Let’s start with a summary of some of the key points we have
seen so far in the letter to the Galatians.
Those false teachers spreading a sugar coated or distorted
gospel message will be cursed.
God’s Word will change you.
The Gospel is for all! Does not matter if you are a Jew,
Gentile, Rich, Poor, Black, White, Brown, Popular or an Outcast. The Gospel
message is for you.
Too much legalism or too much freedom will corrupt the
message and hinder your ability to be a witness to the world.
Trust, but verify. Listen to the leaders God has placed
before you but verify that what they are teaching you is the Word of God. Do
not let yourself be led astray.
Simple belief in God and His Word will bring salvation, like
it did for Abraham.
Some great words of wisdom from Paul to the embattled church
in Galatia. Words that should be speaking directly to our hearts as well.
Today we are surrounded by false teachers who corrupt the Gospel
message of Grace and Hope. Our only protection is to let God’s Word change us.
Thankfully the life changing Gospel message is for everyone or we would be left
on the outside looking in, since we are not Jewish. We need to be careful with how much legalism
is in our churches and how much freedom society around us takes for granted.
With all the different ‘opinions’ on the what the Bible says
or how some teach that it needs to evolve, we need to be comparing everything
we hear against the Bible. That is the only way we can keep from being led
astray. We need to get back to that simple saving faith. The simple belief that
Abraham had and let it guide us.
Some very important things for us to remember and apply to
our lives so far, and we are less than half way through the Letter to the
Galatians.
When we left off last week, Paul was making sure that the
Galatians understood that they were saved by faith, just like father Abraham
was.
Let’s see what else Paul has in store for us.
Galatians 3:10-11
“10 For all who rely on the works of
the law are under a curse, because it is written: Everyone who does
not continue doing everything written in the book of the law is cursed. 11 Now
it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the
righteous will live by faith.”
Regardless of what those false teachers were saying, the Law
is not the answer. Does not matter if you are Jew or Gentile, the Law cannot
justify them. It cannot save them. It will only condemn them. If their faith is
in the Law they need to preform every action and ritual perfectly. They would
need to avoid all the things they needed to avoid. Every hour of every day with
no mistakes, not a single slip in adhering to the Law. You would have to do it
absolutely, 110% perfectly.
Paul was quoting from Moses and the Levitical priests.
Deuteronomy 27:26
“‘Anyone who does not put the words of this law into
practice is cursed.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’”
The Law flat out demanded perfection. Every ritual, every
sacrifice, every aspect of how one dresses, what one does on the Sabbath, and
so on. Everything had to be absolutely perfect for the Law to save them. Can
anyone here today say they can follow the law perfectly? Not a single mistake?
We have looked at certain aspects of the law during Sunday school and I know I
could not perform it perfectly.
Heck, I would probably throw in the towel just so I could
eat bacon. Have to have my bacon.
Regardless of that, none of us are capable of fulfilling all
of the law. Even Moses made a mistake but thankfully he was saved by his faith.
You are probably familiar with this verse.
Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
No one can do it on their own. The Law brings death and
destruction not the redemption we are looking for. There is no way that we can
come into God’s graces and spend eternity with Him, by simply following the Law
and offering sacrifices. No matter how hard we try, we are not worthy.
We are not saved by the Law or the works we accomplish. It
is by Faith Alone that we are saved.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
“9 Don’t you know that the
unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No
sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing
homosexuality, 10 no thieves, greedy people,
drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s
kingdom. 11 And some of you used to be like
this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
We are washed clean by the blood of Jesus. We are sanctified
by God working in our lives. We are justified by having faith. No law is going to
save us; it cannot do what only Jesus can.
Galatians 3:12
“12 But the law is not based on
faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them.”
One of the arguments from the false teachers that Paul was
addressing was that you need both faith and law to be saved. They had said you
that you need to have faith in Jesus and practice the Law at the same time.
Paul is quoting the Old Testament.
Leviticus 18:5
“Keep My statues and ordinances; a person will live if he
does them. I am Yahweh.”
If you can perform the Law perfectly it could save you. But
as we know and see throughout the Bible it is not possible. James talks about
this in his letter.
James 2:10
“For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point,
is guilty of breaking all.”
Trying to live by the Law will eventually lead someone to
faith. Let me clarify. The Law will lead some to faith once they realize they are
not capable of doing it all on their own. They will then throw themselves on
the mercy of God. Hoping that their faith in Him will save them.
Have you ever felt guilty for forgetting to read your Bible for
a day or even for a week? Have you every crawled into bed and felt bad that you
did not take the time to talk to God? Have you ever felt bad when you bumped
into someone you said you would pray for and you realized you forgot?
Those are examples of the ‘things’ we forget to do and we
are not living under the law. It is enough to make me realize that I could not
follow the Law, I would be condemned for not following every detail perfectly.
How about you? Would you find yourself in the same boat as me?
Galatians 3:13
“13 Christ has redeemed us from the
curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is
written: Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed.”
Don’t worry, it is not all doom and gloom. There is hope for
all who have tried to keep the Law and could not do it. There is hope for those
that thought they could work their way into heaven. There is a path to eternity
for everyone regardless of how they have failed.
There is hope in Jesus Christ.
Mark 10:45
“For even the Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life – a ransom for many.”
Jesus stepped down from His throne with the Father and took
our place. He became a curse for us. He took on our failures. He took on our
sin. He took it all in. He took the punishment we deserved and delivered us
from it.
Jesus became a curse for you. Let that sink in for a moment.
The Creator, Lord of All, The Sustainer, Jesus Christ the King of Kings and
Lord of Lords, became a curse for you. Now that is Love!
Galatians 3:14
“14 The purpose was that the blessing
of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive
the promised Spirit through faith.”
Paul is telling us in these verses that Jesus became a curse
for us for two reasons.
First Jesus wanted to make sure that every single one of us had
the opportunity to be blessed like Abraham was blessed. He wanted to make sure
that blessings given to the Jewish people were given to the rest of us. The
blessing that comes from Abraham’s descendant Jesus. The blessing that allows
us to be saved by faith just like Abraham was. The blessing that makes it so we
can be a part of the God’s family.
Ephesians 1:5
“He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for
Himself, according to His favor and will”
We are part of God’s family through our faith in Jesus. We
get to share in that blessing through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
The second reason Jesus became a curse for us, was so that
we can receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. A promise from the Old
Testament, a promise that Peter spoke about on the day of Pentecost when he
quoted the Prophet Joel.
Acts 2:16-21
“16 On the contrary, this is what was
spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 And it will
be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all
humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will
see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 I
will even pour out My Spirit on My male and female slaves in those days, and
they will prophesy. 19 I will display wonders in the
heaven above and signs on the earth below: blood and fire and a cloud
of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the
moon to blood before the great and remarkable Day of the Lord comes. 21 Then
everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Jesus became a curse so that the Holy Spirit, that was
promised to Abraham’s ancestors, became a promise to all who believe. It is
through simple belief that the Holy Spirit dwells in us and changes us.
We have friends and loved ones that think they will enjoy
eternity because they are a good person. They donate to charities, don’t do
drugs, they help out their friends and families when needed, and more… they
really are good people doing good things.
Being a good person is just as likely to get you into
Eternity as following the Law will. If the Law will not open the door for you,
neither will your good works. We know a lot of people who are going about their
lives thinking they are set, when in reality they are going to be faced with
the ultimate rude awakening. Their
works will get them nowhere if they do not have faith.
They need to hear the message that Paul is telling the
Galatians. Faith in the One True God, Jesus Christ, is the only way to Glory.
Faith Alone!
Our job as witnesses is to make sure everyone hears this
message. The message that states that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life
and that the only way to the Father.
What can you do this week to make sure everyone is hearing
that Faith Alone brings salvation?
Go and share the message of Faith!
Robert
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