Galatians Series 2017 5 Galatians 3:19 29 19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. 21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Children of God 23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was put in charge of us until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
When we ran AYC, we used to have Categories for Mum s there were she bear mums soft Touch Mums Nurturing Mum s. Do I have to be Mums. For quite a while, We had 2 brothers all day every day, they had a Do I have to be Mum she was a gun car salesperson. And neglected her boys terribly One of the most memorable moments was when she told us one day all off to Coccus Islands to live and the staff reaction was shock and genuine maternal grief excellent staff team, and they grieved as if their own sons had been taken from them. There is a very powerful sad beauty involved in mothering. A sadness that is caused because of a beautiful heart. Not too many people Get this about Paul massive heart for Christ, and for the Galatians to build a great church what do you need? Money, programmes, committed people, strategy, connection, relevance, dynamics that attract the next generation Know what Jesus just says just give me their hearts. To build a great church, need 1 thing hearts committed to Christ way we get that, is to risk it, and show and share our heart our love for Christ and the rest works itself out There is a very powerful sad beauty involved in building a church family. All through Galatians Paul s thumping great heart just aches for Christ and the Galatians Pastoral work is not much different to mothering you gotta look at the development of the flock, and their heart connection to Christ. Some time back mums re entering the workforce were soon recognized as brilliant middle managers juggle multi tasking as if they were now being paid to do what they did intuitively at home Managing a church, if I can use that term, is not much different multi task Feeding the flock won t get gourmet or MasterChef meals every Sunday was a debate some years back about the value of the av church sermon. Went to and fro for a while until a letter along these lines ended the debate writer simply said, my mother has cooked for me for last 25 years no one meal was spectacular, and I don t recall any particular ones apart from her favourites but if she had stopped preparing and faithfully serving them I would have been long dead by now the point of the humble weekly sermon is to sustain and nourish and rouse and encourage your spiritual life. Throughout Galatians Paul is Mothering these recalcitrant believers To help you get a handle on the logic he is using (woven on a Jewish tapestry, so tricky for us westerners 2000 years later) The logic is best shown this way: We have a 2 year old living with us his restrictions, directions given to him are direct, simple straight, constant. Instant consequences. Rules and clear consequences readily associated. He is not allowed to go to the fridge.
We also have had teenagers in our house. The rules had changed, restrictions were being replaced with responsibility and the consequences were being felt by all. they never stopped standing in front of the fridge we were always finding we could never find things that used to be in the fridge. We also have more mature adults in the house even less rules, and even greater responsibilities and to our great delight sometimes we even find things restocked in the fridge!!! Now, what Paul sees Judaism as being is like a baby not allowed to open the fridge Don t eat unclean food, don t go to the temple unclean, don t don t. And what he sees Christianity doing. Is the lavish freedom and maturity, to see a need and respond and go and restock the fridge!!! care, and to give, maturity, and responsibility and a heart for others and not for self. To take the Galatians with him into the freedom and responsibility that is found in Christ, Paul has a massive challenge opponents are keen to kill him they have captured minds of Peter and Barnabus and drawn them back to Judaism s restrictions. The church Paul has planted in Galatia has also all but gone And led by God he is addressing an issue, that even today not many have a clear focus on. quick review God promised to gentile Abraham to bless the gentiles through him. 1. It s a promise. 2. It was to Abe about the gentiles. (There were no Jews at the time the promise was given!!!) 3. The seed that God promised Abraham, was not the Jews, but Christ. Now as a gentile I ll give Paul 100%. If I were a Jew I might want to kill him!!! Because God sometimes has a way of making me rethink all I have presumed. We all have those seasons in our lives. Our assumptions get thrown into the fire and when God throws us into His refining fires we come out stronger and better for it The Jews would naturally ask well what about the Law? We keep the law, God given Law Moses and 10 commandments In Galatians God tells us, that the law has a supplementary task to the promise. Not an overriding task. He adds, a list of the supplementary tasks the law was to do. 1. It was to prove that we are all sinners. Here is the simplest way to prove to me that I am sinner tell me I am not allowed to do something anything and I ll probably want to do it A mother told her children they had to ask before taking a home made biscuit from the tin came home from shopping and they were all gone came to the 2 nd youngest, about 4, who said.. I asked myself, and myself said yes you don t teach your kids to think like that SIN Does. (Lies, stealing they know it intuitively and laws / rules bring it into focus!!!) Supp purpose 1 of the law.. to expose sin.
Sup Purpose 2. Show us that we need Christ. God does not leave us halfway He shows us that we are addicts to sin, and also shows us the cure for our sin addiction. Who does He send Christ through? Jews Now pause with me for a moment He came to his own, but his own received him not, but to as many as did receive him anyone finish that line?... Now, who came to Jesus saying they were unworthy? Gentiles and outcast Jewish sinners who came to Jesus believing that they were already in the right with God, and already had eternal life? So.. God adds Not the purpose of the law the law could not give life. In other words where the rare Jew had grasped the purpose of the law they had seen their sin addiction, and He or she was looking for the messiah, for Christ But for the rest, Saul of Tarsus included. They were dead set sure that they were ok with God. Superior, chosen, God s covenant people And God had to expose their hearts to them countless times throughout the OT. Read judges theme cycle of sin, failure, repentance and rescue read the kings rare good heart most of those kings evil read the prophets warnings galore until you see nation exiled in discipline, grace of God winning through a minority 400 years of silence still unable to see their sin They could have been world leaders in preparing our hearts telling us all that God will help us instead they were proud and self seeking, riddled with sin The law was doing it s job perfectly BUT: their hard stubborn hearts refused to see it!!! 21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Several times in NT Paul shares his conversion experience here in Galatians we see his conversion theology what happened to his belief system this is just sooo exciting God gave him, the main trigger to all the freedom that you and I have today we aught to just adore this bloke, and praise God who helped Paul see it clearly and record it perfectly. 24 So the law was put in charge of us until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. So he knows that the law has completed its God given role. Exposes our sin, and exposes our need of Christ and it helps us see the promise God gave to Abe just
will live by faith God will provide a way of making us right with Him restore the broken family relationship 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham s seed, and heirs according to the promise. There are no gender, racial, social classes in salvation. ANYONE can believe, and anyone who does is accepted lepers, eunuchs, blind, lame, who cares, any, any anyone Anyone can belong to Christ. do you belong to Christ? Are you immersed in Him? Completely drowned Lordship??? Are you clothed in Christ? The Christian does not lose their gender, or their ethnic dna, or their social status, or class, we don t all get levelled out and flattened with boring uni degree, or bulldozed into some non racial Coffee coloured community. We keep our individuality, but we no longer assert our rights, privileges or draw attention to our humble status instead we are fully absorbed into Christ as Lord and happily serving one another. The Christian is God s child!!!! The Christian is Abraham s child a child of faith do you trust God for your eternal destiny? Did you see the radical change in Saul of Tarsus? No Pharisee could endorse this stuff radical remake by God He now proceeds to prove that THE most powerful proof of this logic is the outcome anyone can be an heir / son of God by faith, and the proof is the HS moving in their lives anyone from any nation living a HOLY LIFE. Spirit of God making Gods people humble, gracious, forgiving, merciful, compassionate family traits. The Christian stands at his fellow believers fridge, and like Christ looks for what needs restocking, and gives, and cares and builds up. No restriction placed on your freedom to give. (More of this in a few weeks time) We finish where we started today ever seen a mother looking at her child? They don t just look for cold sores and inflamed ears or runny eyes, but they also notice family traits how fingers are held, how smiles n giggles and cries and so on are family characteristics they know their childs family traits This Mothering Pastor has seen those same God honouring traits in his converts (Children) in Galatia and he aches to be sure that they do not lose them. This Mothers day.. will you submit your heart to God, ask Him to be Lord, and clothe yourself / immerse yourself in Christ, and live a spirit filled Holy life? Mothers day, what a day to be born again!!!