WEBVTT 00:00:01.919 --> 00:00:12.880 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written every one who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed. 00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:20.239 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:22.640 But the law is not based on faith. 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:26.719 Instead, the one who does these things will live by them. 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:36.719 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is every one who is hung on a tree. 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:47.359 The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith. 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:51.359 Brothers and sisters, I'm using a human illustration. 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:56.560 No one sets aside or makes additions to a validated human will. 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:01.280 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:09.840 He does not say and to seeds, as though referring to many, but referring to one and to your seed, who is Christ. 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:21.359 My point is this the law which came 430 years later does not invalidate a covenant previously established by God and thus cancel the promise. 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:26.480 For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise. 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:31.120 But God has graciously given it to Abraham through the promise. 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:32.480 Let's pray. 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:36.799 Lord, as we do each week, we thank you for your word. 00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:41.359 Lord, we thank you for the direction that you give us through it. 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:47.599 Lord, our church is one of our values is that your word is what directs everything that we do. 00:01:47.840 --> 00:02:00.560 So I pray here this morning, Lord, that we would come to you with open hearts and minds and ears and eyes to see all of the things that you desire to do in our hearts here this morning and within this church as a body. 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:13.120 But I pray that your spirit would be present in speaking here this morning, that you would use me as your mouthpiece and that you would help me with each word that comes out, that it would be from you and not from my flesh, I pray. 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:17.120 But have your way here in our hearts this morning, we pray. 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:18.319 In Jesus' name. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:19.039 Amen. 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:20.560 You may be seated. 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:30.879 So, two weeks ago, because we took that break for Christmas, we talked about in the first part of chapter three, talked a lot about Abraham. 00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:33.199 Talked a lot about his faith. 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:40.240 And how his belief, how his faith in God was credited to him as righteousness. 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:53.840 Not his works, not by him following the law, or not because he became circumcised, but because Abraham was declared righteous before he was circumcised. 00:02:54.159 --> 00:02:57.039 Read Genesis 17 if you get a chance. 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:01.039 It's a beautiful chapter, but you can read that on your own. 00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:02.719 We're not going to be getting that today. 00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:07.919 But he was declared righteous by God before he was even circumcised. 00:03:08.159 --> 00:03:16.400 And he was declared righteous by God 430 years before God even gave Israel the law. 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:18.719 430 years is a long time. 00:03:18.879 --> 00:03:20.800 To help us understand how long that is. 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:24.240 Do you know what year it would be if it was 430 years ago? 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:26.479 It'd be 1593. 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:29.280 That's a long time ago, isn't it? 00:03:29.439 --> 00:03:32.240 A lot has changed in those 430 years. 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:38.800 That's how long before the law Abraham was declared righteous by God. 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:48.960 And this theme is going to keep coming up a lot in this passage here this morning, that righteousness comes from God when we have faith in him. 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:53.120 We're not righteous because we have so much faith. 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:58.639 That's just another way I think that we try to take credit for our own righteousness, our own salvation. 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:05.520 Our righteousness comes from God when we place our faith, our trust in Him. 00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:08.639 That's when God declares us righteous. 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:23.519 And today, Paul's going to get into why the law could not credit Abraham as righteous, why the law can't credit the Galatians as righteous, and why the law can't credit us here today as righteous either. 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:30.240 And he'll go as far as to say that we are actually cursed if we remain under the law. 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:40.000 And also, as a heads up, you know, Paul's going to be going to ref be referencing a lot of Old Testament passages, just in these verses that we have here this morning. 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:44.560 So I'm not going to read everyone because there's so many, but I will give you the address. 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:46.959 So if you're a note taker, be ready for that. 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:49.360 I will be reading some of them to you. 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:54.480 But this morning, it's a little more segmented, segmented than we're used to. 00:04:54.800 --> 00:05:06.879 And it might be a little more technical than we're used to, but it's just because of the way that this is written and the things that we really need to dig into in order to fully understand what Paul's message to the Galatian church was. 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:09.199 So we're going to start off in verse 10. 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:13.759 It says, For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:20.160 Because it is written, everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed. 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:31.360 So first off, here he's quoting from Deuteronomy 27, 26, where it says, Anyone who does not put the words of this law into practice is cursed. 00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:36.800 Everyone who does not do, this is the kind of the theme going here. 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:40.079 You see, the law is about us doing. 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:46.079 Meaning, if you want to be declared righteous by the law, you have to uphold. 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:51.519 You have to do all of it all the time and never mess up once. 00:05:51.680 --> 00:05:57.120 You have to live by it perfectly and practice it perfectly, as Christ did. 00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:01.439 And no other human has been able to before or since that. 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:08.480 You see, when Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, they brought on the curse of sin. 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:11.439 And don't act like you're mad at them. 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:17.839 I know a lot of people are like, Adam and Eve, no, no, if you or I were there, we would have done the same thing that Adam and Eve did. 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:26.560 So God gave Moses the law, saying this is what is required in order to be sinless. 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:29.680 It gave Israel a standard to live by. 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:34.399 You know, they couldn't argue anymore about whether you can eat shrimp or not. 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:38.000 You know, it said right there in the law that they couldn't eat shrimp. 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:41.920 You know, the law let them know things like adultery is wrong. 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:47.199 You know, things like polygamy is wrong, things like idol worship is wrong. 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:50.560 And we need to remember that the law wasn't bad. 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:54.959 God gave them the law in love because he loved them so much. 00:06:55.199 --> 00:06:58.800 He wanted to let them know what was best for them. 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:01.120 Because he created them. 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:06.079 He knew exactly what they needed and he knew exactly what they didn't need. 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:09.199 And he wanted what was best for them. 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:11.600 Because he created them. 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:13.600 He knew what was best for them. 00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:20.319 You know, even the dietary law, it can seem obscure to us when we read through that, but the whole idea was to keep them safe. 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:27.519 You know, think about if he told them, you know, if you eat pork, you have to make sure you cook it to at least 145 degrees. 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:29.600 They would have been like, what's degrees? 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:30.399 You know? 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:34.800 They didn't have those insulin thermometers like we do anymore. 00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:41.759 Or if he said, you know, you can eat shellfish, but don't eat them during the summer because they have these microtoxins. 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:44.959 So make sure that you chemically test them before you eat these shrimp. 00:07:45.040 --> 00:07:46.800 You know, he couldn't tell them things like that. 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:51.600 So he just said, just don't eat pork, don't eat shellfish, and you're gonna be better off. 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:52.959 You're gonna be healthier. 00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:55.279 And he told them these things out of love. 00:07:55.600 --> 00:08:02.240 So the law was good, and it came from a place of God's love for his people. 00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:15.680 But if you didn't have faith in God and didn't want to obey him out of love, and you were just trying to find righteousness through following the law alone, that's a horrible existence. 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:22.879 So Paul lets the Galatians know in verse 10 that this is actually a cursed existence, living that way. 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:27.360 Now, look at how Paul contrasts in verse 11 how the righteous live. 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:36.720 In verse 11, he says, Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:40.960 And he's quoting here from Habakkuk 2.4, if you want to look that up later. 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:43.120 And this is another contrast. 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:47.679 He's saying, the law equals a curse, excuse me, the law equals a curse. 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:51.840 Living by faith in God equals righteousness. 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:57.679 And I want to reiterate again that our faith does not make us righteous. 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:01.600 It's the one we believe in that makes us righteous. 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:14.240 And it may seem like I'm splitting hairs because I keep mentioning this, but I mention it because our pride at any time wants to jump in and start taking credit for our salvation and for our righteousness. 00:09:14.399 --> 00:09:17.679 We love to give ourselves some sort of credit for that. 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:21.679 You know, well, it's because of my faith and how big it is that I'm righteous. 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:28.320 Yeah, you know, God could see how substantial my faith was and said, yeah, we can declare him righteous. 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:34.879 No, it's who we have faith in who makes us righteous. 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:44.639 So our faith is actually our trust in God, our trust that Jesus is our Savior and forgiver of our sins. 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:46.559 Look at verse 12 with me. 00:09:47.600 --> 00:09:50.399 But the law is not based on faith. 00:09:50.639 --> 00:09:54.799 Instead, the one who does these things will live by them. 00:09:54.960 --> 00:09:57.600 And this is from Leviticus 18, 5. 00:09:57.840 --> 00:10:03.600 You know, another way to look at this is the one that lives by faith trusts in God. 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:07.600 The one that lives by the law trusts in themselves. 00:10:08.559 --> 00:10:11.039 They trust in what they do. 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:13.519 Do is a big word this morning. 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:20.159 So Paul keeps telling them, the law doesn't justify you, because this is what the Galatians were struggling with. 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:25.360 They're leaning into being saved through their works. 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:28.720 And that's what was being taught to them by the Judaizers. 00:10:28.960 --> 00:10:31.440 But, and here's the point, verse 13. 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:42.960 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:45.840 So Christ redeemed us. 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:48.559 And I want to look at that word real quick in the Greek dictionary. 00:10:48.639 --> 00:10:49.519 That word redeemed. 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:58.480 It says, to redeem by payment of a price, to recover from the power of another, to ransom, buy off. 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:08.720 And then it says it's a metaphor of Christ freeing the elect from the dominion of the Mosaic Law at the price of his vicarious death. 00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:16.000 He redeemed us from the law and the curse that comes by trying to earn righteousness from it. 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:20.480 And he redeemed us by becoming a curse for us. 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:27.200 Paul is quoting here from Deuteronomy 21, verses 22 through 23, and I'll read that to you. 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:30.399 Deuteronomy 21, verses 22 through 23. 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:44.799 It says, If anyone is found guilty of an offense, deserving the death penalty, and is executed, and you hang his body on a tree, you are not to leave his corpse on the tree overnight, but are to bury him that day. 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:48.639 For anyone hung on a tree is under God's curse. 00:11:48.879 --> 00:12:00.799 You know, and I wonder if Joseph of Arimathea was thinking of this verse when he asked for Jesus' body from the cross and then gave Jesus his tomb to borrow for the weekend. 00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:15.919 But Jesus paid for the curse we were already under by becoming the curse for us, by redeeming us with his death on the cross. 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:19.279 So let's talk a little bit about this. 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:28.080 You know, under the law in the Old Testament, you know, when somebody would sin, let's let's kind of talk about the Old Testament version of this. 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:36.960 You know, the Israelites would bring a lamb or a goat or a bull or turtle dove, but for our sake, let's just talk about the lamb this morning. 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:47.200 They would bring a lamb to the tabernacle or to the temple once that was built to be sacrificed, to cover their sin, the person that brought it. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:55.360 And the priest would examine that animal to make sure that it had no spot or no blemish on it before it was to be sacrificed. 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:58.799 They did not examine the sinner. 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:02.720 The priest already knew everybody bringing a lamb was a sinner. 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:06.240 No, they examined the sacrifice. 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:08.320 And it's the same with us. 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:13.200 Our forgiveness and salvation is not based on our examination. 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:15.519 Because we're gonna fail that every time. 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:20.240 It's based on God's examination of Jesus in our place. 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:33.279 The spotless lamb that was slain for us, who, it says right here, became a curse for us, who was hung on a tree for us, because we didn't stand a chance on our own. 00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:36.399 And here's the point of all this. 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:48.960 When we start or we want our salvation to be based on our works, like the Galatians are leaning towards, we effectively are saying, God, why don't you examine me? 00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:52.799 You know, I'm feeling pretty good about myself and how things are going right now. 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:55.759 I mean, look at what I've done for you recently. 00:13:56.159 --> 00:14:01.039 Which in reality is saying that Jesus didn't really need to die. 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:06.720 He really didn't need to come and be cursed, if that is our attitude. 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:09.600 Because we have that attitude of, I've got this. 00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:15.360 All while Romans 3 10 tells us that there is no one righteous, no, not one. 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:19.600 So Paul points out that we had to be redeemed. 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:26.080 And Jesus had to become a curse for us to lift the curse off of us. 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:28.080 He goes on in verse 14. 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:38.320 The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith. 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:45.600 So the blessing of Abraham is what we already covered two weeks ago in the beginning of this chapter in verse 8 and 9. 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:49.279 So you can look up at verses 8 and 9 with me if you'd like, and I'll read it. 00:14:49.360 --> 00:15:03.840 It says, Now the scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and proclaim the gospel ahead of time to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed through you. 00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:09.840 Consequently, those who have faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith. 00:15:10.159 --> 00:15:21.600 So this plan of the Gentiles, just like the Galatians, coming to God through Jesus Christ, has been made known since Genesis 12. 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:28.960 And the plan for salvation has always been through faith and not works. 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:33.519 The law was never God's plan for salvation. 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:39.519 Being saved by faith and trust in him has not changed. 00:15:40.799 --> 00:15:45.840 And it's allowed us, it says here in verse 14, to receive the promised Spirit. 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:48.799 You know, that's the Holy Spirit that's being talked about here. 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:52.720 And it's going back again to verse 2 of this chapter. 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:56.320 He's referring back to these things that he's already written. 00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:59.120 And it's a rhetorical question that he asked them in verse 2. 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:04.960 Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:15.679 They received the Holy Spirit by believing, by accepting the sacrifice made in their place when Jesus became the curse on the cross. 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:36.480 And keeping this all in context, in the very next verse in verse 3, there, you can look at it with me if you want, the answer to this rhetorical question and the point of all of this, he says, Are you so foolish after being, or after beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:43.120 You know, he's been asking them since chapter 2, really, why are you going backwards, Galatians? 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:48.639 You know, why are you going from grace to works? 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:52.000 Why are you going from the spirit to the flesh? 00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:56.480 And he goes on here in verse 15 and he uses uh a human illustration. 00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:59.200 He starts off with brothers and sisters. 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:01.919 And I just want to stop there and talk about that for a second. 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:19.759 Just because I want to point out that Jesus, uh no, I want to point out that just because these Galatians were getting confused and started to work backwards from grace to a workspace salvation, Paul didn't consider them not saved anymore. 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:23.359 He didn't consider them excommunicated from the family of God. 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:26.319 He still calls them brothers and sisters. 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:28.559 Your translation might say brethren. 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:37.200 He saw followers of Christ in this Galatian church that were confused and they were starting to head down the wrong path. 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:41.680 And he writes them this letter to try and correct their course. 00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:47.039 And I think that we all struggle with this one way or another, don't we? 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:55.200 With either leaning into legalism or leaning into uh to to kind of a cheap grace, I guess is a way that we could put it. 00:17:55.359 --> 00:17:57.519 You know, I always think of this as a line. 00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:01.119 We have an illustration so you can kind of look at what I'm thinking of. 00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:04.880 Where we have an attitude of a works-based salvation. 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:07.680 You know, this is like the extreme, you know, over here. 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:15.119 And then on the other side, we have this attitude of, you know, let's sin so that grace can abound, you know, and that's the other extreme. 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:27.200 But there's this healthy middle that I think Paul's trying to pull this Galatian church into, this attitude and this way of living that says, salvation is based on faith alone. 00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:33.519 Yes, I sin, even though I don't want to, but God's grace is sufficient. 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:39.039 And my works then come from a place of love for God and not duty. 00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:44.160 A place of love for God and not trying to earn my own salvation. 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:48.960 And I think that's that healthy place where we're encouraged in Scripture to exist. 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:56.880 And as followers of Christ, we can start to lean one way or the other from that healthy center. 00:18:57.039 --> 00:19:05.279 You know, for some of us, maybe we always tend to lean one way because of our personalities or our past experiences or whatever it might be. 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:13.039 For some of us, you know, we'll have seasons of leaning one way and then we overcorrect and we find ourselves leaning, you know, a little bit too far the other way. 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:18.559 You know, if we're leaning too far this way, we can start to backslide. 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:23.039 And if we start to lean too far this way, then we can start to front slide, you know. 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:25.599 Also known as legalism. 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:40.240 But I think as we mature in Christ and understand God's word better and better and apply it to ourselves more and more, our leanings become a little bit less drastic, you know, when we have to course correct a little bit. 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:44.799 And we don't get quite as far away from that healthy sinner line. 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:51.440 Because we stay in God's word and we allow God's word to correct our course. 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:55.359 That's exactly what Paul's doing with this letter to the Galatians. 00:19:55.680 --> 00:20:01.200 He's saying, hey, brothers and sisters in Galatia, you need to come back to this healthy center. 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:07.440 You're really leaning and actually kind of running in this direction, but you need to come back out of that legalism. 00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:15.519 So Paul says in verse 15, brothers and sisters, I'm using a human illustration. 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:21.279 No one sets aside or makes additions to a validated human will. 00:20:21.599 --> 00:20:28.480 And this word will here is also translated as testament and covenant in other places in the New Testament. 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:47.920 So think of this word as being, you know, bigger than just like your last will and testament, but as any man-made covenant between two people, you know, which would include a last will and testament that would need to be ratified or notarized and made official in that way. 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:56.160 You know, something that's had witnesses that have validated it and said, yes, I witnessed what was going on and I'll attest to that in the court of law. 00:20:56.400 --> 00:21:10.880 So Paul's saying, if even humans will go through the process of a will or a covenant and uphold it, how much more will God keep his promises and his covenants with you? 00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:17.440 And not set aside things or add to that covenant or that promise. 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:22.799 You know, a covenant with God is as guaranteed as you can get, which I think is Paul's heart behind this. 00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:25.440 He does not go back on his promises. 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:27.680 He goes on in verse 5 16. 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:32.480 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:41.599 He does not say and to seeds, as though referring to many, but referring to one and to your seed, who is Christ. 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:44.799 Christ is from the line of Abraham. 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:49.200 You know, you can say he's a son of Abraham because he was from that lineage. 00:21:49.519 --> 00:21:54.640 And this was promised to Abraham all the way back in Genesis 22 18. 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:59.759 And if you aren't familiar with Genesis 22, I want to encourage you to go read that later. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:06.160 Or today or this week, it's a beautiful foreshadowing of what God would do through Jesus Christ. 00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:25.599 But what Paul is referring to here in verse 16 is right after Abraham showed his willingness to give his only son, show that he was willing to sacrifice his only son, and even though Abraham didn't end up having to do that, you know, God brought the ram in his place. 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:34.960 God said after that, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my command. 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:41.599 God was just looking for Abraham's faith and obedience in this instance. 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:50.079 So God made this promise to Abraham that his offspring, through his seed, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would be born. 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:58.400 And Paul makes a point that this is not a promise regarding all of his descendants, you know, his seeds, plural. 00:22:58.559 --> 00:23:04.960 This is a promise about one singular seed, which is the Messiah, which is Jesus Christ. 00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:07.200 Verse 17, he goes on. 00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:20.079 My point is this the law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously established by God and thus cancel the promise. 00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:24.720 The promise of the Messiah through Abraham's seed is still valid. 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:27.680 The law did not replace that. 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:37.359 Because it was a promise to Abraham based on his faith and based on his obedience, not based on him following the law. 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:49.680 If this was a promise based on Abraham upholding the whole law that he didn't even have yet, Abraham would have invalidated the promise the first time that he sinned. 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:52.319 After this promise was made. 00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:54.720 And we know that Abraham was a sinner. 00:23:54.799 --> 00:23:57.920 He gave us plenty of examples of that in Genesis. 00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:14.400 What Paul is saying in verse 17 is that the promise of the Messiah coming through the seed of Abraham was a one-sided promise on God's part, based on God's faithfulness, not man's obedience to the law. 00:24:14.960 --> 00:24:26.400 Now, similarly, when God made the covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15 regarding the land of Israel, he didn't have Abraham participate in the covenant ceremony, if you remember that. 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:30.559 God didn't want this covenant to be dependent upon a man. 00:24:30.880 --> 00:24:42.400 Just like his promise to Abraham that the Messiah would come from his seed, because this was a promise made by God to Abraham because of Abraham's faith in God. 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:46.319 I told you it's going to get a little technical today, but this is helping bring it all together. 00:24:46.480 --> 00:24:48.240 Look at verse 18 with me. 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:54.559 For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise. 00:24:54.799 --> 00:25:00.160 But God has graciously given it to Abraham through the promise. 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:11.279 You know, salvation is not through the law, you guys. 00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:17.119 The Messiah didn't come through Abraham's or Israel's obedience to the law. 00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:23.279 The Messiah came through God's promise as a result of Abraham's faith. 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:32.400 And that same principle holds true to the churches in Galatia at the time of this writing and for us here today. 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:42.640 Our salvation through Jesus is not based on us doing, it comes by grace through faith in Jesus. 00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:50.240 And the fact that Abraham was declared righteous by God 430 years before Israel even got the law is proof of this. 00:25:50.400 --> 00:26:01.440 You know, what more do the Galatians need to understand this concept that salvation is through faith and not by becoming Jewish first and then adding Jesus onto that? 00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:11.119 So what I want to close with today, what's our application that we can get, you know, from these verses and all these cross-references? 00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:13.599 Stay in the word. 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:26.960 If you find yourself leaning, you know, towards black backsliding or leaning towards legalism, you know, some cheap grace or or you know front sliding, as we said. 00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:31.920 Allow yourself to see through the lens of God's word. 00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:38.880 Allow God's word to course correct you as you apply it to your life. 00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:40.880 That's what Galatians is. 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:43.440 It's a course correction for Galatia. 00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:47.920 And it's just as much for us here today as it was for them back then. 00:26:48.319 --> 00:26:54.079 And that was course correcting them because they were leaning towards works-based salvation. 00:26:54.240 --> 00:27:01.839 If you need correction because you're leaning towards cheap grace, go read James, because that's really what I think James is about. 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:07.599 It's kind of coming from the other angle of, hey, you know, you need some works too, but it has to be out of love. 00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:12.799 So stay in the word. 00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:15.680 Read the word for yourself. 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:18.319 We talk about you reading the word for yourself a lot. 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:23.599 We have those Bible through year, you know, things in the back or pull it up on your phone. 00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:27.200 Because it is so important that you're doing that for yourself. 00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:33.920 You read Galatians and it kind of course corrects us, and you read James and it kind of course corrects us, and it's God's word that does that. 00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:38.720 If you're solely dependent on what you're hearing from me on Sunday mornings, good luck. 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:41.680 You need to be in the word for yourself. 00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:44.720 And reading the Bible is a spiritual discipline. 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:49.440 And it's called a discipline because it's not easy and our flesh doesn't want to do it. 00:27:49.599 --> 00:27:53.920 It finds all the reasons in the world not to do it on a daily basis. 00:27:54.160 --> 00:28:09.039 But I just want to encourage you, not as a New Year's resolution, as a discipline for the rest of your life, to stay in God's word and allow God's word to do that course correction that we need often. 00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:13.680 And I can't think of a better thing than reading through the whole Bible. 00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:15.200 That's why we have that back there. 00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:18.480 If you're doing another reading plan and things are going great, stay with that. 00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:23.680 But getting the whole counsel of God is so important. 00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:38.559 It's when we look at all of Scripture, I think, that we really get a picture of what God is calling us to be like as disciples of Jesus Christ and to fully understand his heart for his people and for us and his desires. 00:28:38.640 --> 00:28:41.440 And really, you know, so many people look at the law and they think, What? 00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:42.640 What an angry God. 00:28:42.799 --> 00:28:44.799 You know, you look at the law, it's love. 00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:47.680 He was trying to take care of his people. 00:28:47.920 --> 00:28:52.400 And even though you can be reading through the law and it's just like, oh my gosh, the Levites have to do what? 00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:53.680 You know, and all that kind of stuff. 00:28:53.839 --> 00:28:56.319 It's all God's heart in there. 00:28:56.400 --> 00:29:05.119 Uh so I just really want to encourage you, not as a New Year's resolution, but just as a discipline in the faith to stay in God's word. 00:29:05.440 --> 00:29:07.519 Would you please pray with me? 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:13.519 Lord, we thank you for your word and that we have it so readily available. 00:29:13.759 --> 00:29:21.200 Lord, all of us probably have multiple Bibles in our house and multiple translations on our phones, and that we have so much access. 00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:24.319 Um, but I pray we would take advantage of that. 00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:41.119 That we would actually open our Bibles and read them and allow you to minister to us and allow your word to wash over us and that we would hide it in the deepest recesses of our heart because we love you so much and we understand the value of it. 00:29:41.359 --> 00:30:02.720 So, Lord, would you help us each to become more disciplined and to not read the Bible out of duty, but because we know you love us so much and you care for us so much that you want us to become more like your Son, Jesus Christ, as we become more and more sanctified as we abide closer and closer with Jesus. 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:04.319 So, Lord, would you do that? 00:30:04.480 --> 00:30:08.000 Would you help motivate us and see the importance of your word in our life? 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:09.200 In Jesus' name. 00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:10.160 Amen.