Choices, Choices, Choices!

SERMON OUTLINE:

Choice #1: Slavery or Freedom? (vs 1).

Choice #2: Law or Grace (vs 2-6).

Choice #3: Circumcision or the Cross (vs 7-12)

SERMON BODY

ill.

• Well, it’s good to be with you on Father’s Day.

• I like the description given by a small boy who said,

• "Father’s Day is just like Mother’s Day, Only you don’t spend as much on the gift."

Quote: The American humourist and author Mark Twain said,

"When I was a boy of 14 my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. but when I got to 21, I was astonished at how much the old man learned in 7 years."

This morning I have been asked to speak on Galatians Chapter 5 verses 1-12.

• The passage breaks down into three choices.

• Three options that each Christian must make daily.

Ill:

• Herbert Asquith was British Liberal prime minister from 1908 to 1916,

• He was in charge and took Britain into World War One.

• On one occasion he spent a weekend at the Waddesdon estate,

• This was owned by the very, very wealthy Rothschild family.

• On one occasion the butler of the house had this conversation with him.

• The butler: "Tea, coffee, or a peach from off the wall, sir?"

• Asquith answered: "Tea, please,"

• The butler: "China, India, or Ceylon, sir?"

• Asquith answered: "China, please."

• The butler: "Lemon, milk, or cream, sir?"

• Asquith answered: "Milk, please,"

• The butler: "Jersey, Hereford, or Shorthorn, sir?"

• TRANSITION: Aren’t you glad that for most of us life is not that complicated.

• But we all have plenty of choices to make each day.

• And when it concerns the things of God, we need to choose wisely.

In this chapter of Galatian’s, the apostle Paul is asking his readers to choose wisely!

• The churches in Galatia (modern day Turkey)

• Were comprised of both Jewish and Gentile converts,

• Some of those Jews, known as Judaizers, who were corrupting the gospel message.

• By adding to it, saying it is Jesus plus keeping the Old Testament Law.

Ill:

• We see this problem today.

• Two weeks ago, I was at Speakers Corner, Hyde Park London.

• The first person to approach me turned out to be a Seventh-Day Adventist.

• His gospel/message is, Jesus plus ‘Sabbath’ keeping.

• Now he could not show me one verse in the New Testament that asks ne to do that,

• The book of Acts (The history book of the early Church).

• Shows the Church worshipping on the first day of the week (Sunday).

• e.g. Acts chapter 20 verse 7: “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.”

• e.g. 1 Corinthians chapter 16 verses 1-2:

• "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week."

Note just for reference on the Sabbath/Sunday:

• The phrase “the first day of the week” appears eight times,

• In the most widely used English translations of the New Testament.

• Based on this reading of the text, along with various supplemental passages,

• (e.g., Revelation chapter 1 verse 10),

• Christians assemble to worship God on Sunday.

• Upon looking at the Greek text, however,

• Some have questioned the integrity of the translation “the first day of the week,”

• Wondering if a better wording would be “the Sabbath day.”

• Admittedly, a form of the Greek word for sabbath (sabbaton or sabbatou),

• Does appear in each of the eight passages translated “first day of the week.”

• For example, in Acts chapter 20 verse 7.

• This phrase is translated from the Greek mia ton sabbaton.

• However, sabbaton (or sabbatou),

• Is never translated as “the Sabbath day” in these passages.

• Why? Because the word is used in these contexts (as Greek scholars overwhelmingly agree) to denote a “week” (Perschbacher, 1990, p. 364), “a period of seven days” (Danker, et al., 2000, p. 910; cf. Thayer, 1962, p. 566).

• According to R.C.H. Lenski, since “The Jews had no names for the weekdays,”

• They “designated them with reference to their Sabbath” (1943, p. 1148).

• Thus, mia ton sabbaton means “the first (day) with reference to the Sabbath,”

• i.e., the first (day) following the Sabbath (Lenski, p. 1148),

• Or, as we would say in 21st century English, “the first day of the week.”

Note:

• Yet, Paul and the other apostles had clearly taught that salvation is a gift,

• We receive that gift through faith, the moment we trust in Jesus Christ.

• It is a grace gift, that we could not earn, or we can do is simply receive it.