The Value of this letter Galatians 3:23-29
A letter killed Charlotte Braun. Charlotte who? Charlotte Braun was a pushy version of Charlie Brown, the classic Peanuts character created by Charles Schulz. According to mental floss magazine (October 2012), Charlotte Braun was introduced to the comic strip in November 1954, prompting a fan to write a letter to Schulz complaining about the obnoxious character.
Schulz killed the character -- literally! He wrote a response to the fan which included a drawing of Charlotte Braun with an ax in her head.
So much for the sweetness of comic strips.
A letter connected Annie Oakley to the President of the United States. The famous sharpshooter amazed crowds by shooting holes in playing cards tossed in the air, so she thought she could be of service to her country. Moved by patriotism, she wrote a letter to President William McKinley and offered her services in the Spanish-American War. In addition, she said that she was "ready to place a company of fifty lady sharpshooters" at his disposal.
That's right: Not one, but 50 female sharpshooters! And they were even prepared to furnish their own arms and ammunition, so they would be of little expense to the government. Although McKinley never responded, Annie Oakley's epistle may have helped to open the door for women in military service.
A letter made us all children of God through faith. In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul changed history by arguing that we are made right with God through the faith of Jesus, not through religious law.(- Homiletics May June 2013 Volume 23 Number 3. Page 63.)
1. The Value of this letter is that this letter tells us what we once were
A. I once was a Prisoner of the Law 23Before this faith came; we were held prisoners by the law
B. I once was locked up until Faith was revealed
Paul believes the Galatians lived in the age of the law and more so than the age of faith.
(Time of the Law)23Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law,
(Time of Faith)locked up until faith should be revealed, locked up until faith should be revealed
C. I once was lost but now I am saved because I believe, and not because of what I did
2. The Value of this letter is that this letter tells us what we now have, a new Identity
A. My Identity is I have a Heavenly Father 26You are all sons of God
B. My Identity is that I Remember my baptism and I am thankful, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ
C. My New Identity is that I am Clothed in His Likeness,
27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
3. The Value of this Letter is that my Faith Transcends or reaches beyond
A. This Faith reaches way beyond my sins
B. This Faith reaches beyond ethnic and social sexual distinctions.
vs. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus
C. This Faith reaches beyond differences consider Romans 10:
."E 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who
call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."F
D. This Faith reaches beyond status but reaches whosoever will with Equality
1 cor 12:13For we were all baptized byC one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the
one Spirit to drink. The spirit Moses had I got the spirit Elijah had I go the spirit Job had I got, The spirit John the baptizer had I got
E. This Faith Rises above stuff It doesn't matter if you are a drunkard, It doesn't matter if where you come from ,
It doesn't matter where you are right now, It doesn't matter about your language, It doesn't matter about your police record,
It doesn't matter what neighborhood you came from , It doesn't matter where you work, your education or status, It doesn't
matter what does matter is when you die will you go to heaven?
4. The Value of this letter is what is contained in the Promises
. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
God Promised Eve because of disobedience
16To the woman he said,
"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing and it did
God Promised Adam 17To Adam he said,
"Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you,
`You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18It will produce
thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food
until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." and it did
A. God also promised His all Seeing Eye will be attentative
Psalmist says, 15The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
B. God promised to Be a Fortress in the midst of travail
26He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress,
and for his children it will be a refuge.
C. God Promises to remove the greatest Barrier death Isaiah says,
8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.
What matters is faith. The faith of Christ, and our faith as well.
