Always by Grace

Now, many years ago, I drove to Yass to visit my sister, who had recently got married,

and I took along with me a little friend who had been my sister's flower girl.

Now, Michelle would have been in late primary school at the time,

and my sister worked in Canberra, which is a little distance from Yass,

and I volunteered to drive her to work, and the plan was that Michelle and I would have time in Canberra

doing really wonderful things together.

Now, this was my first trip to Canberra, and I really didn't know where I was going,

and I also had this huge responsibility of looking after this young companion of mine.

Now, for those of you who know Canberra, there are these really, really large roundabouts in Canberra,

and when I say large, they go all around Parliament House,

and if I remember correctly, there's two layers, but I'm not absolutely certain,

but I just know that they're big, and they go around in a circle.

And so, you need to know where you are going when you go to Canberra.

You need to know which exit to get off to get to the place that you're going,

and unfortunately, I didn't know that piece of information.

So, I spent a lot of time going around and around and around and around,

not knowing which exit was the one I was needing to get off to take my little companion for a fun day.

Now, my little companion was more and more distressed,

distressed because she saw the same things over and over and over again.

When I say distressed, she was in tears and telling me I want to go home.

So, we were really not in a good place at that moment in time.

But in Galatians, it's a little bit like going around on a roundabout

because we seem to be seeing the same message over and over again,

and yet, it's a message that we too forget over and over as well.

So, we need to try and set a new pattern, I think.

Now, Paul's concentration and his central concern here is that he wants the Galatians to be right with God.

This is of grave importance to Paul, and it's of grave importance to us as well,

that we also know that we are right with God.

We already know from previous sermons that Paul is combating the issue that there are Jewish Christians

who are telling the Gentile Christians that to be saved, they first have to believe Jesus,

then they obey a whole bunch of the laws, and then they are saved.

And Paul's reminding them that what has to happen is that you believe Jesus,

and then you're saved, and then you go on obeying God.

Now, the law, being all the rules, all the regulations that we've spoken of over the last few weeks,

the food restrictions, circumcision, ceremonial ways of doing worship.

So, let's today think of three things.

Now, for my community group people who like to have three points, here's your three points.

The three points are going to be, and mind you, it is only three points because the passage actually does this for us very neatly.

What we're going to look at is what is the gospel from verses 10 to 14?

What is Paul asking of the Galatians in verses 1 to 5?

And what witness does Paul bring in to give us in verses 6 to 9?

So, what's the gospel in verses 10 to 14?

Well, scripture tells us it's all about Jesus' life, death, and resurrection,

that we will be saved if we believe in him.

We are justified, that is, we are made right with God, and we are no longer condemned.

We receive this through grace if we believe in him.

That's what all of the Bible keeps telling us.

And it seems so simple to believe in Jesus.

But the Galatians were being encouraged to believe that it wasn't enough.

And we too fall into that same trap of thinking that it cannot be that simple.

You see, doing good is a natural default setting for all humans.

Many believe that God will love you more if you are busy doing good things,

or that by doing good things, that's the way that you get to God.

It's either about your place in heaven or God loving you.

Now, remember in the first sermon that Sam did on this Galatians,

he mentioned the two diagnostic questions that Evangelism Explosion talks about.

The first one being, if you were to die tonight, where would you wake up?

And the second one being, if you were to die and you wake up in heaven and God says to you,

why should I let you into my kingdom, what would you say?

Now, I've been around using those two questions in actual fact for many years,

for about 40 years.

I have used those same questions.

And I can tell you there is a massive percentage of answers that I have received over the years

that most people would actually say, well, I've actually been pretty good

and I've tried to do the right thing.

And, you know, and it's about how good I have been as a person.

And that comes from Christian people too, let me say.

So we all fall into this trap that we're talking about today.

Now, the law or obedience to the law won't get you to God

and doing good deeds for salvation won't get you to God either.

Why is that?

Well, verse 10 says,

For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse.

As it is written,

cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything that is written in the book of the law.

Now, those who live by the law,

who are relying on their obedience to the law,

their own moral achievements to make them right with God

are under a curse.

And it is as bad as it sounds.

It means devoted to damnation

or devoted to destruction.

And Paul is saying the very law that you Galatians are looking to

to make you right with God

actually teaches that you are in big, big trouble.

So Paul is warning them,

do not do it.

Verses 11 to 12 says,

Clearly, no one who relies on the law is justified before God

because the righteous will live by faith.

The law is not based on faith.

On the contrary, it says,

the person who does these things will live by them.

Obeying the law can't do enough to save you.

Notice Paul assumes that they're going to fail in this.

And he points out that it has always been God's intention from the beginning

that one is saved by faith.

Faith is about trust.

It's about entrusting yourself to another.

So he's saying we are only made righteous,

we are only rescued from the curse and God's wrath

through putting our faith in the one

who has perfectly obeyed and fulfilled the will of God.

That is Jesus Christ.

Think about it.

Jesus is the only one who has never been under a curse

and Paul is saying that's where you look.

You look to Jesus.

That's where you put your faith.

If you put your faith in him,

you will be forgiven of your sins.

You will be declared innocent by God.

You will be made right with God.

The curse will be lifted.

But the question comes how.

How is putting my faith in this man Jesus going to save me

and do what the law cannot do?

And Paul tells us in verse 13,

excuse me,

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law

by becoming a curse for us.

For it is written, cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.

Now friends, as I look around the room,

there should be great smiles on your faces

because this is the best news ever.

This is the message of the Christian faith.

This is what God is inviting you to believe and to be saved by.

How did he do it?

He did it by going to a tree,

by going to the cross,

by being crucified.

After having lived a sinless life,

he did this to ransom us.

On the cross,

he became our substitute.

He took our place.

He made atonement.

He made payment for the debt that we owed God.

He substituted himself and paid what we could not pay.

Being crucified is horrific.

But what is worse and what is more scandalous

is the wrath of God that was put on Jesus

instead of putting it on us.

God did not withhold anything.

Jesus redeemed us from the curse

by becoming a curse for us.

And do you know what is quite stunning here?

If we put our faith in Christ to save us

in the same supernatural way,

he takes away our sin

and the eternal punishment we deserve

because we've disobeyed him.

He gives us his righteousness.

He gives us his moral perfection

so we are declared as seen as innocent

before God the Father.

He doesn't just take away our sins.

That would be enough.

He then gives us his perfect record.

The one who obeyed perfectly says,

now what I've done,

it's as if you have done it.

If you put your faith in me.

He clothes us with robes of righteousness.

Now Athanasius,

who is one of the early church fathers

in the fourth century,

he called this the glorious exchange.

That Christ, the Son of God,

got the punishment

and took the punishment of an enemy of God

so we, who are the enemies of God,

could receive blessings of sons and daughters of God.

It's the glorious exchange that occurs.

Believing in this,

putting your hope in this

and living by this

is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian.

So the gospel that Paul taught the Galatians

was one of grace.

It has always been

and it always will be

about grace.

Now,

having seen what the gospel is,

what does Paul ask

of the Galatians

in verses one to five?

He says this,

you foolish Galatians,

who has bewitched you?

Before your very eyes,

Jesus Christ was portrayed as crucified.

I would like to learn just one thing from you.

Did you receive the spirit by observing the law

or by believing what you heard?

Are you so foolish?

After beginning by the means of the spirit,

are you now trying to finish

by the means of the flesh?

Have you experienced so much in vain,

if it really was in vain?

So again,

I ask you,

does God give you his spirit

and work miracles among you

because you observe the works of the law

or by what you heard?

So many questions

in that one paragraph.

So much concern

from Paul to the Galatians.

So brash

was Paul

that he calls

the Galatians,

whom he loves,

he calls them fools.

Now we've already seen

what Paul had taught

the Galatians,

that the gospel is by grace alone

through faith alone.

But there's

an important premise

that Paul is pointing out here.

That is,

once you have become

a Christian,

how do you then move ahead?

Did you see that?

He says,

after beginning

by the means of the spirit,

are you now trying

to finish

by means of the flesh?

So the way you become,

the way you come

into faith

is exactly

the same way

that you advance

in the Christian faith.

We don't change

the message.

Remember the two orders

that Steve mentioned

last week

and I mentioned

right at the beginning

of this.

There's a religious order

that says

that you start

with belief

in Jesus,

you obey the commandments

and then you are saved.

This isn't a gospel

at all.

And then there is

the gospel order

that says

that you believe

in Jesus,

you are saved

and then

you obey

and you follow Jesus.

the Galatians

had it back

to front

and are being

reminded

to remember

what they had

first heard.

But let me remind you,

we are not saved

to then just

please ourselves.

Ephesians 2.10

says,

for we are God's

handiwork

created in Christ

Jesus

to do good works

which God prepared

in advance

for us to do.

One of our core values

here at St. Paul's

is servant,

to be servant-hearted,

servant leadership.

That isn't because

we just want to fill

rosters,

let me tell you.

it's because

it sends a message

and the message

is all about

your heart.

It's about our heart

when we want to serve.

It tells us something

of what is going on

within you.

Now what is fascinating

in our Galatians verses

is that Paul reminds them

that it was before

their very eyes

that they saw Jesus

crucified.

But we know

that that wasn't

the case at all.

The Galatians

didn't see physically

the crucifixion

of Jesus.

But the interesting

thing is

what the Bible does,

the Bible actually

uses sensory language.

And the Bible

uses it.

Once you've actually

got the intellectual

knowledge,

it then,

that intellectual

knowledge

and Steve

mentioned this

in different words

last week,

it needs to become

heart.

But it becomes

a heart belief

and then the Bible

uses a sensory language

when it becomes

a heart belief.

It's so real

and it's so vivid

that it's as if

you were personally

there at the crucifixion

witnessing what Jesus

was doing

for them personally

and for us

personally as well.

Hence the sensory language.

Another example

of this sensory language

is in Ephesians

118

where Paul actually

says,

I pray also

that the eyes

of your heart

may be enlightened.

Paul wants

the Ephesians

here

to know

the hope

of the gospel

that it doesn't

just remain

a concept

but it becomes

a heart truth.

so it's the eyes

of their heart

seeing something

from the heart.

Now how does one

become a Christian?

You get the facts,

you trust

and have faith,

that is believe

and you become

righteous.

God sees

Jesus

in us.

Now Paul

is pointing out

that when the

Galatians

became Christians

they stopped

relying

on

the law

and they trusted

God

would accept them.

That's what happened

at the beginning

and God gives

his spirit

not because

you observe

the law

but because

you believe

and the gift

of the spirit

then leads

you through

life

and how

you then

obey God.

you don't

get into

faith

and then

you turn

around

and you try

really really

hard to stay

in the faith.

That then

would be no

gospel at all.

Remember

verse 10

says

that we

covered

if you want

to continue

in keeping

the law

then you are

under a curse.

So

what is Paul

asking

of the Galatians?

He's asking

them to

remember

remember

the gospel

remember

the freedom

in Christ

remember

as if you

have just

become

a Christian

today

remember

the joy

remember

what you

saw

when the

scales

dropped

from your

eyes

remember

co-remembers

the moment

when they

were singing

a particular

song

alternatively

so just

remember

if

and if

you are

here today

and you

cannot

remember

a time

when the

gospel

came alive

to you

then just

maybe

you've never

really

understood

it at all

so today

could be

your day

see

taste

hear

all

the words

that

Galatians

is saying

to us

today

alternatively

if you

are here

today

and you

give

agreement

to

the life

of Jesus

you

know

something

of

there was

a death

and a

resurrection

but you

are choosing

to live

life as

you wish

to ordain

your days

your way

then let me

tell you

this

you have

not believed

the gospel

at all

if you

are doing

that

just

believing

God

and

knowing

that there

is a

God

is not

enough

in James

2

19

it says

you believe

that there

is one

God

good

even

the demons

believe

that

and they

shudder

so verse

5 says

that God

gives us

his spirit

it doesn't

say that

God gave

his spirit

it's not

a once

only action

it's a

continuous

action

we

continually

need to

believe

and have

faith

we can

still

struggle

in life

but in

every area

of our

life

we want

to

appropriate

the gospel

message

and become

like

Jesus

it won't

happen

completely

until Jesus

returns

but we

need to

be continually

repenting

and moving

toward

Jesus

allowing

Jesus

and his

spirit

to actually

work on

us

and change

us

to be

like

Jesus

and

struggles

come in

many

different

ways

sometimes

it will

be our

pride

fears

jealousy

envy

bitterness

and

unforgiving

spirit

anger

both

passive

and aggressive

and many

many more

instead of

just hoping

that God

will remove

them or

simply

exercising

willpower

against

them

we

might

be

should

be

asking

ourselves

what

do I

wrongly

believe

in

what do

I

wrongly

believe

is being

held

withheld

in order

for me

to feel

complete

for me

to feel

as if I

have hope

to be a

person of

worth

what is it

that I'm

wrongly

believing

in

for that

to occur

we might

be wanting

comfort

above all

things

and someone

has made

our lives

harder

we might

be worshipping

other people's

approval

but let me

tell you

comfort

and control

and approval

and many

many other

things

they are

functional

saviours

and when

they are

blocked

we get

bitter

only

when we

set our

eyes

on Jesus

for our

everything

and say

there is

no better

way in

life than

Jesus

will we

move ahead

and start

the journey

of becoming

like him

it will

only

be when

we say

Jesus

is our

everything

we fail

in this

journey

because we

forget

what we

heard

just like

the Galatians

had forgotten

what they

had heard

so what

is Paul

asking the

Galatians

to do

he's asking

them to

remember

the gospel

and to

walk in

obedience

we all

need

to preach

that gospel

to ourselves

day by day

as well

now we've

seen what

the gospel

is and

we've seen

what Paul

has asked

of the

Galatians

now for

his argument

here in

this letter

he has

this master

stroke to

bring in a

witness of

one who

lived by

faith and

was credited

to him as

righteous

and who

is this

person

verse 6

says

consider

Abraham

Abraham

who was

way back

not in the

New Testament

but right at

the very

beginning of

the Bible

Abraham

is the

witness

he's going

to call

in

Abraham

no less

by using

Abraham

Paul

will show

these Gentiles

why they

have been

bewitched

so from

Genesis

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12

1 to

3

it says

the father

of Jews

is Abraham

the people

of Israel

began

when God

promised

Israel's

ancestor

Abraham

that he

would make

his descendants

into a

great nation

living in a

God given

land

and blessed

by God

this is a

man who

lived 430

years

before

the law

that the

Galatians

are being

told that

they have

to actually

obey

before that

law was

even given

verse 6

says

just as

Abraham

believed

God

and it

was

credited

to him

as

righteousness

being

credited

being

an

accounting

term

that

means

to

confer

a

status

or a

status

on

something

that

wasn't

there

before

so what

does it

mean

that

Abraham's

faith

was

credited

to him

as

righteousness

of course

faith in

God's

word

and promise

results

in

righteousness

if we

believe

God

exists

and that

we owe

him

our

obedience

and

worship

then out

of that

will

flow

righteous

living

but here

we have

something

more

when the

Bible

tells us

that God

credits

Abraham's

faith

as

righteous

it means

that God

is treating

Abraham

as if

he were

living

a righteous

life

the lesson

here is

that when

someone

is credited

righteous

by God

he is

conferring

this legal

status

on him

he treats

them as

actually

righteous

and free

from

condemnation

even though

they are

still unrighteous

in their

heart and

behaviour

they have

not been

made perfect

at this

stage

but they

are justified

Paul and

Abraham

are showing

that it

is possible

to be

loved

and accepted

by God

while we

ourselves

are still

sinful

and imperfect

and we

know from

scripture

that Abraham

made some

really foolish

mistakes

and decisions

whilst waiting

for God's

promise

to be

fulfilled

so here

in Galatians

Paul is

saying to

do what

Abraham

did

first

believe

the gospel

message

believe

God

and second

have faith

in God's

provision

not in

our

performance

live

knowing

that God

provides

what else

does Abraham

teach the

Galatians

and us

we are

spiritual

children of

Abraham

we become

part of a

spiritual

family

of Abraham

by faith

the gospel

was preached

beforehand

to Abraham

and it

echoes

all the way

into eternity

from the

beginning of the

Bible to the

very end of the

Bible

is this

whole story

so ultimately

the good news

in the Old

Testament

is the good

news of

Jesus Christ

and this

gospel message

is for the

nations

we have a

global God

and a

global

message

Abraham

has much

to say

to us

here in

Galatians

but we'll

hear a lot

more about

Abraham

next week

so what

have we

covered

we've seen

the glorious

exchange

that is the

gospel message

we've been

told to

remember

this gospel

message

remember

remember

when Christ

came to

you

and we

have shared

in the

witness

of Abraham

clarifying

that it

is through

faith

that one

is saved

and made

righteous

men

can