Answering the question, "have you ever done anything that would demand you go to hell?" is an indicator of where a person's "spiritual wealth" is. To answer that question with, "I am not perfect, but I don't deserve hell" illustrates that a person has a "spiritual bank account" they are expecting to draw from to "buy" the righteousness that is required to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. To answer, "I have done some bad things deserving of hell, but I am not as bad as _________________" is an indicator that you are trusting that God is a Divine Teacher that will be grading on a curve and you are expecting to end up on the "right" side of the curve. To answer, "I have done some bad things deserving of hell, but I do a lot of good too" is an indicator that you are trusting that God is a Divine Accountant that will balance all accounts with a "good versus bad" ledger. To answer, "Absolutely, I am deserving of hell. I have nothing, I have done nothing, and can do nothing that God should ever allow me to enter His Kingdom" is a person that is "poor in spirit". They recognize they have no "spiritual currency" that can be exchanged for entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. God breaks a man, He convicts, He crushes, He causes a man to become "poor in spirit", but then He ushers in the Words: Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. A man who is poor in spirit will seek, embrace, plead with, and serve the King of kings, King Jesus because they have had their eyes open to the Truth, that only the Blood of Jesus can wash away their sin. From a heart that has been flooded with His Grace and Mercy flows thankfulness to Him resulting in obedience and service.

Bullet Points from Galatians Chapter 1 • It was written by Paul, who is an Apostle • Paul points out that his Apostleship is of God through Jesus Christ, not from or through man • Paul gives an extremely quick overview of what Jesus did, “gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age,” • In verse 1 Paul refers to God the Father, and in verse 4 he points out that it is according to the will of our God and Father that Jesus would “give Himself for our sins” • Paul does not waste any time getting to the point of his letter, he is “astonished”, the NASB uses the word “amazed”, NKJ says, “I marvel” – there is something happening that has shocked Paul • What has shocked Paul is that the Galatians have turned away, they have deserted God • They have turned away from the Gospel • Paul connects turning away from the true Gospel to turning away from God • By Grace, by the gift of God, these Galatians received the true Gospel, and they are turning to a distorted gospel, a false gospel, which is no Gospel at all • The true Gospel is the Gospel of Christ, and there were some that began preaching a gospel contrary to the Truth • Before Paul addresses what this “contrary gospel” is, he points out the impact of those that would teach a false gospel, and he repeats in verses 8 and 9 • “If we” preach any other gospel, other than the True Gospel that we already preached to you, we shall be accursed, we shall be condemned to eternal hell (paraphrase) • “If an angel” preaches any other gospel, other than the True Gospel that we already preached to you, they shall be accursed, they shall be condemned to eternal hell (paraphrase) • When it comes to sharing the Gospel, the Gospel is not always pleasing to men, men prefer a different gospel • When a different gospel is preached, Christ is not glorified, He is not served well. Paul’s aim is to serve Christ, is aim is not to please man • The True Gospel is not man’s Gospel, Paul received it through revelation, he received it directly from the risen Christ • Paul explains briefly who he was before God opened his eyes to the Truth. He was influential Pharisee, ranking very high in Judaism, and he was a violent persecutor Christians • , he sought to destroy the Church of Christ Chapter 2 • A “false brother” is one who is not truly a brother, he is not truly a follower of Jesus • There were “false brothers” in the early church, in some cases they are acting as spies • There is freedom in Christ, freedom from religion and ritual, yet the “false brothers” were seeking to bring the Christian Jews back under the religion and rituals of Judaism, they wanted to bring them back “into slavery” – religion and ritual is slavery • When something is corrupted, distorted, polluted, its original purity is not preserved. Paul “did not yield in submission for a moment, so that the Truth of the Gospel might be preserved for you.” • Paul not only opposed influential men, but he even publicly rebuked Peter, a fellow Apostle, when he was acting hypocritically, acting contrary to the Gospel • The “false brothers” sought to return the Christian Jews back to slavery, they wanted them back under religion, they wanted to return to attempting to be “justified by works of the Law” • Paul bluntly points out the Truth; “no one can be justified by works of the Law” • Everything the Jews held dear, everything they thought was right, was turned upside down – their entire worldview needed to change, or they would be accursed, condemned to an eternal hell • Justification, being made right with God, is by faith in Jesus, trusting in Him, belief in Him alone • Paul paints a picture of one who has faith in Jesus. They have died to self, it is no longer they who live, but instead, Christ in them, it is Christ living in and through the believer, making them new, making them different • The Jews would have known that to be justified, to be made righteous, would be required to inherit eternal life. Paul points out that if you could be made righteous by the works of the Law, if you could be made righteous by something you do, then Christ was crucified for no purpose Chapter 3 • Paul calls the Galatians foolish. Not in an intellectual way, but foolish regarding their lack of obedience to the Truth. They foolishly turned away from the Truth they once received • Paul asks the logical question, “who has deceived you, who has misled you with flattery, who has bewitched you?” • The Spirit was given when they first heard, and they believed by faith. They were trusting in Christ alone, by faith alone; but now they returned to trusting in the religion and rituals they were set free from • Paul points out how illogical it is that they were given the Spirit by faith, yet now they think they will be perfected by works of the flesh, by human effort, religion, and ritual • God supplies the Spirit and works miracles by hearing with faith. When a man is justified it is a work of the Spirit, it is a miracle that happens when he hears the Truth, believes the Truth, and puts his faith in the Truth, this miracle does not happen by religion or ritual • The cursed live attempting to be justified by works of the Law, by religion and ritual – they will die accursed • The righteous are made righteous only by faith in Christ, not works, religion or ritual. They live by faith; they will die entering an eternal inheritance • Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law. We either are or were under the curse of the Law, but Jesus became a curse, He became sin for us, to redeem us, to cleanse us of our sin, to save us, to make us righteous. 2Corinthians 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. • Those who trust in Him alone will be saved. Those trusting in their own merit or goodness, in part or whole, will be accursed. • God made a promise to Abraham and his offspring. Paul points out that the “offspring” is Christ • The Law, which came 430 after the promise were made, does not nullify the promises • We know from Romans 3 that the Law brings knowledge of sin, the Law does not bring the inheritance of eternal life. The Law was put in place because of sin, to bring about knowledge of sin. • As pointed out in Romans 7: Yet if it had not been for the Law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet." • The Law was intended to show man’s utter sinfulness, show his inability to save himself, and show his desperate need of a Savior • Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness • Scripture, God’s Word, the Law has imprisoned all men in sin, with no ability of their own to escape. The Law imprisons and silences: Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the Law says it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. • The Law acts as a guardian, but not forever for the Christian. Once Christ came, He set the captives free. Those that trust in Him alone are no longer under Law but are now under Grace. Those who do not believe the promises of God are still under Law, still in bondage to the Law • Those “in Christ Jesus” are sons of God, they have become children of God. John 1:12 But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, • Paul speaks of those immersed into Christ, those that have believed in His Name, having “put on Christ” – they are trusting in Christ alone, which is analogous of putting on a parachute when jumping out of a plane. You are trusting the parachute to break the fall, not your own strength or ability. • Paul points out the unity of those in Christ. There are no classes, there is no superiority, there are no races, we are all one in Christ • It is through Christ we are Abraham’s offspring; we are children of the promises God made to Abraham. In those promises is an inheritance, that inheritance is eternal life in God’s Kingdom Chapter 4 • We either were, or are, all children. There is a “spiritual immaturity” we all either are still living in, or we have come out of • This “spiritual immaturity” are the “basic elements” of the world, which include man-made religion, ritual, and unbiblical theology • Paul points out that the Jews that are still trusting in Judaism, its rituals, and the works they are “performing” to earn favor with God are still slaves, they are still in bondage to the Law • At the perfect time, God sent His Son to redeem those under the Law, to rescue those in bondage to sin and death • Not only did Jesus redeem those trusting in Him, He adopted them as sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into the hearts of those who believe • Galatians 4:7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (NKJ) • Paul describes the elementary principles of the world as “weak and worthless” and again questions them as to how they could turn back again to the slavery they were set free from. You can sense the frustration and confusion as Paul continues to question their logic and foolishness • Paul is fearful that he has labored in vain, in other words, he is fearful that his preaching to them has become worthless since they have returned to the bondage of Judaism, which he frustratingly says includes the observation of, “days, months, seasons, and years” • Paul pointed out that Jesus “gave Himself for our sin”, He was the final, perfect sacrifice for sin; yet those that once understood this were returning to Judaism, which would include the old sacrificial system • As pointed out in Hebrews; Hebrews 10:4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. These sacrifices were only a type and shadow of the one final Blood sacrifice • Paul uses very strong language in verses 12-15 telling of the love they had for him as he preached, but then he asks the question, “have I then become your enemy by telling you the Truth?” • Paul says, “they make much of you”, referring to those who are attempting to enslave them once again under Judaism. You get the sense that there is a pridefulness in them if they are able to turn back one who has received the Truth of the Gospel back to the slavery of religion • Paul uses the illustration of a son born of a slave woman, and one born of promise (the story of Hagar and Sarah from Genesis 16) – the one of the flesh, the one born of the slave woman, will always persecute the one born of the promise • Those redeemed in Christ are of the free woman, not the slave woman Chapter 5 • Those set free in Christ have not only been set free from the law of sin and death, but they have been set free from religion and ritual • Paul reminds the reader that religion is slavery, “a yoke of slavery” • Paul appeals to the reader not to return to “a yoke of slavery” after having been set free in Christ • For one that has been justified by faith in Christ are now under the law of Grace. For them to now be justified by works of the Law, religion, or ritual, would not only result in “falling away from grace”, but they would be required to “keep the whole Law”, which is impossible • For anyone that would be justified in part or whole in any way other than through faith in Jesus Christ, “Christ will be of no advantage to you” • Obeying the Truth includes believing the Truth and rejecting any notion that man can earn favor with God, in part or whole, by deeds, religion, or ritual • Paul makes the point that the Galatian Christians were running well, in other words, they were obeying the Truth, but now have been hindered from obeying the Truth, they are believing a false gospel • When religion, ritual, deeds, or any other effort from man to be justified is preached, the offense of the Cross is removed. When salvation is through Christ alone, by faith alone and not of yourselves men are offended • The “Law” to be kept, which can only happen when a man is a new creature in Christ, is to serve one another through love; “love your neighbor as yourself” • Paul encourages the reader to “walk by the Spirit” – if we walk by the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of the flesh • Religion and ritual are ways men gratify the flesh, it makes them feel “worthy” – Paul warns against this and in verse 19 he expands on the works of the flesh • This lengthy, yet not exhausted list in verses 19-20 gives the hardest hitting Truth, “those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God” • This list are the passions and desires of the flesh, but those in Christ have crucified the flesh – they have killed fleshly desire and are now walking by the Spirit, earnestly seeking to do God’s will • Freedom and Christ, walking in that freedom, walking by the Spirit must also be protected from become conceited and prideful in that freedom. Paul warns against this, and he also warns against “provoking one another and envying one another” Chapter 6 • When we are not walking by the Spirit it is extremely likely we will fall into sin • We have a responsibility to the brethren to gently restore one who has fallen into sin. Restoring a brother must be done gently. You can rebuke and correct without being harsh, and that is what we are called to • We are called to bear one another’s burdens, this fulfills the Law of Christ, loving your neighbor as yourself • Paul warns that one walking in the Spirit can easily think he is something, he will become self-deceived. It is crucial to remember that apart from Christ you are nothing • Pride itself is sin. Being prideful in the freedom and victory you have in Christ is a sure way to fall into temptation • You can see the community dynamic in the first 6 verses – We restore the fallen, we share each other’s burdens, we share all good things with the teachers of the Word • What a man sows he will reap. What you sow into is crucial • There are two places to sow into from a spiritual, eternal, sense: the flesh or the Spirit • If you cultivate and pursue all things of the flesh the result will be corruption, sin, which ultimately leads to eternal condemnation • If you cultivate and pursue all things of the Spirit, walking by the Spirit, proving that the Spirit is within you, which can only happen to the redeemed in Christ, the result is eternal life • Doing good is evidence of our redemption, we must not grow weary in doing good. As ability and opportunity present itself, do good to everyone • Paul concludes his letter to the Galatians by reminding them of the hypocrisy of those that would have them return to the bondage of religion and ritual • Paul reminds them again that the only thing that matters is being born again, being a new creation in Christ. No ritual will help, and to think it will is contrary to the Gospel, it is disobedience to the Truth • There is a way to live a life with peace and mercy upon you, a “rule” to walk by, that “rule”, that way is by walking in the Truth, rejecting religion and ritual • Paul walks the walk, he has the marks of persecution on his body, he has rejected the religion he spent a lifetime pursuing and the offense of the Truth and his commitment to preaching it has caused him much affliction and ultimate got him killed

My wife likes to tell the story of when they were little and on Christmas Eve they would eat and then open presents. Every year before they opened presents the adults would do all the dishes first. While the kids sat there, practically leaping out of their skin with anticipation, the adults slowly washed all the dishes by hand, wiped the counters, and put away the leftovers. What kid with presents under the tree does not sit with anticipation as the time to open their presents gets close? Why do they do this? The joy they will receive from the gift they earnestly expect. This is somewhat analogous of what the Bible calls “waiting on the Lord” – which is also commonly referred to as “hope”. A kid at Christmas does not get distracted with “less important” things when moments away from present opening; after all, no kid has ever said, “hold on, I just realized I forgot to make my bed.” In the same way, Christians are in eager anticipation of the return of Christ. There is something coming that they are very excited about, and that something is Glory. The Glory of Christ and the Glory of Eternal Life. This earnest expectation, this hope, is not like “hoping for the GI Joe with the King Fu grip” at Christmas– this hope is a certainty of things not yet realized. Isaiah 40:28-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Romans 8:24-25 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Psalm 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Psalm 25:21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. Psalm 31:24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!