Who’s Your Daddy?
Pastor Ed Riddick - Sunday, March 2nd, 2008Introduction:
1. Family albums
2. An heir
P.T. Forsythe, the Scottish preacher said, “The secret of the Lord is with those who have been broken by the cross of Christ and healed by his Spirit.”
That is the message of Galatians:
“The cross of Christ is the only way a person can get right with God, and the Holy Spirit is the only way a person can obey God.”
It is all about the Good News:
The word “gospel” is used 13 times in Galatians
Galatians 1:6-7 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel- “which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” NIV
Gal 1:11 “the gospel I preached”
Gal 2:14 “When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel”
For Paul this letter is very personal
Something very important is at stake
This is not just another interesting piece of religious literature.
It has vitality.
It is virile.
It states the central truths of Christianity.
As one commentator has said that underlying Galatians is a compassionate rage…
“If we as a people can make these truths and this vigor a part of our thinking and our willing, the bones of our faith we be strong and not brittle, and the emotional force of our life in Christ will not be lukewarm but passionate and intense and undivided.”
It is about relationship?
Galatians 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-” NIV
Galatians 1:10 “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” NIV
Galatians 3:26-29 “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” NIV
Galatians 4:8-9 “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. “But now that you know God-or rather are known by God-how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” NIV
Galatians 5:4 “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”
The reality is
“Sin is an unsearchable morass of disposition, drift, willful choice, unwitting impulse, obsession, compulsion, seeming happenstance, the devil’s appetite for souls, the world’s shaping influence, and God’s hardening of hard hearts.”
But God has a comprehensive salvation plan to rescue us from the penalty, the power and the presence of sin.
Justified - Christ’s plan to give sinners a right standing with God as a gift by his grace through personal faith in Christ.
Sanctified - Christ’s comprehensive plan to rearrange our lives
“Strugglers with indwelling sin genuinely grow in grace even though some issues remain on the stage of our lives in some ways for the rest of our lives. Abiding struggles are no reason to throw over the Christian life as we grow and struggle toward future perfection!
Glorified- Christ’s comprehensive plan to completely deliver us from the abiding presence of sin and its effects.
What is all the fuss about in Galatians?
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 state of being controlled by anyone or anything other than the Holy Spirit. Living under the law involves striving to be accepted by God and others through our own efforts to achieve and perform.
Theme of Galatians: Freedom in Christ!
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.
5 Freedoms - at least are referred to in Galatians
1. Freedom from the Law
2. The freedom of release from sin and debt.
3. The freedom of reconciliation
4. The freedom of belonging!
5. The freedom of vision (I have not arrived but I press on)
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.
2. They are contradicting the work of the Spirit in their lives!
After beginning with the Spirit
3 Questions:
2. How do you receive the Holy Spirit?
3. What is the evidence that the Holy Spirit is present in your life?
1. What is the relationship betw/ becoming a Ctn and the HS?
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.
2. 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!
3. What is the evidence that God’s Spirit lives in you and is working in your life?
1. In spite of suffering, God’s Spirit whispers encouragement that you are God’s child and that you belong to Him.
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
2. The Spirit works miracles among you
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
A better quality of life!
Sanctified - Christ’s comprehensive plan to rearrange our lives
“Strugglers with indwelling sin genuinely grow in grace even though some issues remain on the stage of our lives in some ways for the rest of our lives. Abiding struggles are no reason to throw over the Christian life as we grow and struggle toward future perfection!
Something different about you…
Galatians 5:16, 22-23 “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” NIV
Helps us with temptation - “Impulse control”
1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” NIV
He is our resident teacher
John 16:12-14 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.” 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 41:10 ” 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
Galatians 3:26-29 “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” NIV
II. Who is Your Daddy?, 3:6-9
Faith blessed!, 3:6-9
Abraham believed God and he was blessed!
Father Abraham has many sons and by faith, I am one of them!
Therefore, by faith, I am blessed too!
Law cursed!, 3:10-12
Cross redeemed!, 3:13-14
Galatians 3:26-29 “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then
Through faith in Christ I am a descendent of Abraham
I am an heir according to the promise.” NIV
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” NIV