Drew Boswell - Drew Boswell

“Go and Tell Others How God Has Changed the World” Matthew 2:13-23

Go Tell It

Sermon Series

“Go and Tell Others How God Has Changed the World”

Matthew 2:13-23

Introduction

There is a battle raging – there is a right and wrong, truth and deception, good and evil. It is a world weary from sin, disease, darkness, and despair. Christmas is remembering when God stepping in to change the world, Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

This gives us insight into another realm beyond what we see and experience. When Jesus was born into this world, and He would grow in wisdom, and stature and in favor with men – at every step there was a very clear and present danger an enemy seeking to stop the change that was to come. Light from darkness, holiness and righteousness from depravity and evil, a broken world could be healed. The sinner could be saved.

We also, whether we know it or even want to be apart of it are, are participants in sharing this great story of a God who left glory, was born into darkness and would bring salvation and hope. This story is the greatest story we could ever tell!

Jesus Will Lead His People on a New Exodus (vv. 13-15)

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

(v. 13) “when they had departed,” – The wise men had gone to Herod, seeking he who “was born king of the Jews,” had the exchange with Herod, and then leave to continue to follow the star to the Christ child. They give their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Imagine the excitement of these wise men from far away, arriving to the home, having followed a miraculous star, and then the conversations. But no sooner had they experienced their visit, they were gone (warned in a dream). There is a mixture of excitement, celebration, joy mixed with concern, urgency, and fleeing. God has come into the world but he must be kept safe.

The wise men had traveled approximately two years, a thousand miles to meet the Christ child. What were they looking for? Hope of a Savior, a restored relationship with God, an understanding of truth? They saw a miraculous star, met the promised Messiah and were able to worship Him, and they were given a dream from God that saved their lives.

Then “an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream,” – “A journey of some seventy-five miles southwest, would bring Joseph to the border, towards isthmus, and a hundred miles more would take them into the heart of the country.”[1] Alexander the Great had built the city Alexandria, and assigned a place for Jews. The historian Philo was around twenty to thirty years old at this time, and he records that at this time there were over a million Jews in Egypt. So, the family of Joseph, taking Mary and baby Jesus would have disappeared into the mass of Jewish people migrating into Egypt. Egypt was a well governed Roman province, well beyond Herod’s reach. But the gifts of the Magi would have given them the means to start over in a new country.

When God calls for obedience, He give you the means to do so.

“Matthew is quoting Hosea 11:1 to show that this is fulfilment of God’s purpose to call his Son out of Egypt.”[2] But, this passage is not really a prediction that looks forward, Hosea look backwards, (Hosea 11:1-2) “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. . .”

In the past when God called His people out of Egypt and rescued them, instead of obedience, there was rebellion and rejection. Now God is calling his son, out of Egypt, he is remain faithful the Father. Israel failed in accomplishing its’ purpose (Genesis 12:3, to bless the nations) and worshipped idols, Jesus would succeed in his mission as the Savior. Jesus is reliving the history of God’s people[3].

Joseph and his brothers, and their father all escape to Egypt for safety (from the famine). Matthew is showing us that Jesus is the second Israel.[4] Why did Jesus choose 12 disciples?[5] He is reestablishing the 12 tribes who are faithful to him. Why was he tempted for 40 days? He was reliving the 40 years of God’s people being tempted in the wilderness (with food being their temptation). They grumbled and complained, and did not trust God. Jesus was determined to trust God and so He passed the test.

Why did Jesus need to be baptized, since he was sinless? He needed to identify with His people completely as their representative – passing through the waters of the Red Sea. God the Father declared that Jesus would take on Israel’s mission. Matthew 3:17 “This is my beloved Son,4 with whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus Will turn His People’s Mourning Into Joy (vv. 16-18)

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

The Magi were instructed earlier by Herod to bring information back to him about where the Christ child was located (so that he could also worship him). When the wise men did not return, (because they were warned in a dream) Herod felt tricked and was furious. Herod then orders the execution of all male children in Bethlehem and the surrounding region – to ensure that his throne would not be threatened.

Earlier in Matthew 2:4 he, “assembles all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.” He knew that he was looking for the Christ, the promised Messiah, the true king of the Jews, and in his pride thought he could stop God’s plan. Those same chief priests and scribes show no interest in going to find him or worship him.

Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15. It was a time in Israelite history when God’s people were being carried off into captivity by Babylon’s Nebuchadnezzar and his conquest of Judah. The captives had to wait seventy years before God would restore them to the land God promised to their forefathers (Jer. 29:4-14). “God punished Israel and Judah for their apostacy, but he would restore them to himself and to the Davidic dynasty (Jer. 30:8-9; 33”14-15, 17).”[6] Ramah was a city where the Babylonians gathered the Jewish people before taking them all, and was really geographically close to Bethlehem.

In the Jeremiah passage, there is a promise of restoration and they are given assurance that there is hope for the future (for the nation). Rachel is often called the mother of Israel and poetically from her grave she is weeping as God’s people walk past her as they go into exile.

How does this prophecy of promise in Jeremiah 31, that God’s people who are being carried off into captivity and a promise of their restoration connect to this massacre of these children by Herod? As horrific as mother’s weeping over the death of their children, they are given a promise by God that there is some kind of meaning behind their tragedy.

(v. 17) “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah,” – in both instances there is the threat of destroying the nation’s The exiles being carried off (but they returned), and the threat on Jesus’ life (he escaped and was safe). When there seems to be no hope of a future, God will restore – He will save. God does not cause this horrific act, but in His omniscience he prophesied that it would happen and he will redeem it for some good.

But when the enemy of God knew that the promised Christ child was in the world, he killed the children of an entire village and surrounding area to try and stop it. When the gospel moves into new areas, when the name of Jesus is proclaimed, there is a very real enemy who will fight against its’ expansion. “Those innocent and precious babies of Bethlehem were the first casualties in the now-intensifying warfare between the kingdoms of this world and kingdom of God’s Christ, God’s Anointed.”[7] Their death was the beginning of a terrifying conflict.

Jesus even warns us of this pain when He said in Matthew 10:21, “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.”

These are not just ideas and beliefs that people disagree over. Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” This passage goes on to say that you better put your armor on. But when Jesus comes on to the scene, and His name is mentioned, we should anticipate a reaction from these authorities who rule over this present darkness, the spiritual forces of evil.

So do we remain quiet? If we know all hell breaks loose when we say the name of Jesus do we remain quiet? Why cause trouble? Why potentially endure pain? Acts 4:12 “. . . there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Romans 10:14 “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

Bellevue Baptist Church Exists to Make Disciples of Jesus Christ

Therefore We Cannot and We Will Not Remain Silent.

But also see, Joseph is warned multiple times by angels of a danger and what to do to avoid the danger. When Jesus endured the temptations in the wilderness angels came and tended to him (Matt. 4:11). At Jesus’ arrest Jesus said to Peter who had drawn a sword, Matthew 26:53, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” We are not left alone to do God’s work, He is with us every step of the way.

Jesus’ entrance into the world will cause conflict and pain – Yet We Must Tell the World.

Jesus Will Rule Over and Restore God’s People (vv. 19-23)

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

The angel of the Lord appears again, and warns Joseph again in a dream, giving him instructions on how to keep Jesus safe. God gives Joseph the information as he needs it, he does not get it all at once – only as he needs it.

God has a plan for our lives.

(v. 20) “for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” – The language indicates that the search for Jesus continued until Herod died. So the whole time they were in Egypt, Herod was sending out assassins trying to find the promised king and to kill him.

(v. 23) “so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene,” – that he would be called a Nazarene is not in the OT. We can’t locate the source that Matthew is quoting here. But, “far from an accident, Jesus’ association with Nazareth was planned by God in order that Jesus would be called a Nazarene, a confirmation of his identity as the prophesied and messianic Davidic branch of Isaiah 11:1.

The root meaning of Nazarene is the word for branch, So the promised branch of David (the messiah) would grow up in Branchtown or BranchMeade, or Branchville. There is also some indication that Branchtown was a despised area, “Jesus of Nazareth” was said with contempt. The Messiah was prophesied to be despised and rejected by His own people.

When we get to chapter three of Matthew, Jesus has grown up into a young man about to be baptized by John the Baptist, go into the wilderness, endure the temptations of Satan, and begin his public ministry – but Joseph is not mentioned again. The plan for Joseph’s life was to trust God (not abandon his pregnant wife), to listen and obey God’s messengers and dreams (warnings to keep Jesus safe), and end up providing for his family until Jesus was able to begin His public ministry.

Part of that plan is listening and obeying God, and part of that plan is fading away. Our calling in this epic battle is to be faithful to what God has called us to do in our lifetime, and then someone else will take up the cause until His return.

Application Points:

Joseph was given instructions and he was expected to follow them. By following them he kept his family safe. He also fades from the scene when he has accomplished what God had intended for him.

The events surrounding Jesus’ birth were foretold many years before. God knows what is going to happen and He has a plan. (Jesus being born in Bethlehem, living in Egypt for a period of time, etc.)

Jesus’ entrance into the world will cause disruption. Brace yourself for the impact.

“When we think of the extraordinary care that God the Father took to preserve the life of His Son, assigning an angelic host to be over Him, remember that the same God and angelic host are assigned to take care of everyone who puts their trust in Christ, because we too are by grace the children of God.”[8]

_____________________

[1] John A. Broadus, An American Commentary on the New Testament, Matthew (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; The Judson Press, 1886) 22.

[2] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures In The New Testament, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1930) 20.

[3] A typological recapitulation

[4] Paul uses a similar idea of showing Jesus as the second Adam, 1 Cor. 15:20 ff.

[5] Andreas J. Kostenberger & Alexander E. Stewart, The Story of the Incarnation, The First Days of Jesus (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2015) 81.

[6] David L. Turner, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, The Gospel of Matthew (Carol Stream, Illinois; Tyndale House Publishers, 2006) 54.

[7] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Matthew 1-7 (Chicago, Illinois; The Moody Bible Institute, 1985) 44.

[8] R. C. Sproul, Matthew: An Expositional Commentary (Sanford, Florida, Ligonier Ministries, 2019) 22.

“The Virgin Birth” Matthew 1:18-25

Go Tell

Sermon Series

“The Virgin Birth”

Matthew 1:18-25

Introduction

The Gospel of Matthew says that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin when she gave birth to the Son of God. The world laughs at this idea and mocks it as if it were a myth. Even worse, some proclaiming Christians doubt the Virgin Birth; some don’t believe it at all.

But the truth is, there is no hope of salvation apart from the Virgin Birth. If the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ did not happen, the foundation of Christianity collapses. The Virgin Birth is not incidental: it is fundamental to our faith. This morning we will look at why the virgin birth is something that must be told to the world.

The Virgin Birth Points to Jesus as the Messiah

“18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Engagement (betrothed) in ancient Judaism was legally binding and required divorce if it were to be broken, but sexual relations and living together under one roof were not permitted until after the marriage ceremony.[1] But now Joseph discovers that she is pregnant (and he knows that it wasn’t him.)

19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Joseph could therefore be spoken of already as Mary’s husband; Matthew emphasizes this by saying “before they came together.” Joseph assumes that she has been unfaithful to him. When Joseph is referred to as “a just or righteous man” it does not mean that he perfect, only that he was law-abiding, and upright in character. Because of the character of Joseph, he wants to spare her any public disgrace or even death (Duet. 22:23-24). Jewish law required a man to divorce (or that she be stoned) an adulterous wife. She would have been marked for life as unfaithful, and an adulterous.

The angel explains in a dream that Mary has not been unfaithful and that her child has been supernaturally conceived. As he calls him “son of David” the angel is reminding him of messianic lineage. It is as if the angel is saying, “remember, there is a messiah coming through your lineage.” He commands him to go ahead and marry her thereby legally making the Christ child a son of David.

In this angelic dream there are no images of delivering the Israelites from the Roman oppression instead the angel emphasizes salvation from their sins. He is to be named Jesus which means Yahweh is salvation or “the Lord saves.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us) (Isaiah 7:14). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

Historically, the virgin birth was an essential Christian doctrine. The amended version of the Nicene Creed in 381 says, “For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”

The Apostle’s Creed says, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary…”

This morning I want to answer the question of, “Why is it so important that Jesus had to be born by a virgin birth?” One answer would be because God prophesied that He would be (Isa. 7:14), but God could have chosen any event or miracle to be fulfilled to show Jesus to be the Messiah – why a virgin birth?

Original Sin

Our answer begins at the beginning of time with the Doctrine of Original Sin. Original Sin is the biblical teaching that sin is not just an act but also a condition that has been handed down from Adam to all mankind. When Adam sinned in the Garden, his physical and spiritual nature was corrupted—his body was no longer eternal but would eventually die, and his soul was no longer spiritually alive but separated from God.

Separation is an essential theological theme in Scripture. In the Bible, separation is how death happens. Ecclesiastes 12:7, in speaking to physical death, Solomon writes, “and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

Death is the separation of the body from the soul. When the soul leaves, the body dies. On the other hand, spiritual death is defined as the separation of the soul from God. Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.”

Original Sin Results in Death

The Bible defines death as a separation: separation of the soul from the body (physical death) and separation of soul from God (eternal death).

Because God is spirit, holy, and without sin, the soul of a sinner cannot be in His presence. Therefore, sin acts as the means to detach (or separate) us from God.

Because Adam sinned and was separated from God, all who are born of Adam are also born separated from God. Consequently, when the soul is separated from God (Who is the source of spiritual life), the soul is dead.

This is why Ephesians 2:1-3describes the spiritual state of a person before Christ by saying, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

For this reason, Jesus taught that we must be spiritually resurrected (or born again) to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3-5). As we know, spiritual life (the reuniting of the soul with God) is only found in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. However, the Bible teaches that if a person remains spiritually dead by their unwillingness to repent and trust in Christ, they will experience what is called the second death. This is the eternalseparation of your soul from God (a.k.a. hell).

Revelation 21:8 says, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Ultimately, we learn two important truths in this doctrine of Original Sin. First, Adam’s sin was the reason Adam died (physically and spiritually). It’s also the reason why all of humanity is born spiritually dead (needing to be born again) and will experience physical death.

Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”

Original Sin and Federal Headship

The second lesson we learn in the Doctrine of Original Sin is the concept of “federal headship” or “covenant representation.”

When Paul says, “so death spread to all men because all sinned.” He’s teaching that when Adam sinned, we all sinned with him or in him. Adam was the human race’s covenant representative before God in the covenant of works that was established in the Garden of Eden. That is, God established a law for man to follow (to not eat of the forbidden tree), and Adam failed to keep his portion of the covenant.

Now, because all humanity was, in a real sense, genetically inAdam, when Adam sinned and broke that covenant, we all sinned with him or in him. Therefore, when Adam was genetically corrupted, we were genetically corrupted. When Adam died spiritually, we died spiritually. When Adam was cursed, we were cursed. Ultimately, when Adam fell, all of humanity fell with him.

This is why Scripture teaches for a person to be saved, they must go from being in Adamto being in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:22). We need to switch from Adam (who failed to keep the law) to Christ (who kept the law, perfectly). We need to go from the man who is not righteous to the only Man who is righteous—Jesus Christ.

So, because of Adam I have inherited a sin nature, you may say, “that’s not fair. I am being judged because of something Adam did?” But have you sinned? Yes, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” But if you think it is unfair to be linked with Adam “then we should also think that it is unfair for us to be represented by Christ and to have his righteousness imputed to us by God.”[2] One man brought sin into the world and one man defeated it for the world.”

Romans 5:17-19 says, “For if, because of one man’s trespass (Adam), death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass (though Adam) led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness (through Christ) leads to justification and life for all men.For as by the one man’s disobedience (Adam) the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience (Christ) the many will be made righteous.”

Jesus, the Second Adam

Jesus is a second and better Adam. In fact, God prepared His people for and pointed them to this need for a second Adam. For example, in the Old Testament, God’s covenantal mark of circumcision, while symbolic for several reasons, aims to demonstrate man’s sinfulness by marking the male’s reproductive organ.

It was a physical reminder to God’s people that sin is passed down from generation to generation. Namely, that sinful man can only reproduce sinful men. But more than that, it would remind God’s people that salvation would not be from men but by from God. Somehow God would have to break this chain of sin being passed from generation to generation.

Even in Isaiah 7:14, we see the prophet foretelling God will step in when he wrote, “Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

God’s people knew to expect a Messiah that would come through a supernatural birth

—a pregnancy and birth that included a virgin woman.

This Messiah would be fully human and fully God. He would have His humanity from His mother and His divinity from God the Father. But most of all, He would not inherit the corruption, curse, or covenant representation of Adam.

He would be conceived by the Holy Spirit, free of sin, legally adopted by an earthly father of the tribe of Judah, born of the line of David, and would stand before the world as a new Adam. Namely, He would keep the Law with perfection, to give His life as a ransom for many, and to spiritually reproduce others who were not like the first Adam but like Him.

So how does this all come together? Why is the virgin birth of Jesus absolutely necessary? Because if Jesus were born of Joseph, He would have had original sin—He would have been born physically corrupted, spiritually dead, sinful, and cursed. If that were the case, Jesus could not pay for the sins of others because He would have to pay for His own sin with His own life.

Therefore, the cross would not be a moment of redemption but simply the passing away of another sinner. As a result, no justification could be given by faith. No redemption could be bought by His blood. No wrath could be satisfied by His death. And no resurrection could occur to validate His righteousness.

Without the virgin birth, all of Christianity falls apart.

Therefore, during this Christmas season, we don’t simply celebrate thatChrist was born, but we also celebrate how Christ was born. He’s the first fruits of the harvest to come, the firstborn from the dead, and for those who trust in Him, the One who reconciles them to God for eternity.

Conclusion

“Radio commentator Paul Harvey tells of a man who did not believe that God had taken human flesh in the person of Jesus. He was a kind, decent family man, but he was skeptical about the message of Christmas and couldn’t pretend otherwise. So on Christmas eve, he told his wife that he was not going to church with her and the children, because he just couldn’t believe. So they went without him.

Shortly after the family left, snow began to fall. As he sat in his fireside chair reading the paper, he was startled by a thudding sound against the house, then another, then another. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against the living room window. But when he went to investigate, he found a flock of birds, huddled miserably in the snow. They had been caught in the storm, and in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his window.

He didn’t want to leave the poor creatures there to freeze. He thought of the barn where his children stabled their pony. He put on his coat and boots and tromped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the door wide and turned on the light. But the birds didn’t come in. He went back to the house and got some bread crumbs and sprinkled a path to the barn, but the cold creatures ignored the food and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow.

He tried catching them and shooing them into the barn, but they scattered in every direction, frightened by his well-meaning actions. As he puzzled over how he could help save these frightened creatures from sure death, the thought struck him, “If only I could become a bird and speak their language, then I could show them the way to safety in the warm barn.” At that moment, bells from the church rang out through the silent, falling snow, heralding the birth of the Savior. The message of Christmas suddenly made sense, and he dropped to his knees in the snow.

It is possible to believe in the virgin birth and incarnation of the Savior and yet not be saved. Salvation does not depend upon affirming the creeds. “The demons also believe” (James 2:19). Salvation depends upon personally receiving the free gift of eternal life which God offers to you through His eternal Son who took on human flesh through the virgin Mary on that first Christmas, who offered Himself as the substitute for sinners on the cross. If God is truly with us in Christ, then we must come to God only through Christ.”[3]

______________________

[1] Craig Blomberg. The New American Commentary, Vol. 22. Matthew (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman), 59.

[2] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1994) 495.

[3] https://bible.org/seriespage/christmas-1996-virgin-birth-why-believe-it-matthew-118-25-luke-126-38

Time For A Change, Right?

Time For A Change; Right?

What happens when you try one thing, and then another, and then another, and the results are not what you expected?

Consider #1 – Your timing is not the Lord’s timing. Make sure you have spent the time needed in prayer. Are you trying to rush something to put it on your timetable? Are you even trying to be or do something God doesn’t intend?

Consider #2 – Have you given your present strategy time to work? Typically, it takes longer for a strategy to come to fruition than you originally anticipated. Are you rushing the process?

So now you are prayed up and have given your strategy time to breathe and it is just not working – ok, so now what?

Keep going – keep pushing. Turning things around or advancing to a new level takes grit (and new ideas!). You have to keep pushing even when everyone is saying quit, stop, slow down. You need to discern through your “walk with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16), if you need to stop, wait, or try something new. But stopping, waiting, praying, is not quitting. You may need to back up and gain momentum to move forward.

Have you taken the time to get as many people as possible to go with you on the change (the new idea)? Explain why you are making the change (trying the new idea) and listen to those on your team. Taking time to explain is not slowing down, it will actually help you move forward faster down the road. At each rotation that doesn’t work, there will be a tendency to include less people – you will feel like it takes too long.

Is there any strategy from the past that you can pull ideas from – just because its old doesn’t mean it can’t be helpful to move forward? How did previous generations deal with the problem you are currently facing? Their solution may not be the right answer for today, but it may give insight that will help you find a new direction.

While I am hesitant to suggest this, because it can be too easily the go to when you are frustrated, “what are other churches in your area doing to address this issue you are struggling with?” But be careful; you may actually need to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing.

Resist the temptation to feel that you have wasted time – explored ideas are not wasted time; They help you move forward – just don’t stay in one place too long with an idea that is not working.

Know that once you finally get it going – you will have to change it again (eventually). Moving to new things and feeling the strain to change will always be part of the ministry for the growing leader. It’s not about will you need to change, but when will you need to change.

Some leaders get frustrated and quit but don’t leave, requiring them to be eventually removed (they are not doing their jobs). Others quit and move to another ministry entirely, so they can repeat what has worked for them in the past (but there is no guarantee that it will). But in order to grow as leader and to be effective in your position – you have to grow. Never leave just because you are frustrated or what you have tried hasn’t worked.

The best way for your ministry to grow and advance is for you, as the leader, to grow and advance as a person. Keep reading books, articles, listening to podcasts, etc.

“Freedom To Live For God” Galatians 5:13-25

Grace Abounds

A Sermon Series Through the Book of Galatians

“Freedom To Live For God”

Galatians 5:13-25

Introduction

“The Christian life is a life lived under the direction and by the power of the Spirit.”

Freedom to Live For God (vv. 13-15)

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”

Old Testament followers of God believed that mankind was given the law because, without it, humanity would seek to fulfill every desire of his corrupt heart. Mankind would run fully toward destruction so there needed to be guard rails and boundaries put in place and the consequences so severe that in fear they kept these laws. The law was to keep people from fully exploring the evil of their hearts – to restrain sin.

So when Paul says you can be free from the law, the Jewish world resists that because they know how corrupt the human heart is. But, “they did not realize that becoming a Christian involves having Christ’s own nature and the Spirit in personal residence and that motivation to obey the commands and restrictions of the New Testament is therefore not external. The Christian has the glorious privilege of living under the internal guidance, restraint, and power of the Holy Spirit, who energizes him to obey the will of God.”[1]

We have within us two things that war against each other. One is the Spirit of God that now lives within you and your transformed heart that should desire to pursue godly things. Then on the other side, is that part of your heart that seeks only to fulfill the desires of that part of your heart (the flesh). “Christ does not give freedom to believers so that they can do what they want but so they can. Instead, for the first time, Christians can do what God wants, because of love for Him.”[2]

We are free to live for God in a way that pleases Him.

You have been freed from ceremonies, rituals, dietary restrictions, etc. now that those things have been removed, what then fills the empty space? Ephesians 4:22-24 “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”[3] If we take off the law, then what do we put on? You put on Freedom expressed in selfless love.

Matthew 22:34-40 “But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Resist the desire to turn from godly things (loving and serving your neighbor), to the desires of your flesh (including devouring “one another.”) “Our liberty in Christ is freedom to do right, not freedom to do what our old nature desires and dictates. Liberty in the Lord is not license to sin.”[4] The new nature within us hates sin and loves the righteousness of God.[5]

Jesus and Paul both teach that we don’t do away with the moral law, but now you are free to choose to seek after the law (honor your parents, do not covet, put God first in all things, love your neighbor, etc.) The grace we have received from God will lead us to love others.

“The Galatians were not saved to be a group of isolated individuals. And neither are we. We are brought out of bondage to live in community.”[6] Christ saved us so that we can be committed to others, to love and serve others.

Christians are set free – free from using people (sexually, needing them to make us feel better about ourselves), free from needing their approval. We are set free from needing to self-promote ourselves – We know who we are, we know our value, and we know why we have been set free – all of these things are found in Christ. (v. 15) There is no need to devour and consume each other in a climb to the top – Christ gives us our worth, not a comparison to other people.

How Do We Live in the Freedom Given? (vv. 16-26)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

(v. 16) “walk by the Spirit,” – (v. 25) “keep in step with the Spirit” this is a regular action, a habitual way of life, and it is a command – there is no option for the Christian. Walking implies progress, going from where one is to where he ought to be. As a believer submits to the Spirit’s control, he moves forward in his spiritual life.[7]

We have two natures that wage war within us; The Spirit and the sinful nature. And at any moment we “walk by” one and “not gratify” the other. The sinful nature, the flesh, the part of our heart that the Holy Spirit has not renewed yet fights against the part of us that desires to do the will of God.

Ephesians 4:22-24 describes this as “the old self” (pre-Christian) and “the new self” (post-Christian), “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

There is an all-controlling drive and longing. Paul says this in Romans 7:22-23 “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” The Spirit wants to show us Christ and to make us into the image of Christ. And ultimately, because we are Christians this is what our heart wants as well. We want to be like Jesus. Yet the flesh within us continues to present competing desires which we can give in to.

(v. 18) “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” When a person has the Holy Spirit living within them, seeking to make them into the image of Christ, and guiding them away from sin, they will reject seeking to live by their own righteousness moving them away from the law. “Our motivation for our disobedience is a lack of trust in God’s grace and goodness, and a desire to protect and guard our lives through self-salvation.” [8]

The old part of us has a motivation to attain the sinful things that the untransformed heart desires. It is focused on something (that may even be good in itself,) but it turns it into an idol to seek its’ salvation. “If I have this _____, then this will complete my brokenness.”

A Picture of an Untransformed Heart (vv. 19-21)

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Paul groups works of the flesh into four areas: These are things that originate within a person (not from Satan, or the outside world). These are things that a person wrongly desires and habitually does/practices. The unregenerate person occasionally does humanly good things, and the regenerate person occasionally falls into sin. But the basic character of the unregenerate is to practice the evil deeds of the flesh and the regenerate person to bear the good fruit of the Spirit.

“sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,” – these first three words deal with areas of sexuality. Sexual intercourse between unmarried people, unnatural sexual practices and relationships, and uncontrolled sexuality.

“idolatry, sorcery,” – These are very specific occult and pagan religious practices. They are an inadequate substitutes for God, and they are works that fake the work of the Spirit.

“strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,” – The next set of words describe how the flesh destroys relationships. The first words are bad attitudes (selfish ambition, self-seeking, envy, coveting, jealousy and hatred). The other words describe the results (discord, picking fights, fits of rage, outbursts of anger, dissentions, parties warring eachother).

“drunkenness, orgies,” – The last two words deal with substance abuse. Orgies are not sexual orgies, but drinking orgies, “One of the works of the flesh is addiction to pleasure-creating substances and behavior.”[9]

“those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” – Paul is referring to habitual practice, rather than infrequent, and repented of, lapses. If a person continually indulges in the sinful nature without battling against it is to show that the Son has not redeemed them, and that the Spirit as not renewed them.

The things listed are “are evident” for all to see, and have less to do with the individual sins listed, (there are other lists Paul gives such as Romans 1:29-31; 2 Timothy 3:2-5 that have different items mentioned), he even says, “and things like these” but its more about a life that is unchaste, unholy, uncharitable, and undisciplined.

It is a picture of a heart that has not been regenerated and is not walking with the Spirit of God. Those that walk with God and are led by His Spirit will shed sin over time. “People who make a regular practice of vice need to repent of their sins and leave their old lifestyle behind, lest they fall into eternal judgement.”[10]

The person who professes Christ will have a transformed life – The Holy Spirit promises it.

A Picture of a Transformed Heart (vv. 22-23)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

If you are a Christian, then you desire to be more like Christ. To be “led by the Spirit,” is to be changed, it is to be brought closer and closer to be the person we want to be (Christ-like). But this growth, the change is slow and gradual. Think of a man picking fruit on a ladder in an orchard. From the ladder he drops the fruit to a person below – the person with the basket must desire to catch the fruit. A Christian will grow in the fruit of the Spirit if they walk close to God and desire to change.

If you compare the spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to a person at salvation,[11] they are plural. One person may receive the gift of giving, and another the gift of leadership. Here the “fruit of the Spirit” is singular. All of the fruit of the spirit is made manifest in the life of the believer.

And all of the fruit grows together. Jesus described those who were pretending to be Christian, verses those who were genuine in their walk with the Lord, “You will recognize them by their fruits. Matt. 7:16.” Again, the idea is not to give an exhaustive list, but to paint a picture of what a person, led by the Spirit would look like.

The evidence that a person is saved is the growing of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

How Can A Person Grow In the Fruit of the Spirit?

24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

“crucified the flesh,” – There are idols in our lives that need to be taken apart, strangling sin at the motivational level. It is a cooperation between a person and the Spirit, together wanting to drive sin out of our lives.

Its more than saying, “I won’t do this anymore.” Instead, we understand that the sinful behavior is where we are not trusting God to keep His Word, or to have faith in His Word. Why must we have this sinful thing in our lives? Because it is our attempt to fix our own brokenness, instead of trusting God to do it.

The most effective way for a Christian to oppose the desires and deeds of the flesh is to starve them to death, to “make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Romans 13:14). The surest way to fall into a sin is to allow oneself to be in situations where there is temptation to it. On the other hand, the safest way to avoid a sin is to avoid situations that are likely to pose temptations to it.

We Grow Spiritually by Walking With the Spirit and Crucifying Sin In Our lives.

Conclusion

One spring a family was driving from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa, Florida. As far as the eye could see, orange trees were loaded with fruit. When they stopped for breakfast, and ordered orange juice with their eggs. “I’m sorry,” the waitress said. “I can’t bring you orange juice. Our machine is broken.” At first they were dumbfounded. They were surrounded by millions of oranges, and they had oranges in the kitchen–orange slices garnished our plates. What was the problem? No juice? Hardly.

They were surrounded by thousands of gallons of juice. The problem was they had become dependent on a machine to get it. Christians are sometimes like that. They may be surrounded by Bibles in their homes, but if something should happen to the Sunday morning preaching service, they would have no nourishment for their souls. The problem is not a lack of spiritual food–but that many Christians haven’t grown enough to know how to get it for themselves.

________________________

[1] MacArthur, 145.

[2] MacArthur, 146.

[3] See also Matt. 12:44-45

[4] Lehman Strauss, Devotional Studies in Galatians and Ephesians (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Brothers Publishing, 1974) 80. See also Romans 6.

[5] See Romans 7:14-25.

[6] David Platt and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition, Exalting Jesus IN Galatians (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman Publishing, 2014) 105.

[7] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Galatians (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Publishing, 1987) 152.

[8] Timothy Keller, Galatians For You (United States; The Good Book Company, 2013) 148.

[9] Keller, 149.

[10] Philip Graham Ryken, Reformed Expository Commentary, Galatians (Phillipsburg, New Jersey; P&R Publishing, 2005) 232.

[11] See 1 Corinthians 12.

“The Enemy of Freedom” Galatians 4:21-5:12

Grace Abounds

A Sermon Series Through the Book of Galatians

“The Enemy of Freedom”

Galatians 4:21-5:12

Introduction

The enemy of Christian freedom is legalism. Legalism defined is “treating something that is good as something that is essential.” We preserve our freedom when everything is properly placed in our lives. What is essential to God is essential to us, everything else is kept in its place. The Christian has to resist placing things in too high a priority in their lives. When we allow legalism into our hearts or allow it stay there we begin to lose sight of what ultimately counts.

We will begin to insist that good things remain as ultimate things – eventually there are is no such thing as priority, everything is of equal importance, or what is really not that important becomes paramount. Churches can even begin to find their identity in these misplaced priorities, instead of finding their identity in Jesus.

The Appeal of Allegory (vv. 21-27)

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”

Paul reaches back to the OT story of how Ishmael and Isaac were born. God had come to Abraham and promised him an heir when he was 86 and she was 76 years, old. Then another 10 years passed, and growing impatient he had a son with a servant girl named Hagar. Ultimately, the couple would have to wait twenty-five years before Isaac (the son of promise) would be born, and Abraham would be 100 years old. Paul uses this story as an allegory. This was a very common teaching practice with Jewish rabbis.

Allegory: “a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.” “Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory of the spiritual journey”

(v. 23) “the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise,” – For Ishmael to be born there was no need for miraculous intervention, “according to the flesh,” but for Isaac to be born, God had to miraculously intervene “born through promise,” because Sarah and Abraham were very old, and she had been barren her whole life. When Isaac was born Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 (Gen. 17:17; 21:5).

He says, “these women are two covenants,” Christians (Jews and Gentiles) are children of the promise as Isaac was. (v, 24) “One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.” Sinai is where God gave Moses the ten commandments, and the law.

From the law was born a nation under the law, and the law enslaved the people. In Paul’s allegory this is pictured as Hagar, the slave woman who gave birth to a son who was not the son God promised. “Ismael symbolizes those who have only natural birth and who trust in their own works. Isaac symbolizes those who have had spiritual birth because they have trusted in the work of Jesus Christ.”[1]

“One difference was their status in the eyes of the law. Although the boys had the same father, they each had a different mother. From their respective mothers they inherited two different legal standings. Ishmael’s mother was a slave, so he was born a slave. Isaac, on the other hand, was born free, the heir of a free woman.”[2]

(v. 26) “But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.” – But this new birth, like Isaac’s had to be supernatural (from above), “the Galatians are the fulfillment of Isaiah’s promise in that they are Isaac-type children, for they represent the spiritually and supernaturally born children of Sarah.[3]

Think of how controversial this would have been to the Jewish teachers who were pushing the Galatians to observe the law – the law following Jews were Hagar and Ishmael, and the foreign Gentiles were Sarah and Isaac! The crucial question is, “Who is your mother?” (Hagar or Sarah) – that determines whether you are a slave or free.

Sarah and Abraham did not believe that God would give them a child (a lack of faith) so they decided to take the situation into their own hands, they came up with their own plan, and a child was born – but it was not the child of promise from God. When we try to please God by taking our own lives into our own hands, we do not trust that God will save us by grace (or keep His promise).

In Genesis 17:15 God comes back to Abraham and promises again that Sarah will have a son. But Abraham wants God to accept Ismael as his son, but God says no, “I will give you a son and you will name him Isaac.” “In effect Abraham says that they did not need a son because he and Sarah had already taken care of that problem. . .

Abraham began with faith, “and it was credited to him as righteousness,” but later faltered by not trusting that God would keep His promise and had a child with Hagar. The Galatians also began in faith by the Spirit and have lapsed into seeking “to be made complete by the flesh” (Gal. 3:3).”[4]

In the eyes of God everyone is either an Ismael or an Isaac. Do we seek our salvation by trying to be a good person (some other means other than Jesus), or do we seek God’s grace through faith?

The Appeal to Be Rid of Legalism (vv. 28-31)

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

If you are a slave, then you will always be a slave, unless you are redeemed. If you keep all of the law, you still remain a slave. Like a horse grinding grain in a circle – the harder you pull, the faster you go, you still remain in attached to the mill grinding grain. The law is a brutal master, when you have done everything, it whips you to keep on going. You have no means to be free from the law.

Since salvation comes by grace, then the church cannot tolerate graceless (legalism, self-righteous moralism) works. Legalism has no place in the church. Paul then gives them a solution to the false teachers being in their ear, “But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son,” – we must pray and cast out legalism from our hearts and our churches.

Salvation is by faith in Jesus alone; this is why all other religions, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Mormanism – are all slave religions. It is never about what we do for God; Christianity is about what God has done for us. You cannot become a child of God by being a slave (working your way into heaven) – He has to adopt you as His child by grace (redeem you through the cross). You must be born from above.

The Appeal to Live Free (5:1-13)

5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

The reason Christ died, rose again, endured the suffering and pain was so that a person could be free, “For freedom Christ has set you free,” later in 5:13 he says, “For you were called to freedom,” – The state that Jesus wants you to have is one of liberty. God’s grace is what frees us from sin, and it is grace that sustains us. When Paul cries out for God to answer his prayer, God responds back, “My grace is sufficient for you,” (2 Cor. 12:9). His grace is sufficient to save us, and to get us through this life. God’s grace has an effect upon us (freedom). We deprive ourselves of that freedom when we seek to be self-righteous.

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

If you seek to be justified (made free from your sin) by keeping the law, then, “he is obligated to keep the whole law.” By not trusting in Christ’s work on the cross, a person is cut off from Christ, and that they have fallen away from the grace Jesus offers. Either go back to the law, (all of it), or have the gospel; you can’t have both. Fallen is from a word (ekpipto) that means to be separated or loosed from, it is to lose one’s grip of something.

(v. 4) When Paul says, “You are severed from Christ,” the same word and idea is used in Romans 7:2 “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.” You are cut loose from Christ by your going back to works righteousness. Is this talking about losing your salvation? He is not talking about eternal security of the believer – but that grace and the law cannot be mixed together.

It deals with the freedom that comes from the assurance of our salvation. You are set free from the prison of, “have I done enough? And “Am I good enough?” Assurance of salvation is not possible if we think we must earn or even maintain our salvation by our efforts. If we keep ourselves saved by good living, how could we ever be sure we were being good enough to retain God’s favor?”[5]

Also, there is no spiritual growth for a person who began in receiving God’s grace through faith, but then turning back to self-righteous moralism. You stop relying on God’s grace and move to trusting your own self-effort – when that happens you stop growing spiritually.

“Contrary to justifying grace, sanctifying grace is interruptible. Living by the flesh interferes with living by the Spirit, and living by the flesh may even involve doing the right things for the wrong reasons, or in the wrong way. For example, To witness to a person while trusting God to convict and convert him is to live by the Spirit. To witness with the intention of converting a person thorough our own knowledge of Scripture and powers of persuasion is to live by the flesh.”[6] When we try to live the Christian life in our own strength we forsake the grace of Christ.

(v. 5) “For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.” Everyone who has faith in Jesus has the righteousness of Christ. In heaven, we will be without sin. We eagerly await a time when we won’t have this battle raging within us. But for now, we wait and seek to be guided by the Spirit, and we seek the grace of God.

Also, while we wait, we are waiting eagerly for the arrival; we are not waiting with anxiety for the arrival. So we see three characteristics of a godly life – a life lived through the Spirit rather than the flesh, a life lived by faith rather than works, and a life lived in patient waiting rather than in anxiety and bondage to the law.

children waiting from dad to come home from work. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dVHjZFU7VRg

(v. 6) “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” If you have the love of Christ, you don’t need the law to tell you right from wrong. If you love a person then you won’t murder them, or commit adultery against them, or dishonor them, or steal their stuff. When you love with a Christ-like love, guided by the Spirit, you will naturally keep the law.[7]

Reject Those Who Hinder Your Walk With God (vv. 7-12)

7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

“You were running well.” When the Galatians accepted the false message, they disbelieved the truth. “Had they continued to believe God they would have continued to obey God, for obedience is the only possible evidence of a heart-belief in God. In the case of the Israelites their disobedience is said to be the evidence of their unbelief.

Hebrews 3:18-19 “And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” They didn’t believe that God would get them into the Promised Land. The disbelief led to disobedience. Abraham didn’t believe that God would provide a child, so he disobeyed and had a child another way.

“Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” Back in the 1990s every home had a house phone with a phone line. If you were talking with someone on the phone, another person could pick up a second phone in the house and listen, or “cut in”[8] on the conversation, “ok, Drew it’s time to say goodnight.” Someone is cutting in on the Galatians running with Christ, trying to trip them up, and pull them away from salvation by grace through faith. (v. 9) “A little leaven leavens the whole lump,”[9] – leaven in the Bible is a picture of corruption and sin. A little legalism if allowed to stay will grow and grow into much legalism.

Conclusion

Nothing can choke the heart and soul out of walking with God like legalism. Rigidity is the most certain sign that the Disciplines have spoiled. The disciplined person is the person who can live appropriately in life.

Consider the story of Hans the tailor. Because of his reputation, an influential entrepreneur visiting the city ordered a tailor-made suit. But when he came to pick up his suit, the customer found that one sleeve twisted that way and the other this way; one shoulder bulged out and the caved in. He pulled and managed to make his body fit. As he returned home on the bus, another passenger noticed his odd appearance and asked if Hans the tailor had the suit. Receiving an affirmative reply, the man remarked, “Amazing! I knew that Hans was a good tailor, but I had no idea he could make a suit fit so perfectly someone as deformed as you.”

Often that is just what we do in the church. We get some idea of what the Christian faith should look like: then we push and shove people in to the most grotesque configurations until they fit wonderfully! That is death. It is a wooden legalism which destroys the soul.

_____________________________

[1] MacArthur, 124.

[2] Philip Graham Ryken, Reformed Expository Commentary, Galatians (Phillipsburg, New Jersey; P&R Publishing Company, 2005) 183.

[3] Jason C. Meyer, NAC Studies In Bible & Theology, The End of the Law: Mosaic Covenant in Pauline Theology (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman Publishing, 2009) 133.

[4] Meyer, 135.

[5] Timothy Keller, Galatians For You (United States; The Good Book Company, 2013) 134.

[6] MacArthur, 136.

[7] See also Romans 13:8-10

[8] Robertson, 310.

[9] 1 Cor. 5:6

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)