In 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 Tabletop 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 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,
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 rights
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 the apostle 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
chapter 3
Why then
the law?
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.
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
and 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
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 a
human example.
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
diotheki,
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 were
different.
If you
used to
give 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.
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.
And in that
covenant,
God promised
to Abraham
land and
seed,
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,
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.
God
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.
Christian,
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
light bulb
moment.
It was like a
light bulb
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 do
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
civilisation.
The use
of the
law in
civil life
to restrain
public
wickedness
and maintain
order in
society.
Of course
you see
that fully
don't you
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
behaviour 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, that
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 should
we say?
Romans 7
verse 7,
what then
shall we
say?
That the
law is
sin?
Well,
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 it
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
shows them
their
wretchedness,
and they
die.
It's
like being
imprisoned.
It's
like the
rich young
ruler.
Do you
remember 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
alive.
He feels
full of
moral courage
and virtue.
He says
to Jesus,
all these
I've
kept
since I
was a
boy.
It's
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
came and
it imprisoned
me.
And it
hand me
in.
Paul uses
two metaphors.
One of the
metaphors that
he uses is
this metaphor
of a
pedagogue
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
come home
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 at
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
that
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
!
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 to
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
let's