Dance Lessons: Promise Keeper
Galatians 3:15-25
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
03-15-2020
Promise Keeper
Back in the early 90s, right after I got married, Promise Keepers became a cultural phenomena. I attended multiple conferences, worked the prayer tent in AL, and watched my dad surrender his life to Christ at the PK in Memphis.
It was through these books, conferences, and groups that I learned what it meant to be a Godly husband and father.
At the heart of this mens organization was the idea of a “promise keeping God.” By some estimates, there are over 7,000 promises in the Bible and God will keep every one of them! If God keeps His promises then, as men and leaders of our family, so should we.
By the way, PK is back and is holding a conference for over 80,000 men in Dallas in late July.
This morning, we are going to look at a promise that God made to Abraham that still is in effect today for us!
Recap from last week (Gal 3:1-14)
In our last sermon on Galatians, Paul made three arguments to try to get the Galatians attention. He was very frustrated with them and calls them foolish and even accusing them of being bewitched! How else do you explain leaving the dance floor of grace to put back on the prison shackles of the law?
He asked them a series of rapid-fire questions to help them understand that God did not give them the Spirit because they obeyed the Law but because they put their faith in Christ.
Remember that the Judaizers had come behind Paul and told the Galatians that Paul wasn’t a real apostle and that he watered down his Gospel so they will like him. In order to be a real Christian, you had to follow the dietary rules, the Mosaic law, and be circumcised. In other words, you had to become Jewish first in order to come to Christ.
Paul emphatically said no to this idea. He called the father of the Jewish faith, Abraham, to the stand and showed them from Scripture that Abraham was not justified before God because he was circumcised - that happened 14 years after the promise. He wasn’t justified because he followed the Mosaic law because that didn’t come into 430 later.
These people believed that Paul’s Jesus + Nothing = Everything equation wasn’t good enough. You had to add something to the cross, it wasn’t enough.
Abraham believed God’s promises and it was “credited to him as righteousness.” It was his faith that made him right with God. And all who follow Abraham’s example of faith, even Gentiles, are part of God’s forever family.
Lastly, Paul points out that everyone is under a curse because everyone sins. But Jesus absorbed that curse for us on the cross so that we might receive the promise of the Holy Spirit and eternal life.
This means that we don’t have to fear standing in front of God loaded down by sins. We are free, acquitted, not guilty! We also don’t have to be afraid of death. Death for the believer is simply a door to the Father’s house.
Remember, those who dance are thought crazy be those who can’t hear the music.
Right now, that is a timely thought for us all.
If you haven’t watched all of the sermons from this series, you can do so on our FaceBook page.
Turn with me in your Bibles to Galatians 3. We will be starting in verse 15.
Prayer
The Law doesn’t cancel God’s Promise
Paul is going to continue his line of argument with an example from every day life:
Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case.
Again, notice that he has shifted back to brothers and sisters.
The Judiazers may have acknowledged that, yes, Abraham was justified by faith, but that was before Moses and the Law. The Law superseded the promise to Abraham and became the way people had a relationship with God.
Paul answers this objection with something that they all would understand - a last will and testament. The Greek way of doing wills was very similar to how we do wills today.
Imagine that my father dies and we are all gathered to read his will. The lawyer reads what each person will get and then turns to me and says, “You get a million dollars. But I’m going to add a stipulation to this and say that you only get this million dollars if you deny the genius of Barry Manilow.”
Obviously I would never deny the genus of Barry but there’s another thing wrong with this scenario. The lawyer couldn’t add on conditions to a will that’s already been signed and sealed.
The same can be said of the Promise of God to Abraham.
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.
So it is with Abraham and his “Seed.” He didn’t say to “seeds” but to a singular Person that would be a descendant of Abraham - Jesus Christ.
We see this even earlier in Genesis with the first Gospel proclamation when God cursed the serpent:
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Gen 3:15)
He explains it further. God made a covenant with Abraham in Gen12,15, 17, and 21. God will make his name great, He will multiple his descendants, and a great nation will come from him.
Animals were cut in two and Abraham was put into a deep sleep. Only God walked through the middle of the animals, sealing the covenant with Abraham.
The law given to Moses does not set aside the covenant with Abraham. The promise came first. The promise didn’t depend upon keeping the Mosaic law but was given as a gift of grace by God four centuries before Moses hiked up that mountain.
John MacArthur described Paul’s thoughts this way:
"The heart of his answer is to show that the covenant with Abraham was an unconditional covenant of promise relying solely on God's faithfulness, whereas the covenant with Moses was a conditional covenant of law relying on man's faithfulness. To Abraham, God said, "I will." Through Moses He said, "Thou shalt." The promise set forth a religion dependent on God. The law set forth a religion dependent on man. The promise centers on God's plan, God's grace, God's initiative, God's sovereignty, God's blessings. The law centers on man's duty, man's work, man's responsibility, man's behavior, man's obedience. The promise, being grounded in grace, requires only sincere faith. The law being grounded in works, demands perfect obedience."
For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. (Gal 3:15-18)
God gave this inheritance to Abraham. This word “give” or “grant” means a gift that is given out of the spontaneous generosity of the givers heart, with no strings tied to it.
Paul anticipates another objection by the Judaizers. They would have spoke their heads and said, “What are you saying? Are you say that the law is worthless?”
The Law exposes our sinfulness
“Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.” (Gal 3:19-20)
Paul is going to give them a new way of looking at the law - a new covenant view point.
The law was “added because of transgressions.” This is a confusing translation. What this means is that the law was added, notice it was added, to increase, incite, aggravate, produce or uncover sins.
Think of Prohibition in this county in the early 1900s. It didn’t stop people from drinking and it actually increased alcohol consumption!
The law exposes us. It shines the light on the darkness of our hearts. It shows us our sinfulness, helplessness, and hopelessness. The law condemns us, pronounces us guilty.
Paul told the believers in Rome:
“The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom 5:20-21)
The Law was in place until the Seed, Jesus, the Promise, came.
Verse 20 is one of the most confusing verses in all the Bible. One commentator wrote that there are over 300 interpretations of this one verse!
After a lot of research this week, this is what I think Paul is trying to get at in this verse.
The Law was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai and we know from Acts 7 and Hebrews 2 that angels were involved in this transaction.
Paul Apple writes that the Law is clearly inferior to the promises:
a. Proven by the nature of mediation - God —- angels —-Moses —-People God ——— Abraham
b. Proven by the intended duration -- Only Temporary "until the seed should come to whom the promise had been made"
Again a Judaizer raises their hand. “Hey Paul, so you are tearing down the law, the very thing that shows us God’s character and how He wants us to live our lives. I guess you think that the law is opposed to the promises of God. God is inconsistent? God’s a liar?”
The Law cannot Give Spiritual Life
Paul answers emphatically:
“Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.” (Gal 3:21-22)
Paul writes that the law and the promise are not at odds with each other. If the law could impart life, then righteousness would have come from the law. But that’s not the function of the law.
Andrew Jukes has said,
“Satan would have us prove ourselves holy by the law, which God give to prove us sinners.”
The law and the Gospel are both part of God’s plan but has different objectives.
Evangelist Fred Brown said that the law is like the little mirror that dentists use in order to see the cavities. It’s perfect for showing the problems but the dentist can’t use it to fill a tooth.
Martin Luther wrote:
“The principle point of the law is to make men not better but worse, that is to say, it shows them their sin, and by that knowledge may humble, terrify, break them and drive them to seek grace and come to that blessed Seed.”
The law puts us in jail and the Gospel is the key that opens the door and gives us freedom.
Paul wrote to the Roman church:
“Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” (Rom 10:4)
Chuck Swindoll writes:
“Though we fail to keep the law, God never fails to keep His word…and His promises.”
Paul has two more metaphors for the law that elaborates on what he has already been saying.
The Law is our Guardian until….
“Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.” (Gal 3:23-25)
First, Paul reiterates that the law imprisons us, but only for a season. Notice “before the coming of this faith” and “until the faith that was to come would be revealed.”
The Law was temporary. It shows us that we are sinners in desperate need of a Savior.
You might say, “Wait, I’m not a prisoner of sin.” Well, then stop sinning.
F. B. Meyer wrote:
“The Mosaic Law was not designed to be the final code of the religious life, but to prepare the soil of the human heart to receive Jesus Christ in all the fullness of salvation.”
The law was also a “pedagogue,” which can mean guardian. Wealthy Greek or Roman families had pedagogues that would be assigned to one of the children from the age of 6-17.
They were responsible to see that the child got to and from school and to watch his behavior. He didn’t teach. He merely was responsible for overseeing the child.
Many times this guardian would be harsh and cruel, beating the child with rods or canes.
But at 17, his responsibility was over.
Martin Luther wrote these great words:
“Did the Law ever love me? Did the law ever sacrifice itself for me? Did the law ever die for me? On the contrary, it accuses me, frightens me, drives me crazy. Someone had to save me from the law, from sin and death unto eternal life. And that Someone is the Son of God!”
Notice those words again, “until Christ came that we might be justified by faith” and “now that faith has come.”
Again pointing to the temporary nature of the Law and pointing us back again and again to Jesus!
It isn’t that the Law of Moses was revoked when Jesus came instead the Law is no longer the way we approach God.
The age of law was merely a parenthesis between the age of promise and the age of grace.
Application
Trust God’s Promises ?
We live in a time of unprecedented anxiety and fear. Entire cities are shut down and people are preparing to shelter in place for an undetermined amount of time. We are washing our hands, practicing social distancing, and staying home as much as we can.
What do we do as Christians during such scary times? We trust God’s promises.
One of my favorite songs is by the artist Sting is called Fields of Gold. In it he sings,
“I never made a promise lightly
And there have been some that I’ve broken
But I swear in the days still left
We will walk in fields of gold.”
We are humans are so we don’t always keep our promises. But God does:
God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19)
Pastor Mark Altrogge writes that we can trust God’s promises because of His character, the fact that He is unchanging, and that in Him is infinite wisdom.
Just as God’s promise to Abraham still stands so do the other promises in the Scriptures.
In the 19th century, CrowFoot was the chief of the Siksika Indian tribe. He was known for his friendly relationship with the Canadian government.
When the government was building the Canadian Pacific Railroad, they told Crowfoot, if you give us the land we need, you can ride the railroad wherever and whenever you want.
They made a lifetime pass and presented it to Crowfoot in a case. He wore it around his neck the rest of his life.
The only problem us, as far as we know, he never stepped foot on the train.
A lot of Christians are like Crowfoot, they possess God’s promises, they put them on their fridge, they quote them on FaceBook, but they never actually stand on them.
Charles Spurgeon wrote, “God never gives us a promise that he doesn’t intend for us to use.”
During this time of fear and anxiety, we need to stand on the promises of God.
I love this stanza of the old hymn:
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
For those of you who are experiencing fear, stand on this promise:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)
For those of you walking through a dark valley, stand on this promise:
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
For those of you experiencing anxiety and need peace, stand on this promise:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)
For those feeling alone right now, stand on this promise:
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
If anyone feel like they are confused and worried as you look around you, stand on this promise:
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10)
If anyone is weighted down by your sins, stand on this promise:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
And if any of you doubt that God loves you, stand on the greatest promise of all:
“For God (the greatest good) so loved (the greatest action) the world (the greatest need) that he gave his one and only Son (the greatest sacrifice), that whoever (the greatest invitation), believes in him The greatest response) shall not perish (the greatest horror) but have eternal life (the greatest gift)” (John 3:16)
