Galatians 3:23

What difference does the birth of Jesus Christ make anyway? Answering that question that the letter to the Galatians might not be the first place you think to go to in the Bible.

You'd probably go to Luke's Gospel wouldn't you or Matthew's Gospel in the New Testament and they would be good places to go to if you wanted to find out about the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas time.

But the Apostle Paul here gives us an alternative to the famous nativity accounts that we know so well.

This is Paul's take on the birth of Jesus Christ.

He pulls back the theological curtains on the nativity scene and the reason why the birth in Bethlehem was so significant, just picture it for a moment.

The smelly animals and the baby crying, the chaos and the muck of the cattle shed.

It sounds like a prison cell, doesn't it?

Unless it felt like that for the Son of God.

To willingly contract himself down into a seven or eight pound baby.

Into the custody of a human body.

The restriction and the captivity of that.

But the Apostle Paul thinks of that rather than as a day of captivity, as a day of release.

As a day of freedom.

As a day of emancipation for all of humanity.

And listen to the words that he uses to describe life, the situation, before the first Christmas.

He uses words like captive in verse 23.

Imprisoned.

Under a guardian or a warden.

In that moment where the Son of God, the eternal Son of God, took on human flesh.

He added to him the restriction of a human body becoming contracted.

He is in custody.

And yet we are somehow released.

And it's so true, isn't it?

With presents, the best ones are the ones that you don't think to ask for.

And if someone knows you really, really well, they can get you a present like that, can't they?

Without you giving them your Amazon wish list.

When you don't just say, how did you know it's always what I wanted?

But actually, how did you know when I didn't even know it's what I always wanted?

And Paul shows us here that that is what happened at Christmas time.

God sent a gift.

The gift of Jesus.

The gift that we didn't even know we needed ourselves.

Because first off, he says, before Jesus came, number one, we were imprisoned.

We were imprisoned.

Just look at verse 23.

Now, before faith came, we were held captive under the law.

Imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.

The birth of Jesus Christ makes a difference because before it happened, Paul says, we were held captive.

Before Jesus arrived, we lived behind bars.

In an invisible prison.

With walls and a floor and a ceiling.

And we couldn't see that prison physically around us.

But it was a prison that was real and it kept us from being free.

Really free.

It made us feel a kind of bondage.

And a restriction.

He says, we were held captive under the law.

Let me give you a bit of background on that letter to the Galatians that we're reading today.

We've jumped in halfway through, haven't we?

We've kind of jumped in a bit cold, really.

Paul writes this letter to a group of churches who are a mixture of Jewish converts to Christianity and non-Jews.

And Galatians is one of the most brutal letters that Paul writes to a group of Christians.

Things are pretty dire.

Earlier in the letter, he says, you've departed from the true gospel to a different false message.

And there are some among them who want to distort the good news of Jesus.

They particularly want to add some Jewish practices.

They want to keep some Old Testament Bible laws like circumcision and like certain religious Jewish days.

And that is what Paul means when he talks about the law here.

But he says to them, why would you want to add those laws onto the wonderful message about Jesus?

That is bizarre behaviour.

And one reason for that is that the law was designed not to set you free, but partly as a prison.

The law was designed and given to you to keep you in a cell.

He says, verse 23, it held us captive.

You could use that word captive to describe the kind of time before a person is kind of judged and sentenced in court.

It's like being held in a holding cell in a local police station.

They're kept in police custody or by the court authorities.

Kept until a further day when proceedings can go further.

That is the kind of thing that's going on here.

So if you open up the Old Testament and you go to the books of the law,

Leviticus and Deuteronomy and in other places,

you can see that law in all of its glorious detail,

keeping the festivals and the feasts,

making sacrifices, giving free will offerings,

giving offerings, giving compulsory offerings,

having ceremonial washings,

wearing certain types of clothing,

not wearing this kind of clothing,

cutting your hair in a certain way,

not cutting your hair in that way,

eating certain foods, not eating those foods,

and on and on and on.

There was so much that you had to do as an Old Testament Jew.

And part of, not all of it,

but part of the design of the law, Paul says,

was to make you realise that you are trapped.

Clean your house in a certain way.

Not in this way, but in this way.

Bake bread in a certain way,

not with yeast, this way.

Using utensils for this and not for that.

Dealing with skin diseases.

Where to go to the toilet.

Not here, but over here.

All the fine details of ceremonies and the days

and the practices were given by God,

and they were good,

but at the same time,

they were to make God's people feel like

they were scratching off the days in the prison cell.

They were constructed to give them longing

for a freedom that they didn't have.

A freedom that they knew

they couldn't get for themselves.

It was, wasn't it,

the prison of perfection.

Keep this good and holy law,

and all of these laws,

and you must keep all of it

to be pleasing to God.

I don't know if you've worn

virtual reality goggles ever.

They're really weird.

I don't know if you've tried it.

I did it once in a doctor's surgery.

He was looking at my spine,

with issues with that,

and then you kind of go in the room,

and it was a chiropractor,

and it was a bit of a grotty room,

to be honest.

Kind of dark and a bit dingy,

with a little kind of old chair in the corner.

But he put this virtual reality headset on me,

and the room transformed.

It was amazing.

Everything was clean.

There was a plant plot

with flowers in the corner.

And then he suddenly brought this projection

of my own body.

where you could see the spine.

And I was like,

who is this guy?

He is incredible.

He has got a six-pack

and pecs.

And then you take off the goggles.

And you remember where you are,

and exactly who you are again.

And the law functioned like that.

The law told you,

get real with yourself,

and take off the goggles.

The law showed them

who they really were,

and where they really were.

The reality is,

it said to them,

you are in a prison

of your own inability

to be right with God.

It was a prison

that taught God's people

that life,

and freedom,

and holiness

cannot be done

ultimately in these things

for you.

By your own efforts.

So the law,

part of it,

made them unsatisfied.

Perfection is required.

The prison told them,

nobody's perfect.

And it was to drive them

away from themselves,

and towards God,

to help them.

It was to drive them

towards faith,

Paul says.

Verse 24.

The law was a guardian,

and not in a positive sense there.

The word is more like a warden.

The law drove them

to faith in God,

as the one who makes us

right with him.

The law wasn't given

so that they could earn

friendship with God,

but precisely to show them

that they couldn't do that.

But they had to trust.

They had to have faith

in the God

who could make it work.

And that is why

Paul mentions Abraham

in verse 29,

because that is exactly

what happened with Abraham.

That Abraham is the kind of

father of the faith,

isn't he?

And do you remember

the story of Abraham?

God asks Abraham,

he kind of appears

to Abraham,

and he asks Abraham

to obey him

and to trust in him.

And we're told

in Genesis,

Abraham believed God,

and that belief

was credited,

counted as righteousness

for Abraham.

Abraham.

And then the law

of God's people

didn't come

for centuries later

until the time

of Moses.

The law wasn't given

as the way

the people could be

made right with God.

It was given

afterwards

to keep them

looking to God

in faith,

just as Abraham

had first done.

Verse 25,

that they might

be justified

by faith.

When you die,

God will ask you,

won't he,

why should I let you

into heaven?

Why should I

justify you?

Why should I say

you are right

with me?

Is it by things

that you have done

in this life?

Or is it because

you believed

I could do it?

I've told this story

before of an old

monk and a student.

And the student

asks his master

for advice

in life.

What's the key?

And the older monk

says to the student,

go back to your cell

and your cell

will teach you

everything.

And the law

is like that.

The law is the

prison facility

that teaches

much about ourselves

and why we need

Jesus.

The incessant,

scrupulous,

detailed,

all-pervading laws

spoke to them

of their inadequacy.

So if you imagine

in any way,

you might not have

grown up

with Jewish religion,

you might not,

this might be the

first time you've

heard any of this,

but if you imagine

in any way

that you are going

to make yourself

right with God,

if you are good

enough to do that,

or that you are

living a good life

and God thinks

that is okay

and you can be

justified,

the law says

just take off

the goggles.

Because it took

them an age

to realise

that that is

absolute baloney.

by the end of it

they were saying,

weren't they,

I'm a sinner,

let me out of here,

let me out.

Before Jesus came

we were held

captive

by our own

sin

and our own

inability

and the law

proved that to us

just as surely

as a concrete

prison would prove

that we are

held captive.

So when Jesus

was born

we were held

captive

but secondly

then faith

came to set us

free.

Faith came to

set us free

and the story

goes of a prison

in the US

where at

twenty past twelve

one Saturday

morning

a glitch

in the security

system

simultaneously

unlocked

all five hundred

cell doors

and just imagine

the look on the

warden's face

as he kind of saw

that on the CCTV

the doors like

dominoes

swinging open

Paul says

until Christ

came

we were under

a warden

but now

faith has come

we are no longer

under a guardian

or a warden

but it's not a

glitch

it is that

a child

has been born

in the prison

and the doors

swing open

Paul says

he is

in this passage

talking about

the birth

of Jesus

Christ

but it's

strange how

he describes

that moment

isn't it

who came

into the world

at Christmas

Paul

look at how

he described it

verse 25

now

faith

has come

he says it

in the same way

in verse 23

before faith

came

we were held

captive

now we are

on the same

page here

aren't we

because verse 24

he elaborates

he says

until Christ

came

so we know

he's talking

about the

coming of the

Lord Jesus

we're on the

same page

we are talking

about the

incarnation

but why say

faith

came

when Jesus

arrived

a coming

faith

that would

be revealed

is he saying

that before

Jesus came

there was

no faith

and then

suddenly people

started to have

this faith

well of course

not

that is the

point about

Abraham

isn't it

he was the

father of

faith

it started

with him

he was the

first to say

I can't do

this God

but I'll

trust in you

now what

he's saying

is that

Jesus came

as the

person

and the

object

that all

those with

true faith

have looked

to

in the

past

he is

the one

he is

the object

of faith

he is

what this

faith is

in

so much

so that

when he

arrives

faith

has found

its goal

faith has

arrived

and him

as the

object

of faith

until

Christmas

time

was not

revealed

Paul says

revealed

means literally

discovered

there is

a sense

that before

Jesus'

birth

the object

of Abraham's

faith

as he

trusted in

God

and Moses'

faith

and David's

faith

and everyone

up until now

they trusted in

God's promises

to make them

right with him

they believed

God

and they acted

based on what

they couldn't

see

and they were

kind of in

this dark

room

and the

furniture

was all

in place

they just

needed to

trust God

for them

to believe

his word

and his

promises

but when

Jesus

arrives

it's as if

the light

is switched

on in

the room

and he

becomes

clear

as the

one that

they've been

believing in

all along

we've been

in this

prison

perfectly

designed

by God

to make

us long

for God

himself

to come

and deal

with our

sins

and each

piece of

law is

like another

bar on

the window

making us

cry out

in faith

for a

saviour

for a

jailbreaker

for one

to finally

fulfil all

these righteous

demands

and the

more we've

lived in

this prison

of perfection

the more

faith rises

and says

not me

but you

God

but now

the goal

of that

faith is

fleshed out

quite literally

and Jesus

is going

to come

and glitch

the prison

doors

by coming

and living

out the

law

by coming

and living

as a

man

being born

under the

law

himself

and completing

every single

element of it

and offering

the ultimate

sacrifice

of all

sacrifices

he will

bring

complete

satisfaction

of the

law

he will

bring

absolute

fulfilment

of this

law

so he

comes

into the

prison

he lives

life

and he

dies a

death

in perfect

obedience

he lives

in the

cell

and he

meets

all the

requirements

of this

prison

he goes

to the

mess hall

and he

lives in

solitary

confinement

and he

is in

the yard

and he

is on

death

row

and the

warden

meets him

and there

is nothing

he can

say to

accuse

Jesus

it is as

if the

prison is

so enamoured

with the

perfection

of this

man

he is

its

master

and the

prison has

met its

match

the builder

and finisher

of this

law

and so

as he

enters the

law

the walls

just kind

of feel

a bit

pointless

and a

bit

redundant

and the

walls

crack

and crumble

and the

whole

edifice

of the

law

crows

down

to him

and it

breathes a

sigh of

relief

Jesus

comes

so the

warden

collects his

things

puts it in

a cardboard

box

and leaves

for good

and we

don't need

him

anymore

his

purpose

was to

make us

long for

another

and over

an age

of God's

people

the prison

was made

to make

the prisoners

long for

someone in

faith

who could

fulfil it

on their

behalf

and now

that someone

has come

in the

flesh

and don't

get me wrong

here because

I'm not saying

that the law

of the Old

Testament in

every respect

is to be

forgotten

I want that

to be really

clear

it continues

to be a

perfect rule

of righteousness

for us

today

but in the

sense that

the law

might be

used to

earn salvation

or as a

gruelling

demonstration of

what is needed

to be righteous

Paul says

elsewhere

the law

in that sense

is now

dead to us

the walls

of our

inability

and slavery

crumble

because there

is one

who has

done his

time

and by

doing so

he's done

all of our

time

he's busted

us out

you may have

seen a book

that came out

a few years

ago called

the year of

living

big biblically

one man's

humble quest

to follow the

bible as

literally as

possible

by AJ

Jacobs

it's kind of

funny but

interesting

points

this guy

he basically

tries to

live his

life in

New York

City

for one

year

following as

many of

the rules

in the

Old Testament

that he

can find

so he

tries wearing

clothes without

mixed fibres

in them

he avoids

certain foods

he tries to

do the whole

thing

but in the end

he concludes

he found it

virtually impossible

to do it all

not least because

he was living in

20th century

New York

but he really

actually

misunderstands the

point of the

law anyway

it's quite a

shame

you get to the

end of the

book

he's just

not got

this

he misunderstands

the bible

if he thinks

that this year

was living

biblically

because that

was never the

purpose of the

law

living biblically

as the title

says

it is not about

the pursuit of

following the

rules

that life

acts as a

prison

this law

acts as a

prison to

tell you

you need

faith in

another

and so

with the

appearance of

Jesus in

the New

Testament

and the

first Jewish

apostles

they have to

get their

heads around

it

don't they

came

freedom

the freedom

to eat

sausages

wrapped in

bacon

or the

freedom

to wear

jeans

the freedom

to eat

brioche

the freedom

to cut

your hair

if it's

not prohibited

if it doesn't

damage your

conscience

or somebody

else's

conscience

you are

free to

do whatever

you like

free to

wear what

you like

you're free

to eat

what you

like

you're not

bound by

the law

you're free

from the

food regulations

you're free

from the

washing

regulations

you're free

from circumcision

praise be

you're free

from penance

you're free

from lighting

candles

and visiting

shrines

you're free

from eating

halal food

you're free

from having

to go on

pilgrimages

or making

sacrifices

you are

totally free

from guilt

and from

punishment

from God

you're free

from constantly

rating your

own performance

this is not

a place

where we come

to perform

is it

church

sometimes we

struggle to

believe that

you are free

though to

serve

and to

obey God

without dread

and fear

of punishment

the doors

of the law

as the way

of you being

right with

God

with the

God

who made

you

are

knocked

out

and you

are free

that is the

difference

that the

birth of

Jesus

makes

we were

captive

then

faith

came

but thirdly

then

and lastly

we are

now not

slaves

but sons

in Christ

we are

now not

slaves

but sons

in Christ

now it's

not just

that we

are freed

from the

law

but it's

that our

status

has changed

actually

look at

verse 26

for in

Christ

Jesus

you are

all

sons

of

God

through

faith

now this

is another

picture that

Paul uses

to talk

about

the Old

Testament

people of

God

he'll develop

it later

in the passage

that we'll

look at

next week

in chapter

4

but it's

as if

they were

living like

children

who lived

in a very

rich family

but earlier

before Jesus

appears

in their

spiritual

lives

they were

no different

to anyone

else in

the household

they were

like slaves

he says

chapter 4

verse 1

but now

that Christ

has come

they've

kind of

come of

age

in the

family

because of

Christ

they are

now

sons

in the

sense

that they

have

entitlement

to

inheritance

he says

they

verse 28

they've

put on

Christ

it's like

putting on

a coat

isn't it

if you think

about it

clothing

does

two

things

if you

put on

a great

big

coat

in the

winter

time

it

covers

you up

doesn't

it

and it

identifies

who you

are

the kind

of clothes

you wear

identify

you

so just

as a

coat

or garment

envelops

you

think of

a big

jacket

with

sheep's

wool

inside it

kind of

envelops

you

doesn't it

he says

to them

free

faith

you are

now

enveloped

in

Jesus

Christ

you are

united

to him

they've

become

members

of

God's

family

getting

a joint

account

with

him

and then

clothing

identifies

who you

are

too

a

uniform

or a

suit

or

overall

says

something

about

who

you

are

doesn't

it

there is

a garment

on these

believers

that identifies

them

as being

with

Christ

and in

Christ

so that

when God

looks at

you

he sees

this person

who is

enveloped

in the

perfection

of Jesus

you are

identified

with him

you wear

the uniform

that he

wears

and so

just as

the prison

walls

crumble

around

him

they

collapse

around

you

who

have

put

on

Christ

and

trust

in

him

notice

Paul

says

that

this

putting

on

of

Christ

happens

at

baptism

says

verse

27

as

many

of

you

have

been

baptized

into

Christ

have

put

on

Christ

I

love

the

Lord's

timing

with

these

kind

of

things

of

us

seeing

Emiko

being

baptized

today

what

happens

when

someone

is

baptized

it

is

a

kind

of

dressing

up

ceremony

being

baptized

is

to

put

on

Christ

to

be

enveloped

by

him

and

to

be

identified

in

him

so

if

you've

been

baptized

this

morning

imagine

yourself

with

this

great

garment

over

you

this

garment

of

righteousness

you

are

called

a

Christian

because

you

bear

Christ

he

envelops

you

and

identifies

you

you

are

in

him

like

a

hand

in

a

glove

baptism

like

Paul

said

it

doesn't

do

this

automatically

it

comes

by

faith

in

Jesus

the

perfect

one

elsewhere

Paul

talks

about

the

blessings

of

being

in

Christ

without

talking

about

baptism

but

in

a

very

real

and

in

a

very

profound

way

the

water

of

baptism

says

something

has

happened

to

you

you've

been

in

the

wardrobe

of

Jesus

Christ

and

you've

put

him

on

and

so

baptism

marks

out

the

end

of

this

law

for

you

because

you are

identified

with

him

and

in

him

the

jail

breaker

Dietrich

von

Hoffer

wrote

in

his

book

God

is

in

the

manger

he

said

life

in

a

prison

cell

may

well

be

compared

to

advent

one

waits

hopes

and

does

this

that

or

the

other

things

that

are

really

of

no

consequence

because

the

door

is

shut

and

can

only

be

opened

from

the

outside

and

he's

so

right

that

is

what

advent

is

about

for the

apostle

Paul

because

the

night

before

Christmas

and

leading

up to

Christmas

every

night

before

Christmas

since

the

first

man

and

woman

of

faith

in

this

God

is

a

night

of

waiting

waiting

for

captivity

to

end

in

this

unknown

and

unseen

prison

and

if

you

want

to

get

right

with

God

with

religious

activity

with

rituals

with

ceremony

with

superstition

with

special

days

and

with

special

meals

the

law

says

come

on

then

try

it

you

have

to

do

the

whole

thing

if

you're

going

to

do

it

complete

the

whole

law

and

all

of

the

law

but

Paul

says

to the

Galatians

come on

though

just

get

real

take

off

the

goggles

it

took

them

an

age

to

realise

that

far

from

being

a

way

in

the

law

was

a

barrier

to

keep

them

out

and

to

look

for

a

much

better

man

to

complete

it

in

their

stead

and

so

that

is

the

difference

that

Christmas

makes

to

you

God

comes

and

he

enters

into

the

prison

he

is

wrapped

in

swaddling

cloth

that

you

might

be

wrapped

in

Christ

faith

the

object

of

faith

comes

and

finds

its

goal

in

Jesus

that

you

might

be

clothed

as

a

fellow

son

and

just

as

we

close

if

all

this

is

new

to

you

let

me

finish

by

saying

you

need

God

in

ways

that

you

do

not

know

just

like

the

best

gifts

don't

limit

your

experience

of

God

to

what

you

think

you

can

ask

of

him

and

realize

ask

for

this

freedom

that

he

offers

you

a

gift

that

you

didn't

know

you

needed

a

freedom

to

be

justified

in

Christ

to

be

right

with

God

through

Christ

apart

from

the

law

which

leads

you

to

him

let's

pray