From Nowhere To Somewhere Series

FROM NOWHERE TO SOMEWHERE

Galatians 3:19-25

S: Law & Grace

Th: Grace-Full Living

Pr: THERE IS AN INTENTION TO THE LAW.

?: What? What is its purpose?

KW: Purposes

TS: We will find in our study of Galatians 3:19-25 four purposes that demonstrate the intention of the law.

The _____ purpose that demonstrates the intention of the law is…

I. IT EXPOSES OUR SIN (19)

II. IT EXALTS THE PROMISE (19-20)

III. IT ENHANCES THE GOSPEL (21-22)

IV. IT ESCORTS US TO CHRIST (23-25)

RMBC 6/25/00 AM

INTRODUCTION:

Have you ever wondered…

1. What’s the purpose?

ILL Notebook: Purpose (C & H---school wouldn’t be so bad)

Calvin is at the sidewalk waiting for the school bus. He is talking to his pet Tiger, Hobbes.

Calvin: You know, school wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t have to go every day.

Calvin: And if you didn’t have to learn anything…and if you took away all the teachers and all the other kids. If it was completely different, school would be great.

Hobbes: A lot of things are like that.

Calvin: Nobody asks me how things ought to be done. I’ve got tons of ideas.

Poor Calvin!

He has an idea of how school ought to be, but it is not going to be that way.

What he thinks the purpose ought to be does not match up with the way it is.

You know…

2. Sometimes, we would like things to be one way, but it really is another.

TRANSITION:

In a similar way,

1. The Judaizers sought to make the law accomplish something it was not designed to do.

We have been studying the letter written to the church in Galatia by the apostle Paul.

Paul has been battling the Judaizers who have made keeping the Law equally as important as faith.

But, Paul says, this is not what the Law was designed to do.

Now, let us not misunderstand the Law here.

The Law is good.

It is God’s revelation of His own perfect character and His will for a fallen human race living in a fallen world with other fallen humans.

He gave the Law precisely because of His love for His people.

But it had severe limitations.

It could not establish men as righteous.

The Judaizers believed that the law was a remedy for sin.

Paul’s argument was that this was something that the Law cannot do.

2. Last week, we discovered that God makes good on His promises.

We found out that the curse, which the Law pronounces on all men, was borne by our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.

God’s promise of blessing through Abraham is still possible, but only through faith (13-14).

We also discovered that the Abrahamic Covenant preceded the Mosaic Covenant by 430 years, and thereby has preeminence (15, 17-18).

Since God Himself ratified the Abrahamic Covenant, it cannot be modified or set aside by the later covenant, which was made with Israel through the mediation of Moses.

In this case, newer is not better.

Finally, we learned that the promise made to Abraham demands fulfillment because it was also made to his seed, Jesus Christ (16).

Paul shows that the Abrahamic Covenant had a singular promise, one made to the Son through whom all the promises will be fulfilled.

Since God is both the promissory and the beneficiary in Christ, the promise and its blessings are assured to all, unhindered by the Mosaic Covenant with its curse.

Therefore, the Law did not nullify the promise.

But Paul wants us to understand that but this does not mean that there is no purpose to the law.

3. THERE IS AN INTENTION TO THE LAW.

There is a worth to the Law that is not to be missed.

So…

4. We will find in our study of Galatians 3:19-25 four purposes that demonstrate the intention of the law.

Before we go on, I want to say how much I appreciate you bearing with me these last few weeks.

Paul has been making some deep legal and theological arguments about the superiority of the gospel message.

It has not been easy material.

Although we are not done with the “meat,” we are making it through some of Paul’s most difficult arguments and wordings, which includes today’s study.

So let’s continue on, so that we will hear the whole counsel of God as He has given it to us…

OUR STUDY:

I. The first purpose that demonstrates the intention of the law is IT EXPOSES OUR SIN (19).

What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.

Note the simple statement…

The law was added to produce transgressions

In other words…

1. The prescription to obey makes a visible rule breaker from an invisible rebellion (Romans 5:20a).