“Be Free” Part 12 – Galatians 4:12-20
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This Sunday, Sam Nair preached from Galatians 4:12-20. Paul’s mood in these verses is different from the rest of the book of Galatians. In these verses, the apostle Paul comes over as weak and broken pleading almost begging for the church in Galatia to change.
Before their conversion to Christianity many in the church in Galatia were pagans. They strived to please their various gods/goddesses. When Paul came and preached the gospel, they were excited by it. But soon Jewish believers came and told them that they needed to follow Jewish customs to be a Christian. Paul was anxious for them as they were struggling with two opposing and equally controlling influences. On one hand they grappled with their pagan religion on the other hand they were struggling over the need to embrace Judaism. Very much a “Catch-22” situation.
We too come with past lives that constantly affect our present life. We are also continually bombarded by the media telling us what we must do to live a “good” life. Not all of these things line up with our beliefs as Christians. We are in a constant day to day battle in our minds over these things. How must a Christians live in a world like this? We looked at 3 areas: Access, Attitude and Action to help answer this question.
Access
The biggest thing that satan wages against us in is our access to God. We get bogged down by all the baggage we carry in our lives and start to believe the enemy’s whispers when he says “we are not good enough” or “God will never accept you because of that.” These lies are the enemy’s attempt to destroy our access route to God. Paul had taught the Galatians and teaches us that as Christians our acceptance by God is unconditional. We should not let the enemy lie to us. We can come boldly before the throne of grace. Our pasts do not matter – Hebrews 4:14-16.
We have access to God through Jesus. God wants more than this. He wants a relationship an intimate relationship with us. It is in our relationship with God alone that we can find joy, hope, provision and see our lives being transformed. We suffer an identity crisis. We do not understand that God is incredibly fond of us – God likes us a lot! God only asks for one thing from us – that is for us to relate to him in love. You need to believe that “what God says about you is who you are.”
You have access but God wants a relationship with you – an intimate relationship with you. In that relationship alone you will find joy, hope, provision, transformation.
Attitude and Action
When Paul first visited Galatia (Galatians 4:13-16) he was ill. In the Jewish worldview at that time illness was seen as punishment from God. Most scholars believe that Paul’s illness was an eye problem so severe that it disfigured him – a very visible problem. Despite that he was accepted. So why the sudden shift in attitude? Paul saw that the Galatians were caught in the grip of legalism. They were trying to walk a tightrope to gain God’s favour. Our salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
The Galatians now had a mix of grace and a bit of the law. Grace is undeserved unmerited favour from God. When we have a legalistic attitude we view ourselves and others differently. When we don’t live in grace we live in fear. Our lives can become devoid of grace, when this happens we “become greater than God.” We need to remember to live by grace and remember to treat others too by the grace we have received. We need to treat each other with the same kindness.
The Church is full of broken people that pretend to be saints. We are all broken people. The gospel is “One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” Church is the place where you come to celebrate grace. Grace is the backbone of Hope Church Newham. We need to get to grips with this. We need to make Hope Church a place where we are patient with one another. We need to always remember that we if it wasn’t for the Lord we are quite messed up people. The only reason we are here [church] is to celebrate grace and to get Jesus inside us.
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Galatians 4:12-20
12 Brothers, [1] I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of the blessing you felt? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? [2] 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. (ESV)
Latest sermons from this series
- “Be Free” Part 20 – Review (2 Apr 12)
- “Be Free” Part 19 – Galatians 6:11-18 (26 Mar 12)
- “Be Free” Part 18 – Galatians 6:6-10 (12 Mar 12)
- “Be Free” Part 17 – Galatians 6:1-5 (4 Mar 12)
- “Be Free” Part 16 – Galatians 5:16-25 (27 Feb 12)
- “Be Free” Part 15 – Galatians 5:13-15 (19 Feb 12)
- “Be Free” Part 14 – Galatians 5:1-12 (12 Feb 12)
- “Be Free” Part 13 – Galatians 4:21-31 (29 Jan 12)
- “Be Free” Part 12 – Galatians 4:12-20 (22 Jan 12)
- “Be Free” Part 11 – Galatians 4:1-11 (15 Jan 12)
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