Galatians #3
Notes
Transcript
1 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”?
Start with David Blaine — MJ and Lakers
Magicians confound us.
Dad and blowing the baseball hat… and me walking around blowing on my thumb
When you mistake magic for reality, you’ll become a fool… walking around blowing on your thumb...
When you mistake magic for reality, you’ll become a fool… walking around blowing on your thumb...
1 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?
A Picture of Jesus and the Cross was publicly portrayed — in plain sight… before your eyes… no tricks/no gimmicks… no bewitching.
A Picture of Jesus and the Cross was publicly portrayed — in plain sight… before your eyes… no tricks/no gimmicks… no bewitching.
The Trick the agitators had them distracted with was that the cross of Jesus was just another addition on the road of salvation history.
Abe to Noah to Patriarchs to Moses to David to prophets to jesus
For Paul, the cross is the central event that transforms and defines all of existence — and the Galatians had not yet come to that view.
Jesus coming significantly shifts everything — including the role, power, presence of the law.
Deatrick’s group a few weeks ago — “What about Christian music?”
And that is what agitators — magicians!! — do: they take your eyes and focus them on the most mundane things --
And that is what agitators — magicians!! — do: they take your eyes and focus them on the most mundane things --
A deck of cards
A quarter
A $20 bill
a top hat
a girl in a leotard wearing a cape
Not to miss Paul’s argument:
Not to miss Paul’s argument:
Circumcision
Pork or lamb
Flag day, Columbus day, and Arbor Day — celebrate em
In a room with kids, I’m gonna say it exactly the way I mean it --
In a room with kids, I’m gonna say it exactly the way I mean it --
Agitating Bewitching magicians/teachers/preachers/rabbis have emerged with their capes and wands and pretty assistants and smoke machines and gathered a crowd and said, “Anyone… anyone have a foreskin? Have you and I ever met before? That is no good… but I’m here and we can deal with this trouble friend with the wave of my hand… and all will be made right.”
And everyone jumps around because the magician is good with a deck of cards/a quarter/a top hat.
But Paul… Paul breaks up their party and reminds them of the portrait of Jesus crucified on the cross that changes all of human existence for all time… because of His work of the Spirit… which is deeper/broader/wider/more rugged than anything the flesh can or could ever ever ever do.
But Paul… Paul breaks up their party and reminds them of the portrait of Jesus crucified on the cross that changes all of human existence for all time… because of His work of the Spirit… which is deeper/broader/wider/more rugged than anything the flesh can or could ever ever ever do.
You don’t need a dose of magic! You need a mountain-moving faith brimming, audacious hope flowing, unconditional love prompting viewing of the picture of Jesus placed in full view for all to see.
27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.
Can you imagine if we set up a table here today and we all came and placed the areas of our lives/stories/histories/thoughts that we are most invested in hiding or holding or whatever… we placed them right on the table:
The business woman who has embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from her office
The guy who mistreated his step-sister when younger
The girl who had the abortion
The parent who mistreats their kid
The one buried in addictions
The one who has had affairs
The lonely… the guilty… the afraid… the ashamed… so deep… so lost… so bankrupt...
And if you leave us to our own devices — we will find a way to find and swim in more shallow, distracted pools where a deck of cards and the music we listen to are the stuff we are bewitched by.
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?