No Longer Captive
Galatians - No Longer What You Used to Be • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 51:30
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· 35 viewsIf you have been held captive, you need to come back to simple faith in Jesus. You are not what you used to be. You are not who you think you are or what you think you are. In fact you are so much more than what you think you are. But you have to let go of who you think you are to become all that God made you to be.
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Our theme for 2021 is “Redeeming the Time”
A while ago I began a study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians
Becoming a follower of Christ is not just a matter of following a religion, it is a supernatural transformation.
You are no longer what you used to be.
The Galatians were people who came to Christ on Paul’s first
and second missionary journeys and the churches that they started.
After Paul testified before the Jerusalem council in Act 15 that the Gentiles were receiving the Holy Spirit
and that powerful and supernatural signs and wonders were happening,
the council decided that they should be accepted as believers without keeping all of the Jewish laws.
Meanwhile, there were these Jewish teachers that were following Paul’s trail trying to convert the people back to the old way of Judaism.
They were causing these young Christians to doubt everything that they believed and were taught.
So Paul had to remind them of the powerful encounter that they had with Christ and that they are no longer deceived.
He had to tell them that they are no longer inferior - say it with me, “I am adequate, I am competent and my life is meaningful!”
Last week we learned that we are no longer cursed.
Jesus reverses the curses because the blessing is stronger than the curse.
What are some of the other voices that get into our head and try to get us to go back to the way that we were?
I’ll tell you one - its the voice that says “I can’t do this!”
We learned last week that trying harder is part of the curse, but what if you have given up trying at all?
In Elijah House they talk about the captive spirit as being the one who cannot fully enter into life because they are bound or have retreated so far into themselves that they are barely even there. Often the inner vows that they have made are like prison bars that keep them from moving in any direction.
Their spirit is not just asleep, they have checked out. Their life is perfunctory and never fulfilling. It takes an encounter with Jesus and sometimes specifically breaking the lies that have bound them to bring them back. Often God gives us keys - truths that unlock the specific ways that people are bound. Everything unravels once the key is applied.
If you have been held captive, you need to come back to simple faith in Jesus.
You are not what you used to be.
You are not who you think you are or what you think you are.
In fact you are so much more than what you think you are.
But you have to let go of who you think you are to become all that God made you to be.
As we go through this series, I want to confront those other voices.
There is One Key
There is One Key
The thing about spiritual captivity is that it seems so overwhelming.
There are are layers of problems that restrict us.
There is a row of prison bars.
There are so many things that bind us.
But it only takes one key to unlock the door.
One word from God can set you free!
Imagine how it was for Jesus’ disciples looking back and understanding everything that he said and did in light of His death and resurrection.
Just as last week we learned that Jesus broke the curse because the curse couldn’t stick to Him- What a surprise that was?!
Imagine how they and Paul and others saw all of the Old Testament scripture in a different light.
Things that were hidden to them before are now suddenly plain
And it all fits together because the key has been turned.
Lets read about the surprising things that have been revealed in scripture.
15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.
The key to a will is the executor.
The key to a will is the executor.
A covenant is an agreement made between two parties which is considered unbreakable.
A covenant is sometimes translated as “Testament”.
The Greek word, generally meaning “last will and testament,” contains certain legal characteristics which have important theological implications. First, a testament was not an agreement between parties (especially equals), but rather was exercised solely by the testator. Second, the testament became effective upon the death of the testator. Third, the testament was irrevocable. - Bakers Encyclopedia of the Bible “Testament”
The translators of the Bible into Greek chose the word Testament because it conveyed the idea of the sovereignty of God as the testator.
The NT writers picked up on this meaning and saw it as being like God’s will and testament.
So for a will to be executed, the person who made it has to die and then the will is ratified - we call that probate.
A judge declares that the will is valid and is to be enforced.
The one who enforces the will or executes it is called the executor.
Contrary to what some people think, the executor does not get all the money.
They may get a fee for the time that they put into handling the money,
but they are held accountable by the court to be sure that the estate is settled according to the will.
What if a large estate were left to a man’s children only to discover when the will was in probate that the entire estate was left to one child, not all.
That child is now the executor of the estate, but is charged with up the estate among all the children.
If I’m a child in that family, then I would want to be in good standing with the sole heir because whatever I get is at their discretion.
That is essentially what Paul reveals about the Abrahamic covenant.
Being a child of Abraham doesn’t get you anything - at least not automatically.
God’ promised Abraham innumerable descendants and then gave the land to his descendants or “seed” as is literally translated.
But just as the English word “seed” can be either singular or plural, the Hebrew is determined by context as well.
The immediate context of several passages where God reiterates his promise to Abraham seems to indicate the plural usage.
However there is one passage in Genesis where the usage is clearly singular.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
This passage is the first mention of God’s plan of salvation.
In light of how “offspring” or “seed” is interpreted here, Paul sees that God’s plan all along was to redeem mankind through one man - Jesus Christ.
He is the “seed’ in Genesis 3 and therefore also the “seed” of Abraham and of David.
What does that mean for those who have put stock in their inheriting the promises of God through Abraham?
They may still inherit the promises of God, but that promise comes through Jesus.
Receiving depends upon their relationship to Jesus, not to Abraham.
One more interesting note - the word that is translated “ratified” in verse 15 is the Greek word Kyrio.
Which is the same word for Lord.
The declaration of the early church (and the church through the ages) is Jesus is Lord!
He is the one who ratifies the covenant.
Jesus is the executor of the Father’s will.
The key to an inheritance is the heir.
The key to an inheritance is the heir.
It is possible to set conditions on a will, that the beneficiaries need to meet in order to receive their inheritance.
Many of the Jews in Paul’s day probably thought that the Law Torah was the conditions for receiving their inheritance.
However Paul point’s out that the Abrahamic covenant preceded the covenant at Sinai by some 430 years.
You don’t make an agreement and then put stipulations on it 430 years later!
But what has Paul already said about the Abrahamic Covenant?
We talked about his last week.
Abraham believed God by faith and then God made a covenant with him.
8 God’s plan all along was to bring this message of salvation to the nations through the revelation of faith. Long ago God prophesied over Abraham, as the Holy Scriptures say: “Through your example of faith all the nations will be blessed!”
The covenant was not exclusive to Abraham’s natural descendants, but to everyone who has faith like Abraham.
The key to receiving your inheritance in the Kingdom of God is knowing who you are.
Are you a child of God? Then you have the inheritance of a child of God?
Are you in relationship with God? Then you have access to God’s resources by faith.
Are you in union with Christ? Then you have everything that you need to carry out your calling and destiny in Christ.
You are a child of God and an heir of God’s promises.
The key to a covenant is it’s mediator.
The key to a covenant is it’s mediator.
So why do we have the law?
The law prepared the way for Christ.
The law helped us to recognize sin and holiness, but it could not take away sin or make us holy.
The law isn’t bad, its good because we needed to know these things.
But the law is not and end in itself, it is a means to an end.
Moses talked with angels, Paul argues, but Abraham talked with God
And now that we have God become flesh and the indwelling Holy Spirit, it would be better to listen to them.
Also, when God made the covenant with Abraham, he alone was the mediator of that covenant.
Normally a covenant was made by two parties.
Each of them would make vows with curses for disobedience.
If the vows were broken, they could enforce the curses on each other.
If that was not possible, it was presumed that angels or other spiritual beings would enforce the covenant.
7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
The pieces cut in half represented the curse if the covenant was broken.
Those making the covenant would pass between the pieces saying, “so be it to me if I break my covenant with you.”
But in this story, guess who passes between the peices?
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
That’s right, God made the covenant all by Himself!
That is why Jesus is called the mediator of a better covenant.
15 So Jesus is the One who has enacted a new covenant with a new relationship with God so that those who accept the invitation will receive the eternal inheritance he has promised to his heirs. For he died to release us from the guilt of the violations committed under the first covenant.
Before we leave this subject, Paul has a few more things to say about the law.
The Law is a Prison
The Law is a Prison
Even a prison can be a place of safety.
Even a prison can be a place of safety.
21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
The law is a prison? I thought you said that the law is good?
A prison is confining, but it can also be the safest place to be when threatened.
Karie has a colleague on the mission field who had a car accident in which a child was hurt. After taking the boy to the hospital, he immediately went to the police station and turned himself in to the police? Why? He had not done anything wrong? But in that culture he would be subject to retaliation, especially if the boy died. Being in the custody of the police was actually for his safety.
The law was for our good and for our safety.
Sure it was confining, but it also provided boundaries and guidelines for knowing what do do when we do wrong.
And being able to pay a penalty for sin by offering a sacrifice gave a way for to relieve the conscience.
And it helps us to develop a healthy conscience to become aware of sin and consequences.
But it was only ever meant to be a temporary solution.
The law is a guardian.
The law is a guardian.
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
Here is another analogy - the law as a guardian.
Is that like a prison guard? No, not really.
The word used here is Pedagogue. It was a servant entrusted with the care and discipline of children until they are of age.
The irony is that you have a servant (or slave) with no intrinsic authority, but having authority over an heir who will eventually become his boss.
Imagine how it would be disciplining the child who will eventually become your boss?
If they don’t learn honor and respect, you will eventually pay for it!
If a pedagogue is successful, they will become a lifelong servant and perhaps even a friend that the new master will continue to look to for advice.
That is the role of the law, to prepare us to switch roles so that the law serves us as an advisor.
Let the law lead you to Christ.
Let the law lead you to Christ.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
The guardian or Pedagogue was not the same as the teacher or Rabbi, but would take the chid to the teacher and home again.
So following the analogy, the law disciplines us and leads us to the One who is our teacher - Jesus Christ.
Baptism is the sign of entry into the church.
For Gentile believers it would have been the sign of the covenant.
For Jews it would be a new covenant.
Baptism is immersion into water, but symbolically it is immersion into Christ.
When a person is baptized they get wet so we usually have a towel or a robe handy. At my former church we had these white robes made from fluffy whit towels that a person would put on right after coming out of the water to get warm and dry.
Putting on Christ is like putting on that fluffy white towel when you are cold and wet. Jesus Christ is everything that you are not, but none of that matters because when God looks at you, He sees Jesus.
It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from - Jesus is all that matters - and you are in Christ.
You don’t need to hide anymore.
Your identity in Christ knows no limits.
Your time has come and it is time to shine.
It is Time to Break Out
It is Time to Break Out
If you are feeling like you are held captive, the first step is to realize that there is something beyond the place that you find yourself.
Focusing on your limitations will keep you stuck.
But challenging yourself to think beyond your limitations may open up new possibilities.
You may need to set some intermediate goals, but dream big!
There comes a time to grow up.
There comes a time to grow up.
1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.
Sometimes the limitations are simply a matter of time.
A child has to grow - physically, mentally and emotionally- before they are ready to have the responsibility of an adult.
As in the pedagogue analogy - they may be the boss one day - but right now they need to learn the discipline that it will require to be a good boss.
A child does not have the years and the experience to put all of that in perspective, so it just feels like confinement.
When I was growing up I had parents who prayed for me and for my future. They asked god to give them a vision of what I was becoming. They never actually told me what God showed them. But as I would take steps in my life , like the girl I chose to marry, going off to Bible school and leaving for the mission field, they would confirm that these choices were in line with what God had showed them.
Growing up can be scary, but knowing that God already sees who you are becoming makes it a little more exciting.
Every promise has a time for fulfilment.
Every promise has a time for fulfilment.
3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Sometimes are limitations are simply a matter of capacity.
You may have a sense of the good things that God has in store, but you know you are just not there yet.
God knew from the beginning of the world that He would send Jesus, but he needed to set the foundation first.
For Gentiles they would have understood the elements to be things like earth, wind, fire and water; for the Jews it was the Torah.
But there are always fundamentals because that is how we build capacity.
When I learned to play the guitar, I started with one chord and just learned how to strum. When I had three chords, I could play a song. I had to stop and move my fingers between the chords, but it was still a song. If I tried to sing along, I would loose my concentration and it would take even longer between chords. Eventually, what took me so long to learn became automatic.
The law is like the fundamentals.
It may be a struggle to learn.
Once you learn it you don’t really think about it anymore.
You’re too busy making music.
God’s promise is to restore you to your identity in Christ.
God knows who he created you to be.
He knows what you can become.
He knows what it takes to get there.
It’s simply a matter of allowing God to lead you to the fulfillment of His promise.
It is time to become who you really are.
It is time to become who you really are.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
If you are here this morning and you feel like you might be captive:
Something inside you feels trapped, just waiting to break out.
You long for the freedom to be who God created you to be.
You ask, “when do I get to be me?”
Or maybe you wonder who you really are?
Your just plodding along, surviving.
The Holy Spirit is in you calling you to life!
You know God and can speak to God on intimate terms.
The Holy Spirit makes you know the love of your heavenly Father.
The Holy Spirit leads you into knowing who you are and the freedom that it brings.
You are not a slave, but a son or daughter of God!
Oh, and by the way, that’s next weeks sermon.
Questions for Reflection:
Questions for Reflection:
What is the key to unlocking your inheritance? You probably know that the answer has something to do with Jesus. But who is Jesus? And how does knowing Jesus change who you are?
What do you think about God’s law? Is is good or bad? Are God’s commandment leading you to a deeper relationship with Christ? Or are you stuck trying to get the fundamentals right?
What is the Holy Spirit speaking to you? Do you know that God loves you and that you are his child? Are you immersed in that love and that knowledge just as your were immersed in water at baptism? Are you covered with Christ like a fluffy white robe?