Sermon Tone Analysis

Called to Freedom

Galatians I: Two Deadly Cliffs

Galatians 1:1-5

December 30, 2012

Today we start a NEW SERIES in Galatians.

We will be in Galatians for several month, doing our best to learn everything God has for us in it.

After three years and the 10,000 foot view, I am excited to be carefully examining a book.

And reading a letter from the Apostle Paul is even better; I cut my teeth on Pauline studies.

~* I started by planning to preach through 10 VERSES, then cut it to 9, then Thursday I whittled it to 5.

I encourage you to READ it this week, ONE CHAPTER DAY.

~* I fully trust and believe that none of it will LEAVE it the SAME way we came to it.

PRAYER

SCRIPTURE READING: Galatians 1:1-5 (Marilyn)

DEAR GALATIANS

Rather than beginning with an introduction in Galatians, I am going to JUMP RIGHT IN and allow it to introduce itself:

NIV Galatians 1:1-2 Paul, an apostle – sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead – and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia:

The book of Galatians was written “to the churches of Galatia.”

Galatia is basically CENTRAL MODERN TURKEY, not a city but a region.

Hence he writes to the “churches,” meeting in homes.

~* What would happen is that this letter would be READ PUBLICALLY, COPIED, then passed to other churches.

In coming weeks we will learn more about Paul’s relationship with these churches.

In short, he founded them personally and had a WARM CONNECTION with them, or so he thought.

In many ways, this is a STANDARD WAY to start a letter: First say who it is from, then say who it is to.

~* In short, Paul is an APOSTLE, someone called by God to PLANT CHURCHES; we’ll get to know Paul better in a couple of weeks.

But Paul is pretty clear about his calling – he was not appointed by humans, but God himself.

It is UNUSUAL for him to talk about his CREDENTIALS this much with a church he knew well.

~* This may have struck the Galatians as ODDLY FORMAL, hint of troubles ahead.

Paul is going to make a lot of very STRONG STATEMENTS; under his own authority it would be PRESUMPTUOUS.

GRACE AND PEACE

Now it becomes DIFFERENT from NORMAL GREEK letters (though normal for Paul):

NIV Galatians 1:3-5 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever.

Amen.

“GRACE” (charis) is very similar to the Greek for “Greetings” (chairein) so it sounds normal-ish, but Paul addition of “PEACE” is distinctly his.

Paul’s great hope for all of his churches is that they be filled with grace and peace:

~* GRACE: The over-abundance of God’s GRACIOUSNESS and GOODNESS, poured out undeserved.

~* PEACE: Not simply TRANQUILITY, but “SHALOM,” order and certainty in God’s control even in the midst of the storm.

These are NOT things the WORLD can give nor can we GAIN for OURSELVES.

They can only come FROM God, who gives them freely to those who can truly call GOD their FATHER and JESUS their LORD.

FREEDOM

Now in verse four do we get into the heart of the book:

NIV Galatians 1:4 ...who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father...

Paul TYPICALLY starts letters with some PRAISE or PRAYER or thanksgiving that SOUNDS PERFUNCTORY, out of habit, but on closer examination SETS UP the entire letter.

Q How many of you remember WILLIAM WALLACE’S final battle cry in “Braveheart”?

~* Like Wallace, Paul’s cry in Galatians is for FREEDOM.

Words like “FREE” and “FREEDOM” occur more frequently in Galatians that any other book of the NT.

Roughly 1 out of every 6 times “freedom” is mentioned, it is in Galatians.

~* Even though it isn’t EXPRESSLY MENTIONED in 1:4, it is the same idea.

It is arguably the central theme of the entire book and it is the theme of our series, “CALLED to FREEDOM.”

I am using this as the theme verse.

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Paul PLEADS, he REASONS, he SHOUTS, he CAJOLES.

He uses every trick in his bag call us to live in freedom.

~* But we should not be surprised that HE MEANS something very DIFFERENT by “freedom.”

THIS PRESENT EVIL AGE

As Americans, freedom means the ability to DO WHATEVER you WANT, so long you don’t HURT ANYONE.

Years ago, I bought a BIKE from a friend, but I didn’t have a HELMET, so I wanted to make sure I was not legally required to have one to ride.

He tried to convince me how important it was, but had to admit the law didn’t require me to be smart.

~* I was FREE to ride a bike without a helmet.

This is the type of freedom AMERICA CRAVE, and by these standards we are more free than we have ever been.

~* If we want a ONE NIGHT STAND, there are websites for that.

~* If you want to fill your home with THINGS you DON’T NEED, there are stores for that.

~* There are no laws against ADULTERY or ABANDONING your family.

~* If we want PORN, there are websites for that (cf.

TED TALK).

~* If you want to be DRUNK off your gourd, no problem.

~* You can now LEGALLY get TOASTED.

~* You can MOCK GOD with your FREE SPEECH.

~* You free to do WHATEVER with WHOMEVER, no matter how destructive.

We call that FREEDOM, but the Bible has a different word: SLAVERY.

This is all part of the “PRESENT EVIL AGE” Jesus rescued us from.

This evil age means that in this time GOD'S WILL is NOT yet done on earth as it is done in heaven.

And as a result, it is a BLOODY AWFUL MESS...this is slavery, not freedom.

SLAVE TO OUR FREEDOMS

Q Think of is this way: Is the METH ADDICT FREE?

I have watched it enough to know the sort of control it has.

MOTHERS powerless to stop even though it means losing their CHILDREN, men reduced to living on the STREETS.

Q If meth were MADE LEGAL tonight, would they suddenly be free?

Their ADDICTION OVERPOWERS their choice, their morals.

They are salves to the drug, unable to stop themselves without help.

~* When you listen addicts describe overcoming their addiction, they use words like “FREED” and “RESCUED.”

This is the power of SIN that all HUMANITY is under.

We are NOT ABLE to NOT SIN.

We cannot stop doing what is wrong.

~* The power of PORNOGRAPHY is too strong.

~* The JEALOUSY of the gifts others gave their kids controls us.

~* BITTERNESS and UNFORGIVENESS won’t let us go, even when we want to.

We call this “ORIGINAL SIN,” the imprint of sin so deep upon our souls that, like the addict, we are not free to not sin.

~* There is no way to FREE OURSELVES, our only hope is rescue.

And so Paul begins Galatians by the reminder that God has RESCUED US from this evil age.

The GALATIANS were PAGANS, SLAVES to the evil age.

They had been giving themselves over to all sorts of wickedness, out partying every night, sleeping around, cheating, stealing, lying, sacrificing to idols.

ONE-UPPING GRACE

~* Knowing the BIG ERROR that he has to CORRECT, this seems SURPRISING.

The central problem of the Galatians is LEGALISM: The attempt to improve on what Christ had done by keeping more laws, they to add more holiness beyond what God had called them to.

Q So why this first emphasis on FREEDOM from SIN, not LEGALISM?

~* I think Paul needed to show them they needed to be rescued from TWO DANGERS, not just one.

Let’s think about this:

~* They might have been SURPRISED by Paul’s response; they may have just thought they were IMPROVING on what he gave them.

Q They were becoming MORE RIGHTEOUSNESS, how could Paul have any problem with that?