How To Be The Person God Wants Me To Be Series

Text: Galatians 3:1-14

Title: How to be the person God wants me to be

Introduction

“Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” (v1b)

Many of you have seen the movie “The Passion of the Christ”. The Passion of The Christ was a great movie because...

1.It was the clearest portrayal of the crucifixion of Christ ever seen in a movie

2.It left you wanting to become a better person/follower of Christ

Imagine leaving the movie theater the night you saw “The Passion of The Christ” and meeting the Apostle Paul.

Apostle Paul I just saw before my eyes a clear portrayal of the crucifixion of Christ and I want to be a better person. I want to be the person God wants me to be? Where do I begin?

He would possibly say the same thing to us as he did to the Galatians.

V2-5 “I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law or by believing what you heard. Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing- if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

Paul’s Advice: I cannot be the person God wants me to be by human effort.

Paul could you be a bit more direct…I’m not sure what you mean?

•You’d be a fool to even try to be the person God wants you to be by human effort

•If you try to be the person God wants you to be by human effort you’d be suffering for nothing.

•Is Paul saying it can’t be done?

•Can I become the person God wants me to be?

The Answer is yes! V 5

I can be the person God wants me to by the Holy Spirit

Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

•If I need a miracle in my life; who according to our text is going to do it? God the Holy Spirit!

If I’m to become the person God wants me to be it’s going to be because the Holy Spirit did it.

If I’m going to be the person God wants me to be what then is my part?

My part is to believe what I heard.

•What did I just hear? I can only become the person God wants me to be by the Holy Spirit.

1.Where do I begin if I’m to become the person God wants me to be?

•I must begin by receiving the Holy Spirit.

•How do I receive the Holy Spirit?

•Do you receive the Holy Spirit by observing the law or by believing what you heard? (v2,5)

•The answer is that you receive the Holy Spirit by believing what you heard.

•What did the Galatians hear that allowed them to receive the Holy Spirit?

•They heard about the crucified Christ (v1)

•What did they hear about the crucified Christ?

• v10-14 is a summary of what they heard about the crucified Christ

“All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

What they heard could be summarized in three parts

Part 1 .The words of God the Father

•“Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” (Deut. 27:26)

Most of the world has never even read the Book of the Law and no one in the world can honestly say they do everything written in the Law.

•All the world is cursed

•Instead “The righteous will live by faith.” (Hab. 2:4)

Part 2 The work of God the Son

•” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree “ (Deut. 21:23

•Christ rescued us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. Remember how God the Father said a person becomes cursed? Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law. By Christ becoming a curse for us does that mean Christ did not do everything written in the law? No Christ found another way to be a curse. Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. That why Christ had to go to the cross. So he could still do everything written in the Law and still be a curse for us.