1. God Pleads with You Galatians 4:8-20 Listening to God’s impassioned plea for His children

2. I. Remember your Slavery 8-9 All were slaves to Elementary ideas about life before Christ. These ABCs are weak and powerless to change our lives. Knowing and being known of God truly changed your life. The whole world has been looking for Christ. Now that you have found Him, or He has found you, why go back to ABCs?

3. II. Don’t Bring Worry and Heartache 10-11 When you are little, you step on your parents toes, but when you are grown, you step on their hearts. The worst way to step on a parents heart is to be “full of yourself.” You are doing things that make you “full of yourself”: “you observe days, months, seasons” with the idea that these make you better than others or more right with God. We wasted our efforts on you.

4. III. Imitate the Gospel vs. 12 Become “as I am” (I do not observe the law), because, I became “as you were” (when I first met you). You did me no harm in this—because laying aside legalism is God’s will in Christ anyway. Choosing grace over law never hurts anyone. Now I plead with you to re-establish this imitation of a way of life that is true to the gospel. Walk in the Spirit, not in Legalism.

5. IV. 13-16 Remember Your Own Original Graciousness Legalism destroys graciousness Before, when you were not legalistic, you even accepted me as God’s messenger in spite of my infirmities. You passed the test of those whom God can reach— joyfully accepting His messengers without subjecting them to judgments. Legalism turns friends into enemies, even when the truth is shared.

6. V. 17,18 Be Discerning about Appearances. When people affect you in a powerful, inspirational way, don’t assume it is for good purposes. Their next tactic is to exclude you until you cow-tail to their expectations. Their expectations are the problem—they want you to be their zealous disciple so that they may receive something for themselves. Instead, let yourself be affected by those with right motives.

7. VI. 19,20 Understand my Pain, Perplexity, and Purpose I have gone through much pain for you in the past and do so again now ( are you going through a 2 nd childhood?) I do not understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. I wish I could be there and vary my tone according to your need, but I cannot. I want nothing more than for Christ to be formed in you.

8. Questions Are you reverting to ABCs instead of “putting on” Christ? Have you become “full of yourself” through legalistic pride? Have your teachers lost their appeal for your imitation of them in Christ? Have you lost your graciousness toward the imperfect messengers God sent you? Are you being emotionally led-on by people of “preferred image”. Do you realize that your gospel teachers suffered a lot and still want only your best?