Lean on the Reliable Ladder of the Lord - Pentecost 10, 2013

Today we heard from guest preacher Pastor John Hein. He is the pastor of our sister church, Grace Lutheran, located in Fridley, MN. To  DOWNLOAD an MP3 of this message, first right click here then choose "save link as" or "save target as". Older audio is removed to conserve server space, but is available by request. -Pastor Caleb Schaller

First Things First: Who's Your Master?

To  DOWNLOAD an MP3 of this message, first right click here then choose "save link as" or "save target as". Older audio is removed to conserve server space, but is available by request.

SERMON:

In 2006 the United Nations World Drug Report called meth the most abused hard drug on the planet. Seven years ago the number of meth addicts in the world was 26 million. That’s about four times the current population of Washington state.

Meth has hit the West coast especially hard. In 2005 more than half the inmates in Portland were meth users. At that time, meth was the leading cause of property crime in Oregon, as well as the leading cause of children being placed in foster care.

When meth enters the body it targets the reward center of the brain and releases huge amounts of the pleasure chemical called “dopamine”. Meth then holds the dopamine against the brain’s receptors causing an intense and extended feeling of euphoria. For this reason, few people are capable of trying meth only once.

But along with that feeling of euphoria come grim consequences. Meth users experience a variety of hallucinations and psychotic behaviors. Some see shadow people, or feel as if they’re being constantly watched. Others hear voices; either a cacophony of jumbled words, or distinct voices telling them to do specific things. Meth addicts commonly imagine that there are bugs burrowing just beneath their skin, and cut or scratch themselves to get them out.

In just a few months of use, meth begins to break down the body causing teeth to crumble, bone and muscle density to wither away, and the heart to malfunction—either racing dangerously fast, or slowing to a near stop.

Without intervention, meth, and  the lifestyle that accompanies it, will end in death.

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So, what if I told you that scientists have come up with vaccine for meth-death. Not a cure for the addiction, or the side-effects, but a death preventing inoculation. If you took this meth vaccine then you could have as much of the drug as you wanted, and it couldn’t kill you. It would still have all the same effects, good or bad, but you couldn’t die from it.

How would that sound? Good deal?

No, not so much. Who cares if you couldn’t die from it, your life would still be ruined by it. A meth-death vaccine just wouldn’t be enough.

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Through Jesus Christ you and I have received a sin-death vaccine. Our sins are many. But Jesus took them all on himself. He suffered hell for my sins and for yours when he died on that cross 2,000 years ago. And God showed that he accepted that offering by raising Jesus from the dead. Now, through Christ we have been set free from the ultimate consequences of our sins. We are forgiven, and eternal death can no longer touch us.

But for God, that’s not enough. He wants to give us more than an eternal home in heaven. When the Holy Spirit approaches people through the Gospel of Christ, he intends to save them from both the ultimate consequences of sin, and the immediate side effects of sin.

Just as meth becomes the master of person who uses it, sin also rules over the person addicted to it. But in Christ Jesus we are set free.  

Today we continue our study of Paul’s letter to the Galatian Christians. Here Paul speaks of the freedom that we have in Christ. Freedom from sin’s ultimate consequences AND freedom from sin’s immediate side effects. We read…

Galatians 5:1, 13-25 (NASB)

    1   It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

  13   For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

  14   For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

  15   But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

  16   But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

  17   For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

  18   But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

  19   Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,

  20   idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,

  21   envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

  22   But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

  23   gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

  24   Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

  25   If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

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To begin with, I’m going to address verse one. Listen to that verse again.

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1 NASB).

Here Paul is encouraging the Christians of Galatia not to be enslaved by work-righteous teachings. False teachers were telling the Christians in Galatia that they needed to observe certain religious ceremonies in order to earn God’s forgiveness.

The Gospel of Christ reveals that our sins are forgiven because of what Christ did for us, not because of anything we do. So accepting any system of working your way to God is like putting a heavy wooden harness back on your shoulders. Paul says, “No! It was for FREEDOM that Christ set us free! Why would we go back to some hopeless attempt to earn forgiveness when Christ has already given it to us as a gift?!”

Because of Christ we stand free from sin’s ultimate consequences.

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But Paul knew that it’s hard to escape a master that lives within. A slave can escape from an abusive master, or slavery itself can be abolished in a country. But what do you do if your vindictive master lives inside you?

That is the case with every human being that is born into this world. We are born with a sinful nature. An inner evil self which seeks all that is selfish, perverted, sick, and ugly. The B ible calls this inner nature our “flesh”.

Now, when Paul uses this term, he isn’t referring to our physical flesh and blood. When Paul says, “flesh” think “sinful flesh” or “inner sinful nature”. 

The Bible teaches that in heaven we’ll have perfected bodies. There will be no sinful nature lurking inside to trip us up. But in  this life we have to struggle along with a traitor inside. But the Holy Spirit wishes to free us from this traitor’s daily influence.

When the Holy Spirit comes to a person and creates faith in Christ through the Gospel message, the Holy Spirit comes to stay. He takes up residence in a person’s heart and mind. And through the Bible—read from the page, and retained in the heart and mind—the Holy Spirit begins to work against our sinful flesh.

Look again at verse 13. Paul writes…

“13   For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

         14  For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

         15  But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

         16  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

         17  For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

         18  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law” (Galatians 5:13-18 NASB).

In the first verse that we read for today, Paul set up two opposing masters: Christ as Savior vs. the Law as Savior. Here, Paul sets up two other opposing masters: the Holy Spirit as our guide in life vs. the Flesh as our guide in life.

The question is, who’s your master?

You see, after the Spirit brings us to faith in Christ, we still have choices to make in life. And when it comes to right and wrong, these choices all boil down to either choosing the way our sinful flesh directs us to go, or following the way the Spirit leads us.

Some boil Christianity down to “trust in Christ and you’ll be saved”. And while that is true, God has things for us to do in this life. Not things that we need to do in order to be saved, but still God has work for u s to do. Through the Gospel message, the Holy Spirit has called us to live the remainder of our earthly lives serving one another in love. Living lives that reflect the life of our great Savior, who loved us and gave himself for us.

When we follow the guiding of the Holy Spirit, we actually begin, in little ways, to keep the law of God from the heart. Not because we’re afraid of being punished, but because the Holy Spirit is creating a new and perfect us inside.

You remember that Old Testament story about Joseph, Jacob’s son? He was sold into slavery by his brothers and ended up in Egypt. While there he became an important slave at a rich man’s estate. But the rich man’s wife wanted to have sex with Joseph. And when she propositioned him Joseph replied,

“Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:8-9 NASB).

This was the Holy Spirit working in Joseph. Joseph avoided adultery NOT because he was afraid of punishment, but because it would be an offense against the God he loved and trusted!

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It’s human nature to think that if you want to change behavior, you need to make more laws. But laws don’t change behavior. Even if your police force can watch each citizen, their hearts will still rebel against you.

Paul says, the real way to avoid carrying out the sinful desires of the flesh isn’t to make more laws. The real way to shun temptations is to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice.  To listen for and order your steps according to the Spirit’s direction. He’s the one who brought us to faith in the first place, I think we can trust him!

There’s going to be fighting inside, because the sinful flesh and the Holy Spirit don’t get along. But there is comfort even in the middle of this fight. Paul knew that the Galatian Christians were struggling against sin. And so he gave them some Gospel comfort from Paul in  verse 18. There he reminds them…

“…if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law” (Galatians 5:18 NASB).

In other words, fight the good fight against sin, but remember, with Christ as your Savior, and the Spirit as your guide, you are not under law’s condemnation.

▬

Back in Paul’s day, some people had the idea that since the Gospel offered complete forgiveness, Christians could then indulge in sinful behavior as much as they wanted. But this isn’t the Holy Spirit’s teaching at all.

The Holy Spirit who creates faith through the Gospel message, leads us to serve one another in love, not to selfishly gratify our own desires. The Holy Spirit leads us to love each other, not bite at each other like animals. The Holy Spirit leads us to do good things, not celebrate wickedness.

But again, Paul knew there’s a fight going on in each of those Christians at Galatia. The sinful flesh inside each of them was at war with the Holy Spirit, battling for mastery over the individual. So Paul laid out a list of behaviors to avoid. Behaviors to avoid because they come from the flesh. Look at verse 19 again…

“ 19  Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,

   20  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,

   21  envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21 NASB).

It’s pretty simple. Paul says, if you’re led by the Spirit, you’re going to fight against these behaviors. But if you’re practicing these, if one of these is your accepted lifestyle, then the flesh is your guide, not the Spirit, and you will not enter God’s kingdom.

Sometimes we don’t know any better. We just follow our instincts, and don’t realize that the things we want so bad are rally harmful to us. But the Holy Spirit loves us, and through His word he teaches us better ways. Like a gardener who has taken over a rioting garden, he patiently weeds, and seeds, and waters, and prunes until our garden begins to produce good fruit. Things like…

“…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23 NASB).

It’s not hard to see which list is more desirable. Which master is better to serve.

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We started today by talking about meth and how it masters and destroys people. It’s tragic how a single dose almost always begins a life of hardship. Even if a person gets help, it’s going to take a lot of work to resist the temptation to slide back into using.  

And it’s the same thing with the forgiven sinner. Our last verses say…

“ 24  Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

   25  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25 NASB).

Much like the drug addict must say “goodbye” to the person they once were, and let that person die. The Christian must also let go of the sinful nature and let it die. In fact, Paul gets more graphic than that. Paul says we must crucify the flesh with its passions and desires. Each day we do this in prayer when we confess our sins and ask God to forgive us because of Christ. This crucifying the flesh needs to be an ongoing thing until God removes us from this world and seats us at his side. Until that day, we need to let that last verse ring in our ears…

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25 NASB).

You and I are spiritually alive, connected to God, because the Holy Spirit brought us to faith in Christ. Let us now live our lives the way that the Holy Spirit directs us to in the Bible. Then we will be sure of blessing in the next life, as well as in this one.

We are alive because of the Spirit. So, let’s live our daily lives by his direction also.

Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

In Matters of Faith There's No Riding the Fence - July 14, 2013

Apparently our server is down again this seek, so all I have is the printed version of this sermon. Sorry for the inconvenience. Email calebjohn.schaller@gmail.com if you really want the mp3 and I'll send it to you. -Pastor Caleb Schaller

Today's sermon is preached by Pastor Caleb Schaller, but was originally written by Pastor Paul G. Naumann and provided through the CLC’s “Ministry by Mail”. For more, go to www.lutheransermons.org

SERMON:

Acts 5:35-42 (NKJV)

³⁵ And [Gamaliel] said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. ³⁶ For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. ³⁷ After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. ³⁸ And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; ³⁹ but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”

⁴⁰ And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. ⁴¹ So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. ⁴² And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

In the name of Jesus Christ, who was bold and courageous on our behalf, dear fellow-redeemed:

I was preparing my address for today and was trying to remember whether I’d ever heard the expression “riding the fence,” used in a complementary way. I don't think I ever have. To ride the fence means that a person is in the middle, he is undecided, he may go either way on a particular issue. Certainly, there is a proper time for prudence and caution, but in most areas, “riding the fence” is a very pejorative term. It is something bad, and the person who does it is seen as weak, vacillating, having no abiding values, being subject to every wind of change. It is certainly not an asset when it comes to political campaigns, as presidential candidates have discovered already. A candidate will go to almost any length to avoid being seen as one who rides the fence.

I think most people, as individuals, would like to think of themselves as confident and decisive. None of us would like to be characterized as a fence-rider. But there is one area in our life where riding the fence could be more than just a character flaw. It could be eternally fatal, and that is in the area of our spirituality and our faith. Today we will consider one of the premier fence-riders of all time, a man named Gamaliel. From his bad example of timidity and indecision, the Holy Spirit would direct us rather to a life of faith, one which engages in decisive action for Christ. Join me in considering the theme: IN MATTERS OF FAITH THERE'S NO RIDING THE FENCE. I. Faithless skeptics never cease to preach caution, and II. Faithful disciples never cease to preach Christ.

I.

Gamaliel is an interesting character. He was a grandson of the great Jewish scholar Hillel. He was the teacher of Saul, by the way, before he became the Apostle Paul. He was one of the greatest scholars and most respected rabbis among the leaders of the Jews. He was one of the sect of the Pharisees, which meant that he put great emphasis on the strict outward keeping of Jewish ceremonial Law. When it came to this novel teaching going around about the prophet Jesus from Nazareth, Gamaliel was strongly skeptical, to say the least, and above all, he was a cautious man.

But that's only natural, for faithless skeptics never ceased to preach caution, and that is what Gamaliel did. In this case, several of the disciples had been arrested after preaching in the name of Christ and healing many sick people in the Lord’s name. The Sadducees, who often fought bitterly with the Pharisees, would likely have put the disciples to death, but Gamaliel intervened. He preached caution. He said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men.” [v.35]

Then he brought two examples from the recent history of Israel to show that his wait-and-see approach to the apostles was the correct one. Both men of whom he spoke, Theudas and Judas of Galilee, were leaders of fringe religious movements. Both men were quickly captured and killed, and their followers were scattered. Their movements died away, leaving no trace behind. These followers of this Jesus of Nazareth, Gamaliel speculated, might very well end up the same way. His advice was to wait and see. “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men...and they agreed with him.” [vv. 35, 40]

The advice of Gamaliel was accepted by the Sanhedrin. He convinced them. Did he convince you? I have to admit that the first time I read this text, Gamaliel's advice sounded pretty logical to me. “If this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing” [v.39]—It seems to make sense. If a work or institution is of human origin, it will fail all by itself. You don’t have to help it along. Conversely, if a work or institution is from God, then clearly there' is nothing you can do to combat it, struggle as you may. It seems very sensible advice. Indeed, it seems a model of tolerance and prudence. In fact, tolerance was the subject of a sermon on this very text, which I happened to run across on the internet. The preacher, a woman, used these words of Gamaliel to urge her hearers to be tolerant toward homosexuals in the church. We should find out whether it was from God or from men, she said, before passing judgment. The thought struck me that she could find out whether it was from God, immediately, just by turning to the first chapter of the book Romans.

Actually, Gamaliel’s advice isn’t as good as it sounds. You don’t have to dig very deeply before the logic of his argument begins to break down. Just because a religion or a movement has its origin in man, doesn’t mean that it will quickly die away as did Gamaliel’s two examples. Islam is an idolatrous religion that comes from man, not from God. But one-third of the earth’s population are adherents of Islam. It has lasted for centuries and appears as though it may endure for centuries more. The same could be said of Buddhism, or Taoism, the Mormons or the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They will all eventually come to nothing, as Gamaliel promised, but that may not happen until the Day of Judgment.

Even less logical is Gamaliel’s second statement. “If it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.” [v.39] Which raises a logical absurdity: Who would want to fight against God? How silly for a religious leader to be urging his hearers not to fight against God! If what the disciples were doing—preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, spreading the good news of the kingdom—if what they were doing was of God, why wasn’t this leader of Israel urging his hearers to fight for God, to receive the Gospel, to believe the Good News, and be saved?! But faithless skeptics never cease to preach caution.

“Take heed to yourselves,” he told them. “Be cautious. Take care what you do. Let’s ride the fence for a while and find out what happens to these disciples of Jesus. When all the evidence is in, then we can make an informed decision.” It sounded like words of wisdom when, in fact, it was the height of folly.

In the beginning of the American Civil War, there were many people, particularly among the border states, who were conflicted. They had loyalties on both sides. A story is told about a man from Northern Virginia, who staunchly refused to take sides. It is said that he showed up at the Battle of Bull Run wearing a uniform that was half blue and half gray. It might have seemed like an expedient measure at the time. However, he soon realized the folly of his supposed solution, when he discovered that the Confederate soldiers were shooting at his blue jacket while the Union Army was shooting at his gray pants.

In matters of faith too, there is no riding the fence. In the words of the old phrase, “he who hesitates is lost.” Gamaliel hesitated. He preached caution. He refused to receive or believe the good news of a Savior from sin. Yes, Gamaliel hesitated, and as far as we know, was lost.

And what about you and me? We look at our lives and we have to admit that we have far too often been timid and hesitant when we should have been bold for Christ. Those opportunities are so precious and you never know when they'll come; but sadly we often fail to take advantage of them. Very often we have a chance at the office, at the club, or at a family gathering to speak a fit word—where the Gospel would have a chance to really do some good, and we’re timid. We’re cautious. We mumble something noncommittal, or keep silent altogether. We sit on the fence. We need to wake up and realize that, in matters of faith, there’s no riding the fence. All it takes to snap us back to reality is to be reminded of what God said to the lukewarm church at Laodicea. Remember them? They were spiritual fence- riders, and Jesus said to them, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).

To our shame, we have to admit that we have all too often been guilty of riding the fence in things spiritual. But before you get too discouraged, I’d like to remind you about someone who never rode the fence. Someone who made a right decision and stuck to it—someone who always fought the good fight and never vacillated. It is a man who, for your sake and mine, refused to preach caution and rather preached the good news of pardon and peace. Jesus Christ refused to ride the fence. “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:23-24). Jesus, in His mission to bring you eternal salvation, was not paralyzed by fear and inaction. He didn’t take a wait-and-see attitude. He dove right in. Our Lord was undaunted by suffering and shame. “Look unto Jesus,” says the writer to the Hebrews, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Yes, we are weak, but Jesus is strong. Jesus, for the joy of delivering you from eternal condemnation, went all the way to the cross. There on that cross, He atoned for all your sins and transgressions, all your weaknesses, all your failures, every dark misdeed of which you’ve been guilty, and every shameful stain that lies upon your record. When God raised Jesus from the dead at the third day, He put his seal on your forgiveness. He set his ironclad guarantee on your eternal salvation. As the Apostle Paul says, “Jesus was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

II.

With this being the case, we might well ask, “what can I now do for my blessed Savior who has earned Heaven for me?” Our text doesn’t leave us in the dark there either. For while faithless skeptics never cease to preach caution, faithful disciples never cease to preach Christ.

“When they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” [vv.40-42]

Poor Gamaliel. In the end, the very thing happened to him of which he was most afraid. He was found fighting against God. He whipped and persecuted the servants of the True God, and charged them not to preach in the name of Christ. By the way, we glibly rattle off that phrase, “they beat them and let them go,” perhaps without understanding what was involved. The apostles were stripped to the waist, right there before the council, and whipped with 39 strokes. It was very public and very shameful. It was the fulfillment of Jesus’ previous warning to His disciples: “But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues” (Matthew 10:17).

But how do we see the apostles react? They rejoiced. They were actually proud to be so publicly shamed for the sake of their Lord. When it came to the Gospel, they did not equivocate, and they did not ride the fence. They never ceased to preach Christ. They joyfully redoubled their efforts to spread ever wider the influence of the saving Gospel.

Likewise, we have work to do here in our home towns. We may accomplish certain goals and milestones, but the real work—the work our Lord put us here on this earth to do—goes on. It’s more urgent now than ever before. Jesus’ words to His disciples are words for us as well: “But you shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8. KJV).

For you, it might not be the ends of the earth. For you it might be your next-door neighbor, or your co-worker, or your business partner. But in any case, never cease to preach Christ. Like those faithful disciples, never cease to tell others what great things God has done for you. You needn’t be eloquent. You needn’t stand on the street corner and force your attention on passers-by. Just be ready. Be ready to “give an answer to anyone who asks you, a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). As a friend of this congregation once encouraged us, be ready for those divine encounters. And never cease to preach Christ!

Riding the fence is an American idiom. In Germany they have an equally colorful idiom: zwischen zwei Stuehlen zu sitzen. It means, literally, “to sit between two stools,” to be caught between two positions, to be neither in one place nor the other. Clearly, it is not somewhere we want to be. It’s a place where we Christians will not be, for we understand that you can’t sit between two stools. In matters of faith, there simply is no riding the fence. To the end of the age, faithless skeptics will never cease to preach caution. God grant that we may be faithful disciples, who never cease to preach Christ! Amen.

— Pastor Paul G. Naumann

First Things First: I Am a Child of God, Through Faith in Christ Jesus - July 7, 2013

Apparently our server is down again this seek, so all I have is the printed version of this sermon. Sorry for the inconvenience. Email calebjohn.schaller@gmail.com if you really want the mp3 and I'll send it to you. -Pastor Caleb Schaller

SERMON:

About 2,600 years ago the king of Judah was assassinated. Upon his death, his eight year old son, Josiah, became king. Now I’m sure that Josiah had caretakers. People tasked with the job of training this child to become a just leader. Josiah had help.

But I wonder how much just being a prince changed this child. Imagine his inner thoughts. I am a prince. I have been born of a king. I will be king one day. No man will question me. I must protect and guide this people. They will look to me as to a father.

Imagine that was you. Wouldn’t your royal status change the way you looked at the world? The way you responded to people? The way you carried yourself? The way you thought about everything?

▬

Today we continue our study of Paul’s letter to the Galatian Christians. In chapter three Paul lays out the proper mindset   for a Christian to have. The right way for us to view the world. When followers of Christ wake up every morning we ought first to think: “I am a child of God, the Greatest King, by faith in Christ Jesus”.

Galatians 3:23-29 (ESV)

²³ Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴ So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

▬

The false teachers that had infiltrated the congregations at Galatia were teaching the people that they need ed to earn forgiveness from God by observing religious rules and ceremonies. In our reading for today Paul lays out a defense against this gospel corrupting idea. Paul clusters together a group of pictures which illustrate the truth of the gospel.

The truth of the gospel is this. Through faith in Christ Jesus, sinners are reborn into the royal family of God. There is no need for us to atone for our sins. Jesus has already erased the record of our sins by his death on the cross. By faith in HIM we are the forgiven children of God—NOW.

The first of the pictures that Paul uses to illustrate our status before God is the image of a “pie-dah-go-gos”. In Paul’s day, a “pie-dah-go-gos” was a guardian, or supervising babysitter. This guardian “was a man, usually a slave, whose task it was to conduct a boy to and from school and to supervise and direct his general conduct” (Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic domains).

One Greek dictionary says the following about these “pie-dah-go-gos”:

“Among the Greeks and the Romans [this] name was applied to trustworthy slaves who were charged with the duty of supervising the life and morals of boys belonging to the better class. The boys were not allowed so much as to step out of the house without them before arriving at the age of manhood” (Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon).

The congregations at Galatia were mixed. They all trusted in Christ as their Savior, but some were ethnically Jewish, others were ethnically non-Jewish (or “Gentile). It seems that Paul is talking more directly toward the Jewish Christians here. He talks about law of God as the heritage that Jews had for years. But Paul wants them to have the proper view of God’s laws.

Paul says that the proper way to view the body of laws that God had given to the nation of Israel is to see them like a “pie-dah-go-gos”. Like a guardian that should be obeyed, but that was primarily there to get you where you need to go. This guardian had limited authority and ability, and before long his authority would end. The authority of the law comes to an end when it brings people to Christ and the forgiveness that is found in his cross.

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The false teachers were saying that you could actually keep the law. And by keeping the law you could be declared righteous before God. Paul says, “No way!” The purpose of the law is to lead people to Christ, but only Christ can justify a sinner. Only Christ can say “This one is innocent, for I have suffered for his sins”.

How silly it would be for one of those old Greek slaves to assert authority over a child who had grown into manhood. How silly it would be for a “pie-dah-go-gos” to claim, “I used to have authority over you, so I still do. Go get me my slippers”. The master would merely laugh.

This is how Paul teaches us to respond to the law when it tries to condemn us for our sins. We should laugh and say, “Law, you used to rule over me, but by faith in Christ I am now a Son of God.”

The law does indeed lead people to see their sins, and the need for a Savior. But in the presence of Christ that supervising babysitter is dismissed.

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Paul then moves on to give another illustration of what the gospel of Christ does. Verse 27 say…

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27 ESV).

I recently read about some studies that were done in connection with clothing and how it can significantly alter a person’s behavior.

“In the first experiment, 58 participants were randomly assigned to wear either a white lab coat or street clothes. They were then subject to an incongruity task in which they had to spot items that didn't belong to a set (for instance, the word "red" written in green ink). Those in white coats made half as many errors as those in street clothes” (Clothes Make the Man—Literally by Jordan Gaines).

Maybe you’ve experienced the confidence boosting power of a new dress, or a new suit, or some other fresh threads. Maybe for you it’s new shoes, or make-up, or having your hair cut. Our perceived appearance alters our mindset and confidence.

Paul says, this is how you aught to see yourself—covered over with Christ Jesus. When God sees you, he sees the perfect, sinless, Son of God. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

We probably don’t think back to our baptism enough. But what power and assurance are there! In our baptism we find God’s love and mercy. We find God reaching out and taking us to be his own. In baptism God reaches out and gathers sinners to himself and makes them part of HIS family.

The Bible says that baptism creates and seals faith in Christ. And with faith in Christ, we are covered in Christ. And if we’re covered in perfection and goodness, then the law doesn’t have anything to accuse us of. We’re holy before God, because Christ covers us.

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This whole Christ-covering-us thing has huge implications for our daily life. But it also impacts the way we view the Christians beside us. In verse 28 Paul writes…

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28 ESV).

The false teachers in Galatia were encouraging an attitude of division in the congregations. An attitude that ranks people according to “good”, “better”, “best”. But Paul says that we should see our fellow Christians as they truly are—one in Christ Jesus.

Through faith we are covered with Christ’s righteousness, and so are our fellow Christians. We should see them like God sees them—as holy in Christ.

All the distinctions and labels that we puts on one another fade away before the throne of God. As far as forgiveness, and salvation, and value is concerned, in Christ we hold the same high status.

We all have different strengths, abilities, and talents, and that’s fine. God is the one who distributes those talents and gifts as HE sees fit. But in the realm of salvation—we stand shoulder to should with our brothers and sisters in Christ. There is no room for racism, sexism, or any other kind of caste system.

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It appears that the false teachers in Galatia were advocating a caste system of sorts. One that put Jewish Christians above Gentile Christians. Their claim to superiority was most likely founded in the fact that they were Abraham’s descendants.

God had promised Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through one of his descendants. This of course, was Jesus, the Savior.

This was a great honor that God had given to Abraham and his descendants. And yet as they clung to this prestige, their hearts changed. After centuries the Jews began to consider themselves God’s chosen people—not because of God’s grace, but because of their worthiness.

The Bible teaches that it was a great blessing to be the physical descendants of Abraham. They were the caretakers of the Old Testament scriptures. They were the nation from which the Savior would come. But the Bible also says…

“…not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. ⁷ Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children…” (Romans 9:6-7 NIV).

Just before our sermon reading, Paul wrote…

“⁷ Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. ⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” ⁹ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (Galatians 3:7-9 ESV).

And the final verse of our reading for today echoes this, saying…

“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29 ESV).

All that these passages do is point out that while it was an honor to be a physical descendant of Abraham, it was vastly more important to be a spiritual descendant of Abraham. That is, someone who had the same FAITH as Abraham. One who trusted in the Messiah that had been fortold.

Think about what this revelation did for the Gentile Christians in Galatia. It had been suggested that they were less than the Jewish Christians. That they needed to earn their way up the ranks somehow by their deeds. But Paul says, NO. To be a physical descendant of Abraham is an honor, but to be a faith-descendant, THAT is what makes you an heir to the promise.

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When I was a kid, I remember my father telling me, “Remember who you are” one night before I went to hang out with friends. Maybe your parents told you the same thing, “Remember who you are”. That little phrase means a lot. It means, don’t shame your family. It means, speak and act honorably. Be the person that God wants you to be.

But I want to turn that phrase around for you today. “Remember who you are” is a law statement. It’s appeals to our desire to not mess things up. But I would tell you to “remember who you are”, dear Christians, as a way of encouraging you.

Remember who you are. You are a grown Christian. The law has lead you to Christ, and Christ has declared you free from sin and guilt. Live in peace, not fear.

Remember who you are. You are baptized. You have been clothed with Christ’s righteousness. None of your sins are visible to God anymore. Live in joy, not fear.

Remember who you are. You are one of the redeemed. They stand beside you with their own strengths and weaknesses, with their own gifts and faults. Love them as Christ loves you, and forgive them always. Live in forgiveness, not judgment.

Remember who you are. You are a spiritual child of Abraham. Were he to meet you today on the streets of heaven, he would recognize you as one of his people. People who trust in the Messiah to wash their sins away.

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At the end of little Josiah’s reign, the Temple of God had been restored. The idols had been thrown out of it. The altars around Jerusalem that had served to honored false gods had been torn down. The people had been led back to the word of God, and to the precious promises that had been almost forgotten.

I’m not sure how much of Josiah’s reign sprang from him simply seeing himself as royalty. But I know that God had Paul emphasize the pictures of our text for a reason. God wants us to see ourselves as HIS royal family. For when we do, it changes the way we see the world.

Remember who you are. By faith in Christ, you are a child of God. Let this thought be your first thought. By faith in Christ, you are a child of God, and one day you will live with him in his kingdom, forever.

Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.