Fishkill Baptist Church
Sunday, July 19
Isaiah 1:18ESV
Psalm 96:1–4ESV
- A Thousand Tongues
- Jesus, Only Jesus
- Jesus Messiah
- By Faith
- Doxology
- Intro: Theme/Topic (What’s the problem, the question, etc.)This afternoon is the FIFA World Cup Final — Spain versus Argentina. And if you've been paying any attention at all this summer, you know the story of how Argentina got there, because they did it in dramatic fashion and at England's expense.Last Wednesday, England was leading 1–0 in the semi-final match. England just had to hold onto this lead for 35 minutes. They were right there — just a few minutes away from their first World Cup Final since 1966. Sixty years. And you could feel it. This was the moment…And then it all fell apart. Argentina scored the tying goal with just 5 minutes left in regulation. And then in stoppage time — in the 92nd minute — Messi floated a cross to the back post where a teammate put the ball in the back of the net with his head! Game over. Argentina 2, England 1.And if you watched the final whistle, you saw England’s star player, Harry Kane, standing there at midfield, just staring at the ground. Because this isn't new for England.They lost the World Cup semi-final in 2018 to Croatia. Before that, they played their last World Cup semi-final match in 1990 and lost to West Germany in a penalty shootout.And they’ve recently lost back-to-back European Championship finals.This is a good team — a talented team — that keeps getting to the doorstep but just can’t break through. And after Wednesday’s match, you know the question every English soccer fan is asking right now.What's it gonna take? What's it going to take to finally get over the hump? To break through? To win a major championship?And I bring that up because I think a lot of us know exactly what that feels like — not on a soccer field, but in our walk with God.When you become a Christian, you know that God loves you and you’re forgiven and pardoned by faith in Jesus Christ.However, you look at yourself and get frustrated because…You’re still holding grudges Still having trouble forgiving people You’re still struggling with anger and fear You’re still lacking self-control in certain areas. You still have problems.And there’s this nagging sense that you should be further along by now — That you're not becoming the person you thought you'd be by this point in your Christian life.And the frustrating part is, you're not lazy about it.You're trying. You're reading your Bible, You're showing up on Sundays, You're doing the right things. But something isn't clicking, And that gap between who you are and who you want to be just won't close.You know God accepts you but you want to know…How do I become more humble? More honest? How do become more loving, joyful, and self-controlled? How do I actually grow?And so the question you're carrying — maybe not out loud but somewhere in your heart — sounds a lot like the question England is asking:What's It Gonna Take?If I'm already a Christian — if God has already accepted me through faith in Christ — what's it going to take to actually become the person God wants me to be?That's what our text in Galatians is going to answer for us this morning. And the answer might surprise you, because it's not what you think.It's not "try harder" or "be more disciplined" or "add something new to your routine."Paul is going to take us somewhere completely different. So let's look at it.ScriptureGrab your Bibles and turn with me to Galatians 3:1-9. If you need to use a pew Bible, you’ll find today’s text on page 1155. Once you’re there, please stand with me if you are able and follow along with me as I read.While you're finding that — if you're new with us, Galatians is a letter from the Apostle Paul to churches he planted.He preached the gospel to them, they believed, churches were born, and Paul moved on.But after he left, false teachers moved in. And they didn't deny Jesus — they just said Jesus wasn't enough. You also needed to keep the Jewish law… You need to add your own religious performance to what Christ has done.So Paul writes back, and for the first two chapters he builds one relentless argument:The gospel I preached is the one true gospel, it came from God not men, it was confirmed by the other apostles, and it cannot be added to — because the moment you add anything to grace, it stops being grace.Now today, in chapter 3, Paul turns a corner. He's done proving his gospel is true. Now he's going to show us what the gospel does —Not just how it saves you, but how it changes you.And that's exactly the question we're asking this morning.Galatians 3:1–9. I'm reading from the ESV.
Galatians 3:1–9 ESV O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.This God’s Word!PrayerFather Your word is sweeter than honey on our lips. Unlock our spiritual taste buds this morning to tase and see that Jesus is better than any treasure this world could ever give us! We ask this in His name — AMEN!Intro: Formal (give context to passage, setting the scene, big idea)Do you see what Paul is doing here? He's asking the Galatians a question that most of us have felt but maybe never put into words.You came to faith in Christ… You heard the gospel, it gripped your heart, and you believed.But now you're on the other side of that — you're in the Christian life, and you're trying to grow, trying to change, trying to become the person you know God wants you to be. And it's not working the way you thought it would.So the question is:If I'm already a Christian, what's it going to take to actually become the person God wants me to be?And here's what's so surprising about Paul's answer.He doesn't say try harder. He doesn't say add something new. He doesn't give you a program or a plan.He says:You grow in Christ the same way you came to Christ — by hearing the good news and believing it.I’m going to make 3 points this morning to show you how Paul unfolds this.How you got in the game (1-2) How did you become a Christian in the first place?How the game has always been played (6-9) Paul takes us all the way back to Abraham to show this isn't entirely new.How you win the game (3-5) How the gospel actually works right now to change you from the inside out.Alright let’s lock in…How You Got in the GameLook with me at verse 1. Paul begins this section saying, "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?"It doesn't make any sense to Paul. Because it's not for lack of knowledge — they're not ignorant — they're just not living out what they already know. It's like someone has cast a spell on them.So to break them out of this stupor, Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions to guide them back on track. But first, he reminds them how it all began — because the secret to growing as a Christian is found at the beginning.Verse 1 continues: “It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified."Now, what could this possibly mean? These Galatians didn't live anywhere near Jerusalem. So, it's highly unlikely any of them literally saw Jesus' crucifixion.So what's Paul saying here?Look at that phrase: "publicly portrayed." That word "portrayed" means to display something on a placard. And "publicly" carries the sense of "vividly" or "graphically" in the Greek. Paul is talking about the powerful effects of his preaching.His missionary goal was not to give spiritual advice or spiritual life-hacks. He was not a TED Talk speaker. Paul did not come preaching a message of good advice about what you should do. He came preaching a message of good news about what Jesus Christ has already done for you!Imagine you're the wife of a husband deployed during wartime and someone knocks on your door with a message — the first person hands you a book of tips and strategies for coping with the fears and anxieties of deployment.But a second person knocks on your door with a different message — The war is over and your husband is coming home. His car will be rolling into the driveway any minute.Which one is good news? The first message is a burden. The second is the best news you've ever heard! That's the difference between good advice and good news.Paul came to Galatia with good news — to tell a story — the greatest story — to lift up vividly, as if on a placard, Jesus and His death on the cross to save sinners.Now notice the phrase: "before your eyes." If they didn't physically see anything, what does this mean?This is something foundational about how God works.In Ephesians 1:18, Paul prays that the eyes of people's hearts would be enlightened.In Acts 26:18, Jesus commissions Paul, telling him He is sending him to the Gentiles "to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light."And how does Paul open eyes? He tells us in Romans 10 —Romans 10:17 ESV So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.So, Paul’s message is clear:If you want to see, you first need to hear. And for you to hear, someone needs to preach the good news.And that is exactly what Paul did for these Galatians.But understand — every message begins at the level of intellectual fact. It's a fact that Jesus died and rose again.So, you can believe that it happened in a historical sense. But that is not yet seeing.At the end of the book of Job, after everything he's been through, Job says this:Job 42:5 ESV I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;We all know people who've heard the gospel but are just not moved by it. They may even believe it's true, but it doesn't grip them.I think it's a little like when someone receives news of a loved one's terminal diagnosis. You know intellectually that your loved one is going to die.It's sobering. But it doesn't feel real. And even after they pass, the weight of it hits people at different times — even though they all know the truth.When my father-in-law died of cancer recently, I remember breaking the news to my kids.For some of them, it hit right away — their eyes were opened — and the tears flowed.But while some of my kids were shedding tears, another one asked if they could go eat a bagel.The reality hadn't hit them yet. Their eyes weren't opened. But later that day, that same kid shed some tears alone on their bed.The weight of the gospel hits people at different times — and sometimes, sadly, not at all before it's too late.This is my point. We all need Jesus to be graphically portrayed before our eyes through the message of the gospel.It's one thing to know you're a sinner — It's another thing to taste that you're a sinner.It's one thing to know that Jesus died on a cross and rose again — It's another thing to see that He died on that cross for YOU, — And to know how much He loves YOU.And this is what Paul is pressing on the Galatians. He's taking them back to what it was like when they first became Christians — when they heard the good news and it really landed on their hearts.And one of the things that happened at that moment was they received the Holy Spirit.So he asks his first rhetorical question in verse 2:Galatians 3:2 ESV Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?And the answer is obvious. Of course it wasn't by works of the law!They heard the gospel preached. Their eyes were opened. And they responded by faith — trusting Jesus to be their Savior.Take a moment right now and think about your own experience of coming to Christ. What was it like when the eyes of your heart were opened and you tasted and saw the beauty of Christ for the first time?And maybe you're someone here today who has heard the gospel many times — maybe you even believe it's true — but right now, in this moment, you're tasting it for the first time. Your eyes are being opened.If that's you — respond in faith. Right now. You don't need to clean yourself up first. You don't need a program or to take a class first…Just tell Jesus from your heart: I know I'm a sinner and I can't save myself. Jesus, I believe You died and rose again for me. Forgive me and welcome me into Your family.And if you just prayed that for the first time today, tell someone — because we want to celebrate with you. The Bible says that in that moment you have crossed over from death to life. That's worth celebrating.Now — here is the key to everything that follows in this sermon: the way you just heard the gospel? The way some of you may have responded to it just now — by hearing and believing?That's not a new thing that’s exclusive to the New Testament. And to prove it, he's going to take us all the way back to Abraham in verses 6-9.How the Game Has Always Been PlayedPaul’s example of Abraham is a genius move! Let me explain why…Remember the false teacher who’ve infiltrated the Galatian churches are Jewish. And their not rejecting Jesus — Their message to these Gentile believers was that if they truly wanted to be accepted as part of God’s people they had to live like Jews:Get circumcised… Keep the Jewish law… And follow the Jewish customs.And their argument likely leaned heavily on Abraham,The father of the Jewish people… The one God made His covenant with!Their argument was logical:If you want to be part of Abraham’s family… You need to live like Abraham’s people.Abraham was their “Trump” card!But watch what Paul does — he plays an Uno-Reverse card on these false teachers by showing that Abraham actually proves Paul's gospel and cuts the legs out from under theirs.Paul begins by quoting from Genesis 15 in verse 6 saying:Galatians 3:6 ESV just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”This word “Counted” is an accounting term. It’s like if I deposited $100 into your bank account. That money is now in your name —You didn’t earn it. You didn’t deserve it. It’s been credited to your account.That's what happened with Abraham's right standing before God. It wasn't credited to him because he was such a great guy.It was a gift of grace — and Abraham heard it received it by faith.But what did Abraham hear that made him believe? — This will really blow your mind!In verse 8 Paul says the Scripture went and preached the gospel to Abraham! And then he quotes Genesis 12:3 saying:Galatians 3:8 ESV “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”Church, this is the gospel in seed form —Not a different gospel, The same gospel, Just not colored in all the way yet.You see this blessing was to come through one of Abraham’s descendents…Today we know that descendent is Jesus — and it’s His death and resurrection that brings the Abrahamic blessing to all people!Abraham didn’t see it as clearly as we do today but it’s the same gospel!And he heard it vividly portrayed before his eyes! He tasted it and he believed! — Just like the Galatians did and just like Christians do today.And that's the Uno-Reverse. The false teachers said these Gentiles couldn't be part of Abraham's family unless they acted like Abraham's family. Paul says the opposite — look at verse 7:Galatians 3:7 ESV Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.Church, Paul is telling the Galatians and us — You're already sons of Abraham —Not through the law, — But by hearing the same gospel And exercising the same faith Abraham did.This was always God’s Plan A — not a New Testament innovation!So we've seen how the Galatians got in the game —They heard the gospel and believed.We've seen how the game has always been played —Abraham heard the gospel and believed.Same pattern, centuries apart.Now Paul asks the question that turns the whole sermon toward us: Let’s explore this now in my final point…How You Win the GameLook with me at verse 3…Galatians 3:3 ESV Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?Do you feel the weight of this logic…You started by hearing with faith — Abraham started by hearing with faith — So, why are you trying to finish a different way?It’s like taking off in an airplane then telling the pilot, “Thanks, I’ve got it from here.” Then you jump out the plan and try to reach your destination by flapping your arms really fast!Paul would say, “Are you so foolish?”It’s not like there’s one way of becoming a Christian — And then there’s another way to grow as a Christian.Church, there is not one way of becoming a Christian and then another way of growing as a Christian.But this is how so many of us try to live — we believe we're justified by faith in Jesus, and then we turn around and believe we need to become like Jesus by trying really, really hard.Now look at verse 5…Galatians 3:5 ESV Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?Notice, this is all present tense. Paul is talking about how God is right now supplying the Spirit and working among them. And he asks “HOW?”The Answer: The same way as the beginning — Hearing with faith. Not by self-effortChurch the ongoing Christians life runs on the same fuel as your conversion. It’s not a different engine!So, if we grow the same way we began — Then why do we keep going back to self-effort? — What’s really going on when we try to white-knuckle our way through the Christian life?Let me give you an illustration. Imagine you’re angry with your mother-in-law — This is just an illustration — I love my mother-in-law!So, you’re angry with your mother-in-law and you know the right thing to do as a Christian is to forgive her. But you really don’t want to. But — because you want to be obedient to God, —You grit your teeth, dig down deep, and muster the strength to just do it.You tell her you forgive her.Is this how the Christian life is supposed to work? — NO!Because the problem isn’t on the surface. The problem isn’t whether or not you perform the act of forgiveness. The problem is in your heart.You get stuck when you say Christ is your Savior, but in reality there’s something else operating as your functional savior! —Something like:Approval, control, validation, comfort.Whatever it is for you — You work so hard to get it from your mother-in-law but she’s withholding it. And when she keeps it from you, — The thing you feel you need to have — It makes you feel worthless and incomplete.This is verse 3 in real life —You started by grace — Hearing and believing — But now you’re trying to live by the flesh — By your own effort.And I probably don’t need to tell you this but —Whatever that functional savior is for you — It is a merciless, ruthless master — And it will never forgive you —And, before you heard and believed the gospel, you were slaves to these masters. But in Christ, you’ve been set free.We get stuck now as Christians when we start living like slaves again to our old masters.And Paul says this is foolish — You’ve been set free! Why would anyone choose to live like a slave again?!So, here’s how you move forward…You look at whatever that functional savior is —Approval, Control, Comfort —And then you look to Jesus, vividly portrayed before your eyes as your crucified and risen Savior — and you say,I don’t need that approval — I don’t need that comfort — I don’t need that control —Because I have Jesus!And when you do this — That functional pseudo-savior gets demoted. It loses it’s grip on your heart and forgiveness becomes possible —Not by will power, but from a heart that’s been set free and captivated by the beauty of Jesus!This is what Paul is saying:Your struggle with sin and growing as a Christian — Is always at it’s root, that you think you’re trusting Jesus as your Savior, But functionally, something else has taken His place.Let me show you what this looks like when it actually works — even under the most extreme circumstances imaginableIn Acts 7 — Stephen is being unjustly stoned to death by an angry mob…And as the stones are hitting him, he falls to his knees and cries out with a loud voice: “Lord do not hold this sin against them.”How is that possible?! — Where does that kind of power come from?We know Jesus said something similar from the cross — but that was Jesus! —How is it that Stephen looked so much like Jesus here?Here’s how…Luke tells us that just before the stones started flying —He was full of the Holy Spirit — He gazed into heaven — Then he saw Jesus — Standing at the right hand of God!Stay with me here…In Scripture we usually see the risen Jesus depicted in heaven as sitting at the right hand of the father — A picture of His authority and His reign.But Stephen sees Him standing — And standing is what you do in a courtroom…Stephen saw Jesus standing before the bar of God’s justice as his advocate — the one who laid down His life to pay for Stephen’s sins, to pardon him, and to welcome him home.Do you see how Stephen did this?He didn’t say, “I’m a Christian, so I have to forgive these people that I hate — so, I’m just going to grit my teeth and do it!” — NO!The Holy Spirit prompted him to look up and see Jesus — Vividly portrayed before his eyes as his risen Savior —And Stephen knew — even though these people were condemning him to death — That In the only courtroom that matters, he is pardoned and counted righteous.He was able to say, “I don’t need their approval — because I have Jesus!Stephen saw Jesus — He heard the good news — He tasted it and believed.And radical, impossible forgiveness to pour out of him!Church — This is how you win the game! This is how you grow as a Christian — This is how you look more like Jesus!Not by trying harder — But by seeing Jesus. Hearing the good news again, and again, and again — Tasting that He is good and believing it —The same way you did at the beginning.Conclusion/Response (Gospel & Repent/Believe)We started this morning with England — a talented team that keeps getting to the doorstep but can't break through.I don’t know if they will ever win another World Cup. "What's it gonna take for them?" — I don’t know…But honestly — The answer probably is something new.A new strategy. A new generation of players. Something they haven't tried yet.But here's what Paul has shown us this morning: the Christian life doesn't work that way.When you ask, "What's it going to take to actually become the person God wants me to be?" — The answer isn't something new. It's something old.You grow in Christ the same way you came to Christ — By hearing the good news and believing it.The Galatians heard the gospel and believed — and that's how they got in the game.Abraham heard the gospel and believed — and that's how the game has always been played.And when you are stuck —When you're struggling to forgive, Struggling to change, Struggling to close the gap between who you are and who God wants you to be —You don't need a new program or a new strategy or more willpower.You need to do what Stephen did — Look up. See Jesus — your advocate, your Savior, standing for you in the only courtroom that matters.Hear the good news again. And believe it.That's what it's gonna take. Not more effort — more of Jesus.The same Jesus who saved you — Is the Jesus who is changing you — and He does it the same way every time. From beginning to end, — It has always been by hearing and believing the gospel.PrayerFather, we confess that we are the foolish Galatians. We have heard the gospel. We have seen Jesus vividly portrayed before our eyes as our crucified and risen Savior. And yet so often we turn right around and try to live the Christian life in our own strength — And we wonder why we feel so stuck.Forgive us for the times we've let something other than Jesus sit on the throne of our hearts — serving those masters as though You never set us free.Lord, give us eyes to see the beauty of Jesus. Open our hearts to hear the good news again and to taste that You are good. And by Your Spirit, change us from the inside out, the same way You changed us at the very beginning.We pray this in the name of Jesus, our advocate, who stands for us. Amen.Closing Song: My Faith Has Found a Resting PlaceClosing Words:Church, what a gift it is to sing those words — "My faith has found a resting place, not in device nor creed." That's exactly where Paul has taken us this morning. Your faith doesn't rest on your performance. It rests on a Person — Jesus Christ, vividly portrayed before your eyes as your crucified and risen Savior.Final Gospel Appeal:For some of you, maybe today is the day you finally heard the gospel and the eyes of your heart opened wide to the beauty of Jesus crucified and risen for you! If that’s you today, receive this gift of grace by faith alone in Jesus — the same way Abraham did!There will be people up front here after the service who would love to pray and talk with you as you take that first step of faith.Next Steps:And for those of you who are already in the game — Maybe today stirred something in you. Maybe you’ve never been baptized and you’re ready to declare what God has done in your life. Maybe you need some community that will help you grow by pointing you to the gospel. If that’s you and you’re tired of being stuck we’d love to help you find a discipleship group to plug into.Whatever that next step is for you — let us know by filling out our Next Steps form. Do this now by grabbing your phone and scanning the QR code on screen or by tapping your phone to one of the white NFC tags in the pews. Someone will reach out to you this week.Missional Charge:Now church, wherever God sends you this week — your workplace, your neighborhood, your soccer field, your dinner table — go as someone who has seen Jesus and tasted that He is good. And help someone else see Him too.Benediction: 2 Corinthians 13:14“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Galatians 3:1–9ESV
Romans 10:17ESV
Job 42:5ESV
Galatians 3:2ESV
Galatians 3:6ESV
Galatians 3:8ESV
Galatians 3:7ESV
Galatians 3:3ESV
Galatians 3:5ESV
- My Faith Has Found A Resting Place