Sunset Road Baptist Church Sermon Notes: July 2006

Sunday, July 23, 2006

July 23, 2006 - To Free Christians Everywhere: Galatians Chapter 6

July 23, 2006

INTRODUCTION

We live in litigious society

The American attitude seems to be sue unto others before they can sue unto you
I guess that’s why companies slap so many silly warning labels on their products

But really:

Why would a manufacturer of rat poisoning place this warning label on its product:

Has been found to cause cancer in laboratory mice
My question is: How do you keep the mice alive long enough to prove the poison causes cancer?

For that matter- did Black & Decker REALLY need to put this warning in its chainsaw owner’s manual? Do not attempt to stop blade with your hand

Look- if you think your bare hand can stop a blade that can slice through an oak tree
I'm not sure a warning label is gonna do you much good

Lawyers- must think we're really stupid!

For instance:

ConAir’s Pro Style 1600 hair dryer says you should never use their product while sleeping
...How is that even possible?

I love this one:

A label on a box of Nytol Sleep Aid warns that the medicine: May cause drowsiness
...isn't that the whole point of taking a sleeping pill?

And finally-

A label on a digital thermometer advises against using it orally after you've used it rectally
What? They think this is a PROBLEM?

TRANSITIONAL REMARKS

The reason I bring all this up is because we're wrapping up our sermon series on Galatians this morning

Specifically- we're going to focus on the 6th chapter of Galatians
You might say chapter 6 serves as Paul’s last minute warning label to the Galatian Christians

Once again it’s important to remember the issue Paul has confronted in Galatians

After he taught the Galatians that salvation is a gift of God’s grace activated through faith in Christ
Certain men from Jerusalem arrived on the scene claiming to represent Jesus’ disciples. They said:

Faith in Jesus wasn't enough
If you really wanted to be saved you had to:

Believe in Jesus
And become obedient to the Jewish law

Throughout Galatians Paul addresses and refutes the claims and charges the men from Jerusalem had made

Finally- having set the record straight in the first five chapters of Galatians
Paul is ready to end his letter- but first he wants to take care of a few more items of business

IN THIS WAY YOU WILL FULFILL THE LAW OF CHRIST

One of the charges leveled by the men from Jerusalem dealt with the implications of Paul’s message of grace

They claimed he was teaching a watered-down Gospel that amounted to a license to sin against God
In chapter 5 Paul answered those charges by talking about the fruits of a life lived under the control of the Holy Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23

Paul’s point is that genuine spirituality is..

Not expressed through rigid obedience to the Law- or a constant search for a mountain-top spiritual experience
Expressed in the way you live- and the way you treat other people

He continues that idea in Galatians 6:1
It’s a question every Christian will eventually face: What do you do when you learn that a fellow Christian has been overtaken by sin?

Are you going to:

Look the other way and pretend the sin doesn't exist?
Publicly confront the person in order to make yourself look spiritually superior?
Or are you going to abandon that person to a destructive lifestyle of sin

By the way- none of these solutions work!

Here in Galatians 6 Paul suggests a better way

He says: Instead of ignoring or exploiting the situation for your own benefit
You should do everything in your power to re-store your brother or sister to a right relationship with Christ

The word restore translates the Greek word katarizo which literally means to set- or align- a broken bone

I've had doctors tell me that when a broken bone has been properly set- and is fully healed- it’s dramatically stronger than it was before
Paul’s point is that by gently and lovingly restoring your brother or sister in Christ-

you'll help them to become spiritually stronger and more mature than they were before the sin occurred
Which will help that person- your church- and above all- the cause of Christ!

But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

The danger in undertaking a ministry of setting broken bones is that it opens you up to temptation

In other words: You start out with the best of intentions- you want to help your brother or sister in Christ
But in doing so- you may make yourself very vulnerable to temptation

For instance- let’s say you've struggled with an addiction to...pornography

Through God’s grace- and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit- you've-

Overcome the addiction
And now you want to help someone else who’s wrestling with HIS addiction to porn

Here’s the thing:

Your effort to help your brother in Christ
May expose you to language or images or places that can trigger an intense sense of temptation

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

Paul’s point is-

You don't stop ministering to your brothers and sisters in Christ just because you might be tempted to sin
But- you MUST be careful to be under the control of the Holy Spirit at all times

The Spirit will not only give you the words your brother or sister needs to hear
He'll give you the strength to overcome the temptation in your own life!

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Given Paul’s arguments against the necessity of adhering to the Old Testament Law- it sounds odd to hear him talk about fulfilling the law of Christ

But fulfilling the law of CHRIST is the natural result of a life lived under the control of the Holy Spirit
As a Christian you've been...

Freed from the rules and regulations of the Old Testament Law
And called to a higher standard of behavior in Christ

What is that higher standard of behavior?

To become more and more like Jesus in all you say and do
Turn with me to Romans 8:28-29

I think it was Jack Hayford who said: The goal of living under the control of the Holy Spirit is to become so much like Jesus that God will think: ‘it’s almost like I had twins’"

Galations 6:3-5

Now this is interesting

In the Galatians 6:2 Paul says Christians should Carry each other's burdens
But here in the 5th verse he says each one should carry his own load

At first glance this kind of sounds like a contradiction- but it isn't

The Greek word for burdens means a heavy or unmanageable weight
While the word for load means a light backpack or a shoulder sack

Paul’s point is that:

Some of the struggles or burdens a Christian may face in life are too great to handle all alone
At times like that it is the responsibility of spiritually mature brothers and sisters in Christ to help them carry the burden

On the other hand- God has given every Christian a specific responsibility in His kingdom’s work

In other words: There’s stuff that needs to be done
And God expects YOU to fulfill your assignment for His glory

WE WILL REAP A HARVEST

Galations 6:7-9

Over the years Galatians 6:7 has been used as a text for countless evangelistic sermons

And that’s great- a lot of people are in heaven to-day because of those sermons
BUT- if you read Galatians 6:7 in context you realize:

Paul’s not talking about a sinner’s need to take Jesus as their Savior
He’s talking about a CHRISTIAN’S responsibility to use their spiritual gifts for God’s glory

Again- you have to go back to the message being taught by the men from Jerusalem

They claimed the Law was the only thing that would cause people to live godly lives of ministry and service
Paul’s point is that the Holy Spirit is the PERFECT guide and inspiration for godly living-

If the Holy Spirit is in control of your life- you'll do the things that please God
In fact-

When it comes to living a godly life
The Holy Spirit is all you need

So the question you must face is: Are you going to:

Invest your life in serving and pleasing God- knowing that someday you'll receive a heavenly reward?
Continue to live selfishly and sinfully and miss out on the-

Spiritual blessings God wants to give you in this life
And the heavenly rewards He wants to give you on the Day of Judgment?

Turn with me to 1 Peter 1:3-9
What does it mean to be a spiritual Christian?

The Bible says it’s not about..

Following a prescribed set of rules and regulations and rituals
Or waving your hands in the air and shouting Praise God! with every other breathe
Or constantly searching for the ultimate mountaintop experience

God’s Word says a genuinely spiritual Christian focuses on...

Using the gifts and talents and abilities the Holy Spirit has given them
To serve others in Jesus’ name!

(THEY) WANT TO MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION OUTWARDLY

Galations 6:11-13

The other day I got behind a car that was covered with Christian bumper stickers

Among other things I learned that...

God was the driver’s co-pilot- but in the event of the Rapture the car would be driverless
It also appeared that their metallic Jesus fish was eating the word Darwin

Of course-

As a Christian I understood what the stickers and the Jesus fish meant
Although- I doubt they would mean anything to a non-Christian

Personally- I don't have any Christian bumper stickers or a Jesus fish on my car

The only clue that says I MIGHT be a Christian is my CMC clergy parking sticker
It’s not that I'm ashamed of being a Christian- I just don't want to mess up the paint job on my car

That’s a joke- but the point I'm making is very serious

External things like circumcision (or having a Jesus fish on your car) doesn't mark you as a person of genuine faith and spirituality
In fact-

Externals don't count in God’s eyes-
It’s what’s inside that counts with God

Christianity is about...

Having a personal faith relationship with Jesus
Living a life that’s been transformed by the in-dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit
Loving God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your spirit
Expressing your faith in service and ministry to others

EXCEPT IN THE CROSS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

Galations 6:14-18

For Paul it always comes back to Christ and Him crucified

Anything that tried to add to- or take away from- the message of the Cross had to be eliminated
Because NOTHING is more important than what Jesus did when He-

Sacrificed His own life
So that you and I could be reconciled to God

The men from Jerusalem were telling the Galatians the Cross wasn't enough

They claimed Jesus’ death on the Cross did what it did
But if you REALLY want to be saved you had to do something else. You had to...

Be circumcised
And become obedient to the Old Testament Law

The irony is Paul realized the men from Jerusalem were saying what he had once believed.

There had been a time when Paul boasted about-

His ancestral heritage
His rigid adherence to rules and regulations
The things he had accomplished as a man of religion

And where did it get him?

Nowhere!
He wound up on a Road to Damascus con-fronted by the fact he'd become God’s enemy!

In other words:

All the things he'd done over the course of his life couldn't save Paul
But Jesus’ death on the Cross did so in an instant!

Turn with me to Romans 5:1-11
At the end of the day there is a fundamental difference between the Christian faith and the various religions in the world

Religions always talk about the things you have to do to get right with God
Christianity talks about what GOD did to reconcile you to Himself

You've heard me say this many times from this pulpit-

Being saved- becoming a Christian- is easy
Because Jesus did the hard part by dying on the Cross of Calvary

The Bible says that now whosoever will may come

In other words: If you accept God’s gift of grace activated by faith in Jesus Christ you will be saved
It’s that simple- it’s that straight-forward: JESUS SAVES!

CONCLUSION

If you ever catch one of Stephen Baldwin’s Hollywood movie roles you'll see a lot of violence and sex; and hear lots of filthy language

Like his brothers Alec, Daniel and Billy that’s the world Stephen once lived in
It’s a world that made him rich and famous

It’s also the world Stephen left behind in the fall of 2001

Under the influence of his born-again wife- and their born-again Brazilian housekeeper-
Stephen Baldwin received Jesus as his Savior- and was baptized in a church in upstate New York

Today Stephen Baldwin produces Christian films and works with the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association

It doesn't bring him the kind of money or fame he had before- but that’s OK with Stephen
Through God’s amazing grace he’s discovered real peace and joy and purpose in his life

Stephen says:

Who I am today ... and I hope this doesn't sound too hokey ... I am the guy that I couldn't become on my own. I couldn't become the man that I wanted to until I gave my life to Jesus Christ. I am in no way perfect but I'm a far better husband and father. I'm a person who understands what their purpose is:
"The Bible says God creates us, first and foremost, to do what? To love Him first, to seek His will and serve Him. This is a point of time in my life that is so far beyond the word ‘best’ that I couldn't even use words to describe it."

Folks- that’s...

What grace is all about
What faith in Jesus Christ is all about
What a Spirit-controlled life is all about

Let us pray

Sunday, July 16, 2006

July 16, 2006 - To Free Christians Everywhere: Galatians Chapter 5 - Part 2

July 16, 2006

INTRODUCTION

This morning we're going to celebrate the Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper is the most important thing we do as a church family
If you don't believe it- read what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11:26

By participating in the Lord’s Supper you are-

Proclaiming Jesus’ death on the Cross- the place where he died for the sin of the world
Telling others that you've taken Christ as your personal Savior and Lord
Inviting people to examine your life to see the difference Jesus makes in a person’s life

That’s serious stuff. It’s the reason 1 Corinthians 11:28 says:

In other words: Before you eat the bread or drink the cup you need to be sure you're offering a faithful testimony to the birth, life, death and Resurrection of Jesus
The question is: How can you honestly and accurately evaluate the state of your faith-walk with Jesus?

Turn with me to Galatians 5:16-17

THE SINFUL NATURE DESIRES WHAT IS CONTRARY TO THE SPIRIT

Here’s the criteria for evaluating your faith-walk with Jesus: Are you...

Being controlled by the Holy Spirit who lives within you?
Or are you still being drug around by your old Slave Master called sin?

Now here’s where you need to remember something we talked about last week

The Bible says that before you accepted Jesus as your Savior you were in bondage to a brutal master called sin

You may have THOUGHT you were free to choose your actions and attitudes towards God and other people
But the fact is you were INVARIABLY going to sin against God again and again and again and again

Once you accepted Jesus- all that changed

Faith in Jesus set you free from the slavery of sin
Which- in turn- gave you the freedom to let the Holy Spirit take control of your life

This all sounds simple and straight-forward- but there’s a catch

As a Christian you ARE free to give the Holy Spirit control over your life
BUT-

If you don't make a daily decision to let the Holy Spirit be in charge
Sin can quickly reassert its power over you- and you'll be right back where you started from

And where you started from wasn't a good place.

Galatians 5:19-21

Suffice it to say: A life lived under the control of your sinful nature is like watching a slow-motion train wreck

There’s no doubt there’s going to be a disaster
The only question is when, where and how the disaster will take place

The train-wreck involves three categories of sins

There are MORAL sins like sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery
There are RELIGIOUS- or pagan- sins like idolatry and witchcraft
And there are SOCIAL sins which include- but are not limited to- hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like

Now here’s the thing:

If you examine your life- and see evidence of these types of sin
You are...

Most assuredly NOT living under the control of the Holy Spirit
And you need to:

Repent of your sin, and surrender to the control of the Spirit
BEFORE you take the Lord’s Supper

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS...

Now let’s shift gears and see what a life lived under the control of the Spirit is like

Galatians 5:22-23

Now here’s where we have to go back to the nature of the problem in the Galatian church

The men from Jerusalem-

Said...

That faith in Jesus wasn't enough
That REAL salvation was a product of faith in Jesus AND obedience to the Jewish law

They'd also suggested that Paul’s gospel of grace amounted to a license to sin

Here’s Paul’s answer to those charges

No rules- or regulations- or laws can accomplish what the Holy Spirit can do
When you let the Holy Spirit take control you will...

Do the things God wants you to do
Become the person God created you to be

So let’s look at the fruits the Spirit is ready to produce in you

The first of these fruits is LOVE

What we're talking about is agape- the desire to seek the highest good for another person REGARDLESS of their response
It’s the kind of love the Bible defines in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

The second of these fruits of the Spirit is JOY

Now please understand- JOY and happiness are not the same thing
Genuine spiritual JOY is a result of the overflow of God’s love in your life

Knowing that nothing will separate you from the love of God creates a sense of inner peace and contentment
That is ALWAYS present regardless of the external circumstances of your life!

The next fruit of a life lived under the control of the Spirit is PEACE

Here’s where we need to go back to the nature of sin itself

Sin is open rebellion against God
When you sin you declare war on God (and that’s a war you can't win)

Which is where Jesus comes in. By dying on the Cross for your sin Jesus-

Established a peace treaty between you and God
Which means...

You can be reconciled to God
And- in turn- be reconciled to one another

And then we have the fruit of PATIENCE

This is the fruit that turns a short-fused person into a slow to anger kind of person
It’s the quality that allows you to cope with adversity and the really annoying people in your life

Paul goes on the list the interrelated fruits of KINDNESS, GOODNESS and FAITHFULNESS

Kindness flows from a heart that’s always thinking of ways to help other people- not hurt them
Goodness is a result of kindness- it means actively doing things that help people- and minister to their needs
Faithfulness is the ability to be consistent with God and others- to overcome being a here today- gone to-morrow kind of person

The final fruits of a Spirit-controlled life are GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTROL

Gentleness involves two things:

The ability to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ
More importantly- gentleness is the grace that enable you to bring yourself under the control and lordship of God’s Holy Spirit!

Self-control is the RESULT of being under the control of the Holy Spirit

It’s the power to say YES to what is right
And to say NO to what is wrong- no matter how tempting it may be

Little wonder Paul concludes the 23rd verse by noting Against such things there is no law.

You don't need laws- and rules- and regulations to rein you in when the Holy Spirit is in control of your life
When the Spirit is in control

you're going to live a victorious Christian life
you're ready to come to the Lord’s table and share the Lord’s Supper

CONCLUSION

In examining my own life- I realize I'm somewhere between-

A life totally controlled by the Holy Spirit
And a life totally controlled by sin

The truth is...

My DESIRE to have the Spirit in complete control of my life
Is sometimes replaced by a desire to rebel against God and do what is evil in His sight

So why am I able to take the Lord’s Supper this morning?

Because of God’s grace!
Nothing more- and nothing less

Grace lets me know...

That God has done something for me that I could NEVER do by myself
The power of Jesus’ death on the Cross is sufficient for my salvation
That I'm a dearly loved, forgiven-by-grace child of the Living God!
That I can share the bread and drink the Cup as an act of thanksgiving and praise to the One who died for me

Won't you join me? Let us pray.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

July 9, 2006 - To Free Christians Everywhere: Galatians Chapter 5 - Part 1

Audio Version Available

Scripture Meditation: Galatians 5:1-8

July 9, 2006

INTRODUCTION

Phil Mickelson is an idiot

Those aren’t my words
Phil described himself that way following the recent U.S. Open

When Mickelson teed-off on the 72nd hole they were ready to engrave his name on the winner’s trophy

He had a one stroke lead-
All he had to do was:

Hit any kind of safe shot on the fairway
Put his second shot on the green
Two putt for a par- and the championship

Nothing to it for one of the two best golfers on the planet

But Phil proceeded to lose his mind

First- he pulls out his driver- hits a TERRIBLE shot
He then follows the terrible shot with a really bad shot- followed by a poor shot
Which eventually leads to a double bogey six- costing him the tournament

In other words: Phil Mickelson-

Played the 72nd of the U.S. Open like... STEVE BASS!
And trust me-

When it comes to golf
I am the definition of the word- IDIOT!

TRANSITIONAL REMARKS

But I’m not going to be an idiot this morning!

My PLANS were to:

Cover Galatians chapter 5 this morning
And wrap-up the sermon series next Sunday

But that would be...idiotic!

There’s just too much good stuff in chapter 5 to possibly cover it in one sermon
So I’m going to stretch this series on Gal-atians out an extra week

New plans:

This morning- and next Sunday- we’ll examine Galatians 5
And wrap up the series on the 23rd of July

BIBLICAL BACKGROUND

Now before we get started- let’s review what we’ve learned so far
Paul’s letter to the Galatian Christians was prompted by a problem in the church

They had received Christ as their Savior under Paul’s ministry

He had taught them that salvation was a gift of God’s grace
Activated through faith in Jesus

But then men came from Jerusalem claiming to represent Jesus’ disciples. They told the Galatians that:

Faith in Jesus wasn’t enough
That if they really wanted to be saved they needed to:

Believe that Jesus was the Christ
And obey the Jewish law

In the first four chapters of Galatians Paul:

Defends his authority to preach the Gospel
Demonstrates that salvation is a gift of God’s grace activated by faith- not of works- so that no man may boast
And shows how Christians have been freed from the burden and curse of the Law

In chapter 5 Paul begins to address the most serious charge the men from Jerusalem had made against him

They claimed Paul was preaching a watered-down Gospel that amounted to a license to sin against God
Paul intended to show the Galatians that NOTHING could be further from the truth

IT IS FOR FREEDOM THAT CHRIST HAS SET US FREE

Let’s begin by looking at the first verse of chapter 5

In many ways this verse is the key to understanding the entire book of Galatians
But to understand it-

You have to understand what Paul means when he uses the word freedom
Suffice it to say- it’s not what WE mean when we use the word

To us freedom means that:

NO one can tell you what you can- or can not- do
That as long as you don’t hurt another person you’re more or less free to do whatever you please

Well according to the Bible- that kind of freedom is just a figment of your imagination

Even though you THINK you’re free to choose your actions and attitudes towards God and other people
The Bible says you can’t do it-

The fact is you’re a human being
And all human beings are in bondage to a master called Sin

John 8:34

Romans 3:9-12

One way to understand the power of Sin is to think about a computer

Computers are incredible things. Sometimes it seems like they can do anything from:

Playing a music C.D.
To running a nuclear power plant

But the truth is a computer can only do what its been programmed to do

In that sense it doesn’t have any freedom
It’s a slave to its Programmer-Master

No one wants to think they’re under the control of Programmer-Master- but it happens to be true

You’re a slave to a Master called Sin
You may WANT to do the right thing- but you can’t do it

Now here’s where it REALLY gets depressing

God gave the Old Testament Law to help you know how to live

In other words: With a knowledge of the Law you know what you’re supposed to do
But your Sin-Master USES the Law to entice you to sin even more against God!

It’s a vicious cycle. Read what it says in Romans 7:15-24

Paul answers that question here in Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

The idea here is that faith in Christ sets you free from the bondage of sin and the Law
Which gives you the freedom to make Jesus the absolute Lord and Master of your life

Now you might be thinking: But Steve- it sounds like I’m replacing one master with another. What kind of FREEDOM is that?

It’s the kind of freedom Paul is talking about
It’s the kind of freedom to choose-

To live by faith in Christ
Eternal life in His name
Abundant and unending joy

It’s the kind of freedom that lets you become the person God created you to be

Now granted- you’re still going to be under someone else’s authority

But the One who reigns over you created you- loves you and wants only the best for you
Romans 8:28 puts it this way: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

DO NOT LET YOURSELVES BE BURDENED AGAIN

With all this in mind- let’s read the rest of Galatians 5:1
Sometimes Paul will say something so radical- so stunning- it takes your breathe away

This is one of those times
Notice what he says: do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery

The backdrop for this expression comes from the Jewish ceremony of bar Mitzvah

During his bar Mitzvah a Jewish male makes a verbal commitment to take the yoke of the Law upon myself
To the Jews taking the yoke of the Law was a good thing-

It was the essence of religion
It was the fundamental act of spirituality
It cut to the heart of what it meant to be a son of Abraham

Now remember- the men from Jerusalem had come to the Galatians and said:

Look- faith in Jesus isn’t enough
If you REALLY want to be right with God you have to ‘take the yoke of the Law upon yourself’

Here in verse 1 Paul says: Taking the yoke of the Law isn’t a good thing- it leads you right back into the slavery of sin and death!

YOU...HAVE BEEN ALIENATED FROM CHRIST

Let’s read on with verse 2 & 3
Paul has laid out a dramatic choice the Galatians had to make

They could...

Choose Jesus and reject circumcision
Or they could choose circumcision and reject Jesus

But they couldn’t have it both ways

In this case to cut off your foreskin
Was to cut off your relationship with Jesus

All of which raises an interesting question: Why did Paul have Timothy circumcised? Acts 16:1-3

Here’s the thing: Timothy’s circumcision had nothing to do with religion or salvation
Paul had Timothy circumcised so it would be easier from him to share the Gospel with the Jews

See- Paul didn’t have a problem with the FACT of being circumcised

After all- he was a Jewish male.

He was circumcised
For that matter- so was Jesus

Today- most males in the USA are routinely circumcised and it has NOTHING to do with religion
That’s why Paul says what he says in verse 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.

The problem Paul was confronting in the Galatian church was a theology of circumcision being taught by the men from Jerusalem. It:

Said that works- doing things like getting circumcised- was a necessary part of being saved
Made conformity to an external standard of behavior a mark of true spirituality

You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
THAT is an explosive charge: you have fallen away from grace.

Over the centuries, some people have taken this to mean that a Christian can loose their salvation
But that’s not what Paul means- that’s not what he teaches in the other letters he wrote

The Gospel truth is that once a person accepts Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord
They are saved for all time and eternity

Read what it says in Romans 3:3-4

In other words: God will keep His promises to you
Even if you don’t keep your promises to Him

It’s called grace
And nothing changes the saving power of God’s grace- NOTHING!

So what did Paul mean when he says some of the Galatians have fallen away from grace? His point is...

That if the Galatians choose to be circumcised- and live by the law
They will have given up on grace as the way they will relate to God

It goes back to what Paul’s been saying throughout the book of Galatians

Trying to earn your salvation- or a greater spiritual blessing- by becoming obedient to the Jewish Law is a losing proposition
Ultimately the Law.../ While grace...

Always leads to sin and death
Always leads to eternal life and spiritual blessings you can’t even BEGIN to count

Paul is saying: So you tell me. Do you want to place your confidence in-

What you will accomplish in the Law
Or what JESUS accomplished at the Cross?

I don’t know about you- but to me this is a no-brainer

I mean-

I don’t have to be convinced that Steve Bass can’t measure up to the Law-
All I have to do is look at myself in the mirror every morning and know THAT’S true

That’s why I place my hope- my faith- my trust in Christ- and Christ alone!

Galatians 5:5

Now this is pretty cool

As a Christian- living by faith- you don’t have to work FOR your salvation
All you have to do is rest in the Holy Spirit- and the promises God has made!

It brings to my mind what Jesus told the disciples in John 14: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

YOU WERE RUNNING A GOOD RACE

Let’s read on with verse 7
In many ways Paul was an ESPN kind of guy.

You know- the kind of man who talks sports all the time
Throughout his letters, Paul frequently uses athletic imagery to describe the Christian life

Let me give you a couple of examples of what I’m talking about

Here in Galatians 5:7 Paul uses the idea of a race to describe what he sees is happening in the Galatian church

You started out doing so well.

You realized that being a Christian means more than just agreeing to a certain series of statements about Jesus. You accepted the whole truth of the Gospel!
You loved the Lord with all your heart- you wanted to learn everything you could about the faith

So what happened? These men from Jerusalem came to town and everything changed

You let them trip you up
You let them convince you that Jesus isn’t all you need
You let them DESTROY what God has done in your life

That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.

God had no part in any of this!
His Will- His purpose is for you to live by faith in Jesus

It always has been
And it always will be!

CONCLUSION

Illustration: Yep! I Believe

In one of his books Will Campbell- the great Baptist preacher and founder of the Koinonia Farm community - tells an interesting story

He said his wife had once gotten after him to get a real job for a change
Through a mutual friend Campbell got a job as the cook for one of Waylon Jennings’ concert tours

One afternoon- Will and Waylon- started talking

Will Campbell: Waylon- what do you believe about Jesus?
Will Campbell says Waylon Jennings thought about it a few moments- looked him in the eyes and said: Yep! I believe it
That was Waylon Jennings' answer: Yep! I believe it

Will Campbell wrote: That might be the purest expression of faith I’ve ever heard: ‘Yep! I believe what the Bible tells me about Jesus

What do you believe about Jesus?

Do you believe...

He’s God’s one and only Son
He died on the Cross for your sin
He rose from the dead on the third day?

Do you believe that...

The only way to be saved is to believe in Him?
He is truly all you need?

Do you believe the simple message of the Gospel?

Let us pray

Sunday, July 02, 2006

July 2, 2006 - To Free Christians Everywhere: Galatians Chapter 4

Audio Version Available

July 2, 2006

Scripture Meditation: Galatians 4

INTRODUCTION

Happy Birthday America!

230 years ago this Tuesday the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence
And with that the 13 British colonies in North America became the United States of America!

Right? Well- not exactly.

The truth is the Declaration of Independence didn't-

Begin- or end- the Revolutionary War
And it certainly didn't lay the foundation for a national government

And if democracy means anything to you- the Declaration didn't represent the opinions of a large percentage of the country's population

Once the Declaration was signed...

The Revolutionary War slogged on for 3 more years before Cornwallis finally surrendered to Washington at Yorktown
After the war ended it took another 3 years for the U.S. and Great Britain to sign a peace treaty
And it was 7 more years after that before the Constitution was drafted and ratified- formally establishing the United States of America
But let's not let inconvenient historical facts get in the way of a good 4th of July party!

HOWEVER- let's say that six months after the war ended the Founding Father reconvened

After a long and contentious debate

They decided the Declaration of Independence was a mistake
So they ask Thomas Jefferson to draft a Declaration of Reunification with England

That just wouldn't make much sense- would it?

I mean what's the point of gaining your freedom
If you're ready to give it up at the drop of a hat?

TRANSITIONAL REMARKS

Essentially- this was the struggle in the Galatian church

Paul taught them that they'd been saved by God's grace activated through faith in Jesus Christ
But then men from Jerusalem arrived on the scene claiming to represent the disciples. They said:

Faith in Jesus wasn't enough
That if you REALLY want to be saved you had to:

Believe in Jesus
AND obey the Jewish law

Tragically- the Galatian Christians decided the men from Jerusalem made a lot of sense

In other words: They were prepared to give up their freedom in Christ
And subject themselves to the dictates of the Old Testament Law

It didn't make any sense- and Paul confronted this nonsense head on. In the first 3 chapters of Galatians he...

Establishes his credibility as an apostle
Lays out the good news of Jesus Christ
And explains HOW a person is saved by grace activated through faith in Christ

Beginning here in the fourth chapter- Paul shifts his focus and tries to make the Galatians understand-

What it means to be a free child of God
And why it's dangerous to give up your Christian freedom and become obedient to the Jewish Law

With all that in mind- let's get started

AS LONG AS THE HEIR IS A CHILD...

You know-

we're so accustomed to thinking of the Bible in terms of chapters and verses- it's easy to forget it wasn't written that way
In fact- dividing the Bible up into chapters and verses was the work of two men-

Stephen Langton- who in the year 1205- divided the books of the Bible into chapters
And Robert Stephanus- who in 1565- divided Langton's chapters into verses

The problem is that Bro. Steve and Bro. Bob didn't do a very good job of it

Frequently- they'd split one continuous idea into separate chapters or verses- and that can be misleading
Galatians 3:23-4:7 is a good example of what we're talking about

You can't really understand what Paul's talking about in chapter 4 verses 1-3
Unless you go back and read chapter 3:23-29

Paul's point is that the Old Testament Law had a specific purpose:

Essentially the Law functioned as a jailer
Holding God's covenant people in protective custody until Jesus came along to set us free

BUT- once you receive Jesus as your Savior-

You no longer need the Law- with all its rules and regulations and rituals
From the moment of your confession of faith-

You are a child of God-
And a rightful heir to all of His glorious promises

Now- let's pick it up in Chapter 4:1-3
I want you to notice a subtle shift between what Paul's doing in Chapter 3 and what he's doing in Chapter 4

In both chapters he's focusing on the role of the Law
But here in chapter 4 he's talking about-

The new status you have as a child of God-
A status that frees you from the GUARDIANSHIP of the Law

The dictionary defines a guardian as:

One who is legally responsible for the person or property of another
Now here's the thing about a guardian: Their responsibilities are limited to a specific period of time

For instance- let's say you're 15 years old and your father owns an NFL team

But then- tragically- your dad dies and wills the team to you

INSTANTLY you're the owner of an NFL franchise
But being 15 you're hardly in a position to run a multi-million dollar business

Fortunately- your dad was a smart man

In his will he established a date you'd assume control of the team
Until then- the time established by your father-

you'll own the team- you'll be able to go to all the games
But somebody else will manage it on your behalf

So what's all this got to do with your freedom in Christ?

With the coming of Jesus-

The time established by the Father has arrived!
The guardianship of the Law has ended

From now on you are
A free child of God

No longer subject to the dictates of the Law!

WHEN THE TIME HAD FULLY COME

Let's read on beginning with verse 4:4-5
The coming of Jesus changed everything!

Before Jesus-

The Jews had been under the guardianship of the OT Law
And the Gentiles (that's us) had been enslaved by the basic principles of the world

With the coming of Jesus (which was the time determined by the Father)-

The governing authority of the Law ended
And the basic principles of the world have been destroyed

Notice what happened:

By dying on the Cross, Jesus redeemed you from the bondage of sin and death
Which- in turn- allowed God to adopt you as His rightful child

Now here's the thing about adoption:

Once a person decides to adopt a child
They can never- NO NOT EVER- disown or disinherit- their child!

I hate to use Angelina Jolie as a sermon illustration- but in this case I'm gonna make an exception

Angelina has three children:

Two of her children were adopted. She has-

A son from Cambodia
And a daughter from Ethiopia

And- just in case you've been in a cave for the past month or so- she recently gave birth to a daughter

Now here's the thing: If she wanted to-

Angelina Jolie could disinherit her biological daughter without any questions asked
But she can NEVER cut the ties she has with her adopted children

Turn with me to Romans 8:38-39

BECAUSE YOU ARE SONS...

One of the greatest privileges you have as a Christian is a truly intimate relationship with God

Galatians 4:6-7

I've got a newsflash for you- and I think every grandparent in this congregation will understand what I mean

In a year or so when I hear Vivi call for Paw-Paw's attention
At least for a few minutes- the rest of you will cease to exist!

Because of the special love I have for her
Her voice will be the only one I hear

As a child of God- the Bible says you have the right to call the Almighty Creator of the Universe Abba!

Abba is an Aramaic term toddlers call their fathers
It roughly translates as Daddy or Da-Da

To understand why this is so important you have to remember what the men from Jerusalem were telling the Galatians

They were saying faith in Jesus wasn't enough
That if you wanted the fullness of a relationship with God you had to obey the Jewish Law

Paul's point is:

Faith in Jesus means God has...

Adopted you as His child
Given you the gift of the Holy Spirit
And allowed you to call Him "Abba"- "Daddy-God"

You can't have a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him than that!

NOW YOU BROTHERS...ARE CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE

Because time is moving on, let's skip down to verses 21-31
In this passage of Scripture Paul has...

Taken a straight-forward story from the Old Testament
And recast it as an allegory of the difference between:

A life lived under the Law
And a life lived by faith in Christ

Here's the straight-forward story

Abraham was married to Sarah- who was unable to have children

In time, Sarah insists Abraham father a child through her Egyptian maidservant- Hagar
The result of Abraham's relationship with Hagar is the birth of his first-born son- Ishmael

Several years later God promised Abraham a son by Sarah

Now at the time Sarah was decades removed from her childbearing years
But God assures Abraham it's going to happen- and less than a year later Issac is born

Now here's the important thing to understand about Issac's extraordinary birth:

Even though Ishmael and Issac were both children of Abraham
God told Abraham that only Issac would be the child of the promise

Turn with me to Genesis 17:15-21
Getting back to Paul's allegory

What he's doing here is contrasting the results of Abraham's relationships with Sarah and Hagar
To arrive at a truly startling conclusion

Let me show you what he's done. In the allegory you have: (on screen)

Two women:

Hagar- who was a slave
And Sarah- who was a free woman

Two children:

Ishmael- who was born by natural means
And Issac- who was born by supernatural means

Two covenants:

The old covenant- the covenant of the Old Testament Law established at Mt. Sinai
The new covenant- the covenant of faith established by Jesus at Calvary

Two legacies:

Ishmael whose legacy is children who live in slavery
Issac whose legacy is children who live in freedom

Two cities:

The earthly Jerusalem- which represents the highest hopes of the old covenant
The heavenly Jerusalem- which represents the glorious hope of the new covenant

And finally you have two religious traditions:

Judaism- which is based on the old covenant of Law and leads to slavery and death
And Christianity- which is based on the new covenant in Christ and leads to freedom and eternal life

Folks- this is breathtaking. Paul is saying:

That people who follow the Law- namely the Jews-

May be Abraham's physical descendents
But like Ishmael they are illegitimate children doomed to be slaves

While people who place their faith in Jesus- namely Christians-

May have no biological connection to Abraham
But like Issac they are the legitimate, free children of Abraham

Once again you need to remember the context of the book of Galatians

The men from Jerusalem were trying to persuade the Galatian Christians to become obedient to the Jewish law
Their claim is that the Law will lead to a fuller, richer relationship with God

Paul's point is obvious:

In Christ you've been given the blessing of-

A child of the promise
A life of freedom & Christian liberty

Why in the world would you want to exchange that for the burden of slavery?

CONCLUSION

Several of you have asked me about a resolution passed at the recent Southern Baptist Convention in Greensboro

You probably know the one I'm talking about- it's been all over the news
It says that people who drink alcoholic beverages can't be a missionary- hold an elective office or serve as a trustee- in the Southern Baptist Convention

Personally- I think it's a ridiculous resolution

By that standard JESUS wouldn't be eligible to serve God through the Southern Baptist Convention

I mean- you do know that He drank wine
Not Welch's Grape Juice- right?

Also the resolution makes it that much harder to share the Gospel with the lost: You Baptists- you're against EVERYTHING!

So why did such a silly resolution pass? Because legalists- like the men from Jerusalem- are still around

They want to control other people- they want to appear a little holier than thou
So they keep adding lists of Thou shalt nots to the simple, life-affirming YES of the Gospel of Jesus the Christ

Which makes Paul's point as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago

In Christ you've been given the blessing of freedom and liberty as a child of God
Why would you want to exchange that for the burden of slavery?

Let us pray

Sunset Road Baptist Church Sermon Notes

Sunday, July 23, 2006

July 23, 2006 - To Free Christians Everywhere: Galatians Chapter 6

Sunday, July 16, 2006

July 16, 2006 - To Free Christians Everywhere: Galatians Chapter 5 - Part 2

Sunday, July 09, 2006

July 9, 2006 - To Free Christians Everywhere: Galatians Chapter 5 - Part 1

Sunday, July 02, 2006

July 2, 2006 - To Free Christians Everywhere: Galatians Chapter 4

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