Freedom (Galatians) - Week One - June 25th, 2017

The Message

Howard Thomas

S.O.O.N. Missional Community LeaderHow To Hear From God: 

The GospelGalatia BackgroundGalatia named after 

The Gallus or CeltsKnown as “The Celtics 

Of The East”Gallic peoples in U.K. migrated from Galatia across Europe.Roman province and Eastern Capital of Rome, 

Constantinople. Galatia is Turkey today.Summary Of Letter To 

Galatia ChurchDiscrepancy over which region is The Book Of Galatians 

is written too, southern or northern region.Written in 40- 60 AD depending on the scholar.How Do You Know If You Are Hearing From God Correctly?In Galatians Chapter One Paul Addresses The Issue Of Hearing A False GospelGalatians Chapter 1: 1-10

This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.2 All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia.3 May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 4 Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.5 All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.There Is Only One Good News. 

If You Are Hearing It Then You Are Hearing From God. 

So What Is It?JESUS CHRIST1 John 4:1

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.Why Is JESUS The Good News And Therefore Gospel?Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.Ephesians 2:8-9

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.But It Is Not Just About You And Me. The Gospel Wants To Redeem All Of Creation.John 3:16-17

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.Romans 8:19-20

20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope,21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.Jesus Has Come To Free Humans From Sin If We Receive Him And Jesus Is Coming Again To Element Sin From ALL Of Existence. This is The Gospel and therefore Good News.Galatians 3:12-13

“This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”What Is The Law? Rules We Follow To Save Ourselves. Biblically It is The Torah But In Daily Life It Can Be Anything We Put In Place Of God: Job, Health, Relationships, Ideas, Beliefs, Hobbies. Anything.Starbucks.  I’m Saved By Faith, Not Because I’m A Good PersonTitus 3:4-6

But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.This Blessed Good News Is What Paul Is Trying To Defend In GalatiansGalatians 1:11-24

Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning.12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.13 You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it.14 I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.15 But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him 16 to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being.17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.18 Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.21 After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia.22 And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. 23 All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” 24 And they praised God because of me.Why Was Paul SO Passionate About Preserving The Gospel? Only The Power Of The Gospel Can Make A Man Change from Persecuting Jesus To Now Defending Jesus’s Good News To The Galatian Church.Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the GentileHave You Received Jesus Into Your Life? Are You Constantly Surrendering Your self To Him Daily?Luke 9:23-26

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27 I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.”IF You Are Hearing The Gospel As You Read, Worship, Pray, and Have Fellowship With Others Then You Are Hearing From God. And If You Are Not, Then You Are Not.The Gospel Is What Paul Is Proclaiming and Defending In His Letter To The Galatians. Do You Believe It? Do You Receive It?