1. Stop! Thief! Galatians 5: 1-12 Chapter 9

2. Judaizer’s point of view: the doctrine of grace is dangerous and the replacement of law with license Paul’s point of view: practical –Inner discipline of God vs. outward discipline of man-made rules –No man can become rebel who depends on God’s grace, yield to God’s Spirit, lives for others, and seeks to give God glory

3. –The legalist is a person who eventually rebels because he is living in bondage, depending on the flesh (old nature), living for self, and seeking the praise of men rather than giving God the glory (honor) –Therefore, doctrine of grace is not dangerous, but legalism is Legalism tries to do the impossible: change the old nature and make it obey the law of God –The surrendered Christian is not denying the law of God when depending on the power of God’s Spirit. The law is being fulfilled through the Spirit (Rom 8:1-4)

4. I have been set free by Christ and am no longer under the bondage to the law (5:1-12) I need Someone to control my life from within Through Spirit’s love I have a desire to live for others, not for self (5:13-26) The life of liberty is wonderful. I want to live in glory of God for He’s the One who makes it possible (6:11-16) –Under legalism If I obey the law I become more spiritual person I believe I have the strength to obey and improve myself. I measure up to the standards set for me

5. I am making a progress. Other people compliment me on my obedience and discipline If only others were like me –When you abandon grace for law you already lose This Slave – You Lose Your Liberty (5:1) –Image of yoke Represents slavery, service, control by someone over your life Also willing service and submission to someone else Farmers use yoke to control and guide –In Galatia the believers lost the yoke of

6. –Servitude to sin and replace the yoke of Christ (Matt 11: 28-30) Yoke of Christ, easy and light; easy means gracious and kind The yoke of Christ frees us to fulfill His will The yoke of law enslaves us –Jesus freed us from the curse of the law (3:13) –We no longer need the external force of the law to keep us in God’s will, because we have the internal leading of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8 1-4)

7. –Some people prefer the tyranny of the leader than to make decisions freely Adult climbing back into the crib of childhood –“Do not be entangled in the yoke of bondage” The Debtor – You Lose Your Wealth (5: 2-6) –Loss for turning from grace to law “Christ shall profit you nothing” (5:2) “Debtor to the whole law” (5:3) Christ is become of no effect unto you: (5:4)

8. –We owed God debt we couldn’t pay when we were unsaved Luke 7: 36-50 – two servants with debts –When we trust Christ we become spiritually rich Riches of God’s grace (Eph 1:7) Riches of His glory (v.18, Phil 4:19) Riches of His wisdom (Rom 11:33) The unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph 3:8) “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3) We “are complete in him” (Col 2:10)

9. –Law added nothing because nothing can be added Law is the thief –Living by grace means depending on God’s abundant supply of every need –Living by law means depending on my strength, my flesh, and without God’s supply –Submission to circumcision put them to oblige to obey the whole law Hypocrisy for failing to keep the whole law –James 2:9-11 –Curse of the law (3:10, Deut 27:26)

10. Motorist running through red light No amount of obedience can make up for one act of disobedience –“Fallen from grace” means fallen out of sphere of grace, not losing salvation Brethren – 9 times and “we” in 4:28, 3:1) “And because ye are sons, God hath send forth the Spirit of his son into your heart, crying “Abba, Father” (v. 6) Life of the believer in sphere of grace –depends on the power of God –Faith works –Faith works through love –Believer has something to look forward to (5:5)

11. Under law –You must depend on yourself and your own efforts –Flesh (old nature) can never accomplish what faith can –Flesh can never produce love –Flesh produces selfishness and rivalry –Makes no promise for perfect righteousness in the future –Prepared the way for the first coming, not the second coming The Runner – You Lose Your Directions (5:7-12) –Image of race A contestant must be a citizen before he could compete in Greek Olympics

12. We must be a citizen of heaven through faith, then He put us in a race to win the prize (Phil 3: 12-21) We do not run to be saved, but we run because we are already saved and want to fulfill God’s will in our lives (Acts 20:24) –“Who were running well, but who cut in on you so that you stopped obeying the truth?” (Gal 5:7) In race each runner stays in his assigned lane of grace –Spiritual detour –Image of cooking – leaven In O.T. leaven is a picture of evil In Jesus’ teaching leaven is a picture of sin

13. When he warned against the leaven of the Pharisees For Paul it is a symbol of sin in the church at Corinth (I Corinthians 5) Yeast a good illustration of sin –Small –Grows and permeates the whole –False doctrine of Judaizers –Legalism doesn’t overpower, but like leaven it is introduced secretly, grows, and then poison »The motives are good, but the methods are unscriptural »The standards are good but they will not make us spiritual nor keeping standards as the evidence of spirituality –Proud – puffed up (I Cor. 5:2)

14. –Then we are critical of everyone’s lack of spirituality –We feed the flesh and grieve the Holy Spirit Watch for the beginnings of legalism –Gal 5: 11-12 –Cut off, operate on themselves, castrate themselves »So they could not produce any more children of slavery In summary –The believers living in grace are free, rich, and running the lane that leads to reward and fulfillment –The believers living under the law and abandoning grace are slave, pauper, and runner on detour as well as a loser

15. –To become a winner is to purge out the leaven, the false doctrine mixing grace and law and yield to the Holy Spirit God’s grace is sufficient for every demand of life –We are saved by grace (Eph 2:8-9) –We serve by grace (I Cor.15: 9-10) –We are enabled to endure by grace (II Cor 12:9) –Grace strengthens us (II Tim 2:1) –God of all grace (I Peter 5:10) –We comes to the throne of grace and find

16. grace to help in every need (Heb 4:6) –“the word of grace (Acts 20:32) –Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29)