Introduction
In the early 1930’s the US had a problem. Crime had run amok. The prohibition of alcohol in the 1920’s had given rise to pervasive organized crime. A frightened public demanded a response, and the government wanted to send a message to criminals. Their message was named Alcatraz. A tiny island in San Francisco which had previously been used as a military prison. From 1934 to 1962 Alcatraz housed some of our nation’s most notorious outlaws including Al Capone.
Thirty-six prisoners were involved in escape attempts: 7 shot and killed, 2 drowned, 5 unaccounted for, the rest recaptured. 2 prisoners made it off the island but were returned, As for the June 1962 escape, Morris and the Anglin brothers were successful in escaping both the institution and the island, but survival is very questionable.
The rock was one of the most successful examples ever of an escape-proof prison. But there is one prison even more inescapable and it is the one referred to in the Scripture we just read in Galatians: The bondage of sin.
The passage for today is a continuation of the discussion from two weeks ago in which the Apostle Paul was responding to some teachers who said that the way to escape sin’s shackles was through obedience to a strict set of rules known as the law of Moses. We call these teachers the Judaizers, because basically they were teaching that to become truly Christian one must conform outwardly to the Jewish law.
Paul’s response to these teachers is that the law is not a way to escape the bondage of sin, rather faith in Christ, trusting in His sacrifice on the cross as a payment for sin is the only way to be set free from sin’s bondage and consequences. In today’s text he furthers that argument by pointing out that his teaching isn’t a new concept, but the same thing God has always asked for.
Now let me say up front that today’s message is not exactly the same kind you’re used to hearing from me, it will be more directly theological and , and the application to your daily life may not be readily apparent. There are no "three steps to freedom" but I trust that you’ll agree that the importance of the message cannot be overstated, the three goals that I do have for each of you here today are:
1. that you will gain a deeper understanding of God’s Grand Plan of Grace throughout history, which will enhance your entire understanding of Scripture from this point forward,
2. That this understanding will cause your faith to grow and you will snuggle just a little bit deeper into god’s grace resting in the sufficiency of Christ and
3. That this increased faith will cause you to exercise your freedom in Christ to serve Him more and more.
Interrogative: The primary questions we seek to answer are: How does the Law of Moses relate to the Promise to Abraham, and how does each apply to our new life in Christ?
Transition: So lets get to it, the text breaks clearly into two divisions, the first relating to the relationship of the Law to God’s promise to Abraham and the second relating to the purpose of the Law. First let’s look at...
1. The Priority of the Promise (vv. 15-18).
This first section deals with the fact that the Promise that God made to Abraham to bless the world through his offspring is both more important than and previous to the Law that was given through Moses. First let’s look at the fact that
A. Law does not Set Aside the Promise (v. 17).
"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."
If you and I made a deal for me to buy your house, signed a contract and at closing I said I can’t pay what I said I would, that wouldn’t fly would it?
Paul is saying that’s the same deal here, God made a deal with Abraham based on his trust in God--his faith. The blessing was based upon that faith. God would not have come along later to Abe’s offspring and said, OK new deal now it’s got to be faith PLUS obedience to these standards if you want the blessing I promised to Abraham.
Yet, that’s exactly what the Judaizers had said to the Christians in Galatia, OK you were saved by Grace through trusting in Jesus, but now if you want new life you’ve got to follow these rules. It’s not fair even in human understanding, surely God isn’t trying to pull a slick one.
Second, the Promise has priority because it is a...
B. The promise is a Gift not a Reward (v. 18).
"For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise."
Paul says look a promise is a promise, a gift is a gift, you don’t make someone pay for a gift. And God hasn’t asked us to earn salvation as a reward for following a rulebook--that would make it a matter of human effort and not God’s Grace.
Thirdly, Paul brings the promise forward to us by making the point that...
C. The promise is fulfilled in Christ v. 16).
"The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ."
This is the bottom line, Paul is saying flat out, the promise to Abraham was to be fulfilled ultimately in Christ. The law may have foreshadowed Christ, but ultimately it was a stopgap measure to get God’s people from the time of the promise, until it’s fulfillment in Jesus when the time was right. The promise, given upon the basis of faith was the promise of Jesus, and the law doesn’t change that.
ILLUSTRATION: Say that I bought a new Mercedes luxury sedan and while I was waiting for it to arrive from the factory, the dealer gave me one of these smart cars to drive. Should I be satisfied with the smart car when the sedan has arrived? Of course not, I’d be living below the level of the promise. I’m trading the smart car for the nice car.
So we see the Promise has priority over the Law, because it preceded it and the Law was just meant to carry God’s people through until the promise was fulfilled gloriously in Christ.
Now the second section shows us more specifically...
2. The Purpose of the Law (vv. 19-25).
The first function of the law is to
A. Show the Expectations of a Holy God (v. 19a).
"What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come."
Because of transgression here means to help us understand what transgression is. To help us understand something about the nature of God. We get a glimpse of His holiness in the law. Much of the law given through Moses is intended to show us simply that, God is great, far above and beyond us, we need to purify ourselves and let him purify us if we are to be his people.
Another thing the law demonstrates is that God is Lord, He is free to make the rules as he sees fit.
And finally and I think most often the Law simply reflects the fact that God more than anyone else understands how he intended for creation to work. The moral requirements of the law and even some of the external requirements of the law are just because that’s the way it’s meant to work. God’s prohibition of sex outside of marriage is not some attempt at cosmic party pooping but because God understands both the physical and emotional havoc that promiscuity wreaks upon his creation. God says don’t steal because society doesn’t work otherwise. Take a Sabbath because you need it. Clean your food and avoid certain kinds because you’ll get sick otherwise.
So that’s the first purpose of the Law to help us understand what God requires of us, usually for our own good and also to help us understand Him. The second purpose of the law was to...
B. Put us in Protective Custody (vv. 22-23).
"But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed."
This is a fascinating turn here. The real bondage is the bondage of sin, it’s physical, emotional and spiritual consequences, we desperately needed to be protected from. The solution was the law, but then the law puts us into another prison, the prison of the law. Do this don’t do that. Put into prison for our own protection, until Paul says, faith is revealed.
Now those who have put their faith in Christ are no longer under sin’s bondage, nor the Law’s bondage. We have been set free.
Does that mean then that I’m free to sin? That can be a complicated question, but at least the main part of the answer is simple: "What are you crazy?" Do you remember the reason I said much of the law had been given because God understands what our needs are.
Just because I don’t have anyone telling me to check my oil, doesn’t mean I don’t have to do it. Just because I’m not bound by the law of the Sabbath doesn’t mean it makes sense to violate it, Just because I’m not bound by the law of the tithe doesn’t mean that I don’t have a need to practice that principle in my life--not for God’s need but for my need.
In the next verse down Paul refers to the law as a schoolmaster. Now when the student is set free from the schoolmaster, he can choose to ignore all he learned but that would be foolish.
So the law kept God’s people in protective custody until Christ came to set them free and finally the law has the purpose of
C. Leading us to Christ (v. 24).
"So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith."
This is the schoolmaster metaphor here. The picture is that the law helps us to understand our desparate need for grace. Following the law is a harsh way to live, especially if we do it with the sense of trying to earn God’s favor. The law of Moses in particular was a harsh schoolmaster, The incredible holiness of God revealed in the law would make any thinking person realize how sadly even the best human attempts at holiness fall short. Paul in another letter talks about his attempts at right living and being filthy rags, worse yet manure.
The law makes us ready for grace. And I think that’s true even of natural law or the law that’s written inside each of us, the work of the Holy Spirit in convicting us of sin is not unlike this use of the law. The oppressing burden of our sinful state helps us shed our pride and fall at the foot of the cross desparate for grace, grace that God is anxious to give--in keeping with his promise to Abraham--and in the same way as he blessed Abraham, by faith.
CONCLUSION
Our sin bound us, the law keeps us shackled still but Christ sets us free...
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death" -Romans 8:1
The law of the spirit of life sets us free from condemnation under the law and sets us free to live in the grip of grace, not in the grip of sin.
Let’s get back to those three goals I set out at the beginning
1. I pray that as you reflect on what you’ve heard this morning you will understand that God’s redemptive plan throughout Scripture and history has been to Bless those who trust in Him, and that this will bring greater insight and joy to your study of Scripture.
2. Further I hope that understanding this will cause your faith to grow abundantly and that you will find yourself more firmly resting in the sufficiency of Christ for your salvation and acceptance before God and Finally
3. That this increased faith will free you to serve Him not grudgingly but lavishly, excited each morning to think of new ways to please your wonderful Savior
We began with a look at prison known as the ROCK-- Alcatraz--we conclude with the freedom of the one known as the ROCK of salvation. May we ever use our freedom to serve him gladly.
