Well. .
It’s the last week of your
second month of study!!
It seems like it has gone fast!! It’s our last
week in the book of Galatians. .
I had a few study notes that I found interesting this past month from my Chronological Study bible. . I will share a few of those with you today. .
Gal 2:15-16. . 15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the
Gentiles. 16 Yet we
know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by
obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made
right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the
law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”
If the Jewish laws cannot justify us, why
should we still obey the 10 Commandments and other Old Testament laws? We know
that Paul was not saying the law is bad, because in another letter he wrote
“the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.” (Rom
7:12). Instead, he is saying that the law can never make us acceptable to God.
The law still has an important role to play in the life of a Christian. The law
1.) guards us from sin by showing us God’s values in the world; 2.) convicts us
of sin, leaving us the opportunity to ask for God’s forgiveness, and 3.) drives
us to trust in the sufficiency to Christ, because we can never keep the 10
Commandments perfectly. The law cannot possibly save us. But after we become
Christians, it can be an aid in guiding us to live as God desires. .
Galatians 3:28. . There is no
longer Jew or Gentile,[o] slave
or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Some
Jewish males greeted each new day by praying, “Lord, I thank you that I am not
a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.” The role of women was enhanced by
Christianity. Faith in Christ transcends these differences and makes all
believers one in Christ. Make sure you do not impose distinctions that Christ
has removed. Because all believers are his heirs, no one is more privileged
than or superior to anyone else. .
Galatians
5:1 So
Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get
tied up again in slavery to the law.
Christ
died to set us free from sin and from a long list of laws and regulations.
Christ came to set us free—not free to do whatever we want because that would
lead us back into slavery to our selfish desires. Rather, thanks to Christ, we
are now free and able to do what was impossible before—to live unselfishly.
Those who appeal to their freedom so that they can have their own way or
indulge their own desires are falling back into sin. But it is also wrong to
put a burden of law-keeping on Christians. We must stand against those who
would enslave us with rules, methods, or special conditions for being saved or
growing in Christ.
So. .the assignment
this week is this. .
Read Galatians a few more times
this week. .
Pray each time you read. .
that God will show you WHAT He wants you
to do with His words. .
How does He want you to apply those words to your own
life. .
Do you need to repent of something. .
do you need to change a habit or
priority. .
Maybe you need to fix a specific mindset. .
How are you going to put
God’s word into action in your life. .
Also take some time to answer one of the questions below and submit it to our discussion next weekend. .
There is some
extracurricular reading involved in a few of the questions. .
I encourage you,
if you want to deepen your study. .
take a few minutes to read those verses and
consider the answer to the questions asked regarding them. .
I love LOVE Matthew
23. .
I believe it will really give each of you some further insight as to the
nature of the Pharisees (which corresponds to the nature of the Judaizers we
find in Galatians).
Matthew 23 shows us, though, what JESUS has to say to them!
2.)
What laws, regulations, or
ordinances do many people (even many Christians) routinely break? Why?
3.)
Read Ephesians 4:17-19. .Is
it possible to know God apart from believing in Christ? Why or why not. .
4.)
How has your understanding of
living by grace grown during this study of Galatians?
5.)
Read Matthew 23:1-28. .How
are the scribes and Pharisees similar to the Judaizers as described by Paul in
Galatians?
6.)
Over and over the New
Testament calls believers to serve one another. .How would you grade yourself
in the area of service? Why?
7.)
Read Romans 6:6. What does it
mean that our flesh has been crucified?
8.)
Read 1 John 2:15-16 and
Romans 2:20. .Describe what a true believer’s relationship with the world will
look like. .
9.)
When was the last time you
pondered the mystery and majesty of all that the cross of Christ represents?
Express here your gratitude to God for His amazing blessings that were poured
out to you because of the cross.
Again this month. .the questions listed were not from me. .
my friend
Connie brought me a study guide by John MacArthur on the book of Galatians when
she heard I was studying that. .
These represent a smattering of the questions
throughout the book. .
Finally. .
This little snippet from Max Lucado got the attention
of a lady in our email study group last month. She emailed it to me. .
And I thought it was a good fit for our study!
God Gets Into Our Lives-Max Lucado
"You have leaves to
rake. A steering wheel to grip. A neighbor's hand to shake.
Simply put, you have things to do.
So does God.
Babies
need hugs. Children need good-night tucks. AIDS orphans need homes.
Stressed-out executives need hope. God has work to do. And he uses
our hands to do it.
What the hand is to the
glove, the Spirit is to the Christian...God gets into us. At times,
imperceptibly. Other times, disruptively. God gets his fingers into
our lives, inch by inch reclaiming the territory that is rightfully his.
Your tongue. He
claims it for his message.
Your feet. He
requisitions them for his purpose.
Your mind? He made it
and intends to use it for his glory.
You eyes, face and hands?
Through them he will weep, smile, and touch."
from Come Thirsty
Enjoy your week!!
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