We've seen how a covenant is more personal and more binding than a contract.
A covenant is full of love.
And a covenant, it's also something you can count on,
something that is attached to the nature of God himself.
So it's much more enduring than a mere relationship.
And covenant is how the Lord has promised his grace to people like you and me.
Our sermon text today will be all of Galatians 3.
As we walk through these verses, I invite you to listen and think about this question.
How can someone like you and how can someone like me get such glorious covenant blessings?
How is this possible?
Galatians chapter 3.
This is the Apostle Paul writing to a region in which there are many Christian churches.
This region is called Galatia.
He begins by saying in chapter 3,
Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed among you as crucified.
I just want to learn this from you.
Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing of faith?
Are you so foolish?
Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?
Did you suffer so many things in vain?
If it is indeed in vain.
He therefore, who supplies the Spirit to you and does miracles among you,
does he do it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?
Even so, Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.
I know, therefore, that those who are of faith are children of Abraham.
The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith,
preached the good news beforehand to Abraham,
saying,
In you all the nations will be blessed.
So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse.
For it is written,
Cursed is everyone who doesn't continue in all things that are written in the book of the law and do them.
Now, that no man is justified by the law before God is evident,
for the righteous will live by faith.
The law is not of faith, but the man who does them will live by them.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.
For it is written,
Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ,
that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Verse 15.
Brothers, speaking in human terms,
Though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been confirmed,
no one makes it void or adds to it.
Now, the promises were spoken to Abraham and his offspring.
It doesn't say to descendants as of many, but as of one,
to your offspring, which is Christ.
Now, I say this,
A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ,
the law which came 430 years after does not annul,
so as to make the promise of no effect.
For it is, if the inheritance is of the law,
it is no more of promise.
But God has granted it to Abraham by promise.
Then why is there law?
It was added because of transgressions,
until the offspring should come to whom the promise has been made.
It was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator.
Now a mediator is not between one, but God is one.
Is the law then against the promises of God?
Certainly not.
For if there had been a law given,
which could make alive,
most certainly righteousness would have been of the law.
But the scripture imprisoned all things under sin,
that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ
might be given to those who believe.
But before faith came,
we were kept in custody under the law,
confined for the faith,
which should afterwards be revealed,
so that the law has become our tutor
to bring us to Christ.
That we might be justified by faith.
But now that faith has come,
we are no longer under a tutor.
For you are all children of God,
through faith in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek.
There is neither slave nor free man.
There is neither male nor female.
For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
If you are Christ,
then you are Abraham's offspring
and heirs according to the promise.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
You may be seated.
Let's pray.
Amen.
Oh Lord,
you are a God who keeps your covenant.
Your word endures forever and ever.
Lord,
we ask that by the power of your Holy Spirit,
you will apply these glorious promises
to every soul that belongs to you.
Help us to know,
Lord,
by the work of Jesus,
we are heirs with Christ.
to receive this truth
and to live in it.
We ask for your glory.
Amen.
I invite you to picture an airport scene.
There's two characters.
These are two travelers.
But by their outward appearance,
they are very different.
And you can tell.
They both get on the same airplane.
They're both heading to the same place.
One of them is begrudging.
She's used to flying first class.
And now she sees more and more people getting on.
And this seat next to her is open for a little bit longer.
Well,
then comes this second lady.
She's a bag lady.
Do you know what a bag lady is?
Way too many Walmart bags just tied onto her body.
Her hair is a mess.
She's wearing clothes that maybe haven't been washed for quite a while.
And this second lady comes.
And sure enough,
she goes for that one open seat next to the lady that's used to flying first class.
Throughout the flight,
the one that arrived late,
she's just glad she made it on.
That flight was about to take out.
They still let her on.
And she's there.
And she's going to the place she wants to be.
Well,
the first lady has all these opinions and criticisms of her.
And before long,
the flight's getting old.
And she's telling her,
do your hair this way.
You know,
put these things here and fix yourself up a little bit better.
The flight's not pleasant for either one.
This is a little bit like the church in this region of Galatia.
You had those who were from the line of Judah.
They're used to being that first class standing.
And the temple was set up that way.
And now there are these Gentiles that are a mess.
And yes,
their lives,
God will clean them up.
But Paul's message to these churches is that there are no second class citizens.
There's no first class in the church and second class.
You are all heirs with Christ.
You are all purchased by him.
You are in Christ.
And he will carry you to your place of rest.
So as we walk through these verses,
I want to encourage you with this truth.
How can someone like you
picture yourself at your worst in your life?
How can that person
have confidence
that these blessings of the covenant
are for you?
And how can they be for someone like me?
Number one,
reject the lie
that covenant blessings depend on you.
Reject the lie
that God's covenant blessings depend on you.
That's what Paul writes
in verses one,
two,
and three.
Look there with me.
Foolish Galatians,
who has bewitched you
not to obey the truth
before whose eyes
Jesus Christ
was openly portrayed among you
as crucified.
Paul's saying,
I preached to you.
I preached the crucifixion of Jesus,
the son of God.
You saw him with the eyes of faith.
Verse two,
I just want to learn this from you.
Did you receive the spirit
by works of the law
or by the hearing of faith?
Are you so foolish?
He uses as strong of language here
as he uses anywhere else.
He says,
who has bewitched you?
And he calls them fools twice.
You're a fool.
They got bewitched.
And he's writing to Christians
in the church.
See,
you and I can,
we can be deceived.
There can be lies
that creep into our thinking
just the same.
This is the only time
in the New Testament
where the word bewitched is used.
It means to entice.
It can be charming,
but it's malicious.
It's to deceive.
It's like setting a bowl of soup
with only two drops of poison in it.
You take that and you die.
To be bewitched,
it has connotations
of coming from the darkness,
from a demon.
And it's a fool
who would fall for this trap.
Why can you and I be fools?
Why do we need to beware
of this deception?
We've all been fooled before.
We get fooled for one of two reasons.
We're fooled
either because we want
to get something good,
they sucker you in,
or because we fear
something bad.
See,
the new-to-faith Gentiles
in this region,
they wanted to make sure
that they can hold on
to their salvation.
They're wanting to make sure
they can have this good thing.
It's like that lady
on the airplane
willing to change her hair,
willing to do all these things
this other lady's telling her to
to make sure
that she's doing it right
as she flies.
But the Jewish Christians
in Galatia,
they fear losing
God's blessing
by not keeping
all of the ceremonial laws,
by not continuing in those.
And that's why
you can be fooled.
In our sin of pride,
we want to be
first-class Christians.
We all want to be that.
We want to please God,
and that's good.
But where it becomes
an idol,
where we become deceived,
is where we want to
please God more than
that person.
Start comparing ourselves
to one another.
When we know
we have sinned,
we fear,
and we want to make sure
that we can hold on
to our salvation.
One of our children
in our congregation
asks that,
well,
what if I get baptized,
but then I sin
after I've been baptized?
We want to make sure
I'm doing all I need to
to hold on to my salvation.
And let's see how Paul
answers those desires.
He says,
you saw Christ
portrayed as crucified.
You received the Spirit
by faith,
not because you were
keeping the law well.
that same way
that God saved you,
God will keep you.
Reject the lie
that covenant blessings
depend on you.
Covenant blessings
depend on God.
Picture a mother
who's got little children,
not getting enough sleep.
She hears on a podcast
by a pastor,
quote,
all future blessings
of the Christian life
are conditional
on your keeping
of the covenant.
This is a strong teaching
that's very popular
right now.
We can relate
to this mother
because she thinks,
well,
I did not keep
the covenant well
even just this morning.
I had a rage of anger
against my kids
who won't obey
and won't listen
and keep fighting each other.
We can relate to that
because we all
can look at our lives
and we can start
to feel like
I'm running low
on hope.
If this depends on me
and me obeying God
to get blessings,
I'm hopeless.
We've all been there too.
Maybe I was never saved.
Has the enemy brought
that little dart
against you?
You're such a sinner.
You've been baptized
and you continue
to live in sin
and continue to stumble.
Maybe you were never saved.
While we certainly hear
from God's word,
there is no place
for a false assurance.
If you're grafted
into Christ,
he will bear his fruit in you.
This is not a licentiousness,
but that's not the message
to the church in Galatia.
The church in Galatia
was adding on
to the gospel of grace
works.
Add on the works
to make sure you stay.
Paul says,
see Christ again.
See Christ portrayed
openly.
Among you
as crucified.
We need to be a church
that sees Christ
among us
every time we gather.
And how do we see Christ?
We see him
bearing all our sin,
paying for it
once and for all.
And as we gather
around the foot
of the cross,
360,
all of us gathered
around Christ
receiving grace
from him,
it changes
how we relate
to one another,
doesn't it?
dear believer,
you are not
your own.
You were bought
with a price.
It's the very high price,
the precious blood
of God,
the son himself.
Verse 29
of our sermon text,
he says,
church,
you are Christ's.
Christ's.
So reject the lie
that covenant blessings
depend on you.
Number two,
how is it that the Lord
ministers
his blessings to you?
How does the Lord
minister
his blessings to you?
to minister
is to carry out
with the authority
of an office
all of the responsibilities
and roles
and privileges
that that office
can bestow.
I see here
in these verses
four through nine
two ways
in which Paul
reminds the church
this is how you
receive this.
This is how the Lord
ministers
his blessings
to you.
It's by the spirit
and it's by the word.
by the spirit
and the word.
First,
the spirit.
He reminds us
of times
we have experienced
his powerful
working in us.
He says,
think back to a time
when the spirit
ministered to you.
What was that like?
You know what it was like
if you're saved.
The spirit convicted you.
Look what he says
in verse four.
Did you suffer
so many things
in vain
if indeed
in vain?
The word suffer
means did you experience?
Did you go through
this?
Were you carried
along by this?
By this ministry
of the spirit?
He says the spirit
moved among you
for a reason.
The reason the spirit
drew you to Christ
in the first place
was for his purpose.
It's so that you
would never forget
God is real.
God is truly
applying to you
personally
all the blessings
of Christ
because this was
the plan
of the God
the Father,
Son,
and the Spirit.
And he reminds us
in verse five
that therefore
the one who supplies
the spirit to you
and does miracles
among you
does he do it
by the works
of the law
or by the hearing
of faith?
Did the spirit
cause you to repent
and see Jesus
as crucified
because you were
a good person?
Or was it because
you heard the gospel
and the spirit
gave you a faith
to believe that
this could be true
for you as well?
Well, of course,
it's not because
you're a law keeper
that the Lord
ministered to you.
It's because you're
a sinner
in need of him
and that's why
he will continue
to minister
to you now.
The Spirit
of God
ministers
the blessings
of Christ.
He applies it
to you
while you were
sinners.
That's the ministry
of the Spirit
and the way
the Lord does this
in the second place
is by the ministry
of the Word.
He teaches us
from the Bible.
He calls the church
to study the Lord's
acts and his revelation
in all of Scripture.
And he takes them
to one particular passage.
He takes them
to the story
of Abraham
in Genesis 15.
Look at verse 6
of our sermon text today.
Even so,
Abraham believed God
and it was counted
to him
for righteousness.
He's quoting
to the church
Genesis 15
verse 6.
He's saying,
study the Bible.
See,
how is it
that God
has ever
saved anyone?
God saved you
the same way
he saved Abraham.
God did not
save Abraham
because Abraham
kept the law.
God saved Abraham
because he believed
by faith
that this could be true
and God counted it
to him
as righteousness.
In verse 6
he says,
Know therefore
that those who are
of faith
are children
of Abraham.
This Gentile
whose life
is a mess
is a child
of Abraham.
First class citizen
in the kingdom
of God.
And dear believer,
you are
the fulfillment
of God's promise
long ago.
Look at verse 8.
The scripture
foreseeing that God
would justify
the Gentiles
by faith
preached the good news
beforehand
to Abraham
saying,
In you
all the nations
will be blessed.
God promised
this three times
to Abraham.
Genesis 12,
18,
and 22.
Verse 9,
So then those
who are of faith
are blessed
with faithful Abraham.
Do you follow
Paul's logic?
This is how
someone like you
and me
can receive
God's covenant
blessings.
The Lord
designed
your salvation.
The Lord
accomplished
your salvation.
And the Lord
has applied
your salvation.
what he began
in you,
he will finish.
What he initiated
by the ministry
of the Spirit
through the Word
of God,
he will finish.
He will bring it
to its fulfillment
in your life.
You were
Christ's.
You are
Christ's
as the Spirit
has united you
to him now
through faith.
And you shall
always
be
Christ's.
Let the Lord
minister this truth
to you again
today.
Through his
word,
you're seeing
these words
for yourself
and by the
power of his
Spirit.
Number three,
Paul clarifies
that covenant
blessings do
require obedience.
Covenant
blessings do
require obedience.
But he says
it's not
your obedience
that secures
them.
look at what
he says
in verse 10.
He says,
as many
as are
of the
works of
the law
are under
a curse
for it
is written
cursed
is everyone
who doesn't
continue
in all
the things
that are
written
in the
book of
the law
and do
them.
He's
quoting
Deuteronomy
27,
26.
He says,
yes,
to get
blessing,
you must
have
obedience.
And what's
more,
that if you
break the
covenant,
you get
cursed.
We know
that the
moral law
of God
is perfect
and the
keeping of
God's
moral law
is required
for anyone
to be
saved.
But look
at what he
says in
verse 11.
No man
is justified
by the
law before
God.
And it's
evident because
the Bible
says in
Habakkuk 2,
4,
the righteous
will live
by faith.
Paul's
preaching that
the only way
that sinners
like you and
me can be
declared
righteous
by the
holy God
is if
the Lord
Jesus,
God the
Son,
took on
a flesh
and he
made himself
under his
own law.
And he
did that to
become the
substance of
his own
ceremonial
sacrificial
system.
He obeyed
the Father
perfectly and
received all
the blessings
of the
promise.
All the
blessings that
God has ever
promised find
their yes
and amen.
Ultimately,
in Christ.
In verse
12, we
read that
the law
is not
of faith,
but the
man who
does them
will live
by them.
So do
covenant
blessings require
obedience?
Yes, they
do.
And only one
who obeys
them perfectly,
personally,
and perpetually
can live
by them.
There's no
hope for
anyone under
Adam's curse,
but that's
why the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
He became
the righteousness
we could
never achieve
on our
own.
We read
in verse
13,
Christ
redeemed
us from
the curse
of the law,
having become
a curse
for us.
It is
written,
cursed is
everyone who
hangs on
a tree.
Someone like
you and me
could never
have a hope
of receiving
covenant
blessing.
And we
have two
problems.
We are
not righteous
and our
sin needs
to be
punished.
Jesus
Christ
fulfilled
both.
He kept
the law
perfectly
to give
you freely
the righteousness
you could
never have.
And he
took the
penalty so
that you
don't need
to die
for your
sins.
He kept
the law
and he
set you
free.
He was
cursed so
that you
could be
blessed.
God's
covenant
blessings
require
obedience.
The good
news is
it's not
your
obedience
or mine.
Jesus
Christ
fulfilled
all of
the
requirements
so that
he could
receive
the blessing
and turn
around
and apply
those to
his people
freely.
Number
four,
how did
the Lord
secure
the blessings
he promised
to Abraham?
how did
the Lord
secure
these
blessings
that he
promised?
Look at
verse 14
with me.
The blessing
of Abraham,
the Lord
purposed
to give
it freely
to the
Gentiles
as well,
those that
are not
from the
physical
line of
Abraham,
and he
secured
it through
Jesus
Christ.
How can
Gentiles
claim all
of those
same blessings
and promises
as their
own now?
In
Genesis
15,
the Lord
said,
I am
your shield.
I am
your great
reward.
It's because
the Lord
accomplished
that which
he promised,
and he
applied it
to those
who would
receive his
promise
by faith,
trusting that
what he
says can
be true
for you.
In
verse 14,
he says,
it's that
we might
receive the
promise of
the Holy
Spirit.
How do
you receive
it?
Through
faith.
What is
faith?
So that
these promises
and blessings
can be
yours.
Faith is
an open
hand like
a beggar
receiving
what God
is going
to freely
give.
You have
a saving
faith when
you see
your need
for a
Savior,
and his
spirit cuts
you to
the heart,
and he
turns you
from the
sin,
and he
turns you
to the
Savior,
not because
of the
good works
you do,
but because
you need
him to
give you
this salvation
freely.
in verse
15,
Paul says,
brothers,
when a
covenant
has been
cut or
confirmed,
no one
makes it
void or
adds to
it.
How is
this promise
for you,
and how
is it
secured?
It's because
God
covenanted
this promise.
No one
can add
to what
God already
sealed in
this covenant,
and no one
can take
away from
it.
verse 16,
he says,
now the
promises were
spoken to
Abraham and
his offspring.
He doesn't
say to
descendants as
of many,
but as
of one to
your
offspring,
which is
Christ.
All that
God stored
up in the
treasury of
heaven,
in the
course of
human history,
God would
intervene in
time,
and in
space.
And through
the physical
seed of
one man,
Abraham,
would come
the promised
savior,
that same
seed that
the Lord
promised back
to Eve in
the garden
after the
sin of Adam
and Eve and
the curse on
the serpent,
the Lord
promised this
one seed
will come
to save
and deliver.
Now this
promise gets
more narrow,
more specific.
It will come
from the
bloodline
of Abraham.
Let me
define some
of the terms
here to make
sure our
kids are
understanding
the argument
that Paul
is opening
up.
He's talking
about an
inheritance,
and he's
saying who
this inheritance
is for.
So to give
a simple
example,
the grandpa,
as we saw
in Sunday
school,
let's say
grandpa owns
this amazing
ranch,
this great
farm.
That's the
inheritance.
The inheritance
is what he's
going to pass
on to the
next generation.
And this
grandpa puts
on a piece
of paper the
names that
are going to
get this.
those names
on this
piece of
paper,
the last
will and
testament,
those are
the heirs
of this
grandpa.
Galatians 3
is a glorious
passage because
it says this
has been
established.
Who will get
all of the
inheritance,
all of the
blessings?
It's whose
names are
written in
this will.
These are
the heirs.
In this
passage,
Galatians 3
16,
the promises
were spoken
to Abraham
and his
offspring,
which is
Christ.
Christ is
the one
who will
inherit and
ultimately
fulfill these
promises.
He will be
the heir of
all that God
has stored up
to one seed
from Abraham.
See, what
happens in the
church is that
we have other
people wanting
to change the
terms.
So we have
a group wanting
to say this
person's name is
not on the
list, but we
want to go ahead
and give them
the blessings of
the inheritance.
And then
they're saying
this person,
their name is
on there, but
we don't want
them to be part
of it for
these reasons.
Well, if a
grandpa dies,
there's an
executor of the
will, there's a
lawyer who knows
the law, and
he's going to
point to this
and say, this
is binding.
No one can
add or take
away from
this.
This is what
secures it
right here.
And this is a
covenant.
The covenant
says all the
blessings are in
Christ.
Whoever is in
Christ is the
one who's going
to receive it.
No one can add
or take away
from that.
So as a
church, we have
to look to
Christ.
We have to
look to who
it is that all
of these blessings
are sealed up
in.
And we don't
have any
authority to
add or take
away from it
because Christ
has secured
all of these
blessings for
all those who
belong to him
through faith.
faith.
The Lord secured
for you all
the spiritual
blessings that
he promised to
Abraham in
this covenant
with Jesus
Christ as the
heir.
Number five,
why did the
Lord then still
give his law
to Israel?
Paul's working
through this
argument and
that's the
natural rebuttal.
Well, what
about all of
the civil laws?
What about all
the ceremonial
laws that were
piled on for
Israel?
What do we do
with those?
Verse 17, he
says the
requirements of
the law cannot
annul God's
promises and
make the promise
of no effect.
If the
inheritance is
of the law,
then it is of
no more of
promise.
But God has
granted it to
Abraham by
promise.
He's saying
that the
ceremonial laws
given to
Israel under
Moses do not
change the
promise of
free grace
that he gave
to Abraham.
Well, then the
natural question
is,
what do we
make of
those?
What do we
do with
those?
In verse 19
and 21, he
asked those
questions.
Then why is
there the
law?
Verse 21, is
the law then
against the
promises of
God?
And he says
certainly not.
He gives two
answers.
Number one,
it's because we
must be convicted
of our sin
before we will
ever repent.
The law is
very important to
convict us of
our sin.
in verse 21,
he said,
for if there
had been a
law given
which could
make a life,
most certainly
righteousness would
not have been
of the law.
Verse 22,
but the
scripture imprisoned
all things under
sin, that the
promise by faith
in Jesus Christ
might be given
to those who
believe.
The law was
added because
of transgressions.
So why do we
have the law?
Why was the law
given to Israel?
It's because
everyone who
will turn to
God to receive
grace by faith
must first be
convicted of
our sin.
We must repent.
We must see
that we fall so
short of the
glory of God.
And so the law
cuts us down.
It humbles us.
And it exposes
us.
I cannot save
myself.
The second
reason he gives
is because we
must see our
great need of
God's grace
before we will
turn to God
with hoping
faith in that
offspring that
will come.
The Lord will
send a Messiah,
an anointed one.
The Lord will
send one who
will fulfill the
law.
The Lord will
send a victor
who will conquer
all the enemies.
And he will
come at the
fullness of
time.
We read in
verse 19.
There is one
to whom the
promise has
been made.
And that's the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
The Lord Jesus
Christ will
come.
And you must
see your need
for him.
When the
Lord Jesus
was brought
to the temple
as a baby,
there were
two believers
who had the
Old Testament
scriptures and
the Lord had
prepared them in
their spirit to
receive him.
And when they
did, the spirit
ministered to him.
This is the
anointed one,
that promised
seed of long
ago.
If we're reading
the Old Testament
correctly, we are
reading with an
anticipation.
There is more.
There is a grand
act.
There will be the
coming Messiah.
The blessing that
God had promised
to Abraham was
salvation.
You will be
God's people.
You will dwell in
his kingdom.
You will be secure
in him forever.
He will be your
shield.
And the Lord
kept all of his
promises.
The Lord kept
the promises to
Abraham in a
physical and an
earthly sense.
And he also
fulfilled them and
expanded them into a
spiritual fulfillment.
The physical seed of
Abraham did get this
land that God
promised after they
came out of slavery
in Joshua 21.
All of the good
things the Lord
promised to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob,
they all came to
pass.
And in 1 Kings
chapter 4 verse 1,
we read that with
Solomon again after
David the man of
war had defeated the
enemies with the
sword, then came
Solomon with the
kingdom of peace.
And the Lord gave
them all the land.
All of the good
things God promised,
he gave.
And the Lord also
exposed the need of
God's people to have
Yahweh as their
king.
After Joshua and the
Israelites lived in
the land, there were
so many problems.
It was porous.
They never defeated
the idols.
They allowed idolaters
to live in their
midst.
They had no king and
everyone did whatever
pleased them.
The book of Judges is
an ugly book to
expose their need of
a king.
They need God
himself, Yahweh, to
rule as their king.
The disobedience of
the Israelites in the
land led them to
exile.
It led them to see a
greater fulfillment
must come, one that
we can't produce by our
own good works.
And that's why Paul
says the law for them
was a tutor.
It was a trainer.
It was a servant of
the great king that
they need.
The law serves the
same purpose for the
church today.
It humbles us.
It tells us we need a
king to rule over your
heart and your life.
Look at what a wreck
your life is without
Christ ruling over you
as a king.
repent again.
Humble yourself.
Turn to God to be
your king and your
savior once again.
Praise him for his
law.
What pleases the Lord
in his moral law does
not change.
We look back on the
ceremonial laws and we
see these all foreshadow
the work of Christ on
the cross.
Christ.
We look at his civil
law and we long for a
kingdom of true peace
and one day Christ will
rule over the new
heavens and the new
earth perfectly.
We long for him to
rule and to be under
that rule.
And now we are in a
spiritual sense.
We are his people.
We are united to him.
He rules over his
church.
I'm going to try to be a
little bit more specific
as we wrap this up with
the sixth observation.
There are specific
promises that God gave
through Abraham and his
offspring Christ.
So I want to do my best to
show you what I see in the
scripture.
You can study further on
your own as well.
And then come to Sunday
school next week as we pick
up where we left off on this
topic.
Here's the question.
What specific blessings can
someone like you and me
expect?
What are the specific
blessings from the
Abrahamic covenant that
someone like you and me
Gentiles used to be
sinners.
We had no concept of God
and his word until he
ministered to us.
What can we expect?
Four things for us.
The Lord had promised
Abraham a child.
Do you remember that?
Him and his wife were
barren and the Lord said
you will have a child.
Well on earth Abraham
got Isaac.
Because God keeps his
covenant he also fulfilled
and expanded this with
Jesus Christ.
And he gave him an
offspring Jesus born from
the line of Abraham.
He's on every genealogy
as Abraham through this
line came Jesus Christ.
So yes he got the son on
earth and God fulfilled and
expanded it further by
giving him the offspring
Jesus Christ in heaven.
Now look at what he says
in verse 26 for the
church.
You are all children of
God through faith in
Jesus Christ.
The expansion of this
blessing pulls you in to
the family of God and the
blessings he promised
Abraham as well.
The child.
Number two.
The Lord counted Abraham's
faith as righteousness.
And because God keeps his
covenant Jesus Christ
fulfills and expands this
blessing to you as well.
In verse 27.
As many of you as were
baptized into Christ you
have put on Christ.
You have been baptizing
Christ in two ways according
to scripture.
First you have been baptized
by blood.
Mark 10 39.
Jesus says you are
baptized in the blood as
you drink from this cup of
his covenant.
See the baptism of blood it
means that you have been
washed by the work of
Christ on Calvary.
You have seen Jesus Christ
portrayed through the
preaching of the word.
You have seen that it was
your sin that kept him
there.
It was your voice as one of
the mockers.
And the Lord Jesus in grace
is paying for that very sin
for you.
That's to be baptized by the
blood.
Baptism of the spirit.
John the Baptist he said I
baptize you with water but
there is one coming it's
Jesus Christ in Luke 16.
He will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit.
That means that Jesus Christ
will give the spirit of God
to you.
You who were dead in your
trespasses he will make you
alive.
That's called regeneration.
And as he brings you alive
the spirit indwells you and
sanctifies you and lives in
you and creates in your life a
place where the Holy God
Father Son and Spirit can live
and abide forever.
That's what it means to be
baptized by blood and
baptized by the Holy Spirit.
As many of you as were
baptized into Christ he says
you have put on Christ in
verse 27.
To put on Christ it means that
you have received Christ's
righteousness as your own.
To be baptized in Christ it
means that you are submerged.
As Jonathan pointed out to our
kids last week it's it's like a
pickle a cucumber is a cucumber
but it's baptized into the the
brine and the vinegar and it
becomes a pickle.
That's sanctification.
You are baptized in Christ.
You have put on Christ.
You are washed by his blood and
you are identified with him.
He changes your very substance.
The third blessing is that the
Lord promised Abraham a great
people from all over the earth
like the dust that would be
united to God in the heavens like
shining stars.
Do you remember that last week?
Your offspring will be like the
dust.
They will be like the stars.
It doesn't mean like the Lion
King where you die and become a
literal star.
It means that the glory of God
the spiritual purity and glory of
God is in you and your life
reflects him.
That's what that means.
Well on earth Abraham got the
Jewish nation and he got this
ethnic people a true people
living in a true land and
because God keeps his covenant
Jesus Christ further fulfills and
expands this promise.
Look at what he says in verse 28.
Now there is neither Jew nor Greek.
There is neither slave nor free
man.
There is neither male nor female.
He's saying there is not a first
class and a second class Christian.
There is only first class citizens in
the kingdom of God.
There is no difference between any of
you and it's because you are united
to Christ.
Not by your works.
Not by your outward appearance.
By faith.
That's what you all have in common.
You are all one in Christ Jesus.
So we don't go to church for
community.
We don't go to church for
fellowship.
We don't chase after the byproducts.
We are church because we are one
in Christ.
We are one through the same faith,
the same spirit that ministers and
unites us.
Well guess what you get as a result?
Your lives do become more like
Christ.
You do get the deepest conversations.
You do get friends and true
fellowship for life and it's more
than a friendship.
It's a fellowship that is even
tighter and closer and more
more intimate and meaningful than a
blood relation.
Have you ever experienced that in
the church?
That's what we get.
Why would we settle for anything
less?
Well the fourth promise is that the
Lord promised Abraham a land.
On earth he got the promised land.
He got geographic Israel.
And because the Lord keeps his
covenant Jesus Christ also further
fulfills and expands on this.
Listen to the language from the
Bible itself teaching us this.
Hebrews 12 21.
Writing to the church.
Writing to you who have a faith and
are united to Christ.
You have come to Mount Zion.
Mount Zion is the hill in
Jerusalem where the temple is.
And he's saying all of you across the
world.
All of the nations.
You have come to Mount Zion.
Mount Zion.
To the city of the living God.
The heavenly Jerusalem.
He's saying don't pattern yourself off
of old Jerusalem.
You're part of the heavenly Jerusalem.
You have come to the assembly of the
firstborn.
Well in the ancient world it's only the
firstborn that gets all the
inheritance.
The firstborn gets grandpa's farm.
And he's saying you are the assembly.
The gathering.
The church of the firstborn.
Every single one of you is a
firstborn.
You are enrolled in heaven.
This is language of citizenship.
You are on the roster.
You belong here.
You can vote.
You can have land.
You possess this kingdom.
It's yours.
You have come to God.
The judge of all.
To the spirit of just men.
Made perfect.
To Jesus.
The mediator.
Of this new covenant.
That's what it means to be a
Christian.
God keeps all of his promises.
He further fulfills them.
And he expands them.
And elevates them.
To the highest of heavens.
Look at verse 29.
If you are Christ's.
Then you are Abraham's offspring.
And heirs.
According to promise.
Did Paul persuade you?
Do you see why someone like you.
And someone like me.
Can be an heir.
You can receive all of these.
Covenant blessings.
By the work of Christ.
I found myself this week.
Thinking a lot about.
John Bunyan's example.
And John Bunyan was a simple pastor.
He wrote Pilgrim's Progress from prison.
In the 1600s in England.
When John Bunyan would see.
A drunk bum.
On the street.
Or the scum of the earth.
You know.
Getting into a fight.
In the trash.
He had this line.
That he would preach to himself.
To remind himself.
Of this truth.
That I think is.
The heart of Galatians 3.
John Bunyan would say.
There.
Pointing to those people.
There.
But for the grace of God.
Go I.
I.
So like those two ladies.
On the airplane.
Instead of trying to.
Fix.
The other one.
I should say.
There.
But for the grace of God.
Go I.
In fact.
I would be worse than that.
If God would have left me to myself.
What a beautiful thing.
To belong to a body.
A church.
Where everyone knows.
That would be me.
Except for the grace of God.
Then we can enjoy true fellowship.
Truly one body.
One people.
By the Lord's covenant.
Mercies to us.
All glory be to God.
Let's spend some time.
In response.
Reflecting on the gospel.
That you've heard.
Thank you.