choosing God on his terms

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

terms Galatians 4.  You and I have to make the same choice as the Galatians did. We can decide to do our best, and hope that God accepts it. That is the choice of Hagar, of Ishmael, of the letter, of Sinai, it is a choice to enslave ourselves.
Or, we can take God on his terms. We can say, God, I cannot do it myself. I trust in Christ and his finished work on the cross. I trust in your Holy Spirit to guide me in the Christian walk. And I trust in You, heavenly Father, to bring me into the inheritance you have planned for me.

LORD, we choose you on your terms.

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when pride took over

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

pride Galatians 4.  What turned these victors in to victims? It was pride. Yes, that’s right… pride. In verse 17, Paul says “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.” The “they” are the troublers, the Judaizers. They came to Galatia as “super-Christians.” They said to the Galatians “Hey, you overcame your bondage to demons. That’s good. But now it’s time for you take the next step. Become super-Christians like us.

But Paul knew what was really going on. He realized that the temptation to pride was coming from the same place that the demonic bondage had come from. The Galatians were being enticed to go forward when in fact they would really be going backward.

LORD, help us to live by faith in the Son of God who died for us. Help us to rest in the all-sufficiency of what Christ did for us on the cross, what he is doing now in our hearts, and what he promises to do for us for ever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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benefits of adoption

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

adop Galatians 4:1-7.   Being adopted into the family of God takes away your burdens, and substitutes benefits.
The first benefit is redemption. Paul says “you are no longer a slave (7).” Gentiles are redeemed by the same blood of Christ that redeemed believing Jews (5).
The second benefit is relationship. The Holy Spirit within us enables us to cry out to God (6), and the blood of Christ, having cleansed us, enables God to hear us, because it has reestablished redeemed humanity to the status of sons of God.
The third benefit is reward. We are now heirs. We will inherit the kingdom of God, immortality and will keep our status as sons throughout eternity.

LORD, thank you for taking away the burden of sin and death, and granting us an eternal relationship with you.

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the gospel of the promise

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

prom Galatians 3:15-29.  The Galatians were being tempted to turn to the Mosaic Law and the Jewish traditions.
Paul is telling them here that they do not have to do that because God is already their heavenly Father. They are in Christ, so they are already heirs of Christ’s kingdom. They are in Christ so they are already sons of God, and Abraham’s spiritual offspring. Israel is no longer under the guardianship of the Law, because the Messiah has come, and the Holy Spirit has come.
LORD, help us to live like who we are in Christ. May we allow your Holy Spirit to fill us, use us, and transform our community through us. Amen

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the gospel of redemption

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

The Gospel of Redemption Gal 3 10-14 slide 1 Galatians 3:10-14.  Remember that Paul is dealing with the challenge of a false teaching in Galatians. The “troublers” from Jerusalem have convinced the Gentile Galatians that they need to add obedience to the Mosaic law (as defined by Jewish tradition) to their faith in Christ in order to have the blessing of Abraham.

But Paul’s point is that the blessing of Abraham comes by faith in Christ’s atonement on the cross of Calvary. So one of the consequences of the cross is that the Gentiles are now included in God’s promises to Abraham when they put their faith in Christ.
That blessing includes forgiveness of sins and adoption as sons of God.
Another consequence of the cross is that the Holy Spirit is now available to everyone (Jew and Gentile). Fellowship with the Holy spirit brings power into our lives (Spiritual Gifts) and transforms us so that we manifest the Fruit of the Spirit (sanctified lives).

The Galatians were being tricked into rejecting Christ and going back to the old choice (self reliance) which only leads to sin and destruction. What about you? Are you trusting in the blood of Christ for your salvation, or are you trying to be good enough for God to save you?
LORD, we hereby renounce the old way of self-reliance, and cling to the cross of Christ. We accept the redemption bought by his blood. We accept your forgiveness and adoption into your family. We accept transformation by your Holy Spirit. Amen

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the gospel preached to Abraham

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

ab Galatians 3:1-9.  Abraham’s story was also a story of forgiveness… yes, I said forgiveness.
God had originally wanted the entire human race to be his representatives – his children. But sin marred God’s creation and made it impossible for any human being to be God’s child because we all lacked the righteousness necessary to represent him.
God in his grace responded to Abraham’s faith and counted it as righteousness. He forgave Abraham on the basis of the shed blood of Christ, his descendant.

LORD, help us to trust in you and you alone the way Abraham did.
Help us to trust in you in spite of what happens in this life because we are looking forward to your kingdom to come.
And help us to accept your payment for our sins, your miraculous Holy Spirit and your incredible forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice.
Help us to hold fast to this gospel, once preached to Abraham, now available to us through Christ. Amen.

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the gospel of faith in Christ

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

gospel of faith Galatians 2: 15-21.  When we declare that Christ gave himself for us on the cross we are saying that we were sinners, and that we were helpless to do anything to please God. BUT Jesus Christ was not a sinner. He could do something about our sin problem. He did it on Calvary’s cross. His sacrifice was enough to pay the price to set us free.
How tragic it is then, to have and proclaim this great gospel message, and then water it down by saying that God pays more attention to someone who doesn’t eat pork. Our trust is not in something we can do for God. Our trust is in something He did for us.

Paul saw that the Galatians had a serious problem. they had put their faith in Christ, but now they were in danger because someone was trying to convince them to alter that faith. The troublers wanted the Galatians to trust in Christ AND…
But God did not send his only Son to die in our place so that we could trust him AND ourselves.
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LORD, help us to put our faith in Christ alone, and keep our faith in Christ alone.

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in step with the gospel

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

step Galatians 2:11-14.  When he encountered Peter’s hypocrisy, Paul could have done the same thing Peter did, claiming Peter’s authority. That would have been the easy thing to do. But there was a lot at stake here. It was not just the traditions of men, whether Jewish or Gentile. The truth of the gospel was at stake. So Paul publically opposed Peter.
Paul was being a good friend here. All of us are able to make wrong choices which deny what we profess. If that happens, may God give us a friend like Paul, who cares enough to confront us.
This story is included in Galatians because the Galatian believers were being threatened with the same false teaching that the “certain men from James” had with them when they visited Antioch. The Galatians would have to make the same choice that Peter did. They would have to repent and get back in step with the gospel that they profess.
This story suggests a few principles for living like a Christian in any age.

prin

When you and I gave our lives to Jesus Christ, we accepted the gospel of the kingdom, and agreed to live by its principles.
Are we still living by those principles? Have we taken on any new habits and practices since then?
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LORD, help us to examine ourselves to see if we are still living by the gospel that we accepted when we first came to you.

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entrusted with the gospel

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

ent Galatians 2:1-10.  Galatians focuses on the gospel message. In 2:7, Paul says that he has been “entrusted with the gospel.”  The same is true of you and me. We have been entrusted with the gospel message.

The challenge for us is to keep faithfully proclaiming the gospel as Paul did. It is a stewardship.

The reason Paul could keep proclaiming the gospel is that he was not ashamed of it. He believed that it is God’s power for salvation (Rom. 1:16).

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not man’s gospel

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

not man's gospel Galatians 1:11-24.  Paul had already said that his missionary calling was not “from men nor through man (1:1). He had also made it clear that no man was his master, because he was not serving man, nor trying to please man (1:10). Now he is making it clear that his message (the gospel) is not an evolved Judaism. It is not “based on human reasoning” (1:11). He did not follow “a human example” (3:15).  Instead, the message came by direct revelation (1:12). 

The true Gospel is “not man’s gospel.” It didn’t originate with human tradition. It ignites within us a sense of separation and a holy calling. It results in a fellowship based on acceptance and encouragement.
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Heavenly Father,
Help us to escape human traditions long enough to get a clear focus on the gospel message. May our hearts beat to the tune of the good news of what Jesus did for us (that no man could do), the destiny that awaits us (that no man can imagine), and the power that is available to us (that no man can resist).

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