September 14, 2020
LOOKING BACK, WE CAN SEE GOD’S HAND ON US ALL ALONG The apostle Paul made it clear to the Galatians that the gospel he had preached to them was not from men, but from the Lord Himself. He went on to explain that when he looked back on his life, he could see that God
September 20, 2019
CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A SELF-IMPROVEMENT COURSE The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Galatia instructing them to be like executioners, dealing cruelly with their own sin. Our human tendency however, is to deal cruelly with the sin of others, rather than our own. For when we see sin in others, we do not hesitate
September 16, 2019
LIVE IN THE SPIRIT, NOT BY HUMAN EFFORT The apostle Paul warned the believers in Galatia not to foolishly give up their freedom in Christ to be entangled once again under a yoke of slavery to religious rule-keeping. For if we are saved by faith, we must live and walk by faith. Self-effort neither saves
September 15, 2019
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IN CHRIST ALONE Justification is the doctrine that God pardons, accepts, and declares a sinner to be just, “made right with God,” on the basis of Christ’s righteousness. Justification is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ apart from works. Paul was concerned that the Christians at Galatia, who had received
September 14, 2019
THE GOSPEL IS FROM CHRIST, NOT MAN The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in the Galatian churches to explain where he had received his gospel message. He wanted them to know that he had received it by personal, “direct revelation” from the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what it meant to be an “apostle,”
November 19, 2017
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Galatians 6:11-18
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exposition
In Paul’s last chapter to the Galatians, he summarized his letter by reminding them that the only way to be set free is by believing and boasting in the cross of Christ. It is believing and boasting in the cross of Christ that sets us free.
November 12, 2017
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Galatians 5:26-6:10
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exposition
Being set free from the law and the flesh changes our motivation for doing good. Formerly, we thought we could earn salvation by doing good, but we ended up either judging others from a mindset of superiority or feeling like a failure from a low self-esteem. Trying to be good in our flesh actually revealed our own selfishness, and a tendency to take credit for the good others have done for us. So, how can we be set free to do good?
The apostle Paul told the believers in Galatia that they had been set free in Christ to do good. We can be set free in Christ to do good.
November 5, 2017
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Galatians 5:16-25
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exposition, fruit of the spirit, legalism
Don’t you wish you could do what you really want to do? What if you could start your life all over again. Would you do anything differently? I’m not sure that people really set out to do something bad or stupid. They just kind of slide into certain habits and behaviors that get them into more and more trouble. Then, they feel stuck by their mistakes, enslaved by their bad habits. They want to change, but they have no power to change. Some try to make new rules for themselves to change, but they end up breaking their own regimen. Others just give into their habits and desires, deciding to just go with the downward flow. But Paul knew a better way…
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he warned that the only way to continue to live in freedom was by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can live in the freedom of the Holy Spirit.
October 29, 2017
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Galatians 5:1-15
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exposition
What is the value of freedom? Someone has rightly said, “Freedom isn’t free.” It costs something. Whether it’s political freedom, physical freedom, financial freedom, freedom of speech or thought… There’s a price to be paid to get free. And there’s a continual responsibility to watch out for threats that would steal our freedom.
The same is true for our spiritual freedom, the kind of freedom that can only be found in Christ Jesus. Do you know this freedom? The freedom from guilt and shame? The freedom from earning and effort? The freedom to rest in the grace and acceptance of God through faith in Christ? If you don’t, I want to tell you how you can have this freedom. And if you do, I want to help you keep it!
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he urged them to continue to live in the freedom Christ had given them by recognizing and avoiding the threats to their freedom. We can recognize and avoid the threats to our freedom in Christ.
October 22, 2017
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Galatians 4:8-31
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exposition, religion
Of all of God’s creatures, only humanity seeks answers to questions like: “Who am I? What is my purpose? Where do I fit in? Where do I belong?” We have a deep-seated need for identity and relationship. We want to know and be known. And we ask questions about our future, like: “What is my destiny? What happens when I die? Is there life after death?” Some have said that religion is our attempt to answer these kinds of questions.
In the apostle Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia, he reminded them that they had been set free from man-made religion through faith in Christ. We can be set free from man-made religion by living according to faith in Christ.