Sermon Tone Analysis

Galatians 3 & 4

Good morning church!

Glad to be with you guys this morning, continuing on in our study through the book of Galatians.

It is in my top 66 favorite books in the Bible!

I say that because I feel like I often say, this or that in one of my favorites, and it’s true.

It just seems that very often where we are is just so timely in my own life, that those Scriptures become near and dear to me once again.

I remember a time in my life, from the outside looking into the church, before I was a Christian.

Where Church just seemed like a bunch of rules and regulations being enforced by a bunch of nerds that had no power anywhere else in their lives, so they were staunch legalists where they could be.

It wasn’t the whole hypocrisy excuse that many people use, I’d met enough people in my life by that time that I realized very few people are exactly what they present themselves to be.

It just bugged me that the message of the church was that you could be free in Jesus, as long as you put yourself in bondage to a whole bunch of rules.

Well Galatians is a book that lets us know that the God of the Bible is not into legalism either!

We started last week and moved pretty quickly through the first two chapters, because Paul doesn’t waste a lot of time with a big introduction.. Part of the reason for that is unlike his other letters written to the churches there is no thanks written to them, or praise for how they are doing.

Even to the Corinthians which was a corrective letter Paul gives a pat on the back before the kick in the butt, not to the Galatians.

He wasn’t happy, and gets right down to business.

He reminds them of his own conversion, then how the gospel came to him by revelation from Jesus, he talked about how they had received the gospel, and had begun to turn away to another gospel.

And Paul makes the argument and continues with it this morning, that there is no other gospel, the good news is salvation by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.

He tells of a time when Peter was in Antioch, how he would eat with the Gentile believers under grace, didn’t worry about the kosher rules under the law, but then suddenly when some Jews came from the church in Jerusalem, apparently from James, suddenly, he no longer sat with the Gentiles for meals, but fearing the judgement of the Judaizers, suddenly became kosher again, and was in agreement with these guys at least on the surface in appearance, and they were telling everyone of the gentiles (when I say that, it just meant non-Jews) so most of us would be gentiles.

These guys were saying, look Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, so if you want to become a Christian, you first have to become a Jew, get circumcised, no more bacon, or cheese on your burgers, follow the law, then you can become a Christian.

And you can probably understand, these gentile believers had been forgiven of every sin they had ever committed, they were now free, had the promise of eternity.

Last week they were worshiping at some pagan temple and now they were saved.

These guys are coming from Jerusalem, they must know what they are talking about, if there’s more that I can do, or more that I should do, then I’ll do it.

We read in fact that Peter wasn’t the only one, Paul wrote in chapter two"And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy."

- Galatians 2:13 NKJV

Now in chapter 3 Paul makes the argument, or provides the doctrine and practice application for us, and why we can be free from the law.

God will produce righteousness in our lives, but it won’t be through legalism, or our own pride, or our own efforts.

It will come through being led by the spirit of God, walking in the Spirit of God, who will then produce the Fruit of the Spirit of God in our lives.

So let’s begin…

Gal 3:1

Strong start Paul, zero sugar added.

Paul says you guys are fools!

Who has tricked you by witchcraft?

It must have been some kind of evil magic trick because Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified, you know how I know that, because that is what I preached, Jesus Christ and Him crucified, risen, and coming again.

Gal 3:2

How did you guys get saved?

Was it the law that saved you?

NO!

It was by hearing and receiving grace by faith!

You were saved, and then in your simple faith, you told your friends and they got saved!

And something awesome was happening and it was spreading.

Tell me this isn’t true!?!

You began in the Spirit, and have now decided you’re going to do it on your own strength, you’re going to follow the law, that you never could follow in the first place, what is wrong with you guys.

I’m going to read you a couple of other translations so you can get the sense of the harshness with which Paul is trying to get their attention with.

When he calls them fools some translate the word void of understanding, empty-headed, like you airheads.

But I think some of these others better capture what Paul is trying to convey.

The Common English Version says: You stupid Galatians!

I told you exactly how Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross.

Has someone now put an evil spell on you?

I want to know only one thing.

How were you given God's Spirit?

Was it by obeying the Law of Moses or by hearing about Christ and having faith in him?

How can you be so stupid?

Do you think that by yourself you can complete what God's Spirit started in you?

The Classic Amplified version which always lives up to its name reads: 1 O YOU poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians!

OR a favorite that is often quoted here is the J.B. Phillips version which reads: O you dear idiots of Galatia, who saw Jesus Christ the crucified so plainly, who has been casting a spell over you?

I will ask you one simple question: did you receive the Spirit of God by trying to keep the Law or by believing the message of the Gospel?

Surely you can’t be so idiotic as to think that a man begins his spiritual life in the Spirit and then completes it by reverting to outward observances?

We should probably pray....Lord give us understanding of your heart in these matters, that we wouldn’t be like the Judaizers or those in Galatia and think that we are enlightened or have a better way that the simplicity that is in Christ, the good news that we see throughout your book, of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus.

Ok, verse 4

Who supplies the Spirit and gifts and miracles among in the church?

Is that an outpouring from the law?

No! If you need more ask God for more, remember Jesus said you who are evil know how to give good gifts, how much more will your Heavenly Father pour out His Spirit upon those who ask Him!

So if you want to see gifts and miracles being poured in the church, or you want to have more Spiritual gifts, ask Him, Lord, I need more of the Fruit of the Spirit in my life, I need more love, peace, joy, longsuffering, kindness, God I’m in need of self control, God I need more boldness, what do you do?

Ask Him, pray in faith and ask Him, then guess what?

He’ll pour out His Spirit.

God wants to pour out His Spirit upon you guys!

And when He does, He gets the credit.

When people see the working of the Spirit in our lives don’t try to complicate it and tell them why God does it for you and how you deserve it because you do this or that, or you don’t place cards or dance, it’s not of you, it’s by His Spirit.

Please don’t hear me wrong here, but we can do this by striving in our own flesh.

God, I’m going to give up this or that, or I’m going to pray for an hour every day, well a half hour, or what seems like a half hour, or I’m going to fast for x number of days, again, don’t hear this the wrong way, we are supposed to pray, Jesus says when you fast, there is an expectation that we are going to do these things, but not in a religious sense thinking that we are somehow going to twist God’s arm into submitting to us.

Like God wasn’t going to do something before, but now He sees what you’re doing, and says oh, well, I guess now I have too.

Or we think we’re earning the next level with God, that’s the bondage of law all over again.

Let’s look at verse 6 this is where the argument begins.

This is key, this is a big deal.

Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

But when?

When was it accounted to him for righteousness?

Lets look at it.

In my Bible there is a little note at the bottom of the page that this linked to this verse and that note takes me to Genesis 15:6

Now up to this point in time in Genesis, God has called Abraham and tells him to go to the land that He will show him.

In chapter 14 Lot gets himself in trouble by living in the dooryard of Sodom and constantly flirting with sin.

Abraham meets Melchizedek and that is an interesting exchange and then in chapter 15 of Genesis it starts…out.

Abraham’s name hasn’t been changed yet by God, but God has told him that he was going to be a nation, but he doesn’t have any kids at this point, but God gives him this awesome promise here I AM your shield, I AM your exceedingly great reward.

Vs 2 Reminding God that he has not yet had a child of his own...

Vs 4 The promise of a son…then in verse 5 and this is huge...

Now this is the one place where the New King James Version really bums me out because they get it wrong.

And by a mile in my opinion, so does the ESV, and the NASB In most spots those translations are right on, that is what I like about them it that they are translations, meaning they take the original languages and they just translate it to English, here however, for whatever reason, rather than a translation, they’ve given us an interpretation, and they got it wrong.

The word that is translated descendants here should not be plural, in the Hebrew it is Zeh-ra and it is a singular masculine noun that should be translated singular as SEED.

So God brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and look at the multitude that is coming through you by a Seed singular that will come through you, and Abram, remember his name is not even Abraham yet, Abram believes in that Seed and is given righteousness.

Right then, he believes in the Seed that will come through him, Gen 15:6

Who is that Seed?

Jesus, Abram’s name has not yet been changed, he hasn’t had his son Isaac yet, hasn’t received the promise of Isaac yet, he hasn’t been circumcised yet, Issac hasn’t been circumcised, he’s not yet under the law because God doesn’t doesn’t even give the law until over 400 years later.

Now there are other places where the Bible talks about the descendants of Abraham and the emphasis in upon the nations, the multitudes and Israel, but here in the very beginning, before all that, it is about the Seed singular, and individual that would come through his line, Abram believes and right here, right now, he has righteousness.

I want you guys to understand the magnitude of this, because it is the bulk of Paul’s argument, against the Judaizers, or the legalists that would say, first you must do this, or first you have to complete that, do you guys remember where Abraham was from?

I’ll show you, so you know it’s true then we need to get out of Genesis or we won’t finish on time…Gen 15:7

So at the point that Abraham is given righteousness, the father of the nation, the Father of the Jews, still wasn’t Jewish.

He was called out of Ur of the Chaldeans…if you follow the history they become the Babylonians…SO before God changes his name, before the law is given, before his is circumcised, before he gives birth to the nations, as an uncircumcised Chaldean on track to be a Babylonian, God gives a promise, gives him the gospel, or good news, that a Seed will come through him and he believes, places his faith in that, and by grace God counts him righteous.

Not by anything other than faith in the One to come.

Back to Galatians...

And think how important this was to those churches in Galatia where these Jews were coming in saying they were the sons of Abraham, who was the friend of God, the Father of the Jewish nation.

Abraham was circumcised, his son was circumcised, don’t you want to be like them?