Galatians: Know The Maths
This morning I want to talk about maths. look perplexed
Actually, I don’t feel all that qualified!
I’m the only student to fail Maths 2 twice! pause
All our kids are really great with maths,
But Eileen and I are just utterly useless! pause & wonder
Don’t know where the ability comes from,
But I can say it is certainly not from us!
Today I want to talk about maths. pause
I think I should qualify this a little,
Or maybe more than just a little! long pause & look around
I want to talk about Biblical maths.
Is Biblical maths something new?
Not really, it’s something very old.
Something good. pause
One apple and one apple, hold up the ‘apples’, then put them down prominently
That makes two apples,
The result is something good. pause & explain
Two apples are twice as good!
Three apples are three times as good!
Four apples four times and so it goes. explain
That is standard basic mathematics,
That’s how maths works in the world.
We might even call it worldly maths!
Something bad. pause
One action and one action, say it slow, gesture God reaching down, reach up waving $20 note
That makes nothing good! pause
The result is something bad. pause & explain
One action plus no action, say it slow, gesture God reaching down & me accepting
Hits the Biblical jackpot,
Delivers all the goods.
Wins us the best prize.
Brings home the bacon.
Pushes the right buttons.
Produces a spot in heaven. explain
That’s the way eternity is, pause & explain
In terms of Biblical maths.
Results in something great. pause
God offers forgiveness of sin.
That is the Christian gospel.
That’s our Good News to all.
God offers and we receive it.
One action plus zero action.
But, some people want to take the simple maths,
And make it as complicated as they possibly can.
This is something that needs further elaboration,
And this is where the Book of Galatians comes in.
Galatians is the first of Paul’s Epistles, South Galatian theory
Almost certainly the second NT Book. after James 45 AD
Galatians was written in late 48 AD. explain
That’s just before the Council of Jerusalem, 49 AD, Acts 15:1 to 30
But after Paul’s First Missionary Journey. pause & explain, 46-48 AD, Acts 11:27 to 30
This is a mere 18 years after Pentecost! pause & explain
James deals with Christians behaving poorly,
With Galatians it’s Christians believing poorly, pause & explain
And all because they accepted worldly maths!
After a few personal comments,
And prayerful heart-felt greeting,
Paul gets right down to business.
Galatians 1:6 to 10
Isn’t this something quite shocking?
What Paul says is very confronting,
How Paul words this is quite blunt,
And the circumstances are chilling.
And do you see how Paul continues?
It’s not how we might have expected. explain
Paul doesn’t put on his kicking boots!
Paul doesn’t give them good theology!
These people are caught up by the world.
They are thinking the world’s thoughts.
They are off acting the world’s actions. pause
They’re out doing some worldly maths, pause & explain
So Paul goes and gives his testimony!!
When it comes to really important things,
Paul sits down and gives his testimony!
In matters of heaven, hell and eternity,
Paul sits down and gives his testimony!
In dealing with matters of life and death,
Paul sits down and gives his testimony! pause, look around & ask
What would we say in that situation?
Galatians 1:11 to 24
Read the rest of the testimony in chapter 2,
After you get home from our service today.
Paul is getting extremely upset about things.
O foolish Galatians!
Who has bewitched you? Galatians 3:1
You knew Jesus dead and risen from the dead.
You received full and free forgiveness of sin.
You received adoption into God’s own family.
You were no longer enemies but His children,
Now suddenly somehow everything’s changed! sadly shake my head
Galatians 3:2 to 5
All the way down through all history the Lord has worked though faith. explain
Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Galatians 3:6
God has said, “If you want to be Mine trust in Me alone.”
“I offer the gift of eternal life but you can’t buy Me off!
“If you want to go to heaven then it’s only on My terms.”
“I offer salvation freely to all but I will not be bought off.” pause, then say it authoritatively
“Never one act from you and one from Me equals heaven.” gesture mathematically
Galatians 3:10 to 14
“My way is totally different to the world’s way.”
“I am the King of the universe, what I say goes.”
“I am The Creator, you can never buy Me off.”
“Faith and works cuts no ice with Me you little ants.”
“Worldly maths is incompatible with Biblical maths.”
The Law only ever and always brings certain death. pause & explain
All who rely on works of the law are under a curse! Galatians 3:10
The Law doesn’t save us from sin but highlights sin!
The Law is just a schoolmaster pointing us to Jesus.
It is Jesus only ever, always, who saves us from sin.
We need to understand the ‘situation’.
The Galatians believed in “Jesus plus”. pause & explain
For them it was Jesus plus circumcision. pause
Jesus plus circumcision earns God’s favour.
Jesus plus circumcision equals a seat in glory.
Jesus plus circumcision equals avoiding hell.
Jesus plus circumcision equals eternal life.
Jesus plus circumcision equals happiness.
Jesus plus circumcision equals you name it.
Jesus plus circumcision equals “the good”. pause
Jesus plus circumcision manipulates God.
Jesus plus circumcision buys the Lord off.
Jesus plus circumcision is the way to go. also lesser, holy days & eating with ‘good’ people
These people had liars in their midst,
“Talk big about Jesus you Galatians, sound so pious, pause & explain
But go and live according to the Law.” sadly shake my head
The Apostle explains that,
The Law only makes slaves.
The Law turns us into slaves,
But, faith in Jesus alone,
Sets us free from all that.
For freedom Christ has set us free;
Stand fast therefore,
And do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
The Law only made you a hopeless slave,
But for freedom Christ has set us free!
The Apostle goes on to warn them,
Now I, Paul, say to you that,
If you receive circumcision,
Christ will be of no advantage to you. Galatians 5:2
It is either Jesus,
Or it is the Law,
But never both.
When put like that it seems so obvious.
Their choice was either Law or Jesus.
Our choice is either Law or it is Jesus. say it slow
It’s either worldly maths, pause, then explain sounding stupid
Jesus plus something,
I don’t like God’s way! sound real rebellious
The world’s way appeals.
Or, it is Biblical maths, pause & explain sounding joyous
Jesus and nothing else,
All my trust is in Jesus. pause
Jesus is my everything.
When thinking of worldly maths,
I have been talking “Jesus plus”. explain
Jesus plus “something” buys God.
Here’s another form of worldly maths. explain
This is the “Jesus minus” variant.
Jesus minus “something” buys God. pause & explain
Plus or minus never Jesus alone.
This adding or subtracting from Jesus,
Is still around, very much around today.
In its plus and minus forms it touches:
Jesus plus or minus personal grooming; clothing, haircuts, hair, suits, etc.
Jesus plus or minus various music’s; drums, organs, etc.
Jesus plus or minus transportation; those ‘sinful’ trains
Jesus plus or minus certain sports; ‘sinful’ fencing
Jesus plus or minus dress codes; suits, ties, op shop jeans to prove I’m humble, etc.
Jesus plus or minus foods eaten; no pork, keep OT dietary laws, fish on Friday, etc.
Jesus plus or minus electronics; radios & TVs were/are ‘sinful’
And so the list goes on and on. pause
It’s always made to sound so spiritual,
And, any one who is not complying, long pause
W-e-ll. say it long, drawn out & disgusted
“He is circumcised, how very spiritual.” sound so pious
“He’s got a moustache, how un-spiritual.” sound so contemptuous
“She won’t travel by train, how spiritual.” sound so pious
“She watches television, how un-spiritual.” sound so contemptuous
“He won’t fly by aeroplane, how spiritual.” sound so pious
“She is a fencer, how super un-spiritual.” sound so contemptuous
“Won’t listen to the radio, how spiritual.” sound so pious
“Doesn’t eat fish on Friday, how spiritual.” sound so pious
“Drums in church how very un-spiritual, sound so contemptuous
And I don’t care if they were in the OT!” sound so disobedient
“Keeps the OT dietary laws, how spiritual.” sound so pious
“That church uses no musical instruments,
How spiritual/unspiritual”, take your pick.
“These families all sit together in church,
How spiritual/unspiritual”, take your pick. pause & sum up
“Practises circumcision, how very spiritual.” shake my head
Being a Christian is all about Jesus.
Being a Christian is living for Jesus,
Being a Christian is about loving Jesus.
Being a Christian is loving the Brethren. pause
Christians are free of the Law’s power.
Christians are urged,
“Walk by the Spirit”. Galatians 5:16
Galatians 5:16 to 24
Every Christian relates to God by grace,
You know, that’s God’s unmerited favour. pause, God’s free undeserved kindness
Christians relate to one another by grace,
As we express God’s grace in our lives.
Christians are not of the world,
So we reject its attitudes,
Like we reject its maths!
The “Jesus plus” attitude,
Expresses a Jesus hating attitude,
To God and everyone else. pause
The “Jesus alone” attitude,
Expresses a Jesus loving attitude,
To God and everyone else.
Brethren, it’s all about trusting Jesus alone.
It’s all about loving Jesus and the Brethren.
That, is the Christian life. pause & explain
That’s the Book of Galatians.
Galatians 5:25 to 6:2
I want to say some things about Martin Luther hero of the faith,
Then read some of the Preface to his Commentary on Galatians. pause
Luther was a German monk, priest, professor of theology,
Who strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin,
Could be purchased with money (when the gold rings a soul to heaven wings). explain
He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517.
His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of the Pope. Pope Leo X in 1520
Resulted in his excommunication and condemnation as an outlaw. by the Emperor
Luther had fully dedicated himself to the monastic life,
And the intense effort to do good works to please God. pause & explain
Yet peace with God always escaped him in spite of fasts, pilgrimages,
Flagellations, long hours in prayer, sitting all night naked in the snow,
Crawling up church steps, going without sleep, and constant confession. pause & explain
The more he tried to do for God the more aware he became of his sinfulness.
Here is a part of the Preface to his Commentary on Galatians. pause, then slowly & clearly
I consider the infinite and horrible profanation and abomination,
That has always raged in the church of God,
And still today continues to rage against this one sure foundation, pause
Our justification (that is to say, that it is not ourselves, nor by our works,
Which are less than ourselves, pause then explain joyously
But by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that we are redeemed from sin, death, the devil,
And are made to share eternal life), long pause
And I am compelled to throw away all shame (for Jesus died for those sins),
And to be bold above measure.
