(2) 15:6 “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

d. Paul says, “Look, long before God established circumcision as a sign of his covenant with Abraham, Abraham was declared righteous. His standing before God was not based on his works.

2. Our identity as Christians is spiritual, not physical, but Spiritual

a. Eph. 2:28-29 “For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. 29 On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter., That person’s praise is not from people but from God.”

- So our identity is important- we must be sure of our identity- the Galatian Christians were confused- they knew they weren’t like the pagan religions they had left, but they also knew they weren’t physical decedents of Abraham. Paul was helping them, and us, understand who they truly were.

- But what is our identifying mark as Christians?

Our Faith (v. 7, 9- Those of faith)

A. Faith in the promise of God

1. Abraham’s faith was in the promise of God to make a great nation and to bless all nations

2. Paul draws connection to the gospel in v. 8- the promise made to Abraham found its fulfillment in the Gospel going to the Gentiles- all nations

3. Abraham had faith in the promise of God

B. Faith isn’t always easy

1. The example of Abraham

a. He stepped out in faith when God told him to leave everything behind and move to an undisclosed location

b. He held onto faith as he waited for the promise of a son

c. He showed ultimate faith in his willingness to give God what was most important to him, his son, the fulfillment of the promise

2. We face these similar tests of our faith

a. Faith when God asks us to step outside our comfort zone

b. Faith when God tells us to wait

c. Faith when God asks us to surrender everything

3. What happens when your faith is tested?

a. Does your faith grow stronger?

b. Or are you tempted to turn to other things?

c. Remember, this is our identifying mark as Christians!

- so we must understand our identity in Christ and faith is the what identifies us as children of God, now we see that Faith brings blessing

Our Blessing (8b-9)

A. The realization of God’s promise to Abraham- “In you shall all the nations be blessed”- our very salvation

1. In Gal. 3:16 we are going to see that the way they are blessed is through Christ

2. Our blessing is being declared righteous before God

B. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit and his work in and through us

1. So we see in the last section (vv. 1-5) the evidence of the Spirit’s work in us through miracles, and we will also see that evidence in the fruit he produces in us (fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5)

a. Stay with me here- The fruit and the ways we see God working around us are evidence of the Spirit living in us. The Spirit living in us is a result of our being made right with God, being justified. Justification is only made possible through faith in the promise of God which was fulfilled by Jesus on the Cross

C. Continued blessing throughout our lives

1. Eph. 1:3- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”

2. Eph. 2:5-9- “Even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

D. The full realization of our blessing is eternal life

1. John 3:16- “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes (has faith) in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Conclusion

- Faith alone identifies us as God’s chosen people and recipients of his divine blessing.

So What?

- Are you sure of your identity? Is your identity in Christ?

- Are you living by faith?

o What happens to your faith when you’re taken out of your comfort zone, when you’re asked to wait, or when God asks you to surrender something important to you? Do you trust his promise?

- If we are sure of our identity in Christ an identity that is marked by faith alone, we can be confident in our blessings: our justification, the Holy Spirit living in us, and the promise of eternal life.