Galatians 5:16-26 - 4 Truths of Walking By the Spirit

Here are my notes from Phud's sermon this past Sunday at Remedy Church:

INTRODUCTION

Galatians 5:1-15 summarized: We are in desperate need and the only solution is the gospel; our right response to this solution is loving others, as God loves us, and taking the gospel to them.

How do I live, now that I am a Christian?

Is my life characterized by sinful living or living by the Spirit?

How do we live by the Spirit?

The answer to the "How?" of living Christlike lives and loving others is obviously "by the Spirit" - Gal. 5:16, 18, 22, 25.

4 TRUTHS OF LIVING BY THE SPIRIT

1) Your desires, because of you flesh, are often too weak (Gal 5: 16-17)

- C. S. Lewis quote:

- Desires are not bad - Paul is making a contrast between the desires of the flesh (which are sinful) and the desires of the Spirit (which are holy)

- Desires are only bad when we desire lesser things than those things which should be our ultimate desires

- We have to constantly check to see if our desires are in line with God's desires

2) Walking by the Spirit means we are no longer under law (Gal 5:18)

- When you come to know Christ, you don't have to law-keep anymore (Rom 7:6; Rom 6:14; Rom 3:20; Gal 3:23-25)

- We don't have to keep the law anymore; rather, we should be living by the Spirit

- We are freed from sin, BUT slaves to righteousness (Rom 6:17-18)

3) The "works of the flesh" describe those who are not in Christ (Gal 5:19-23)

- The bad news is that all those who live according to the flesh (which is everyone) will not inherit the kingdom of God

- The good news is THE GOSPEL; this is the only good news

- Only because of the cross of Christ can we be reconciled; the fruit of the Spirit is exactly that - "fruit of", not payment for

4) You must count yourself crucified with Christ in order to live by the Spirit (Gal 5:24-26)

- The core Gospel message is not how we become a better person; rather, it is that we are all dead people who can only be made alive by God, through Christ's work (Gal 2:20)

- Christianity is not about stopping the fruit of the flesh or starting and doing the fruit of the Spirit; Christianity is not a self-improvement plan

- As Tim Keller communicates, being fanatical/legalistic/Pharisaic does not come from being too Christian or understanding the Gospel and theology too much; rather, this misplaced zeal comes from not being Christian enough and not having a proper understanding of the Gospel and theology

Every act of the fruit of the Spirit is only by God doing it through us - ALL glory should go to God - this is why Paul includes this last verse at the end of the chapter (Gal 5:26)

CLOSING COMMENTS

- Stop Preforming!

- You cannot become a better person, but you can become a worshipper of Christ; you cannot be better, but you can be forgiven and adopted

- Believers need to preach the Gospel to ourselves and each other daily so that we will not become duty driven, because duty leads to arrogance or depression (depending on how you perceive your performance on any given day)

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Galatians 4:12-31 - 4 Reasons Why Following Slavery is Foolish (Part 2)

Remedy Church - 05/03/09

Crucified Christ week 12

Remember, you can download all of Phud's sermons on Galatians at the Remedy Church website or by subscribing on iTunes. Also, an interview with Phud, aka John, was in today's Rock Hill Herald. 

This week at Remedy, Phud continued his discussion of why remaining in slavery is foolish. This fact should seem fairly obvious to most people, but we all return back to the chains of our sin and law exalting legalism. We all choose different areas to focus on. One guy will say that if you love God, then you will wear a shirt and tie on Sunday morning; while another guy will say that if you love people, then you will wear jeans and a t-shirt. Both of these are legalistic, if the person believes a certain mode of dress is required for holiness or proper worship.

Last week, Phud discussed the first two reasons why following slavery is foolish. This week, he discussed the third and fourth reasons.  Here are my notes:

3) BECAUSE YOU COULD HAVE CHRIST FORMED IN YOU! (Gal 4:12-20)

• These Galatians are very close to stepping over the edge and showing that they are not regenerate
• Paul's desire is for them to become like him - he wants them to model his description of himself in Gal 2:20
• The wolves in the flock, the legalistic Jews,  are making much of the Galatians; they are appealing to their natural pride and idolatry (this is never for our good)(be cautious of being told how great you are)
• Paul wants Christ to be formed in them = this causes complete transformation and makes Christ the center

4) BECAUSE YOU SHOW THAT HAGAR IS YOUR MOM, AND NOT SARAH (Gal 4:21-31)

• Paul is using Hagar and Sarah (Ishmael and Isaac) as an illustration of slavery/law-keeping (works salvation; doing it yourself) versus freedom/faith (justification by faith alone; the promise; the true gospel)
• When Abraham tried to do it himself by listening to Sarah and forcing a child through Hagar, the result was of the flesh and useless for the promises of God; however, when God gave Abraham a child through Sarah, which was his promise to Abraham, the result was the child of the promise and the first born of the nation of Israel.
• We are no longer under slavery, yet we continually go back and request Hagar to be our mother
• We have to cast out legalistic, law-keeping, and do-it-yourself theology and those who teach it
• Rather, we need to embrace the gospel because we have been freed and born of the promise
• We have freedom, but freedom to do what? (Col 3:1-3) - We are free to live in Christ and be like Christ, not the world.

ASSIGNMENT: Have dinner with someone else this week - We are supposed to be living in community, so invite over someone else from the church, your neighborhood, or your work.

MY THOUGHTS

A couple of topics really stuck out as Phud taught this passage.  First, as a side note he mentioned how Gal 4:16 perfectly describes our current postmodern culture. Most people today would rather hear something comforting, self-affirming, and uplifting than the truth. The truth of sin and the coming wrath of God are rarely met with enthusiasm, regardless of the truthfulness of these claims. The average person would prefer you to pat them on the back as the walk decidedly into Hell. They consider this pat on the back the gesture of a friend, but if you attempt to share the truth with them, then you may be viewed as an enemy. Truth has lost its value over the past couple of decades; the great value once assigned to the truth has now been given to tolerance and recycling.

Second, Gal 4:17 has a lot to say about the wolves that often enter the flock of God. These enemies enter the church and claim to be a part of the church. They volunteer their services, attend church functions, encourage believers, and all sorts of other endeavors to win people over. They are wolves in sheep's clothing. They usually appeal to your pride and seek to have you on their side. Such men or women cannot be trusted, and at the first sign of their evil intentions, they must be disciplined. Paul was seeking to protect the Galatians from such wolves who were winning people over, because he knew that such men would only bring destruction. Wolves always seek after destruction, whether it is the life of an individual, the local church, or the gospel itself. Be leery of such men who are "zealous to win you over"(NIV) or "make much of you"(ESV), because as Paul wrote, "it is not for your good."

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Galatians 3:1-14 - Three Purposes of Justification (Part 1)

It was another convicting Sunday at Remedy Church. As always, you can subscribe to the sermon podcast on iTunes by searching for Remedy Church or you can visit the website and look under media for a link. 

This is the first of a two-part sermon.  Galatians 3:1-14 contains three purposes of justification. This week, phud only covered the first purpose, which is found in verses 1-5. The first purpose of justification is so that we can receive and live by the Spirit. After initially showing how this first point is evident in these five verses, he then examined some key sections of John 14-16, in order to teach us what is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Here are my notes:

1) Justification is so we can receive the Spirit and live by the Spirit (3:1-5) 

• Remember, the second and third purposes won’t be covered this week
  
• These verses contain five rhetorical questions filled with sarcasm and rebuke
  
• These rhetorical questions prove that Paul is absolutely right regarding justification by faith alone and the Judaizers are completely wrong
  
• Paul is using the personal experience of the Galatians to prove his argument
  
• You do not receive the Holy Spirit until after Justification; so, he asks them when they received the Holy Spirit (brilliant strategy)
  
• It is understood by all Christians at this time, because it was the teaching of the Apostles, that you receive the Holy Spirit after and because you are justified.
  

What is the ministry of the Holy Spirit?

There are 7 primary ministries found in John 14-16

1. He will teach us all things and will guide us into all truth (14:26a; 16:13)

• These two go hand in hand
  
• Everything the Holy Spirit teaches us is true
  
• We have the greatest commentator of the Bible living within us; which would seem to indicate that if you can’t seem to understand the Bible very well, then you either aren’t actually putting in effort to study it or you are not a Christian
  
• Doctrine of perspicuity – we can understand Scripture
  

2. He will bring to remembrance what Jesus said in his Word (14:26b)

• This was first to the biblical authors and the Apostles, regarding Jesus’ ministry and teachings
  
• This is also true for us regarding Scripture (apply to the tasks of evangelism and the mortification of sin)
  

3. He will bear witness about Jesus (15:26)

• This means that the Holy Spirit bears witness through me (because he lives in me) and into the ears of those he is calling
  
• Application for preaching and other evangelism (because, yes, preaching is evangelism)
  

4. He will convict the world concerning sin (16:7-8)

• In this ministry, He is a counselor in the sense of a prosecuting attorney
  
• He points to our guilt, makes our sin known, ad leads us to repentance
  
• No conviction means the Holy Spirit is not present; no Holy Spirit means you haven’t been justified; no justification means you are still the object of God’s wrath (conviction suddenly seems more appealing, doesn’t it)
  

5. He only speaks what Jesus tells him to (16:13)

• As part of the triune God, he know the mind of the Father and Son fully
  
• He never communicates anything new or original; He never contradicts previous revelation
  

6. He will declare the things that are to come (16:13c)

• True of the biblical authors (especially John)
  
• For us, this primarily indicates that He will show us the whole Christian way; guide our steps
  
• He also makes eschatology discernable
  

7. He will glorify Jesus; He always points to Jesus (16:14)

• His ministry is based on nothing else but the completed work of Christ
  
• This means our worship, our life, and our ministry is radically Christ-centered
  
• The Holy Spirit exists for the same reason as the rest of the Trinity and all of creation: to glorify God (particularly Christ)
  

IMPLICATIONS

• An unbeliever trying to find purpose in his life is like a baby trying to grab hold of a wet bar of soap; we can only find purpose in Christ, and he has to make that happen

• For a believer, we can see 3 characteristics that should be present – 3x in Acts that someone is said to be full of the Holy Spirit
  

1. Service (choosing deacons in Acts 6:5)

2. Suffering (Stephen being martyred in Acts 7:55)

3. Conversions occurring around you (describing Barnabas in Acts )

• These things should will characterize you (your life and ministry) if you are full of and living by the Spirit
  

Endnote: It is better for us to have the Holy Spirit in us than it would be for us to have Christ with us

• John 16:5-7
  
• Peter and the other disciples (excluding the non-regenerate one, Judas) lived bolder and holier lives with the Holy Spirit in them than they did when they were ministering alongside Jesus Christ
  

PRAISE GOD for this mighty comforter, counselor, teacher, and guide.

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A Break from Galatians

This past Sunday, at Remedy Church, Phud (the teaching pastor) detoured from the book of Galatians to continue discussing the doctrine of Justification.  I don't think it is possible to overstate or spend too much time on this doctrine. Therefore, I stayed in my seat and listened to the Word preached.  

He preached Luke 7:36-50 and identified five correct responses to a proper understanding of Justification.  Here is the outline:

----- 5 Responses to Justification (Luke 7:36-50) -----

1) A believer who understands God's forgiveness loves "sinners" (37-39)

• If you understand forgiveness and justification, then you know that you were, and still are, a dirty, rotten sinner
• A proper response is that we will want to be around nonbelievers (1 Cor. 9:19-23)
• We are all sinners; Christ loved sinners

2) A believer who understands God's forgiveness stops trying to repay God for being forgiven (41-43) 

• We could not earn salvation, we cannot repay justification, and it is an insult to God when we try to do either
• We must accept the free gift of forgiveness 
• A  response of obedience out of gratitude is different than trying to earn or repay
• The proper response isn't repayment, but worship

3) A believer who understands God's forgiveness will become a servant (44-46)

• The opposite of selfishness
• This applicable to every area of our lives
• A proper response is giving our time, money, and everything else to Christ and Christlike service of others

4) A believer who understands God's forgiveness will love God much (47)

• Compare the Pharisee and the Prostitute
• We are all the 500; there is no 50
• There aren't good, average, and bad men; Christ is the one good man, and the rest of us are bad
• We are all Gomer, and Christ is our Hosea
• If you don't understand the depth/extent of your sin, then you won't have a proper affection for Christ
• We must understand God's holiness and our sin/depravity in order to understand properly the cross of Christ and have proper affection for God

5) A believer who understands God's forgiveness must [or has] put their faith in Christ, because only he can forgive sin (48-50)

• We must preach the Gospel to ourselves daily
• Jesus was re-preaching the Gospel to this woman; he was reminding her of God's forgiveness
• We should never grow tired of hearing the Gospel, and we cannot let ourselves go a day without hearing it

Read Romans 8:31-39 for a final thought.

Like I already stated, it is impossible to give too much attention to the work Christ did on the cross and continues to do in the lives of his elect. We should praise God that each one of these responses is possible because of that atoning work. The application of the Gospel to our lives is never ending, and we should never grow tired of hearing it.

I would like to also include the lyrics to my favorite hymn. The words are very relevant:

BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD ABOVE

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love, 
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on his hands, 
My name is written on his heart; 
I know that while in heaven he stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair, 
And tells me of the guilt within, 
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because a sinless Savior died, 
My sinful soul is counted free; 
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness, 
The great unchangeable I am, 
The King of glory and of grace! 

One in himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by his blood
My life is hid with Christ on high, 
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God

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Galatians 2:15-21 - Justification (Part 2)

Remedy Church Sermon Summary – 03/15/2009
Galatians 2:15-21 (Part 2)

1) (From last week) We are not justified by works, but through the gift of faith in Jesus Christ alone, which only comes form God (15-16)

2) When we are justified, we are declared NOT to be sinners, so that Jesus is not a minister of sin (17-18)

• Read Job 1; Jam. 1:13 to gain some insight regarding God's relationship to evil/temptation
• "Christ [like the law] did not bring sin, but unveiled it." - Calvin
• We cannot charge Jesus as the author of evil - this would be unbiblical and would result in a God who we would not want to worship or serve

3) We are justified so that we can live to God (19)

• There should be a change in the life of a believer (1 Jn. 1:5-8)
• Our first spouse (the Law) is dead [we have died to the Law], so that we can be married to Christ [alive to Christ] in order to bear fruit/serve in the new way (Rom. 7:1-4, 6)
• Justification is supposed to effect the way we live - You are living for something/someone, if it isn't Christ, then you are practicing idolatry
• To hate sin, means to love and live for Christ - We are trading one master for another
• see 1 Thes. 5:23-24
  

Questions:

1. How comfortable are you with your sin?
2. How often do you confess your sin?
3. How carefully do you plan your spending?

4) Justification means counting Jesus' death as our own (20-21)

• Christ is living in us by the Holy Spirit (regeneration) and through our partaking in the benefits of the atonement (justification)
• Calvin said that we have to experience the consequences of Christ's atoning death and claim the benefits for ourselves
• Faith is not just an agreement that Jesus exists or that he died for our sins or that he is the only way to salvation - Faith means giving all of ourselves to Christ

As always, you can listen to the full sermon by searching for Remedy Church on iTunes or by visiting the Remedy Church website.

I think it is worth spending some more time discussing the second point, due to nature of this subject. It seems that there is a fine line to walk that affirms God's complete sovereignty while denying his ability to sin, tempt, or create evil. At the very least, it is clear that God knowingly created the possibility for evil; otherwise, we have to deny his omniscience or his lone creative ability. It is also clear that he uses the evil in the world to accomplish his purposes.

There are no good analogies or catchy slogans for explaining how God created the possibility of evil and even uses evil for his purposes and his glory without being responsible for the evil or temptation which ensued. The Bible clearly indicates that God is sovereign over all things, but not capable of evil. We cannot simply dismiss one claim or the other.

For example, let's look at the first chapter of Job's story. God clearly initiated the conversation with Satan regarding Job. There is no indication that Satan had any intention of mentioning Job. God also allows Satan to perform evil deeds and tempt Job with anything except death. Verse 16 even states that "The fire of God fell from the sky and consumed Job's sheep and servants." God was definitely sovereign in this situation.

The most interesting aspect of this whole situation is Job's words in this chapter. In verse 21, Job exclaims "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away." Then, in verse 22, the narrator states that "Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." So, Job was able to attribute his loss to God without charging God with wrongdoing. How is this possible? I do not pretend to fully understand God, his creation, or the relationship between the two. Nonetheless, I do know that God is both fully sovereign and unable to do evil or tempt mankind (Jam. 1:13).

I often find myself mistakenly trying to justify God's words or actions, as if he needs my defense. Nonetheless, it is difficult to discuss certain passages of Scripture without immediately going to God's defense: Lam. 1-3 (particularly 3:38), Isa. 45:7, Amos 3:6; 1 Kings 22:23; Job). If I defend God out of a desire to see people rightly understand my sovereign Lord, then such explanation could be profitable. However, we cannot defend God as if he has done something wrong which needs to be sugar coated. He may have done some things that we do not like or understand, but he has done no wrong.

In the end, I do not think we can fully understand this relationship until we receive glorified minds. God's dominion and sovereignty over his creation is not able to be explained or analogized, because we are not able to comprehend what it is to create. We cannot create something from nothing. Yes, humans do resemble God in the fact that we are creative, but we do not actually create anything. At best, we assemble something using God's creation. We cannot understand true dominion, because it is not possible for us to experience it. Nor is it possible for us to experience sovereignty.

Likewise, we cannot fully comprehend the holiness of God. The concept of complete inability to sin has probably only been even vaguely realized by those men and women who followed Christ during his ministry. They were able to see holiness and the complete absence of sin or depravity, but even they were viewing Christ and his life and works through depraved eyes. For the average American, holiness could not be further from our comprehension, much less our attributes or practice. God alone is holy.

Because of our inferiority to God, in every possible way, we are probably not capable of understanding how God can be sovereign in certain situations; yet, no evil can be attributed to him. Nonetheless, the Bible makes both of these facts clear.

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Gal. 2:15-21 - Justification (Part 1)

This post should have went up yesterday, but there were some technical difficulties.

Remedy Church Sermon Summary – 03/08/2009
Galatians 2:15-21 (Part 1)

This week at Remedy Church, Phud continued preaching through Paul’s letter to the Galatians (Yes, the teaching Pastor’s name is Phud), and we have reached Galatians 2:15-21. This is an exciting passage, because Paul directly discusses the doctrine of justification. Also, verse sixteen is considered by many scholars to be the theme verse for this epistle. In order to teach through the passage with any depth, he had to split this sermon into two weeks, so this week was Part 1. Here’s a basic outline:

________________________________________

Justification: What does it mean to be declared righteous in Christ?

2 GOALS
1. To gain a better understanding of justification, especially the distinction between justification an sanctification, so that we will not become discouraged trying to earn or deserve justification.
2. Worship – this should be our response to the fact that something is being declared of us that simply isn’t true, namely our imputed righteousness.

Overview of the Doctrine of Justification
“Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight.” (Grudem, Systematic Theology, 723)

Justification is the opposite of condemnation

“If justification is confused is confused with regeneration or sanctification, then the door is opened for perversion of the gospel at its center.” (John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied, 121)

“It is essential to the heart of of the gospel to insist that God declares us to be just or righteous not on the basis of our actual condition of righteousness or holiness, but rather on the basis of Christ’s perfect righteousness, which he thinks of as belonging to us." (Grudem, Systematic Theology, 727)

The First Insight into the Doctrine of Justification (1 of 4, but the other three will be next week)

1) We are not justified by works, but through the gift of faith in Jesus Christ alone, which only comes from God (15-16)

• Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 3:21-31
• Paul’s primary purpose for writing to these Galatian Christians is to straiten them out on this issue
  
  Romans 3:21-31
  a. Justification is a gift of God’s grace (24)
  - He did not have to justify anyone
  - God would have been justified condemning everyone, yet he decided to save some
  b. Our justification can only come from God (25-26)
  - Only God had stored up wrath against our sin, so only he could let us off the hook
  c. Justification should not cause boasting, but worship (27)
  - We did nothing, God did everything
• - The only right response to this doctrine is praise and thanksgiving
  d. Justification comes to us by our faith being put in Christ (29-30)
  - not by obeying; not by the law
  - There is only one way to salvation, and it is through Christ

Assessment

Do I live as one who has been declared to be righteous?

How does/can a person live like a justified sinner?

________________________________________

At this point, I did not want Phud to stop preaching. I was hoping that he would decide to just stay until the afternoon to finish teaching the entire passage. But, that didn’t happen, and my three-year-old son was glad it didn’t happen.

I can’t wait for next week.

You can subscribe to Phud's sermons on itunes by searching for Remedy Church, or you can go to the media section of the Remedy Church website.

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Gal. 2:11-14 (Hypocrisy, Confrontation, and Christian Freedom)

The pastor at the church I am attending is currently preaching through Galatians. We are currently in the second chapter. This week he preached through a not often quoted section, 2:11-14; nonetheless, there was a lot of insight and conviction to be found in this passage. To listen to his sermons, check out the church's website HERE, and click on the media tab. Here is his basic outline and a few key points:

1. WE MUST OPPOSE HYPOCRISY DIRECTLY (v.11)

• This is a biblical obligation, but must be done carefully and with love

2. SPIRITUAL FREEDOM MUST BE GUIDED BY SCRIPTURE, THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND LOVE (v.12)

• Freedom should always be considered within the context that it is being exercised
• Will it cause a brother to stumble?
• Will it hurt or misrepresent the Gospel?

3. ANYONE CAN FALL INTO HYPOCRISY (v.13)

• Barnabas and Peter both fell into this trap
• Peter (and probably Barnabas too) understood the doctrine of justification far better than us, and he still compromised on this occasion
• We are justified, but are BEING SANCTIFIED (in other words, we still mess up constantly)

4. WE MUST UNDERSTAND AND RECOGNIZE HYPOCRISY - IN OURSELVES AND OTHERS (v.14)

• We must pray for discernment to recognize hypocrisy and a willingness to repent of it
• We all have blind spots, which is why home groups are so crucial to our sanctification (we need to guard ourselves and others)
• One super secret trick for understanding and recognizing hypocrisy is to read and study the Bible (it is our guide to hypocrisy)

Related Passages: 1 Tim. 4:1-2; Acts 15:36-41; Lev. 11; James 5:19-20; Matt. 18; Gal. 6:1-2; Gal. 5:1, 13; 1 Cor. 8:1, 9-13; Matt. 23

What does Jesus think about hypocrisy? Read Matt. 23

• I am a hypocrite everyday whenever I understand what the Bible teaches about a certain thing, but I choose to do something different
• The only right response to hypocrisy is repentance

This sermon (like most gospel-centered, exegetical sermons) was ridiculously convicting. There is no doubt that I am a hypocrite everyday. My professed system of beliefs states that God is completely sovereign, my purpose is to glorify Him, and the Bible is my ultimate authority. Yet, my words and actions regularly communicate something to the contrary. This is the essence of being a hypocritical.

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