Certainly good to see everybody who has made it here this
morning with us. We're going to be studying and
Galatians 3. I was not excited when this
chapter landed on me. You got it.
I got to be honest with you because this is tough.
This is a tough chapter. When I read it, I went, what in
the world are we talking about here, trying to understand and
to put it all together and I even, you know, texted waiter,
you know, earlier this week, he was asking how the study was
going. I said man this is like a
72-ounce Tomahawk Steak that I'm trying to ingest in one sitting
and it just it's a tough tough. Chapter 4.
It was for me, at least. So I hope I don't Make it more
confusing than what it is. It's my whole point.
I want to make sure that we understand what the word of God
is teaching us today. I considered using the new Kings
James to read out of, but for he's for me and hopefully for
the congregation, I'm going to be studying out of the English
Standard Version. It's just a little easier for me
to read through it. So that's the, that's the
version that will be up on the screen.
So if you are turn to Galatians 3, you can either follow along
in the in your Bible or I'm going to have it up here on the
screen. So we'll start what read through
verse 25 and then we'll get into our study.
It says there. Oh, foolish.
Galatians who has Bewitched you? It was before your eyes that
Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.
Let me ask you only this. Did you receive the Spirit by
works of the law, or by the hearing with faith?
Are you? So foolish.
Have you begun by the spirit? Are you now being perfected by
the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in
vain? If indeed, it was in vain, does
he who supplies the spirit to you and works miracles?
Among You do so by works of the law or by hearing with faith
just as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as
righteousness. Know then that it is those of
Faith who are the sons of Abraham and the scripture
foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith.
Preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying and you shall
all the nations be blessed. So then those who are of the
faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith 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 now, it is evident
that no one is Justified before God by the law for the righteous
shall live by faith. But the law is not of Faith.
Rather the one who does them shall live by them Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for
us for it is written. Cursed, is everyone who hangs on
a tree, So that in Christ Jesus, The Blessing of Abraham might
come to the Gentiles. So that we might receive the
promised Spirit through faith to give a human example, Brothers,
even a man-made Covenant. No one anoles in, or adds to it
once it has been ratified. Now, the promises were made to
Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say an to the an to
offsprings referring to many, but referring to one and to your
Offspring. Who is Christ?
This is what I mean. The law which came 130 years
afterward does not annul, a covenant previously ratified by
God. So as to make the promise void
for, if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by
promise but God gave it to Abraham as a promise.
Why? Then the law it was added
because of transgressions until The Offspring should come to
whom the promise had been made and it was put in a place
through Angels by an intermediary.
Now an intermediary. Your intermediary implies more
than one but God is one is the law of in contrary to the
promises of God certainly not for if it'll I'd been given that
could give life than righteousness would indeed be by
the law but the scripture imprisoned, everything under
sin, so that the Promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be
given to those who believe. There's a lot in that chapter
and we'll get to the final verses later on, but there's a
lot. I'm going to have 3 points.
I'm not going to go verse by verse through the chapter, but
I'm going to kind of give an over arching explanation of.
So what this chapter is referring to what it means, what
it means for us. And the first point I want to
deal with is Abraham. The second point is going to
deal with Moses and the third point which is the most
important point is going to deal with Christ.
And so we're going to see how kind of one Builds on another
going through our study. So we'll start with our first
point. Which deals with Abraham.
And my first point is God's covenant with Abraham shows us
the necessity of Faith. God's promise shows us the
necessity of Faith. So if we remember Paul, if you
were here the past couple months, when Wade's been going
through the first couple chapters, Paul is writing to a
church where there were some false teachers, these were
called judaizers and these people were claiming okay, you
can believe in Christ, but then you need to be circumcised.
You need to follow Jewish rule or the Jewish regulation in
order to be saved. So they were, they were adding
requirements to Salvation, that Jesus had already put in place.
And Paul introduces the doctrine doctrine of justification of
Faith at the end of Galatians 2. And then he starts to defend it
in Galatians 3 and fours, which were going to be Studying.
So we basically he's not bringing any new material to
this chapter that we're studying today, he's basically
reiterating reiterating what he's already started to develop
and he's bringing it to Bear upon the judaizers the false
teachers and what they were saying.
So he goes back to Abraham and he says okay you guys you
judaizers of talking about circumcision.
So let's go back to where circumcision began The Deal
started with Abraham and let's see how that how he was
justified and he begins to talk about the promise of God of
Abraham that is received by faith.
If we look in verse 6 of Galatians, 3 and says, just as
Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness
and he's quoting from Genesis chapter 15, Verse 8 of Galatians
3 it says and the scripture foreseeing that God would
justify the Gentiles by faith. Preached the gospel beforehand
to Abraham saying in you shall all the nations be blessed.
And so if you want to turn your Genesis 12, that's fine but
we're going to go back there for a little bit and and pull a
couple points out of there. What Paul is doing here in
Galatians 3 is he showing the necessity of faith?
He starts in Galatians 3 by giving basically six rapid fire
questions to the to the church, in galatia churches, in galatia.
He's basically saying, did you receive all the you would had
observing the law by obedience by your obedience, or by faith?
And he's making the case is basically rhetorical questions
that he's asking here. And that's when he reaches back
and talks about Abraham. He said, let's talk about
Abraham what he's doing. He's building a picture building
a case for his explanation. The people of God in the Old
Testament began with Abraham, he's the father of the people of
Israel and it all plays out and the New Covenant that we are
sons of Abraham. So if we look at Genesis 12,
verses 1 through 2, it says now the Lord said to Abram go from
your country and your Kindred and your father's house to the
land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great
nation and I will bless you and make your name great, so that
you will be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless
you and him who dishonors you, I will curse you and in all the
families of the Earth shall be blessed.
The promise that we see there is in verse 2, it says, and I will
make a great nation make of you a great nation and I will bless
you and make your name great, so that you will be blessings.
That's the promise that was given to Abraham from God.
And that's a big promise, and I don't want us to miss the point.
Abraham had nothing to do with this promise, that was given to
him from God. For all, we know Abraham was
made, even a pagan guy who was not seeking after God, but this
was initiated by God initiated by God.
So the first part of the Covenant with Abraham here is by
Grace God, blesses his people. That's what one of the points is
being made. It's not based on what Abraham
had done, but based on the initiative that the grace of
God, God making his Covenant with Abraham.
It's not Abraham going to make a deal with God.
It was God coming. To Abraham to make a deal with
him or make a covenant with him. I'm sorry.
It's even clearer. We can see that in Genesis 15
and what happened is. God said in Genesis 12 All
Nations on Earth are going to be blessed through you Abram.
But the only problem is, it didn't have a son?
How is that possible? How are all the nations going to
be blessed? If he didn't have a son?
He didn't even have an heir to his family.
He's going to have. How's it going to have a line
that's going to bless all nations?
When he can't even have a son with his wife, Sarah Genesis 15
verses 1 through 6 says, after these things, the word of the
Lord came to Abram in a vision Fair naughty room.
I'm your Shield, your reward shall be very great.
But Abram said O Lord God, what will you give me for?
I continue childless. And the air of my house is
Eliezer of Damascus. And Abram said, behold you have
given me? No Offspring and a member of my
household will be my Heir and behold the word of the Lord came
to him. This man shall not be your Heir.
You're very, you're very own son.
Shall be rare and he brought him outside and said, look toward
the heaven and Number the Stars. Stars.
If you are able to number them, then he said to him.
So shall your Offspring be? And here's what Paul quotes he
quotes from 15:6 of Genesis. It says, and he believed the
Lord and he counted it to him as righteousness.
So we're going to think about this for a second and what's
going to what's going on and how Abram was receiving this
promise? You know, by Grace God bless his
people and that Grace is expressed in radical promises.
God gave some radical Promises to the, to the children of
Israel in the Old Testament, we can read about and to Abraham.
And we see this through Abraham's life and it's evident
right here. God just said to Abram, you're
going to have as many descendants as the stars in the
heavens. He doesn't even have a son yet.
That's a pretty big bold promise that he gave Abraham when he
didn't even have a son. Not only does he not have a son
but he's 99 years old and his wife is Barren.
Sarah could not have children. You know, things were not
looking very promising for that, kind of promise to God, to give
to Abraham You know, even when God, you know, was mentioned to
Sarah that she was going to have a son, she laughed at.
You got to be kidding me. I'm gonna have a son.
I think any of us would do that, if we were told that at that
age, however, the picture was here, it was not, it was not
Abraham or singing or Sarah bringing anything to the table.
It's what God was bringing to the table for them in their
lives. Promises by his grace.
Now the question is, how will he receive the blessing of God?
How will Abraham receive the blessing of God that leads us to
the second part of God's covenant with Abraham Abraham by
Grace? God blesses, his people and then
through faith, God's people received his Blessing and this
is what Paul is talking about. This is how Abraham receive the
blessing of God, not by earning it or meriting it or doing
anything within his power to to gain that from God. he believed
basically what God was telling him, he believed that Abraham
did not do a thing, he believed God.
And that's what verse six set of Paul says.
In Galatians, it says in this is what he's quoting just as
Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness
righteousness before, God, credited Bree Abraham based on,
not what he has done, but based on what he believed, Abraham
believed God, it's what Romans 4?
19 through 21 talks about, it says he did not weaken in faith
when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead since
he was about 100 years old or even he considered the
barrenness of Sarah's womb, no unbelief made him waiver
concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith
as he gave glory to God. Fully convinced that God was
able to do what he had promised. That is why it was credited to
him as righteousness. Romans 4 says, the righteousness
of God was credit to him because he believed God had the power to
do what he has promised through faith.
And this is what Paul is talking about, what the judaizers, he
says, yes, he was circumcised, but when was he circumcised?
It's not until Genesis 17 that Abraham gets circumcised.
Paul talks about earlier in Romans 4 verse 10.
It says how then was it counted to him?
Was it before? Or after he had been
circumcised, it was not after but before he was circumcised
before he even did that, he was already justified by faith.
Not based on what he had done but based on what God had done
in his life based completely on his grace.
And this is the picture that Paul is trying to paint her.
He even quotes later in Galatians 3 from habakkuk 2:4 in
the Bible, says there, the just shall live by faith and, you
know, there was centuries ago when the Pope in one church had
said, you know, they were they were selling basically
indulgences for the church. The pope said, there's this,
this is special set of stairs at this one church, and if you come
and kneel and and kneel and every stair and pay some money,
you climb these stairs, you kiss, every stair, you pray.
And when you do that, and you get to the top, all your sins
are forgiven. That's not what the Bible
teaches. Basically what that was tapping
is they were just trying to raise money, is what it comes
down to raising money is what they were doing.
That's not living by faith. That's completely.
Contrary to what is taught in the scriptures and the real
reality of the scripture teaches us that those who know that they
have been saved, leave live completely different lives than
the rest of the world. And this is what was going on
with Abraham his life and the decisions he made were made
because he realized what God was doing it.
What God could do and the faith is expressed.
This faith is expressed in extreme obedience that Abraham
showed. He was Judge, Abraham was
justified by faith and what happens after that, after that
he was circumcised and even back in Genesis 12 before he was even
circumcised circumcised. God, gave him this promise.
And, and after that promise was made than Abraham packed up all
of his bags, And he said God I'll go wherever you want me to
go because of what you've done for me.
He leaves his family and all that was familiar to him left it
all behind sold. All his possessions and that's
extreme Faith. That's extreme faith.
He went to a foreign land where he was living in tents just
trusting in God to lead him every step of the way we get to
Genesis 22 Abraham. Finally has that son that God
had promised him which was Isaac.
And once he had that song that son, what does God say to him?
God says you take that son, your only son and you go and you
sacrifice him. You build an awful firm, you
take him up to a mountain and you sacrifice that son that I
promise to you. Your Offspring were going to
come from. now, if I'm Abraham, I'm thinking How many roadblocks
are going to put in front of me before I get this promise that
you're telling me about but Abraham has that radical Faith
where he's going to do whatever God tells him to do.
So Abraham does it or he almost does it until God stops him and
he takes his and he raped to the mountain and raises the knife
over his son and and God, of course, stops in the provides a
ram for him, that's living by radical Faith.
Listen to Genesis 22, 15 through 17, it says, and the angel of
the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said
by myself, I have sworn declares the Lord because you have done
this and have not withheld, your son, your uncle Only son, I will
surely bless you and I will surely multiply your Offspring
as a stars of the heaven, and as a sand, that is on the seashore.
When I read this, something, caught my attention.
I read this verse and I went, you know, we've been talking to
all along about how this was all by grace, through faith and God
says, to Abraham because you did this.
Now I'm going to bless you and if if we're not careful we can
we can see that that doesn't quite aligned with living by
faith. You know, at that point was
Abraham earning the blessing of God and the answer is certainly
not. He was not earning the blessing
of God. Basically, Abraham was living by
his faith and it's the same picture.
We he's got a promise from God. He's got trust in God, he's
believing in God. And his life is the outworking
of that Faith. The outworking of what God has
done for him. It's not trying to earn
salvation and Hebrews 11. We get to the hall of faith and
these Heroes of Faith were doing extraordinary things.
Hebrews 11 33 through 38, it says who through faith conquered
kingdoms enforce, Justice obtained, promises stopped, the
mouths of lions. Quenched, the power of fire
escaped. The edge of the sword were made,
strong out of weakness, became Mighty, and War.
Put forward armies to flight, women receive back there dead by
Even some were tortured refusing to accept release so that they
might rise again to a better life, others suffered mocking,
and flogging and even chains and imprisonment they were stoned.
They were sawn into they were killed with the sword.
They went about in skins of sheeps and goats destitute
Afflicted, mistreated of, whom the world was not worthy.
People lived by grace through faith live extremely different
lives than the rest of the world.
Old completely different lives because they believed God and
they don't know, they need the stuff of this world.
They know that they don't, this stuff that we have doesn't need
to be held on to, we don't need to.
We don't need any of that thing, because we know God is good, and
God is all sufficient, and God can provide whatever we need, he
is enough. So these people believed in God,
and that belief, they believe that he's enough for him, they
were not saying, well, I've got all this.
Is Grace through faith, you know, so I can just indulge in
all the sin that I want to. And all the things that this
world has to offer, we can do that because of the grace of
God. That's not living by grace
through faith and people who live like that.
Know, so little of Grace and so little of faith So Abraham
received the blessing of God by grace through faith that leads
us to the second point, which is Moses.
God's covenant with Moses. What we need to understand.
Is this Covenant with Moses? What the judaizers were saying
back in Galatians? 3 was okay, Abraham.
We understand Abraham, you know, Faith with Abraham.
We see that but then God gave a covenant with Moses that involve
law. And the judaizers were saying,
you know, God used to operate with his People based on grace
through faith. But now, he's put into place
this law that we need to follow. So Moses here, he tells us what
we need to do, what we need to do with all that.
We need to follow this law to to be able to be in good, graces
with God. So what they were saying was
basically that what Moses did trumped what Abraham had done
and that is not the case. That's what these judaizers were
saying. And what we need to realize is
that God's covenant, with Moses does not contradict his Covenant
with Abraham instead, God's covenant, with Moses
compliments, his Covenant with Abraham God is not contradicting
himself. This is what Paul in Galatians 3
15 vs. 15, 16 17 is talking about he said this does not
nullify what happened with Abraham in fact what God did
with Moses helps us understand better what God had done with
Abraham. They complement one another.
So with Abraham, God's promise shows us the necessity of faith.
And with Moses God's law shows us the futility of the flesh.
And that's a big set in. So I want to try to explain that
a little bit. God's law shows us the futility
of the Flesh in curing, Galatians 3, Paul mentions the
law over and over and over again.
Now, sometimes the New Testament when it when we see the word law
mentioned, it talks about maybe just the Old Testament, maybe
talks about, Just the Ten Commandments sometimes.
It's even talking about just the will of God or the authority of
God. But but specifically here, He's
referring Paul is referring to the Kent Commandments and the
requirements that were given to Moses back in Exodus and we see
in Leviticus numbers and Deuteronomy the whole picture of
the Old Testament. That's what Paul is referring
to. It's not talking about just the
word of God in general. All this.
It's talking specifically about the Covenant that God had made
with his people in Moses day. So what happens in Galatians 3,
and verse 10? He kind of goes back and forth
from verse 10 to about 25. He starts talking about what the
law can do. The law can't bring life.
Paul says the law can't bring Salvation the law, can't bring
righteousness, the law, can't do any of these things.
The picture here will Paul is talking about is basically
showing the in Attica, sweet and adequacy of the law and the
weakness of the law and the futility of the Flesh and in a
couple different ways. First of all, the law shows us
that we have all disobey God. Galatians 3:10 says for it is
written cursed, be everyone who does not abide by all things
written in the book of the law where he's quoting from.
Here is Deuteronomy 27. It says back there, anyone who
does not follow everything in the law is cursed.
The law demanded. Perfect obedience.
That is what Jesus would say. In Matthew 5, in The Sermon, on
the Mount, he's talking about the Old Testament, he gets to
the end and he says be perfect. Therefore as your heavenly
father is perfect and that's the standard.
Jesus is the standard of perfection, we disobey the law
of God and the law confronts us with the fact that we cannot
obey it perfectly, not one of us in this room can so what the
Lord is doing here is a couple of different things.
First the Old Law, exposes our sin.
The law exposes our sin. It brings sin are in our hearts
to light, Romans 6 & 7, talks about this.
What the law does, is it confronts us with the commands
of God and brings the sinful heart?
That is that we all have in US, it brings it to life and exposes
our sin. If there was no law, we wouldn't
know that we were sinning in the law, brings that to the surface.
So we know that we're imperfect and we need to do something
about it. Not only does it allow expose
our sin but the law actually intensifies, its inner it makes
it worse. In chapter or a verse 19 of
chapter 3. In Galatians here, it says the
law was added because of transgressions I don't have time
to get into all the language there.
But basically, Paul is saying that the law increases
transgressions, the more laws you at or transgressions are
going to have add another law. You're going to have another
transgression, it intensifies it.
It's the same thing that he says in Romans 5 verse 20, now the
law came to increase the trespass.
So, the law intensifies has and exposes our sin.
And as a result, confronts us with the cruel harsh, stunning
reality, not only do we disobey the law of God, but as a result,
we all deserve the wrath of God. The verse 10 of Chapter 3 of
Galatians. It says, 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 abide, by all things written,
in the book of the law and do them.
We stand cursed beneath the law cursed.
This is what the law confronts us within.
The fact that you and I are cursed before God, we're still
talking about the law of Moses here.
We need to understand that and this is where Moses helps out.
When we read about Moses in Deuteronomy 27, which Paul is
quoting here, and what happens is he saying when you go to the
land, you're you're going to go beyond the Jordan and there's
going to be two mountainsides. And half of the tribe you're
going to put on one mountain side and the other half.
You're going to put on another mountain side and you guys are
going to face each other. And what Moses God tells Moses
to do is half of these people on One.
Mountainside are going to pronounce blessings And the
other side is going to respond to that.
We can read this in Deuteronomy 27.
The other half is going to pronounce curses.
The other one's going to pronounce blessings so imagine
you can you know we can see a seen thousands of people gather
on to Mountain sides. One side saying cursed is anyone
who does not obey his father and mother the other side replies.
Amen. Then they say, cursed is
everyone who leads the blind astray.
The other side says, amen, cursed is the one who does this
curse, is the one who does this, and they're yelling out a men's
cursing. Them blessings back and forth
that we can read about And the law was given to show us because
we disobey the law of God, everyone stands beneath the
curse of the law. So, what is this curse mean?
What does it cursing mean that we can read?
About cursed means that we stand condemned before.
God. The whole point of the law,
that's the whole point of the law.
It was not good to be standing before a holy God and to be
confronted with sin, it's not a good thing.
Because now to be confronted with the law because the law
exposes our sin before a holy God, we're standing there before
God, who is dead set against send hates, it can't can't even
be associated with it. You turn Li hates it and we're
covered with it. And that law has confronted.
That and right here, in verse 10, it says, cursed be, everyone
who does not abide by all things written, in the book of the law
and do them. When we see that we read a verse
like that, it should cause us to go into some sort of a Panic
mode, I guess you want to say, we're cursed before.
God, what do we need to do about that?
Where are we? What do we have to do?
What do we need? What can we, who do we go to?
How can we be saved? You know, there's an urgency
because we're cursed before God. So what do we do about that?
So also to what I noticed about this kind of a scary thought to
me. It says, it doesn't say cursed
are the atheists or agnostics or pagans?
no, it says, cursed are the people who try to obey God,
That's kind of a scary thought. Cursed are those who trying to
bring the law of life into their the law into their life thinking
that it's going to bring them life.
Cursed are those who, you know, when you use current
terminology, you know, Kershaw those who, you know, I read my
Bible, so many times a week, I do the best raising my family.
We go to church three, four times a week, whatever.
Maybe we do. All we can we're studying every
night. We're praying.
Every day were working, working, working working.
And in every 10 that we try to do that, the law says, guilty,
you're still guilty over and over again.
Guilty guilty this year guilty next year, the harder you try,
you're still guilty. It doesn't, you know, that makes
us feel hopeless, right? That's what it's supposed to do.
That's the whole point of the law, it doesn't make us feel
that way, if it doesn't make us feel that way, then when they
were missing the point, it says, stop trying to do these things
to earn favor towards God because you're not going to get
it right, period. Everything you do.
You're not going to get it right?
The law was given to show that you are disobedient to it.
And as a result, we stand under the curse and condemnation of
God. And that's the purpose of the
law that Paul is showing us here.
So, why is Paul telling us this? And some of the reasons, coming
Galatians, 3, verses 22, 23 and 24.
It says, but the scripture imprisoned, everything, under
sinned imprisoned, everything and then we get down to verse
23, it says now, before Faith came, we were held captive under
the law. So God through the word says, or
Paul is saying, here were like prisoners chained by the law.
The law exposes our sin at every turn and the law.
Intensifies has our sin and there's nothing we can do were
chained or chain before God. We can't get out were under his
Kirsten, his condemnation, we can't do anything the harder, we
try the worse. It is, Paul says, in verse 23.
Now, before Faith came, we were held captive under the law in
prison until the coming. Faith would be revealed.
So, the law was put in charge to lead us to who to Christ that we
might be justified by faith. So here we are sitting in our
change, in our sin and in our ability to obey, God completely
or be right before. God based on anything that we
do, there's nothing that we could do to be in.
Good graces with God, we're cursed condemned.
And here stands Christ and he is completely righteous.
He has no sin in him. He is a lamb without blemish or
defect. He is right before God, he
alone, and he steps in and he says I'll take that curse for
you. All Barrel.
That's in I'll take the condemnation for you.
So now we're approaching the third most important point.
The first point God's covenant with Abraham what shows us the
necessity of Faith. The second Point, God's
covenant, with Moses shows the futility of the Flesh and the
third point of Galatians 3, God's covenant through Christ.
Christ shows us the price of Freedom, the whole point of the
law has been to show us that we need Christ.
We need him to save us. We need him in our lives.
We need him to do what we can't do.
We need him Jesus, fulfills the law of Moses.
That is everything. The Old Testament was building
to everything was pointing directly to Christ.
All the ceremonial laws, all the rituals of the sacrifices that
they would do all these different things.
The who book of Hebrews says they are all Shadows pointing to
one some substance and that substance is Christ.
Romans 10:4 says Christ is the end of the law.
Matthew 5 says that Jesus says, there, I come to fulfill.
I came to fulfill the law to complete with the law Jesus.
This fulfills the law of Moses. How did he do that?
Number one, Jesus fulfilled, the law by obeying, the law of God
for us. He lives right righteously by
faith perfectly righteous and there's no other person in the
Bible and no other religious teacher in the history of the
world that can claim righteousness.
Before God, based on their own Merit, only Christ.
He and obeyed the law of God for us.
But not only, did he obey the law of God he endured the wrath
of God, instead of us. He endured the wrath of God.
Instead of us Galatians 3:13 says there that he was.
He redeemed us Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by
becoming a curse for us. Those two words are for us, I
threw the most beautiful words in the Bible.
That we can read about. For us for you, for me, for the
person sitting next to you Christ.
Did that for us? He became the curse for us.
He died for us. He shed his blood for you and I
he died for you and I gave his life for you and I and he took
that Rod wrath of God. Do to us on himself.
He redeemed us, and that's a word that Paul uses here and
that was a word that was used in that day to describe how you
would pay the price to buy his slave.
So you could set him free redeemed, paid the price, he
took the curse upon himself. So what do we say to that?
One, hymn writer said nothing in my hand.
I bring simply to thy Cross Lake clean naked, come to thee for
dress helpless, look to the for Grace.
Val, I to the Fountain fly Wash Me savior or I die.
Some of you might recognize that that's Rock of Ages beautiful
words. That's what the law does.
The law says, you have got to have Christ you need Christ.
You desperately, need him, use Everything.
Jesus also completes the promise to Abraham He is the seed and we
look at verse 19 of Galatians. 3, it says, it's talking about
the law. It was added because of
transgressions until The Offspring should come to whom
the promise had been made to. Who is that scene?
We go back up to verse 16 and it says, now the promises were made
to Abraham and to his offspring. It does.
And it does it does not say into offsprings referring to many,
but referring to one and to your Offspring, who is Christ?
So this is why when we get to the Book of Matthew, he starts
with a bunch of names. We read a bunch of names and
lineage of Jesus, how Jesus came from Abraham.
He lived perfectly righteously by faith in the lines of
Abraham. He fulfills, the promise that
was made all the way back in. Genesis 12 through him, all
nations of Earth will be blessed and his death, his resurrection
from the grave. We hear can see can be credited
righteousness before God, because of Jesus.
We have received the blessing of God.
Christ, completes the promise of Abraham, Everything that we see
in Abraham points directly to Christ by Grace, he gives us
salvation. Paul is saying here in Galatians
3, what are you going to do based on all this stuff?
You know, what do you do to earn your salvation in light of this
gigantic picture that Paul has just taught the Galatians?
What are you going to do? Are you thinking that being
circumcised is going to make that big of a difference?
No, he's saying don't add to what Jesus has done for you
guys. Don't do it.
He is all that we need, you know, Christianity is not a
systematic way to make our life, better to work in to follow to
make all these principles to make our life better.
It's not how to be more moral of to be more good.
It's not the point. The point of Christianity is
that it's not what we can do and make ourselves a better life.
You know, I want to make myself have a better life.
That's not what it is. It's to have a new life.
Everything in the past is gone, we're living a completely new
way based on what Jesus has done for us, crucify yourself, Slayer
self. That's what he said in Juice.
Galatians, 2 verse 20 Crucified with Christ.
I no longer live myself dead instead.
Christ lives in me. By Grace, he give salvation to a
to us, through faith. We received his spirit in US,
Galatians 3 14 says, so that in Christ Jesus.
The Blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles.
So that we might receive the promise Spirit, through faith
Not only are we looking to the righteousness of Christ in
heaven as a basis by which we stand before.
God, the acts of the spirit of Christ is actually in US.
Put into us. And when that happens, that's
what radically changes Our Lives.
Not from the outside in, but from the inside out because we
are believing, and trusting and have faith, that Jesus and God
are going to do what they are going to do.
Our lives aren't look completely different than they did in the
past. We'll see more and more of that,
as we still complete our study through Galatians, It'll point
to some more of those. So, so for all that, maybe our,
you know, our church members here, Christians here, you know,
we struggle for years, having trying to make get it right, you
know, I'm gonna try harder this time.
I'm going to, I'm going to struggle.
Yeah, I'm struggling or wrestling for a victory or a win
over some particular sin that we may be dealing with, and we just
can't find that piece sometimes. With the struggles that we have
try harder this year, next year. Next year.
Next year, next year. We need to start stop relying on
ourselves to make these changes. I now outward works and look to
heaven and see the righteousness of Christ and know that we are
counted righteous simply by following the instructions that
we have had laid out before us by Christ himself.
And that's an astounding awe-inspiring truth that that
the galatian book of Galatians shows us.
So how do we get into Christ? Thankfully, Paul shows us how in
verses 27 through 29 of this chapter.
It says, for as many of you as were baptized into Christ.
Have put on Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek.
There is neither slave nor free. There is no, you have no male
and female for you are all one in Christ.
Jesus. And here's a key verse this
might sum up. We were talking about with
offsprings and if you are, Christ's, then you are.
Abraham's offspring heirs, according to the promise.
Amazing chapter. Really it really kind of
encapsulates, the whole picture of the Bible starting way back
in Genesis. What all had happened coming to
Jesus at that point in the New Testament and Paul really just
kind of lays it out. If you have time you want to
read it again on your own. It might hopefully it makes a
little more better sense than what it did originally.
So I hope I haven't muddied the waters are or confused anybody
but Paul really shows us the importance of Christ.
And we are baptized into Christ. Having put him on.
So do you believe that Jesus is the son of God?
if so, and you need to repent of your previous way of life and
change your life now live by faith because of what he's done
for you live, according to his work and we confess his name,
Firming that he is the Son of God and then we are baptized in
immersion of water baptized into Christ and he has us to his
church. Maybe there's one of that class,
maybe there's one who needs to just make a public confession or
just needs the prayers of the church.
At this time, we ask you to please come while we stand while
we've seen We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on
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