Oxford Bible Church - Living in the Last Days (audio)

In raising Lazarus from the dead after 4 days in John 11, Jesus validated His claim to be (1) the Resurrection and (2) the Life, the One who will raise us from both (1) physical and (2) spiritual death, if we believe (trust) in Him.

Derek shares 3 true stories that paint vivid pictures of the wonderful salvation that God has provided for us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and His death on the Cross.

The Mount Everest of Prophecy (Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12). This majestic prophecy from 700 BC reveals the perfect saving work of the suffering Messiah in dying for our sins and rising again. We see how Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled this prophecy in all its details.

We discuss the nature of the flesh according to the Bible, and how it is implacably opposed to God and His work in us. Our flesh cannot please God and only deserves crucifixion. Therefore to please God, we must walk in the Spirit. There is a battle between our flesh and the Spirit, and both desire to gain control over our souls. In our born again spirit, we desire to do God's will, but the covetousness of the flesh pulls us in the opposite direction, to prevent us living the life that God desires of us. However, the Spirit is stronger than the flesh, and gives us automatic victory over our flesh, when we trust in Him, for if we will walk in the Spirit, and we shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. In our soul, we must choose to trust and obey the Spirit of grace within us, and then victory over sin will be automatic, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death (see Romans 8:1-9). Thus if we are led by the Spirit (living in submission to the leadership of the Spirit of grace), then sin will not have dominion over us. To be led by the Spirit and to live under law are 2 incompatible ways of living. therefore to enjoy the life and freedom of the Spirit, we must first be set free from the Law.

In Galatians, God's Magna Carta of Christian Liberty, Paul emphasised justification by faith first (chapters 1-4), because it is foundational, and puts us in position, where we can receive and walk in His sanctifying Spirit, who empowers us to overcome sin in the flesh (chapters 5-6). First, God sent His Son to set us free from the Law by His death on the Cross, and then on that basis, He sent His Spirit into our hearts to set us free from sin (see Romans 6:14). Christ has set us free from the Law's dominion, curse and condemnation. Having been justified by faith, we are now under grace and are at peace with God on the basis of the perfect righteousness and work of Christ.

We have been set free from the Law, in order to enjoy a life of liberty under grace (v1,13). Therefore, we must not submit to a yoke of legalism - trying to get right with God on the basis of our works (v1-12), for while we remain under legalism, struggling in the flesh to fulfil God's Law, we cut ourselves off from the liberating Spirit of grace, and as a result sin will have dominion over us. We have been called by grace into a life of liberty from (1) the Law and (2) sin (the sin-nature in our flesh). He set us free from the Law, so that by His Spirit within us, we might live a life of freedom from sin. Therefore Paul says in v13 that we must not use our freedom from the Law as an excuse or basis to indulge our flesh, because that is just another form of bondage - slavery to sin. Christ did not come to give us freedom to sin, but freedom to not sin. God graciously set us free from the tyranny of the Law, so that we might be set free from self (the flesh), to serve others in love, and so fulfil God's law of love, through His Spirit of love within us. There are 2 ditches of bondage on either side of the road of freedom: legalism and license. Both involve bondage to different aspects of our fallen flesh.

First, we take a closer look at Paul's wonderful description of the Spirit-filled Christian life in v5-6: "We through the SPIRIT eagerly WAIT for the HOPE of RIGHTEOUSNESS by FAITH. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but FAITH working through LOVE." We live by the grace of the indwelling Spirit, who enables us to believe (rest) in His promises, so that with assurance we eagerly wait in hope for Him to bring us into their fulfilment and manifestation, as we trust His leadership in our lives. The hope of righteousness speaks of our confident expectation that God's grace in us will produce a continual and increasing manifestation of His imparted righteousness (the fruit of the Spirit) in our lives (sanctification), based on His imparted righteousness (justification). Our hope of righteousness is also that this process of sanctification will ultimately result in our glorification, when we will be perfected, and become just like Jesus, with His righteousness perfectly manifested in our being for all eternity (see Romans 5:1-5). The basis, value and reality of our life with God has nothing to do with outward rituals like circumcision, but rather what matters is our FAITH, which first of all rests (sits) in Christ and His grace, and is then expressed in a life of LOVE toward God and man (our Christian walk). A genuine FAITH unites us to the GOD, who is LOVE and the Source of all LOVE (1John 4:7-8). Therefore, the natural FRUIT that flows forth from our FAITH is LOVE, through the Holy Spirit within us (Romans 5:5). Thus, the true RIGHTEOUSNESS of (from) God that is of real value in our life is the LOVE that issues forth from our FAITH, or in other words, FAITH working through LOVE, expressing itself through our works (actions) of love.

Having contrasted the life of believers under the law with the life of believers under grace (v1-6), Paul then contrasts the false legalistic teachers of God with true teachers of grace, like Paul (v7-12). The Christian life is like running a race. We run well as we obey (live step by step in accordance with) the truth of grace. But false teachers are like those who cut across us, causing us to break our stride, hindering our progress in grace (v7). Paul points out that the origin of their doctrine cannot be God, who originally called them into His grace (see 1:6), since their message of human merit contradicted this Divine call (v8). He also points out the effect of their doctrine is to hinder, trouble and contaminate the church (v8,9,10,12). Also, one has to be on guard against it, because it can spread quickly like an infection, until it affects the whole church as well as one's whole life (v9). For example, although circumcision seems a small thing, it opens the door to you having to keep all the law (v3). Paul points out that God will judge false teachers (v10, see James 3:1), although he is also confident that the Galatians will eventually come to their senses (v10).

Paul also answers false information spread by these teachers that Paul actually agrees with them and still preaches circumcision (v11), by saying that if that were the case he would not be continually persecuted by the Jews. His persecution came because of the offence of the Cross, which declares that fallen man cannot contribute anything to his salvation, which offends man's self-righteousness, so if he in fact agreed with the legalists, this offence and its associated persecution would cease (v11). Paul concludes by expressing his wish that these false teachers, who were so into cutting the flesh (circumcision), would go all the way and castrate themselves, so that they could no longer reproduce, limiting their ability to spread their harmful doctrines further (v12).

In these verses, Paul contrasts the false man-made and man-centred religion of man's achievement (salvation by good works in obedience to the Law) in v2-4, with the true God-centred religion of Divine initiative, grace and achievement (v5-6). In this context, circumcision represents embracing the Law as one's life and salvation, and Paul warns them that if they do that, Christ will profit them nothing, and that if they attempt to be justified by law, they will become estranged from Christ, and they will fall from grace. Thus if they choose the way of the law by cutting their flesh in circumcision, they will also be cutting themselves off from the grace of Christ. We discuss what this means. It certainly means that by trusting in the flesh, they will cut themselves off from the supply of God's sanctifying Spirit in their lives, leaving them to struggle on in the flesh, but is Paul also warning them that they could be cut off from Christ and lose their salvation? We discuss this controversial issue.

Paul also points out that being circumcised obliges a man to keep the whole law, thus dooming him to the curse of the law (3:10). Then Paul contrasts this by describing God's way of grace (v5-6). First, the basis for our relationship (right-standing) with God is simply that we are 'in Christ.' He also describes the true Christian life in terms of faith, hope and love, which flourish by the Holy Spirit through our fellowship with God. Therefore externals rituals like circumcision are irrelevant both for our justification and for our sanctification.

Galatians 5:1: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." (NKJV).

Galatians 5:1: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (NIV).

This key verse is transitional, moving the letter of Galatians into a description of Christian life of liberty through the Holy Spirit, moving the emphasis from justification to sanctification. He starts from the conclusion of the last chapter: "Christ has set us FREE", and declares that He has done this, so that we might live and enjoy a life of FREEDOM. Therefore, we should refuse to allow ourselves to return to a life of slavery by embracing legalism.

First, we discuss what the Bible means by FREEDOM. It is not freedom to do whatever we want, or to sin as we please. We are not set free to sin, but we are set free from sin. Living under the flesh results in bondage. Freedom means being free to be and live as God created and intended us to be. We were made in God's image to belong to God and to be filled with God's Spirit, and to glorify God by expressing His nature and abilities.

There are 2 main aspects to our freedom: (1) Freedom from the Law, and (2) Freedom from sin and self. (1) First, Christ set us free from the external restraint and condemnation of the Law, by bearing our sin and condemnation on the Cross, and then by giving us His imputed righteousness when we believe in Him. On this basis, He justified us and set our conscience free from the guilt of sin. There is therefor no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1). Thus, we have been set free from the tyranny of having to keep the Law to win acceptance and favour with God, and access to God and His grace. (2) Second, Christ sets us free from the power of indwelling sin (in our flesh) and our independent self-life, by the gift of His imparted righteousness through the indwelling Holy Spirit. That is, He sets our will free from bondage to sin (the sin-nature in our flesh) - this is sanctification by the Word and by the Spirit, for where the Spirit is there is liberty (2Corinthians 3:17). He initially sanctified our spirit (set it free from sin) in the New Birth, when the Spirit came to indwell it. Now He is progressively sanctifying our soul as we walk in the Spirit, rather than in the flesh. Our justification (freedom from the Law) is the basis for our sanctification, for it gives us legal access to the grace of God in the Spirit, which sanctifies us (Romans 5:1-2, 8:1-6). Thus, in order to enjoy a life of freedom in the Spirit, our hearts must first be established in our justification by grace through faith, which is why Paul first of all emphasised this truth in Galatians 1-4, before moving on to describe our new life in the Spirit (Galatians 5-6).

The Bible alone holds the secrets to life after death. It reveals that all humanity is divided into two groups after death, and is set apart unto 2 opposite eternal destinies - Heaven and Hell. While God-rejectors, who die in their sins, go down to Hades to await their resurrection unto final sentencing and everlasting condemnation, those who die in Christ, go up to Heaven, to be with Christ, their Lord and Saviour, forever. A God Day programme.

God has prepared a wonderful eternity for all those who receive His salvation in Christ.

We see what the final chapters of the Bible reveal about our everlasting life in the heavenly City. A God Day programme.