Text: Galatians 1:1-5 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers and sisters with me, To the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Main Idea: The Point is Jesus!
We are gathered here this morning to acknowledge, to affirm and to appreciate. To acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, to affirm our faith in Him as our Savior and to appreciate His love for us and embrace it.
To those ends we look at three phrases from our text passage:
1. (Vs. 1) “Raised Him from the dead”
So important to remember we serve a risen Savior.
Paul wrote as a man to whom Jesus had personally appeared. His existence as an apostle was based on being commissioned by the risen Christ. That existence was anything but easy.
• See 2 Corinthians 11. “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one…”
• The only reason he endured being a target for persecution and didn’t just take refuge in an obscure and quiet life is because he said he was sent by Jesus Christ.
2. (Vs. 4) “Gave Himself for our sins”
The most important question about Jesus’ coming to earth is what was His purpose? Jesus answered that question in Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
The second most important question is “Why?”
From Charles Wesley hymnwriter of the 18th century
He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
It was love. Only love.
• Disappointment, discouragement, disconnected are normal feelings but never let the evil one deceive you into doubting God’s love for you.
• That is the ONLY reason He came to earth. That is the ONLY reason He gave His life.
3. (Vs. 4) Rescued us from the present evil age.
By making us citizens of heaven though we are residents of earth.
By giving us a different orientation to the world, by His Spirit.
By giving us different tools to process our experience here.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 – sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit
We are sanctified instantly in the sense that our sins are forgiven. We are sanctified progressively in the sense that God is working to help us to understand and embrace our new identity as His children.
• Don’t define yourself by your weakest character area.
• Don’t define yourself by your strongest character area.
• Instead, it is both wiser and safer to define yourself by your status in Christ.
Don’t forget the people support the Lord is providing to help preserve us from being active participants in the present age.
[The View from My Place] Though there have been periods in history when for various reasons our social agreements have changed, the basic nature of people, our inner condition, has been in decline from the beginning. … (2 Timothy 3:1-5)… Therefore, while it is good and responsible to be socially active and work to make life better for us and posterity, the hope of believers is not in the world becoming a better place, but that God’s eternal purposes will be accomplished despite the condition of the world. And our job each day is simply to be an instrument of God that conveys His love and light to each person we encounter and in all the ways He directs us.
• Not to “fix” this age, but to rescue people through our representation of Christ. Through our ambassadorship in Him (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Why doesn’t God do something about it?
He did. He is. He sent a rescue team of One. THE One. A Savior, Christ the Lord. To save us from our own sins in this world, to rescue us from contributing to this evil age, and to prepare a place for us in the world to come. His eternal kingdom.
That list in 2 Timothy 3 is one of several lists of indictments against mankind. And we were once among the indicted. But not anymore. Not in Christ. (1 Corinthians 6:11) “Such were some of you…”
God raised Him from the dead. He gave Himself for our sins. He has delivered us from this present age. These things we acknowledge, affirm and appreciate today and symbolize it through Communion.
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