Jesus did not come to abolish the Law. Some want a lawlessness in Christ—the ability to do whatever they want—but that is not what Jesus offers. Others try to abide in the Law and accomplish it in their own strength, but that's what the Pharisees and religious leaders were doing. Christ fulfilled the Law, calling us out of the bondage of sin, shame, guilt and condemnation. Through Him we are adopted and grafted into the family of God. We are sons and heirs with Christ.
There will be times and seasons in life when we wrestle with God. Why God? When God? In these times, we must remember who God is—that He is faithful. Just as Habukkuk did, we must cling to God. Claude Houde reminds us in this powerful sermon that we must release our lives into God's hands and trust that He has a plan and a purpose for us. We must live by faith.
Paul gets angry with the church because of their self efforts. He points out that they are justified by the spirit of God but are trying to work out their sanctification (perfecting) through their own willpower. This is a distortion of the gospel. We need to understand that everything we need for a life of holiness has already been given to us at salvation. It is through a greater revelation of Jesus that we are sanctified. Paul also shares that we are to receive a supply of the spirit which is his miracle power. In the example of Abraham and Sarah, the works of the flesh produced strife and suffering but the work of the spirit produced the fulfillment of the promise.
Through Jesus Christ we can understand where we came from, what our purpose is here on earth and where we are going. We are all eternal beings. Today if you choose to follow Jesus you can tap into the life and destiny that God prepared for you. If you are walking with the Lord God wants to confirm His calling in your life.
We continue our Galatians sermon series in chapter 2, where Paul reveals the key to running his race with endurance. We look at the life of Gideon as a type and a shadow of the New Testament Christian who realizes that they are nothing without the supernatural power of Christ. Jesus wants to tear down the stronghold of fear and unbelief that keeps us from fully surrendering to His grace.
The second chapter of Galatians is like our Emancipation Proclamation. Through the examples of Barnabas and Titus, we see that Jew and gentile alike were free to worship Christ. Barnabas, as a religious man, was tempted to slide back into law and works. While Titus on the other hand, as a gentile, was being tempted to add religious performance to his faith. The freeing grace of Jesus Christ alone is a enough. Let us not try to add our own righteousness to it; and let us contend and defend the gospel.
As we continue our sermon series in the book of Galatians, we see in Paul a man who got his revelation directly from Christ. Like Paul, we should receive firsthand revelation from God—not just secondhand revelation from pastors, teachers and books. We should also see a shift from our lives being about ourselves to being all about Jesus. The gospel is Christ-centered, not man-centered. Paul also understood that he was set apart by God. It wasn't a decision or choice that Paul made, but a work established by God.
As we continue our series in Galatians, we see Paul exhorting the church not to be deceived and dissuaded by a distorted gospel. They weren't deserting the church and religious activities, but had lost their passion for Jesus. Rather than relying on the free gift of grace, we often feel that we need to, or can, add something to Christ's completed work. We are to contend for the gospel—that it remain Christ-centered.
In the first week of our new sermon series, Pastor Gary Wilkerson sets the historical and cultural context in which the book of Galatians was written. We see that it was Paul's credo that it is through Christ and Him alone that we are set free from all things. We are not to let anything supersede the gospel of Jesus Christ.