Galatians Study - Lesson Two

Ambassador vs. Anathema

 

Galatians 1:1-12

August 26, 2007

Tyndale Class

 

Reviewing Paul's Conversion

Acts 9:1-9,17-22

 

-          Saul leads the parade of relative moralism and ceremonial law keeping

-          Associated with the Sanhedrin and courts of the High Priest

-          Paul was arrested by Grace in the midst of his persecution

-          Christ left him in darkness in part to expand the margins of his self examination having seen the Son of God

o   Paul's entire world was crashing down

o   God left him in darkness to prepare for the light

o   His apostleship was an experience of complete brokenness followed by divine calling to truth, redemptive love and a missional perspective toward the Gentiles

-          How is our conversion like that of Paul?

-          How is our sanctification accomplished in similar ways?

 

 

Paul The Apostle

 

-          Why does he start out with this claim and is it valid?

o   I Corinthians 9:1

-          Is his statement tinged with positional pride or arrogance?

o   I Corinthians 15:9

-          What is the role of the apostle in the early church?

o   I Corinthians 3:10-11

 

 

Grace And Peace – More Than Words – Romans 5:1-5

 

Grace

What do we know of the boundaries of Grace?

o   What can be added to it and it still retain its meaning

o   What limit's of God's grace

o   How does God administer Grace to his people?

§  Positionally

§  Conditionally

Peace

o   Where is the conflict?

o   What had to be accomplished to establish peace?

o   Is it a fragile peace?   Why or why not?

 

 

Sola Gratia – No Other Gospel

 

            Who initiates the work of salvation in a believer's life?

o   Romans 4:4-8

o   Justification "Just as if I never sinned….just as if I always did everything right"

o   Romans 8:28-30 – It is GOD alone who changes a heart

o   Even if angels suggested work that could be added to satisfy God's requirement

o   Where do we find a sort of "angel" that tempts us to seek to add to the work of God through Christ?

o   Sanctification – God's work of assimilation of our hearts/minds as new citizens of a foreign country – the new heaven and new earth

o   Why do we listen to voices that tell us:

§  You just need more discipline and you conquer your ______ problem…

§  You just don't take sin serious enough, you need to recognize that God is losing patience and has His limits……

§  If you read some more Christian books on the topic….

 

Paul gives the agitators no quarter

o   Philippians 3:2-4

o   The Greek word he uses in Galatians 1:8&9 is "anathema" which is the embodiment of a curse

o   Why does Paul make such a big deal about it?

    

No wide gate or easy road

o   Paul makes clear that he is not dumbing down the requirements for salvation to expand his group of followers

 

 

Paul's Words As Spoken To OMPC

 

            Where would he challenge our minds/hearts in this area?

 

            What is the most popular "alternative gospel" in your life this week?

 

 

Galatians Overview

Hallmark Epistle of Grace

I. What are the key themes of this book?

a. Justification by faith in Christ’s work has been the hope of all true Israel from Abraham until the time of the books writing

b. The law is powerless to save or to contribute anything to eternal hope

c. There can be no alternative or gray area to this truth – nothing can be added

d. We have a rich inheritance as Sons of God if we are united to Him – It is position in Christ vs. condition of our immediate circumstances.

e. The Spirit works with our spirit to deepen our sense of identity as citizens of a new heaven and earth and to break us free of the flesh

II. Who is Paul at the time of this writing

a. Well known leader for taking gospel to the Gentiles (1:16)

b. Former Pharisee and tormentor of the church (1:13)

c. Passionate apostle of Christ – not of other apostles (1:1)

III. Why did the zealots challenge Paul

a. They saw him as a threat to their sense of control on Christians in these churches so they tried to cast him as a renegade apostle

b. They were trying to “raise the bar” on first century Gentile Christians under pressure from Jewish groups in Judea who were becoming more intolerant of contact between Jews and Greeks.

IV. When was the book written

a. Many scholars think it was written to the southern Galatians and this would be shortly after his first missionary journey

b. Some scholars believe it was written to the northern provinces of Galatians and that would put it during or at the end of his third missionary journey (AD 54 or 55).

V. What are the similarities between the Galatians and OMPC

a. We struggle with the flesh that pushes an agenda of self centeredness and self sufficiency

b. Traditions and familiar customs cloud our understanding of Christ’s power

c. Key doctrines are key to our understanding and will be:

i. Gospel

ii. Justification

iii. Adoption

iv. Freedom

v. Grace

vi. Sovereignty

Parables

We have been focused on parables for the summer.  John Welch kicked off the series by defining parables.  

Mike Yates presented the Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Those are the Parabel of the sower, parable of the tares among wheat, parable of the mustard seed, parable of the leaven, parables of the hidden treasure, and parable of the costly pearl.

Mission: Possible

I don't know about you but I needed that message from Bob this morning.

Here are my notes from the two sermons on Mission: Possible form Daniel 2: 1-24

No matter what we face in life, financial crises, cancer, death, painful marriage, habitual sin, God has a plan to see us through and this passages helps us put our hearts in the right frame to be successful in whatever situation.

Choose to accept your mission with.....

1. Honest realism. Admit that problem is bigger and I don't have resources and need His help.
2. Patient understanding. V. 10 the astrologers are panicked. Daniel has deep discernment of what to do and the way around the crises.
(Week 2) see v. 14 Don’t run "old tapes" in your head. Do "new tapes" of the Gospel. Use power of the Holy Spirit to develop God's values in our lives.
3. Bold faith. Daniel goes in to request time with the king before he knows the interpretation of the dream. See v. 16.
4. Courageous initiative. Are we risk averse? Embrace risk. Will evil triumph? There is always a way out!! Daniel took risks. Are we playing not to loose or are we playing to win? Be willing to make big mold mistakes. See v 18 for courage of Daniel.
5. Enlisted community. V. 17. Daniel enlisted help. See Ecc. 4:9
6. Constant Prayer. God has not called us to have it together. He has called us to be incredibly bold in prayer. If your Private prayer life is not great. Learn to pray by being involved in corporate prayer. Daniel calls friends to pray. He was thrown to lions because he prayed in private but was noticed by authorities.
7. Visionary worship. Seeking God in worship weeks the soul and fertilizes the heart. Praise God for His greatness. Give Him thanks for His generosity.

The Parables of the Sower and the Soils

June 24, 2007



Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23; Mark 4:1-9, 13-20; Luke 8:4-8; 11-15

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, was trampled upon, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched because they had no moisture, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 18 "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: The farmer sows the seed, which is the Word of God. 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and desires for pleasures choke it, making it unfruitful. 23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man of noble and good heart, who hears the word, understands and retains it. By persevering he produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

The kingdom parables of Matthew 13


Sower and the Soils (1-9, 18-23) Means of growth – the Word heard and applied
Tares among wheat (24-30, 36-43) Kingdom subjects will coexist with those who do not believe
Mustard Seed (31-32) Kingdom growth will be spectacular
Leaven (33) The kingdom will pervade society
Hidden treasure (44) Kingdom subjects will recognize its value
Costly Pearl (45-46) Kingdom subjects are willing to sacrifice everything for its agenda
Dragnet (47-50) Kingdom subjects are to spread the gospel without discrimination
Householder (52) Kingdom teachers and their methods


The Parable of the Sower and the Soils

· Overview.
* The sower(s). (Psa 126:5-6, 1 Cor 3:6-7, James 5:7)
* The seed. (1 Pet 23-25)
* The soils. (Prov 4:23, 1 Sam 16:7, Rom 10:9-10)
* Does this parable have application only for salvation or also for the Christian life?
* Why does Jesus say that this parable is the key to understanding the rest?


· Seed sown on the path – the hardened heart.
* Who takes the seed away?
* What are the causes of hardened hearts?
* The remedy for a hard heart. (Hosea 10:12)


· Seed sown on the rocky places – the shallow heart.
* When the going gets tough….
* A theology of suffering. (1 Pet 1:6-7)
* Putting down deeper roots.


· Seed sown among thorns – the crowded heart.
* The cares of this world. (Luke 12:28-31)
* The deceitfulness of riches. (1 Tim 6:17)
* The pleasures of life. (Rom 13:13-14)
* When is a heart overcrowded?
* What are my thorns?

· Seed sown on good soil – the listening heart.
* Is there such a thing as a good heart?
* How does a person allow the seed to grow?
* What is the secret of a fruitful heart?
* What does it mean to produce fruit? (Psa 92:12-14, Luke 6:43, Col 1:10, Gal 5:22-23)


· Application.
* Ask ourselves - What is the hearing capacity of my heart?
* How do we improve our listening skills?

The Parables of our Lord

Introduction
June 17, 2007

All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable. Mat 13:34


What is a parable?

· Meaning.

* From the Greek parabole which means “to be placed alongside.”
* A story, a metaphor or a simile that puts the known next to the unknown so that we may learn. (Key word: …like…)
* A true-to-life comparison designed to make a motivating impression.
* Most of us tend to think in pictures and have difficulty grasping abstract ideas.

· Examples.

* Old Testament (2 Sam 12, Psalms, Proverbs.)
* New Testament (Gospels, Epistles, Revelation).
* Hymns and spiritual songs.
* Our pastor.
* Other.


Our Lord’s use of the parables in His teaching

· The Master Teacher and the Master’s primary method. (Mat 13:34)

“Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. John 3:2

O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables. (Psa 78:1-2)

· His message – the Kingdom of God.

* What is the kingdom of God?

* In scripture (Matthew 4:17, 5:20, 6:9-10, 6:33, 18:3, 19:2; John 18:36, Acts 1:3, Rom 14:17, 1 Cor 15:50, Col 1:13, Rev 11:15)
* Both present and future.
* Revealed and concealed(?) by Jesus. (Mt 13:35, 13:13-17)

· Sub-themes.

* The character of the kingdom. (Mustard Seed, Leaven, Hidden Treasure, Pearl of Great Price)
* The character of the King. (Workers in the Vineyard, Lost Sheep, Lost Son)
* The character of the King’s subjects. (Good Samaritan, Persistent Widow)

Studying the parables – “Have you understood all these things?” (Mt 13:51)

· Realize the kingdom focus of the parables.
· Ask what the parables reveal about God.
· Beware of allegorizing every detail of forcing deeper meanings.
· Study the context.
· Ask what the parables teach about how to live.
· Read the parables with “sanctified imagination,” placing yourself in the story. Tap into all your senses.





Quiz: Using the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, can you identify the everyday comparison used by our Lord along with or instead of using the following thesis statements?

A.Christians should influence their world
B.The Christian should deal ruthlessly with sin in his or her life
C.Benevolence should not be ostentatious
D.Fasting done to impress others will not be rewarded by God
E.Our deeds done for Christ should be more desired than that done for material wealth
F.Judging others only as you would judge yourself
G.Persistent prayer is powerful
H.Living for self is easy but destructive. Living for God is hard but life as it is meant to be
I.Does your life give evidence for others to know that you are a Christian
J.Following Jesus is the only sure way to get through the trials and tribulations of life

Thoughts on Revelation

Lee Meadows just finished up his discourse on the book of Revelation Sunday. This was an interesting review of an even more interesting book--Revelation. I have a better appreciation of the book now, especially after Lee said he reads it devotionally. He does that because it gives him hope--it is a book of hope. What a hope we have!!!

Here is a synopsis of what I took away from this study:

• Read it devotionally
• There are 7 cycles, the same story is repeated 7 times
• Revelations is symbolic
• The Sea represents people and languages
• The Woman represents the World
• We are persecuted in the West by 'materialism' Materialism cuts us off from intimacy with Chirst and our brothers and sisters
• Jesus rides a white horse
• the 7 seals seal the scroll of history