Sermon Text: Galatians 3:19-22 Theme: The law of God accomplishes its purpose not by justifying sinners from its curse, but by showing them their need for Christ to deliver them. Structure/points: Paul has been arguing that the law of God is incapable of saving sinners; only by faith in Jesus is anyone justified. But why then did God give the law? What…
Confessing Historic Reformation Christianity: Salvation by Grace Alone, Through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone, Founded on Scripture Alone, for the Glory of God Alone.
Confessing Historic Reformation Christianity: Salvation by Grace Alone, Through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone, Founded on Scripture Alone, for the Glory of God Alone.
Galatians
Sermon Text: Galatians 3:15-18 Theme: The promise of God to bless Abraham’s offspring remains unaltered by the introduction of the law, so that everyone with faith like Abraham’s shall receive the promised inheritance. Structure/points: As we’ve seen in the last few weeks, Paul has been reminding the Galatian churches of their justification. Since Christ had been crucified, they’d been forgiven of their…
Sermon Text: Galatians 3:10-14 Theme: The law’s curse rests upon all who have failed to keep it perfectly, but Christ became a curse to redeem all whose faith rests upon Him so that they could receive the blessing of Abraham. Structure/points: Why is Paul still hammering home that we are only justified by faith and not works of the law? And why…
Sermon Text: Galatians 3:1-9 Theme: When Christians neglect the truth of their salvation in Christ, they must remember that it is only those who hear the gospel with faith who receive the blessings promised to the sons of Abraham, apart from the works of the law. Structure/points: Over the last few weeks, we’ve been blessed to read Paul’s declaration of the gospel…
Sermon Text: Galatians 2:17-21 Theme: The Christian’s unity to Jesus in His crucifixion means that by faith he must consider himself dead to the law and alive to God only through Christ, lest he nullify God’s grace by trusting in his own righteousness. Structure/points: It should have been a tremendous encouragement for Paul to write to the Galatians about their justification in…
Sermon Text: Galatians 2:15-16 Theme: The gospel reveals the grace of God by proclaiming that, whether Jew or Gentile, Christians are justified, only by believing in Christ, who died to take away their sins, not by any works of the law Structure/points: Galatians 2:15-16 serves as the thesis of the letter to the Galatians. If you understand Paul’s teaching here, you’ll understand…
Sermon Text: Galatians 2:11-14 Theme: The gospel which Christ gave Paul possesses authority to rebuke even the pillars of the Church when they undermine the truth of the gospel through hypocritical behavior. Structure/points: The events of Galatians 2:11-14 are troubling to consider. How could it be that one of Christ’s apostles found it necessary to oppose another apostle in public? When Paul…
Sermon Text: Galatians 2:1-10 Theme: Despite pressure from false Christians to add to the gospel message and bring believers into bondage, the Church confirms the consistent teachings of the Apostle Paul, that salvation comes by God’s grace alone to all who believe. Structure/points: Among other slanders lobbed at Paul, the heretics in Galatia seem to have been trying drive a wedge between…
Sermon Text: Galatians 1:11-24 Theme: Paul’s testimony of his miraculous conversion to faith through God’s gracious revelation of Jesus convinces the church that the gospel he preached was given to him by God apart from any human mediation. Structure/points: Even in the earliest days of the Church, opponents of the gospel were pitting Jesus against the Apostles. Throughout Galatia, the Judaizing heretics…
Sermon Text: Galatians 1:6-10 Theme: Whenever a false gospel is introduced within the community of God’s people, the Church must stand upon the exclusive claims of the gospel they received from Christ and reject false teachers as those under God’s judgment. Structure/points: Most of Paul’s letters contain a section of thanksgiving for the churches he wrote to, praising God for the saving…