GRACE UNCOVERED 10

"Living by Faith"

Galatians 3:15-22 - EPC - April 27, 2008

Galatians 3

¹⁵Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed (radified), no one annuls or adds to it. ¹⁶Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed,"^£ who is Christ. ¹⁷And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God ^£in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect (nullified). ¹⁸For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

¹⁹What purpose then does (why) the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. ²⁰Now a mediator does not mediate for one (party) only, but God is one. ²¹Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. ²²But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 

 

While this is difficult passage but it explains how we are to understand the whole bible.  Paul shows us the unity of the entire bible.

Explain the context and background.  Believe in Christ obey the law and you will saved.  Paul taught believe in Christ and you are saved and then you will live out a life change. 

• False teachers put FAITH and OBEDIENCE together and that results in salvation.
• Paul put FAITH and SAVATION together that result in life change.

These actually result in two different kinds of life they are not the different ways to the same place at all.  Religion deceives many into thinking there are several ways to the same place.

The motivation and focus and attitude is totally different in these two teachings.

So they based their view on the scripture and Paul shows the Hab. 2:4. Just live by faith.

¹¹But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith
¹²Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."^£

¹⁸For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

¹⁹What purpose then does (why)the law serve?. ²¹Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 

Promise and law (performance) cannot be combined but they are not contradictory.  Paul said that the promises and the precepts all agree.

He looks at Moses (law) and Abraham (promise).  We will get practical a little later.  The bible is all one story and not just information with some moral guide lines.

Now the promise is found in verse 8: ⁸And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed.

Genesis records this promise in Gen. 12:2,3; 12:13-15; 15:5-7,8-21; 17:8; 24:7.

It says, I will bless your seed and give them this land to dwell in and give you a great nation.  Seed is translated offspring.

¹⁶Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed,"^£ who is Christ. 

What this actually is saying is that God is promising something more than an earthly promise and just good farm land.  It is larger than that.

• "Blessing" means to experience God and see God or to live in relationship with God.
• The Blessing is more than just Abraham seed but Christ's seed as well.
• It is not just a physical blessing but in verse 14 is the promise of the Spirit God living in us and among us. So it all goes together as a progressive story.

It all comes by promise.

• What is the difference between a law (contract, covenant) agreement and a promise agreement?

Ill:  Money up here in envelope.  Promise just believe it.  Law is if you will build deck for me then you get it.   It cannot be both gift/wage.

God made an agreement based totally on promise not Abraham's performance.

Genesis 15 is a key text to actually put it all together.  God makes a promise in the previous verses. And Abraham asks God how do I know you will do this?  Just like us, right?

⁸And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?"

⁹So He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 

¹⁰Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. ¹¹And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

(God does not tell him what to do with these, he already knew what to do.  People did not sign documents like we do but rather cut animals in half and each took a part of it as a sign of promise.  Jer. 34:18 has an example of this when God comes to them. ¹⁸And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it-¹⁹the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf-²⁰I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life. Their dead bodies shall be for meat for the birds of the heaven and the beasts of the earth.)  It meant if I do not keep my side then may I be cut like these animals.  Serious stuff.

Now the next time God speaks is in verse 17 and God walks between the pieces and that is saying if I do not keep this promise I will be cut up into pieces etc.  Abraham was in awe I am sure.

¹²Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. ¹⁴And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."

¹⁷And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. ¹⁸On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying:

• God walked between the pieces and promised to do what he said he would. He put a curse on himself if he failed the promise.
• Also, only God walked through the pieces Abraham did not.

The promise rests totally on God period.  Salvation is not of law but of grace and never is it tied to a partnership.

He was cut off from the land of the living Isaiah puts it.  It is not how much faith you have but faith in the promise. (If someone promise me something does my faith in them make it happen?)

How do you ever know you have enough faith?  It is not about how much faith. Ill. 

Falling into a canyon and as you fall you see a branch and grab it.  How much faith in that branch do you have?  If it is able to hold you and save you it will but all you had time to do it grab it.  How strong is the branch that you are grabbing is the issue.  You do not do anything on that. It is faith in Him that makes happen not your faith is whatever.

Basically, all you are asking is what do I have do?  We need rescued.  All you do is grab the branch it saves you.

All you need in faith is to see that you cannot save yourself and that is it.  You need Him to rescue you.  All you need is your need and nothing else at all.  We hedge our bets and reveal that Jesus is not enough.  That is unbelief.

Unbelief is trying to do something.  You cannot turn a gift into a contract.  Eph. 2:8,9.

Galatians 3¹⁸For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

¹⁹What purpose then does (why)the law serve?. ²¹Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 

God did not change his mind and change the promise to a law.  God willed the world to Abraham and his descendant Christ.  Why the law then.  Because of transgression.  You cannot combine a promise and law but are in agreement. (Judges now decide on what is fair in their minds not what is just.)

²²But the Scripture has confined (prisoners) all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 

• The law shows us the need for the promise.

Listen to the law it is not saying only don't lie don't steel etc.  It says more than that is says that you will never be able to keep it or live up to it.

 

That is why God immediately made provision for sin by the sacrifices.  No one keeps all of the law.  The focus of the law is not behavior but the heart.  The fifth commandment says do not kill and Jesus tells us in Gospel's if you hate them you have murdered.

 

We must get that deep to understand our need for a Savior.  Do not just focus on the words of the law but the sin under the sin.  The law tells without the promise you will not make it.

²³But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. ²⁴Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

 

Both Abraham and Moses point to promise.

If you live by performance then when you mess it up then you will feel bad (condemned) then try and do stuff to make you feel right with God.  Build up some equity.

Or if I do this and have success then you feel like I am pretty good and do well most of the time you experience self righteousness.

But if you live by promise and sin then you see the sin under the sin and repent and deal with it.  Jesus I know My anger is this or that I worry because I do not trust you.  You repent at the heart level. (more than forgive me for sinning stuff.)  Heart level sin under the sin.

If you do have success you then realize it all him anyway not yourself.

If you see anything in me that looks like Jesus then you know it is because it is not I.

Story of Scott back home that said you enjoy your new found freedom.  He referred to movies, music, Connie's clothes etc.  I did but if he only knew the freedom I had at the heart level was so much more restful.  Performance based people rarely repent at the heart level. They are comfortable in hiding beg=hind the rules.  I began by simply discipline the flesh and doing what was told without any thought just do right.  Then God let me grow to real freedom.

Invitation:  which way are you living?