Galatians 3
But Isn’t Grace Dangerous? For several months now we have been hammering home the notion that salvation is by grace, not by works, not by law-keeping, and not by adherence to religious rules and regulations. But I suspect more than a few of you have paused to wonder, “If one accepts the notion that salvation is by grace, and if one rejects the law as instrumental in either salvation or sanctification, isn’t there a danger that people will become lawless and conclude…
Galatians 3
How to Turn Legalistic Homes and Churches into Havens of Grace Jean Jacques Rosseau began his famous treatise, The Social Contract, with these famous words: “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” I would like to paraphrase that slightly: “Man is born‑again free and yet everywhere we see him going back to the chains that bound him before his conversion.” I see two common kinds of slavery among Christian people. One is a slavery to worldliness–materialism, sinful pleasures, and spiritual…
Galatians 3:1-5
THE SIN RELIGIOUS PEOPLE ARE PROUD OF Most people are not proud of sin in their lives. Oh, a star athlete may brag about the number of women he has conquered, and it’s not too difficult to find a fraternity brother who boasts of how often he gets drunk. But the average person doesn’t hang his or her dirty laundry out for everyone to see. Christians, I think, are especially reluctant to have their sin exposed–partly because they are embarrassed to have let…
Galatians 3:6-14
Who Is a True Jew? Anti-semitism is one of the horrible realities of the 20th century; in fact, it has been a reality for three and a half millennium. But it has always been difficult for me to understand. I grew up in a home where Jewish people were loved and respected. When I was a kid growing up in St. Louis my father was on the board of the Messianic Witness, a mission to the Jews. I went to Clayton High School when it…
Galatians 3:15-25
Why, Then, the Law? For two months now you’ve heard again and again from this pulpit that obedience to the Law, or human effort of any kind, cannot save a person. After all, that’s one of the principal messages of the book of Galatians. No matter how long your list of religious rules and regulations, and no matter how diligent you have been in trying to keep them, you know you have failed to keep them completely or consistently, and so it…
Galatians 3:26-4:11
To Hear the audio to this sermon click on the LISTEN button above! Why Should a Son (or Daughter) Act Like a Slave? To listen to this sermon click on the LISTEN button above. To LISTEN to this sermon click on the LISTEN button above. In August we started a study of the NT book of Galatians. We have discovered that the principal theme of the book of Galatians is that we are saved by believing, not by achieving. No person can…
Galatians 4:12-20
What Has Happened to All Your Joy? Did you know there is no such thing as a joyful legalist? Think about it for a moment. I’ll bet you can’t think of a single person who is both a committed legalist and a joyful person. And I’m positive you can’t name a legalistic church that is known for its joy. I don’t mean a legalist can’t laugh, or that he has no happiness in his life. He can talk about joy. He can claim joy. He can act…
Galatians 4:21-31
Two Sons, Two Covenants When I was in Seminary my homiletics professor waxed eloquent on more than one occasion on the advantages of expository preaching, as opposed to topical preaching or textual preaching. Among the advantages he reiterated were that it keeps the preacher from riding hobby horses, it gives the people a balanced diet, and it allows the Bible to speak for itself. There is another important factor which I don’t recall my prof mentioning, namely that expository preaching forces…
Galatians 5:1-12
The Only Thing that Counts I heard about a preacher of the last century who preached on the same text, John 3:16, every Sunday for five consecutive years and never preached the same sermon. Well, I’ve been accused of preaching the same sermon for the past three months, only from four different chapters. And in a sense that’s true. Virtually every paragraph of the Book of Galatians from the first verse has employed a different way of saying the same thing, namely that…
Galatians 5:19-21
Sinnerama! Turn with me please to one of the most discouraging passages in the entire Bible, but also one of the most realistic and relevant, Galatians 5:19-21: The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; {20} idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions {21} and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom…
Galatians 5:13-18
And Now for the Rest of the Story . . . Paul Harvey had a wonderful way of telling stories. He led you along thinking you knew exactly where he was headed, and then before you knew what hit you he would introduce a surprise ending with the phrase, “And now for the rest of the story . . .” In a sense that’s what the Apostle Paul does here in Galatians. For five chapters he has been denouncing legalism and pressing…
Galatians 5:22-25
In Pursuit of the Fruit If over the past five months our study of Galatians has succeeded in getting you to identify aspects of legalism in your own life, convinced you that God hates it, and opened your heart to the freedom that is available in Christ, then we have accomplished something very important. If last week’s message helped you identify some of the desires of the sinful nature in your life, convinced you that these acts and attitudes are…