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