Jesus + Nothing = Everything! PRISONER Part 1 October 14, 2018 Galatians 1-2 Chris Goins Stuff That Keeps Us In Prison: Past HURTS. Present HANG-UPS. Self-defeating HABITS. Performance-based RELIGION. I am shocked that you are so quickly turning away from God who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel 7 which is really no gospel at all Galatians 1:6-7a Jesus + anything = NOTHING. The New Math of the Gospel: 1. Jesus + nothing = REAL FREEDOM. (See 1:1-5) Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this [present] evil world in which we live. Galatians 1:4 NLT He has taken us out of this evil world system and set us free through our salvation, just as God desired. TPT Freedom is the ability to be the person God created and redeemed you to be. (See Lk 4:18-19; Isa 61:1-7) Jesus: The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 and to proclaim that the time of the LORD s favor has come. Luke 4:18-19 NLT / NIV 2. Jesus + nothing = AMAZING GRACE. (See 1:3-24) Grace to you and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ Galatians 1:3 NLT
But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him 16 to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. Galatians 1:15-16 NLT Grace refuses to play it safe Grace is recklessly generous [Grace] doesn t keep score It has nothing to do with earning, merit, or deservedness It doesn t expect a return on investments. It is a liberating contradiction between what we deserve and what we get. Grace is unconditional acceptance given to an undeserving person by an unobligated giver [Grace] is one-way love. Tullian Tchividjian, One Way Love 1 Grace is the free, unmerited favor of God, working powerfully on the mind and heart to change lives. Tim Keller, Galatians For You 2 Grace is God s power, motivated by His mercy, working to fulfill His compassion. Francis Frangipane Grace is God s reckless, relentless and unconditional love that meets us where we are and refuses to leave us where it found us! It is God s love working through His power to bring about our freedom and transformation. Before grace is amazing, it is terrifying. Terrifying Grace is the song you shout when you wake up and realize that you can t save yourself, that you ve been building your life on sand, not rock. The storm has hit and your house is crumbling. And you suddenly see that the only thing that can save you is not you. It s the day you quit playing god, and understand that you need a real God. Justin Buzzard 3 A man comes alive when he finally feels in his guts that religion can t fuel his life or his marriage, when he makes the painfully sweet discovery that there is only one fuel source that can get the engine running again: Grace. Justin Buzzard 4 3. Jesus + Nothing = NEW IDENTITY. (See 2:17-21) We know very well that we are not justified or set right with God by rule-keeping or the works of the law but only by personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be justified and set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good. Galatians 2:16 MSG 1 Tchividjian, Tullian (2013-10-01). One Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World (Kindle Location 206 and 213). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition. 2 Keller, Timothy. Galatians For You (God's Word For You) (p. 16). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition. 3 Justin Buzzard, Afraid of Grace, https://www.justinbuzzard.net/2012/07/06/afraid-of-grace/ 4 Justin Buzzard, Date Your Wife, page 52.
To justify in the Bible means to declare of a man on trial, that he is not liable to any penalty, but is entitled to all the privileges due to those who have kept the law. Justifying is the act of a judge pronouncing the opposite sentence to condemnation that of acquittal and legal immunity. J.I. Packer, God s Words, pages 139-140, quoted by Tim Keller in Galatians For You, p. 47 5 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law I stopped trying to meet all its requirements so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in this earthly body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. Galatians 2:19-21 NLT / NIV What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn t work. So I quit being a law man so that I could be God s man. Christ s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not mine, but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. Galatians 2:19-21 MSG When I trust Jesus, what s true of Him becomes true of me! His life, death, resurrection and victory, becomes mine! Jesus + nothing = EVERYTHING. MY NEXT STEP TODAY IS: NOTE: For answer key to all blanks visit a2 s Messages webpage at a2church.org/messages. Available notes are listed. Need Prayer: Contact us at prayer@a2church.org or reach out to our church office at 205-447-5948. 5 Keller, Timothy. Galatians For You (God's Word For You) (p. 47). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition.
PRISONER THE BOOK OF GALATIANS JOURNEY TO FREEDOM READ REFLECT REVEAL Your journey to freedom begins today! We want to help you discover the freedom Jesus has already made available. Don t just listen to the message on Sunday, hang out in the book of Galatians all week, and let God s Word change you from the inside out. (See Rom 12:1-2) During this series we ll read through the book of Galatians each week. One chapter each day, with the option of reading through the entire book on Sundays. Join the journey. Read the chapter. Reflect on what you ve read. But most important, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what He wants to say to you. This week we re reading Galatians in the New Living Translation (NLT). MONDAY: Read: Galatians 1 Focus: Meditate on Galatians 1:3-4 NLT Ask: What has Jesus rescued you from? Do: Make a list of all the times Jesus has been faithful to rescue you in the past. Write down a specific hurt, hang-up or habit that you want to trust Him to rescue and set you free from today. Pray: Jesus, I thank You that you have rescued me and will continue to rescue me! You are setting me free so that I can be all you created and redeemed me to be! TUESDAY: Read: Galatians 2 NLT Focus: Galatians 2:20 NLT Ask: Do you believe that Christ lives in you? Do you really believe that because of the cross, what s true of Jesus is true of you? Do: Make a list of what you know to be true about Jesus (i.e., He is holy, righteous, loving, joyful ) Thank God that because of what Jesus has done these qualities are now being formed in you! Pray: Father, reveal to me the things that would get in the way of me believing what You say is true. Help me to name these things and be delivered and healed from them. Help me to begin to believe and live out my new identity in Christ. In Jesus name. Amen.
WEDNESDAY: Read: Galatians 3 NLT Focus: Meditate on Galatians 3:22 NLT Ask: Do I believe we receive God s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus? Why? Or, why not? What is keeping me from fully trusting Jesus? Do: Reflect on the things you ve done to try and earn freedom from the hurts, hangups or habits that keep you in prison. Admit your tendency to attempt to earn your freedom via your religious performance. Make a decision that you will trust alone in the sufficiency of what Jesus has already done. Pray: Jesus, Your death, burial and resurrection guaranteed I would never have to strive to live in freedom. My ongoing freedom is a result of my faith in what you ve already done! Help me to no longer rely on my own efforts and energy, but to simply trust you. THURSDAY: Read: Galatians 4 NLT Focus: Meditate on Galatians 4:4-7 NLT Ask: Do I call out to God as Abba, Father with the confidence that I am His child and no longer a slave? Do: Think of a father figure in your life that you admire, trust and love. Make a list of the attributes you think a good father should have. Now, imagine God a million times better than that. Pray: God, I am thankful that I can call out to You as Abba, Father Daddy, God. Jesus death and resurrection made it possible for me to be adopted as Your child. Thank you Heal me of any father wounds that keep me from walking in the freedom of seeing You as my Father and me as your beloved child. FRIDAY: Read: Galatians 5 NLT Focus: Meditate on Galatians 5:1 NLT Ask: What ideas or mental strongholds keep you stuck in a religious, rule-keeping, performance-based approach to God? Do: Make a list of the things you think you need to do in order to live in freedom. After you complete your list, go back through the list and scratch through each item while telling yourself: I don t need to do this because Jesus is enough.
Pray: Jesus, You have set me free and because of that I am truly free (Jn 8:36)! Help me live in such a way that I stay free and no longer allow myself to be a slave to a ruleskeeping, performance-based approach to you. You are my Father. I am your child. Thank you for setting me free and keeping me free! In Your name, I pray! Amen. SATURDAY: Read: Galatians 6 NLT Focus: Meditate on Galatians 6:9 NLT Ask: How many times have I given up when my breakthrough and blessing was almost within reach? Why did I give up? Do: Spend time talking with God and asking Him to reveal any tendency you have to give up too soon, especially when you become tired and weary. Now, ask God for strength and perseverance to stay the course until He brings breakthrough in your life. Pray: God, one moment in Your presence changes everything, even my tendency to give up when I m weak and weary. So, when I am tired, help me to hear Your voice calling me to come and spend time with You, for in Your presence there is strength to carry on. SUNDAY: Optional Reading: Galatians 1-6 NLT Do: Attend the worship experience at a2 Church and Part 2 of PRISONER.