Nov. 27, Sermon Notes Gal. 3:10-18

The Run Down

Galatians 3:10-18
Above this passage Paul established the doctrine of justification by faith in a positive manner.
Now he will turn to the negative counterpart.
The impossibility of justification by the law.

Vs. 10 The law demands perfection. Deut. 27:26
A curse is attached to those that don’t fulfill the law in full.
Since all fail, all are cursed.
There is indeed another way to avoid the wrath of God, and that is by the mercy of God in the work of Christ.

Vs. 11 No one is justified by the law…. Impossible. Even through the provisions of atonement, Passover, sacrifice… the law reveals the impossibility to obey perfectly.
Habakkuk 2:4 “The righteous will live by faith.”

Vs. 12 Include implied “rather… the law says the who does them shall live by them.” Doing them you will live by them… obeying the law is good…but in its most complete fullest since… perfection… no one can reach… thus no one will live. Really setting them as opposed to one another… as the means via which we “live” and are “saved”.
Lev. 18:5 Yet Lev. Speaks from a stand point of doing it… living it.. expectation.
But I think as Paul has tried to live the reality… he knows personally the fruitlessness of attainment perfection as according to the law.

Vs. 13 So all are under the curse of disobedience under the law.
And Christ,… wow… “redeemed” us…. And became a curse for us.
“Us” here is both Jew/Gentile… because the point is all can be redeemed through Christ. Not through the law.
To redeem means to “buy out of slavery” by paying a price.
1 Peter. 1:18,19. Acts 20:28.
Deut. 21:23 “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”.
Prophetic. Technical…in sense of breaking law not of his own… but being hanged on a tree… and guilty of it all.. all by his purpose and plan… in are stead.

Jesus is the final OT sacrifice for us. Our atonement.
He is the best.. perfect… without spot or blemish… firstborn… to die as a sin sacrifice.
He is forsaken on the cross by God… Matt. 27:46 for us.
He is our scapegoat Lev. 16:5.

Vs. 14 The blessing of justification through Abraham might come to the Gentiles too.
And that all might receive the Holy Spirit. Joel 2.
Both received through faith… not the law.

Vs. 15 Back to brothers.
Paul will anticipate and answer the argument that an addition came to faith… the law.
Word can mean agreement or will.
Just been thinking of covenant as agreement with God and Abe.
But both still make sense.
Gen 15 the formal act of the covenant.
God makes this unilateral covenant.
Animals cut in 2 parts along backbone, placed in rows, with a space in between, walk through and speak the promises to each other. Shed blood. God alone passes through the slain animals.

Vs. 16 Is not an easy verse. But the idea.. is not to his immediate offsprings.. plural… that could be seen as possibly fulfilled… but more towards a “one”… the “offspring” singular in the since of Jesus… fulfilled promises in him… and all those thru that one offspring by faith.

Vs. 17 430 years from Ex. 12:40 period from Abraham to Moses.
The law can’t add to or annul. The promise is through faith.

Vs. 18 Inheritance not by law. By promise.
But God “Gave” it to Abraham by a promise.
God saves through promise… inherit by promise… not law!

Nov. 20, Sermon Notes Gal. 3:1-9

Chapter 3
Vs. 1
“Foolish”… one who can think but just lazily fails to use his powers of perception.
Not brothers vs. 1:11
But Galatians…
But Union Countians…

Who has bewitched you? Why have they acted foolishly? Why are they bewitched?
They are accepting some distortion of the Gospel.. which apparently is adding rules to be able to qualify for salvation.

This is firming up… how salvation is indeed obtained.

Christ publicly portrayed as crucified. Paul is the one who clearly presented/preached to them.

Vs. 2
Simple question: Receive by works or faith?
Rhetorical. Building simple case. Their experience. Sound doctrine.

Vs. 2-3
Contrasts: Works vs Faith
Works vs hearing
Law vs faith
Flesh vs Spirit

Vs. 4
Your experience has lead you to Grace!

Vs. 5
He asks the rhetorical question again.
Moves to God’s point of view… supplies Spirit and present working…
Via works of the law or by hearing with faith?
From past experience to present working…
Attained through works of law…. No.
It continues through faith. Then and now.

Now he will go:
Faith 6-9 (Abraham) and then law 10-14 (curse).
Faith 15-18 (covenant) then law 19-22 (transgressions).
Faith 23-29 (heirs) then law 4:1-7 (bondage).

Chapter 2, not forced to be circumcised. Apostles agreed.
Peter fails concerning liberty to eat all foods….
Reminder of the Gal. own experience,… how they got “in”…
And now probably Back Again to his teaching on Abraham.
A general Jewish presence there in a synagogue… also Paul probably taught from this…
Judaizers maybe keying off Abraham’s circumcision.
Paul taught them from the OT.

Vs. 6
‘just as’… liking their “experience” with Jewish Scripture and Tradition of Father Abraham.
The Quadrilateral
Tradition Reason Experience
S c r i p t u r e

Gen. 15:1-6
Abraham believed and counted to him as righteousness.
Romans 4.
Paul teaches this consistently.

Righteous
2 Cor. 5:21 The judicially exchanged, accredited, made innocent… yet with the aspect that then effects right relationship…. With God…
2 aspects. Declared innocent… then in Right Relationship.

Vs. 7
“those” or “these” or “the ones” of faith…. Not “the ones” of circumcision… who are sons of Abraham.

Gal. 2:12 fearing…
τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς
the ones from circumcision…

Gal. 3:7
οἱ ἐκ πίστεως
the ones from faith…

…who are sons of Abraham.

Vs. 8
The Scripture is personified here…
Powerful… in and of itself…
Foreseeing into the future that God would justify “count righteous”
The Gentiles…

ἐκ πίστεως
(the ones) from faith…

…justified.
Gen. 12:3 The blessing of all the families of the earth.

Vs. 9
Looking back to vs. 5…
οἱ ἐκ πίστεως
the ones from faith…

…are blessed

Are like Abraham.

What about U?

Nov. 13, Sermon Notes Gal. 2:11-21

The Run Down

Galatians 2:11-21
Second Mission 49AD thru Galatia then Paul wrote to Galatians 51AD
Vs. 11-14
Peter’s conduct supports Paul’s disappointment with the lack of Apostolic Leadership concerning the Core!

In the above writings, Paul was ready to butt heads if need be with even the Apostles at Jerusalem- James, Peter, and John.
With those who “seemed” (4 times) to be influential.
As noted previously, Paul’s Apostleship was from Jesus himself… and not by man… yet the “Gospel” of freedom from the Law is agreed upon and coincides with their understanding also. Esp. from Peter’s defense in Acts of the Dream and Experience with Cornelius.
They give Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship after they discuss the matter.

There is a question as to when this occurred Cephas “had come”….
Either time frame works… before the council or after it.
The above was about Gentile liberty,… from Gentiles having to come to Christ via the law or not. Not.

This incident with Cephas is about Jewish liberty to eat freely. As Jesus declared in Mark 7:19. As Jesus had already clearly brought to Peter’s attention in his dream and experience with Cornelius.

So Paul opposes Peter to his face.
Peter knows what is right…. He simply caves in to peer pressure.
Has Peter done this before?
Wow… such a great man… still with great weaknesses. God is still working on him huh?
Barnabas even falls into this trap.

Paul’s delicate balance:
Unity with the Apostles / Disappointment

Paul Nimbly Wisely and Deftly:
Are you:
Sensitive, clear, unifying, gentle, open, able in the Gospel?
Insensitive, foggy, divisive, brash, quiet, unable in the Gospel?

Peter and Barnabas cave in.
You know what’s right… how often do you cave?

It isn’t always smooth… now or then….
So don’t walk when you discover “church” isn’t perfect!
(Remember… you are in it too!)
Vs. 15
Main doctrinal argument begins.
Jews not Gentile sinners
Paul’s Irony… for he will argue both are justified by God the same way.
Jews have privilege of revealed religion. Romans 9:4-5.

Vs. 16
Yet…
Not justified (counted righteous, to declare righteous or innocent).
Righteousness is the unique characteristic of God.
To condemn is the opposite of to justify.

The judicial action of God. Justified, counted righteous, declared innocent, in a legal sense, through faith in Christ Jesus.

Faith is belief/trust.

Works of the law specifically for Jews, relates to the Torah, and an obedience to it that some think make them right before God.
Same implication for all of man’s religious laws or systems.
We aren’t acquitted due to our action, our good fulfilled obedience,…
Actually it’s in realizing we can’t fulfill the law of any system, to be good enough, that we know we must have the Savior…. And our justification rest on what he has done.
3 x repetition here in this one verse.

Vs. 17
Paul answering the rhetorical question, if by faith in Christ, then antinomian, or no moral standard to live by, or need to live by.
Paul will say “certainly not!”.
There is a legal acquittal, but it is not abstract.
2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15. A new creation is born.
Something truly happens in new birth. The Holy Spirit comes inside.
Heb. 8:8-10, from Jer. 31:33 laws in their minds and hearts.

Vs. 18
Returning to the law,… as Peter was doing above… is turning from the one true way to God and that was in Christ.
Paul can’t rebuild the law after tearing it down for Christ.

Vs. 19
Through the law I died. The law, Romans 7:4-6, teaches us of our sin. It performs a good function of revealing our hopelessness in seeking salvation through human works…. Our hopelessness as sinners… yet reveals our great need for a Savior… we find God in Christ.

Vs. 20
Paul will repeat. Emphatically his union with Christ, in crucifixion, and life.
The life Paul now lives,… is not in striving for approval by obedience to the law to find acquittal with God,… no… it’s by faith in Christ.
Again stating the basis of the Gospel… God’s love for him in giving Jesus in his stead.

Vs. 21
Don’t nullify the grace of God by our efforts to earn salvation, approval, acquittal.
If rightness with God can be gained how most try… then Jesus died for nothing.

One must either receive God’s offer of salvation or insult him.

Nov. 6, Sermon Notes Galatians 2:1-11

The Run Down

Second Mission 49AD thru Galatia then Paul wrote to Galatians 51AD
Ch. 1 Independence from 12 Apostles.
Ch. 2 Unity with 12 Apostles, but without perfection.

Not anymore is the source of Gospel the issue.
But now Nature of the Gospel.
Centered around “circumcision”.
Wow… still Germinating?

Vs. 1 After 17 years of ministry…
in Antioch / Syria / Cilicia / and
1st Mission Journey…
the Nature of the Gospel is being questioned.
33AD to 49 AD.
I’ve been a Christian just a few years longer.

Paul travels to the Seat of Christianity… Jerusalem.
To possibly defend his very ministry.
James, Peter, John, and the Apostles.

Vs. 2 By Revelation, not “summoned”.
“Seemed” influential. Not that they weren’t… but Paul isn’t acquiescing.
The two Powerful Heads… will this splinter the movement?
Vs. 3
Titus, a Greek,
Was he purposefully taken as a living example?

Vs. 4
Spies in Antioch and in Jerusalem.
Titus 1:9-11… later reminded!

Hebrews 5:11-6:1. We should know the Basics. The Core. The Nature of the Gospel.

Vs. 5
Paul feels strongly!
Gospel is Hinging on this!

Vs. 6
Oppose the Pillars if need be.
Vs 2, 6, 6, 9. “seemed”.
No partiality, even to the top top of the Church!
1 Sam. 16:7…
the council…
Us…

Vs. 7 Uncircumcised & Circumcised.
Vs. 8 Same “He” is working.
Vs. 9 James / Cephas / John
Perceive the grace given to Paul.
Peter’s Dream (Acts).
Remember this is support to Galatians for the “Pure Gospel” against false teachers!
Vs. 10
Remember the poor… are we?

Corina’s Health

Hey Church.
Many of you regularly inquire… so i figured I’d post this to get out the general facts.
Corina (mommy) is doing poorly. She continues to be more and more restricted in her ability to move and just function daily. We hope to be moving towards another (9th) surgery, we know by experience she has organs adhering due to scar tissue, and she needs to be “cut free”… this has happened numerous times with her intestine, bladder, ovary, etc… twisting and attaching somewhere to something inside… yet the process for moving toward surgery is going slow. She had a non-invasive procedure Monday Oct. 31st, and had to miss out on trick or treating. Please pray for her, or send her a sweet, encouraging email. It can be a psychological struggle managing pain that daily moves from a 7 to a 10 level (out of 10). Pain management with heavy drugs is not something we relish… but what do you do? What do you do. Please pray for her, for us, as God sees us through, and that we remain faithful.
In Christ,
Mark