What difference does the birth of Jesus Christ make anyway? Answering that question that the letter to the Galatians might not be the first place you think to go to in the Bible.
You'd probably go to Luke's Gospel wouldn't you or Matthew's Gospel in the New Testament and they would be good places to go to if you wanted to find out about the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas time.
But the Apostle Paul here gives us an alternative to the famous nativity accounts that we know so well.
This is Paul's take on the birth of Jesus Christ.
He pulls back the theological curtains on the nativity scene and the reason why the birth in Bethlehem was so significant, just picture it for a moment.
The smelly animals and the baby crying, the chaos and the muck of the cattle shed.
It sounds like a prison cell, doesn't it?
Unless it felt like that for the Son of God.
To willingly contract himself down into a seven or eight pound baby.
Into the custody of a human body.
The restriction and the captivity of that.
But the Apostle Paul thinks of that rather than as a day of captivity, as a day of release.
As a day of freedom.
As a day of emancipation for all of humanity.
And listen to the words that he uses to describe life, the situation, before the first Christmas.
He uses words like captive in verse 23.
Imprisoned.
Under a guardian or a warden.
In that moment where the Son of God, the eternal Son of God, took on human flesh.
He added to him the restriction of a human body becoming contracted.
He is in custody.
And yet we are somehow released.
And it's so true, isn't it?
With presents, the best ones are the ones that you don't think to ask for.
And if someone knows you really, really well, they can get you a present like that, can't they?
Without you giving them your Amazon wish list.
When you don't just say, how did you know it's always what I wanted?
But actually, how did you know when I didn't even know it's what I always wanted?
And Paul shows us here that that is what happened at Christmas time.
God sent a gift.
The gift of Jesus.
The gift that we didn't even know we needed ourselves.
Because first off, he says, before Jesus came, number one, we were imprisoned.
We were imprisoned.
Just look at verse 23.
Now, before faith came, we were held captive under the law.
Imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.
The birth of Jesus Christ makes a difference because before it happened, Paul says, we were held captive.
Before Jesus arrived, we lived behind bars.
In an invisible prison.
With walls and a floor and a ceiling.
And we couldn't see that prison physically around us.
But it was a prison that was real and it kept us from being free.
Really free.
It made us feel a kind of bondage.
And a restriction.
He says, we were held captive under the law.
Let me give you a bit of background on that letter to the Galatians that we're reading today.
We've jumped in halfway through, haven't we?
We've kind of jumped in a bit cold, really.
Paul writes this letter to a group of churches who are a mixture of Jewish converts to Christianity and non-Jews.
And Galatians is one of the most brutal letters that Paul writes to a group of Christians.
Things are pretty dire.
Earlier in the letter, he says, you've departed from the true gospel to a different false message.
And there are some among them who want to distort the good news of Jesus.
They particularly want to add some Jewish practices.
They want to keep some Old Testament Bible laws like circumcision and like certain religious Jewish days.
And that is what Paul means when he talks about the law here.
But he says to them, why would you want to add those laws onto the wonderful message about Jesus?
That is bizarre behaviour.
And one reason for that is that the law was designed not to set you free, but partly as a prison.
The law was designed and given to you to keep you in a cell.
He says, verse 23, it held us captive.
You could use that word captive to describe the kind of time before a person is kind of judged and sentenced in court.
It's like being held in a holding cell in a local police station.
They're kept in police custody or by the court authorities.
Kept until a further day when proceedings can go further.
That is the kind of thing that's going on here.
So if you open up the Old Testament and you go to the books of the law,
Leviticus and Deuteronomy and in other places,
you can see that law in all of its glorious detail,
keeping the festivals and the feasts,
making sacrifices, giving free will offerings,
giving offerings, giving compulsory offerings,
having ceremonial washings,
wearing certain types of clothing,
not wearing this kind of clothing,
cutting your hair in a certain way,
not cutting your hair in that way,
eating certain foods, not eating those foods,
and on and on and on.
There was so much that you had to do as an Old Testament Jew.
And part of, not all of it,
but part of the design of the law, Paul says,
was to make you realise that you are trapped.
Clean your house in a certain way.
Not in this way, but in this way.
Bake bread in a certain way,
not with yeast, this way.
Using utensils for this and not for that.
Dealing with skin diseases.
Where to go to the toilet.
Not here, but over here.
All the fine details of ceremonies and the days
and the practices were given by God,
and they were good,
but at the same time,
they were to make God's people feel like
they were scratching off the days in the prison cell.
They were constructed to give them longing
for a freedom that they didn't have.
A freedom that they knew
they couldn't get for themselves.
It was, wasn't it,
the prison of perfection.
Keep this good and holy law,
and all of these laws,
and you must keep all of it
to be pleasing to God.
I don't know if you've worn
virtual reality goggles ever.
They're really weird.
I don't know if you've tried it.
I did it once in a doctor's surgery.
He was looking at my spine,
with issues with that,
and then you kind of go in the room,
and it was a chiropractor,
and it was a bit of a grotty room,
to be honest.
Kind of dark and a bit dingy,
with a little kind of old chair in the corner.
But he put this virtual reality headset on me,
and the room transformed.
It was amazing.
Everything was clean.
There was a plant plot
with flowers in the corner.
And then he suddenly brought this projection
of my own body.
where you could see the spine.
And I was like,
who is this guy?
He is incredible.
He has got a six-pack
and pecs.
And then you take off the goggles.
And you remember where you are,
and exactly who you are again.
And the law functioned like that.
The law told you,
get real with yourself,
and take off the goggles.
The law showed them
who they really were,
and where they really were.
The reality is,
it said to them,
you are in a prison
of your own inability
to be right with God.
It was a prison
that taught God's people
that life,
and freedom,
and holiness
cannot be done
ultimately in these things
for you.
By your own efforts.
So the law,
part of it,
made them unsatisfied.
Perfection is required.
The prison told them,
nobody's perfect.
And it was to drive them
away from themselves,
and towards God,
to help them.
It was to drive them
towards faith,
Paul says.
Verse 24.
The law was a guardian,
and not in a positive sense there.
The word is more like a warden.
The law drove them
to faith in God,
as the one who makes us
right with him.
The law wasn't given
so that they could earn
friendship with God,
but precisely to show them
that they couldn't do that.
But they had to trust.
They had to have faith
in the God
who could make it work.
And that is why
Paul mentions Abraham
in verse 29,
because that is exactly
what happened with Abraham.
That Abraham is the kind of
father of the faith,
isn't he?
And do you remember
the story of Abraham?
God asks Abraham,
he kind of appears
to Abraham,
and he asks Abraham
to obey him
and to trust in him.
And we're told
in Genesis,
Abraham believed God,
and that belief
was credited,
counted as righteousness
for Abraham.
Abraham.
And then the law
of God's people
didn't come
for centuries later
until the time
of Moses.
The law wasn't given
as the way
the people could be
made right with God.
It was given
afterwards
to keep them
looking to God
in faith,
just as Abraham
had first done.
Verse 25,
that they might
be justified
by faith.
When you die,
God will ask you,
won't he,
why should I let you
into heaven?
Why should I
justify you?
Why should I say
you are right
with me?
Is it by things
that you have done
in this life?
Or is it because
you believed
I could do it?
I've told this story
before of an old
monk and a student.
And the student
asks his master
for advice
in life.
What's the key?
And the older monk
says to the student,
go back to your cell
and your cell
will teach you
everything.
And the law
is like that.
The law is the
prison facility
that teaches
much about ourselves
and why we need
Jesus.
The incessant,
scrupulous,
detailed,
all-pervading laws
spoke to them
of their inadequacy.
So if you imagine
in any way,
you might not have
grown up
with Jewish religion,
you might not,
this might be the
first time you've
heard any of this,
but if you imagine
in any way
that you are going
to make yourself
right with God,
if you are good
enough to do that,
or that you are
living a good life
and God thinks
that is okay
and you can be
justified,
the law says
just take off
the goggles.
Because it took
them an age
to realise
that that is
absolute baloney.
by the end of it
they were saying,
weren't they,
I'm a sinner,
let me out of here,
let me out.
Before Jesus came
we were held
captive
by our own
sin
and our own
inability
and the law
proved that to us
just as surely
as a concrete
prison would prove
that we are
held captive.
So when Jesus
was born
we were held
captive
but secondly
then faith
came to set us
free.
Faith came to
set us free
and the story
goes of a prison
in the US
where at
twenty past twelve
one Saturday
morning
a glitch
in the security
system
simultaneously
unlocked
all five hundred
cell doors
and just imagine
the look on the
warden's face
as he kind of saw
that on the CCTV
the doors like
dominoes
swinging open
Paul says
until Christ
came
we were under
a warden
but now
faith has come
we are no longer
under a guardian
or a warden
but it's not a
glitch
it is that
a child
has been born
in the prison
and the doors
swing open
Paul says
he is
in this passage
talking about
the birth
of Jesus
Christ
but it's
strange how
he describes
that moment
isn't it
who came
into the world
at Christmas
Paul
look at how
he described it
verse 25
now
faith
has come
he says it
in the same way
in verse 23
before faith
came
we were held
captive
now we are
on the same
page here
aren't we
because verse 24
he elaborates
he says
until Christ
came
so we know
he's talking
about the
coming of the
Lord Jesus
we're on the
same page
we are talking
about the
incarnation
but why say
faith
came
when Jesus
arrived
a coming
faith
that would
be revealed
is he saying
that before
Jesus came
there was
no faith
and then
suddenly people
started to have
this faith
well of course
not
that is the
point about
Abraham
isn't it
he was the
father of
faith
it started
with him
he was the
first to say
I can't do
this God
but I'll
trust in you
now what
he's saying
is that
Jesus came
as the
person
and the
object
that all
those with
true faith
have looked
to
in the
past
he is
the one
he is
the object
of faith
he is
what this
faith is
in
so much
so that
when he
arrives
faith
has found
its goal
faith has
arrived
and him
as the
object
of faith
until
Christmas
time
was not
revealed
Paul says
revealed
means literally
discovered
there is
a sense
that before
Jesus'
birth
the object
of Abraham's
faith
as he
trusted in
God
and Moses'
faith
and David's
faith
and everyone
up until now
they trusted in
God's promises
to make them
right with him
they believed
God
and they acted
based on what
they couldn't
see
and they were
kind of in
this dark
room
and the
furniture
was all
in place
they just
needed to
trust God
for them
to believe
his word
and his
promises
but when
Jesus
arrives
it's as if
the light
is switched
on in
the room
and he
becomes
clear
as the
one that
they've been
believing in
all along
we've been
in this
prison
perfectly
designed
by God
to make
us long
for God
himself
to come
and deal
with our
sins
and each
piece of
law is
like another
bar on
the window
making us
cry out
in faith
for a
saviour
for a
jailbreaker
for one
to finally
fulfil all
these righteous
demands
and the
more we've
lived in
this prison
of perfection
the more
faith rises
and says
not me
but you
God
but now
the goal
of that
faith is
fleshed out
quite literally
and Jesus
is going
to come
and glitch
the prison
doors
by coming
and living
out the
law
by coming
and living
as a
man
being born
under the
law
himself
and completing
every single
element of it
and offering
the ultimate
sacrifice
of all
sacrifices
he will
bring
complete
satisfaction
of the
law
he will
bring
absolute
fulfilment
of this
law
so he
comes
into the
prison
he lives
life
and he
dies a
death
in perfect
obedience
he lives
in the
cell
and he
meets
all the
requirements
of this
prison
he goes
to the
mess hall
and he
lives in
solitary
confinement
and he
is in
the yard
and he
is on
death
row
and the
warden
meets him
and there
is nothing
he can
say to
accuse
Jesus
it is as
if the
prison is
so enamoured
with the
perfection
of this
man
he is
its
master
and the
prison has
met its
match
the builder
and finisher
of this
law
and so
as he
enters the
law
the walls
just kind
of feel
a bit
pointless
and a
bit
redundant
and the
walls
crack
and crumble
and the
whole
edifice
of the
law
crows
down
to him
and it
breathes a
sigh of
relief
Jesus
comes
so the
warden
collects his
things
puts it in
a cardboard
box
and leaves
for good
and we
don't need
him
anymore
his
purpose
was to
make us
long for
another
and over
an age
of God's
people
the prison
was made
to make
the prisoners
long for
someone in
faith
who could
fulfil it
on their
behalf
and now
that someone
has come
in the
flesh
and don't
get me wrong
here because
I'm not saying
that the law
of the Old
Testament in
every respect
is to be
forgotten
I want that
to be really
clear
it continues
to be a
perfect rule
of righteousness
for us
today
but in the
sense that
the law
might be
used to
earn salvation
or as a
gruelling
demonstration of
what is needed
to be righteous
Paul says
elsewhere
the law
in that sense
is now
dead to us
the walls
of our
inability
and slavery
crumble
because there
is one
who has
done his
time
and by
doing so
he's done
all of our
time
he's busted
us out
you may have
seen a book
that came out
a few years
ago called
the year of
living
big biblically
one man's
humble quest
to follow the
bible as
literally as
possible
by AJ
Jacobs
it's kind of
funny but
interesting
points
this guy
he basically
tries to
live his
life in
New York
City
for one
year
following as
many of
the rules
in the
Old Testament
that he
can find
so he
tries wearing
clothes without
mixed fibres
in them
he avoids
certain foods
he tries to
do the whole
thing
but in the end
he concludes
he found it
virtually impossible
to do it all
not least because
he was living in
20th century
New York
but he really
actually
misunderstands the
point of the
law anyway
it's quite a
shame
you get to the
end of the
book
he's just
not got
this
he misunderstands
the bible
if he thinks
that this year
was living
biblically
because that
was never the
purpose of the
law
living biblically
as the title
says
it is not about
the pursuit of
following the
rules
that life
acts as a
prison
this law
acts as a
prison to
tell you
you need
faith in
another
and so
with the
appearance of
Jesus in
the New
Testament
and the
first Jewish
apostles
they have to
get their
heads around
it
don't they
came
freedom
the freedom
to eat
sausages
wrapped in
bacon
or the
freedom
to wear
jeans
the freedom
to eat
brioche
the freedom
to cut
your hair
if it's
not prohibited
if it doesn't
damage your
conscience
or somebody
else's
conscience
you are
free to
do whatever
you like
free to
wear what
you like
you're free
to eat
what you
like
you're not
bound by
the law
you're free
from the
food regulations
you're free
from the
washing
regulations
you're free
from circumcision
praise be
you're free
from penance
you're free
from lighting
candles
and visiting
shrines
you're free
from eating
halal food
you're free
from having
to go on
pilgrimages
or making
sacrifices
you are
totally free
from guilt
and from
punishment
from God
you're free
from constantly
rating your
own performance
this is not
a place
where we come
to perform
is it
church
sometimes we
struggle to
believe that
you are free
though to
serve
and to
obey God
without dread
and fear
of punishment
the doors
of the law
as the way
of you being
right with
God
with the
God
who made
you
are
knocked
out
and you
are free
that is the
difference
that the
birth of
Jesus
makes
we were
captive
then
faith
came
but thirdly
then
and lastly
we are
now not
slaves
but sons
in Christ
we are
now not
slaves
but sons
in Christ
now it's
not just
that we
are freed
from the
law
but it's
that our
status
has changed
actually
look at
verse 26
for in
Christ
Jesus
you are
all
sons
of
God
through
faith
now this
is another
picture that
Paul uses
to talk
about
the Old
Testament
people of
God
he'll develop
it later
in the passage
that we'll
look at
next week
in chapter
4
but it's
as if
they were
living like
children
who lived
in a very
rich family
but earlier
before Jesus
appears
in their
spiritual
lives
they were
no different
to anyone
else in
the household
they were
like slaves
he says
chapter 4
verse 1
but now
that Christ
has come
they've
kind of
come of
age
in the
family
because of
Christ
they are
now
sons
in the
sense
that they
have
entitlement
to
inheritance
he says
they
verse 28
they've
put on
Christ
it's like
putting on
a coat
isn't it
if you think
about it
clothing
does
two
things
if you
put on
a great
big
coat
in the
winter
time
it
covers
you up
doesn't
it
and it
identifies
who you
are
the kind
of clothes
you wear
identify
you
so just
as a
coat
or garment
envelops
you
think of
a big
jacket
with
sheep's
wool
inside it
kind of
envelops
you
doesn't it
he says
to them
free
faith
you are
now
enveloped
in
Jesus
Christ
you are
united
to him
they've
become
members
of
God's
family
getting
a joint
account
with
him
and then
clothing
identifies
who you
are
too
a
uniform
or a
suit
or
overall
says
something
about
who
you
are
doesn't
it
there is
a garment
on these
believers
that identifies
them
as being
with
Christ
and in
Christ
so that
when God
looks at
you
he sees
this person
who is
enveloped
in the
perfection
of Jesus
you are
identified
with him
you wear
the uniform
that he
wears
and so
just as
the prison
walls
crumble
around
him
they
collapse
around
you
who
have
put
on
Christ
and
trust
in
him
notice
Paul
says
that
this
putting
on
of
Christ
happens
at
baptism
says
verse
27
as
many
of
you
have
been
baptized
into
Christ
have
put
on
Christ
I
love
the
Lord's
timing
with
these
kind
of
things
of
us
seeing
Emiko
being
baptized
today
what
happens
when
someone
is
baptized
it
is
a
kind
of
dressing
up
ceremony
being
baptized
is
to
put
on
Christ
to
be
enveloped
by
him
and
to
be
identified
in
him
so
if
you've
been
baptized
this
morning
imagine
yourself
with
this
great
garment
over
you
this
garment
of
righteousness
you
are
called
a
Christian
because
you
bear
Christ
he
envelops
you
and
identifies
you
are
in
him
like
a
hand
in
a
glove
baptism
like
Paul
said
it
doesn't
do
this
automatically
it
comes
by
faith
in
Jesus
the
perfect
one
elsewhere
Paul
talks
about
the
blessings
of
being
in
Christ
without
talking
about
baptism
but
in
a
very
real
and
in
a
very
profound
way
the
water
of
baptism
says
something
has
happened
to
you
you've
been
in
the
wardrobe
of
Jesus
Christ
and
you've
put
him
on
and
so
baptism
marks
out
the
end
of
this
law
for
you
because
you are
identified
with
him
and
in
him
the
jail
breaker
Dietrich
von
Hoffer
wrote
in
his
book
God
is
in
the
manger
he
said
life
in
a
prison
cell
may
well
be
compared
to
advent
one
waits
hopes
and
does
this
that
or
the
other
things
that
are
really
of
no
consequence
because
the
door
is
shut
and
can
only
be
opened
from
the
outside
and
he's
so
right
that
is
what
advent
is
about
for the
apostle
Paul
because
the
night
before
Christmas
and
leading
up to
Christmas
every
night
before
Christmas
since
the
first
man
and
woman
of
faith
in
this
God
is
a
night
of
waiting
for
captivity
to
end
in
this
unknown
and
unseen
prison
and
if
you
want
to
get
right
with
God
with
religious
activity
with
rituals
with
ceremony
with
superstition
with
special
days
and
with
special
meals
the
law
says
come
on
then
try
it
you
have
to
do
the
whole
thing
if
you're
going
to
do
it
complete
the
whole
law
and
all
of
the
law
but
Paul
says
to the
Galatians
come on
though
just
get
real
take
off
the
goggles
it
took
them
an
age
to
realise
that
far
from
being
a
way
in
the
law
was
a
barrier
to
keep
them
out
and
to
look
for
a
much
better
man
to
complete
it
in
their
stead
and
so
that
is
the
difference
that
Christmas
makes
to
you
God
comes
and
he
enters
into
the
prison
he
is
wrapped
in
swaddling
cloth
that
you
might
be
wrapped
in
Christ
faith
the
object
of
faith
comes
and
finds
its
goal
in
Jesus
that
you
might
be
clothed
as
a
fellow
son
and
just
as
we
close
if
all
this
is
new
to
you
let
me
finish
by
saying
you
need
God
in
ways
that
you
do
not
know
just
like
the
best
gifts
don't
limit
your
experience
of
God
to
what
you
think
you
can
ask
of
him
and
realize
ask
for
this
freedom
that
he
offers
you
a
gift
that
you
didn't
know
you
needed
a
freedom
to
be
justified
in
Christ
to
be
right
with
God
through
Christ
apart
from
the
law
which
leads
you
to
him
let's
pray