The End of Man’s Religion | Galatians 4:8-11
We are all, by definition, religious people. But not all religions are equal. All of man’s religions are essentially the same – we do our best to earn blessing and favor from the god of our choosing through our sacrifice and adhering to the right rituals and performance. But it only ends up in bondage and failure because those gods cannot provide the fulfillment and contentment that we deserve. In this message, Pastor Ross helps us discover what is the pure and undefiled religion of God that comes from knowing the love God has for you.
The Adoption of Sons | Galatians 4:1-7
Adoption in first century Roman times was very different from how we understand adoption today. Back then, adoption was the time when the father recognized that their son was mature and no longer needed the child guides that they were in bondage to. The Apostle Paul uses that analogy to show that we have graduated from being under bondage to the Law so that we could be sons of God with the Holy Spirit as our new guide.
Sons of God with Authority | Galatians 3:26-29
Through our faith in Christ, we have been baptised into Christ and therefore become sons of God with authority and power. This applies to all believers, Jews and Gentiles alike, slave and free, men and women – all are one in Christ.
The Surprising Purpose of God’s Law | Galatians 3:19-25
God didn’t give the Law through Moses as a template for us to follow. Instead, it was meant to show us that we could never live up to those standards on our own. And that there would have to be another way to Him – faith in Christ Jesus. But now that we have Jesus, we no longer need the Law. For it has done its purpose in leading us to Jesus by showing us our failure. Now, we live in and from Jesus Christ.
Before Moses, God made a Covenant with Abraham and Jesus | Galatians 3:15-18
The Apostle Paul understood what the Judaizer in Galatia did not. Hundreds of years before God made a covenant with Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai, He had made a covenant with Abraham and Jesus. A covenant that came into effect on the cross, giving us an inheritance in Christ that is greater than you can ever imagine. Pastor Ross teaches from Galatians 3: 15-18 and explains what we have received in the will.
Redeemed from the Curse | Galatians 3:10-15
Do you want to follow and obey God’s Law? Because if you do, you will be cursed. That is the Apostle Paul’s warning to the Galatians in chapter 3, where he reminds them that unless they are perfect, they are subject to all the curses of the Law. Fortunately, God has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who became a curse for us that all might receive the promise of Abraham’s blessing – the Holy Spirit. And through faith in the Holy Spirit – life.
Faith that Makes All the Difference | Galatians 3:6-9
Have you considered Abraham? In Galatians 3: 6-9, the Apostle Paul argues that our justification is by faith and not by fulfilling the Law by appealing to the father of our faith – Abraham. He proves that Abraham was made righteous simply by his faith in God. Therefore, it only makes sense that to be included in this family, one must exercise the same faith. Which also allows us to become benefactors of the same covenant.
The Foolish Galatians | Galatians 3:1-5
Paul accuses the Galatian Christians of being foolish - unthinking and unreflecting - when it comes to understanding the freedom they had from the Law to earn God's approval. Life after salvation is the same as how salvation comes to be - trusting in Jesus' work.
Living under the Law frustrates God’s grace | Galatians 2:21
When we struggle to accept that God has made us righteous in Him through Jesus’ work on the cross, we are frustrating and rejecting God’s grace. If you can’t accept yourself as you are today, then you believe that you have higher standards than God and that Jesus didn’t do enough. That frustrates God because if that could be the case, then Jesus wouldn’t have needed to die.
How to be free from ‘How to’ | Galatians 2:17-19
In writing to Timothy, the Apostle Paul says that there are those who want to be teachers of the Law, though they do not understand what they are saying, because they don’t understand that the Law is not for believers. This is the basis of the argument when Paul confronted Peter in Galatians 2. Why then did God give the Law? What was the purpose if not to provide a manual to live by? These questions are answered in this message by Pastor Ross.