Good afternoon, welcome again to Ealing Lunchtime Talks. It's really good to see you. I'll probably say this at the end, but this is quite a momentous time isn't it?
This is the last meeting that we're going to have in this room, at least for the foreseeable future. We might be back when they've done whatever they're doing with the building.
But we give thanks, don't we, for the provision of this room. I'll tell you a bit about where we're going to be next week at the end, so stick around for that.
We're going to read our passage for this afternoon from Galatians 5, which is on our sheets. So let's listen to this together.
Paul writes,
Look, I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.
I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.
You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything.
But only faith working through love.
You were running well.
Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
This persuasion is not from him who calls you.
A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view.
And the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.
But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?
In that case, the offence of the cross has been removed.
I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves.
For you were called to freedom, brothers.
Let's pray.
Father in heaven, we pray, Lord, that your written word would lead us to the living word, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Help us to listen by the help of your Holy Spirit, we pray.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen.
In this section, Paul argues that something should mark out Christian people from every other people and every other person.
People who have faith in Jesus Christ have something that nobody else has.
I don't know if you spotted it.
Freedom.
Christians are free people.
That's the idea in verse 1, isn't it?
For freedom, Christ has set us free.
It's at the end of this section as well, at the beginning of verse 13, if you look at the bottom.
You were called to freedom, brothers.
The implication is that without Jesus Christ, people are not free.
Now, I don't know if that's your perception of the Christian life, or of Christians themselves.
Maybe not.
You don't hear people saying to you, I wish I could be free like those Christians down the road in that church.
Shackled in their outdated religion.
Wish I could be like them.
Even Christians themselves might not use that word to describe their lives.
Many Christians don't get this about the Christian life.
This freedom.
And the Galatians didn't get it either.
They don't feel this freedom.
They don't get the freedom of the Christian life here.
Isn't it funny what Paul says to them in verse 1?
Look how he phrases it.
For freedom, Christ has set us free.
Now that sounds odd, doesn't it?
Because Paul wouldn't say, for slavery, Christ has set us free.
Makes no sense.
But that is just a little hint of the absurdity of where the Galatians are at.
In effect, that's what they think the Christian life is like.
Paul has been saying all along, hasn't he?
Galatians, you have become free people.
Free in Jesus Christ.
The most free people that there are in the whole world.
You've been freed, do you remember last week, from the elementary principles of the world.
Of the human merit project.
You're free from people's opinions of you.
You're free from human traditions.
You're free from human techniques and regulations.
Your freedom from slavery to God's law as well.
Chapter 4, he says, we were slaves to the law, but now we're sons.
We're adopted into God's family.
When God looks at you, he welcomes you into his heaven freely.
There's no small print.
There's no kind of little type at the bottom that says,
You are free to come in as long as you do this and that.
They've got this freedom through faith in Jesus, but they can't seem to live it out.
It's why in verse 1, Paul says,
Don't submit again to a yoke of slavery.
You see, the heart and mind of a human being is like the heart and mind of an institutionalised prisoner.
After a long sentence, 30, 40, maybe 50 years,
who on release day can't cope with the outside world.
Can't cope with freedom.
We're so tuned, aren't we, to being slaves to our own pride and our own performance,
that we just don't get it when God removes those burdens.
And it's been the same for the history of God's people right from the beginning.
Do you remember, God rescues his people from slavery in Egypt, doesn't he?
He brings them out from their chains and from their slavery.
And what's the first thing they do when they get out?
They want to go back in.
They moan about wanting to go back to Egypt,
because they think it was better.
So this freedom that God gives in Jesus Christ
is something that we want and we long for,
and yet something in us makes us go back.
We submit again to a yoke,
to the shackles of performance.
And that can happen in all kinds of subtle ways, can't it?
But for the Galatians here,
it was happening in this particular work,
or performance, of circumcision.
That's what he talks about in this passage, isn't it?
Paul says in verse 6,
it doesn't matter whether you're circumcised or not,
that doesn't count for anything when you've got faith in Jesus.
Now, the point of circumcision was,
it was something given,
not as a way to be acceptable before God,
but as an expression of faith.
Do you remember when God gives Abraham circumcision,
as a sign of his promises,
in Genesis chapter 17,
that Abraham is to be circumcised,
he is to cut off the skin of his foreskin,
and do that with his sons.
And that was an expression of faith in God's promises,
that he'd already given two chapters earlier in Genesis 15.
But what happened over time,
was that the expression of faith,
became the object of faith.
Rather than helping Abraham trust in God,
circumcision in the life of God's people,
became the thing that was trusted in,
do you see?
It became the object of faith.
And that is what has happened with the Galatians here.
We know people around them,
are demanding circumcision as a way of salvation,
as the object of faith.
And Paul is incensed with this.
There should be one object of faith,
the Lord Jesus,
but now there's this false contender that's come along.
So what Paul does in this section,
is pepper his arguments,
with ironic references to the cutting of circumcision.
It's very clever.
He intentionally uses words that sound similar
to the physical action of circumcision.
Now I don't know if you noticed these words.
The kind of cutting, slicing words.
And the separating words.
It's quite uncomfortable reading.
It should be for them,
particularly if they're men.
He says, doesn't he,
accept circumcision as the object of faith,
verse 4,
you are severed from Christ.
He says again in verse 4,
you have fallen away from grace.
You're separated,
you're severed from grace.
He talks about verse 11,
the offence of the cross
being removed or severed.
Verse 12,
he says that these false preachers,
he wishes that they would emasculate themselves.
It's pretty crude, hard language, isn't it?
He's saying to the Galatians,
it's as if he's saying,
well, if you're so into circumcision,
I'll show you what the slicing
and separating is really doing
and what is really going on.
It's a backhanded, sarcastic slur.
And he gives them three implications
of the things that they are doing here.
Accept the work of circumcision.
And number one,
you are slicing off Christ.
You are slicing off Christ.
The way you rely
on this cutting action of circumcision
is cutting you off from Christ himself.
Verse 4,
you are severed from Christ.
You see, for Paul,
it's either all or nothing
with Jesus Christ.
You either trust him fully
or you don't trust him at all.
You can't trust Jesus
for your salvation
and a bit of something else
and someone else as well
at the same time.
No, it's all or nothing
with Jesus Christ.
You can only have one object of faith.
You either throw your lot in
with Jesus Christ
or not at all.
It's either one or the other.
So when they choose
to add circumcision,
they think they can do both,
don't they?
They think they can trust in Jesus
and in this work of circumcision.
So what they are doing
is when they add
to the work of circumcision,
they're getting involved
with some weird maths here
because when they add,
they actually subtract
from the gospel.
They add the work of circumcision,
they subtract Christ.
They sever Christ.
They take him away.
And this is how the true gospel works.
Paul's been arguing
if you add your own work
to the gospel,
you will subtract from the gospel.
Adding is subtraction
because it's all or nothing.
It's one or the other.
So he says, doesn't he,
verse 2,
if you keep slicing
in this work of circumcision,
Christ will be chopped off.
He'll be no advantage to you.
The connection with Christ
will be lost altogether.
It's either all or nothing.
It's one or the other.
So you're slicing Christ off.
Now why is that bad?
What's so bad about that?
Well, he says,
secondly,
by doing that,
you're slicing off grace.
You're slicing off grace.
Verse 4,
you're severed from Christ,
you who would be justified
or counted righteous
by the law.
you've fallen away
from grace.
The word fallen away
is the word you might use
if you can imagine
a boat in a harbour
and someone cuts the line
or the rope
holding the boat in.
And the boat is left
to just drift out
with the tide.
That's the kind of image here.
Losing Christ
will mean
drifting away
from this thing
that Paul calls grace.
Grace is not a substance,
it's not a thing
like water,
but it's a disposition,
it's an attitude
of God
towards human beings.
It is God's
undeserved goodness
in our badness.
Grace is God
giving us
what we don't deserve,
his goodness
in our badness.
So they are
cutting themselves off,
Paul says,
from that goodness
and they are saying,
Lord,
give me what I do deserve.
It's not something
we ever want to ask
from God,
give me what I deserve.
We should never want
to ask that
from God.
What we deserve
from God
is his punishment,
isn't it,
and his wrath.
John Piper,
the American preacher,
says that when people
ask him how he is,
he always has
the same response.
He says,
I'm doing better
than I deserve.
I'm better
than I deserve.
And the only way
that we can know God
and be forgiven
is that this
grace thing
must happen.
That God
must find a way
of treating us
better than we deserve
to be treated
through the work
of Jesus Christ.
And so those two things
must come together
and they are together
and you can't
separate them.
To have grace,
to be treated
better than you deserve,
you must have Christ.
And without Christ,
there is no grace.
I don't know
if you've seen
the movie Gravity,
starring Sandra Bullock
and George Clooney.
It's a thriller
set in outer space.
And disaster strikes
when Bullock's character,
her cord,
breaks
that attaches her
to the space station.
And she is left
to drift
aimlessly
into deepest,
darkest space.
It's a really
terrifying moment
until of course
George Clooney
appears
and rescues her.
But it's the idea
here, isn't it?
That as they
slice their skin
in this added work,
they slice
their Christ away
and so by
they slice
any hope
of this grace away.
they drift
away
from the
kindness
that they don't
deserve from God
towards what
they do deserve.
And it's like
a domino effect.
If you add
to the work
of circumcision,
it's one or the other,
so you cut off
Christ
and so you cut
off grace
and thirdly
you cut off
righteousness.
You're slicing
off Christ,
you're slicing
off grace
and you're slicing
off righteousness.
Look at verse 5.
For through
the Spirit
by faith
we ourselves
eagerly wait
for the hope
of righteousness.
When I was
a bachelor,
a fellow
lodger
in our house
took it upon
himself to
renovate one
of the rooms
on the first
floor.
It was a big
old Victorian
house
and he wanted
to turn this
room into a
kitchen.
And it came
to the job
of removing
the old
floorboards
and putting
down new
ones.
But as it
got to the
point where
he was kind
of slicing
these old
oak wooden
floorboards
he accidentally
severed a
main water
pipe that
he'd not
detected.
It was part
of the old
Victorian
plumbing.
He was
cutting one
thing but
unwittingly in
the same
action he'd
cut something
else that
he didn't
want to
cut at
all.
The main
water supply.
The whole
room on the
first floor
was flooded.
It was a
disaster.
It was ruined.
And Paul is
saying here
isn't he,
with your
cutting you
are unwittingly
severing the
mains.
You are
severing the
way to
righteousness.
To being
right with
God.
In this
act of
self-righteousness
you are
severing
yourself from
true
righteousness.
By contrast
Paul says
doesn't he,
the only
way to
final
righteousness,
to final
rightness
with God
is by
this
connection
to Jesus
Christ
in faith
through the
Holy Spirit.
Verse 5.
It is,
as he says
here,
by eagerly
waiting with
hope in
what Jesus
supplies.
We can't
see that
connection,
can we?
It's not like
the film
Gravity.
There's no
umbilical
cord between
us and
Jesus Christ.
It's a
spiritual
connection,
a spiritual
union.
But it's a
real connection.
It's beyond
our understanding
isn't it?
But Paul says
it's the work
of the Holy
Spirit who
unites people
to Jesus
Christ,
the source
of righteousness.
Like a
husband and a
wife are
united in
marriage.
That is what
this connection
is about as
we wait
eagerly for
the righteousness
that comes by
union to
Jesus and
what that
entitles us
to.
It's a
crude
illustration but
it's like if
Jesus takes
us to the
door of
heaven and
we're asked
well why
should I
let you
in and
Jesus says
well actually
she is with
me.
My church
is joined
to me.
She is my
bride.
My name is
on the list
of people who
deserve to
get into
heaven and
she shares
my name
she comes
with me.
So this
union means
that we
share
Christ's
righteousness
and so
you're either
united to
him
getting into
heaven or
you're united
to your own
works.
You're either
hoping in
him and
that union
or hoping
in your own
performance.
and so if
you sever
the connection
of faith
once you
stop waiting
and hoping
in him
and you
take
righteousness
into your
own hands
even just
a little
bit
the mains
are cut
and you
are drifting.
We're not
tempted are we
to do
circumcision.
Pretty sure
we're not
tempted to do
that today
but there
are plenty
of things
that we
are tempted
to do
and things
that are
meant as
an expression
of faith
in the
Lord Jesus
things that
are meant
to aid
our faith
can easily
become objects
of faith
can't they?
Even good
things that
Jesus commands
us to do
Paul throws
in that little
proverb in
verse 9
if you look
there
a little
leaven
leavens
the whole
lump
at the
point being
of that
proverb
little
things
can have
big
consequences
small
things
can have
big results
they can have
devastating
results
just one
little
pipe
and it
can flood
the first
floor
a little
addition
here
and a
little
thing
to add
on to
Christ
there
will prove
disastrous
and it
can happen
so sadly
can't it
even with
the things
that are
good
just thinking
on reflection
on this
passage
I kind of
asked the
question
what would
the Apostle
Paul say
to Londoners
to Christians
in London
today
what
expressions
of faith
are you
turning into
objects of
faith
it's not
circumcision
is it
for most
of us
the Apostle
might say
to a
priest
who makes
the sacrament
the object
of faith
in itself
who cuts
the bread
for mass
he would
say you
are cutting
off Christ
if you
make the
sacrament
the object
of faith
or to
a leader
in a
church
who makes
singing
lots and
lots of
songs
we love
singing
don't we
but if
you make
songs
the object
of your
faith
if we say
God is only
pleased with me
when I
sing so many
songs
or I feel
a certain
emotion in
church
you are
singing
Christ away
if you're
doing that
or he
would say
wouldn't he
to the
evangelical
presbyterian
preacher
who studies
and preaches
and loves
expository
preaching
if that
in itself
has become
the object
of your
faith
if people
trust in
the preacher
rather than
the Christ
he preaches
you are
preaching
and studying
Christ away
you can
preach about
grace
can't you
and at the
same time
preach
grace
away
if
preaching
itself
becomes
the object
of faith
and so
do you
sense
of the
irony
of what
is going
on here
isn't it
in verse
7
Paul says
look
you were
running
well
Galatians
but who
hindered
you from
obeying
the truth
it's tragic
isn't it
it's ironic
that in
their desire
to be
perceived
as obedient
they forsake
real obedience
here
in their
desire to
be perceived
as righteous
in this
work
they sever
themselves
from true
righteousness
because they've
made their
works the
object of
faith
and they've
cut themselves
off from
the only
true source
of it
Jesus
himself
they've
divorced
themselves
from their
husband
Christ
because
with Jesus
it's really
all or
nothing
and you
either
trust in
him
alone
or not
at all
it's either
one thing
or the
other
add to
Jesus
even good
things
and you
will take
him away
and you
will cut
yourself
off from
him
and you
will
submit
yourself
again
to a
yoke
of
slavery
but Paul
says for
freedom
Christ has
set us
free
so stand
firm
therefore
you were
called to
freedom
brothers
let's pray
father in
heaven
lord we
thank you
that it
is your
desire
it is your
design that
we might be
truly free
people
free from
the opinions
of men
and women
free from
outwards law
keeping
free from
needing to
deserve your
kindness
and your
grace is
given
precisely
because we
don't
deserve it
lord we
know that
a little
leaven
leavens
the whole
lump
and there
are so
many ways
we are
quick to
add to
the work
of Christ
and thereby
unwittingly
cut him
off completely
lord we
know that
he is
sufficient
alone
to make
us right
with you
so we
ask that
you help
us to
stand
firm
not
submitting
again to
a yoke
of slavery
even in
the good
things that
you call
us to
do
keep us
from falling
away from
grace
as we
eagerly wait
for the hope
of righteousness
in him
and we pray
in Jesus name
amen
well
normally I say
don't I
same time
same place
next week
but I can't
say that
this week
so details
of where
we are going
to meet
next week
are on the
back of
the sheets
I'm sorry
we have
got flyers
but they're
coming tomorrow
so we're
going to meet
not Tuesday
but on
Thursday
same time
in Christ
the Saviour
Church Hall
if you don't
know where
that is
we'll be
around
kind of
next to
the church
just down
the road
to help
you find
your way
so we'll
see you
next week
Thursday
ten past
one
outside
Christ
the Saviour
Church
great