Galatians chapter 3, we're going to look at verses 15 to 25, and we're doing an Advent series
! in the evening and from next week we'll do some Advent stuff in the mornings. Galatians 3, 15 to 25.
Let me again plug just Tabletalk Magazine. I think it's a brilliant magazine on helping us get into
the Bible and read the scriptures every day. The articles are terrific and in fact I wish I'd written,
I wish I'd read these articles before this sermon. And so there's some very, very helpful stuff on
Faith Alone, the differences between Biblical Christianity and Orthodoxy and Biblical Christianity
and the Roman Catholic Church. And so take one, take two, take as many as you can use. I think it's
a terrific magazine. In June of 1520, three years after Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the door,
the castle door in Wittenberg, Martin Luther was condemned by the Roman Catholic Church.
He was condemned by the Pope, condemned as a heretic, officially. And so Luther was forbidden to preach
and teach. By way of response, Martin Luther, who by all accounts is pretty fiery, published three books.
The first book was on the Christian nobility of the German nation. It was a masterstroke.
If there's one way to get the Germans behind you in the Protestant Reformation is to say,
well, you're not Italians, are you? And it was a brilliant, brilliant book. It was a masterstroke,
politically. The second book that he wrote in 1520 was The Babylonian Captivity of the Church. It is a no-holds-barred
expose of the Roman Catholic Church and its abuses. You feel like you want to wear a safety helmet when
you read it. And then thirdly, he wrote a little book called The Freedom of the Christian.
You can still buy it today. There are those who say that The Freedom of the Christian by Martin Luther
is one of the great pieces of literature in Western civilization. And in that little book, he makes two
propositions. Number one, that a Christian, somebody who has put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
is an utterly free man. Lord of all and subject to none. But secondly, he says that a Christian
is an utterly dutiful man. The servant of all and subject of all. A free man, Lord of all, subject to no one.
A dutiful man. A dutiful man. Subject, a servant of all and subject to all. And it's the first of those
prepositions that I think Galatians chapter 3 verses 15 to 25 is all about. That if you have put your faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ and in him alone, you are free. The Lord of all, subject to none.
Perhaps the key verse in the book of Galatians is chapter 5 verse 1. Can you see that?
For freedom, Christ has set us free. For freedom, Christ has set us free. The theme tune of Galatians
is freedom. Freedom from the tyranny of the law. Freedom from the laws of men.
Freedom from a guilty conscience. Freedom from the laws which the church imposes upon us. Freedom from the laws
of the Judaizers of Paul's day that they were imposing. Freedom from the law as a means of justification.
As a means of getting right with God. It is for freedom that Jesus Christ has set us free.
There were those who turned up in the Galatian church. They were infiltrators.
And they were deeply suspicious of the apostle Paul and his message.
Of what he was preaching and what he was doing.
The church is made up largely of non-Jewish Gentile Christians.
And these infiltrators, these Judaizers, were insisting,
it's not enough to believe in the Lord Jesus.
It's not enough to believe in the Lord Jesus.
There are certain religious rites that you have to do.
You have to obey certain ceremonial laws.
Like circumcision and food laws.
And the Sabbath laws.
And feast day laws.
And you have to do that in order
to be made right with God.
To be justified.
It was insufficient.
It was not enough to believe in Jesus.
You need to do something extra.
And it was that which led Paul
to cite Father Abraham in Genesis 15.
Abraham was the father of the Jews.
Do you remember the infiltrators, the Judaizers,
were saying you've got to get back to Moses.
You've got to get back to the law.
And Paul says I see you Moses
and I raise you to Abraham,
the father of the Jews.
And what Genesis 15 and verse 6 says
that Abraham, the father of the Jews,
he believed.
He believed in God's promises.
And it was reckoned to him.
It was credited to him as righteousness.
It was through the instrument of faith
in the promise that God had made
that God counted Abraham as righteous.
God reckoned Abraham as a law keeper.
And so the question is then,
or what is the function of the law?
If you're possible, Paul is saying,
we are saved apart from the law,
apart from works,
apart from obedience,
apart from our trying.
we are made right with God
through faith in Jesus Christ alone,
and apart from obedience on our part,
what is the point of the law?
What is its purpose?
Look at verse 19 of chapter 3.
Why then the law?
And Paul gives us two answers.
One is negative and one is positive.
So first of all,
let's look at the negative answer.
What the law cannot do.
The law of God
cannot annul
the promise of God.
The law of God
cannot undo
the gospel of God,
the good news of God.
At whatever place,
at whatever function
the law had,
it cannot subvert the gospel.
You can't leave
justification by faith alone behind.
There were those in the church in Galatia,
just like there are those today,
who suggest something like this.
That the gospel
brings you to the front door.
That the gospel enables you
to put your feet on the front step.
But in order to keep going,
in order to reach the end,
it is entirely of works.
Do you remember when you were
slightly nervous of going
to someone's house?
You were being dropped off
by your parents.
And your parents would say,
listen, I'll drive you to the steps.
But you've got to get out
and knock the door yourself.
You've got to go in yourself.
I'll take you as far as I can take you,
but then it's up to you.
You've got to go in.
And there were people
that were saying,
that is what the Bible's message is.
The gospel gets you to the point
where it gets you on the front step.
But in order to keep going as a Christian,
in order to reach the end,
well then it's about what you do.
It's about our obedience.
And Paul is addressing that here.
That fundamental,
pharisaical spirit.
And all of us
are recovering Pharisees
in some form or another.
All of us revert
to that religious Pharisee mode.
And Paul is addressing that issue.
That you begin by faith
and then you are made perfect
by the works,
by flesh.
You begin by the spirit,
but you are made perfect
by the flesh.
And so he raises this example.
And it's an example
of history from Abraham.
And he says in verse 15,
can you see it?
I'll give you a human example.
Paul, brothers,
even with a man-made covenant,
no one annuls it
or adds to it
once it's been ratified.
And the word there for covenant
is a word called diotheke.
It's quite a prominent word
in Greek in the New Testament.
And there are people who say,
what Paul has in mind here
is not so much
God's covenant,
but a last will and testament.
And there's a raging debate.
Hundreds of PhDs
have been written on it.
Whether it should be rendered
covenant,
or last will and testament.
And if it's last will and testament,
there are kind of different choices.
Was Paul thinking of
the way Romans did
last wills and testaments?
Or was he thinking about
the way Greeks did
last wills and testaments?
They're different.
If he was thinking of
a Greek last will and testament,
it was very clear
that once the will had been made
and the testament had been made
and had been signed
and ratified
and placed in the depository,
it could not be changed.
It could not be annulled.
It could not be broken.
It could not be tampered with.
It's a minister I know
quite well in Wales
and very foolishly,
when he was asked
to be an executor
of an old lady in his church,
he said,
yes, never agree to that
if you're a minister.
It was a total disaster.
As she left her entire estate
between the church,
50% went to the church
and 50% went to her family.
When she died,
of course the family found out
about this
and they were incensed.
They were absolutely furious.
They contested it.
They went to the local press.
They were furious
that 50% of their mother's estate
went to the church
and they contested it.
They contested the way
that the will had been drawn up.
After endless hassle
and it being in the local papers,
about a month later,
the lawyer called my friend
and said,
I've looked into it
and the will cannot be altered.
The will was entered into legally,
it was ratified legally
and it cannot be changed.
And to the boot,
I've charged the family
£1,000 for the decision.
Can you imagine,
it made things a whole lot worse.
The point is this.
The illustration is saying this.
Once a will has been done,
it cannot be changed.
And once someone has died,
then the will certainly cannot be changed.
So it could be that,
or perhaps Paul doesn't have
the last will and testament in mind,
but as the ESV suggests,
he has God's covenant.
And the point about God's covenant
is this.
His word,
God's word,
can never be broken.
The grass withers
and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God
stands forever.
And when God gives his word,
it is utterly
and completely trustworthy.
And so he's talking about
God's covenant with Abraham
that we read of in Genesis 12
and then the covenant in Genesis 12
is ratified in Genesis 15.
It's confirmed.
In Genesis 12, actually,
the word covenant does not appear.
But in Genesis 15,
he speaks about the covenant
that's already been made.
And so we can defer from that,
can't we,
that what God did in Genesis 12
is a covenant with Abraham.
Abraham.
And in that covenant,
God promised to Abraham
land and seed
and children
and that his children
would be like
the stars in the sky
and like the sand on the seashore.
In chapter 15,
he ratifies that covenant.
He confirms it.
And that covenant
would eventually produce
the Lord Jesus Christ.
And Paul makes
what is a rather obscure
kind of exegetical point.
he kind of looks
and sees something
that we wouldn't initially see
from Genesis 12 and verse 15.
That when God made the promise
to Abraham,
he said,
to you and your offspring,
singular.
Now there's a sense
which that promise
that God made to Abraham
was to his children
and to his grandchildren
and his great-grandchildren
after them.
It's part of the argument
of why we baptise children,
that God's promises
always include
the children of believers,
that children are included
within the covenant.
But the Apostle Paul
looks at it
and he draws this one
particular point.
He says it's singular.
And the fulfilment
of the promise
in Genesis 12, 15, 17
is ultimately found
in the Lord Jesus Christ.
So let me tell you
the story of Genesis 15.
Do you remember
how God confirmed
how he ratified his covenant?
In Genesis 15,
we're told that Abraham
was to take a cow
and a goat
and a ram
and a dove
and he was to cut
those animals in half.
And he was to cut them
in half
and then he was to
separate the two halves
from each other
to leave a path
for people to walk through
between the carcasses.
And it's at that point
that Abraham
falls fast asleep.
into a deep sleep.
And then do you remember
what happened in Genesis 15
where he told that
a smoking furnace,
a firepot,
came down.
It was symbolic
of God's presence.
And so God's presence
comes down
while Abraham is
in a deep sleep
and the firepot,
the symbol of God's presence,
passes between
the severed pieces.
there's a covenant made
but one of the parties
of the covenant
is fast asleep
and the other party
of the covenant
walks through.
Now when they walk
through those
severed pieces of animals,
what were they saying?
They were saying
in that agreement
that what has happened
to these animals,
it should fall on me,
it should happen to me
if I break this covenant.
that if I break my promise,
if I break my word,
may what's happened
to this cow cut in two
happen to me.
May I be cut in two.
And so you have
this incredible promise,
don't you,
that God makes
where he takes
both the blessings
and the curses
of the covenant
upon himself
and he says
if Abraham or I
break this covenant,
may the curse
fall on
me.
And where is Abraham?
Fast asleep.
God is saying
if I fail
to observe
the terms
of my covenant
and if Abraham
fails to observe
the terms
of the covenant,
may the covenant
curse
fall on me.
It was a binding oath
on God,
on God's part
for blessing
and for curse.
His word
having been given
and blood
having been shed,
that covenant
cannot be nullified.
The law,
Mount Sinai,
came 430 years
after that.
430 years.
And so the Apostle Paul,
he looks over
the history
of God's dealings
with his people,
of the history
of redemption,
and he says
the law
coming 430 years
after that covenant
with Abraham
could not
break the promise,
could not annul
the promise
given to Abraham.
And so
that God
wasn't saying,
well,
it was by faith
in Abraham's day,
but now Moses'
time has come
and so it's the law
and works.
Paul is saying
it has always
been by faith
alone.
I remember being
asked,
as a kind of
young Christian,
how did
Old Testament
believers
become Christians,
if I can put it
like that?
and I remember
it was like
a lightbulb moment.
It was like
a lightbulb moment.
That they
become Christians
in exactly
the same way
that you and I do.
That by faith
we look back
to what Christ
has done.
By faith
they grasp
the promise
and they look
forward to
what Christ
has done.
I think Paul
is also speaking
here in terms
of Christian
experience.
That we receive
forgiveness
of sins
by faith
in Jesus
Christ
and by faith
in Jesus
Christ alone.
And we have
to be absolutely
clear because
the drift of
our hearts
is the opposite
way.
That we don't
begin by faith
and finish
by works.
We don't
begin by the
spirit
and finish
by the flesh.
We don't
get our foot
in the door
by the gospel
and then it's
entirely up to
us.
The promise
was given
to Abraham
and it
was a
promise
that at
the heart
of it
a promise
of Jesus.
A promise
of the
provision
of God
in the
gospel.
The law
cannot
undo
justification
by faith.
The law
cannot
undo
your right
standing
with God
through faith
in Jesus
Christ.
It is not
justification
by faith
and then
sanctification
by works.
The law
cannot
undo
the promise.
It's a
beautiful
verse,
verse 17.
You need
to meditate
on it
this week.
The law
does not
annul
God's
covenant.
It's an
amazing thing.
The law
cannot
undo
the promise
and so
you look
to the
promise.
But then
secondly,
Paul makes
a positive
statement.
What can
the law
do?
What does
the law
do?
What then
is the
function
of the
law?
If the
law cannot
undo
the promise,
what's the
function
of the
law?
Now the
Reformation
understood
God's
law in
three ways.
It says
there's
three uses
of the
law.
I know
it's been
hard work
this morning
but stick
with me.
First of
all, it
talks about
the civil
use of
the law.
And so
the use
of God's
law in
society,
this is
God's
world,
God's
law.
The use
of the
law in
framing
society
after the
Ten
Commandments.
The rules
and the
regulations
for ordinary
society
was God's
law.
And there's
a sense
in which
God's
law was
given
to bring
civilization.
The use
of the
law in
civil life
to
restrain
public
wickedness
and
maintain
order
in
society.
Of
course
you see
that
fully
in the
nation
of
Israel
in the
Old
Testament
but that
still
stands
today.
We see
the
disaster
that
comes
upon
a
country
that
gives
itself
up
on
God's
law.
But there's
a second
use of
the
law.
And it's
what we
see here
in the
Apostle
Paul.
He says
the law
is a
guardian
or a
pedagogue,
a teacher.
Then there's a
third use of
the law
where it's
a kind of
didactic sense.
The law
as a rule
for life
it is to
guide our
behavior as
believers
to reflect the
blessings of
the grace
which we've
received.
It sets a
pattern for
the Christian
law.
But what
Paul is
doing in
verse 19
is he's
saying about
that second
use of
the law
that it is
a teacher,
it is a
guardian.
it was
added because
of
transgressions,
rebellion.
It was
added because
of transgressions.
There's a
sense in
which the
law only
multiplies
our need.
The law
only multiplies
our sinfulness.
It only
shuts us up.
Look at what
it says in
verse 22.
He talks
about the
scriptures
there.
The
scriptures
imprisoned
everything.
The
scripture
imprisoned
everything
under sin
so that
the promise
by faith
in Jesus
Christ
might be
given to
those who
believe.
When the
law comes
it demonstrates
what sin
is.
When the
law comes
it magnifies
our sin
and our
failure
and our
inability
and our
bondage.
There is a
sense in
which when
the law
comes all
it does
is kill
and destroy
and imprison.
The world
thinks in
this way
the world
thinks that
the obligation
to do
something
implies the
ability to
do it.
That's how
the world
thinks.
The world
thinks if
you are
obliged to
do
something
then you
must have
the ability
to do
it.
The
Bible
however
flips that
on its
head.
You
are under
obligation
but you
cannot
obey.
That's the
frustration
isn't it?
the difficulty
of God's
law is
it says
do this
and you
and I
cannot do
it.
The law
says go
here
and you
find yourself
going in the
opposite direction.
And when the
law came
Paul here is
speaking perhaps
about the
history of
redemption
but also
when we
speak about
our experience
this is how
we experience
the law.
so think
with me
about
Romans
chapter 7
in fact
come back
with me
to Romans
chapter 7
Romans
chapter 7
and verse
7
where Paul
says this
he says
and what
then
shall we
say
Romans
7
verse 7
what
then
shall
we
say
that
the
law
is
sin
by
no
means
yet
if it
had not
been
for the
law
I
would
not
have
known
sin
for I
would
not
have
known
what
it
is
to
covet
if
the
law
had
said
you
shall
not
covet
but
sin
seizing
an
opportunity
through
the
commandment
produced
in me
all
kinds
of
covetlessness
for
apart
from
the
law
sin
lies
dead
I
was
once
alive
apart
from
the
law
but
when
the
commandment
came
sin
came
alive
and I
died
what's
he
saying
there
he's
!
talking
about
his
life
as
a
Pharisee
as
a
religious
man
he's
talking
about
his
life
before
he
became
Christian
he
was
alive
once
that's
how
he
felt
he
felt
he
was
alive
a
man
full
of
vigour
and
moral
power
but
then
the
law
of
God
came
and
it
convicted
him
and
it
incarcerated
him
and
it
put
him
in
prison
and
shut
him
up
and
it
showed
the
apostle
Paul
that
he
couldn't
do
what
God
was
asking
him
to
do
it
showed
him
his
inability
it
showed
him
his
sinfulness
and
his
wretchedness
it
only
demonstrated
that
he
couldn't
save
himself
when
the
law
came
he
died
he
felt
once
he
felt
alive
he
felt
he
was
full
of
life
and
vigour
our
friends
who are
not
Christians
they're
not
gloomy
in the
main
they're
not
always
down
they
are
alive
without
the
law
and
then
the
law
comes
when
they
understand
it
and
it
shows
them
their
inability
and
it
shows
them
their
sinfulness
and
it
shows
them
their
need
!
and
it
it's
like
being
imprisoned
it's
like
the
rich
young
ruler
he
comes
to
Jesus
and
he
says
to
Jesus
this
amazing
question
what
must
I
do
to
inherit
eternal
life
and
Jesus
says
you
know
the
ten
commandments
go
and
do
them
the
rich
young
ruler
says
well
all
these
I've
kept
since
I
was
a
boy
he
hasn't
understood
the
law
he
feels
he's
!
he
feels
full
of
moral
courage
and
virtue
he
says
to
Jesus
all
these
I've
kept
since
I
was a
boy
was his
problem
he
didn't
understand
it
Paul
talks
in
Philippians
3
concerning
zeal
he
talks
about
his
life
before
he
became
a
Christian
concerning
zeal
as
to
the
law
as
to
righteousness
under
the
law
blameless
that's
what I
thought I
was
that's
how I
felt
I felt
alive
and
then
the
law
and
it
handed
me
in
and
Paul
uses
two
metaphors
one of
the
metaphors
that he
uses
is
this
metaphor
of
a
pedagogue
!
or a
guardian!
He
uses
the
image
of a
prison
guard
but
he
also
uses
this
metaphor
of a
pedagogue
a
pedagogue
in
Greek
or
Roman
culture
was
a
man
usually
was
a
slave
and
that
slave
would
be
hired
to
disciple
and
train
and
teach
the
child
and
he
would
go
everywhere
with
him
he
would
go
to
school
with
the
child
he
would
discipline
the
child
all
with
a
view
to
disciplining
him
that's
what
the
law
does
it
disciplines
us
the
law
hangs
us
in
the
law
is
like
one
of
those
sheep
dogs
in
a
sheep
trial
kind
of
biting
on
our
feet
trying
to
get
us
to
where
we
need
to
go
to
and
the
law
is
like
all
of
those
restraints
and
you
it
pushes
you
and
it
prods
you
until
you
realise
there
is
only
one
place
to
go
and
the
only
place
that
you
can
go
the
law
teaches
us
is
to
Jesus
Christ
what
does
the
law
do
the
law
drives
us
to
Jesus
Christ
the
law
kicks
away
our
self
reliance
and
it
drives
us
to
faith
and
to
faith
alone
and
not
just
for
our
justification
that's
Paul's
point
it's
not
just
for
our
justification
the
law
cannot
make
you
right
with
God
but
the
law
cannot
sanctify
you
it
cannot
make
you
more
holy
there
is
a
view
isn't
there
in
churches
like
ours
where
you're
justified
by
faith
but
you're
sanctified
by
the
law
and
that
is
a
disaster
because
we're
never
able
to
do
it
any
obedience
we are
to
offer
to
the
law
and
we
are
to
walk
by
the
fruit
of
the
Holy
Spirit
we
do
so
by
the
strength
and
the
power
of
the
Holy
Spirit
in
union
and
communion
with
Jesus
Christ
because
apart
from
the
Lord
Jesus
we
can
do
nothing
but
there
is
a
view
isn't
there
that
Paul
is
addressing
!
here
!
those
who
begin
by
faith
and
that
they
are
made
perfect
by
the
flesh
and
Paul
says
no
that's
nonsense
it's
a way
of
disaster
and
it's
a way
of
ruin
and
so
what
is
the
function
of
the
law
some
of
you
are
wondering
well
what
is
the
function
of
the
law
in
the
life
of
a
Christian
are
Christians
obligated
to
obey
the
Ten
Commandments
the
answer
to that
is
of
course
you've
got to
read
Galatians
chapter 5
verse 6
where
Paul
gives
lots
of
prohibitions
and
lots
of
commands
do
this
and
don't
do
that
but
his
point
is
this
any
obedience
that we
offer
is
not
our
obedience
solely
it is
because
we are
united
by
faith
to
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
and
it's
only
because
we are
cleansed
and
forgiven
and the
promise
has been
given
to us
that
cannot
be
annulled
and
cannot
be
taken
away
and
so
trusting
in
that
promise
we are
free
to
obey
God's
law
and
so
he
addresses
you
today
you
who
have
come
this
morning
bowed
down
beneath
a load
of care
and a load
of guilt
you
who have
come
and you
are
aware
that
you've
sinned
and you've
fallen
short
of the
glory
of God
like
all
of us
have
and
you've
not done
the
things
that you've
promised
to do
and you've
not lived
up to the
vows you made
last Sunday
and it
weighs on
you
it weighs
on you
there is
within each
one of us
a recovering
pharisaical
mode
that operates
in our minds
there's a view
in our minds
that we've got
from somewhere
that Jesus
brings us
to the front
door
he opens
the passenger
side
and he
says
you're
on your
own
from now
on
the rest
of life
is entirely
up to
you
but the
law of
God
drives us
to Jesus
Christ
and to
the gospel
and so we
are justified
by faith
and we
live
by faith
in the
Lord Jesus
Christ
let's
pray