Galatians 3:1-14

Father we come to you with with anticipation of knowing you closer and better in all ways. We thank you for your word and we thank you for the exhortation in this passage to not be foolish. To not depart from the reality of grace and and to be thinking we earn and work for it.

So we pray father as Pastor Jeff brings us this message. You speak to him. Give him the words and open our hearts in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

Last week after this study as John taught from the Word of God these two guys Joe and Tim went out to the community college to what is now the regular college Rowan and began to share the gospel as We normally do you know once a week we head out to the colleges.

But this time they brought the camera with them and they had a microphone raise your hand. If you if you had a chance to watch this, I just posted it on the website today I want to tell you that video that you guys made is one of the best videos I have ever seen.

It was incredible. It's one of the best things I think cornerstone has produced as far as a resource because there are I think three interactions on the video right. Maybe a fourth there was a fourth.

Okay the last one was just Incredible where this young couple you can see the light bulb. Happening the light bulb moment going on where this girl is Connecting the gospel. It's just a beautiful thing and the Lord had been working in her prior to and that's how what was so beautiful about it is you could see God's Providence and sovereignty over salvation in bringing the gospel to this young couple.

Whom he was already working in. The person that they talked to prior to that Joe you had the opportunity to do this one. The young man was was an awesome friendly young guy but thought that he might be about a six on a scale of one to ten in terms of his own righteousness and Joe was able to bring the law of God and Challenge that idea of rating yourself of a six by saying well, what if it turns out you're actually a 5 .9.

What if you're a 5 .9 and Eternity hangs in the balance and and this young man was able to process that and think about it. And then Joe made the point that in truth all of us are zeros. Because if we've broken even one of the Ten Commandments.

We are lawbreakers and we come under the curse of the law because unless you keep the law perfectly You are condemned by the law. It's not your friend. It breaks you. You break yourself against it. And I think that God also worked in this young man's heart to reconsider how he was thinking about his own righteousness.

Now what was the tool? That these young men were using to bring the gospel to bring the light of the gospel to those at the community college. What was the tool to bring awareness of sin? What you say it was the law.

The law was used by God to bring the awareness of sin. It was like a mirror that showed a person what they were really like on the inside in order that they would know that they Need a Savior and to throw themselves entirely on the mercy of God as given in Jesus Christ.

So if you haven't had a chance to watch that video, please do it's really encouraging to see. But it is also a perfect illustration of what it means to be a savior. Of Galatians chapter 3 verses 1 to 14.

Let's go there now. Galatians 3 1 to 14 in the first two chapters Paul begins by Reminding the Galatians of the gospel that it is by grace alone and apart from any works of the law. He then says in Galatians 1 6 to 9 that seat that he's astonished that this church is so quickly Departing from the gospel in order to hold on to another gospel, which is no gospel at all.

Because what was happening in Galatia is that even though they received the gospel by faith now some teachers had come up from James. Being sent by James but going beyond what they were commissioned to do.

They were now teaching law that you must be circumcised in order to be saved and They were throwing the church into confusion. Even Barnabas was led astray at one point at the visit of Peter. Because Peter separated himself from the Gentiles and would only eat with the Jewish believers.

Creating kind of a two-class Christianity, which was not in keeping with the gospel. Now in those two chapters Paul will first of all say I got this gospel of grace directly from Christ by revelation.

I Didn't learn it from other men. But God revealed this to me directly and then he tells about how he went to Jerusalem on several occasions. To confirm that what he was preaching is also what they were preaching and there was no difference there.

One of the ways he proved that was by Titus the test case. Remember Titus the test case. Titus being a Greek he brought into the presence of the church and they did not force him to be circumcised. But they welcomed him as a brother which proves that from the very beginning the Apostles agreed with Paul.

That salvation is by faith alone not by the works of the law not by circumcision. Titus proved the case and then Paul proved that again and again. That Peter would go with this gospel to the circumcised and Paul to the Uncircumcised to the Gentiles, but it was only one gospel.

They agreed on what the gospel was. He even tells the story of how he had to rebuke Peter for his hypocrisy. So we come into chapter 3 and here's the issue. There are some in Galatia Who once walked by faith who knew that the gospel was by grace through faith alone.

But now they're being led into this legalistic Works salvation that's being taught by the Judaizers. So they once had it and now they're departing so Paul will pick up on that and Show them the folly how foolish it is.

Reminding them first of all of what brought them to faith and then he'll appeal to the scripture to prove Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. So Galatians 3 1 we'll go around the room John.

Would you be the first and the first point that Paul will make is that they were saved? Simply by hearing and Responding in faith by Christ preached to them. They responded in faith. So Galatians 3 1 Pretty strong rhetoric, isn't it in our culture if someone calls you a fool Would you be offended or to call you foolish?

It would be the same in the church at Galatia. That is not a compliment. It's saying are you losing your mind? Why are you being so foolish? Why would you be enslaved by such an obvious lie? It's so obvious that That you're being taken by it makes me think that you might have been bewitched.

What does it mean to be bewitched? The rope-a-dope, yeah. But even it's even more than the natural like oh you tricked me. It's like did somebody cast a spell on you that you can't think clearly like are you operating in this?

Spiritual fog you're bewitched. You're you're cursed in some way and that theme will come up later. And of course, that's not the case. They're being deceived by false teachers. It's not that they're under a spell but Paul is speaking rhetorically here to say who has bewitched you.

Are you under some kind of spell? Are you? Not thinking in your right minds. He's trying to snap them out of it and here he will then present the the levels of evidence. The first one is that Christ was portrayed as Crucified.

You recall when the Galatians first heard the gospel in the book of Acts Chapters 13 and 14 Paul's first missionary journey. Remember Paul and Barnabas were commissioned by the church at Antioch to go out and preach the gospel.

They first sail into the Mediterranean Sea and they arrive at Cyprus and they preach the gospel there and Then things get so intense that when they're sailing back to the mainland, where does John Mark go?

Back home. He doesn't want any more of this. It's too difficult to journey. But Paul and Barnabas head into the mainland. They cross out of that coastal region and they enter into Galatia. So if you recall Acts 13 and 14 Poseidon Antioch Iconium Lystra Derby those four cities in Acts 13 and 14 are in the Galatian region.

Of what is currently called Turkey in modern-day Turkey. So in those four cities Paul goes and he Preaches the gospel. He didn't come on and put on an Easter play. When you see here that Christ is publicly portrayed as crucified.

He didn't get a group of friends and act out the Easter play. What does it mean that Christ was publicly portrayed? Portrayal of that is through verbage. It's through preaching. Paul came and proclaimed Christ as crucified you want to see him do that flip back a few pages to Acts chapter 13 28 verse 28.

And Janet when you get there, could you read for us Acts 13 28? Here for the first time in the Galatia region you have Paul at Poseidon Antioch and He begins with the Jewish people. Because they know the scriptures and they should be aware of the coming of Messiah.

And he proclaims to them that the Messiah of the Jews has come and later He'll have to make a break from the Jews since they don't count themselves worthy of eternal life and he'll turn to the Gentiles.

But here he's preaching to the Jews verse 28 Janet.

And though they found no cause for death in him, they asked Pilate that he should be put to death.

And then in verse 29 when they carried out all that was written of him They took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. This is what Paul refers to when he says Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.

He's referring to the preaching of the gospel. Well where Paul proclaimed that Christ was crucified hung up on a tree and Treated mistreated this way by by his own people and by the Roman soldiers and Laid in a tomb and that he rose it is the portrayal of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus by preaching now.

There's a second ongoing way in which we proclaim or portray Christ as crucified. What is that? One of the ordinances of the church. Yes, well baptism would be the first and that's when someone is first saved.

But then after that it was a weekly occurrence that they would take the Lord's Supper and in that Christ is portrayed as crucified. The bread represents his body the cup represents his blood and Christ is portrayed as Crucified in the in the taking of communion.

So the first thing that Paul appeals to is That they were saved when they heard the word of truth having believed they were marked in in Christ with the promised Holy Spirit. Paul didn't make them get circumcised in order to be saved.

He preached the gospel and by faith by hearing. They were justified so he reminds them of where it all began and that was through preaching. Okay chapter 3 verses 2 and 3. So it's a second reference now to foolishness.

Oh foolish Galatians. And now he says are you so foolish because what is the second thing he points them to? The Spirit of the Living God. When you believed you were given the Spirit. Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?

You got the Spirit when you heard the gospel and How would they know that they had the Spirit after all the Spirit is invisible? How would they know that the Spirit came to them? How do you know that the Spirit is living in you and gifts both fruit and gifts of the Spirit?

Manifest and display that the Spirit sometimes it's just this burning passion in your heart for more of Jesus when the disciples are walking on the way and they don't know that Jesus has risen from the dead and he comes and he begins To reveal that all the Old Testament points to Christ.

They said we're not our hearts burning within us as we walked with him. The Holy Spirit is known to the believer. According to Romans 8 children of God know that they have the Spirit of the Living God.

He's the one that causes you to love Christ. He's the one that changes your life to make you desire the things of God rather than the things of the world. Once you've been born again when the wind of the Spirit has blown on you and you believe in Christ.

You know that you're different. You feel the Spirit you love to hear the Word of God preached. Something is different once you have Received the Spirit of the Living God. This is Paul's appeal. So in verse 3, he's saying are you so foolish?

Having begun by the Spirit. Are you now being perfected by the flesh? If this was a spiritual walk that you began with Do you think it goes back to law in order to progress? No, you grow and are sanctified.

In the same way that you were saved. This is a spiritual work. He reminds them that when he came preaching to them and they heard the gospel the Spirit enlivened them and They tasted the powers of the coming age the goodness of the Word of God.

We'll get to that verse after verse 5. We'll quote Hebrews 6 4 6, but let's look now to the third evidence. The first was preaching. The second was the Spirit. Now the third is Suffering. John, would you read verse 4 for us?

It's good to make effort to progress in godliness right to avail ourselves of the means of grace. But what they're doing here is they're returning to the law as a means to be justified. The false teachers have come in these Judaizers and they've said wait a minute.

No, actually you don't have it. Gentiles you're close you have faith, but what you really need. The main thing you need is Circumcision and the law of Moses. Combine that with faith and you've got it and Paul is saying no.

Didn't you know you already had it when you believed when you got the Spirit and you felt that burning passion for Christ. And you saw the change in your life. You already had it and that's the same way.

You need to keep going. That's how you'll be sanctified. You don't need to backtrack and Follow this other path because he's gonna show where that leads.

Church is an example of slipping down back to earning a better salvation.

Yeah, especially when they claim that this is the full gospel right versus a truncated gospel.

Right John. Did you suffer so many things in vain if indeed it was in vain.

When Paul Returned in Acts 14 from the churches that he had just established. He appointed elders in every town. He had gone from Cyprus to the mainland went into Galatia Poseidon Antioch Iconium Lystra Derby then he went back from Derby Lystra Iconium Poseidon Antioch, and he didn't go back to Cyprus, but he went back to the home church in Antioch.

When Paul did this he warned them and told them in Acts 14 22 That they must suffer many things many tribulations will come and so it's evident That just like Derby stoned him and left for dead left him for dead and he went back into the city and then I mean Lystra then he went on to Derby in the same way.

They're gonna keep persecuting the church the church at Derby. Right and at Lystra and Poseidon Antioch the Jewish people were opposing this the way. So evidently what happened is just what Paul warned happened.

Paul left and they kept preaching and they began to suffer for it. They were suffering for the gospel. They were willing to take beatings they were willing to be thrown in prison. This was their heritage.

This was their legacy and now Paul is saying to them Don't you remember how much you value the gospel of? Christ crucified how you were willing to suffer for it how you were willing to give your very lives for it and Now would you devalue it?

By acting as if it wasn't enough. You used to be willing to die for it. What happened to you who bewitched you why are you falling for this this ruse? You were willing to suffer and that's his third evidence.

So the first evidence was preaching. He said all I did was preach. You heard and you believe I didn't make you get circumcised. I didn't make you Gentile believers obey the law in order to be saved preaching was enough.

The second evidence was the Spirit when you got saved the the wind of the Spirit came into you and you had joy and the fruit of the Spirit and You were different. Wasn't that enough? And then he says and you suffered for it.

You were willing to lay down your life for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And now is it not enough? Are you going to devalue it? Now? There's a fourth thing in verse 5. In Acts 14 verse 3 when Paul went to Iconium.

It says that God stretched out his hand to do signs and wonders. Paul was not only preaching the gospel. He was also performing miracles. Now, of course, it was God through Paul. Likewise when he went to Lystra, do you remember what happened there before they stoned him?

There was a crippled man at Lystra and Paul stretched out his hands and prayed for him and the man Jumped up and started walking and what did the people want to do? They wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas calling them Zeus and Hermes.

Thinking that they were gods and Paul said no, we're just ordinary men like you Worship God. So I said well if we can't worship you. Then away with you and then that's when they turned to stone him, right?

Point B. These Galatian Christians had seen miracles. I'm not talking like Benny Hinn kind of stuff. I'm talking like crippled people right before your eyes healed and walking real miracles that they had seen and That's the next appeal here.

Notice in verse 5. He says does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you. Do so by the works of the law or by hearing with faith. How did this crippled man in Lystra get healed? It was by faith.

In fact Paul seeing that the man had faith to be healed said get up. Somehow a gift of faith a supernatural gift. It was by faith. That's the issue that Paul wants to drive home. Now it does raise a question for us Does God work miracles among us?

I think so I'm convinced he still does. Now, yeah, right. Yeah, first and foremost salvation that's the greatest miracle of all for sure there are also miracles of healing and Gifts of the Spirit that we experience in this church now experientially, it'd be difficult to say that the signs and wonders that we experience are of the same quality as What the Apostles saw so with Peter.

Even his shadow passing over someone would make everybody well Paul could say it send a handkerchief to somebody and they would be healed. It's evident that the raising of Dorcas who was dead Isn't just happening left and right in our church, right?

There seems to be some kind of qualitative difference, but listen. That is an argument from experience. I think it's too much for us to say that God Doesn't do those things anywhere in the world at any time.

That's I think that would overstep the case because we aren't there to experience What's happening on the front line of missions or what's happened over the years? I know that in the course of my years of ministry I have seen things that I would describe as completely miraculous.

No explanation, but that it was a miracle of God and probably many of you could describe that as well. I Still believe God does miracles. So even if experientially we may we might not be looking at them and Saying that they are as powerful or as dramatic as what we see in the book of Acts it doesn't change the truth of this word and Just like the Galatians we can say each of these things.

It was enough when someone preached the gospel to me that I believed and I was justified it was enough that the Spirit of God came into me and he changed me from the inside out and I was willing to suffer.

Maybe I wasn't stoned and left for dead like Paul. But I sure was made fun of by friends behind my back because I wouldn't drink with them. I sure was Suffering at some level for the sake of the gospel and in the same way I've seen enough miracles to know That it is by faith that God works miracles among us.

And I still believe he does that and it's another reason for me to believe That all it takes is faith in the Son of God not the works of the law. So the point is still established even if experientially guess what guys if all we had was what God already did That would be enough evidence.

The crippled man in Lystra he was healed by the name of Jesus Christ. We have record of it. It's true it happened its evidence a Little girl in our church who's now Swallowing when eating french fries this week when it looked like she may never again.

Praise the Lord. I believe that's a miracle even if he used the hands of doctors to do it. To me that's miraculous. So praise God we have to give glory to God for these things and that's what Paul is just simply trying to do.

He works miracles among you by hearing with faith. Not because you get circumcised. There's no miracle there. That's the work of the flesh. But the power of God works among you. Don't forget it. Okay.

So now he has made these four major points and In a sense they are there are all arguments from experience. I Preach to you and you believed you experienced the spirit of God didn't you? You suffered remember how you suffer.

You saw miracles remember that don't forget, but now he's going to take the argument another level level deeper. Something that's even more foundational and what do you think that is? The Word of God he's going to go now to the promises of God and quote from Genesis 15 6 and Genesis 12 3 Deuteronomy 27 Habakkuk 2 Leviticus 18 Deuteronomy 21.

In other words, he's taking it back to the word now. So let's read that part and Sandy would you pick up at verse 6? Even so. Now Paul will appeal to one of three Scriptural authorities not just their experience which confirms the point.

But scriptural reasoning the first will be Abraham. The second will be the effect of the law and the third will be the work of Christ. Now to this first point this will be verses 6 to 9 in Verse 6 he quotes from Genesis 15 verse 6.

Guys make note of that. In your notes or in your Bible if you write in your Bible this in the book of Romans and also here in Galatians is one of Paul's key arguments for justification by faith alone.

When in the book of Genesis did Abraham? Receive circumcision. For him himself and for his children and all of the Israelite offspring and for the Ishmaelites. When when did he receive that what chapter?

Recall Genesis 17 when did he receive the promise of? Justification here we're quoting from Genesis 15. And so what's happening in the text here is the Judaizers who is their champion of morality? Which Old Testament figure the works of the law the covenant is with?

Moses very good their champion is Moses. What Paul is doing is he's saying let's go 450 some years earlier to Abraham and even before Abraham received circumcision He was already Declared righteous, this is the key point about justification look at verse 6.

Just as Abraham believed God. This is before circumcision even before Moses would even exist for hundreds of years he believed God and right then at that moment of faith His faith was counted to him as righteousness.

You cannot understand Galatians or Romans without this point to be justified. Is to be declared righteous? It's not an infusion of righteousness. It's a declaration of righteousness to impute. Righteousness means that God is crediting to your account the righteousness of a foreigner an Alien to yourself someone who is it's not coming from within you it is the righteousness of Christ Purchased for you on the cross in his death burial, and then his resurrection.

This righteousness is credited to you. That's the point in verse 6. Abraham believed God and At that very moment of faith in God Righteousness was counted to him. Counted to him. This is the point you are justified you are counted righteous declared righteous imputed with righteousness.

When you believe Abraham is that first scriptural Test case all right, let's look at the continue with Abraham verses 7 to 9. He he seals the point candy if you would read that for me. Yeah, 7 8 9. So of course this is Genesis 12 1 to 3.

That Abraham is promised to land and all this blessing. And he says those who bless you will be blessed and John I'm going to turn to you to make this point in Genesis 12 3. It says I will bless those who bless you and Him who dishonors you I will curse and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

So the big picture here is that the Gentiles Receive the same blessing salvation by faith. They have that same way of being Justified just like Abraham believe God it was counted to him as righteousness.

He's saying the scripture verse 8 for seeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith Gentiles will also come by faith just like Abraham came by faith in you all the nations Will be blessed. So he's drawing here on Genesis 12 1 2 3 so I have a question for you John.

Why is the Roman Catholic translation of that verse in?

Genesis 12 3. So wrong and why would that matter so I'm gonna I'll answer that quite anybody got a device that you can read Passages and you can click on the version. I want you to go to the RSV version in Genesis 12 verse 3 does anybody else have a device that they can read out of.

I want you to go to the RSV and Galatians 3 8. So the Catholic Church goes a lot of the direction of what we're seeing here and that there's another gospel the Catholic Church goes down the path of the sacraments must be Performed over and over and over again.

The Catholic Church goes down the fact that you you have to confess your sins through a priest a mediator. Who then has the authority to help you? But the minute you walk out of that confessional you're in trouble and so when you die, you're going to go to purgatory.

So the Catholic Church is going to have a works Performed albeit they're going to claim. It's through the power of the cross. Joe if you would read Genesis 3 in the RSV. Now this is the key now the issue here is in the original Hebrew that that verb is in what's called a knife of form.

It can be either passive or reflexive. Passive in you all nations will be blessed passive or reflexive in you. All the nations will bless themselves and that's reflexive either is acceptable. Purely by the language of that of that verb so you can go into context and you can say which one is right.

Which one is wrong and and it's it's irrefutable if you go into context. It's actually passive in you all nations will be blessed with the Catholic Church Establishes works Salvation albeit they say the power behind those works is the cross, but it's works salvation until they get into the Greek.

And this is the direct quote and John's going to read Galatians 3 8. This is the RSV same translation that Joe read that the Catholics say all nations will bless themselves. Now they get into the Greek and they can't do it anymore.

What do you have there and the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith? Preach the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying in you shall all the nations be blessed be blessed. So when they actually go into the Greek they can no longer use the reflexive.

They have to use the passive so even the Catholic Bible on one side. They say it's all by works. But on the other side they say it's all by faith. I'm sorry. Yes, they're all of their rituals and everything else they're they're doing these works to say God is now going to look at me because I can do these work and I do these works faithfully.

So God will accept me. I bless myself through the cross. But once they get to the Greek they can't say that anymore because it's very clear in you all nations will be blessed.

It's only by God's act and your faith. Amen, and that's the gospel right there. Yeah, so moving on to verse 10 and 10 through 12, can I get.

Here if you would. Those who depend on the law to make them right just say it is through faith.

Okay so when Joe Said to that that fine young man out of the college campus. What if you're only a 5 .9 instead of a 6? He's illustrating the point that Anyone who falls short of the law of God is guilty of all of it.

It's a curse. You're cursed if you're trying to live up to to be a perfect 10 and You're hoping that it's you know, a 6 will make it all of that is a cursed way of thinking. Because you will anybody who breaks the law.

So the first plate he actually uses three verses here one from Deuteronomy then the famous one from Habakkuk. Which is what he picks up on in Romans 1 16 and 17 as well. The just shall live by faith and then Leviticus, but in each case the issue here is curse.

Curse verse 10. Curse be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them. So let's say you keep all of the law of Moses, but you stumble at just one point You're cursed.

You're under the curse Ruler said. Yes, the rich young ruler thought he had done all night. Yeah. No, he didn't. He thought he did but he didn't correct.

Yeah, he thought he did him all but he hadn't he was. He was under a curse. So this is the first Point here in the section then verse 11 now. It is evident that no one is justified before God by the law for the righteous shall live by faith.

So that's Habakkuk the righteous or otherwise translated the just shall live by faith. Many people read that verse and think that righteous people live by faith but what Martin Luther discovered was that The person who is counted as just is the one who is has faith.

It's the faith that imputes that justness that righteousness to the person. This is Paul's point. It is evident that no one is justified before God by the law. There's no one who is just and righteous by keeping the law for.

Quoting from Habakkuk the righteous shall live by faith. It is by faith that you're counted righteous. He's just making the same point again. But again this time it's in the context of the curse on anyone who thinks otherwise.

Verse 12. But the law is not of faith rather the one who does them shall live by them. Here he's quoting from Leviticus again making the point if you could Keep every single law if you had no sin nature, first of all like Christ.

And you never broke any law of God you would be innocent and righteous by virtue of that. But the problem is you're not Jesus Christ. You were born with the sin nature. You weren't born to a virgin you were born dead in sin.

In Sin you were conceived even before you were born nine months before you were born. You were conceived in iniquity. That doesn't mean that the marital act is sinful. It means that even at the point the very second that you are conceived.