Keeping A Resolution
Text: Gal. 3:15-22
Introduction
1. "I hereby resolve to:"
a. Actually work from home on my telecommuting days.
b. Get dressed before noon...or at the very least, before the video conferencing call with my boss.
c. Less e-mailing? Cancel at least a few of the 9 or 10 e-mail accounts I currently have.
d. Not talk on my cell phone while in the bathroom doing - - - (you finish this sentence).
e. Never pull away from the gasoline pump ... with the hose still in the tank (those stupid cell phone calls).
f. Try and drive at or under the speed limit ... at least when I'm not hungry, tired or late.
g. Keep my opinions to myself (yeah, right).
h. Play harder, work less ... who needs a paycheck anyway?
i. Wear something other than sweat pants to the grocery store
j. Stop repeating myself again, and again, and again.
k. Wear something other than sweat pants to the grocery store ... oops ... there I go again!
l. Stop procrastinating ... (I think I just might start next month).
m. Enjoy the sweeter side of life - M&Ms, Hershey kisses, candy corns, and cheesecake and ...
n. Read something this year ... other than the comics.
o. Drive myself to the fitness center when I feel like going from now on ... because walking there makes me perspire.
p. Stop leaving my dirty gym socks lying in the middle of the floor. I'll leave them on the kitchen table, where they're easier to reach.
q. Kick the caffeine habit - hey, why does my over-sized coffee mug smell like sweaty socks?
r. Read those books I bought 5 years ago on "how to improve my memory" ... I keep forgetting to read them.
s. Be more decisive ... I'll absolutely try to attempt to think about resolving to be more decisive, if I possibly can.
t. Quit making those SAME excuses ... I make the same excuses each year, why I'll do better next year, and it's getting pretty old - this year I resolve to come up with some new excuses instead.
2. If you want an example of how to keep a resolution just look at what God did...
a. He made a promise
b. He gave the purpose for the promise
c. He gave a plan on how to get there
3. Let's stand together as we read Gal. 3:15-22
Proposition: God made a resolution to save us from our sin, and kept the promise in sending His only Son.
Transition: First, God made a promise.
I. The Promise (15-18).
A. The Agreement God Made With Abraham
1. Paul has been trying to convince the Galatians that God's promise is superior to the law. In this first section he gives four reason why it is superior.
2. The first reason has to do with its confirmation. He says, "Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case."
a. The word translated here "irrevocable agreement" is generally translated covenant.
b. Diathēkē (covenant) is a general term for a binding agreement. It was often used to refer to wills or testaments, and in some Scripture passages the word is best translated with that meaning.
c. A last will and testament expresses the desires and intent of but one party and may or may not involve other specific parties.
d. A covenant, on the other hand, always involves two or more specific parties, although the terms may be stipulated and fulfilled by only one.
e. "Just as," Paul argued, "an irrevocable agreement, cannot be set aside or have conditions added to it, how much less can a covenant God makes with Himself be annulled or modified?
f. Even God's own covenant with Moses did not nullify or amend His covenant with Abraham, because God had made the former covenant permanent and unchangeable" (MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Galatians, 83).
g. Essentially Paul's argument is that the way a human covenant operates is certainly the same way as a divine covenant does.
h. Although scholars today are unsure about which particular legal institution Paul is using (Roman, Greek, Jewish), they are agreed that Paul's point is secure: when a covenant or testament or last will has been established—probably after the death of the testator — someone cannot come along and add to it or take away from it (Scot McKnight, The NIV Application Commentary – Galatians, 166).
3. The second reason Paul gives is because the promise is Christ-centered. He says, "God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ."
a. The unchangeable nature of the covenant involving faith directly relates to God's last and final covenant established through His Son, Jesus Christ.
b. The covenant of law could not possibly have interrupted or modified the previous covenant of promise, because the first one not only was non-negotiable and permanent in itself but was inseparable from God's supreme covenant, the New Covenant in the Messiah, the Christ (MacArthur, 84).
c. In applying this analogy to the relationship of the promise to the Mosaic law, Paul realizes that he must first prove that the promise applies to the Christian era.
d. He does this by means of a special form of interpretation (then quite common), in which he sees in "seed" (which could be either singular or plural) a "corporate solidarity" in Christ.
e. That is, Christ is the "seed" about whom God made promises, and all those who are "in Christ" are also the "seed."
f. This provides an important clarification, for readers of the Bible might be led to think that the "seed of Abraham" refers to all Israelites and, furthermore, they might wonder how it is that Paul can claim that Gentiles are under the covenant of Abraham.
g. By stating that Christ is the "seed," Paul interprets Genesis 13:15 and 24:7 in a Christian manner and reveals that the promise is the one that climaxes in Christ and those who believe in him (McKnight, 167).
4. The third reason that Paul gives has to do with chronology or time. He says, "This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise."
a. The four hundred and thirty years refers to the time elapsed between God's last statement of the Abrahamic covenant and His giving of the Law to Moses.
b. The Lord repeated the promise to Abraham's son Isaac Gen. 26:24) and then to his grandson Jacob (28:15).
c. The Law came 645 years after Abraham, but 215 years later God repeated the Abrahamic covenant to Jacob, exactly four hundred and thirty years prior to the Mosaic covenant at Sinai.
d. As for the promise that God gave as part of the covenant with Abraham and that He Himself had ratified, the mere passage of time could have no effect on it all, much less nullify it (MacArthur, 85).
e. Paul's point is quite simple: The law of Moses was given 430 years after the covenant was made with Abraham; therefore, since the covenant (made with Abraham, not Moses) is irrevocable, the law cannot change the arrangements God made with Abraham.
f. This means that the promise stands firm and the mode of relating to God is faith rather than works of the law (McKnight, 167).
5. The fourth reason that Paul gives has to do with the promise's completeness. He says, "For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise."
a. Paul's point is that an inheritance... based on law depends on man's performance, whereas the one graciously given... to Abraham by means of a promise depends on God's power.
b. The term graciously given translates the perfect tense of charizomai (to give graciously) and points to the permanent character of the inheritance.
c. The principles behind the two types of inheritance are incompatible. One is by God's law and man's works and the other by God's grace and man's faith.
d. Not only that, but the abilities to fulfill the covenants are of an infinitely different order.
e. Man cannot succeed in perfectly keeping the law, and God cannot fail in perfectly keeping the promise.
f. Because the covenant of promise is complete, the covenant of law can in no way improve or change it (MacArthur, 85-86).
g. Paul seems to be going further: those who commit themselves to the law as the system of salvation nullify the promises of the promise; those who commit themselves to the promise as the system of salvation cannot ask the law of Moses also to save them (McKnight, 169).
B. God's Promises
1. Illustration: Singer Michael Card wrote a song called The Promise, and he wrote a little Christmas devotional on this theme. He noted, "Christianity is founded on a promise. Faith involves waiting on a promise. Our hope is based on a promise. Promises are made with words…that part of myself that goes with every promise is given to you through my words…Our God is the great maker of promises… His word, our Bible, is a collection of the promises… most of these concern Jesus, who came to be known as "the Promised One" Through all these promises, God was trying to give something of Himself to Adam, and to Israel, and finally to us. The Bible tells us that when the Promised One came, the Lord poured all of Himself into Him. What a costly thing it can be to make a promise - it cost Jesus His life.
2. God made a promise to save us from our sins.
a. Genesis 12:3 (NLT)
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
b. He promised to fix what we had messed up.
c. He promised to do for us what we couldn't do for ourselves.
d. He promised to take it upon himself to make a way when they wasn't one.
3. God's promise culminated in Jesus.
a. Hebrews 9:15 (NLT)
That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.
b. God does not make resolutions the way we do;when he makes one he keeps it no matter what the cost.
c. God does not look for excuses to break his resolutions; he finds ways to keep them.
d. When promises to do something you can count on it; you can bank on it; you can depend on it; God will make it happen!
Transition: God's law, like his promise, had a purpose.
II. The Purpose (19-20).
A. Why Then Was The Law Given
1. Paul now moves from the promise to the purpose of the law.
2. So why add the law at all? Did God have nothing better do so he made this up to keep us guessing? Of course not God always has a purpose it what he does. The purpose of the law was to show us how sinful we were, and thus showing us the need for the promise.
3. Paul says, "Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised..."
a. The purpose of the law was to demonstrate to man his total sinfulness, his inability to please God by his own works, and his need for mercy and grace.
b. The Law... was added to show the depth of man's sins against God. It was given to drive him to desperate guilt and the awareness of his need for the Deliverer.
c. The impossible demands of the law were meant to compel men to recognize their violation of God's standards and to seek His grace through faith in His Son.
d. When a man looks at the law he sees that his living is more than simply wrong; it is sin, an offense against the holy God, before whom no sinful person can stand.
e. The law shows men their violation of the will of God, who rules the universe and holds them accountable for their sin (MacArthur, 86).
f. The little word until indicates that the law was meant as a temporary measure, and certainly not as the permanent and final means of salvation.
g. The law was in place until the coming of the child to whom God’s promise was made.
h. When Jesus Christ came, the law was finally fulfilled.
i. God’s promise to Abraham dealt with Abraham’s faith; the law focuses on actions.
j. The covenant with Abraham shows that faith is the only way to be saved; the law shows how to obey God in grateful response.
k. Faith does not annul the law; but the more we know God, the more we will see how sinful we are. Then we will be driven to depend on Christ alone for our salvation (Barton, Life Application New Testament Commentary, 777).
4. Then Paul says, "...God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. 20 Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham."
a. God gave the covenant of law through two sets of mediators, first through angels and then by them through Moses to the people.
b. God was the Author and Giver of the covenant of law and He was present with Moses on Mt. Sinai when it was given (Ex. 19:18-24).
c. But in a way not fully explained, the law was given by God to Moses through angels.
d. This was not a new idea made up by Paul; it was already a Jewish belief. Although it is not mentioned in Exodus, Jews believed that the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses by angels (Barton, 778).
e. Moses was great and the angels were great; but they were only mediators. Paul warned the Galatian believers not to exalt Moses or angels over God Himself as the Judaizers were doing.
f. The Greek text of Galatians 3:20 is difficult to translate and interpret, but Paul seems to be pointing out that a mediator (literally one who stands between two parties) is needed only when more than one party is involved.
g. God gave the covenant directly to Abraham without a mediator because He was the only one involved in making the covenant.
h. Abraham was a witness to the covenant and was a beneficiary, but he was not a party to it.
i. Abraham had no part in establishing or keeping the covenant. That responsibility was God's alone (MacArthur, 87-88).
B. Shows Us Our Need
1. Illustration: In talking about this passage John Calvin said, "He meant that the law was given in order to make transgressions obvious, and thus compel people to recognize their guilt...The law was therefore given in order to provoke people into looking for Christ" (Calvin, Reformation Commentary On Scripture, vol. 10, 114).
2. Illustration: Zig Ziglar says he looked into a mirror one day & realized he needed to lose a lot of weight. He really wanted to get in shape. As an incentive, he put a picture of a thin man on the refrigerator door. There are all kinds of gimmicks offered as motivators to dieting. You can purchase sound tracks that laugh at you & call you "fatso" when you open the refrigerator door! But Ziglar wanted a positive reinforcement, so he put a picture of what he wanted to look like on the refrigerator. That constant reminder was the first step toward a healthier body for him.
3. The Bible was given to us to show us our need for a Savior.
a. Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
b. It shows us the things in our life that need to change.
c. It shows us that there are things in our lives that separate us from God.
d. It shows us that without a Savior we are hopelessly lost.
4. The Bible shows us that there is no other way except Jesus.
a. Acts 4:12 (NLT)
There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
b. It shows us that we cannot do it on our own.
c. It shows us that we cannot be good enough by our own strength.
d. It shows us that no other way is good enough
e. It shows us just how much we need Jesus.
Transition: God made us a promise, showed us the purpose for the promise, and he also showed us that he had a plan.
III. The Plan (21-22).
A. Is There A Conflict
1. Paul now asks, "Is there a problem?"
2. He says, "Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it."
a. Again anticipating his readers' likely response, Paul asks rhetorically, Is there a conflict, then, between the law and God's promises?
b. The preposition kata means, "contrary to," and is appropriately translated as conflict by the NLT.
c. God gave both the promise and the law and He does not work against Himself.
d. As with other such questions, Paul immediately gives the strong negative answer himself: Absolutely not! The idea was unthinkable.
e. If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it . In other words, the Law was inferior because it could not save, it was not able to give life.
f. If it could have done so, it would have been against and contrary to the promises of God, because it would have provided an alternate and conflicting way of salvation.
g. It would have made the death of Christ tragically unnecessary. God's grace, Christ's sacrifice, and man's faith would be non-essential, or at best, an optional means of salvation (MacArthur, 88).
3. Paul now shows that it was never God's plan for us to be saved by keeping the law. He says, "But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ."
a. The phrase prisoners translates sunkleiō, a strong term meaning to lock up securely, to enclose on all sides with no way of escape.
b. Not until a person smashes himself against the demands of the law and the accusations of conscience does he recognize his helplessness and see his need for a Savior.
c. Not until the law has arrested and imprisoned him and sentenced him to death will he be driven to despair in himself and turn to Jesus Christ (MacArthur, 88).
d. Sin affects all of humanity without discrimination; we are all prisoners of sin. What must be understood, however, is that the Scriptures speak with one voice when describing the human condition—we are sinners.
e. Through Scripture we discovered that we could not earn a right relationship with God by our good works because our works were not good enough—they were always tainted by sin.
f. But just like a dot of light shining into a dark prison cell, a ray of hope shone for us.
g. The law showed us our hopelessness on our own, caused us to look elsewhere for hope, and directed us to the Savior, Jesus Christ.
h. We missed the promises by trying to keep the law, but we found that the only way to receive God’s promise is to believe in Jesus Christ (Barton , 778).
i. Living by the law was never God's plan, but receiving God's salvation by faith in Jesus Christ always was his plan.
B. God Has A Plan
1. Illustration: Someone recently asked me, "If the Bible is true then why doesn't it tell anything about Jesus from the time he is 12 until he is 30? The answer to that it is very simple, it has no bearing on God's plan to save us. The Bible is all about God's plan.
2. The purpose of Scripture is to reveal God's plan.
a. John 20:31 (NLT)
But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
b. The Bible tells us everything we need to know about God's plan.
c. It tells us everything to know about His Son Jesus Christ.
d. It tells us that God loved us so much, that even after we messed things up, he sent his only Son to be the sacrifice for our sins.
3. God's plan finds it's fulfillment in Jesus.
a. Ephesians 3:11-12 (NLT)
This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.
b. God's plan from the time of the fall was to send Jesus.
c. God's plan in his promise to Abraham was to send Jesus.
d. God's plan in his promise to David was to send Jesus.
e. Jesus is the promise of God.
f. Jesus is the purpose of God.
g. Jesus is the plan of God.
h. Jesus is God's resolution to all mankind.
Conclusion
1. God made a resolution to save us from our sin.
2. His resolution came in the form of a promise; to send Jesus.
3. His resolution came in the form of a purpose; for Jesus to die in our place.
4. His resolution came in the form of a plan; for Jesus to come and give us new life.
5. God made a resolution, and he kept it.
