Old Habits Die Hard - Acts 15 & Galatians
Last week, we looked at Biblical missions and asked a critical question: are we doing it wrong today? This week, we will see how some new believers in Jesus who had come from the Jewish faith are having difficulties with change while holding onto their old ways – and even imposing them on other people!
Indeed, it is true that sometimes old habits die hard.
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Old Habits Die Hard -Acts 15 & GalatiansSun, Oct 01, 2023 10AM• 53:50SUMMARY KEYWORDSGalatians, church, Paul, law, gentiles, circumcision, god, Christ, letter, pastor, bible, peter, people, slave, free, remember, circumcised, read, Jesus, sin
Good morning. Welcome. If you're new here among us, my name is Gene I serve here at C3 church as your pastor. And I want to start with a joke. Someone shared something. It was a meme last week, and it had baby Yoda on it. I have no idea why clickbait something like that. But it said something on one of the topics we were talking about, said, how strong Do you like your coffee? I want it to show up on a drug test. Very funny. Thank you for that. So why don't we bring this up last week? I called caffeine a drug because it is right. So but then I went a step further got all excited. I likened it to cow's cocaine, right? So I understand that it is not cocaine, right? So I'm not an expert on drugs anymore. But a few people were kind of offended, like my wife who can ingest like massive amounts of like lethal doses of caffeine, right? So she gets offended about it, of course, and she has to quickly point out well, you know, we serve coffee at the church. Right, you know, and I know I'm picking up what you've been married a long time, what she's putting down, she's basically translate, right? Are we dealing drugs at church? Right? So my response was, Well, that's your ministry. The drug dealing ministry, right, so. But what was my point, we have to be careful what we put in our bodies. I've also learned that we have to be careful what we put on our bodies, like really bad tattoos. So I learned this lesson, right? So I keep it a little bit covered up just in case I don't know what your beliefs are. So we get to know each other. But when we get to know each other, what do I do? I get out of this stuff quickly. And I do put clothes on other clothes. So and I get like, you know, short sleeve shirts, polo shirt, shorts, things you were in Florida, I didn't move down here to dress like this, right? So it's just for the cameras. Anyway. So somebody noted that I have a bad tattoo on my arm. I have a spider tattoo on my arm. And so they asked a common question, is it well, no, the one I don't like is who's the spider on your arm? I go like that I play along because I'm a pastor. I don't do what's in my head. There's a nose on your face, you know? You know what I mean? So anyway, so it was a better line of questioning. They said, Well, does it mean something? It doesn't have a meaning. And I'm like, it means I was 17 and drunk. Like that's what that means. You're going to tattoo like, like, Cynthia wasn't a good kid. So anyway, now, quick thing. One thing. The Bible says no tattoos in the Old Testament, right? But we're not under the Law of Moses. So it's okay. I'm not against tattoos at all right? We're free to get tattoos in Christ. But here's the thing. We're free to get good tattoos in Jesus. So that's what I would just add a lot. No, I'm adding to but good tattoos, you can get good that this is a bad tattoo herb. And now you're just going to spend this is what everyone's takeaway is going to be. You're not going to listen to me anymore. So I keep you covered. Right. But anyway, don't worry, I'll show it to you later. So doesn't have me. No, it doesn't. But you know, in different careers. Not this one. It'll like adopt certain meanings, right. So it's changed over the years, but it's just kind of with a dumb mistake. And they asked, Well, no, they didn't ask this question. But a lot of people will ask you everything about having it removed. No, good question. I'm like, shall I think about it all the time, but I leave it there. As a reminder, Why, sir, would you like a drink? And they say something like, it's five o'clock somewhere? I'm like, No, I'm not looking at the watch. I'm looking at that. No, I will not have a drink. So it's just a reminder, I like don't get drunk. You do stupid things when you're done. So there you go. Now, you know the whole story. But it made me think of another story about well, so there's a pastor, and he's praying with one of the members of his flock, who he knows is like constantly struggling with this sin over and over and over again. Yes, answer your question. pastors do eventually get really tired of it. So he's in this state, right? So the guy is praying, and he prays like, Lord, help clean out the cobwebs from my life. The pastor has done. So he says, Lord, kill the spider. So many times we honest the Lord. Go to the coffee, go get some coffee. No, don't mean. So we asked the Lord, right, like to take things from us or but we leave the source of the temptation in our lives, right? So and this causes Old habits die hard. So we talked about missions last week, we're in the book of Acts. So we saw like, we asked the question, do we do it that way? Or do we have these old habits we've just kind of developed in regards to church visions, anything we just oh, we just do it that way. So today, we're going to see more of this conversion but the Jewish believers Since the Jewish faith, Christian Christianity, the beginning, and so they're all Jewish, but they're having a really hard time giving up some of their old cultures, traditions and things like that. So now we're going to look at old habits die hard. So we find ourselves in Acts 15. And this is where he, like, this is where I have to contain myself, like, I got to look like the nerd in me is like, wow, so great, because here's what we're going to do. We're going to be looking and you think we just one chapter, no, we're going to do the whole book of Galatians, because that's kind of what Paul's going to recount in the Letter to the Galatians is really exciting. But it's another thing where, you know, Galatians is a letter to the church, the church is in that region. And it's kind of another examples, another way for me to spin it and talk about the verse of the day culture, it's not a good habit. That's the way we read the Bible. Why we don't understand it, right? So you're supposed to read bigger sections. So just think of it this way. Because letter Paul writes the churches in the region of Galatia. Well, you know, they would read it aloud on the churches they did so like, hey, also would be like, hey, same way we read our Bible, right? But I got a letter from Paul, check it out. Right? And so they would read it. But here's the thing about imagine like the guys like, I like that sentence right there. So I'm just going to read that one and then talk for half hour about that sentence. Can you read the rest of the letter, please? Right. So again, we have to read the larger portions of the text, otherwise, we're not going to understand it. So today, my hope for you is that you really understand the book of Galatians. So we're going to be here till about like three or 4pm. Hope you're okay, we have coffee, and we're not trying to be respectful of your time, but also push it a little bit, right. This shouldn't be over in like 10 minutes. So I got to explain a couple of things. In Galatians, can get like kind of uncomfortable. And so you're going to hear the word circumcision, like over and over and over again. And so they're the people like, don't know what it is or like, Amen. You know, they just like, they just agree, and people do and it's, it's kind of uncomfortable, so I'm just rip that band aid right off, like, so pun intended. Anyway, so circumcision is something that, you know, people do their male genitalia. I'm not, I'm not a doctor. So anyway, just That's it. That's to do with that. Look it up Google, it's fine. You can look at your phone when I pray. But don't show anybody the pictures. Okay, so we're, but we're, it gets attached to the law of Moses. So it's almost going to be synonymous. But it wasn't the beginning because of Abraham. So he's the one that Paul is going to be talking about, because he's referring to the covenant of circumcision, so naturally, in his mind comes up, because that's where it started. See if covenants in the Bible, and that's one of them, then you have the Mosaic Covenant, there's or the law of Moses, and that kind of all gets attached to that what we are not attached to the point of Galatians is the law of Moses, we are not under the Law of Moses, you wouldn't want to follow it if you could, because then you'd have to, like, kill people stone them to death, family members, even for doing little things wrong. Big things, but anyway, so we're not under that. So Galatians is one of those go to letters. We're going to look at the Council where this is decided and x 15. We're going to go into Hebrews in a few weeks. And Hebrews just read chapter eight, even the Old Testament, the author's quoting the Old Testament, Jeremiah 31, saying We are under a new and better covenant the old is obsolete Okay, so it's very, very clear and very specific yet there are many even today who don't get it I just can't believe it. But people actually did I think like, oh, we need to follow that and like you just can't and why aren't you dead like when someone's donated. So not first, bouncing it for doing something that you would get stoned to death for. Alright, so we have the first church heresy and the first council about it. Jump right in accepting. So Paul and Barnabas they're traveling around and stuff. While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria. That's where they're at the church. Some men from today arrived and began to teach the believers unless you're circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved. Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem accompanied by some local believers to talk to the apostles and elders about this question. The church sent delegates to Jerusalem and they stopped along the way and Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers. They told them much to everyone's joy, that the Gentiles two were being converted. When they arrived in Jerusalem. Barnabas and Paul were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported everything God had done through them. But some of the believers who belong to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, the Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses. So interesting points. They are Pharisees, even in the Christian church law if you don't know that, but again, remember, it's Jewish sect the same number the way right not mandatory, but the way and so it becomes Christianity later x 11. It takes a while for it to get called Christian. and links of time are going by here. It's not as quick as X makes it seems long term. So we'll talk about that in a few minutes. So they're saying we follow these traditions, the new believers who are not Jewish have to follow it to know that's it, right. So here's what happens they meet to resolve the issue Peter speaks first, give some key verses here. Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so they could hear the good news and believe now, this is really interesting. Just think about the time if you just remember this, Paul will say, he's the apostle of Gentiles and Peter to the Jews. But from Peters perspective, what happened in accent, he was the first one fill up really well, but he was really the first one to go. So God told him to that vision, go Alright, so and he gets it a little late, but he gets it. So he perceives himself here as the apostle to the Gentiles. But why does Paul say something different? Because a long time goes by so it's just you'll see in Galatians, how that happens. Just a note. So he says, he confirmed that he accepts the Gentiles by giving him the Holy Spirit just so you did to us. He made no distinction between us and the Gentiles hearts through faith, and he says something important. So why are you now CHALLENGING GOD, by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke like we pray over animals that neither we nor our ancestors are able to bear? Not a good thing? We believe that we are all saved the same way by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus. Yes. So then Paul and Barnabas, they get up and they talk about all these miraculous things that are happening to the Gentiles. And finally, James, who is Jesus's brother because member James and John Zebedee brothers, he's killed by the sword martyr. So Jesus brother has not come to the face. He's the head of the church in Jerusalem is like the overseer, there are others. Listen to me, Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take them, for people for himself. And this conversion of the Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted. So you cite some prophecy here. And he says, and so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God, and they all go, right, they don't have to do the circumcision thing. So nobody left. Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols of sexual morality, meaning meat of strangled animals, and from consuming the blood for these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations. So there, I could go a long way on that, why the four, we're not going to do it. Now you can ask me a Bible study. There's these things called Noahide laws. And they're very, very early on. They're like, codified in the Bible around the time of nowhere and know which side laws so remember, the flood, everyone's gone, except Shem, Ham and Japheth, right? So they go out and repopulate the earth, right. So there's a general set of rules, like eating the blood. And if you remember, like, you can eat the meat, but don't eat the blood. And because the life is in the blood, that also gets put into the law. So Jewish scholars will say there were no child laws, this is probably what James has in mind, there are seven of them, he's just got four here, basic idea, follow these four things, nothing else that you don't have to do the other 600, whatever it is, like nine things that are in the Old Testament. So they formulate a letter in interesting, we understand that some of the men from here have troubled you and upset you, and they're teaching but we did not send them so he separates himself. So if anyone says like questions, should we be under the law like, this is getting redundant, it's going to be really redundant. So he's just separating himself from those people. We didn't send them that with that message. This is what you do. Among it again, here it is x 1524. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements. And it goes through eating the food offered to idols consuming the blood AMITA strangled animals and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you'll do well, very well. So the messengers, went to Antioch was a general assembly, everyone's excited, they had great joy. Now, just a quick note of a couple of things that are happening here. And actually, it's not going to come up on this subject, but it's just in the text Paul and Barnabas now separate. So they're going to start traveling, they now separate, remember John Mark, he left them and so Paul perceives this as he abandoned us, He ditched us. But Barnabas is John Mark, the author of the gospel mark, he's his cousin. So they're going to go one way. And then you're going to start we're going to read in the future about Paul and Silas and Silas by Sylvanus, the one who penned for Peter, they go their way, and it's going to be them as a missional. Team, the two of them together. Now, if we jump ahead, just a quick thing on the circumcision thing. In the chapter 16, you get a little look. And you see that Paul picks up Timothy as new disciple here. So he's just got training him. We're going to look, we'll be looked at Titus. You're going to hear about Titus today. So he has more than two disciples, but those are two of Paul's disciples. And he has Timothy circumcised, but it says in deference to the Jews that are there, right, so he's half Jewish, half Greek. And so he will do something right all things for the sake of the gospel so that it's not a problem. So they know about Timothy's background they want to be well received, when they get there, he'll make a mention Titus, I didn't even have him circumcised. So just don't hang on to that you got to keep reading. So what happens also what happens is, especially if you got to verse six,
you, you're going to see that they go through this region of Galatia. So, before they're going to go back through on some visits, we talked about the difference between visits and missions, we're going to go on some visits, which is okay. And they do that. So this brings us to Galatians. Now, in your Bibles, you're going to have like headers. As worth noting, just in case you don't know, that's not in the original Greek text. That's not in Paul's letter. It's just the translators trying to get you to understand what's happening in that section. I have like a love hate relationship with these things, because sometimes they're good. And sometimes they don't really get like everything that's going on in that section. So I'd rather I know, sometimes I like it. Sometimes. They're not in the original text. But think about it this way. Like you send an email, what do you do you have a subject line. And that's kind of good, right? Because this is like, this is what this email or letter is all about, like, this is what you should have in mind. This is the context of the letter. So these are like little mini subject lines. So that's like this is what you're talking about. So the subject lines on the problem is it dices it up, right? So wouldn't have been read that way. It dices it up the subject line for Galatians is remember this council that I went to, right where this was all decided we are not under the law, like that's, that's a subject line for glazing. So anytime you pick a line out of there, you're reading something in there, you just kind of got to have that in mind in order to get it right or you won't, right. So subject line. So think about it that way. Another thing to note here, and this is interesting. Well, I'm not going to read the whole thing to you. We don't have time for that. Let's like a really fast that to go like double New York speed, get some coffee, and we'll get we can do it. So I'm going to actually just read sections and then tell you what happens in the next section encouraging you to go read it for yourself, right. So that's a big point here. The other point here and Galatians always kind of makes me chuckle because we've developed the mission culture in church churches developed a churchy culture church. So it's like weird, right? So there's, we say, Pastor, but just it's like a Western term. And now they're, they're kind of adopting in other places. But really what I am is an elder. And that's what they talk about when Titus and Timothy when Paul's writing to them, they're talking about elders and overseers in the church, and not talking about pastoral. It doesn't even say, Pastor requirement, pastor is a gifting that anyone can have, anyone can have the gifting of being a pastor. So it's something I do. I'm really an elder. So I basically run the church, spiritual side of it. And I teach it says in both of those sections, and elder must be able to teach so people get confused about what a path is. So we just go with it. Because that's just like the nomenclature. No, one sees like, stops being fancy, or, like, it's just the normal way we say, right, so pastor, Pastor, I can't take it like marks taken off, she grades and she's like, don't do that. Is there any way I can like the big word? So why, anyway? So the problem is, is that you think about the way Jesus preaches. And think about, we're going to just pay attention to this when I read the letter how Paul is addressing these people, right? We say like, Oh, you got to be pastoral, right? You always got to be nice to everyone. You have to be best friends with everyone. And so in the church today, if I get up here, I'm like, this person's preaching. And it's heresy. Like, it's just wrong, right? People like, oh, you say, such a bad thing about another pastor, and I'm like, they're not a pastor. You know, you're nuts. Right? You're supposed to be nice, you know, but then behind closed doors, what do we do? All the people in that church across the street are not saved? You know? And it's like, what, right? And then and then they'll go when it's convenient when they're like, oh, no, don't talk about my sin. We're all one church. Right? Why? So I can go to another church, right? So it's this insane culture for the pastor, you always have to be the nicest person, the universe, and friends with everybody. Just keep that in mind. When you listen to Paul, they think ask this question, is Paul really concerned with what anyone thinks about him, including the false teachers in the church that he's calling out? Remember that he's not talking about like someone just like random person has no affiliation. So these are false teachers coming through this region or going to the churches and he's like, No. And so just think about some of the things he's going to say. So let's hop right in. This is what it's all about. So Yazidi. They're called Judaize, is these people coming in and say, You got to get circumcised, you got to do all of the Jewish traditions and laws. This is why it's written Galatians one this is a letter from Paul an apostle. I was not appointed Member sent by any group of people or human authority, but by Jesus Christ Himself, and by God the Father who raised Jesus from the dead. All the brothers and sisters who are joining and sending this letter to the churches of Galatian. May God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, give you grace and peace common. Just opening for Paul. Jesus gave his life for our sins just as God the Father plans in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live perspective. All Glory to God the Father forever and ever. Amen. Paul's an apostle member sent one. So what I'm going to do in this, I'm using the NLT. It reads really easy, not too many huge words for you and get a Bible you can understand a lot of people are walking around with the Bible, just honestly, just a little bit above the reading level. This is everybody's level. That's what I do. When you see the brackets. It's usually what it says in Greek, I'm just giving you like a more literal translation. So it's just bounced around. So what is this I'm using an NLT. But I'm sitting here with my Greek Bible going, you know, just putting in like, that's a little bit tighter a little better. But maybe some people can't understand it. So he gets right into it. Oh, no, I'm not appointed by men. This is going to weave right through this letter. I am shocked that you're turning away so soon from God. You are following a different way that pretends to be the good news. band aid off right. So love you guys. Here we go the greeting, but he's going for it. Galatians one eight. Let God's curse fallen anyone including us, or even angel from heaven who preaches a different kind of good news gospel than the one we preached to you. I say again, what we have said before, if anyone preaches any other good news than the one you welcome, let that person be cursed. Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people. But if God if pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ servant, or slave of Christ. Paul is not codependent. He is Christ dependent. So the big thing to keep in mind and this letter, how nice does he sound? Right? Okay, so look, the message comes from Jesus. Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, right. So this is a direct revelation from Christ.
He recaps his past like I used to persecute the church again, I did not rush out. So when he first gets converted, he doesn't rush out to talk to any human being. Right? He didn't go up to Jerusalem or the apostles were he saying I went away into Arabia and later returned to the city of Damascus. And three years later, I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter. I stayed within 15 days, the only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord's brother. And so that's how we know here what's going on. So why is he saying all that? I did not get this from people. This is directly from Jesus, I met the reason Jesus, and I got it from him. Right. The Lord has talked to us. This is after his death, and resurrection of Jesus, and ascension. So, alright, so All they knew is that a few more saying, the one who's to persecute us, tried to destroy the faith, when he's not preaching the good news. And they all had great joy. They gave glory to God, because of it. Now the council's recall Galatians, two, one, then 14 years later, so see what a timespan went by an x. So it's a long time. Then 14 years later, I went back to Jerusalem again. This time with Barnabas, and Titus came along too. I went there because God revealed to me that I should go while I was there. I met privately with those considered to be leaders in the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were all in agreement for fear that all my efforts had been wasted there was running the race for nothing. And they supported me and God did not even demand that my companion status be circumcised, though it was a Gentile. Clear, right. Okay. Even that question came up only because some of the so called believers, false ones, really. So here he begins calling people out who secretly brought in, they sneak into spineless and take away our freedom, the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, they wanted to enslave us see, we see what he's comparing it to, like to put us in bondage and force us not NLT Ed's correct. It's a follow their Jewish regulations, but we refuse to give in to them for a single moment. We want to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you. Again, he's going to reiterate, the people aren't important here. Right? The leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. But he doesn't by the way, the reputation has great leaders made no difference for me. Right? For God has no favorites, again, they're standing in the church makes no difference to me. That's interesting, different from the way we like, Oh, Dr. Pastor, though Allah, Allah, you know, like, That's it, Paul, I don't care about your titles. I could care less, right? This comes from Jesus, you're just a conduit. You're just, you're just something that the gospel message goes through. Right? You're a tool, essentially. Right. And that's the way Paul sees himself. Correct. So he reiterates they gave me though the right hand of fellowship it says literally, they proved to be right. So that Okay, good job. Galatians 211. So here, remember what he just said, makes no difference like who they were. So he tells a little story. Galatians 211. But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived he ate with a Gentile believers who were circumcised but afterwards when Some friends of James came, Peter wouldn't eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peters hypocrisy calls him a hypocrite here. Even Barnabas was like he's just throwing everybody under the bus led astray by their bagasse when I saw that they were not falling through the gospel message. I said to Peter in front of the others, since you are a Jew by birth have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile. Why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish religions? He tried to be friends with everybody, you're going to care. This guy's like, you know, like, well, if you're going to all of a sudden it's in the Matthew 18 thing? Absolutely. He's already talked to Peter face to face. And he's totally willing to tell everybody about it forever. You know, think about it's really crazy. Peters a hypocrite. Through it last night. He's just calling them out. Quite different, quite different than the way we talked today. Or we're told we have to talk today. But he's making these two points really clear Gentiles, not under the law. I don't care about the status of any human being is not where the Gospel comes from. I don't care even if it's Peter, you guys all worship Him, whatever. He's going to get into that. But first Corinthians. Right Apollo's me whatever, it doesn't make a difference. So makes an important point. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. Big point Galatians 217. But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ. And then we were found guilty because we have ended law with that mean Christ has led us to sin. Absolutely not. Rather, I am a sinner, if I rebuild the old system of law I already and it literally says destroyed. There. He says about gone. For when I tried to keep the law. It condemned me, I died to the law. I stopped trying to meet its requirements, so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in it. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me, I do not treat the grace of God is meaningless. For if, if keeping the law can make us right with God, there'd be no need for Christ to die. So I'm emphatically making these points because there are people who really adhere to this teachings crazy today, despite all of this, but what are you doing when you try to follow up? You're treating the grace of God as if it's meaningless, canceled the grace of God. Alright, so we'll get into the application or later. So here we go. Again, imagine this Galatians 310, foolish Galatians, Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ's death was made as clear to you as if you'd seen a picture of his death on the cross. Let me ask you this one question. Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Course not. You received the Spirit because you believe the message you heard about Christ? How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the spirit? Why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Point? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely was in vain was not in vain was it? That's you again? Because God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not it because you believe the message. You heard about Christ. So like, I read this, and I'm like, oh, fools, right? Is that okay? Yes. Yes, it is. Yes, right there. So, okay. Not very nice. Abraham believed so here Abraham is going to come in and it was counted righteous because of his face. So I'm going to do this really quick. We talked about it Bible study, but you got the basics of like, Abraham, the circumcision. So he's going to go back and he's going to talk about the law. I haven't been cursed. Right. But it is, by, by faith, but a racist, righteous person that has life, right. So we're not made right. Christ rescued us from that curse, pronounced by the loss of going back to that curse thing and chapter one. Again, like Peter said, when the Gentiles are the same, little confusing, because it goes into like, this guy's using Abraham. And he starts to say, if you have a more literal Bible, it'll say seeds. And if you don't, it'll say children. And so it says, like, you know, seed, not seeds. The big point he's going to kind of weave so it gets very confusing. It's hard to kind of put together I'll put it together for you. He's making a point that we received the same blessing that occurred before the law. You can put Romans in here, too. He makes his point before Laura. It comes from Abraham, it goes through Isaac numbers, son, if you don't know the Bible, he's the one that was going to kill him like, right in the RAM. And so that guy has faith, but he was a credit of righteousness. Before any of this before the circumcision before the law, that's the point. And so we're heirs to that promise through Isaac, he's
going to draw another illustration of if you remember, he slept with he tried to kind of rush along that promise, and he sleeps with Hagar. That's the slave woman. And then Sam Iraq or so right before that was the freeborn woman. So we're children's of what children of the free woman, not the slave and then he's going to like in the law to slavery, it's a, it's all in there. But that's the point taking on just putting it in there. So hopefully you can understand it. But he keeps using Abraham why? That's where the covenant of circumcision is, okay, so putting it all together, that's what it is, you are not slaves to the law, like Hagar and you represents, you know, Mount Sinai with the laws given but the free woman is of the Heavenly Jerusalem scenery, that that's confusing too, right? So we're free. If you read all the way to the end of the Bible, there's going to be a new Jerusalem, the new heavens and earth. So Galatians 319, in the midst of this, Why then was the law given, it was given alongside verses added Good point, to the promise to show people their sins, but the law was designed only to last until the coming of the child and literal will say seed, who was prompted other say sees as one, our that seed is Christ that says, so hope you understand that. Scriptures declare that we're all prisoners of sin. But God's promise of freedom comes only from believing in Christ says that children illustration there, he goes through and he says, Galatians 326. For your all children are literally sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, and all have been you've not been united in Christ, in baptism and have put on Christ like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. So remember these ethnic divisions, right? These teachers are creating unnecessary divisions in the church. Right? You are all one in Christ, Jesus. Here's where the slaves and children he pops that in here, right? So we are free Galatians four, eight before you Gentiles knew God, who were slaves to so called Gods that do not even exist. So now that God you know, God, or should I say now that God knows you? Why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more so weak and useless spiritual principles of this world is worthless in degree. You're trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days, months or seasons a year. So it's like a part of the law Moses holiday, I fear for you, or even pagan? Perhaps all my hard work with you is for nothing. Your brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do, in freedom from these things. I have become like you and LLC Gentiles free from those laws. They're trying to remind you subject line, right? Then he talks about being sick when he came, and what are you doing here? He knows he's going hard. He's like, I put you cared for me as an angel. So he's going to try to get some like, relational material in there, like, we're family, right? I love you. So we do this kind of thing. And he says, I'm sure you have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth. So he's very aware of like, how hard he's going. So just a really quick thing. If you've been in church for a long time, there's really no reason to believe that Paul had bad eyesight. If you understand the Greek and understand what's going on. Yes, I'm ruining another thing for you. So anyway, it's a Greek idiom, I would give out my eyes for you. You happen to be sick, but one has nothing to do with the other. We're going to see later in chapter six. I'll explain the other thing to you as well. He never ever says like, I have bad eyesight. So you're all just drawing conclusions based on an idiom. It's just a typical thing. Plus, remember, right? His eyes were completely healed. Something like scales fell from that we don't eat partial healings in the Bible, except Mark hate as Parab parabolic. So remember, the guy is like you can't see right away he's like, Okay, can you see I see like trees walking around, and he does it again. I can see. Right? You once you didn't believe now you're going to believe and then Peter confesses Jesus is the Christ. So it's the only partial healing we see. And it's like that quick, like, the Holy Spirit Hills completely done. So anyway, the false teachers, he talks about the false teachers now and he's going to start getting into that, right. So I love you everything's okay. Not your enemy. Okay, now let's start dog in these false teachers. And so he knows again, he's talking about the false teachers a little goes back, I wish I were with you right now. It's like it changed my tone. But this this is I don't know how else to help you. So let me go hard again. So freeborn wife, slave wife, that's where that is right there. So again, your children have the promise your brothers and sisters, We're not children of the slave woman. Galatians five one. So Christ is truly set us free. Let make sure that you stay free. Don't and don't get tied up in slavery again. So the law. Listen, I Paul tell you this, if you are counting on circumcision, to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit for you. I say it again. If you're trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation and the whole almost like 613 thing. Or if you're trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ. You have fallen away for On God's grace, is this abundantly clear? Yes, the answer is yes. Please somebody say yeah. abundantly clear is getting ready. You're probably thinking okay, I get it right. So that's why he's going to wrap up the letter. Okay, sorry about the false teaching being like a little yeast. And then seeing it being cut off. Paul says this Galatians 512 I just wish that those troublemakers want to mutilate you by circumcision with mutilate themselves castrate themselves. So basically when you're doing the circumcision thing, I hope the knife slips not very nice, right? Like pretty graphic actually to no pencil. So now the flesh and the spirit right so these two things, they're at war with one another, and I'll explain to you like these are some of my favorite set of verses. I use them a lot in church. So we'll go through them but now we'll just give them kind of the background context they apply to us in every situation, but now it begins to make sense relations 519 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear. Sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. And this is why he says, There is no law against these things. Because let us not you can see to provoke one another be jealous of one another. So what's going on here? What happens when we try to build a system of religion where we got to follow these laws? What happens immediately? competition, competition, that's why he says jealousy, strife, divisions, it's all in there. Why? Well, that's what it's going to cause like, I'm better than you. You know, you didn't do this or that the other thing the right way. It's like the Pharisees and there were Pharisees in the church is what he's talking about. Right? So it creates that you when you just want to be God and show everybody how awesome you are compared to everyone else. Pharisee Alright, so you're creating unnecessary divisions, and the church is pride. Why do they want to follow the law? Pride, right? Instead, the Holy Spirit will produce this kind of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control, there's no law against these things, right? That's it, you're not going to be offending anyone. If you're always doing all those things. You're going to get along and be living in Unity by the Spirit. So we're going to close Galatians six one, your brothers and sisters, if any unbeliever anyone is overcome by some sin, you are godly, should gently and humbly help that person back on the right path. And be careful not to follow the same temptation for yourself. share each other's burdens in this way, obey the law of Christ. If you think you're too important, help someone you're only fooling yourself. not that important. Literally. If you think you're something when you're nothing. You're not any nicer. Literally, you deceive yourself, pay attention to your own work, that kind of like this verse is going to highlight this just bask in it for one second, Galatians, six, six, those who are sought the Word of God should provide for their teachers sharing all good things with them. Like a slice of pizza, you're like, Oh, I thought he was going to get their whole sermon. Well, talking about pizza. Nope. All right, but you guys treat me great. So let's close the letter, sir. You reap what you sow Galatians six, then therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially those in the family of faith. So when we're guided by the Spirit, we see these as opportunities when we are trying to keep the law, right, we're in competition with one another. You know what I mean? That kind of thing. So just like that. So, Paul's final advice. He says, Know what large letters I write these things. Why? Okay, Papyrus is extensive. I don't expect you to know that these letters were really expensive to write it costs a lot. Like it said that Romans would be like $3,000 to write one of those things in today's money, right? So you got the scribe writing. Papyrus is expensive. So he's writing professionally and very small. Paul wants to sign the letter, think John Hancock. And he comes along, and it's really big compared to the scribes there are different handwriting, right? So it's not because he has bad eyesight that he's writing in big letters. Anyway, so I'm just nerd stay down. Galatians 614. As for me, man,
I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of him or because of that cross. My interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died. He doesn't care. So again, not codependent. And you know what, Remember last week when you do this, when you live by the fruit of the Spirit, you're going to have your haters. It's going to happen. Polls are very aware of the haters. So he's like, I don't care. I don't care. They're interested me has died. Whatever, doesn't mean reiterates again, that circumcision doesn't matter. He's closing his letter, reminding them that they will suffer for the sake of the gospel. We're going to see the Jewish people constant member, they tried to stone him to death almost. Right? So Jewish people are going to persecute them. He closed his letter, dear brothers and sisters, May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ deal with your spirit. Amen. And you all survive. Look at that. So there you have it. When you read things in context, it makes sense, doesn't it? Now it's like, oh, and then when you put it together with Extra STEAM, what he's talking about, it really makes sense. Right? Oh, okay. And you can kind of imagine what's going on here. So far away from the verse of the day problem we create. But here is an application. We see that old habits die hard. Oh, habits, when you think about die heart, why do you want to go back again, he says, and become slaves once more to the weak and useless, spiritual, worthless principles of this world. Well, again, instead of pride, look at how righteous we are, right? This is what happens when we try to play God.
Instead of just letting the Holy Spirit do his thing, right and giving glory to Him. We're trying to get glory for ourselves when we do these, like religious things. Now, the Bible doesn't say religion itself is bad, rejects, rejects, that's 120 Somethings, right? But regenerate, so it's not a bad thing, again, at the end of the first chapter, and so pure and undefiled religion is right, like visiting or caring for widows and orphans, a religion can be a good thing, right? But when we're making ourselves God in that religion, it becomes a bad thing. Right? So we shouldn't be pious and religious and self discipline, look at the requirements for elders again, very important. Bible makes that distinction is not that it's when we try to play God and cancel the glory for him. No, some habits die hard because they're part of our culture, or our traditions, right? So like the Jews. Now sometimes they're okay. Alright, so you might have holidays, or different things that you like to do from your other beliefs. And sometimes they're all right. So like Halloween comes and we're not like, ducking cover Christians behind the couch. Hi. No, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. This is great. They're all here. And if they do worship Satan, awesome. I'm going to convert this kid with candy and see three card, right? So that's what we do, right? They're coming to us is just like lazy evangelism. Like, that's what that is. It's excellent. I mean, come on, like, all right, we're going to get it's in my calendar. Now get ADC three cards, get, you know, given the good candy bars, right? You're going to like cute Christians are awesome. So total bait and switch. But anyway. So things like that. It's okay. Right. So some old things you can carry over sometimes or not? Especially like, when we do this in church today, when these traditions exclude other people, or we become clicky, right, we're hanging out only when you're not one of the cool kids. So you can't be here. And the modern church kind of does that. Actually. There's a lot of art in churches like this seats are reserved for the pastor, there's parking spot for the pastor. And then the rich people sit here and change told, you know, right, so they didn't read that they're never going to read that James chapter two on Sunday. So they have these clicky cultures. You know, in order to get on the worship team, you have to wear a scarf inside and wear like holes within your jeans and have like wheezes or something, whatever they call no President wrong, but that's my $2,000 sneakers, and you know, a Gretsch white Falcon. It's like a $7,000 guitar. You got to have all these things, right? It's really clicky they're all pretty, like everybody on the word seems really pretty. So it's like, we do it. But then we have traditions in churches, the traditional churches today, right? And if you don't come in with a suit on pretending to be righteous, you know, don't come here. You're not righteous enough. That's why people say to me, and I'm going to burn up if I go to church custom, like, we're not like that. So it's just, it hurts us, right? So pretending to be righteous. So this is where it's bad and how we can do that today. In the case of the Jews, that's causing we talked about it's like an ethno religion is causing ethnic divides, different divides, we can we can think of it in our lineage like racism, and the church. Do we have churches like that? Where there's a church and like, the name of your race is before the church and it's a church? That's not right, either. Like everyone should be, it doesn't matter what I don't care what color you are, where you came from, whatever. You should be comfortable here. And if you're not, there's a problem. There's a cultural problem in our church. And we've been in churches where it's like, there were no other everybody was white, and nobody felt comfortable. There, you know, fair, another car. It's like, yeah, yeah. Because you're doing all these things that are unnecessary. They're causing divide, and we can't have them if they're going to cause divide, just get rid of it. Because that's, you know, if you're new here, that's kind of what we've done. It's just scaled it all back, concentrate on the X principles. Start there, and then we'll grow from there. So that's why he says in Galatians steward, there is no longer slave We're free, Jew or Gentile, you're all one guts, cut it out, stop doing all these things that where you think you're better than somebody else. Sometimes our old culture leads to sinful behavior, right within ourselves that will cause us to give into those desires of the flesh encourages it opens a door that needs to be shut. So, you know, sometimes like, I don't know, like, when I was younger, I lived a party culture clearly. And I was in like a party. You know, I've been in biker cultures, right? So that that kind of culture, because the college culture tells you about. So all kinds of different cultures, and I've been a part of different party culture, right? So we got to go to the club is Thursday, we got paid, you know, and then we're just going to blow it get drunk and then come into work hungover. Like that culture is just a culture. That's just what we did. You know, I told you about the girl was born again, didn't do that anymore. I was like, like, how do you not party? You know, like, I don't understand that. I can't live my life without party, right? So if they're those cultures, and then while you become a Christian, and going to the club is going to make you engage in some of that, that's got to go. That's not okay. It's not like, innocent holiday or something. You got to stop that. Right. So, remember, on the illustration, we can keep some spiders. Let's see if we can keep some spiders as a reminder. All right. But the bad ones. If we don't kill them, you're going to constantly be chasing cobwebs. got to kill, you got to get rid of it. Important. As far as people, we do need to change sometimes. Our people places and things. Some of the old people they can bring us back to that. So no, all it didn't care. Like I'm not a Pharisee anymore. But what did we do? He agreed on we're good people. What does it say in Galatians six bear one another's burdens. When someone's instant, gently and it's okay, you can open up here, you're good. You with the right people aren't going to judge you for those kinds of things. And so what we have to do just as application, keep your eye on those sins of the flesh. If you find yourself going places, and then coming out more, or being with certain people identify what was the trigger here? Like, why am I doing that? You know what happened? Even as a pastor guys, like it's okay, you're free to watch whatever TV shows you want. Not porn doesn't count. But you know, if it's a rated R movie, the Bible is TV Ma. It's unbelievable. Some of the stuff we read here, like what we just talked about when we did circumcision. Anyway, so it's totally crazy. Right? But crazy things happen like lot when he got drunk. So read it, I want you to but some things you know, you can engage with even me, like there's certain shows that will come on. And it just agitates a part of the old New Yorker and me and I'm like, I cannot watch that. I just can't. It's just one of its billions. I can't watch millions. I can't. So it's all about money. And that was my addiction, and bad words all over the place. I'm like, Okay, it's just too much for me. But she can watch it. And I just throw it right on. Right. And her language was sometimes it gets a little abandoned. We'll talk about that later. But anyway. But coming to the coffee, in other words, like I am losing. Guys do not do what I just did bad example. Use me as a bad example. Right? But see, we see here like, Paul, we don't want to push this too far. When he's not here, please, anybody who's not a people pleaser, right? I'm not here to please you. He uses this language very intentionally, doesn't care. And so we don't want to push that too far. And clearly, if you know me, like, I'm not pushing that too far. Right? And we want to be nice most of the time. But it's not our job to please people anymore. That's something a lot of people need to hear. It's not your job to please anyone anymore. Now that you're in the family. You don't have to please anybody. All right, you want to try to spread the Gospel. Be nice, love your neighbor. And Paul says that in the letter summarizes the whole law is what he says, I'm not talking about that. But for a lot of people, that's what got us in that situation in the first place. Codependency that's what God is. Right? We are too worried about what somebody else thinks. That's the law. We're too worried about what somebody else calls like, I don't care what. And you know what? It's so funny. It's so people are like, how do you bridge all these guys up? Because I really don't care. Go ahead and set your watch. Like, I don't care. God told me to preach the Word of God in full and that's what I'm going to do. And then everyone who loves Jesus as much as me is going to be like, thank you and you do you come up to me like, Thank you for just preaching. Like that was so refreshing. That said, Alright, so we don't have to be codependent. We don't have to be nasty. Not good. But he uses this language and we can relate it like when you really love someone, how do you talk to them? Or you're more direct So generally, you should be loving it. There's a good balance of that, right? But think about this as an illustration because Paul's going back to something you're enslaving yourself. Have you ever been friends with someone who's in a really bad relationship with someone else? I say get in that relationship. And you're like, oh, this person, right? And they're a bad influence. And everything bad. They're complaining all the time, right? And you're listening and listening. Listen, you can't say anything back because they're still together. So then they break up and you're like, Yeah, right. And then you start talking to a whole bunch of trash about that person. Then they get back together, and you're like, No. But what do you want to say, fool? Just like Paul, did you find that's what you think whether you say it or not? You do you, you're an idiot. And you talk to your spouse like you, right? Give me a person's an idiot. They went back and looks just like my house, right? That's what you say, Oh, you were free from that
person. And now you've made yourself a slave to them. You get it. So these are the illustrations for us. Ultimately, we are in a new relationship with Christ. We're not they're like an extension, your new relationship with the church, we don't have to go back to that bondage any longer. So whether it's personal stuff, freedom from that sin, we're no longer in bondage and slave to that cycle of guilt and shame. And you are free from that. That's what you are free from all the byproducts of living in sin. Don't go back to bondage now that you're free. In Christ, you have a new people are new place, and new things to do. So, for the benefit of those who have not found Jesus, here in the church, we're not going to ever make this a hard club to get into. So if you're new here, come as you are. There's an expectation. We don't want you to stay as you are. But we're here to help you experience that freedom in Christ. Amen. We pray for you. Lord, I thank you for this church. Everyone either tuning in to this message or were able to come here, ask that you bless them richly. But most of all, bless them with your Holy Spirit. Which will give them the power to experience fully your joy your love your peace. Let them just be a vehicle that grace that love that mercy to everybody they encountered throughout the week. Nasty things that Jesus