John Lloyd - Amazing Grace
/Free in Christ: Study of Galatians
Amazing Grace Sets us Free
Galatians 1:11-24
October 7, 2018
I pray that each of us would truly receive God’s amazing grace for our lives. The apostle Paul was blind to it but God opened his eyes and changed his life. God’s amazing grace sets us free, and we are kept free as we share it with others. Enjoying the Journey, Pastor John
Today’s Passage: Galatians 1:11-24
Memory Verse: Galatians1: 23b “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.
Some Big Themes in Galatians:1. In Jesus’ sin bearing death, Christ is the substitute for all Christians, whom he brings into a new realm of freedom and life. (see 1:4, 2:20, 3:13). 2. The gospel is for humanity, but there is no sense that it has its origin in humanity, it comes only from God. (1:1,11-12, 15-20). 3. The gospel is appropriated not by works of the law but by faith which is the route of justification (2:16). 4. OT Scripture itself testifies to the truth of justification by faith, both in the life of Abraham and in the prophecy of Habakkuk. (Genesis 15:6, Habakkuk 2:4)
Big Idea: God’s amazing grace sets and keeps us free!
I. Amazing grace ______________ me right to God. Galatians 1:11-12
Galatians 1:11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:1)
Brothers- to those who believe and confess the true gospel.
Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
No one is so good that they don’t need the grace of the gospel, or so bad that they can’t receive the grace of the gospel. Paul was deeply religious but he needed the gospel. Paul was deeply flawed, yet he could be reached with the gospel. As C.S. Lewis once said, “Christianity must be from God, who else could have thought it up? Timothy Keller
Amazing grace is God’s idea!
II. Amazing grace _____________ me past my deepest sin. 1:13-14
Galatians 1:13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. (Acts 8;3,
Acts 8:3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. (Acts 9:1-2, I Corinthians 15:9)
“Grace is the free, unmerited favor of God, working powerfully on the mind and heart to change lives. There is no clearer example than Paul that salvation is by grace alone, not through our moral and religious performance. Though Paul’s sins were very deep, he was invited in.” Timothy Keller
I Timothy 1:15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (Isaiah 43:25, Psalm 103:12, Micah 7:19)
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Amazing grace means Jesus died in my place on the cross.
God’s amazing grace is greater than all my sin.
III. Jesus Christ __________________ amazing grace to me. 1:15-16
Galatians 1:15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, (See question 4)
“The gospel calls us out of religion just as much as it calls us out of irrelgion.” Keller
Reveal-apokalupto- refers to the disclosure of something by the removal of what was concealing it.
When amazing grace is revealed to you, you see God’s hand on every detail of your life.
Acts 9:4 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?"
Everything changes when you receive God’s amazing grace through Jesus Christ. Amazing grace sets me free!
IV. Amazing grace keeps me free when I ________ it with others.1:23-24
Galatians1: 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me. (see questions 5&6)
It’s amazing grace to be rescued out of religion or irreligion. It’s even deeper when you allow God to use you to rescue others.
God did it! God did it by grace! God did it through Christ! God did for the sake of others! Warren Wiersbe
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Sharing this amazing grace glorifies God and His Son, Jesus Christ!
Spiritual Growth Questions for October 7th, 2018
Opener: When someone goes through a radical change, what kind of questions does it raise for you?
1. Read Galatians 1:11-24. Describe in your own words what is happening here. Why is this important?
2. Read Galatians 1:11-17. What were the driving forces in Paul’s life before his conversion? What evidence is there that God was working in Paul’s life even before he met Jesus? How does Paul’s pre-conversion life add weight to the claim that his gospel came from God?
3. Read Jeremiah 1:5, Galatians 1:15. In what ways can you see how God worked in your life before your conversion, to equip you to serve Him after it?
4. Do you ever find yourself thinking you deserve God’s grace? What prompts you to think this way? How does the gospel of grace free you from pride and guilt? (Meditate on Ephesians 2:8, Romans 11:6)
5. Read Galatians 1:18-24. Given Paul’s reputation, how might he have expected the churches to respond to him as a supposed new believer? What significance do you see in the fact that Christians in Judea “praised God because of” Paul rather than praising Paul?
6. Read Galatians 1:23-24, 2 Thessalonians 1:12. How could you live your life so that people would respect and praise God more because of you?
7. Read John 12:43, Proverbs 29:25. How are you most tempted to fear men and seek their approval? What would change if, in those moments, you lived to please God who is pleased with you?
8. Read Luke 5:16, Hebrews 10:25, Acts 1:8. How committed are you to spending time with God… spending time with other believers… spending time telling others your testimony?
9. What are the biggest changes which knowing Christ has brought about in your life? What changes in your life would you still like the Lord to bring about? Pray for your will to be in cooperation with God’s working. How can we pray for you this week?