LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH
SUNDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2020 pm
GALATIANS 1 VERSES 1 - 5
Reading through the book of Galatians one thought came to me - Paul was leaving with the churches a set of reminders. He wants to bring these churches into remembrance of who they were, what they were and what they had in the Lord. Paul is writing to correct the false teaching that had come in. Paul had preached the unsearchable riches of Christ. He preached God's salvation, showing men and women their need of salvation, revealing through the cross that they could have their sins forgiven, could be saved by the grace of God. Men and women were coming and turning from sin, repenting of their sin, taking Christ in childlike faith, inviting Christ into their lives. Then something happened. When Paul moved away false teachers came in, took up the gospel but it was not the gospel of faith but of works He called it a perverted gospel. "I marvel that you are so soon removed" verse 6. Then in verse 7 he says "which is not another." These men were saying that although they were saved they had to keep to the Jewish religion. Paul brought them back to a reminder verse 4 "who gave himself for our sins." He was lifting up Jesus and remember what Jesus said "if I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me." (John 12 verse 32)
Paul is reminding them of what they were - prisoners. He talks about the prison house of sin. The plight of men and the problem that men has. The greatest problem we have is the problem of the heart. We are told in the bible that "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17 verse 9). The bible also tells us the heart is full of sin. Paul speaks here of the battle that is going on for the souls of men and women. We are all born into the world as sinners. We have rejected Christ. We live in a world that has fallen into the clutches of Satan. We live in a world where the fool mocks at sin, laughs at sin. Whenever we see the seriousness of sin - Genesis 1, 2 and 3 - we find that God made a perfect creation. God made man in his own image. He presented a woman of great beauty to help him in this life. He took them into the Garden and said "of every tree you may eat freely but there is one tree you cannot eat. It was the tree of knowledge of good and evil In that day you eat of it you will die." (Genesis 2 verses 16 and 17) Whenever Adam broke and disobeyed God's commnd something happened. He took the very title deeds of this earth and handed them into Satan's hands. Satan became the ruler of this world. In Ephesians 2 verse 2 Paul was talking of past days, days before he was saved. "Wherein time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." Some tonight are ensnared by sin, chained to habits that they cannot break free from. Ensnared by the sins of religiousity and good works, good character, feel no danger. In Revelation 12 verse 9 we see a fourfold description of Satan. The devil is a real person. He is strong and mighty. He is that great dragon. He is "that old servant called the devil and Satan which deceiveth the whole world." The characteristics of him which deceiveth the whole world. That is why he can keep people blinded to the gospel of grace. His subtelty. His scope - "he deceiveth the whole world." Paul reminds the church here they were in the prison house of sin. We are prisoners of Satan and we need to be delivered.
Paul speaks of the plan God has made. "according to the will of God." verse 4 Paul makes it clear when he came to preach it was not a gospel that he invented. Verse 11 this was "according to the will of God." Your salvation is the great plan of God. He sent his son into the world to die upon the cross of Calvary. No other plan could do it. The plan was born in the heart of God. It was no philosophy of man. This was the will of God. John 3 verse 16. He loved us and did not want anyone to perish. The only way to save us was to take his son and send him into the world. On the cross of Calvary he would bear our sin, die and gave himself a ransom for our sin. Have you claimed that, have you come to the cross tonight? We see this great plan laid out in the Garden of Eden. When Adam had broken God's laws, man had fallen into sin, broken the laws of God. The only way to make amends was to come into the Garden, put the animals to death to make the coverings for Adam's sins. He didn't walk away then. Nor did he walk away in the Garden of Gethsemane when he prayed "let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not my will but thy will be done." People say "I am trying my best, doing my best, say my prayers, what more could God ask." God gave his only son, his best for you. The plan that really worked out. God's plan doesn't change. He knows where you are. He shows you what he has done for you. Onesimus worked for Philemon. One day he ran away from his master after he stole something. He ran to Rome and again got into trouble. He found himself in a prison cell with Paul who pointed him to Christ. The Lord knew all about him, his sin, what he was trying to cover up. God knows all about you and me.
Paul reminds us of a passion beyond all understanding - verse 4 "who gave himself for our sins." Jesus, the one who knew no sin, who could do no sin gave himself for our sins. He was willing to take our sins on his body at Calvary. Paul takes the church back to the cross of Calvary. Jesus dying on the cross for mankind takes us back into Genesis when he took the animals to make coverings for Adam and Eve. He died to cover your sins and mine. We have to accept that there was an innocent animal in Genesis. Pilate could say "I find no fault in him." His wife said to him "have nothing to do with this just man." Judas said "I have betrayed innocent blood" when he threw the coins down. When God saw the Lord on the cross he was satisfied. Out of his love he sent his son into the world. Warren Wiersbe tells the story from Martin Luther. He and his wife were reading in Genesis 22 of Abraham offering up his son. Martin talked about how the Lord died and his wife said "I cannot believe God would have treated his son like that." Martin Luther said "he did and we may not understand but we don't have to."
Paul talks here about a power that is mighty - "who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world according to the will of God and our Father." Only Christ could come down into the world, unlock this prison house and deliver us from our sins. The devil is mighty but the Lord is almighty. The death and resurrection offers power like no other to deliver us from our sins. God sets the prisoner free. He comes to deliver us from this prison house we are in. Saul of Tarsus remembered a day when he was so full of religiousity and good works. He had letters in his hand to go to Damascus and if he found anyone who believed in Christ, had the power to arrest and put them in prison. On that road to Damascus the Lord came down and he broke the power of sin and set him free. The testimony of Paul - once persecuted the churches but now preaches the faith. Such was the change in his life. You can know his salvation that works and changes your life and sets you free. Salvation that will take you to heaven and home.
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