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Chapter 3 – The Inferior Rank Law (3/13) We Must Begin and End with Faith (3.1-5) 3/3

God Himself was being challenged in Galatia. The Judaizer's challenge to Paul was a challenge to God who authored his gospel. God's way of revealing the gospel was one that offered absolute proof of it authority and truthfulness. When someone challenged the gospel, they, by implication, challenged God. Paul asked a simple rhetorical question aimed at reminding his readers of this fact; his question was this: "Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles…  ( Click for more )

Chapter 3 – The Inferior Rank Law (2/13) We Must Begin and End with Faith (3.1-5) 2/3

Sarcasm is a tool to be used sparingly but it has its place. Paul under the inspiration of the Spirit of God sees its place in combating the error of the Judaizers among the Galatian Christians. His words literally drip with sarcasm as he asks: "This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many…  ( Click for more )

Chapter 3 – The Inferior Rank Law (1/13) We Must Begin and End with Faith (3.1-5) 1/3

There is a huge difference in being a fool and doing a foolish thing! All of us do foolish things from time to time, but that does not make us fools. The Galatians were not fools but they had done some foolish things. Paul wrote, "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?" (Galatians 3.1). We will consider this statement.

The term foolish means that which…  ( Click for more )

Chapter 2 – Paul – The Equal Rank Apostle (5/5) Peter's Rebuke (2.11-21) 3/3

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2.20). This verse is so packed with meaning that it is impossible to do it justice in such a forum as this. Nevertheless some comments are in order.

"Living by faith" as Paul expresses it is the defining difference between the Law of the Old Testament and the Law…  ( Click for more )

Chapter 2 – Paul – The Equal Rank Apostle (4/5) Peter's Rebuke (2.11-21) 2/3

"For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor." (Galatians 2.18). This commonsense illustration needs no explanation. The force of the argument is this: To the extent that I, by my actions, restore the things which I have previously destroyed, there is no external law needed to see that I am wrong; I make myself a transgressor. Paul cited this principle when he condemned Peter for playing the part of the hypocrite regarding Jew and Gentile relationships. …  ( Click for more )

"Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed." (Galatians 2.11). With these words, Paul introduces a second set of arguments to confirm that he was a legitimate apostle of Christ and equal in every way to the other inspired apostles. Consider these additional arguments.

We simply do not know when Peter came to Antioch, nor do we know the purpose of his visit. We do know, however, that Peter came to the city where the disciples…  ( Click for more )

Paul continues to give evidence that his authority as an apostle is equal to that of every other true apostle. Galatians 2.6-10 provides yet two other lines of evidence to support this position. This message examines these two other arguments.

First, Paul argued, "… [T]hose who seemed to be something added nothing to me. But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to…  ( Click for more )

The Jerusalem Conference took place about 20 years after the establishment of the church. The superstructure of human traditions was slow to bend even under the weight of God's direct revelation. God had made it clear about 10 years before the conference that He fully accepted the Gentiles into the Body in just the same measure and through the same methods as the Jews. For various reasons, these facts were slow to catch on; men resisted the change, even good and godly men. …  ( Click for more )

The veracity of Paul was at stake! He was being called a false teacher and a liar! The Judaizers had lost no love when it came to Paul. He was their arch-enemy because the doctrine that he preached was diametrically opposed to the doctrine which they preached. If Paul could show that he had received his extensive knowledge of the gospel apart from human instruction and that his doctrine was consistent with that being taught by the other apostles in Jerusalem, he could succeed in showing…  ( Click for more )

Chapter 1 - The Superior Rank Gospel (7/8) Paul Preached the One True Gospel (1.10-24) 2/3

"But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ." (Galatians 1.11-12). With these words, Paul makes the most straightforward argument possible for the authenticity of his message. If Paul speaks truth here, he speaks truth elsewhere; if Paul is wrong here, he is wrong elsewhere. If he is not the teacher of truth that he…  ( Click for more )

Chapter 1 - The Superior Rank Gospel (6/8) Paul Preached the One True Gospel (1.10-24) 1/3

Motive goes a long, long way when one is trying to determine the truth of a matter which is of significant importance. This is true whether one is addressing a criminal case, or politics, or religion, or any one of a number of other areas of concern. Every criminal investigator knows that motives lead to arrests and convictions.

In the matter of truth that concerned the Galatian churches, what possible motive could Paul have for preaching his message, the message that implied…  ( Click for more )

Chapter 1 - The Superior Rank Gospel (5/8) The One True Gospel (1.6-9) 2/2

"But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1.8-9).

The gospel was a precious commodity worthy of great reverence; reverence not merely because of its words but because its words were the means to salvation for its hearers. The clandestine intent of the troublers…  ( Click for more )

Chapter 1 - The Superior Rank Gospel (4/8) The One True Gospel (1.6-9) 1/2

"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ." (Galatians 1.6-7).

The marvel which sparked Paul's statement was the soon apostasy of the Galatian brethren. Some things are marvels to be held in admiration; others are marvels of dismay and sadness. The apostasy of the saints in Galatia was of the latter sort. Note that their…  ( Click for more )

Chapter 1 - The Superior Rank Gospel (3/8) The Apostolic Greeting (1.1-5) 3/3

"Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Galatians 1.3-5). This greeting contains three salient points that demand our attention.

Christ gave Himself for our sins. There is no parallel to sin in the physical realm. Any hope for sin exists outside the realm of the material. You can…  ( Click for more )

Chapter 1 - The Superior Rank Gospel (2/8) The Apostolic Greeting (1.1-5) 2/3

"Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:" (Galatians 1.1-2). The focus of this message is to consider the addressees of this epistle.

In the first century, Galatia was a large area situated in Asia-Minor located between Bithynia and Cappadocia. It was located in the center of what is modern-day Turkey. Paul preached in the region of Galatia…  ( Click for more )

The Superior Rank Gospel of Christ Chapter 1 (1/8) The Apostolic Greeting (Galatians 1:1-5) 1/3

"Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me…" (Galatians 1:1-2a)

Apostles came in various shapes and sizes in the first century. Some were apostles of men. By this it is meant that some men were sent on a particular mission by another man. Those sent were apostles of those doing the sending. That incidentally is the meaning of the word (apostolos)…  ( Click for more )

Matters that Matter! (1/1) Matthew 5-7

The Sermon on the Mount was no ordinary sermon; its contents were not ordinary; its speaker was not ordinary; its purpose was not ordinary; its implications were not ordinary. About the only thing ordinary about the Sermon on the Mount were the issues with which the hearers were dealing. These were as old as time itself; they have not changed since then by any appreciable amount. The names are different, the customs are different, but the struggles are the same. It is a timeless message aimed directly at the heart of humanity.

While…  ( Click for more )

There is a single hint at a problem with the church at Philippi. It is found in the text that follows: "Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life." (Philippians 4:1-3).

The Holy Spirit wants no dissension in the ranks of the believers. He makes this clear in other passages…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Matthew 26.52-56

There is something to be said for the WWJD [What Would Jesus Do?] mentality; however here is an indisputable fact: No one can know what Jesus would do without knowing what Jesus did! In other words, it is fruitless to discuss what Jesus would do in any given circumstance if we do not know with certainty what Jesus did while here upon this earth. Those who brandish the WWJD acronym must either trust the written record of Jesus’ life (i.e. the Bible), or they ought to admit they simply do not know what Jesus would do and are hopelessly left without…  ( Click for more )

What Would Jesus Teach [WWJT]… if someone publicly asked Him a crucial religious question, a question that if left unanswered could result in the loss of a soul? Would He attempt to study in private with the querist, hoping to avoid a public confrontation, but yet capitalizing on the possibility of teaching a lost soul? Would He seize the opportunity to respond to the inquiry, teaching the lost person but at the same time demonstrating His superior knowledge of the subject and impressing other hearers for good? WWJT? The correct answer is, “None of the above” (at…  ( Click for more )

Three well know verses are used to introduce this subject; they are: “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Matthew 7.28-29). “So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, ‘Is this not Joseph’s son?’” (Luke 4.22). “Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, ‘Why have you not brought Him?’ The…  ( Click for more )

“But He [Jesus] needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink.’ For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, ‘How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ For Jews have…  ( Click for more )

Sweet words and deeds linger long after the emotion and excitement of the moment have passed. If you stop and think, I almost know that you can remember some kind words and/or deeds that someone spoke or did years and years ago. However, I also know that no words or deeds could be sweeter than those spoken and performed by Jesus as he concluded His meeting with the sinful woman in Simon’s house. See what you think; He said, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” (Luke 7.50).

The most significant result for the woman in her meeting with Jesus was the fact that…  ( Click for more )

I doubt that Jesus had ever personally met the woman, but that is speculation on my part. However, regardless of how it happened, she had learned a lot about him. Moreover, she had thought a lot about herself and her condition. But on this particular day, this woman’s spiritual fortunes would change dramatically; she would never be the same again!

If first words make lasting impressions, the woman must have been impressed for a long, long time with the words of Jesus. After Jesus finished talking to Simon and teaching a great lesson about how God treats sinners (as well…  ( Click for more )