Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Introduction:

1. Gary Richmond tells an enlightening story in his book A View from the Zoo, about a time when he was assigned to care for a cage of red-tailed hawks in the zoo health center where he worked. There were fifteen of them crowded together in a pitifully small cage. When he inquired as to the reason for their captivity, he found that the hawks were evidence for a court trial. Some men had caught them illegally and the birds were being kept at the zoo health center until the trial was over. When Gary inquired as to what would happen to the hawks after the trial, he learned that they had been there a long time and would probably die at the zoo.

This did not make sense to Gary. The poachers were free and the “poachees” were being punished. Nobody cared about their plight, and the red tape to get them released was so sticky, no one would wade through it. He concluded that there was only one answer: they must be let go. But it must look like an accident. He decided to let them go on a Tuesday afternoon, when the supervisors were at the animal health committee meeting.

When Tuesday came and the supervisors left, Gary made his way to the cage, slipped the lock out of the hasp, and left the door wide open. He looked around, saw that no one was in sight, and then slipped back into the health center. As he went about his work that day he was bothered that this group of birds had been robbed of their ecological purpose. He thought about freedom. He decided that freedom was the ability to fulfill the purpose for which you were created. He felt a great feeling of satisfaction.

After an hour he decided to check the cage. Astonishment, disbelief, wonder and confusion reigned supreme as he beheld all fifteen birds still in the cage. He thought they might need a little inspiration, and so he ran into the cage waving his arms and growling like a bear. The birds flew out, but they landed not ten feet from the cage door. They were confused, and it was clear that the hawks wanted back in the cage. He decided to leave the area, hoping that their instincts would take over. But when he returned in fifteen minutes, not one bird had felt any urges. In fact, some had walked back into the cage. Finally, Gary gave up. The hawks, which were designed to lift their wings to heaven, were now more comfortable being in captivity.

2. Story about Isaiah “It’s in my head but I don’t do that.”

3. Unique to Christianity
a. Personal - infinite God
b. Tri-unity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
c. Deity-Humanity of Christ who died for our sins and was raised from the dead

d. Person and work of the Holy Spirit

Theme of Galatians: Freedom in Christ!
Review - Talked about 4 things:
1. There are false teachers in the Galatian churches preaching what Paul calls “a different gospel” which is really not good news at all.

2. Paul’s opponents are discrediting his message by denying Paul’s authority as an apostle. They say he has his gospel and apostleship secondhand and that the real authoirities are the Jerusalem apostles

3. Paul defends his authority and message by giving the historical account of having received his message and apostleship directly from Christ and having presented himself and his message before the apostles in Jerusalem who acknowledged the truth of his message and his call from God.

Orthodoxy: there is a deep unity of theology and faith among genuine Christians that flows all the way back to the unity among the apostles.

4. The way Paul defends his message and authority shows the type of false teaching going on.

~ Jewish gp of professing Christians that claim to have James on their side.
~ Teaching that it isn’t enough to trust Christ for R+.
~ You must add to your faith in Christ “works of the law”

Here, specifically refers here to:
a. Circumcision, 2:3
b. Dietary regulations, 2:12,13
c. Keeping the Sabbath and special holy days, 4:10

Definition of living under the law: living under the law is the sate of being controlled by anyone or anything other than the Holy Spirit. Living under the law involves striving for acceptability with God and others through our own efforts to achieve and perform.

Definition of freedom: (definitions are the fountainhead of knowledge) Living in God’s grace through faith in his promises through the power and control of the Holy Spirit.

“My dad always used to say to me when I would out-drive him by 50 yards off the first tee: It’s not in how you drive but how you arrive!”

The Galatian error is not so much about how you begin the Christian life but about how you live the Christian life.

We might not see how Galatians has anything to do with us.

I’ve been thinking about life lately.
A word keeps bouncing around in my head: equilibrium.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001
…equilibrium, state of balance. When a body or a system is in equilibrium, there is no net tendency to change. In mechanics, equilibrium has to do with the forces…

Roget s II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition. 1995.
…A stable state characterized by the cancellation of all forces by equal opposing forces: balance, counterpoise, equipoise, stasis.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.

A condition in which all influences acting cancel each other, so that a static or balanced situation results. In physics, equilibrium results from the cancellation of forces acting on an object. In chemistry, it occurs when chemical reactions are proceeding in such a way that the amount of each substance in a system remains the same.

ILL: Flat spin - one of the most dangerous states of equilibrium a pilot can face. Needs a jolt to unstabilize the aircraft and through it into different action.

Sometimes we need a jolt!
Paul’s approach to Peter - honest, direct and public!
Paul’s approach to Galatians - abrupt and direct! May seem harsh.

Galatians 3:1-5 “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.

I would like to learn just one thing from you:
1. Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
2. Are you so foolish?
3. After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
4. Have you suffered so much for nothing-if it really was for nothing?
5. Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?” NIV

Why does he say they are foolish?
Because they did not comprehend the difference between law keeping and faith!

Central Idea: Galatians 5:5

Galatians 5:1-6, 13 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love…You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” NIV

Two Reasons He Calls them Foolish

1. They are contradicting the work of Christ on the cross.

Romans 3:19-20 “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” NIV

Romans 3:21-25 “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-” NIV

Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, “through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; “perseverance, character; and character, hope. “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

The death of Christ shows us how hopelessly guilty and lost we are.
The cross of Christ show us that we cannot make any contribution to our salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- “not by works, so that no one can boast.” NIV

2. They are contradicting the work of the Spirit in their lives!

After beginning with the Spirit
3 Questions:
1. What is the relationship betw/ becoming a Ctn and the HS?
2. How do you receive the Holy Spirit?
3. What is the evidence that the Holy Spirit is present in your life?

First question:
John 3:3-8 “In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” “”How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” “Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. “You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”" NIV

Titus 3:5-7 “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, “whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, “so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” NIV

After beginning with the Spirit…All Christians have God’s Spirit

Romans 5:5 “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” NIV

Romans 8:11 “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” NIV

1 Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” NIV

1 Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” NIV

You came to faith in Christ because God’s Spirit was working in you. And when you came to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit came to live in you.

Second Question: How did you receive the Holy Spirit?
Galatians 3:2, 5 “Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law or by believing what you heard?”

Answer: by hearing with faith!
John 7:37-39 “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” “By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

Third Question: What is the evidence?
1. Suffering for your faith
2. Work miracles among you

Romans 8:15-16 “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” NIV

Romans 5:17 “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” NIV

Guide to Practical Living - Acronym: APT

A - Admit that apart from Christ you can do nothing

P - Pray that Christ will reign in your life today!

T - Trust God’s work in your life

Let go of the yoke!

Isaiah 41:8-10 “”But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, “I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” NIV