Abraham Believed God
Notes
Transcript
Good Morning,
Let’s open with a word of Prayer.
Pray 3+
Today we are in Galatians 3:1-9 and if you are using a pew bible that will be on page 1075. Now if you have been reviewing this book and everything we have read previously up to this point, you will remember that Paul had established both himself as an Apostle and the Gospel message. Now in this rebuke, he appeals to their own experiences to confirm the message that he had preached and the folly of turning to the Law.
Galatians 3:1–9 “1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”
So we have to make sure to look at the culture of the time before we jump to any conclusions about the opening of this rebuke. The term foolish here was not intended to make friends of the people in Galatia, however at the time this would not have been perceived as a personal insult either. The lines for acceptable speech in debate was much larger than it has been in previous years in our time, and the name calling was to draw their attention to how illogical they were being. Paul uses the word foolish, equating it with being illogical given the experiences they had when coming to Christ. He is grieved by the lack of spiritual discernment they have here. He is saying it is as if they had been put under a spell, that is how contrary what they are now believing is to the message they originally believed.
The Rhetorical questions:
The Rhetorical questions:
When he was there he had clearly preached, Jesus Christ crucified and nothing else. He did not add anything to that message, it was by faith alone, in Christ alone. He then asks a series of five rhetorical questions about their experiences after salvation. We won’t spend a ton of time on the questions individually but it is good to look at most of them quickly.
1. Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with Faith?
1. Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with Faith?
This first question is to remind them of when Paul was with them. Paul does not question whether or not they recieved the Spirit. He was there and the first question is built on the fact that they did in fact receive the Holy Spirit. Essentially what he is asking them is did you do something to earn the Spirit or did the Spirit come by faith?
Paul knows the answer to this question, so do those he is talking to. Later in his letter to the Ephesians Paul will write,
Ephesians 1:13–14 “13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
The Holy Spirit, who the churches of Galatia had, was based on the faith they had when they heard the Gospel.
3. Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
3. Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
The next two questions are both connected, and based on the first question Paul asked. And these are questions I have to continually ask myself.
Galatians 3:3 “3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” Remember the churches here wanted to add works back into the system, they wanted to be “better” Christians so to speak. I mean, that doesn’t seem like such a bad thing, right. I want to be a better Christian. But to do this, we have to ask ourselves, “how are we being perfected?” By what power am I becoming a “better” Christian.
I have a friend, Pastor Daniel Reagan. He is the pastor of Stonyford Community Church out in California. We met him at our candidate school. One thing he said to us while there really stuck out to me. He said, “When I first started out, I thought I was good and righteous.” In a way, he wasn’t wrong, but he followed that statement up with this, “Now looking back, some of those things I did, I would say are vile and sinful for me now.”
This is the picture of what it is like to be in the process of being perfected. If we are trying to do it by the flesh, we are good, we don’t need to grow anymore. We might have a couple things that aren’t the greatest but they aren’t that bad. Is this what we are trying to accomplish?
To be perfected by the Spirit, it to be made more and more into the image of God. This is a continual look at Christ and as the Spirit is at work in us, continually go to the cross and repent for our sin. This is not to say we continually go for the same sins, but as we abide in Christ, we see more and more areas of our lives that need to come in line with His Word, areas that we have let pride dominate. This is not something we can do on our own, this is dependent upon the Spirit’s work within us.
The last two questions are:
4. Did you suffer so many thing in vain- if indeed it was in vain?
4. Did you suffer so many thing in vain- if indeed it was in vain?
The question here, has less to do with the idea of suffering from persecution, like Paul had experienced in Lystra and more to do with the idea of experience. They had experienced many things in connection with their salvation were they in vain? The salvation, the spiritual growth, and the miracles they experienced, were these all in vain. Which led him to his final question here.
5. Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?
5. Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?
Paul, finally asks them if He who supplied the Spirit, which they had and who works miracles, all of which would have been done in the name of Jesus, does he do this because they are good at keeping the Law or because they heard and had faith? It was faith in God that allowed all of this.
Paul answers these questions in verse 6, when he says
Galatians 3:6 “6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?”
So this begs the question, do we believe God?
Turn with me to Romans 8 and I will be reading a couple of parts. The first is Romans 8:1–3 “1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,”
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If your faith is in Him, you have been set free. You are free from sin and death and are now alive in Christ, that tends to be “easy” to remember. Go down a little further to verse 26.
Romans 8:26–29 “26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
Do you believe the Spirit helps us in our weakness? That all things are working together for good, to conform us to the image of his Son. The good is to those who love God, and are called according to his purpose, but it is not for good the way we might picture it. It is good that we would be more and more like him.
In Psalm 23, David writes in verses 5 and 6. Psalm 23:5–6 “5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
David says his cup overflows, I have been thinking about this a lot this week. I don’t know that this was the thought David had, but I am sure God had this idea in mind. In John 7:37–38 “37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ””
Can you imagine filling a cup with a river? A pastor of ours used to tell us to imagine a cup filled to the very top. Then add whipped cream and sprinkles and a cherry on top, then imagine all of the extra stuff on top being whipped away. You still have the full cup and I understand the point he was making. However, have you ever tried to add whipped cream to a cup that is over flowing? It all is washed away. All you are left with is what is flowing out.
Turn with me to Genesis 17. I will be reading verses 15-21.
Genesis 17:15–21 “15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.””
I want you to notice a couple of things in this, Abraham already had a son and to Abraham he was good enough for God to establish a covenant through. Abraham saw that Sarai and himself were too old to have more kids. God however said no and that Sarah would have a son and the son of the covenant would be with Isaac. The son that Sarah was to bear. Remember that Sarah is 90 and Abraham is 100. Well as God promised, they have this son and name him Isaac. Now turn with me to Genesis 22.
Genesis 22:1–6 “1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.”
Genesis 22:7–8 “7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.”
This was the son of the Promise the one that God said that his covenant would be established through. Isaac the same son that God was now asking Abraham to sacrifice. Remember that cup analogy, if the cup does in fact run over, it should be washing everything else out. Abraham, despite the fact that God was here asking him to sacrifice Isaac, believed God. In verse 5, Abraham has no idea how or what God has in store, but he is confident in the fact that they would come again. Abraham believed the promise of God. That it would be through Isaac that this covenant of God would be through. Galatians 3:6 had said, “6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?”
This is what Faith looks like
This is what Faith looks like
Can you imagine what it was for Abraham to be told to sacrifice his child? The son that God said He would establish his covenant through and remember it was not right away. God told him to go to one of the mountains and it was three days after God told him this. Abraham this whole time would have this thought in his head. That cup that overflows should have nothing in it or on it or even beside it besides God. Everything is God. Our righteousness is him, it is not us.
Abraham was not without his faults, but in Genesis 22, we see his faith and in verse 8 Abraham says something very prophetic and I am not sure how prophetic he knew it was. God did in fact provide a sacrifice on the mountain instead of Isaac, but He did much more than that. He provided the perfect lamb. He gave us his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life. Faith is more than believing a bunch of facts. Faith is putting everything you have in God. I want us to notice something else about Abraham that the world misses about faith. Faith is built on truth, it is not just some blind action. Abraham believed God because God had been at work and God had kept his promises. Abraham was able to put everything he had into God because God is faithful, because God keeps his word.
God told Abraham they would have a son and they did. God told Abraham that this would be the son of promise and Abraham trusted that that would be true. God was faithful. He established the nation of Israel through Isaac’s son Jacob and ultimately all of the nations have been blessed through Abraham, just as God had said would happen. Genesis 22:18 “18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”” We see that Jesus came through Abraham and because of the sacrifice of the Son of God all men can be restored to God the father.
Galatians 3:7–9 “7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”
God promised Abraham that all nations would be blessed back in Genesis 22 and this blessing was never through the keeping of the law, just as we don’t receive the Holy Spirit through keeping the law but through faith in Jesus.
Conclusion
Conclusion
If you are here and you have placed your faith in Jesus, are you trying to complete that work by your own power or by faith? This is a moment by moment day by day action. What do you need to lay down at the feet of the Cross?
Abraham was asked to lay his son down. That was his future, everything Abraham held dear was wrapped into this son. His future, his name, the blessings that God had promised, everything was given to God. All Abraham had was God and God’s promise. Our cups overflow, but it should be God and God alone. He is a river of living water welling up in us.