Devil, You Can’t Have My Promise!

Text: Galatians 3:1–9 (ESV)

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Paul asks several questions and in answering, provides a powerful defense of the Gospel of Grace.

Question One: “Did you receive the Spirit by works or by faith?” (vs 2)

“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith (Galatians 3:8–9 (ESV)).

NEVER FORGET… GOD’S PROMISES TO YOU PREDATE YOU

Paul uses the word “promise” 8 times
(Verses 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 29)

Promise – a pledge that obligates the pledger to follow through

We have these great and precious promises!

  • “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11
  • “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” – Romans 8:29
  • “He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” – Ephesians 1:5
  • “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” – Ephesians 2:4-5
  • “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10

Before you doubt if God will do it, remember He’s already done it!

Question Two: Are you trusting His Spirit or your flesh? (v 3)

“Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith’ (Galatians 3:10–11 (ESV)).

NEVER FORGET… THE AMAZING GRACE OF GOD IS A GIFT SO GREAT, IT TAKES GREAT FAITH TO BELIEVE IT.

Paul asks later… “What was the purpose of the law?” (Vs 19)

The Law was our guardian or guide (vs 24)

  1. Revealing Sin (Romans 3:20)
  2. Pointing to Christ (Galatians 3:19-25).
  3. Disciplining (Galatians 3:23).
  4. Preparing for Grace (Galatians 3:24-25).

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Religion always says “achieve,” while grace says “receive”

Grace is God’s part, faith is my part.

Question Three: Does God respond to your faith or your fruit? (vs 5)

15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

NEVER FORGET… BEFORE MOUNT SINAI THERE WAS MOUNT MORIAH

Genesis 15:2–6 (ESV) 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Grace and Faith came before Law and Moses

Everything we receive in the kingdom of God comes by way of faith

Our greatest “work” will be walking the long road of faith while chasing away the inevitable birds of prey that come to steal away our promise

The Lord cut a covenant with Abraham in an ancient ceremony involving the sacrifice of five animals.

Those Birds Of Prey… We doubt

  • The Timing
  • Our worthiness
  • The circumstances
  • What we see or don’t see with our eyes
  • Our history
  • Our Knowledge
  • His Goodness (fear)
  • His Victory (spiritual warfare)
  • Our Weakness

Don’t let anyone steal your promise!

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