The Unnecessary
Struggle
Part 1 of the Keep
in Step message series
Our "Keep in
Step" message series will examine in-depth what Paul's letter to the
Galatians tells us about walking in the guidance of God's Holy Spirit. As God
the Father is, so we are meant to be. We see throughout the New Testament that
we can only be like the Father by imitating the life of the Son (Jesus) by
walking hand in hand with the Holy Spirit.
5 For we, through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of
righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. 7 You
were running
well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This
persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.9 A
little leaven leavens
the whole lump of
dough. Galatians 5:5-9 (NASB)
The BIG Idea
To
keep in step with the Holy Spirit, we must first rely on the work of Jesus
Christ. We must let go of our natural desire to take over and instead submit
to the work of Christ in our hearts and minds. We are saved by grace through faith apart from works! We
must remember that we do not need to bow to the pressure of the legalists who
demand we do certain deeds (haircuts, clothing, etc.) to be saved or accepted
by God. If we have accepted Christ as Lord, Christ has made us His.
Important Background
Paul s letter to the Church in Galatia was probably penned around
49-50 CE while Paul was planting a congregation in Antioch. The region of
Galatia from the Roman Empire is in modern day Turkey. The Galatian Church
started strong, but later had Judaizers infiltrate the leadership who were
teaching that Gentiles needed to follow the Levitical Law to be saved by
Jesus. This was confusing the people of the early Church and putting a burden
on the new believers that was not necessary. Paul wanted to straighten the
misunderstanding out by going into great detail in his
letter now known as the New Testament book of Galatians.
The foundation of our faith is formed by one
basic truth We cannot do it in our own power. We fully rely on the
Resurrection power of Jesus!
Many followers of Jesus and those exploring
Christianity still believe that we can achieve righteousness by our own
efforts.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in us is what
enables us to call God our Father; those without the Holy Spirit do not have
God as their Father.
The Holy Spirit implores us not to turn back to
our old ways.
If we are to stay in step with the Holy Spirit,
then we must let this notion of works righteousness go!
*Book Recommendation: The Grace Awakening by Charles
Swindoll
Tell you what, son . . . you can have the car for two hours, all
on your own. Only four words, but how wonderful: All on your own. I thanked
him. My pulse rate must have shot up to180 as I backed out of the driveway and
roared off. While cruising along all on my own, I began to think wild stuff
like, this car can probably do 100 miles an hour. I could go to Galveston and
back twice in two hours if I averaged 100 miles an hour. I can fly down the
Gulf Freeway and even run a few lights. After all, nobody s here to say
Don t! We re talking dangerous, crazy thoughts! But you know what? I didn t
do any of them. I don t believe I drove above the speed limit. In fact, I
distinctly remember turning into the driveway early . . . I had my Dad s car all to myself with a full gas tank in a context of
total privacy and freedom, but I didn t go crazy. Why? My relationship with my Dad and my Granddad was so strong that I couldn t, even
though I had a license and nobody was in the car to restrain me. Over a period of time, there had developed a sense of trust, a
deep love relationship that held me in restraint. Charles Swindoll in the
Grace Awakening
To choose Law-Keeping meant that one would be
obliged to obey the entire Law.
The Mosaic Law was given specifically to the nation of Israel
(Exodus 19; Leviticus 26:46; Romans 9:4). It was made up of three parts: the
Ten Commandments, the ordinances, and the worship system, which included the
priesthood, the tabernacle, the offerings, and the festivals (Exodus 20-40 and
Leviticus 1-23).
The purpose of the Mosaic Law was to accomplish the following:
-
Reveal the holy character of the eternal God to
the nation of Israel. (Leviticus 19:2, 20:7-8)
-
Set apart the nation of Israel as distinct from
all the other nations. (Exodus 19:5)
-
Reveal the sinfulness of humanity. (Galatians
3:19) Although the Law was good and holy (Romans 7:12), it did not provide
salvation for the nation of Israel. (Romans 3:20; Acts 13:38-39)
-
Provide forgiveness through the
sacrifice/offerings for the people who had faith in the Lord in the nation of
Israel. (Leviticus 1-7)
-
Provide God s direction for the physical and
spiritual health of the nation. (Exodus 21-23; Deuteron0omy 6:4-19; Psalm
119:97-104)
-
Reveal to humanity that no one can keep the Law but everyone falls short of God s standard of holiness.
That realization causes us to rely on God s mercy and grace. When Christ came,
He fulfilled the Law and with His death honored the Blood Covenant with
Abraham and paid the penalty for our (humanity) breaking the covenant with God.
(Galatians 3:24; Romans 10:4). By faith in Jesus, the believer has the very
righteousness of Christ imputed to him or her.
ILLUSTRATION: Lifeguards rescuing folks who are
drowning.
ILLUSTRATION: Yeast leavens the whole batch of
dough.
The doctrine of law plus faith is not
compatible with the doctrine of faith alone.
Paul knew the futility of following the Law as
the way to obtain salvation.
The Law highlights the sickness of our sin but
offers no cure for it.
30 and
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind, and with all your strength. 31 The
second is this: You shall love your neighbor
as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. Mark
12:30-31 (NASB)
A lifestyle which follows the Law does NOT lead
to salvation, but salvation lived out does lead to a lifestyle which follows
the path of righteousness intended by the Law.
Trying to save ourselves by keeping all the Law
only separates us from God.
God allows no middle ground it is Christ or
the Law NOT both.
There is a way which seems right to a person,
but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12 (NASB)
Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except
through Me. John 14:6 (NASB)
God s hand holds, guides, and puts us to work.
We can experience great freedom in
acknowledging that we can t do it all by ourselves.
God sets the direction and the gait of our
walk; we merely participate.
Following Jesus does have moral demands, but we
cannot be saved by measuring up to those moral demands. Our salvation
motivates and energizes us to love and to live right.
When we realize we cannot do life on our own
and need the Holy Spirit of God, God gets the glory, and we get the joy because
God is where the joy is!
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to
a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 (NASB)
Questions for Reflection:
How has the idea of self-reliance played a role in your life?
Is it difficult for you to give the idea of self-reliance in your
life up so you may follow God s Holy Spirit?
What would it mean for you to fully rely on God s Holy Spirit in
your relationship with God?
What does it mean for you to allow God to be at work in you, both
to will and to work for God s good pleasure (as described in Philippians
2:13)?
Are you trying to make up for your sin with your good deeds and
works, or are you resting in the finished work of the cross and His
Resurrection?
The
Follower of Jesus has identity only in Christ!
We are
justified (declared not guilty of sin). (Romans 3:24)
We await no
condemnation. (Romans 8:1)
We are set
free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)
We are
sanctified and made acceptable in Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 1:2)
We are
righteous and holy in Christ. (I Corinthians 1:30)
We will be fully
alive with eternal life because of His Resurrection. (I Corinthians 15:22)
We are new
creations. (II Corinthians 5:17)
We receive
God s righteousness. (II Corinthians 5:21)
We are one
in Christ with all other followers of Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
We are
blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
We are
holy, blameless, and covered with God s love. (Ephesians 1:4)
We are
adopted as God s children. (Ephesians 1:5-6)
We are
forgiven our sins are taken away. (Ephesians 1:7)
We will be
brought under the headship of Christ. (Ephesians 1:10-11)
We are
marked as belonging to God by the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13)
We have
been raised up to sit with Christ in glory. (Ephesians 2:6)
We are
God s work of art. (Ephesians 2:10)
We have
been brought near to God. (Ephesians 2:13)
We share in
the promise of Christ. (Ephesians 3:6)
We can come
with freedom and confidence into the presence of God. (Ephesians 3:12)
We are
members of the Body of Christ the Church! (Ephesians 5:29-30)
We have
been given fullness in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)
We are set
free from our sinful nature. (Colossians 2:11)
We will
have eternal glory because of Jesus. (II Timothy 2:10)