Sermons

Theme: Because of the Cross our identity is in Christ Points: 1. We are Dead 2. We are Alive 3. We are Loved

Patience is one segment of the fruit of the Spirit which is developed by the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. So how healthy is that segment in your life? And if you are patient, what are you patient for? What perspective does your patience have? This is a challenging subject, but to reflect on it properly we must begin with God.

The Professions of Faith of Hannah, Bronwyn & Troy and Jane. In the final sermon in our Galatians series, we learn Paul wrote this last passage of Galatians in his own hand, imploring his audience to listen. We put our hope in Jesus, we have nothing to boast in. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and the work he did on the Cross!

In this passage of Galatians Paul defines a spiritual person as someone who manifests the fruit of the spirit. The church is urged to live in the Spirit with humility, desiring the good of other people and avoid strife, division and pride.

Gerald exhorts Christians to live a spiritual life – a life where the focus is living more like Jesus. He makes three points: the need for the Christian to crucify the sinful nature, the need of the Christian to live in step with the spirit and the need to not live conceited lives.

In the Old Testament the Israelites were set free out of Egypt but wanted to go back into slavery. When God frees us from the slavery of sin we often want to go back to our sin. However, God has made us and set us free for a purpose. What is our purpose and what is true freedom?

This thought should cause us all to feel uncomfortable. If legalism lurks amongst the religious, then it lurks in me and you and we need to keep a good look out for it and recognise it when we see it. This lurking legalism should cause us all to examine our own hearts. We can ask ourselves the question as to whether our salvation is more dependent on faith in God or in what we do or don’t do? We can also ask ourselves the question as to whether something good has become something essential.

Brad goes through this analogy that Paul uses so that those we can understand the difference between living according to the law and living with a knowledge of the grace of God.

When we live with a belief in justification by faith alone, we can live with joy. As soon as we slip and move towards works as a failed means of being right with God we end up moving towards formalism and the repercussions of that are a lack of joy and a judgmental attitude.

Paul can’t believe the Galatian Christians are turning back to the Law, as a means of being right with God. Paul explains how the law increases the trespass and urges them to hold on to the Gospel as the only means of being right with God.

Steven discusses the difference between a son and a slave. The difference between keeping the law as a means of salvation and faith in the Lord Jesus.

Guest preacher Philip spoke about having the right tools for the job which in terms of our salvation is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

It is easy to see how we can drift from an understanding of justification by faith alone to some sort of works righteousness. Even Simon Peter did so!

The Gospel binds people of different backgrounds, different minds together.

Paul defends himself to the Galatian Christians as he is under attack. He explains that his faith is real and that he is a servant of God. Those who promote another Gospel are doing their best to undermine his apostleship.  

Luther is the key figure, arguably the most important person, to bring about the “Reformation” of the church that swept through Europe in the 16th Century. Basically, the founder of any non- Roman Catholic Church and non-Eastern Orthodox Church lies Luther. Martin Luther described the Book of Galatians this way, “The Epistle to the Galatians is my epistle. To it I am in wedlock. It is my Katherine.” Martin Luther considered Galatians the best book in the Bible. It has been called the • “Battle Cry of the Reformation,” • “the great charter of Christian Freedom,” • “The Magna Carta of the Christian faith.”

Do you ever say one thing and then do another? Paul opposes Peter in this passage because Peter, being convinced and convicted of the truth of the gospel, yet acts in such a way as to deny that truth. Peter was not acting in line with the gospel, but hypocritically, out of fear and consequently influenced others to do the same. This is a key moment in the future of the gospel. Upon the outcome of what takes place stands the doctrine of justification and the truth that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. Like Paul, Christians today must be aware of their influence as ambassadors for Christ and must be careful not to act out of fear of people. We must be careful of hypocrisy that believes one thing and does another.

In this short passage, we find that Paul opposes Peter. Why does he do this? What would have been at stake if he had not? What was it that Peter was doing and why was he acting this way? We see that while believing one thing, he does another. We discover this was no mere straying from the path but something that could have divided the church perhaps irreparably. But more so, it undermined the gospel and of the truth that we are saved by grace alone through faith. Christians are justified and made right with God because of what he has done for us and our faith in his work alone.