1 Route 66 Understanding Galatians Dr. Stephen

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1 Route 66 Understanding Galatians Dr. Stephen Rummage, Senior Pastor Bell Shoals Baptist Church May 24, 2017 Galatians 1:6 (ESV) I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— Galatians 5:4 (ESV) You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. Galatians 5:5 (ESV) For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. Structure of Galatians 1. Personal: Grace and the Gospel (1-2) 2. Doctrinal: Grace and the Law (3-4) 3. Practical: Grace and the Christian Life (5-6) Keeping in Step with the Spirit Galatians 5:16-25 Galatians 5:16 (ESV) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:17 (ESV) For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Galatians 5:18 (ESV) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:19 (ESV) Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, Galatians 5:20 (ESV) idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, Galatians 5:21 (ESV) envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:22 (ESV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

2 Galatians 5:23 (ESV) gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:24 (ESV) And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:25 (ESV) If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 1. The Activity of Walking in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 (ESV) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Ephesians 5:18 (ESV) And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 2. The Advantage of Walking in the Spirit Galatians 5:17 (ESV) For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Galatians 5:18 (ESV) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Romans 7:18 (ESV) For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 3. The Antithesis of Walking in the Spirit Galatians 5:19 (ESV) Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, Galatians 5:20 (ESV) idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, Galatians 5:21 (ESV) envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Romans 8:13 (ESV) For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 4. The Attributes of Walking in the Spirit

3 Galatians 5:22 (ESV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Galatians 5:23 (ESV) gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 5. The Ability of Walking in the Spirit Galatians 5:24 (ESV) And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:25 (ESV) If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Understanding Galatians Meaning: Named for the recipient of the letter Author: Paul Audience: Believed to be the entire providence of Galatia, the churches Paul had founded during his first journey. Date of Writing: 49 or 55 AD Theme: Shows that the believer is no longer under the law but is saved by faith alone. Key Verses: Galatians 5: 16-25 Structure of Galatians I.

Personal: Grace and the Gospel (1-2) a. Grace Declared in Paul’s Message (1:1-10) b. Grace Demonstrated in Paul’s Life (1:11-24) c. Grace Defended in Paul’s Ministry (2:1-21)

II.

Doctrinal: Grace and the Law (3-4) a. Personal Argument from Experience (3:1-5) b. Scriptural Argument from Abraham’s Life (3:6-14) c. Logical Argument (3:15-29) d. Dispensational Argument (4:1-11) e. Sentimental Argument (4:12-18) f. Allegorical Argument (4:19-31)

III.

Practical: Grace and the Christian Life (5-6) a. Liberty, Not Bondage (5:1-5) b. The Spirit, Not Flesh (5:16-26) c. Others, Not Self (6:1-10) d. God’s Glory, Not Man’s Approval (6:11-18)

Route 66: The Highway of Redemption from Genesis to Revelation Bell Shoals Baptist Church - Dr. Stephen Rummage, Senior Pastor

Grace vs. The Law The Galatian believers, under pressure from Jewish legalists, were considering rejecting the gospel of grace and reverting back to dependence on the Mosaic Law for salvation. Paul wrote this letter to outline the dramatic differences between the two approaches to God.

Grace …

Law …

is based on faith (2:16).

is based on works (2:16).

justifies sinful men (2:16, 17).

is incapable of resulting in justification (2:16; 3:11).

begins and ends with Christ (2:20).

makes Christ nothing (5:3).

is the way of the Spirit (3:2, 3, 14).

is the way of the flesh (3:3).

is a “blessing” (3:14).

is a “curse” (3:13).

is God’s desired end for His people (3:23-25).

was intended to be only a means to an end (3:23-25).

results in intimacy with Christ (3:27).

results in estrangement from Christ (5:4).

makes one a son of God and an heir of Christ (4:6, 7).

keeps one a slave (4:7).

brings liberty (5:1).

results in bondage (5:1).

depends on the power of the Holy Spirit (5:16-18, 22, 23).

depends on human effort (5:19-21).

is motivated by love (5:13, 14).

is motivated by pride (6:3, 13, 14).

centers on the cross of Christ (6:12-14).

centered on circumcision (5:11; 6:12-15).

Source: The Nelson Study Bible : New King James Version. Nashville : T. Nelson Publishers, 1997

Route 66: The Highway of Redemption from Genesis to Revelation Bell Shoals Baptist Church - Dr. Stephen Rummage, Senior Pastor