Sermon - Galatians Part 3

Sermon Given in Cardiff 15 June 2013

Good morning everyone.

My last two sermons have been exploring the book of Galatians.  Last time had a particular emphasis on the Holy Spirit as it was the Pentecost weekend. 

Today I'm going to continue with the end of Chapter 3 and go into Chapter 4.  There is so much packed into this letter that it's difficult to capture it all in one go so the challenge is finding a sensible place to start and stop.  But I'll try.

We've touched on the issue of old covenant verses new in the first sermon when we spoke of people saying you have to keep the old covenant law.  The next section goes into more detail as to which covenant we're under and whether it makes any difference if you are a Jew or Gentile.  It's about our identities.

In this room we have a mixture of three of the home countries with English Welsh and Scottish people present.  There are times we are proud of where we're from.  In the words of Cerys Matthews from Catatonia in a song a few yrs ago - "Every Day When I Wake Up, I Thank the Lord I'm Welsh".  Apart from when the six nations rugby is on, do we consciously walk around in a nationalistic patriotic bubble or are we happy being what we are and not really think about it?  Maybe you do, but I don't really think about it most of the time.  My identity is a lot of things, including being Welsh, but the reality is that our identities are constantly shifting depending on what's happening around us.  One minute I'm a husband, the next I'm a Dad, the next I'm a son, brother, planner, Scarlet, Ferrari fan, beach bum, kyacker, oh yes and sometimes even a preacher! But for all of us, we have a common identity and this should be seen in all of the above.  Have you guessed what it is? Yes, we are all cheering on the British Lions!  No - Just kidding - We are all Christians - followers of the Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ, but not just that, we are sons and daughters of a loving heavenly father and as we saw last time we are in Christ and Christ is in us through His Spirit. 

Lets continue in Galatians - We see in v26 that we are all sons or I should say children of God. 

Gal 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

 

How? through being very good people? No, by Faith in Christ Jesus.  We've seen previously from Eph that even the faith is a gift of God so no one can boast. 

 

 

The next verse is interesting. 

Gal 3:27 For as many as were baptized into Christ, you put on Christ.

This links baptism, which is the outward sign of an inner change, with putting on Christ.  Some of the translations say putting on Christ is like putting on clothes.  We are in Christ just as I am in my shirt.  When you put on clothes, what people see are the clothes rather than the person inside.  Not a bad thing in my case.  What people see when they look at us should be Christ.  I'm not talking outward appearance but what we say and do should reflect Christ's presence in and around us.  Notice baptism is full emersion in water, and we should be fully immersed in Christ.  Water of course is symbolic of the Holy Spirit which is God's presence living in us. 

 

v28 is a famous verse and we read it out of context in one of the earlier sermons. 

Gal 3:28 There cannot be Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is no male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

It does not matter what our identity is in physical terms at any point in time as we are all one in Christ Jesus.  All are included in the love of God - he does not discriminate against anyone!

 

The next section straddles the clumsy chapter break.  Remember last time we saw in v16 we saw that Jesus was Abraham's seed

Gal 3:16 And to Abraham and to his Seed the promises were spoken. It does not say, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, "And to your Seed," which is Christ.

It says in v29 that if we belong to Jesus, if we are immersed in him, then we are Abraham's seed also. 

Gal 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

Notice that we are therefore heirs to the promise and the next section refers to this inheritance.  

Gal 4:1 But I say, Over so long a time the heir is an infant, he does not differ from a slave, though being lord of all;
Gal 4:2 but he is under guardians and housemasters until the term appointed before by the father.
Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were infants, were in bondage under the elements of the world.

We're not dead yet but it's a bit like one of these child trust funds that the last government brought in.  The kids have money stowed away, but until they are 18, they can't get at it, so to them it does not exist.  They rely on our money and support until such time as they can access the money and they can do what they like with it. Like the child heir being no better off than a slave until the appointed time.

Lets continue in v4-7

Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, coming into being out of a woman, having come under Law,
Gal 4:5 that He might redeem those under Law, so that we might receive the adoption of sons.
 

So what he's saying is that Jesus came at the appointed time in order to free humanity from the slavery of the law so that humanity could become sons and heirs.  Notice, that we could have the full rights of sons.  Remember we started in Chapter 3v26 by seeing that through faith we are sons of God and through baptism we are clothed in Christ.  We are wrapped up in Christ who surrounds us.  But the next verses take it a step further.

Gal 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Gal 4:7 So that you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, also an heir of God through Christ. 

Because we are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts.  It's not just having Jesus as our outer garment, we have Jesus in our heart.  Our core. Our Inner being.  This is personal.  No longer under the slavery of the law, we are free to love God as a son. No longer doing things because we have to, as a slave obeys the master, we are free to do things because we have God in our hearts.  God is love don't forget, so when Jesus said love God and love your neighbour, he also said his burden was light, so what he was saying is that with God's Spirit in our hearts, the love that comes from God's presence will flow to others as a natural consequence of being in step with God.  We'll see in a later sermon that it says in 5v25 that "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Notice it doesn't say IF we live, it says SINCE we live.  Anyhow, that's getting ahead of ourselves.  What Paul is doing in this passage is laying the foundations of the new reality that they found themselves in, once Jesus had redeemed them and set them free from the law, and free from sin. 

 

Notice that we again see Father, Son and Spirit at work here.  I know we keep referring to Trinitarian theology but this is a good example of the triune God at work as we see Paul laying this foundation.   We often see this in scripture and I'd like to quote Gary Deddo on this point. 

"As we study scripture we come to see that it has a center, which is not a What, a Why, or a How, but a Who, namely Jesus Christ. He is the central figure - person - message - truth of all scripture. If our view of scripture is eccentric (off centered) it “wobbles.” If everything organizes and emanates out of the true center, we get re-centered. True theology, which progresses in and out of this center, is necessarily trinitarian because Jesus is the Son of the Father, who sends the Spirit. Jesus' ministry is to take us to the Father and to send the Spirit. What he does, is who he is. When you deal with Jesus, you deal with the whole Triune God."

I thought I'd share that with you.  Lets read v6 again.  "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts , the Spirit who calls out Abba Father."  Can you get a foundation of truth stronger than that? I think not!

Anyhow - back in Galatia.  They had obviously strayed from this foundation under the influence of those who had gone there after Paul.  In the next section he cuts back to the problem that they were facing.  Remember we saw in the first sermon that there were people trying to lead the Galatians astray and that they were to be accursed because of it.  Paul now comes back and gives us some more details of what was going wrong.  

Gal 4:8 But then, indeed, not knowing God, you served as slaves to those not by nature being gods.
Gal 4:9 But now, knowing God, but rather are known by God, how do you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements to which you again desire to slave anew?

This carries on the slavery analogy and was asking them why they would want to go back into bondage now they know God?? Weak and miserable principles.  Having to do the law as a slave rather than showing love as a son.  Unfortunately that's a choice people make even today.  So what was he talking about? v10.  Sound familiar? 

Gal 4:10 You observe days and months and times and years.

Paul's despair is evident.

Gal 4:11 I fear for you, lest somehow I have labored among you in vain.
Gal 4:12 Brothers, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as you. You have not injured me at all.
Gal 4:13 But you know that through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel to you before,
Gal 4:14 and you did not despise my temptation in my flesh, nor did you spurn it. But you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.

Paul had a problem, and they had helped and supported him.  It sounds like he had an eyesight issue by this passage, 2Cor 12v7 refers to his thorn in the flesh, so it must have been something serious.  Anyhow.  Despite the support and hospitality, they had basically started to fall away from his teaching in the face of pursuation from those who were trying to Judaise the fledgeling Christians.  Notice it says in v12 Paul had become like them - he became like the gentiles - so he pleaded with them to become like him - who had become like them - rather than the Jewishness he's left behind.  Strong words. 

 

Gal 4:15 What then was your blessedness? For I bear you record that, if you were able, plucking out your eyes, you would have given them to me.
Gal 4:16 So then did I become your enemy speaking to you the truth?

Again you can feel the despair coming through can't you.  They had been so close to Paul but had stabbed him in the back by turning away from his teaching.  To use a rugby analogy, imagine if you were Warren Gatland and you had coached the side so they were beating every one, and then, they all decided that it would be a good idea if they wore high healed shoes instead of the rugby boots.  He would be in despair - why would you throw away success for shoes that hurt and meant you could not run... instead of running powerfully with plenty of grip you would be stuck in the mud not able to go anywhere.

Gal 4:17 They are zealous for you, but not well. But they only desire to shut you out, that you be zealous to them.
Gal 4:18 But it is good to be zealous always in a good thing, and not only in my being present with you.

These people were clearly zealous but in a bad way that was seeking to alienate the Galatians from him.  We see this all the time when people are sincere but wrong and are zealously spreading the wrong message on a variety of subjects - evolutionists for example.  Unfortunately there are also people with the wrong emphasis spreading their messages in the Christian world then and today.  They may think the same of us, but there we are, we should be faithful to what we believe most accurately reflects what it says in the bible.  In the Christian context, it doesn't matter if we agree 100% as long as we all get along with respect and without judgement.  There are core issues and peripheral issues so we need to make sure the core is correct.  What Paul is saying here is that these people were both fundamentally wrong and were being divisive - leading people away from Christ and towards themselves. 

 

Verse 19 shows how painful Paul found this situation - describing it as being in pains of childbirth.

Gal 4:19 My children, for whom I again travail until Christ should be formed in you,
Gal 4:20 even now I desired to be present with you, and to change my voice; for I am in doubt as to you.

Notice he wished he could be with them to sort it out. 

 

Verses 21 - 31 are a discrete section which goes into the old and new covenants likening them to Sarah and Hagar.  This appears to be out of context, however what Paul is saying through this book is beware of false teaching and being enslaved in the law when there is something new and better.  There is freedom in Christ which is the fulfilment of the promise to Abraham.  This would be a sermon in itself, so what I'm going to do is read through it so we get continuity for the next one but expand it some other time as a separate sermon outside the series.  Galatians used to be ignored in our church as it was full of difficult scriptures - but the message is clear.  As I said I'm not going to unpack it all today, that's a sermon for another time, but it sets the scene for Chapter 5 which I'll do next time.    

Gal 4:21 Tell me, those desiring to be under Law, do you not hear the Law?
Gal 4:22 For it is written: Abraham had two sons, the one out of the slave-woman, and one out of the free woman.
Gal 4:23 But, indeed, he out of the slave-woman has been born according to flesh, and he out of the free woman through the promise;
Gal 4:24 which things are being allegorized; for these are the two covenants, one indeed from Mount Sinai bringing forth to slavery, which is Hagar.
Gal 4:25 For Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to Jerusalem which now is, and is in slavery with her children.
Gal 4:26 But the Jerusalem from above is free, who is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27 For it is written, "Rejoice, barren one not bearing; break forth and shout, you not travailing; for more are the children of the desolate than she having the husband."
Gal 4:28 But brothers, we, like Isaac, are children of promise.
Gal 4:29 But then even as he born according to flesh persecuted him born according to the Spirit, so it is also now.
Gal 4:30 But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the slave-woman and her son; for in no way shall the son of the slave-woman inherit with the son of the free woman."
Gal 4:31 Then, brothers, we are not children of a slave-woman, but of the free woman.

 

 

To conclude, what have we learned today?

The first point is that our identity is in Christ.  I started off showing that we are identified by our nationality, job, hobby, family status etc but in reality, we are all one in Christ.  In this country especially we have banter and tease people from the other nations  especially at times of rugby, however our real identity in whatever we do should be as a Christian - a follower of Christ, but more than that, as His children and heirs.

The second point is that through baptism, we are clothed in Christ - and through faith we have His Spirit in our hearts.  We are immersed in him totally so what people should see in all we do is Christ living through us and his love radiating from us.  Easier said than done as we are, unfortunately, human, however we see glimpses of it in our lives and the lives of others.   

The third point is that the implication of being children of God is that we are also heirs of the promise.  As Christ was the seed of Abraham, and we are in Christ and Christ is in us, we are also Abraham's seed.

The fourth point was that people were trying to divide the church and lead the Galatians back into the slavery of the law from the freedom of Christ and we see Paul in despair over  the situation.  We can almost sense God greiving for His people through Paul.  He had set humanity free through the sacrifice of his son and they were willingly going back into bondage.

We then concluded Chapter 4 by just reading through the analogy of the two covenants being like Sarah and Hagar.  God had a covenant with Abraham that he promised and Isaac was born out of promise rather than Ishmael who was born out of Abraham's own works.  One is described as free and the other bondage.  Anyhow that's a sermon for another day.

So next time I will go into Chapter 5 which sets out the reality of our freedom in Christ and the responsibility that it holds.  Today has been a little doom and gloom but next time we see the good news.  The gospel of freedom and hope. 

 

All scriptures are Modern King James courtesy of ESword.

Sermon Given in Cardiff on Pentecost 2013

Pentecost / Galatians Part 2

The first question is, what was the significance of the day and why were the disciples gathered together in the first place?  The day of Pentecost was a Holy Day, the day traditionally acknowledged to be when the law of Moses was given to the Israelites so it was therefore held in high importance by the Jews who were the direct descendants.  Don't forget the church had not extended to the gentiles or non Jews at that point, so they would have been gathering in the way they were used to.  The law is the symbol of the Mosaic or old covenant as we know it, so it was fitting that the Holy Spirit came on that day which symbolises the new relationship that God has with humanity.  Today we're celebrating this new relationship that we have with God, and the fact that He not only loves us from the outside, He lives within us loving guiding and comforting us on our life journey.

This relationship between the law and the faith which the indwelling Holy Spirit gives was an issue the early church grappled with as we see in Paul's letters.  This happens to fit in with the next in the series on the book of Galatians and is covered by the rest of Chapter 2 and through Chapter 3.  So today it is fitting to look at the relationship between the law and faith in relation to what Paul wrote to the Galatians.

Last time we saw that Paul underlined his credentials, after having been stopped in his tracks on the road to Damascus and having his life transformed, he was taught by the risen Christ not by the disciples so he claimed authority in the message he preached.   We then see after 3 years in Arabia he finally met up with the others and the conclusion of the meeting was that he had a mission to the gentiles, it was ok for him to preach to the non Jewish areas and thus, the church as we know it was spread through the known world.
Lets continue from v11-14 we have a visit from Peter to Antioch.

Gal 2:11  But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was to be blamed.
Gal 2:12  For before some came from James, he ate with the nations. But when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those of the circumcision.
Gal 2:13  And the rest of the Jews also dissembled with him, so as even Barnabas was led away with their dissembling.
Gal 2:14  But when I saw that they did not walk uprightly with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before all, If you, being a Jew, live as a Gentile, and not as the Jews, why do you compel the nations to judaize?

This is interesting as it shows that clearly Peter had embraced the new way of thinking whilst amongst the gentiles, but in front of Jews he reverted to his roots, so he did one thing and said another.  One of the main criticisms of Christians today is hypocrisy, that we talk a good one but don't live up to it, and this is what we saw here.  He was happy to eat with the Gentiles until some of the Jewish members came along and then he separated himself from the Gentiles and must have suggested that they should become like the Jews.  So called Judaizing.  This led to confusion so Paul sought to address the issue once and for all for the Galatians.  Can you imagine today the Archbishop of York walking up to the Archbishop of Canterbury and saying Oi, You - No. What are you doing, this is wrong.  It must have been a shock to all those around and all the churches that would have read the letter.  So this caught their attention and it leads on to the section I want to concentrate on today.

Gal 2:15  We Jews by nature, and not sinners of the nations,
Gal 2:16  knowing that a man is not justified by works of the Law, but through faith in Jesus Christ; even we believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith in Christ, and not by works of the Law. For all flesh will not be justified by works of law.

This gets to the crux of the matter. God accepted us for our faith not our works, and even that is a gift.  This is a recurring theme for Paul - he emphasises that it's not keeping the law that saves you, it is faith and belief in Jesus.  It is relational not legalistic so there is no room to be judgemental.

Lets break out of Galatians and read Eph 2v8-9.  It says that we are saved by grace through faith, and even that is a gift from God so no one can boast.

Eph 2:8  For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,
Eph 2:9  not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Going back to Galatians, the next couple of verses are difficult to understand at first but I'll illustrate with an example from George.

Gal 2:17  But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, we also were found to be sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Let it not be said!
Gal 2:18  For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I confirm myself as a transgressor.
Gal 2:19  For through the Law I died to the law, that I might live to God.

Sometimes when I boot my son off the computer at curfew time or tell him off about something he'll be naughty and if I challenge him he'll get upset and say it's my fault for having booted him off the computer.  This is what they were saying here.  Was it Jesus fault that they were exposed as sinners? Did Jesus make them sinners because they sought justification in him? No.

Gal 2:19  For through the Law I died to the law, that I might live to God.
Gal 2:20  I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself on my behalf.
Gal 2:21  I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness is through law, then Christ died without cause.

It was by the law that they were found to be dead in sin.  The law set the boundaries for living and Jesus said that if you even thought about breaking them, you were guilty.  The wages of sin is death so by that definition we are all dead.  However Paul says that he is crucified with Christ and no longer lives but Christ lives in him.  That goes for us too.  By ourselves we are dead, however by faith in Christ we are very much alive, but it is Jesus who is alive in us - how - by his Spirit!  If we could have kept the law perfectly Christ would not have had to die.  But the fact is, we are totally reliant on Grace and the presence of Jesus in our lives.  Which brings us back to Pentecost!

Gal 3 starts off with a strongly worded question. You can sense the frustration in Paul as he asked them what they were playing at.

Gal 3:1  O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you not to obey the truth, to whom before your eyes Jesus Christ was written among you crucified?

You can imagine him exasperated by the news that people were trying to get them to go back to the old covenant and add the law of Moses back into their church.
v2-5 is particularly relevant to today.

Gal 3:2  This only I would learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing of faith?
Gal 3:3  Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, do you now perfect yourself in the flesh?
Gal 3:4  Did you suffer so many things in vain, if indeed it is even in vain?
Gal 3:5  Then He supplying the Spirit to you and working powerful works in you, is it by works of the law, or by hearing of faith?

They did not receive the Spirit by following the law of Moses, they did so by having faith in Jesus.  The church was formed by the out pouring of the Holy Spirit. God started it, however they were trying to go forward under their own power by keeping the laws instead of having faith in Him.  O foolish Galatians! They had the Spirit indwelling due to faith and belief not their own obedience to the law.  They believed therefore God poured himself into them.  It's not like collecting supermarket points and receiving a gift or a voucher, it was down to belief. It's a relationship not legalism.  The truth is that no one can be good enough, but while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us, he didn't wait for us to be perfect!  That is indeed good news for us all!  

Lets have a look at verses 6-9.

Gal 3:6  Even as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.
Gal 3:7  Therefore know that those of faith, these are the sons of Abraham.
Gal 3:8  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations through faith, preached the gospel before to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all nations be blessed."
Gal 3:9  So then those of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

This shows that Abraham believed God and this relationship was to result in the promise. The scriptures foretold that all the nations would be blessed by Abraham, and this was not so under the law as it was Israel who had the blessings for obedience, however Jesus fulfilled this by dying for everyone.  Those who believe are therefore describes as the descendants of Abraham as we'll see in v28 there is no Jew nor Greek, slave nor free for we are all one in Jesus.

The next section expands the thought that Paul started in Chapter 1 about people who were leading them astray being cursed or eternally condemned as it says in the NIV.  This strong language showed the seriousness of the situation.  They would be cursed by leading  them back to the law rather than grace.  The law itself is described here as being a curse.

Gal 3:10  For as many as are out of works of the Law, these are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the Book of the Law, to do them."
Gal 3:11  But that no one is justified by the Law in the sight of God is clear, for, "The just shall live by faith."
Gal 3:12  But the Law is not of faith; but, "The man who does these things shall live in them."
Gal 3:13  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone having been hanged on a tree");

What it is saying is that unless you can keep the law perfectly, you are doomed, and guess what, no one has kept the law perfectly so all are, or at least should be doomed.  Jesus however took the curse for us as it was prophesied.  This passage is made up of references back to the old testament which demonstrates Paul's scripture knowledge. So what was the purpose?

Gal 3:14  so that the blessing of Abraham might be to the nations in Jesus Christ, and that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith

The purpose was so that gentiles by faith could receive the Holy Spirit.  So that everyone may enter into that relationship with God that salvation brings.  Rom 5v8 says that while we were yet sinners Jesus died for us, so his love was greater than the rules and regulations of the law.  He took onto himself the curse to set us free.  

Gal 3:15  Brothers, I speak according to man, a covenant having been ratified, even among mankind, no one sets aside or adds to it.
Gal 3:16  And to Abraham and to his Seed the promises were spoken. It does not say, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, "And to your Seed," which is Christ.
Gal 3:17  And I say this, A covenant having been ratified by God in Christ, the Law (coming into being four hundred and thirty years after) does not annul the promise, so as to abolish it.
Gal 3:18  For if the inheritance is of Law, it is no more of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by way of promise.

So what Paul is saying is that the law did not do away with the promise spoken to Abraham and his seed.  At first glance you'd say that his seed would be his legacy the millions who followed him, just as a plant produces seeds which produces more plants which produce more seeds which produce more plants and so on. From my experience, the best seeds for reproducing appear to be Dandelions!  Anyway, what Paul is saying is that the promise was not plural but singular - seed - who was to be Jesus.  Therefore the promise that all nations were to be blessed through him was fulfilled by Jesus dying for ALL. The law was established 430 years after the promise so the promise was not conditional on the law.  We'll come back to the issue of promise vs works later and next time in the next chapter.  So what was the purpose of the law?  That's the question asked in v19

Gal 3:19  Why then the Law? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed should come to those to whom it had been promised, being ordained through angels in the Mediator's hand.
Gal 3:20  But the Mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

The law was added because people needed guidance.  Don't forget it was given to a nation that had just left Egypt and they needed a set of rules to live by.  All they knew was the Egyptian law and culture so they needed to be set apart so God gave them boundaries to keep them safe and to maintain order in the nation.  This is why the law is a list of things they should not do, so that they did not harm themselves or each other.  But, as we see, not doing wrong does not mean they will do right.  Notice Paul is clear that the law was for a season, until the seed to whom the promise referred had come.  Jesus was the seed and therefore the law was designed for a season until Jesus superseded it.

Gal 3:21  Is the Law then against the promises of God? Let it not be said! For if a law had been given which could have given life, indeed righteousness would have been out of Law.

The law is not opposed to the promise, however righteousness can not come by the law.  As my brother says, driving at no more than 30mph does not make you a good driver!

Gal 3:22  But the Scripture shut up all under sin, so that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under Law, having been shut up to the faith about to be revealed.
Gal 3:24  So that the Law has become a trainer of us until Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25  But faith coming, we are no longer under a trainer.

The law kept people prisoner as no one was good enough to break free of the death penalty that came from breaking the law.  All the animal sacrifices that the Israelites had to do just covered over the sin, however only Jesus could pay the penalty once for all.  He became the curse for us remember.  In v24 The King James version describes the law as a school master which brings us to Christ.  A school teacher can tell children what to do but as a child grows up they come to a realisation of why the rules are there and so you don't have to have the rules anymore.  For example you tell a child not to touch fire, but when they realise for themselves that they'd get burned, you don't need to keep telling them.  In the same way, once we have come to a realisation of the good news of the gospel, that God loves us and that we should show the same love to others, we don't need the law to bash us over the head.  How does this happen?  God prompts us to love one another - how, by His Spirit or presence living in us.  See back to Pentecost.

To conclude, we've seen today that the Holy Spirit living in us is a result of faith not obedience to the law of Moses.  What we see at Pentecost is a tangible outpouring of His Spirit, which was a special anointing for those present and continues to be a special anointing for those who believe.  God's Spirit or presence is everywhere so he's working with us even before we believe, however when people come to a realisation and acceptance of God's love i.e. salvation by Grace through Faith, we receive the special gift of the Spirit living in us.  What we saw at Pentecost was the outpouring of God's presence so He dwelt within them.  This saw an awakening of people's experience of the presence of God, the tongues of fire and rushing wind was a tangible experience of this outpouring of His Spirit into humanity.  We've seen that this relationship with God is what matters.  Living in accordance with the law is impossible, and if it was, Jesus would not have had to die for us.  We've seen that the law was initiated on Pentecost so that people knew right from wrong, it set the boundaries that God demanded they stay within.  The law was there for a season, and on the day of Pentecost we see the shift to a new personal relationship between God and man, once people had faith and a relationship with God, there was no longer need for it.  We'll see later in Galatians that if you live in the Spirit, the law becomes un-necessary as your life will be changed to such an extent that you won't want to go outside the boundaries of loving God and loving each other.
The events of Pentecost the year Jesus died changed everything which is why it's good to remember and thank God for his love and grace.  Salvation brings new life.  Living by faith in the Spirit is what matters and He gives us comfort, strength and guidance through the ups and downs of life.  

All scriptures are Modern King James courtesy of ESword

Sermon Cardiff 13 04 13
Book of Galatians Part 1

Good morning everyone.  The last time I spoke, I mentioned that we'd done a study of Galations at House Church and some of you expressed an interest in going through it here.  This is therefore the start of what will be a short series of messages going though it and bringing out the key messages that we can learn today.
The first thing to note is that it was written to the churches in Galatia, which was a region which is now in modern day Turkey.   There was the Roman region of Galatia and a specific territory of the same name, I haven't seen any maps with a place called Galatia so it was like saying that it was to the churches in Wales rather than Cardiff, Llanelli or anywhere specific.  It does not specify exactly where he sent the letter but in verse two it says churches in Galatia which indicates that there was more than one church probably a network of churches spread around the region.  The letter would have been copied and circulated around the churches.  When the bible was compiled, these copies were brought together and compared and the majority of the texts were used to make up the bible we know today.  There is much debate over the accuracy of the bible and the degree to which chinese whispers have distorted it, however what's emerged has done so by the will of God and I'm sure if there were major inaccuracies, God's had nearly 2000 years to sort it out.

The book starts off by underlying Paul's credentials which shows by who's authority he is speaking.  Chapter 1 is all about Paul setting the scene in terms of his background, his current position and authority and underlining the seriousness of the problem that had come to his attention.

Gal 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),"

This is saying that he was not an apostle of man, but an apostle of Jesus and God who raised Him.  This does a couple of things, firstly it shows that he was not representing himself after all he was a persecuting Pharisee. It also shows that he's not taken instruction second hand from the disciples, he's taken it from Jesus himself and he was therefore an Ambassador or Apostle of the Risen Jesus and God who raised Him, not sent by the others.  He was therefore bang up to date and came with the highest authority.  This is a point he makes at the start of Corinthians, Philipians, Colossians and Thessalonians.

Gal 1:2  and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia.

This shows he was not travelling alone - all the brethren refers to assistants or co-workers such as Timothy or Luke spreading the gospel with him to the churches.  Again you can look at Acts which is a later account written  by Luke and you get a list of people who travelled around with Paul on various journeys,  and if you have the time I guess you can fit the pieces together to see what he did, but I haven't studied that so I'm not going there.  Anyhow v2 uses the word "All" which shows that there were a group of them rather than just one or two, and again the churches plural implies a group or network of churches around this region that were being addressed rather than a specific congregation.  The maps of Paul's journeys show that he would have visited and re-visited this region on his way out and back on some of his trips.  It was not a place he would have just visited once, so he was more familiar with them than others.  It also shows that the message he had was for the whole of the region and not just for an isolated congregation.

Gal 1:3  Grace be to you, and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

Grace and Peace was a standard greeting so after underlining his authority and stating who he's talking to we start the letter here.  Notice it's not a greeting from himself but he brought greetings from God and Jesus Christ.

Gal 1:4  who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world according to the will of God and our Father,
Gal 1:5  to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

So he starts of with a summary of the Gospel message in the greeting reminding them of what Jesus had done for them by the will of God.  Not to glorify himself but to glorify God.
Verse 6 gets down to the crux of the matter which is the reason he is writing.  There were those who were causing problems by perverting the Gospel message that Paul had given them and preaching another gospel.

Lets look at v6-7
Gal 1:6  I marvel that you so soon are being moved away from Him who called you into the grace of Christ, to another gospel,
Gal 1:7  which is not another, but some are troubling you, and desiring to pervert the gospel of Christ.

Paul is not at all happy that the message given to him by Christ himself had been changed by people who had followed him into the region. The next section shows the seriousness of his concerns.

Gal 1:8  But even if we or an angel from Heaven preach a gospel to you beside what we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9  As we said before, and now I say again, If anyone preaches a gospel to you beside what you have received, let him be accursed.

He was so perplexed by this that he repeats the fact that anyone teaching another gospel should be cursed.  The word cursed means excommunicated or banned.  Cast out of the church, disfellowshipped.  This is a concept that we are familiar with from our history.  I remember tales of people being chucked out and thankfully reinstated over matters.  This is a serious statement when you think about it, they were preaching something so bad that they were going to be expelled from the church, the body of Christ - to preserve the body from the message they were preaching.  Even if the person was or professed to be an angel, they should not listen to it - of course the angels would  not contradict God, but even if an angel did say something different, it was to be cursed.

Paul goes on in v10 that he was not saying this to please men, but God.  It was not his message that had been perverted, it was Gods.

Gal 1:10  For now do I persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Gal 1:11  And, brothers, I make known to you the gospel which was preached by me, that it is not according to man.

He was not interested in being popular and pleasing men, as that would have meant he was not serving God.  This warns us to be careful that we're not courting popularity as this is irrelevant, we should always seek to serve God and stick to the proper Gospel message.

Paul carries on building it up, by underlining the fact that it was not his message that had been perverted, but the message that had been revealed to him.

Gal 1:10  For now do I persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Gal 1:11  And, brothers, I make known to you the gospel which was preached by me, that it is not according to man.
Gal 1:12  For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it except by a revelation of Jesus Christ.

He's repeating what he'd said in v1 to make sure he was being clear that he had conveyed Jesus words rather than his own and therefore it was Jesus that they had gone against rather than Paul himself.
To emphasis this point Paul then steps back and goes through his own background so we see the contrast between his old self and the new Paul after Jesus had revealed himself to him on the road to Damascus.

Gal 1:13  For you heard my manner of life when I was in Judaism, that I persecuted the church of God with surpassing zeal, and ravaged it.
Gal 1:14  And I progressed in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in my race, being much more a zealot of the traditions of my fathers.
Gal 1:15  But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and having called me by His grace,
Gal 1:16  to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the nations, immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood;

Paul keeps emphasising this in his writings. He says over and over how zealous he was as a Jew persecuting the Christians and how he was an example of transformation as a result of his encounter with Jesus.  What he was saying in a way was that if he can be transformed by the grace of God, anyone can.  This was the benchmark for his ministry. so he described the encounter in several letters.

Acts 9 gives a detailed account of this encounter.  To understand where he's coming from it would be good to read break out of Galatians for a few minutes and read the account.
Act 9:1  And Saul, still breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
Act 9:2  and asked letters from him to Damascus to the synagogues; so that if he found any of the Way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
Act 9:3  But in going, it happened as he drew near to Damascus, even suddenly a light from the heaven shone around him.
Act 9:4  And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?
Act 9:5  And he said, Who are you, lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you persecute. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.
Act 9:6  And trembling and astonished, he said, Lord, what will You have me to do? And the Lord said to him, Arise and go into the city, and you shall be told what you must do.
Act 9:7  And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, indeed hearing a voice but seeing no one.
Act 9:8  And Saul was lifted up from the earth, his eyes were opened, but he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
Act 9:9  And he was three days not seeing, and did not eat or drink.
Act 9:10  And there was a certain disciple in Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias! And he said, Behold me, Lord.
Act 9:11  And the Lord said to him, Arise and go into the street which is called Straight and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying,
Act 9:12  and has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him so that he might receive his sight.
Act 9:13  And Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how many evil things he has done to Your saints at Jerusalem.
Act 9:14  And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your Name.
Act 9:15  But the Lord said to him, Go! For this one is a chosen vessel to Me, to bear My name before nations and kings and the sons of Israel.
Act 9:16  For I will show him what great things he must suffer for My name's sake.
Act 9:17  And Ananias went and entered into the house. And putting his hands on him, he said, Brother Saul, the Lord, Jesus, who appeared to you in the way in which you came, has sent me to you that you might see and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Act 9:18  And instantly scales as it were fell from his eyes, and he instantly saw again. And rising up, he was baptized.
Act 9:19  And taking food, he was strengthened. And Saul was certain days with the disciples in Damascus.
Act 9:20  And immediately he proclaimed Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
Act 9:21  But all who heard him were amazed and said, Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem and came here for that reason, that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?

In Gal 1v15 in the King James it refers to it being like being separated from his mother's womb.  If you think about a baby in the womb, it is totally surrounded by the womb, the baby is totally immersed and totally dependant on the mother.  His faith was his life.  Paul is showing how he was a zealous Jew, as Jewish as Jewish can be, a Benjaminite and proud of it, but later in the book we'll see that he says there is no Jew or Greek, Slave or Free as all are in Christ.

In v17-19 he says that it took him three years to connect with the other church leaders.

Gal 1:17  Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those apostles before me, but I went into Arabia and returned again to Damascus.
Gal 1:18  Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days.
Gal 1:19  But I saw no other of the apostles, except James the Lord's brother.

This shows how much he was on his own in the early years.  Acts refers to him being in Damascus for many days but doesn't provide the timeframe.  We don't know how much the church leaders were aware of his work as communication was not like it is today.  I suspect that even if they had heard about him, they would have probably not believed that the man who had been persecuting them in Jerusalem had actually been transformed and was actually preaching the same message as them, albeit to the uncharted territory of the gentiles.  don't forget that the church was primarily hiding from persecution after Jesus death, and was a localised quasi Jewish group at this point.

Jesus when he was alive had told them to go to the lost tribes, and they probably went back immediately after his death so that they could tell people what had happened.  However don't forget the instruction after his death was to go to the ends of the world so they didn't stay local. Anyhow, it says here that they had gone from Jerusalem apart from Peter and James.

They must have treated Paul with a heap of caution given his history. if you read to the end of the chapter it says that he went off to Syria but the churches in Judea didn't know him.

Gal 1:20  And what I write to you, behold, before God, I do not lie.
Gal 1:21  Then I went into the regions of Syria and of Cilicia,
Gal 1:22  and was unknown by face to the churches of Judea in Christ.
Gal 1:23  But only they were hearing that he who then persecuted us, now preaches the faith which he once ravaged.
Gal 1:24  And they glorified God in me.

 v23 says that news of Paul had spread around as one who had persecuted them now preaching the faith he had once destroyed.

What a story, the poacher had become the game keeper so to speak.  You get testimonies even now that inspire, like Richard Taylor of Victory Church in the valleys, I was in school with him believe it or not and he was a right nutter, he says this of himself so I am not slandering him. I remember him driving around in a Ford Cortina when we were about 12 or 13, he was stealing, drinking and taking drugs, and according to him, the judges knew him and called him the scumbag from Llanelli.  He had an encounter with God and now his life has been transformed and he's serving God in the Valleys. Great story of God's grace in someone's life.  At the moment his church in Cwmbran is experienceing an amazing outpouring of God's presence which is transforming lives.

Anyway back to Paul, notice when the saw that the persecutor was now an ally they glorified God.  It was a great testamony of God's intervention in their lives and the life of the church that at least one of its threats had become an ally.   It says in Acts that after a while the Jews decided they would kill Paul so he had to flee Damascus!

So Chapter 1 reminds the Galatians of Paul's credentials to speak to them even though he was not one of the original 12, and it alerts us that a problem had become apparent that needed to be addressed.  Chapter 2 starts off by underlining Paul's authority to preach the Gospel to the gentiles.

It would be like me giving someone planning advice, they would not listen to me if I was the work experience boy, but if they knew my qualifications and experience and role within the organisation they would be more likely to listen to what I have to say, so Paul is building up the picture and story as to what his role is within the early Church.  

Chapter 2 starts off with a trip to Jerusalem after 14 yrs preaching to the gentiles.  He goes to the church leaders and tells them what he's been teaching in private as he does not want to be centre of attention.
Gal 2:1  Then through fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.
Gal 2:2  And I went up by revelation. And I put before them the gospel which I proclaim in the nations, but privately to those seeming to be pillars, lest I run, or I ran, into vanity.

Seems unreal that the person who did so much for the early church went to the church leaders gingerly speaking privately of the gospel he'd been proclaiming.  This shows that the established mainstream of the church must have been very cautious in its approach in diverting from the Jewish roots.
Paul sounds cautious but firm with the others, and it seems like they came to a consensus that he was preaching the same Christ, but to a different audience and with a different approach.  It says in v3 that Titus accompanied him and he was an uncircumcised Greek, so it shows the break from the Jewish background.
Verse 4 starts getting to the heart of the problem, people who were not real followers had come amongst them and were trying to take away the freedom they had in Christ.

Gal 2:4  But because of those false brothers stealing in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus; they desiring to enslave us;

Don't forget he was talking to the church in Galatia about what had happened.  In Acts there is reference to people who had tried taking the church back into Judaism by saying that the gospel was a bolt on to the Jewish law.  He's telling the Galatians that these people were about and that they should be wary of them and stick to the message Paul had given them.  Notice it says in v5 that Paul had wanted to give them the true message so had not compromised even for a second.

I love v6, Gal 2:6  But from those who seemed to be something (what kind they were then does not matter to me; God does not accept the face of man), for those seeming important conferred nothing to me.

This showed that there had been a movement among the leaders that was not right and it showed that Paul didn't care who it was that he was arguing with, he was sticking to his guns and that was that.  God doesn't have favourites, we are all here to serve by the grace of God.  It goes on to say that the concensus was that Paul was called to serve the gentiles and Peter and James called to continue serving the Jews.

Gal 2:7  But on the contrary, seeing that I have been entrusted with the gospel of the uncircumcision, as Peter to the circumcision;
Gal 2:8  for He working in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision also worked in me to the nations.
Gal 2:9  and knowing the grace given to me, James, and Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, gave right hands of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we go to the nations, but they to the circumcision.
Gal 2:10  Only they asked that we remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do.

It looks like they agreed a strategy and let Paul get on with his ministry to the gentiles, but as far as the letter is concerned, it shows the Galatians that he was given authority from the church leaders so he had the support and backing of the church for his ministry.

The next sermon was given on the Pentecost weekend so it will continue in Gal but be focussed on the Holy Spirit.  But we'll start off next time with a fight between the Christian heavy weights of Peter and Paul...

Modern King James scriptures courtesy of Esword.

Introduction to myself.

I'm an elder with Grace Communion International - known locally as "Welcome Christian Fellowship".  We have a congregation in Cardiff with a weekly service and have a mid weekly service here in Llanelli.

Someone suggested that I should post my sermons on a blog so they will be available for more people outside the local congregation.

Our website is www.gciwales.org. Audio of the sermons are found the website.

Outside of church, I'm a husband & father and professionally I'm a Local Authority Planner.

I enjoy walking and kyacking, love Wales and feel very blessed to be where I am with who I'm with!!