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Galatians 6:6-10 Sowing & Reaping

Sunday we look at Paul’s final exhortations before closing the letter to the Galatians. He is continuing to show us what keeping in step with the Spirit looks like in the body of Christ. In chapter 5, Paul pictured the Christian life as a battlefield. The flesh wars against the Spirit and the Spirit wars against the flesh. In 6:6-10, he describes the Christian life as a farm, where the Spirit and the flesh are fields where we sow seeds. Though these "sowing and reaping" verses are often misused and applied in all kinds of ways, Paul has not changed his subject. He is still talking about the fruit of the Spirit and the works of the flesh. He is still talking about keeping in step with the Spirit toward one another in the body. Because we know a harvest is coming, we are called to do good to all, especially those of the household of faith. 

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Galatians 6:1-5 Am I My Brother's Keeper

I am still trying to decide what the title of Sunday’s sermon should be. It will either be "Am I my brother’s keeper?" or "A Spirit-Filled Church." Honestly, both of these titles bring out Paul’s teaching in this final chapter of Galatians. After telling the Galatians not to use their freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but instead serve one another through love, Paul gave us specific examples of "the works of the flesh," and "the fruit of the Spirit." He ended chapter 5, giving believers a command. It isn’t "do better," or "work harder." He commands that believers keep in step with the Spirit, not becoming conceited or provoking one another. Galatians 6:1 is a continuation of this thought as Paul continues giving specific instructions about what "keeping in step with the Spirit" looks like in the body of Christ. It is believers gently restoring one another when they are caught in transgressions. The Judaizers in Galatia, who believed keeping laws makes people right with God, could do nothing for the sinner but bite and devour them. The law offers no redemption. But those who are spiritual (i.e. who have the Spirit) are restore such a person because we have the only means of restoration - repentance and faith in the gospel. In the same way, keeping in step with the Spirit means that believers bear one another’s burdens. Incredibly, Paul says bearing one another’s burdens fulfills the law of Christ. And he equates not bearing one another’s burdens with deceitful pride (6:2-3). In Galatians 6, Paul is applying what it means to keep in step with the Spirit in the real, day-to-day lives of the Galatians Christians. And his application for them is still our application today. When we are keeping in step with the Spirit, we will be discipling one another, loving one another, and bearing one another’s burdens.

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Galatians 5:19-26 (pt 2) The Fruit Of The Spirit

This Sunday, we will finish Galatians chapter 5. Last week we looked at the first of Paul’s two lists in v. 19-26, the works of the flesh. As we examine the fruit of the Spirit, there are several things we need to keep in mind. First, as we saw last week, this is not a list of laws to fulfill in order to be right before God. Just like "the works of the flesh," the fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of the Spirit’s work. The fruit is what the Spirit produces in the life of the believer, just as the fruit tree produces its fruit. So once again, this is not a list of things we need to do better to be righteous, it is a list of evidences we are to examine to discern the Spirit’s work. Of course, we all need to do better in these things and we will talk about how we cultivate and grow in this fruit, but we must not lose sight of the fact that it is the fruit OF THE SPIRIT. It is God’s Spirit which produces it. Second, we cannot examine the fruit of the Spirit apart from the context of Galatians 5. Remember Paul told the Galatians not to use their freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but (instead) serve one another through love (5:13). Then in verse 15, he told them that if they bite and devour one another, they would consume one another (5:15). He follows this by saying, walk in the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (5:16). And then he gives us the two lists - flesh and Spirit. And last week we saw that the works of the flesh are all about living for self. Divisions, dissensions, anger, enmity, strife - all these are fleshly sins that destroy communities and relationships. The fruit of the Spirit are also lived out in community, but they focus on goodness and godliness to others. It is impossible to demonstrate love, kindness, patience, goodness, and gentleness in isolation from others. The evidence of the Spirit working and producing fruit in the believer is seen in how we treat one another. Thirdly, the list of the fruit of the Spirit shows us the nature of God. He is all these things. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness etc. The fruit of the Spirit is a character sketch of Jesus Christ. So the Spirit of God in believers isn’t just working to make us "good." He is working to make us like Jesus. That is the evidence of the Spirit indwelling His children - He conforms us to the image of Jesus Christ. Sunday, we will examine 5:22-26 and see the evidence of God’s work in us, as well as our need to cultivate and nurture the fruit He produces.

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Galatians 5:19-26 pt 1 - The Works Of The Flesh

Toward the end of Galatians, Paul brings this idea of walking in the gospel down to where we live. Last week in 5:13-18, Paul told us that the freedom of the gospel is not to be used as an opportunity for the flesh. Instead we are to walk in the Spirit and we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Then we were shown the conflict between the Spirit and the flesh in every believer. In v. 19-26, Paul gets specific about what the flesh and the Spirit produce in a person’s life. He does this by giving us two lists. The first, he calls "the works of the flesh," and the second, he calls "the fruit of the Spirit." This Sunday, we will only have time to walk through the first of these lists, because we first need to get a bird’s eye view of how both of these lists fit into the book of Galatians. It is easy to misinterpret the intent of these lists. Often, the sins and virtues in these two lists are examined in depth as if they are a moral guide for being right with God. Especially since Paul says in verse 21, "I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Many have rightly seen the seriousness of that warning and thought, "I better stop doing these things so I can inherit the kingdom." But that isn’t the purpose of the list. No one inherits the kingdom of God by changing their behavior and living "better." These lists show us what the flesh and the Spirit produce. They are given for the reader to examine the evidence. If someone’s life is defined and characterized by "the works of the flesh," the answer is not "stop doing that." The answer is turning to Jesus in faith through the gospel and receive the Spirit who produces His fruit. Likewise, the believer who struggles with the flesh is exhorted to do the same. Turn to Jesus and "keep in step with the Spirit" (v. 25) as He produces His fruit in the life of believers. Please read through 19-26 a few times before Sunday, and I would ask that you pray for God to give us clarity Sunday, and that I would be faithful to rightly proclaim the word.

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Galatians 5:13-18 Free To Walk In The Spirit

Throughout Galatians we have been hearing that we are free in Christ. We are free in the gospel. We are free from slavery to the law and now we are under grace. We have also seen how that message of freedom is offensive to the pride and self-righteousness of mankind. The gospel says you can do nothing to earn right standing before God - you can do nothing to keep yourself in right standing with God, and that stings. And even we who have found our rest in Christ are not immune. Through these sermons in Galatians, as we have repeatedly heard about grace, the gospel, and freedom from the law, there has probably been something inside you that said, "Hold on. We also have to live for Christ! People are going to hear these messages and think freedom from the law means freedom to sin all we want!" As I have prepared to preach these texts, I have thought the same thing. And it seems Paul understood this danger as well. The last two chapters of Galatians show us what walking in this grace looks like. This life of true freedom is a life of walking in the Spirit. In Galatians 5:13-18, Paul explains how the same glorious grace that frees us from the penalty of sin and the condemnation of the law, also transforms our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in everyone who is saved by grace and He leads us to glorify God, fulfilling the law through love. That is true freedom to be who God designed us to be; Freedom to be who He commands us to be, and freedom to be who He has made us in the gospel. Read through Galatians 5:13-18 and join us on Sunday. 

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Galatians 5:7-12 Stand Firm In Freedom Pt 2

As I type this, fireworks are going off around my neighborhood. Next Tuesday is July 4, the day we celebrate our independence as a nation. All weekend people will be celebrating freedom, so it is fitting that we find ourselves in Galatians 5:7-12 this Sunday. Verses 1-12 are a unit so we will read the entire text, but we examined verses 1-6 last week as we saw the freedom which Christ purchased for us. Galatians 5:1 is the summary of the whole book. "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Last Sunday, we saw that salvation is all of grace or all of works. It is Jesus Christ by faith alone, or we must keep the whole law. The Galatians were being told that all they had to do was add circumcision to be saved, but Paul makes it clear - "Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you" (Gal. 5:2). Paul also showed us what "standing firm in freedom" looked like in verse 5 - simply waiting for the hope of righteousness. Now, in verses 6-12, Paul takes aim at those who are tempting the Galatians to trust circumcision. Here we find that standing firm in freedom also means standing against those who would hinder us from obeying the truth (Gal. 5:7). In this passage, we are called to be alert to anything that draws us away from walking in Christ alone, and Paul also shows us how seriously God views this. The command to stand firm in the freedom of Christ warns us of the danger of teachers, teachings, advice, and our own hearts which would tempt us to find our sufficiency in anything other than the gospel of Christ.

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Galatians 5:1-6 Stand Firm In Freedom

Sunday we begin the final two chapters of Galatians. Through chapter 3 & 4, Paul has made his case that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. He has shown that God’s covenant has always been through faith, even in Abraham’s day. At the end of chapter four, Paul used Abraham and his family to demonstrate that the Gentiles who trust in Jesus are themselves children of promise - children of the free woman (as Paul says in chapter 4.) As he begins chapter 5, he will show believers how we walk in the freedom Christ has given us. Sunday we will examine Galatians 5:1-6 and save 7-12 for next Sunday. Galatians 5:1 is a summary of what the whole letter to the Galatians is about. "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." (Gal 5:1). This is why Paul writes Galatians. To think that the gospel is not sufficient and to go back to seeking righteousness by the law is to return to slavery for sinners can never earn right standing by the law. We would have to keep it all perfectly for the entirety of our lives. In 5:1-6, Paul shows that even adding one tiny thing to "help" the gospel, is to return to the whole law. But Jesus has freed us. Sunday we will examine this freedom and see how we live in it.

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Galatians 4:21-5:1 Children Of Promise

Fathers’ Day is a wonderful day of thanksgiving and celebration as people thank God for the gift of our dads. It is a blessing from the Lord when a father leads his family in the Lord. Fathers’ Day is also a day of remembrance and mourning for those whose fathers have passed away. And Fathers’ Day is also hard for those who may not have had a close relationship with their father for one reason or another. Regardless of the memories and emotions Fathers’ Day brings, as believers in Christ, we have a perfect Father who loves us more than we can ever understand. We have a Father who gave His only begotten Son that we might be adopted into His family. In Galatians 4:21-5:1, Paul shows us that in Christ, we are children of Promise just as Isaac. This section of Galatians is the dramatic conclusion to Paul’s argument in chapters 3-4. From Abraham’s own sons (Ishmael & Isaac) Paul shows the Galatians that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise to Abraham. Therefore, those who come to God by grace through faith in Jesus are children of promise. This section is filled with Old Testament references and quotes, so I am praying God will make the text clear as we walk through it. Because time is always short and this text is very dense, try to read through Galatians 4:21-5:1 a few times before Sunday...and have a happy Fathers’ Day.

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Galatians 4:12-20 Until Christ Is Formed In You

Sunday we will examine Galatians 4:12-20. Paul has been arguing forcefully from the Old Testament Scriptures that God’s promise to Abraham is fulfilled to the nations by faith alone in Jesus Christ. He has defended salvation by faith against those teaching the Galatians that works of the law were also necessary to be right with God. We have taken note of the urgency and alarm in Paul’s words as he declared that anyone preaching another gospel is accursed. He also called the Galatians foolish twice in this letter. Paul is energetic in trying to persuade the Galatians to hold onto to the gospel truth. But in 4:12-20, Paul pauses his exposition of Old Testament texts and makes a personal, pastoral appeal to the Galatians. He reminds them of how they received the gospel message and Paul as the messenger, and he exposes the motives of those who are seeking to pervert the gospel. Paul, like the Judaizers, is trying to win over the Galatians. But his motive reveals his love and his heart for them. He not only loves truth, doctrine, theology and his mission - he loves these people. His desire for them is not that he would add numbers to his resume of converts. He desires them to follow Christ. He says "My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you...(v.19). The message of this heartfelt pastoral section, is a call for the Galatians to flee back to the simple gospel of Jesus. Let us do that as well - daily - hourly - moment by moment - until Christ be formed in us.

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Galatians 3:25-4:11 From Slavery To Sonship

Sunday we will work through another section of Galatians. Last week we saw the relationship between the law and the promise in 3:15-26. Paul showed us that the law was never intended to give life but was added because of transgressions. He described the law as a guardian or disciplinarian that hems us in under the wrath of God and drives us to the savior in order that we might inherit the promise by faith. As we continue in 3:25-4:11, Paul will explain more fully who we are in the gospel of Jesus. It is the gospel alone in which we find our identity before God. The Galatians were falling into an all too familiar snare of many Christians. They were tempted to believe that their standing before God was dependent upon Jesus plus works of the law. Over the course of our study in Galatians, we have seen how easy it is for any of us to fall into this temptation. When we fail to walk in the commands of God that we love, our heart breaks and we feel that God has removed his loving presence from us. When we succeed gloriously in doing good according to God’s word, sometimes we feel that we have earned a higher standing than we had in the gospel. Paul shows us in this section that, in the gospel, if we have been born again - God eternally sees us in Christ - holy and blameless before Him. We cannot add to what he has given and it is the height of arrogance to think we can. We can easily see the folly of claiming an identity that doesn’t correspond with reality. We are seeing from the world during this month in particular. And we also know that the gospel is desperately needed by the world that embraces such sinful falsehood, in order to be brought to salvation and transformed to live for God. But as we seek to speak the truth in love and share the saving gospel of Jesus with the world, we also must hold fast to that gospel ourselves. In Jesus our identity is secure and perfect before God. Regardless of how we feel in the moment, that is reality. In the gospel, we have been saved from sin, and we have been transformed to live for sin no longer. That is the identity of the born again believer in Christ. We are:

I. United with Christ Through Faith (3:25-29) - and Paul lists the benefits of this union

II. Redeemed From Slavery & Adopted (4:1-7)

`And therefore we must:

III. Live As Children of God (4:8-11)

As we walk through the book of Galatians, the main point is repeated over and over again. Jesus is enough. Jesus is sufficient. We have all things in the gospel through faith alone. I know that the point of these messages in Galatians have been repetitive as we take the book in sections, but there is no greater truth that believers need to have repeated over and over. We must preach this to ourselves daily. The gospel is sufficient. The gospel is the grounds of our growth into maturity. The gospel is the hub around which the whole Christian life turns. We need the gospel more today than we ever have before - and tomorrow we will need it even more.

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Galatians 3:15-26 Why Then The Law?

This Sunday we jump back into the heart of Galatians 3 after a two week break. Remember that Paul is writing to refute false teachers claiming that Gentiles must trust in Jesus and submit to circumcision according to the law of Moses in order to be right with God. In 3:1-5, Paul began by reminding the Galatians that they had received the Spirit by hearing with faith, not by works of the law. Therefore, to think that works of the law could now perfect them is foolish. Then in 3:6-9, Paul showed them from the Scripture that God foretold the Gentiles would be saved by faith when he preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying "in you all nations will be blessed." And in v. 10-14, Paul said that those who try to live by the law are under a curse, and that the only way to be free of it is through Jesus who became a curse for us.

Now, in verses 15-26 Paul will show the relationship between the law and the promise. He does this to demonstrate that the law of Moses was never intended to nullify or alter the promise given to Abraham. In these verses, Paul gives an overview of God’s purposes in salvation history, and shows us how the epochs in the Old Testament fit together in the grand narrative of God’s gospel. This section of Galatians is very dense and complex. Paul’s argument is difficult to follow in a few places. Take some time to read 3:15-26 before Sunday to familiarize yourself with them. I hope to break them down into three headings.

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Psalm 127 - Unless The Lord Build...

There is quite a lot going on this Sunday. Of course it is Mother’s day; the day we celebrate God’s gift of our mothers. We are also having eight families which will participate in our Parent / child dedication service in the 11am service. And in addition to all that, we will begin our baby bottle project this Sunday to raise money in support of Kansans for Life & Embrace Crisis Pregnancy Center, in order to continue the fight against abortion and to help mothers who may think abortion is their only option. So because of this focus on the family, we will pause our study of Galatians and briefly look at Psalm 127. This is a psalm of ascent, meaning it was sung by those going up to the temple during times of worship. The Psalm is only 5 but it is significant in its application for parents and the family. The first two verses show us that unless the Lord is working, all our labors are in vain, and in the second part, the psalmist applies this principle to the raising of children and the family. Sunday as we celebrate our mothers, and the families committing to raise their children in the Lord, I hope that God’s word will guide us to commit ourselves to preparing the next generation to stand for the gospel in a culture that is continually moving away from the truth of God. This is important even if you don’t have children or your children are grown and have their own families. We will see 8 families committing to raise their children in the Lord and in the fellowship of FBC. Regardless of what season our own family is in, we can invest in making disciples of the next generation.

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