Sermon Tone Analysis

*We’re going to continue on the book of Galatians last time we took up what is called PAUL’S THRONE IN THE FLESH, because of what Paul had written in (GAL 4).

The week before that we ended with (GAL 4:16) so let’s pick up from there.

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*I) **GAL 4:17-20*

*A) **In **(V 17)** where Paul says, **“They zealously affect you, but not well… *

*1) **The **“THEY”** in that **V** **refers** **to** the **legalistic Judaizers.

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*(a) **The **legalistic Judaizers** **wanted to get** the **Galatians** **away from following after Paul’s teachings;** they wanted to separate them from Paul.

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*(b) **The **NIV** does a good job in translating this.

It says, **“Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good.

What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them.”**

(GAL 4:17) NIV*

*2) **In **(V 18)** Paul says, **“It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.” *

*(a) **Paul** is **telling us** that it is **good to have a zeal** **in good things.**

Well, it’s good to have a zeal about the things of God.

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*(b) **So often **when we 1st ** get **born again** **we** **have** a **zeal** for the things of God, but **after time** our **zeal begins** to **weaken**.

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*(i) **But **Paul is telling us** in this V that it **good to have a zeal** for the things of God, and we **shouldn’t** let it **waver**.

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*3) **But **notice** the **last part** of **(V 18)** it says, **“And not only when I am present with you.”** *

*(a) **Many times,** when we **have** a **guest speaker** **we get excited** and on fire for the things of God, but only during the time that the minister is there, but as **soon as he leaves** our **zeal** **begins to weaken**.

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*(b) **We should **always be excited about** the **things of God**.

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*B) **Now in **(GAL 4:19)** Paul says, **“My little children, of whom I travail (labor) in birth again until Christ be formed in you.”**

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*1) **If** you were to **read** this over **quickly** **you** would **think** that Paul was **TRAVAILING** **(**which is **prayer and intercession)** **for** their **NEW BIRTH,** but that’s **not what Paul is saying.

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*(a) **The **Galatians** **were** already **born again.**

So what did Paul mean? *

*2) **Paul** prayed and **interceded** for the **Galatians ONCE** **for** their **SALVATION**, but **now** he said that he is **TRAVAILING AGAIN UNTIL CHRIST BE FORMED IN YOU.

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*(a) **Paul prayed for them that they would be **transformed into the image of Christ**, that they would **not** **walk as the world walks,** that they would not do things that the world does things.

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*(b) **Paul prayed that they would be separate, giving up their worldliness and walk the Christian walk.

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*(c) **This should be a lesson for us today.

**When someone is born again** into the family of God, that’s **not the time to stop praying for them.**

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*(i) **Tests,** **trials,** **temptations,** **and** the **obstacles** that the **enemy throws up before us** **can overcome all of us** and **especially** **NEW BELIEVERS.

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*(ii) **We need to **pray 1 for another**.

Never give up praying for your brothers and sisters in the Lord.

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*3) **In **(V 20)** Paul says, **“I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.” kjv*

*(a) **The **NIV** makes it a little clearer, it Say, **“How I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!”*

*(b) **In this letter **Paul is not being gently with the Galatians.

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*(i) **Sometimes **love has to be tough.**

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*(c) **Paul uses some tough words** in the **book of Galatians**, **trying to get them to realize their error.**

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*(i) **In **(Galatians 3:1)** **Paul says**, **“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth.”**

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*(ii) **But listen to it from the **PHILLIPS translation.**

**“O you dear IDIOTS of Galatia,** **who saw Jesus Christ the crucified so plainly, who has been casting a spell over you?” *

*(d) **Now** in **(GAL 4:20)** **Paul makes it clear** that he **doesn’t like** **speaking** to them **in that tone of voice.

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*(i) **The **only reason** that **he has done so** is that he **has some real doubts about their commitment.

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*II) **GAL 4:21-31*

*A) **To put this very quickly without spending a lot of time on it, **Paul is speaking to** **those that wanted to keep the OT law** **and still be a Christian.

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*1) **But so often** in the book of Galatians Paul **explains** that **that concept doesn’t work.**

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*2) **In **(GAL 4:31)** he says, **“So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.”**

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*(a) **He **again** **explains** that **we are free from the LAW.

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*III) **GAL 5:1-5*

*1) **In the last chapter** **we saw that both** **Ishmael and Isaac** were **offspring of Abraham,** **yet each represents a totally different approach to God.** *

*(a) **Ishmael,** the **child of the flesh,** **represents the works of the flesh,** while **Isaac,** the **child of the promises,** **represents the grace of God.

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*(b) **For a time** **both lived in the same household, growing up together** in their father’s home.

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*(i) **But there came a time** **when the child of the flesh** was **cast out in order to give way to the child of promise.

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*2) **This illustration is revealed** in the **last part of chapter 4,** **but the illustration is of the LAW** **and** **the ABRAHAMIC COVENANT,** **or** the **covenant of promise.

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*B) **Just as Isaac was promised to Abraham and Sarah before the birth of Ishmael**, **Isaac,** **the promised son was born after Ishmael.

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*1) **Ishmael represents the LAW,** **where Isaac represents the Covenant of Promise** or the **Abrahamic Covenant.**

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*2) **Abraham as given the Promise** **before the Law ever came on the scene.**

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*(a) **That’s why the LAW,** the **ILLEGITIMATE SON,** **(Ishmael),** ha**d to give way to the SON OF PROMISE,** **THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT** **which was a product of faith.**

**(Isaac).*

*(b) **Now Paul said, in **(GAL 5:1)** **“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”**

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*(i) **Christ has made us free from the law of sin and death.**

**What sense is it to go back to keeping the law?** **Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.

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*3) **In the next few Vs** **Paul again tells us that the works of the law** **do not profit,** they are really works of flesh.

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*4) **In **(V 5)** **we see** a **little change** in **what Paul is talking about.

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*(a) **He says, **(Galatians 5:5)** **“For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.”**

KJV *

*(b) **Basically what Paul is telling them to be patient;** **their righteous will be revealed,** **not by their attempts at self-righteousness,** **but through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ** who imputes righteousness.

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*/Galatians#13 Gal 4:17-5:5.docx/*

*WOLCC Thursday 6~/12~/1997*