The message of Genesis 1 through 11 is that man is fallen and goes from bad to worse. Even when God shows us what He expects, we see we just can't live up to it. In Romans 1 to 6, we have the same message. So what is the remedy? Paul tells us that the Gospel was preached to Abraham. It is the verse repeated four times in Scripture: "The just shall live by faith!"

How could anyone who is saved by grace and experiencing the presence and power of the Holy Spirit think they need to add to their salvation by obeying the Laws of Moses? In this brief passage presented in this sermon, Paul asks six poignant questions to help the Galatians and us see that salvation is by grace alone.

We return to a key verse in the last sermon to mine the riches in it.

What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? What does it mean for Christ to live in me? This sermon goes into depth on this key passage and challenge to the Galatians and to our lives today.

The legalistic Jewish Christians were insinuating that Paul was sinning by eating with the Gentile believers. They had missed the wonder of the new covenant in Jesus' blood making Jew and Gentile one.

The old covenant and its demands along with pride in keeping the rules Paul declared crucified with Christ on the cross. Now, in place of the law, the Spirit reigns in us, the very life of Christ! His life in us helps us to live in the Spirit, which is something the laws of Moses could never do.

Peter had previously agreed with Paul that salvation was by grace alone. But when Peter went to visit the mostly Gentile church in Antioch and Jews came up from Jerusalem, he separated himself from the Gentiles and ate with the Jews. Paul called out his hypocrisy. It was an essential turning point for the church. If Paul had not confronted Peter, we would have a very different church trying to obey the laws of Moses.

Paul attempted to resolve the conflict with some of the false teachers that came from Jerusalem to Antioch in a discreet manner. He made sure he and the leaders of the church were on the same page regarding salvation by grace alone. Later it would require a public meeting because the false teachers couldn't let go of their traditions. The sermon addresses the issues that we as followers of Christ must contend for and what things are debatable. You will also learn about the cultural issues that affected this confrontation.

The Apostle Paul received his gospel of grace through a revelation of Jesus. The sermon explains the process and why it was important for him to mention it. The text has a number of references to back the opinion.

The sermon also looks into the difference in translation regarding Christ being revealed to Paul or in Paul and why the traditional translation is more powerful.

In this passage, Paul makes one of the harshest statements in any of his letters. It shows the ferocity with which he would go to defend the gospel of grace delivered to him to proclaim to the world. He also defends himself by declaring he isn't a people-pleaser. It challenges us to check our motivations and devotion to the truth he taught.

Paul's introduction to his letter to the Galatians not only reminds us that Jesus is more than a mere man and the conqueror of death, but that grace and peace are ours in Him. He delivers us from the present evil age. Without some knowledge of Jewish thought, the concept is hard to grasp. It is the truth that the Galatians and all who doubt the wonder of grace need to understand.

Our first sermon in Galatians explains the problem in the churches of Galatia and why Paul so fiercely opposed the teaching that had infiltrated the church there. It also takes a deep look at the first verse which is a compact defense of Paul's ministry and a rebuttal to the error in doctrine.