This message was preached by Pastor Peter Finch. Peter was the founding pastor of Amazing Grace & now leads Ballyfermot Community Church in Dublin. The message focuses on the story of Issac opening old & new wells. While he faced opposition along the way God still made room for him at a place called Rehoboth & even those who had opposed him came to recognise God was with him. 

​Staying Free: A Letter to Recovering Pharisees (13)
Sermons on St. Paul's letter to the Galatians 
​Reading: Galatians 5:25-6:6

When Paul talks about being spiritual in this section of Galatians, he is not talking about self-discovery but how we love others. He has in mind the fruit of the Spirit flourishing in our everyday relationships & Christian community. He has in mind in how we deal with sinners & the burdened, how we view ourselves in relation to others & even how generous we are toward those who teach us God’s word. Paul wants us all to be spiritual people & in Christian terms spirituality is the Spirit's fruit in our lives & in our reading Paul gives five marks of how this fruit works it way out in Christian living – five marks of spiritual maturity!

In this section of Galatians St. Paul wants us to understand there is a kind of 'mortal kombat' going on within every Christian, a battle between the flesh & the Spirit! He introduces this idea in 5:16-18. The flesh symbolises our old sinful nature & the Spirit empowers our new righteous nature. In the following verses Paul then goes on to describe the works of the flesh in contrast to the fruit of the Spirit before finishing the Christian’s ‘fatality move’ on the flesh in verse 24. Along the way Paul encourages us, warns us & envisions us so that we accurately understand the spiritual reality we find ourselves in today as Christians.

​Paul has been writing to convince the Galatians not to give up their spiritual freedom in Christ for the spiritual tyranny of legalism! Galatians 5:1 expresses the heartbeat of Paul’s whole letter to the Galatians; “For freedom Christ has set us free..” Yet in this section Paul also wants his readers to understand that they are not only free from something but are also free for something. So in essence says; “Don’t lose or misuse your freedom.” For in Christ we are set free to truly love. This is what true freedom is for, this is what true freedom is & this is what true freedom looks like! 

​In this section Paul turns his readers back to the story of Abraham, but this time he focuses on a different part of the story (Gen 21:1-14). His purpose is to highlight that Abraham had two sons, one to a free woman & one to a slave woman. Firstly, he introduces this story as an OT account (21-23), then secondly, he uses it as powerful allegory (24-27) & thirdly he applies its truth directly to believers (28-31). So, we have the account, the allegory & the application. His whole point here is that we might see who we are in Christ & the freedom that is ours in him so that we “do not submit again to the yoke of slavery” (5:1)!

​In this section of Galatians, Paul is concerned the Galatian believers are returning to spiritual slavery. In the previous section he walked them through how God gloriously brought them from slavery to sonship; but in this section he expresses deep concern that they are falling back into slavery again. We find Paul asking three questions, which along with the verses around them, help us understand the situation troubling him. We also find three important values that will help us stay free from legalism. Things we can all personally prioritise as we begin a new year & new decade in Christ.    

There seems to be something about the Christmas season that draws people into Christian worship services more than any other time of the year, including those who seem far from faith in God. In Matthew 2:1-12 we read of men who would have grew up a long way from faith in the God of Israel & his coming Messiah. Yet they are drawn into the story of Christ’s birth by a star! These men were astrologers who came from a faraway pagan culture, & yet it is them & not the Jewish king or scribes who respond appropriately to Christ’s birth.

In Luke chapter one an angel appears to an elderly priest called Zechariah & then to a young betrothed woman called Mary. Both are unexpectedly promised a miracle son! Zechariah's son would become the forerunner of the Christ & Mary's Son would be the Christ himself. This sermon contrasts the very different responses of Zechariah & Mary to God's plan. Zechariah doubted & Mary believed, & yet God in his grace still fulfilled his word to both. 

In Galatians 3:26 St. Paul writes; “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” & then in 4:7 he writes; “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, & if a son, then an heir through God.” In between he tells us this was the very purpose of Christ’s coming (v5). In others words our adoption as sons was the end goal of the Incarnation!  As John Calvin powerfully summarised it; “The Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men might become sons of God.” Now as adopted sons of God we find ourselves clothed with Christ, one in Christ, heirs through Christ, redeemed by Christ & given the Spirit of Christ so that we can all equally & intimately know God as our Abba Father. 

In these verses Paul is continuing his argument that no one can be justified by works of the law but only through faith in Christ. He introduces the illustration of a covenant made between two human parties, which no one could change once ratified. He then brings his readers back to the story of God’s promise to Abraham. Paul’s argument is that, what holds true in human terms is even more true when it is God who does the ratifying. He wants believers to understand they are no longer imprisoned under law; instead, through their faith in the Promised One, they are now children of the promise! To help us understand he explains the power of the promise, the purpose of the law & the priority of faith in Christ. 

Chapter 3 of Galatians opens with an advertising term from the ancient Greek world. Paul uses the term to highlight that his ministry had been successful in winning the Galatians believers over to the gospel. However now they are foolishly falling for a rival message & Paul’s basic point is to challenge them to stay with the message they initially received. For the gospel is not only how you become a Christian but also how you continue to live the Christian life! In other words, the gospel is for life! To underline this Paul points back to the core message the Galatians had believed, then he asks five questions, before leaving his readers with two options.

In this part of Galatians the Apostle Paul recounts a time when he had to confront the Apostle Peter because his conduct was out of step with the gospel. We learn it is only by keeping in step with the truth of gospel that we are kept safe from the venomous snake of legalism & from getting lost along the trail of licentiousness. We're encouraged to keep in step with the gospel in three ways: 1. By standing for the gospel. 2. By remembering the gospel. 3. By living the life of the gospel.

Based on the story of the 12 Spies who went in to check out the Promised Land in Numbers 13, guest speaker Paul Dunn challenges us to ask three important questions. What’s in your mouth? What do you see? What’s in your heart? The message encourages us to be those who carry good news, whose perspective is based more on God’s promises than the challenges we may see in front of us. 

When it comes to Christian faith & practice “Where does authority reside?” If we are to be those who fight for the freedom of others in Christ as well as our own, then we need to know the answer to this question. Freedom from legalism & spiritual abuse, or from domineering religious hierarchies, systems or leadership is found in answering this question correctly! Paul’s answer to the question is that ultimately it resides in the gospel itself, not so much in those entrusted with it! This is one reason preserving the gospel is to be a primary priority of true Christianity. Also, it is only in the gospel that true Christian freedom & partnership can continue to exist & flourish.