August 28, 2022 - Galatians Recap
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So we come today - to the final sermon on Galatians.
Today will be a RECAP of the entire book.
Even so - I don’t anticipate it being longer than last week’s sermon…
…but still - we have much to get to - so let’s get into it.
The Book of Galatians was written - if you remember - due to an ISSUE in the churches there.
False teachers had come into the churches and begun teaching that Gentile members - needed to FIRST be physically circumcised...
…in order to BE SAVED!
NOW - Paul - HEARING of this...
Knows that he’s going to need to lay some groundwork in this letter...
And what he does is - He appeals to his apostleship.
Verse 1...
1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
Paul knows that the people in the churches - are being SWAYED in their thinking - TOWARD a FALSE GOSPEL!!
And so he wants to HIGHLIGHT some things - REMIND the people WHO he is and upon WHAT AUTHORITY he writes!
He wanted to remind the people that....
SLIDE: Paul’s Apostleship: Founded on the Authority of Christ
Paul’s Apostleship
Paul’s Apostleship
IN CONTRAST - to the authority of the false teachers!
Paul wanted to ELEVATE the reality that he had been SENT BY GOD…NOT by man.
That HIS message - was THE message - of God.
And what we see RIGHT OFF THE BAT in this book - is that there’s gonna be a showdown between...
Paul’s Message
The False Teachers’ Message
Paul needed to REMIND the Galatians that there was - ONE TRUE GOSPEL!
Which means ...
SLIDE: The Gospel of Jesus Christ: Exclusive
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
· Paul says – Not that there is another gospel!
· There is NO OTHER source of – ETERNAL good news!
· We MUST – get this right!
· The Gospel of Christ – is the GOOD NEWS of Christ…
ALL mankind is in rebellion against God.
· DEAD in SIN
· NOT ALIVE – Spiritually – in SIN
· Not Able to please God
· Not ABLE to understand spiritual things…
· SO Jesus Christ…empties Himself – and takes on the form of a servant…
· Jesus lived a PERFECT life…
· NEVER sinned
· Shed His blood for the forgiveness of sins…
· Was crucified, DIED, was buried…
· And on the 3rd day – ROSE from the dead…
· He’s ALIVE today…
GOSPEL!
THE ONLY Gospel!!
And BECAUSE that’s true - the Galatians needed to know...
SLIDE: The Gospel of Jesus Christ: Judges All Men
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
The STANDARD has been set!
“Even if [I] preach another gospel....let me be accursed!”
Paul HIMSELF would be JUDGED by what he preached!
“Even if AN ANGEL - FROM HEAVEN…preached another gospel - let him be accursed!”
Even angels will be weighed on the scales of the Gospel of Christ!
ALL MEN - ALL CREATION - judged according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
And so OBVIOUSLY Paul was not out to PLEASE man!
He was only about pleasing God…and so his message would align with that desire.
Paul needed to GET the Galatians to understand WHY they needed to EMBRACE HIS message - as the TRUE GOSPEL!
....the TRUE good news!!
Paul wanted to VALIDATE the Gospel...
WHY believe?
Because Paul knew...
SLIDE:
Paul’s Message:
God’s Message: Not Our Own
God’s Agenda: Not Our Own
God’s Love: Not Our Own
God’s Glory: Not Our Own
And what’s interesting - Having now gone through ALL of Galatians...
We NOW KNOW that if we apply this slide to the False Teachers...
…And we just start with the BOTTOM point...
It would read:
Not for God’s Glory: But Their Own
and because that’s true...
Not from God’s Love: But Their Own version
And because THAT’s true...
NOT God’s Agenda: But Their Own
And because ALL of that’s TRUE...
Not God’s Message: But Their OWN message!
But Paul says -
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.
12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
See Paul needed to let the Galatians KNOW - that any message OUTSIDE of HIS message - was NOT the Gospel!
NOT from God!
And therefore - a FALSE gospel.
It was the TRUE Gospel that Paul was constantly holding UP and HIGHLIGHTING!
Paul was constantly revealing different ANGLES to the Gospel...
Different ASPECTS of the REAL gospel!
UNLIKE the False Gospel...
SLIDE:
The True Gospel:
Aligns with the Message of the Apostles
Sifts All Men & All Beliefs
Is Displayed in Our Living
Aligns with the Message of the Apostles:
Paul aligned HIS message (the one he previously preached TO the Galatians - with the message of the apostles) <— the men who lived and walked with Jesus Himself
Sifts All Men & All Beliefs: This means that a DISTORTED view of the Law, will lead to a Distorted (false) Gospel
Is Displayed in Our Living: That for those around us - who should be HEARING the gospel from our lips - they should also SEE the gospel in our hands and feet.
• The Gospel Displayed in our Living - is a Gospel validated in the hearts of those watching us...
• And so Paul REINFORCED the connection between his message and Christ’s!....
• AND in doing so -
• He shines a spotlight on the ERROR of this False Gospel!
All throughout the early portions of Galatians - we see Paul giving ARGUMENT after ARGUMENT as to WHY the Galatians needed to trust in what Paul had previously TAUGHT them...
And his next argumentation dealt with how he had previously HANDLED the Gospel - in the past - for the BENEFIT of the Galatians!
Paul REMINDED them - that when he and Titus had come back to Jerusalem, they didn’t GIVE IN to Titus getting physically circumcised.
· AND THEN – How Paul had OPPOSED Peter – to his face…
· BECAUSE – Peter – when he came to Antioch…
· Had found - OPEN-TABLE eating between Jew and Greek…and INITIALLY…he joined in!
But THEN – when more Jews came – Peter BACKED away…
· He DREW back – and SEPARATED himself…FROM the Gentiles.
· And what we saw – was that PETER DID exactly the opposite of what God had done for Paul!
· God had SEPARATED Paul – out from the world and called him into ministry – And not just ANY ministry…
· BUT the ministry TO THE GENTILES!!
· Peter comes along – STARTS OUT ministering to the Gentiles…in how he handles eating with them…
· BUT THEN – SEPARATES Himself – FROM the Gentiles…due to …
• The FEAR of Man…
And so Peter had gone from –
· Living out the Gospel…
· To
· Fearing Man
He went from OFFERING Grace…to now PUSHING – Law…!
· Where Christ had – TORN DOWN the dividing wall of Hostility BETWEEN Jew and Greek…
· Peter decided to REBUILD THAT dividing wall…
And so Paul reminded the Galatians that he had PUBLICLY REBUKED Peter.
• Peter’s actions DISPLAYED - a false gospel...
• and so Paul addressed it!
See the False Teachers had been under the impression that their WORKS would BRING THEM into right standing before God...
BUT PAUL cuts the legs out from under that thinking....
He points to THIS REALITY...
SLIDE:
BY FAITH (not by WORKS)
Gospel Life Begins
Gospel Life is Empowered by the Holy Spirit
Gospel Life is Sealed Unto Glorification
2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
it’s BY FAITH that we receive the Spirit - AND THUS - receive LIFE!
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Paul highlights the reality that LIFE is EMPOWERED by the Holy Spirit - NOT our accomplished feats of strength...
Not our works
And FROM HERE - Paul really began to RESHAPE the thinking of the Jews / Gentiles - regarding the Spiritual side of life!!
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.
9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
The 1st century audience - reading THIS - would have had their minds BLOWN!
ALL they ever KNEW regarding lineage and blessing was being turned on its head!!
Paul was FLIPPING the script!
Where the Jews believed that BY THE LAW people are blessed...
Paul was preaching that it was BY FAITH - people were blessed! (point to verse 9)
NOT ONLY THAT - but Paul was preaching that those who RELIED on the LAW - were CURSED!!
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
Paul was blowing their minds!
And of course - preaching a message in DIRECT OPPOSITION to the False Gospel being pushed in the churches!
Paul was setting the record straight!
And in DOING SO - He began setting the record straight about the LAW...
AND - the redemptive plan of God - IN CHRIST...
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
Paul is putting the LAW in it’s place in REDEMPTIVE history...
And what do we see…?
SLIDE: Christ was Born Under the Law: To be Judged by the
Law
Christ was Born Under the Law
Christ was Born Under the Law
Why did He need to be judged?
v5
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Because of SIN – Redemption can ONLY come – when the
Law renders Judgment!
· The Law HAD TO render judgment – if redemption was
EVER going to come!
And that’s why Christ was born UNDER the Law –
SO THAT – the law could JUDGE Christ – and render a
VERDICT!
· The VERDICT?
· Not Guilty!
And as we can see in verse 5 here - our REDEMPTION MEANS - that by faith we now receive ADOPTION as - SONS.
And a BIG THEME throughout Galatians is this contrast between [BEING A SLAVE] and [BEING a SON].
Why do you think that is?
Well - think about the context of the book...
What is Paul arguing against?
He’s confronting - those who are - - SLAVES to the LAW!
UNDER the law!
And so - He wants to HIGHLIGHT for the Galatians - that - NO - BY FAITH NOW…you are SONS....
and if a SON - then an HEIR...
7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Paul’s wanting the Galatians to TRULY EMBRACE who they ARE NOW in Christ!!
You’re SONS of the King - NOT slaves to SIN!
BE WHO YOU HAVE BECOME! - Paul says!
12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong.
If you know anything about Christianity...you hopefully know that when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ...
We BECOME a NEW creation...
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
AND SO - Paul is PLEADING with the Galatians - BE WHO YOU have become!
And he’s PLEADING with them- BECAUSE -as we KNOW - they have begun to TURN from the truth - and embrace ERROR!
They had gone from - BEING WILLING to die for Paul and his message...
TO...
Shunning his message, and in turn - shunning him...
14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.
15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.
These people had RECEIVED Paul - but then REJECTED Paul...
…and all of it centered on his message.
Paul then points to an argument using Sarah and Hagar...
23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.
• SO - here we see a KEY difference between these mothers
• Hagar was a SLAVE - attached to the household of Abraham from the OUTSIDE...
• a slave
• Sarah was a FREE woman - she was the lawful WIFE of Abraham...and therefore part of the Household of Abraham - from the inside.
• FREE
Not only this - but v23 here - really points to the ULTIMATE REASON Paul is CALLING the Galatians to - BE WHO THEY HAD BECOME... IN CHRIST!
What’s that reason?
The motherhood of Hagar was founded by mankind.
The motherhood of Sarah was founded by God.
• And we know this from the story itself...
• God promised Sarah a child...
• Sarah and Abraham doubted God
• And IN THEIR DOUBT - [THEY] put into action - THEIR OWN plan
• and Hagar then gets pregnant.
- So on one side - [Hagar] - her motherhood was according to the FLESH
- On the other side - [Sarah] - her motherhood was according to PROMISE!
- So Paul is using THIS as the BASIS of his argument - as to WHY the Galatians should EMBRACE the TRUE Gospel!
That for those who choose to REMAIN UNDER the law, they’re choosing to REMAIN SLAVES to sin!
And THEN Paul gets to what I believe to be the CRUX of the whole thing!
Paul really just DROPS the truth bomb found in Galatians 5...
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.
3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.
4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
THINK of what this is saying....
• Paul - the JEW of all JEWS!
…Holding up -
• [Physical Circumcision] (part of the Abrahamic Covenant) (and we all know how important Abraham was to the JEW)
• holding THAT - up against...
• [Jesus]
And saying - you EITHER - take one or the other!
• AND IF you take - CIRCUMCISION....
• Jesus will be OF NO ADVANTAGE to you...
The ETERNAL BENEFIT that Christ brings will not be AVAILABLE to you...
And if you CHOOSE circumcision - you’re THEN ACCOUNTABLE to keep the WHOLE LAW!
AND...
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
We can see how LOVING Paul is being with these people...
There’s a MISUNDERSTANDING in their minds...
They’re seeking to embrace - DEATH...
And Paul is telling them - - THE TRUTH!
And the verse from chapter 4 really applies!
16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Paul is trying to HELP / SAVE these people!
And only the TRUTH will do it!!
Too often - Truth in the church is viewed as - fighting words...
When nothing could be further from - the truth
Truth is - truth always heals.
if....embraced
Those seeking to be saved by physical circumcision...
Are trying to SAVE themselves!
And doing so means you FORFEIT the work of Jesus on your BEHALF!
The False Teachers here - have really DISTORTED the law of God...
They’re trying to USE the Law to FIX their God problem...
BUT that’s NOT what the Law was meant to do!!
The LAW - if you remember - is not meant to CURE the sickness...
It simply - - DIAGNOSES the problem!
The Law is POWERLESS to help the UNBELIEVER come to God - BECAUSE - the LAW simply - - diagnoses our PROBLEM!
• Who wishes that the CHECK-ENGINE light in their car - actually FIXED the problem!!??
How AWESOME would that be?!!!
• It doesn’t fix the problem - it simply tries to SCREAM at you - THERE’S a PROBLEM HERE!! (flash, flash)
And not only that - but by the Galatians believing now that CIRCUMCISION is necessary for salvation...
• they are demonstrating that they don’t even understand their PROBLEM...before God.
• They haven’t understood the Diagnosis of the Law!
SIN is a spiritual problem - YES…so WHY do people believe that PHYSICALLY DOING things will REMEDY that??
It won’t!
It can’t!
• Paul’s saying - if you choose Circumcision -
• If you decide - I’m gonna get to God by way of the LAW - then you’re DECLARING that you are PERFECT!
“You’re NOT perfect!” - Paul says...
So COME OUT from under the law!
The persuasion that is INFLUENCING you right now - It’s NOT FROM God!!
Paul sees in the Galatian gentiles that they’re about to WALK hand-n-hand with the Traditions of man...
And in DOING SO - Paul knows they’d be walking hand-n-hand with Destruction!
What’s Paul’s response to this?
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
Paul is saying - If THE SPIRIT is where LIFE is...
THEN BY the Spirit - we should walk thru our lives
WHICH MEANS - we should be a people who look like this...
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
The call is to - KEEP in step with the Spirit - and the MANIFESTATION of that - is these things...
If we’re “DOING IT RIGHT”....
…then our lives will display -
love
joy
peace
patience
kindness
goodness
faithfulness
gentleness
self-control
THINK of all of these things - WHEN ARE THESE things MOST EVIDENT???
think about it (ask question again)
When is LOVE most evident?
In what SITUATIONS does LOVE SHINE brightest?
We all KNOW - Love shines brightest - in situations when the world would say - LOVE ISN’T an option here!
When is PATIENCE most evident?
In what situations does PATIENCE shine brightest?
In situations when it SEEMS patience isn’t POSSIBLE!
When is goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, SELF-CONTROL most evident?
In what situations do these things SHINE brightest?
In situations where goodness doesn’t seem like it was EARNED!
In situations where faithfulness seems IMPOSSIBLE!
In situations where gentleness feels like the OPPOSITE to how I want to respond!
In situations where SELF-CONTROL seems impossible!
In THOSE situations -
in the VALLEYS of life...
After offenses come
When life HITS HARD!
In THOSE times - the fruits of the Spirit - SHINE!!
And SO - Paul says - Keep in step with the Spirit!!
AND GET READY...
Because when we do that - the world WON’T LIKE US!
Oh well!
Keep in STEP...
STAND FIRM!
**Ever see the military march in step!
In perfect time / perfect rhythm
That’s what Paul is saying here - STAY IN LINE...
FOCUS SO MUCH on that military Commander…(the Spirit)
That you keep in STEP WITH HIM!!
Because IF WE DON’T - Paul then gives us the warning!
SLIDE:
We Reap What We Sow
And this whole thing boils back down to - The Spirit and the Flesh...
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Sow to the flesh - and you will reap corruption.
We see this OVER and OVER again in the scriptures!
Remember the Israelites…?
• God commands Moses to send 12 men to SPY out the land....
a LAND that God was GIVING to them!
So they go and spy out the land! - FOR 40 DAYS
• Instead of TRUSTING God - and taking the land...
• They decide… to NOT take the land!
INSTEAD of TRUSTING GOD and DOING the HARD thing - and sowing to the Spirit....
THEY SOWED to the FLESH - and trusted in their FLESH!!
• Instead of SOWING to the Spirit - through OBEDIENCE to God...
• THEY SOWED to the FLESH - in their DISOBEDIENCE!!
• APART from Jesus Christ - your good deeds are SOWN to the Flesh…and you REAP corruption.
And how CRAZY is THIS??
It’s this VERY THING - that the flesh boasts in!
Our FLESH - is alive and WELL....
And OUR flesh - elevates SELF over Christ!
At EVERY turn!
SLIDE:
The flesh boasts in the seen (flesh) while reality rests in the unseen (Spiritual)
13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.
Why did the false teachers PUSH physical circumcision?
It says - because they desired to BOAST in YOUR flesh!
They viewed those they CONVINCED to get circumcised as - Another NOTCH in the BELT!
The false teachers JOY -
RESTED in the Gentiles CONFORMITY to outside pressure...
NOT the TRANSFORMATION of their hearts!
And so Paul’s message pointed to the BOAST OF the SPIRIT!
What is the boast of the Spirit?
14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
it’s GOOD NEWS that BY the cross of Jesus - the world has been crucified to me - and I (crucified) to the world!
In other words - it’s AMAZING news (boast worthy) that because of the cross...
The world is now - DEAD to me...
And I am now - DEAD to the world!
By the Cross of Christ - Through FAITH in Jesus...
I now look at the world - and INSTEAD of seeing it as - TREASURE...
I see it as - DEAD
The UNBELIEVER lives for - -
Money
Long weekends
Traveling the world
Sex
White picket fences
nice cars
nice houses
easy retirement
All of these things - VIEWED as TREASURE to the world!
But after the world is CRUCIFIED to us - UPON FAITH - these things DIE to us!
We look at them - and - OVER TIME - we begin to see them for what they TRULY are!
The SHINE of these once SHINY treasures....
…begins to - DIM in our affections!!
And we begin to fall - OUT OF LOVE - with the world
It’s DEAD to us now…WHY?
Because for the first time - we’re now ACTUALLY ALIVE
We are now a NEW Creation!
Dead to the world - and the world now dead to us!
To be crucified to the world is to...
walk in the light
bear the fruit of the Spirit
live in the freedom that Christ attained for us
BOAST in the cross of Christ!...
This is Paul’s CALL - to the Galatians!!
and this is God’s call to US!
Turn from ourselves - and BOAST ONLY in the cross!
THAT - is where life is FOUND!!