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The letter to the Galatians

Grace and Growth

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Outline• Gal 1:1-9 Introduction to the Gospel and

occasion for the letter

• Gal 1:10-2:21 Paul's personal defense of the Gospel ministry

• Gal 3:1-4:3 Paul's theological defence of the Gospel message

• Gal 5:1-6:18 Paul's practical Application of the gospel message to our lives

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Theological defence

We are not only saved by gospel but we grow through it too

Gal 3:1-5

Scriptural support..

Example of last will and testamentDiscussion place of law

Example of adoption ...privilege of being sons

Example of Abraham and sons

Gal 3:6-14

Gal 3:15-25

Gal 3:26-4:20

Gal 3:4:21-31

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Growing in Christian life

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Study bible

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No

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1. The Galatians reception of the Spirit• (ESV) 1 O foolish

Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?

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Which way

Hear..Faith

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• (ESV) 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

To finish or complete

Physical fleshHuman effortSinful nature

2. There is only one consistent process

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Illogical

Spirit

Gospel

Human effort

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• "I believe part of the problem is our tendency to give an unbeliever just enough of the gospel to get him or her to pray a prayer to accept Christ. Then we immediately put the gospel on the shelf so to speak, and go on to the duties of discipleship"

The Discipline of Grace Jeff Bridges p 46

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ExampleGospel brings the Spirits power

Start race Finish race

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More logical

Spirit

Gospel

Spirit Power

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3.The experience of the Spirits work in their lives

• (ESV) 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—

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Appeal to their history

Spirit

Gospel

Human effort

TransformationGood works

Miracles

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Gospel

Study bible principles to apply in life..

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Gospel

Gospel vivid redepiction of Christ saving workSo that our hearts are more gripped with the reality of what he did and who we are in HimAbandonment of self work..

What’s the difference?

Moral lifeGood works

Moral lifeGood works

MotiveChristian

Non-Christian

Because she loves Him for what he has done

Because he wants to Make it to heaven

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Why do we do that?

Ingrained natures

We falsely believe hearing and believing is a one time deal

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God's Glory

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Glory

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BraveryScientific discovery

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From infancy

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MedalsAchievements

MoneyProperty

BraveryKindness

IntelligenceIntegrityLoyalty

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God's Glory in Jesus

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Glory from each other unreliable

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• John 5: 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

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False gospels often please people

• For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ

• (Galatians 1:10 ESV)

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Survival of fittest

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Civilisation..law

Double standards

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We think we hear and believe one time

Hearing with faith

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We keep hearing and believing

Hearing with faith Hearing with faith Hearing with faith

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How do we grow faith

GodMan

Love grows from the gapThe cross

His PROMISES

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Billionaire

Prince

Orphan

Bankrupt

Terminal disease

Debt

Nasty selfish person

Olympic championNobel Prize winner

Lives in posh suburb

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Application of how

Anger

Remorseful

Try harderAnger management courses?

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Why

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The reasons

Loss of face in familyChildren study locally

Less holidaysBelt tightening

Value of company declines

Planned expansion post phone

Cannot list on KLSECompetitor gains

Political reasons

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Sense of self worth

FatherHusband

Company director

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Solutions

Try harder

EnslavedGuilt if fail

Pride if successful

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Anxiety

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Apathy

Scriptural argumentsGenesis 17 Deuteronomy

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Living by faith the Example from Abraham

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• (ESV) 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith

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(ESV) 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

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Believed God

Counted as

Righteousness

Accounting term..credited as

• Believed God's promise...to give many offspring

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boasting in our faith

Faith is not a form of

righteousness or act that warrants

God’s favour

Vehicle we use to accept God’s grace

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How are we in similar position?

Believed God

Counted as

Righteousness

Accounting term..credited as

• Believed God's promise...to provide a saviour

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Founders teach

Strive without ceasing

It is finished

The futility of the lawDeuteronomy 27-28

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• Gal3: 10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them

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• (ESV) 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written,

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• (ESV) Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith

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Curses

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Deuteronomy 27-28

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CursesBlessings

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Blessings and curse in covenantal context

Righteousness Relationship put right

Blessingintimacy of relationship

Broken relationship Cursewithdrawal of relationship

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Law is covenantal therefore relational

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Law is basis for relationship

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Southeast Asian leaders to push for South China Sea code

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God is not co- dependant

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Nepal earth quake

"We just huddled and prayed"

Sunir Pandey CNN27/4/15

“‘In him we live and move and have our being’; acts 17:28And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Col 1:17

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Why curse?• Gal3: 10 For all who rely on works of

the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them

Deut 27:6 Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this

law by doing them.

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Why a curse?

Curse of Sisyphus

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Why legalism• Romans 10 :1 Brothers, my heart's desire

and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes

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Manifestations of work

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Punish ourselves to get rid of guiltFeelings of guilt are penance to win God’s love

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Fear

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Fear

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The great exchange• 13 Christ redeemed us from the

curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

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Blessing

Curse

Faith

Law

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The content of the gospel

• (ESV) 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:21

He did not become sinful no more as if we became righteous but he was treated as if he was sin and we were treated as righteous even though we are sinful

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The great exchange• 13 Christ redeemed us from the

curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.