Central Part 3

Part 3

Today, we’re continuing our series Central, where we're go chapter by chapter through the book of Galatians.

How many have been here in the past few weeks and have been reading along at home?

Two weeks ago we spent some time in Galatians chapter 2, and who can bring up one point we that week?

One of our main points from 2 weeks ago was this: Responding to the gospel is literally giving yourself away.

Paul states in Galatians 2:20, "It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me.”

When we are born again, our lives belong to God.

Is there anything that you find impossible to do?

How many in here cannot do a full pushup?

How about this, is there anyone in here who can’t bend over and touch their toes without bending their knees?

Did you know that it's apparently impossible to tickle yourself?

Did you know that it's apparently impossible to sneeze with our eyes open?

I want to share an impossible challenge with you all.

Apparently, this challenge is literally impossible, I’ve tried it myself, and I’m willing to give someone $100 if can successfully do it.

I need three volunteers.

The instructions are simple.

Take this blank piece of paper and fold it more than 11 times. If you fold it 12, times I'll give you $100.

It’s scientifically impossible, but if you want to give it a try and win $100, be my guest.

OK, so here's the situation.

I told you that this was impossible, but when I said I would reward you with money, you decided to attempt the impossible.

This is the problem that some people in the Galatian church had: they were trying to achieve something that was literally impossible.

So today, we want to go into part 3 of our series and turn to Galatians chapter 3, and we will start from verse 1

Galatians 3:1–6 ESV

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

Doesn't that sound harsh?

In the beginning of this paragraph, Paul calls them "foolish Galatians."

He calls them foolish because some of them are trying to achieve salvation in their own strength.

It's foolish to think that you can work for and earn your salvation on your own.

We understand from last week and from Galatians chapter 2 that salvation comes by faith in Jesus.

For those of you who were here last week, we talked about a big word from Galatians chapter 2: the word "justified."

It says in the Bible that we are justified in Christ.

In order to be one with God, you must be righteous, holy and perfect—without sin.

How can you be righteous enough to be accepted by God?

How can you be holy and accepted by God?

How can you be perfect, without sin?

The answer is you can’t.

It’s impossible.

Only Jesus is righteous, holy and perfect, without sin, this is why Jesus must justify us in the eyes of God.

What is God telling us?

If you try to live by the law, you’ll fail every time.

If you try to impress God just by doing good deeds, you will fail every time.

Just like in the example we gave, if you try to fold that paper 12 times, you will fail every time.

Just as it’s impossible to fold a paper 12 times, it's impossible to be saved by living according to the law.

Do you know what it looks like in the eyes of God to just do good deeds without salvation?

In the Old Testament there's a verse that clearly and vividly describes this:

Isaiah 64:6 ESV

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

The New King James Version of this verse says:

Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV)

But we are all like an unclean thing,

And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.

The polluted garment or the filthy rags described here are words for what we know as a used napkin.

Yes, that's how gross our good deeds without salvation are to God. It’s like saying, “Here I am God ... look at how good I am and all the righteous things I've done without you,” and He looks at you with disgust as you try to hand him a used napkin.

Gross.

2. The righteous live by faith.

Galatians 3:11–13 ESV

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

Paul states that by trying to live by this law, you are literally living under a curse because you are trying to achieve this level of righteousness in your own strength ... but you will never be able to achieve it.

The only way you can achieve the righteousness that God requires is by faith. How do you apply faith?

Well, that's answered in verse 13.

3. Christ redeems.

In verse 13, Paul says we have been redeemed by Christ.

Does anyone know what the word redeemed means?

Let’s say you open up a newspaper, and in it, there is an advertisement for a new pizza joint opening up next weekend.

On the ad, in the bottom right corner, there is a coupon for a free slice of pizza.

So you cut the coupon out of the newspaper, and next week you go to the pizza joint and say, “I'd like to redeem this coupon for a slice of pizza."

Christ has redeemed believers in the same way.

I have sinned against God, I have been found guilty of my sin, my punishment is to be eternally separated from Him ... but Jesus is the coupon that says “Paid Punishment for Sin.”

Jesus pays the price for our eternal lives. Jesus is the “coupon” given to God.

Salvation is something we don’t earn.

We don’t achieve it on our own, and we don’t deserve it.

Jesus paid for it all, and there is literally nothing we can do to save ourselves.

Our only hope is putting our faith in Jesus to save us from sin, penalty, death, and hell.

How do we apply this passage? Simple.

1. We respond to the gospel, and

2. We live by faith.

That's the picture of the gospel that Paul is trying to paint for us.

This is the reason believers must live gospel-centered lives: the gospel is good news, and the good news is that someone saved us, and His name is Jesus.

Let's close in prayer and ask God to reveal His truth in our hearts regarding the gospel message, and ask him for help to live gospel-centered lives.

Then we will break into small groups to have a time of further discussion.