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Our Purpose on Earth
Scripture Passage:
Galatians 1:1-5 Attached audio files:
Introduction: If I were to ask each of you to give me the top five reasons why you are glad that Jesus died on the cross, the list would vary between each of you but more than likely each of you would have the fact that you don’t have to go to hell in those top five. We tend to think about the benefits that we have received due to salvation and not our responsibility due to salvation. Let us look at one of the reasons for the death, burial and resurrection and what our responsibility is.
- It Involves Substitution – “gave himself for our sins” (Galatians 1: 4)
- Himself for our Sins (1 Corinthians 15:3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
See All...; Hebrews 1:3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:
See All...; 1 Peter 2:24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
See All...; Revelation 1:5And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
See All...) - His Righteousness for our Rags (Romans 3:21-22 [21] But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
[22] Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
See All...; Romans 4:3-8 [3] For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. [4] Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. [5] But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. [6] Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, [7] Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. [8] Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
See All...; 2 Corinthians 5:21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
See All...; Philippians 3:9Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.
See All...) - It Involves Deliverance – “that he might deliver us” (Galatians 1: 4)
- Deliver
- Used many times in scripture in relation to battle terminology
- Basically means to take from one place or person and put in another place or given to another person
- This Present Evil World (Galatians 1:4Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
See All...) - Under a God (2 Corinthians 4:4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
See All...) - Under Princes (1 Corinthians 2:6Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
See All...) - Has a spirit (1 Corinthians 2:12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
See All...) - A Key to Understanding Galatians
- The Book of Galatians is about the here and now.
- Most of us are most thankful about the cross for the future benefits of heaven and our life with God in eternity
- This verse however states that Christ died to deliver us from this present evil world
- The Book of Galatians deals very little if at all about eternity, but rather the Book of Galatians is a letter written with instructions for our life here.
- Galatians 2:19For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
See All... - Galatians 2:20I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
See All... - Galatians is much like the Exodus
- The Exodus
- The Deliverer – Moses
- Conflicts – No Food, Bitter water, No water
- Rebellion – They wanted to return to Egypt. They remembered when they did eat bread to the full, and flesh in Egypt, but they forgot that they were slaves
- Destination – Not heaven, but the land of promise
- Galatians
- The Deliverer – Paul
- Conflicts – Approximately 20 Conflicts in Galatians
- Rebellion – (Galatians 1:6I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
See All...; Galatians 3:1O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
See All...; Galatians 4:9-10 [9] But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? [10] Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
See All...) - Destination – In this Epistle, Paul is not dealing with Heaven but rather the spiritual Christian life
- It Involves the Will of God – “according to the will of God” (Galatians 1:4Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
See All...) - Still in context as present tense
- The Will of God is our Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
See All...; 1 Peter 4:2-4 [2] That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. [3] For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: [4] Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
See All...) - It Involves the Glory of God – “To whom be glory” (Galatians 1: 5)
- God took you from the grips of the world and set you apart unto Himself.
- He set you away from the world so that you might be a light for Him
- The Exodus was supposed to end with the children of Israel in the land of Canaan
- This land was in a key place
- The major powers of the Old Testament were all surrounding Israel and if they were to do any trading or fighting or anything else they had to pass by Israel
- God set up Israel so that people would know Him by looking at them
- One of the major purposes of the Book of Galatians and the cross and our sanctification is, the glory of God
Proverbs 25:18
A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.