What Are You Wearing?

"²³But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, being confined for the faith that was destined to be revealed. ²⁴Therefore the Law has become our guardian to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. ²⁶For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise."

Galatians 3:23-29

Good Morning Beloved,

Welcome to worship this Lord's Day!

We're so glad you're here.

During my time in the ministry, I have encountered a number of people, who had good intentions however, they base their beliefs on traditions, rather than scripture. There are many churches today, who take great pride in claiming to be "old fashioned." They base many of their actions and beliefs on traditions instead of scripture. I am not concerned with whether we are old fashioned or modern. That's not my focus. My focus is on remaining Biblical! True to the Scriptures. That is why I chose expository teaching.

However, I have witnessed first hand, that when you attempt to question or contradict someone’s beliefs there will be a confrontation. When you speak in opposition to ritualistic customs and traditions, that people have been taught, that they have grown up with their entire lives, there will be trouble! There is no doubt, that Paul was expecting some to attempt to contradict the truths that were laid out in his Epistle to the Galatians.

Let us bow our heads in prayer.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for this glorious day You have blessed us with, such a precious gift. Thank You for those You have gathered together with us, for worship, praise and fellowship. Thank You for the clarity of Your Word, such powerful truth, it's overwhelming. The Scripture brings such tremendous joy and gratitude, to those of us who love Your Word. Thank You for Son, Jesus Christ, who bore the punishment we deserve and rescued us unto Himself. Lord, thank You for the gift of salvation.

We pray that through Your Holy Spirit, You might do a mighty work in us, for the sake of Christ, the sake of the Gospel, all for Your glory.

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen

Today's Message: What Are You Wearing?

Many people, throughout history, and even today, want that feeling of being part of something greater, to be a part of a select group. This is the struggle that our text encounters today. Our text is written by Paul to the churches of Galatia, which would be modern day Turkey. This area was under Roman rule and considered a province. These very churches could have been founded by Paul and Barnabas in one of his trips trough the region.

We know that with in the congregations there were both Jews and Gentiles. There seemed to be a division between the two. Paul is having to write to them to defuse some heresies that had come into their midst. Many of the Jews in Galatia thought that their position as Jews made them of great. More so, they thought this is what made them the children of God. Paul teaches them that this is not correct. If they want to be the children of God that they were called to be, they will need to put aside their past ways of thought.

How do we become children of God?

One of the beliefs that the Galatians held that they were the children of God through the law that had been given to them and that they were so careful to follow it. Was this possible? Could they become the children of God though the law? Paul tells them, in no uncertain terms, the answer is "No!"

The law did serve a purpose, however, it was not how they became the children of God. The law served the role a tutor. In our culture today, when we think of the word tutor, we think of somebody who’s a teacher, somebody who comes in and does some instruction. That is not really the word paidaggos. Teacher is didaskalos.

During that time in Galatia and the Middle-East, there were slaves who were in charge of children, particularly young boys, from age six to sixteen, to discipline them, keep them from trouble and of harm. They were considered to be a superior slave, with their main responsibility being moral supervision. Similarly, it would act like a truant officer that brings pupils exercises physical discipline on those guilty of misconduct. The law then served as a guide giving humanity an understanding of moral principles. That particular attendant was in charge of the children until they reached manhood. At adulthood, they no longer needed a tutor.

The law today does not have the power that it used to. Today, it serves in the area of moral supervision. It is not a means for salvation. We are not chosen because of the law. It does not make us children of God. It still serves a purpose, that of getting us ready for being spiritual adults. It made us ready for the coming of Jesus, and after that coming of Christ, we are at an age of accountability. The law is the standard, God's standard, by which we can never measure up. The law's purpose is to point out our need for a Savior.

The greatness of our salvation is weighing heavily on my mind, the greatness of the tremendous blessing, procured by Christ in His death and resurrection, His saving work on the cross.

Open with me your Bibles, to the book of Galatians, as we take a look at these last few verses in chapter 3, we find the heart of Paul's intent, to clarify that salvation is by faith alone. I'd like to encourage to follow along with me, as I read to you from our text, to get it settled in our minds. Galatians 3:23-29.

"But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, being confined for the faith that was destined to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our guardian to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise."

In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

In Galatians chapter 3, verse 11, he says "Now, that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "the righteous one will live by faith."

Wherever Christ is, there is unity and equality in that diversity. The Jews essentially believed there were two classes of peoples, the Jews and then the Gentiles. The Gentile, had no class to the Jew. As well, the Greeks believed that there were two classes of people. There were the Greeks and the barbarians. Barbarians were to be the lowest of the low, with not social skills or refinement. The apostle Paul sets them straight. The Jews were not better that the Greeks, the Greeks were nor better than the Jews. In Christ, the gap is bridged, and the ordinary rules of society no longer apply. There was to be no social division, sex discrimination, instead, there is oneness in Christ, undoing the division between the Jew and Greek. All other divisions as well will have no bearing in our standing with God. With God, there is not spiritual preference, no class of Christian! All God's children are equal in Christ.

Have you ever wondered what is would be like to be extremely wealthy? Perhaps, you had dreams of being movie star? A pro athlete, like LeBron James, Tim Tebow? The president or C.E.O of a large successful company, such as Amazon or Apple? We have a human longing for wealth, power and position. Yet, you could be all those things, do all those things, and it wouldn't really matter! Not one bit. Why? Because, it would not allow us be any closer to God. It would not give us preferential treatment in the eyes of God. It would not make us the children of God. All of these social barriers are not existent in the eyes of God. It does not matter, if you are of the line of Abraham, because through Jesus all can be a part of that family. It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Any kind of racism, any kind of white supremacy, any kind of anger and hostility toward other people, is part of the world, but not part of the church. We are known by our love, and it knows no ethnic limitations, and it knows no gender limitations, and it knows no social limitations. We’re all one in Christ. When you come to me, whoever you are, Christ comes to me. You are in Christ, Christ is in you. I’m in Christ, Christ is in me. We are one in Christ.

In verse 23, Paul says, "But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, being confined for the faith that was destined to be revealed."

In other words, Paul is saying that, "You really don’t want to be under the covenant of law, you want to be under the covenant of promise."

Verses 24-25, he says, "Therefore the Law has become our guardian to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian."

In these verses, Paul is contrasting for us, faith and the law.

The Galatians thought they were the children of God, because of the law, only to find out that they were misinformed. Paul reminds them, and us,it is only through our relationship with Christ. He drives his point home, in verse 26, "For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

In Romans 6:14 they’re used as parallels. "Under the law" means "under the dominion of sin," because to be under the law and unable to keep the law is to be under the dominion of sin. Therefore, we are literally prisoners, held captive to the law, sentenced by the law, and headed for final execution.

Then, in verse 27, he tells them to remember the day that they were baptized. "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."

Paul is saying that those who were baptized had put on Christ. In a sense they had put on a robe that had fit them perfectly. What does this mean?

In the act of baptism it was more than baptism, this was calling upon the name of Christ therefore, becoming a member of the body of the Christ. When they were baptized they put on Christ. This means that the clothed themselves with His character. They were now like Him. The ritual included the removal of clothing as one enters the water, an act of signifying separation from the old man and his evil deeds. The new robe is put on as one comes out of the water, signifies Christ himself. Symbolically, in that time, people would put on that new robe after baptism believing it would empower them with the very characteristics of Christ.

In verses 28 and 29, Paul says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise."

Beloved, we have learned that the Galatians were not able to become children of God through anything they had done in their previous lives. They could not become Children of God through the law. They could not become children of God through their social status or position. It was their new life in Christ that held the answer. They were left with that choice Paul gave them if they truly wanted to be children of God. That choice was to put on Christ.

In Closing...

Every day, we all encounter people are are not like us, some have different clothes, different skin, different lifestyles, do you avoid them, or do you judge them quietly in your heart?

After we all go our separate ways today, and you are going on with your daily life this week, every time you encounter another person, I'd like to encourage you to remember something, that no matter who they are, what they look like, or what you think you may know about that person’s heart, Jesus Christ died for them. He loves that person just as much as He loves you – even if they don’t go to church— and it may very well be, that God sent you to that person, to give them glimpse of His love through your actions.

Each person you come across is an opportunity to be the hands and feet and love of our Lord.

If you do not have a relationship with Jesus, we still have something amazing in common.

God loves you just as much as He loves me.

The only difference between a believer and someone who is lost, is their response to the gospel. God loves every single person gathered with us today, and everyone in the whole world.

Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for the sins of every person!

Those who accept the payment, ask Jesus to forgive their sins, repent and live their life for Him are transformed by the grace of God, renewed, re-born as children of God.

The option to become the children of God is still available today. If that is your desire, you will need to put on Christ. You will need, to wear the robe Christ has for you? It will fit perfectly, and it will be a most beautiful, pure white. It is then, and only then, that we will become the children of God.