Sermon Tone Analysis

*1. Faith not law?*

Hands up if you do paid work?

Why do you get paid?

Would you expect to get paid if you didn’t do anything?

Suppose I promised to give you $2 – what do you think you might have to do for it?

Suppose I promised to give it to you on the grounds simply that you believed I would give it to you – what would you do? (give it to #1)

            God offers everyone the blessings he promised to Abraham – but the question is how do we get them?

Do we have to do something?

Or do we just believe and receive?

It is a critical question, and one that is answered for us as we look at Galatians 3 – so let’s pray as we turn to God’s word.

PRAY

 

*2.

Faith not law!*

/            a) from experience (3:1-5)/

            Gal 3:1 – you foolish Galatians!

Who has bewitched you?

Not encouraging, friendly words are they?

But Paul can’t afford to muck around as he writes to the Galatians – their eternal relationship with God is at stake, and he’s not going to sit around watching them being ripped off, like something out of Today Tonight.

What’s happening?

We’ve seen in the past weeks that some false teachers, probably Jewish Christians, had come to Galatia, and were telling the Christians they had to become Jews, as well as accept the gospel, if they wanted to be real Christians.

Paul cannot believe the Galatians could be contemplating this.

He says it is as though they have been bewitched.

They have had the gospel message of Christ crucified clearly portrayed to them, and yet they are in danger of jumping ship to a completely different system.

So Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions, appealing to their own experiences.

So v2 - Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 

                or v3 - After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

v4 - Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing?

And v5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

See what Paul is asking?

Essentially this - did you receive the Holy Spirit when you put your faith in Jesus – or did you receive him by doing works of the law and obeying Jewish customs?

The answer is pretty obvious isn’t it – it was through faith – v5 – when they believed the gospel Paul had preached to them of Christ crucified.

So why consider turning back to the law, when you already have the Spirit?

Foolish!

What about you?

When did you receive the Holy Spirit?

When you put your faith in Jesus!

Are you continuing in that faith, or seeking to now live by law?

The experience of the Galatians suggests that faith, not law, is the way to be in God’s family.

It’s one thing to appeal to experience, but we need to be careful.

All experiences are real – but some can be deceiving – for example, if it feels good it must be right.

Not always true is it?

We need to make sure experiences are backed up by Scripture before we say they are from God. That’s what Paul does now as he turns to the Old Testament to show that faith not law has always been the way God has promised his blessings.

/            b) from Scripture (3:6-14)/

And so in v6 Paul turns to Abraham.

The Jews delighted in tracing their ancestry from him.

And God’s promises were made to Abraham, promises of blessing to the nations.

But how did God’s promise come to Abraham?

By Abraham’s faith or through Abraham keeping the law?

The answer in v6 is – faith.

Look at it - Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

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            It’s a quote from Gen 15:6 which we heard in our first reading.

Abraham complains that God has given him no children.

God promises he will have a son from his own body, and indeed will have as many offspring as there are stars in the heavens.

And remember Abraham was about 85 at this stage, and Sarah his wife was about 75.

A child? You’re kidding!

What is Abraham’s response?

Gen 15:6 – Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Abraham knew he could do nothing by himself, he threw himself on God’s mercy, and counted on God to what he couldn’t do.

That’s faith.

Abraham related to God by faith.

Abraham obtained the blessings promised by God through faith.

Who then are the real children of Abraham?

Look at v7 - Understand, then, that those who believe f  are children of Abraham.

The Judaisers were trying to persuade the Galatians that to be children of Abraham, to inherit God’s promised blessings, they had to become Jews, they had to submit to the law.

Paul says no – they have to be like Abraham and have faith.

All those with faith are the true sons of Abraham, and heirs of the promise.

Which is the way God always acts – vv8-9 - The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”

Gal 3:9 So those who have faith i  are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The gospel is that God’s approval and blessing are upon those who believe.

Faith leads to God’s blessing.

Faith is the means God uses – for all nations.

Law leads to something quite different – God’s curse.

That is God’s personal reaction to human sin.

So look at v10 - All who rely on observing the law k  are under a curse, l  for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

Faith leads to blessing, but law leads to cursing, and death.

Again the proof is Scripture – indeed the Law itself, Deut 27:26 is quoted.

And if the Galatians are to take on the law, they have to take on all the requirements of the law, and they then put themselves under a curse.

Again Scripture points out that the alternative is faith – which brings life.

So Paul’s quote from Hab 2:4 - Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, n  because, “The righteous will live by faith.” 10 o  

            Or to put it more simply perhaps – the one, who by faith is righteous, will live.

Righteousness is based on faith, but the law is based on doing – they are mutually exclusive principles.

So again in v12 Paul quotes Scripture – this time Lev 18:5 – when he says - The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”

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            The law only brings God’s curse.

How does one get out under the curse of the law?

Paul’s answer is wonderful – Jesus!

Vv13-14 - Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law q  by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” 12 r   Gal 3:14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

This is Paul’s staggering conclusion – Jesus became a curse, proven by his hanging on a tree which Deut 21:23 considered the sign of being cursed.

Jesus did it to redeem Jews – hence Paul’s use of we - so that Gentiles like us didn’t have to be put under the law, or become Jewish, and yet still receive the blessing to Abraham.

Faith in Christ is the way God chose to fulfil the promise made to Abraham and bring blessing to the nations.

Faith in Christ connects us to God’s blessing.

And that promised blessing turns out to be none other than God himself in the person of the Holy Spirit.

God offers himself to every person in the world, Jew or Gentile, simply through faith in Christ.

The distinguishing mark of being a child of God is being indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

It has nothing to do with keeping the law.

God grants his Holy Spirit to people because they surrender to Christ, not because they conform their lives to the Mosaic law.

Gentiles are now included in God’s family because they have received the Spirit, by faith in Jesus.

Faith is, and always has been, the way to blessing.

That is powerful isn’t it?

It’s wonderful!