GALATIANS 1-6 FREEDOM IN GRACE2014 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Galatians 1-6 Freedom In Grace

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2014.

We're here this evening in Galatians. We'll be looking at chapters 1 through 6 this evening, looking at the whole letter of Paul to the churches of Galatia. And we're kind of entering into a fun or cool season as we go through the Bible in three years because we'll be hitting, you know, entire books at a time. So next week we'll hit Ephesus and then Philippians and Colossians. And we get to kind of get the whole glimpse of these things that Paul was writing to these churches.

And as Paul writes to the churches of Galatia, he's dealing primarily with legalism.

And as I talk about legalism this evening, legalism can take several forms. One form of legalism is those who will add on to the gospel message and they'll say, you must do this in order to be saved. And whatever this is that they're emphasizing is different than what the Bible says about believing in Jesus Christ and then you are born again.

Another form of legalism is after that, okay, you've believed in Jesus and now you're saved. That's great. But now to be righteous, you have to do this. And it might be one thing. It might be a list of things. There's a lot of varieties of legalism. But here's what you need to do in order to really be righteous. Or if you really want to be spiritual, then you have to do this. And there's these

lists of rules or regulations of things that you must do.

Another form of legalism that happens, and sometimes they kind of all merge together, but it takes a place where there are those that say, you must not do this in order to be righteous or in order to be spiritual. That you have to avoid these things and don't do these things and stay away from those things and then you'll really be spiritual and have right standing with God. And so all of these things are legalism when people

They go beyond what the scripture has actually said. Now there's valid things that the Bible says you must do. And there's valid things that the Bible says you must not do. And adhering to those things is not legalism. That's following what the scripture has said. But then adding on to what the scripture has said or placing, you know, our own rules and regulations is taking us then into what we refer to as legalism.

And legalism, or looking back at the law, is a dangerous thing. It distracts us and sidetracks us in our relationship with God. And that's what Paul is going to be dealing with here in the book of Galatians. So this letter is written by Paul around 57 AD, right around the time he wrote 1 Corinthians. He was writing to not one church like he was to the church of Corinth,

But the churches in Galatia, Galatia was a region. You might think of it kind of like a county or maybe like the Inland Empire, right? It's a variety of cities. And Paul had been to Galatia several times and planted churches in Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Antioch. And so he's writing to those churches and this letter would have been carried about in that region for them.

The purpose of this letter is to refute false teachers. These false teachers had come into the churches and they were teaching legalism. And it was a specific form of legalism. It was Judaism. And so these teachers,

false teachers are called Judaizers because they were trying to convert the Christians to Judaism, saying that in order to really be saved and spiritual, you have to hold to the Jewish laws and practices. You have to hold to Judaism in addition to believing in Jesus.

And so Paul is refuting this doctrine and those who are there teaching them these things. And so the theme is the opposite of that. And that is the freedom that we have in the grace of God. And the grace of God establishes great liberty for us as believers. So Paul wrote this around 57 AD. This would place it right at the end of his third missionary journey.

again, right around the same time he wrote 1st and 2nd Corinthians, he would have written to the Galatians. Now, Paul established the churches in Galatia on his first missionary journey back in Acts chapters 13 and 14. So this is about 10 years later that he's writing to them and addressing this false doctrine that has crept into the church. And I

I point that out to say, you know, sometimes we've walked with God for a while and we've been established, but there's that need for us to be corrected. You know, even 10 years in or further on, that there is that tendency and the book of Galatians is appropriate for us to consider because

Well, we tend to lean towards legalism as believers. It's kind of a natural tendency of human beings to lean towards legalism, a system of rules and regulations that we rely upon

To have right standing with God, but it's different than what God has declared for us. And so Paul visited the churches in Galatia on all three of his missionary journeys, but instead of visiting this time, he writes them a letter and says, hey guys, you need to deal with this false doctrine that is going on.

So here's a look at the region. Paul was on his third missionary journey, probably in Ephesus as he wrote this letter. And so he was going to be heading over to Macedonia and then down to Corinth. And we talked a lot about that in 1st and 2nd Corinthians. But so he's writing to the region of Galatia and Galatians.

This letter will then be circulated throughout the regions or throughout the churches that are in that region. So right there, that would be modern day Turkey where he was writing to. And so they would be those churches there that he had established about 10 years earlier.

So we're started now in the book of Galatians. We'll be looking at chapter 1 first, of course, and verse 6 is the key verse. It says, I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel.

Paul introduces himself in verses 1 through 5, and again he addresses the churches of Galatia, and again this is taking place about 10 years after he had established those churches. And he gets right to the point there in verse 6. He says, I marvel that you're turning to a different gospel there in verses 6 through 10. The

The word marvel, it means to wonder. It's the idea of amazement. It's the same word that's used in Matthew chapter 8 verse 27 where the disciples marveled that the wind and the waves obeyed Jesus. So think about, you know, being in the disciples shoes there. You're in the boat. The storm is raging. You think you're going to die and Jesus speaks to the wind and the waves and then it stops. And how...

How much amazement would you have? How would you marvel? That same type of like perplexity that I can't believe this is happening. That same type of idea is happening to Paul as he hears about what's happening in the region of Galatia, in those churches. He says, I can't believe it. I marvel that you're turning away from

so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel. It's shocking to him. It's amazing to him. He's perplexed. How in the world could this be that you would turn to a different gospel? He goes on in verse 7 to say, "...which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ."

The things that you're receiving, the things that you're beginning to believe are not the gospel, are not able to save, but instead it's a perversion of the gospel of Christ. And that's a very dangerous thing.

Because, well, the Bible is very clear. There is one way of salvation. There is one Savior. Although there are those who preach different Jesuses, there's only one Jesus who is the true and living Son of God who is able to save.

Although there are those who preach many ways to the kingdom of God or eternity or whatever their end of their philosophy and religion is, there's only one way to the Father, Jesus said. And so we need to be careful and to make sure that we hold fast to the gospel message. And if we wander from that gospel, we're going to be in trouble.

Paul says, that's shocking. That's, I can't understand. That doesn't make sense. Why would you turn to another gospel, which is a perversion of the gospel of Christ? Warren Wiersbe says it this way. He says, beware. A false gospel robs you of salvation and of membership in the family of God. It robs you of your spiritual riches as an heir of the promise. A false gospel robs you.

It distracts you. It diverts you. It takes you away from the real thing that we have by faith in Jesus Christ. Paul is so serious about this, he goes on in verse 8 to say, but even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Paul says, if we, if I come back to you

And I deliver a different message to you. If I come back and I say, okay guys, I know I told you here's how to be saved before. But I have better understanding now. And so let me tell you now with my better understanding what you must do in order to be saved. He says, if I do that, let me be accursed. The message that Paul delivered to them, the gospel that he established those churches with,

is so solid, so secure, so sound. Paul says, even if I come back with a different message, don't receive it, reject it, let me be accursed. Because what I deliver to you is the genuine gospel, the only one that can bring salvation. But then he goes on to say, even if it's an angel from heaven that comes and delivers a message to you, let him be accursed.

This is how secure the gospel message is. This is how valid, how true, how genuine it is. I mean, you have to kind of consider what Paul is saying here because it's pretty radical. Can you imagine if an angel appeared in this room? You would marvel, right? You would be shocked. We would have to replace the chairs where everybody's sitting, right? Because they would be soiled. It would be...

It would be astounding. We would be shocked. What if an angel took the ceiling off of the sanctuary and delivered a message to us? Paul says, if it's a different gospel, it doesn't matter how radical the experience is. It doesn't matter how amazing this angel appeared to you. If it's a different gospel, don't receive it. Let him be accursed.

That's how solid the genuine gospel is. That's how solid the message that Paul delivered to the churches of Galatia is. And that's why Paul marvels. Why in the world are you turning to a different gospel? Listen, it doesn't matter who brings it, what qualifications they have, what degrees they have, or what persuasive words they have, or how amazing they look, or how much money they have, or how much glory they shine as an angel.

It doesn't matter if it's a different message, Paul says, let them be accursed. Now Paul goes on here in chapter 1 and the first part of chapter 2 to explain why he has such assurance that the gospel he presented to them is the genuine gospel. He says in verses 11 through 17, I received the gospel by revelation.

The reason why Paul knows that this is the genuine gospel is, well, it wasn't brought to him by man. It wasn't man's invention. It wasn't delivered to him by man. And so he's saying the gospel message can be trusted. That salvation is found by faith in Jesus Christ, in his completed work upon the cross. And you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Paul says in verse 12, For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. Paul says, I didn't get this message from some guy. Some random person didn't walk up to me and say, Hey, I figured it out. I know what you need to do. No, he says, I received it by revelation of Jesus Christ. It didn't come to me from somebody else. I received it directly from Jesus Christ.

So if somebody comes and preaches a different message, don't receive it. Reject it. It's not the gospel. He reminds them of his testimony. In verse 13, he says, look, I persecuted the church. In verse 14, he says, I advanced in Judaism. I know all about Judaism. I was the best of the best in Judaism. But then in verse 15, he says, God called me through his grace. And so I know what legalism is all about. And God called me out of that by his grace.

Grace is God's goodness to us that we do not deserve. Unearned, undeserved favor, goodness that God delivers to us. And Paul says, God called me by His grace. In verse 16, he says, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood. And so Jesus came, He revealed Himself to me, He gave me this message, and I didn't go talk to a bunch of people about it right away.

He says, I went out to the desert. I didn't go up to Jerusalem, he says in verse 17. I went to Arabia. I went to Damascus. Well, he was in Damascus. He went to Arabia and then came back to Damascus. And so he's saying...

Nobody delivered this to me. I didn't have my mind kind of perverted or twisted by somebody right away. I spent some time alone with the Lord. I heard from him. I spent some time alone with him. He delivered this message to me. Peter didn't explain the gospel to me. James didn't explain the gospel to me. John didn't explain. Bartholomew didn't explain the gospel to me. None of the apostles. I didn't go to Jerusalem. I went out and I spent time with the Lord.

Paul is saying, I received the gospel by revelation. God revealed it to me. He says in verses 18 through 24, I was unknown to the churches of Judea. They didn't know me. They heard about me and they glorified God because they heard, hey, the one who persecuted the church is now preaching the gospel. And they were like, yeah, that's awesome. Amazing. But they didn't know my face, Paul says. If I showed up at their church, they wouldn't have recognized me.

They didn't know me. I wasn't down there. I wasn't receiving what they were teaching down there. He says in verse 18, after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and remained with him for 15 days. So his first contact with Peter was three years after he was saved. Three years after he received this gospel message from Jesus. Three years after he'd already been preaching the gospel. Three years after he'd already been ministering.

And he said in verse 19, I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother. So I wasn't influenced by these people, Paul is explaining. He's making sure that they understand. Now, I want to take a quick look here at the timeline of what Paul's talking about just to help us get some context here. In Acts chapter 9, we have the conversion of Paul where he was on the road to Damascus and he had an encounter with Jesus and gets saved. That happened probably around 36 A.D.,

And so from there he went to Arabia and then back to Damascus. That's what Paul's talking about there in verses 11 through 17. And that's recorded in Acts chapter 9 verse 19 through 25. So he spends this time seeking the Lord, spending time with the Lord, and he ministered a little bit in Damascus and preaching the gospel of Jesus.

Then after three years Paul visited Jerusalem. So around 39 AD. He didn't stay there very long though because there was threats against his life as you see in Acts chapter 9. And so they took him to Caesarea and then sent him to Tarsus his hometown. And that's what Paul's talking about in verses 18 through 21.

Now after that, we know from the, you know, the account in the book of Acts, Paul was there in Tarsus and Barnabas went and got him and brought him to Antioch and that became his home church and he was established there and ministered there. He went on a short trip to Jerusalem in 45 AD to take financial relief to Jerusalem from Antioch and when he came back is when the Lord spoke and

called them to set aside Paul and Barnabas for their first mission trip. And that happened in 48 AD. And that's Acts chapter 13 and 14. Well, you might remember after they came back from that trip, they came back to Antioch and they were telling the people about what God did and how so many Gentiles had been saved. And there was a group of people there, they were Judaizers. And they said, well, that's awesome.

But you know, all those people who got saved need to be circumcised. Because otherwise they can't be saved. They have to become Jews so that they can be saved. And there was a great dispute. And so the church sends Paul and Barnabas there to Jerusalem to settle the matter with the apostles. And there we have the famous Jerusalem Council in Acts chapter 15. And that's where they establish that no.

It is not a requirement for people to become Jews to convert to Judaism in order to be saved, but salvation comes by faith in Jesus Christ.

Well, that's what Paul is referring to in Galatians chapter 2 verse 1, where he says, after 14 years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas. So in 53 AD, 14 years after, you know, his visit to Jerusalem when he was sent away, then that's when he went and he spent some time with the apostles and with the church there in Jerusalem.

Paul's point in all of this is saying, look, I received this from the Lord. It wasn't a person who delivered this to me. It wasn't a person who kind of modified, you know, what I had heard and kind of influenced this message that I had. No, the message that I brought to you came straight from the Lord. And the only time that, you know, I had opportunity to really receive from others in Jerusalem, in Judea, was 14 years ago.

or really 17 years after I received it from the Lord. Now that, the amazing thing about that is that when he did go to Jerusalem in Acts chapter 15, the gospel message that Paul received from the Lord independently matched perfectly with the gospel that Peter and James and John were preaching. And so it

adds authenticity. It proves that the gospel message is genuine because they received it independently from one another. And yet, when they were able to get together, the gospel message was identical.

Well, now in chapter 2, verse 21 is the key verse. Paul says, I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. In verses 1 through 6, he explains, I went up to Jerusalem after 14 years. And that's what we've just been talking about.

In verse 2, he says, So I went to Jerusalem, Paul says. I sat down with Peter privately and I said, look, this is the message I've been proclaiming throughout all the region of Asia Minor and Gentiles are being saved.

Again, his gospel message was received independently, but it matched perfectly. Now he says, look, this came about. I went to Jerusalem because of these false brethren who came in declaring that these people had to be circumcised. And so that's the account there in chapter 15 where because there was this issue, this dispute, they went to Jerusalem to resolve this and the council decided that

God hasn't declared that these people need to be circumcised. They don't need to become Jews, but salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ. Jews and Gentiles are saved the same way. It's not by the law, it's by faith in Jesus Christ. In verses 7 through 10, he says, they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me. So as he's there in Jerusalem, he believes.

the message that he's been sharing with the apostles there. It's the same message. And they realize, alright, well, Paul, you've been sent to the Gentiles. I mean, God's doing amazing work as you have gone out to the Gentiles. And so,

They blessed his ministry. In verse 8, it says, For he who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles. So they looked at what Paul was sharing. They looked at the testimony, the work that had been done. They said, look, the same thing that God's doing through Peter among the Jews, God is doing through Paul among the Gentiles. It's the same gospel message. It's the same working of the Holy Spirit.

And so again, Paul is establishing here the validity of the gospel that he had preached to Corinth. So even if an angel comes and presents a different gospel, don't receive it. If an angel shows up in your room tonight and shares to you a different message, a different gospel, don't receive it. Because while the gospel is presented...

Here in the Bible is the only one that can bring salvation. Anything else is a perversion of the gospel and unable to save. Paul goes on in verses 11 through 16 and says, I withstood Peter in Antioch.

So he goes on from the gospel message now to talk about an encounter that he had with Peter. Where Peter was there in Antioch. That's Paul's home church. So sometime after that Jerusalem council, Peter was there in Antioch. And Paul explains, well, before Jews from Judea came, he hung out with everybody. He hung out with the Jews. He hung out with the Gentiles. He was just...

fellowshiping with everybody. But then when people from his hometown, from Jerusalem came, then Peter kind of separated himself. He said, oh, I'm only going to hang out with the Jews. I'm not going to hang out with the Gentiles. Paul says that, verse 13, the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. And so Paul saw this situation where Peter was being a hypocrite, playing favoritism,

Pretending like he only associated with the Jews when other Jews were in town. And so Paul had to address it. Now, leaders make mistakes. And that's something that we need to remember and understand. Leaders make bad decisions. They can be influenced by fear. They have issues of pride. Leaders make mistakes. And Peter here makes a mistake. And Paul says, I had to address it. He says in verse 14, Hey, why do you compel Gentiles to live as the Jews, Peter?

You're saying by your eating at a different table, if you guys want to fellowship with me, you got to eat this way. He's compelling them. He's saying, look, you got to adhere to these regulations in order to have fellowship with me. And Paul's saying, that's hypocrisy. Why are you doing that? And so he called him out on it.

He says in verse 16, again he's talking to Peter, he says, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. And so he reminds Peter of the gospel to deal with this hypocrisy that is going on.

And to address the situation that we believed in Jesus and were justified. That is, we're made righteous, holy, perfect in God's sight by faith, by believing in Jesus, not by

keeping rules and regulations and eating this certain diet and so Paul brings this up to say first of all okay the gospel it's authentic it's real it's from the Lord you can trust it and don't believe any other message that's brought to you no matter who brings it and this message is so secure that well I even confronted Peter and I reminded him of the gospel because well he kind of wavered too it happens

He got caught up in legalism, in hypocrisy. And so I had to remind him of the gospel. In verses 17 through 21, Paul says, if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. And so now Paul is getting right into this issue of legalism that is being taught there in the region of Galatia. He says, verse 19, for I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.

And then he says, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Paul says, I've been crucified with Christ. Now we talked about this in the book of Romans, right? In Romans chapter 6, we're crucified with Christ when we believe in him. We're partaking in his death and then resurrection.

And that's what Paul's explaining here. But he's explaining it in the context of legalism. He's saying, look, I died to the law. I'm not bound to it any longer. And so the life that I live, I live not by works, but by faith in the Son of God. I live by faith. Again, legalism comes in when people add to the gospel message and say, you must do this in order to be saved. Believing in Jesus is good.

But in order to be saved, you have to do more than believe in Jesus. Now, by the way, when I talk about believing in Jesus, we don't mean, the Bible isn't indicating like, as long as you intellectually agree that Jesus existed or that he died on the cross. Believing in Jesus is a commitment to Jesus. It includes repenting of sin and following him. That's what it means to believe in Jesus. But when people say, okay, to believe in Jesus, then...

Well, you have to do that and then you have to do these other things. Well, that begins to enter into the arena of legalism. When what people are asking you to do or what you demand even of yourself is not what the Bible demands of you, then it is legalism. And Paul says, I died to the law. I died to the law. God doesn't hold us to that old covenant any longer.

That's not how we approach God. That's not how we, you know, find favor with God. We find favor with God by faith in Jesus Christ. And so to be more spiritual isn't, well, it's not found by the rules and regulations that are imposed beyond what the scripture actually declares. Well, now Galatians chapter 3 verse 2 is the key verse. He says, this only I want to learn from you.

Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Paul asks some good questions here in this book. He uses these questions to really challenge the hearts of the people as they're embracing this doctrine of legalism. He says in verse 1 through 9, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham. In verse 1 he asks, who has bewitched you?

that you should not obey the truth. Who has bewitched you? Who's tricked you? Somebody has come in and has deceived you, has tricked you. Jesus was betrayed or portrayed among you as crucified. You believed in Jesus, but now what do you believe? Do you believe that Jesus was crucified or not? Because you're turning to things as if you'd never heard about Jesus being crucified.

And so in verse 2 he says, think about how it began. Did you receive the Holy Spirit by the words of the law? Or did you receive the Holy Spirit by faith? When did you receive the Holy Spirit? Was it you were reading the law and then you practiced these things? And then, whom? You were filled with the Holy Spirit? Or did you believe in Jesus Christ and his crucifixion on your behalf? And then you were filled with the Holy Spirit. And of course, the answer is obviously no.

You were filled with the Holy Spirit when you believed in Jesus. That's how you got saved. Not by hearing the law or keeping the law. You were born again by faith when you believed in Jesus Christ. He continues that on in verse 5. He says, how does God work among you? By the works of the law? Does he do miracles by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?

When you check off all the things on your list that you're supposed to do, then boom, God does a miracle. Or he does miracles as you believe him. And he works wonders and he meets needs and he does what he does. Miraculous works. He says in verse 6, just as Abraham believed God and it was accounted for him or to him for righteousness. This is looking back to Genesis chapter 15 when God told Abraham, look at the stars of the sky and your descendants are going to be that many.

And Genesis 15, 6 says, He believed in the Lord and he accounted it to him for righteousness. Abraham was declared righteous because he believed God when God told him, you're going to have that many descendants. Not when he did some laws or filled some things or did some, you know, list of things that you're supposed to do, but when he believed God at his word. And so Paul says, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham.

When you believe God like Abraham believed God, then you're blessed with Abraham by God. In verses 10 through 14, Paul says, no one is justified by the law. Nobody is justified by keeping the works of the law. He says in verse 10, for as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse because it's written, curse is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

Paul says, look, if you want to approach God by the law, by your works, then you have to keep all of it perfectly. So if you want to come to God on the basis of what you do, then you have to be perfect in everything that you do from the beginning. So even retroactively, you have to be perfect to approach God on the basis of what you do.

And so Paul is explaining here the law brings a curse because nobody can be perfect in all that they do. And so if you try to approach God in the basis of what you do, it's never going to work. You're under a curse because you can't be perfect. And even if you could be perfect from now on, which you can't, but even if you could, you haven't been perfect. So the law is this curse. You can't approach God on the basis of what you do.

But Christ redeemed us from the curse, in verse 13 it says, by becoming a curse, by dying on the cross for us. He became a curse to redeem us from the curse that we could become the righteousness of God in Him. In verses 15 through 18, he goes on to say that the law cannot annul God's promise to Abraham.

So he looks back at the law. All right, you guys are really loving the law. You want to hold on to that covenant that was given at Sinai. But you know, God's promise to Abraham was given hundreds of years. He says 430 years before that. And so this law that comes later doesn't cancel out the promise that was given to Abraham. That promise that was given to Abraham still stands.

The law was added later, but the promise has a higher priority. The law came later, Paul explains in verses 19 through 29. The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ. So Paul's explaining the law is powerless in bringing you into right relationship with God, but it's not pointless. It's powerless, but it's not pointless. What purpose does the law have? In verse 19 he says...

It was added because of transgressions. Till the seed, that's Jesus, should come to whom the promise was made and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. The law was given for a specific time until Jesus came. And so he says in verse 24, therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ. How is the law our tutor? Well, here's the idea. The law lets us know that we need a savior. The law tutors us.

And says, look, you fall short. You don't measure up. You're not perfect. You need a savior. And so the law is our tutor to bring us to Christ. And when we come to Christ, he says, we're justified by faith. And so after faith has come, we're no longer under the law. We're no longer under the tutor. We don't have that master over us any longer anymore.

We've been brought to Jesus. The fulfillment of the promise to Abraham. It's a higher priority. And so the law is a point. It has a purpose. But it's not to present you before God as righteous. But it's to bring you to the reality that you need a savior. That you would believe in Jesus Christ and receive his grace.

Well, Galatians chapter 4 now, Paul continues. In verse 7, it's the key verse. He says, therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. And so Paul continues on to talk about this law and this promise. He says in verses 1 through 7, you are now a son and an heir of God through Christ. He explains in verse 1, look, an heir...

is not really any different than a slave as long as he is a child. Thinking back in their culture, they would understand if the heir is given a great inheritance, but he's a child, well, he's not able to manage that inheritance.

He can't do anything with it. He's a child. He doesn't know what to do with it. He doesn't know how to use it. He can't be entrusted with it. And so, well, other people are entrusted with his inheritance until that child comes of age and then he receives the full inheritance. But until then, well, he's not really any different than a slave. He just has to do what he's told because he's a child. And so there's not much difference between an heir and a slave whenever the heir is a child. But

But when the fullness, in verse 4, when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his son born of woman, born under the law to redeem those who are under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons, Paul says. So we were under the law as a child is under the masters. Even though there's a great inheritance there, but it wasn't time yet. They weren't able to receive that inheritance. But when Jesus came, it changed everything.

And now we're able to receive the inheritance. We are sons of God, daughters of God. We've received this adoption as children of God. And so in verse 7 he says, Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son or a daughter. You're a child of God. And if you're a child of God, then you're an heir of God through Christ. So you have this incredible position, far superior position,

To the position a person had under the law. Under the law, it was like you were a slave. But under faith in Jesus Christ, you're a child of God. You're an heir to the kingdom of God. You have incredible rights and privileges. You have incredible access. You have something far superior than what you can have under the law.

Although that's the truth, that's their position, he says in verse 8 through 12, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements? So here's your amazing position. You're an heir. You're a child of God. How is it that you're turning back to these things that are lesser? The weak and beggarly elements. The things that are lacking, that can't help you, that can't satisfy you, that can't meet your needs. In verse 10 he says, you observe days and months and seasons and years.

Because the Judaizers come in and say, well, you have to keep all these traditions and these festivals and these feasts and you have to fast on these days and you have to. And Paul says, you're observing all these things. It's the weak and beggarly elements that you're turning to. And you're trying to approach God on the basis of how well you keep all these feasts and days and months and seasons. Look how I'm faithful to fast before you, God. Aren't you so proud of me now?

And God says, look, I'm proud of you. I'm pleased with you when you believe in Jesus Christ. That's what I'm looking for. I'm looking for faith. So Paul says in verse 11, I'm afraid for you lest I've labored for you in vain. I'm worried about you guys, Paul says, because you guys are turning away from Jesus. You're turning away from the salvation that's presented by Jesus Christ. And you're trying to approach God on the basis of what you do.

Now again, this is appropriate for us to consider because the Galatians weren't the first ones to struggle with legalism and they're not the last ones to struggle with legalism. This is an issue that every believer will face throughout their life. There will be this tendency for us. It creeps in and we will try to approach God on the basis of our merits.

The enemy will be at work in your life trying to pervert the gospel until you enter into eternity. Trying to get you to believe a different gospel. That's going to be happening. We need to be prepared for that. And we need to remember what Paul said. You have this incredible position as a child of God. Why on earth would you turn back to the weak and beggarly elements? To the elements that lack. The things that cannot save.

In verses 13 through 20, Paul says, they zealously court you. Here he reminds them of his history with them. He says in verse 13, I preached there in your region because of physical infirmity. And you received me as an angel of God and you would have plucked out your eyes and given to them to me if it was possible. We don't know what kind of infirmity Paul had, but apparently something with his eyes. And they were like, oh man, I wish I could give him my eyes.

So he would feel better. So he'd be able to preach the gospel better. Remember I was there and you received the message. And you've moved away. You've forgotten. You've lost track of where we were. And these have come in and they zealously court you in verse 17. But for no good. He says yes they want to exclude you. That you may be zealous for them. That's the reality with those false teachers who've come into their midst. Their perversion of the gospel is.

Was being proclaimed. Because what they really wanted. Is for the people to be zealous for them. They were drawing people to themselves. Not to God. They weren't helping people connect to God. They were getting people to follow them. Paul says they're zealously. They're courting you. They're seducing you. They're leading you astray. In verses 21 through 31. Paul explains that Abraham's two sons. Are symbolic of bondage and freedom. So he says look. You guys are so excited about the law.

Well, do you read the law? And he's going to use things from the Old Covenant, the Old Testament, to show them this new covenant is far superior. And he's referring back to the things that are recorded in Genesis chapter 16, 17, and 18. Talking about Abraham's two sons. He had Ishmael, who was born to him by Hagar, who was the servant of Sarah, his wife.

They had received the promise of God. God said, you're going to have a son. You're going to have a child. It wasn't happening. They were old. And so they thought, well, let's do it this way. Here, take Hagar, have a child by her, and he'll be your descendant, and he'll carry on, and the promises of God will be fulfilled. It wasn't what God told them to do. It wasn't the right thing to do, but that's what they did. And so Ishmael was born. Well, then later God tells him, Ishmael is not the son I promised you.

I'm still going to give you the son that I promised you. A son by Sarah, your wife. And so Isaac was born. And so now Abraham has two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Paul explains in verse 23, he who is of the bond woman was born according to the flesh and he of the free woman through promise. So Ishmael was born of the bond woman. He says that was according to the flesh. Abraham, that was your work's

That was you doing the best that you could as a man in your flesh trying to fulfill the plan of God. It didn't work and it brought all kinds of trouble. But the one who is born of the free woman, Sarah, that's Isaac. He said that was the son of promise. That was the son that God promised. Now Paul explains in verse 24, look, this is symbolic. This represents. He says Hagar, this bond woman, represents Mount Sinai. The law that was brought.

But the free woman, Sarah, represents Jerusalem which is above. It represents not the law, but the Spirit. Not the law, not works, but grace. And then he goes on in verse 28 to say, Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. We're not children of the flesh, of the law, of works. That's Ishmael. No, we're like Isaac. We're children of promise.

We're the descendants promised to Abraham. Those who would believe God at his word. Those who would believe and receive the benefits of salvation and forgiveness. And so he uses, he reminds them, he takes them back to the law and says, look at this. This is symbolic to say, well, we're to be the children of promise, not the children of the flesh.

Now in chapter 5 verse 1 he says, And verses 1 through 6 he says, Since we are the children of the free woman, since we're the children of promise, since we are heirs of God by faith in Jesus Christ, we are the children of the free woman.

Stand fast in that liberty, he says. You've been set free from bondage. You've been set free from the law, the good works that you had to do in order to be pleasing to God. You've been set free from that. So stand fast. Remember how he started? I marvel that you're so quickly turning away. Stop turning away and stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free.

He goes on in verse 3 to say, every man who becomes circumcised is a debtor to keep the whole law. If you decide, I have to be circumcised in order to be saved. Now probably not many of you are going to be deciding that. But there are things that we think, well, you have to be baptized to be saved. You have to go to church to be saved. You have to, what is it that you have to do to be saved?

He says, look, when you add that, whatever that is, that's apart from what God has declared, when you add that to the gospel, well, then you're a debtor now to keep the whole law. You're saying, I'm going to approach God on the basis of how good I am. Well, you better be really good then, because if you're going to try to approach God that way, you're going to have to be perfect. Again, this is legalism. And so he says in verse 4, you have become estranged from Christ and

You who attempt to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace. You can't live a perfect life. You're not perfect. You're in desperate need of salvation. And so if you try to approach God by your works, you're estranged from Christ. You're separated from Christ. You can't approach God on the basis of what you do. Verses 7 through 15, Paul says, He who troubles you shall bear his judgment. He who troubles you.

He says in verse 8, this persuasion does not come from him who calls you. Those who are teaching you these things, they're not from God. This doctrine is not from God. It's not from him. Legalism is not from God. He doesn't bring this message. He doesn't lay this bondage on you. That's not from him.

Now Paul says in verse 10, I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind, but that he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. Paul says, I have confidence. You're going to come to your senses. You're going to stand fast in the liberty and you're not going to follow this doctrine. But the one who's bringing you that, they're going to experience God's judgment because they're not from God and they're seeking to pervert the gospel of God.

Well, then in verses 16 through 26, he encourages them to walk in the spirit. And he says, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. This is really important because one of the reasons why we tend to be legalistic is because we struggle with the flesh, right? Anybody ever struggle with sin? You can just show of hands. Anybody struggle with sin? Yeah. And so what do we do about that sin that we struggle with? Well, one of the things that we tend to do

As we distract people in the middle of service. The Galatians had struggles and problems in the flesh. They still sinned even though they believed in Jesus. It didn't bother them before, but they're thinking, why do I struggle with this? And then the Judaizers come in and say, yeah, you're frustrated, aren't you? Yeah, you know, Paul's message is good, but it's not complete. That's why you're so frustrated. That's why you still sin. Hey, if you really want to be right with God, here's what you need to do.

Live according to the law. Follow these rules. Follow these regulations. And listen, when you're struggling with something and someone comes in and says, alright, I got the solution for you, man. I know how to handle that situation that you're in. I know how to deal with that sin that you're going through. Here's what you need to do. Follow these 12 steps. Hey, the law appeals to us. It sounds good. It sounds right. We tend towards legalism, I think, a whole lot more than we really recognize.

You name the sin and we'll have some laws that you can put in place in order to deal with it. Oh, you're struggling with that? Alright, well let me tell you how to address that. What you need to do first is you need to do this and then you need to go over there and do that and then you need to get an accountability partner and then you need to... Oh, you're struggling with this other thing. Okay, well that's a different list. Here. Okay, here's what you need to do. And we have our laws. Here's how to deal with that sin.

Paul says, walk in the Spirit. If you really want to deal with the lust of the flesh, walk in the Spirit. And then you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. It's not a list of rules. We try. We like our rules. We like our boundaries. We like these things that we set up. Listen, but the law is powerless in helping you to overcome the flesh. Rules don't help you overcome the flesh. If you want to overcome the flesh, walk in the Spirit.

It really goes back to what Pastor Mike was sharing on Sunday. It's abiding in the vine. It's abiding in Jesus. What we need when we struggle with the flesh is we need to pursue Jesus. And He does the work. As we walk in the Spirit, the Spirit does the work. Yes, we struggle. Yes, we sin. Yes, that will always be the case. And we have to, as he closes out the book. And so he says in verse 1, Hey, if someone's overtaken in a trespass,

Then those who are spiritual should restore that one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Those who fall into sin. No, no, no. But those who walk in the spirit, in a spirit of gentleness, and punish them. That's not our job. That's not what God has called us to do. That's not walking in the spirit. That's legalism. Verses 6 through 10, he says, Whatever a man sows, he will also reap. Do not be deceived, he says in verse 7. God is not mocked.

You can't practice the things of the flesh. And we have received amazing grace. But that doesn't mean that we can live from this danger of legalism and experience the fullness of blessings that you have for us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.