Podcasts about galatians paul

Here in this chapter of Galatians Paul is laying out a wonderful doctrinal defense for the grace of God. The Galatians had strayed away from a loving relationship with Jesus and the grace He alone provides. Instead they were trying to live up to the law, as so many still do to today. But as we're learning through Galatians, that only leads to frustration and failure. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1368/29

The Point 24: Overview of Galatians | Rev. David Whyte   The Point is a series of powerful teachings by Rev. David Whyte on the book of Galatians—Paul's letter filled with wisdom, faith, and freedom. Through deep context and real-life application, these teachings bring fresh insight to help guide and strengthen your life journey.   Join us as we explore the timeless truths of Galatians and discover how they can impact your faith, mindset, and daily walk.   #ThePoint #Galatians #BibleTeaching #RevDavidWhyte #FaithJourney #BiblicalWisdom #ChristianGrowth #LifeApplication #SpiritualGrowth #BibleStudy   https://youtu.be/hAHhBBDfIro

In chapter 1 of Galatians Paul is going to get right to the point and the point was that these believers were not holding fast to the Gospel. They were in Pauls words “have turned to another Gospel” These were believers and yet they were wooed away by a false gospel. How can we hold fast to the Gospel so we are not carried away by the false gospels that are out there?

Pastor Joseph speaks through Galatians 4:1-20.

Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, Galatians, EphesiansRomans ·      Written by Paul before he ever visited Rome. ·      Written to generate support for his desire to carry the Gospel to Spain. ·      Written as a more detailed (more detailed than Galatians) explanation of the gospel and of his theology·      Texts to Consider: Rom 1:8–17; Rom 3:21–26; Rom 15:17–291 Corinthians·      Written by Paul from Ephesus after he had visited Corinth.·      Written to correct and rebuke the Corinthians over division, toleration of sin, eating food sacrificed to idols, abuse of the Lords Supper, asking for financial support for church in Jerusalem, and other factors.·      Texts to Consider: 1 Cor 1:10–31; 1 Cor 13:1–132 Corinthians·      Written by Paul following the reception of his first letter and a “painful visit.” ·      Written to defend his own ministry in light of the disparagement from the Corinthians and the “Super-Apostles”·      Written to press the importance of completing the offering for the hurting church in Jerusalem·      Texts to Consider: 2 Cor 2:1–4; 2 Cor 2:12–3:3; 2 Cor 10:7–18; 2 Cor 11:4–6Galatians·      Written by Paul after his first missionary journey, but before the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) in 48 AD. This, if accurate, would make Galatians Paul's earliest letter.·      Written to rebuke the Galatian churches (probably the churches of Lystra, Derbe, etc.) for their forsaking the true gospel of justification by faith alone in Christ alone to try to live out the faith by adherence to the law. ·      Paul's shared some details of his first meetings with Peter and James. He makes the point strongly that the gospel that saved them is the same gospel that kept them saved.·      Texts to Consider: Gal 1:6–10; Gal 2:15–3:6Ephesians·      Written by Paul from Roman imprisonment (the one described at the end of Acts) in 60–62 AD. Along with Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon called the Prison Epistles.·      Possibly a circular letter, meaning it went to more than just one church or one region. Some manuscripts don't include “in Ephesus” (Eph 1:1), and this book does not have many personal references. ·      Written to encourage believers to remember who they are positionally in Christ, and live that out practically in a broken world.·      Texts to Consider: Eph 1:19–2:10; Eph 2:11–22; 4:1–7; Eph 4:22–5:2; Eph 5:31–33

(Sermon) Galatians: Paul's Concern, Rev. Henry Kelly, Bible Education Institute Galatians 4:1-31The Heir: Galatians chapter 4 verses 1-7Paul's Concern for the Galatians: Galatians chapter 4 verses 8-20Hagar and Sarah: Galatians chapter 4 verses 21-31(Resources) YouTube: Apologia Studios & Church w/ Pastor Jeff Durbin apologiastudios.com; Voddie Baucham ; Dr. R C. Sproul: Ligonier Ministries; Ray Comfort-Living Waters livingwaters.com; Ken Ham-Answers In Genesis answersingenesis.org; Wall Builders w/ David Barton wallbuliders.com; Dr. Walter Martin waltermartin.org; Bible Education Institute is on Video Plarforms: YouTube & Rumble; Podcast Platforms: Stitcher, Apple, Spotify, Amazon , Audible, Amazon Music, Facebook, Overcast,, Chrome, gPodder, Firefox, Safari,, iTunes, Alexia, Podbean, Internet Explorer & Podcast Addict, Listen Notes, Luminary Podcast, Player FM& others.Website: 5dbe1182e5831.site123.meEmail: bibleeducationinstitute@gmail.comDonate:We greatly appreciate your donations to help reach as many people as possible. Thank youPlease copy / paste and put on your computer or phone top search engine.https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=TYN64GZ6YLD7CWanted: The Brave, Joshua 1:9, Kirk Cameronhttps://youtu.be/fBTv07MjwAAWatch "Christians Will Win Down Here | Jeff Durbin" on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/live/IZ6EqLug0Sc?feature=share(Sermon) How to Save a Nation, Rev. Henry Kelly, Bible Education Institutehttps://youtu.be/bEyNvfRGQyc

In his letter to the Galatians Paul shows us how God freed him to live from His grace and not allow the fear of man to control how he lived his life. Paul also had a strong enough relationship with Peter and other church leaders to point out when their life wasn't reflecting the gospel. We live this life from the approval of God not for the approval of man, but we do need to give room to others to speak into our life when our life is not reflecting the gospel.

In his letter to the Galatians Paul is fighting a threat to the fellowship that Galatian Christians have with God and with each other; the freedom they have to live the life that Christ has given them; and the fruitfulness that comes as a result of God's life welling up in us and overflowing through us. In chapter 3 Paul argues from the personal experience of the Galatians, the testimony of the Scriptures and the voice of reason to prove that we are made right with God and each other by grace alone which is received by faith alone in Christ alone. Our fellowship with God and each other could never be accomplished by following the Old Testament law or through anything else that depends on human merit. This challenges the way we so often see and treat God, ourselves and other people. What would it mean to live this truth out in community today?

Content: Jewish threat to the gospel Evil age Paul the man-pleaser…not! Become a CTC Partner: https://crosstocrown.org/partners/ What Is New Covenant Theology? An Introduction — https://crosstocrown.org/product/what-is-new-covenant-theology/ Featured playlist: The Church (That Meets in My Home) — https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5Yobt1jZDd9Zzn8Ufa-BNciyYv04Cl6m My books: Exalted: Putting Jesus in His Place — https://www.amazon.com/Exalted-Putting-Jesus-His-Place/dp/0985118709/ref=tmm_pap_title_0 God's Design for Marriage (Married Edition) — https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Design-Marriage-Married-Amazing/dp/0998786306/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493422125&sr=1-4&keywords=god%27s+design+for+marriage God's Design for Marriage (Pre-married Edition) — https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Design-Marriage-What-Before/dp/0985118725/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top crosstocrown.org @DougGoodin @CrossToCrown

People Pleasers or Slaves of the Messiah? Galatians 1:1-10 by William Klock The other day the phone rang.  I answered it and a stranger on the other end asked for Veronica.  I passed the phone to her.  I wondered who it was, but I didn't get much help from Veronica's end of the conversation.  It was all “Mmhmm” and “Yes” and “Okay”.  I had no idea who it was or what it was about.  In contrast, while walking to the church I ended up following a woman who was having a very loud conversation with someone on her cell phone.  I couldn't hear the other person, but I had a pretty good idea what he or she was saying based on the responses this woman was angrily yelling into her phone.  Things like, “Oh!  So I'm being dramatic?” and other things I probably shouldn't repeat in polite company.  We do this reading between the lines when we read St. Paul's epistles.  In them we have one side of a conversation and, thankfully, it's a lot more than “Mmhmm” and “Yes” and “Okay”.  In fact, it's a lot more like “Oh!  So I'm being dramatic?”  And it's not too hard, if we go slowly and think about the context, to piece most of the conversation together.  And so Paul begins his letter to the churches in Galatia writing, “Paul, an apostle…”  And then before he's even begun, he breaks off right there, because he has to defend himself against their attacks on his apostleship.  “My apostleship,” he writes, “doesn't derive from human sources, nor did it come through a human being.  It came through Jesus the Messiah, and God the Father who raised him from the dead.”  We know at the get-go that someone in Galatia is challenging Paul's credentials.  I think we get an even better sense of what's going on if we jump ahead to verse 10 of Galatians 1.  What Paul writes there doesn't get enough attention.  We'll come back and fill things in, but in verse 10 Paul writes to them: Well now…does that sound as though I'm trying to make up to people—or to God?  Or that I'm trying to curry favour with people?  If I were still pleasing people, I wouldn't be a slave of the Messiah.   Three times he says the same thing: Am I trying to make up to people.  Am I trying to curry favour with people?  Am I trying to please people?  So we know someone in Galatian is accusing Paul of abandoning the divine message of the gospel and, instead, preaching a merely human message that will tickle people's ears and win him friends.  Anyone who knew Paul should have known better, of course, but this is how it is.  Now there's actually a text—one that would have been well-known in the Jewish word of the First Century—there's a text that really sharpens the focus of this whole “people pleasing” accusation and that gives us some context for this whole dispute.  It stands out, because this Greek phrase Paul uses for “people pleasing” is essentially the same as another word that pops up in the Greek version of Psalm 52:6 and in the fourth of the Psalms of Solomon.  Psalms of Solomon is a little collection of eighteen psalms from the First Century B.C. and the First Century A.D., probably written by Pharisees or by people very much like the Pharisees.  And there's this Greek word that isn't actually Greek—anthropareskos—that was made up by Greek-speaking Jews and outside of Paul's writings, shows up only in those two other texts.  That fourth “Psalm of Solomon” is titled “A Psalm about the People Pleasers” and it's about people who compromised God's law, cutting corners here and there, in order to suck up to their pagan neighbours.  It speaks of men who would even enter the homes of pagans and fraternise with them.  That might not seem like a problem to us, but it was something faithful Jews did not do.  But once you got out into the real world, out of Judaea, a lot of Jews found it hard to get by in life while completely avoiding contact and fraternisation with gentiles.  In the Psalms of Solomon, the finger seems to be pointed at the corrupt Jewish rulers—people like the Sadducees, the Hasmoneans, and the Herodians.  To the faithful in Israel, these people were selling out the covenant by compromising God's law in order to ingratiate themselves with the pagans. And, we need to be clear, people like the Pharisees weren't angry about the compromise of the people pleasers because they were legalists who were trying to earn their way into heaven through good works.  There's been long tendency to read Galatians in that kind of light ever since Martin Luther.  Luther read the works-righteousness of the medieval church into Paul's adversaries.  And Luther was doing much what St. Augustine had done, when he read his own disputes with the heretic Pelagius into Galatians.  Pelagius, too, taught a sort of works righteousness.  As much as Pelagius and the medieval church did pose real problems, that sort of works righteousness wasn't at issue in these First Century disputes. The reason faithful Jews were obsessed with keeping the law was because they knew that God had chosen them, delivered them from Egypt, put them in the promised land, and called them to be holy—and that this was all for a greater purpose that would somehow involve God, one day, setting this fallen world to rights.  They were trying to be, in Jesus' way of putting it, the “on earth as in heaven” people.  There was a later rabbi who said that if all Israel would keep the torah for a single day, the Messiah would come.  The Pharisees had very similar ideas.  They also believed very firmly—because they knew the story of the Lord and Israel—that if Israel failed to keep the torah, if Israel flirted with pagans and their idolatry the way Deuteronomy warned them not to, the Messiah would not come and God would not establish his kingdom.  Not only that, but the very pagans with whom Israel compromised would destroy Israel and carry the people off into exile, just as the Babylonians had done six hundred years before.  I hope that helps us to understand what's behind this accusation made against Paul that he's a “people pleaser”.  It's not just that he's risking the salvation of some gentile believers in Galatia, but that he's putting in jeopardy the whole destiny of Israel—and probably even the world. In the First Century, Jews were faced with a crisis, and it was important to know who was “in” and who was “out”.  Who were your allies and who were the wicked risking another disaster.  The “people pleasers” were most definitely on the side of the wicked.  They pretended to be on God's side, but their compromises proved otherwise.  It's important for us to remember, too, that this was the mindset in which Paul had been steeped as a Pharisee.  This is the mindset that drove him to persecute the first Christians.  And now Paul is being accused of being one of those very people pleasers. So why would anyone accuse Paul of being a people pleaser?  Well, wherever Paul went, he was preaching that anyone who believed in this Jesus, who was crucified, died, and rose again…that anyone who believed that he is Israel's Messiah and, therefore God's King, this faith is the sign that that person is part of the people of God.  It didn't matter what their ethnic background was.  That was it.  Faith in Jesus the Messiah.  Period.  This is what Paul's epistle to the Galatians is all about.  Faith in Jesus the Messiah.  If a gentile believed, he was as much a member of the family as a Jew who believed.  He didn't need to be circumcised or to have any of the other signs that marked out Jews—not diet or Sabbath, not rules about who you could or couldn't eat with.  But to a lot of people this marked Paul out as a people pleaser.  He was compromising the law and the covenant.  That made him a traitor. I've begun with this, because I think it helps us understand where the focus of Galatians lies.  Ever since Luther, our tendency, at least in our Protestant circles, has been to read Galatians as a letter about how we are saved and as a warning about the dangers of legalism or of mixing works with faith.  The theology in that is right, but the perspective isn't where it should be and I think when we put Galatians back in the proper context and get a look at it from the proper angle, what we discover it's really about is community—about who the people of God are and what marks us out.  And in that light, the problem isn't just “legalism”.  Paul reminds us that what marks out the people of God is faith in Jesus the Messiah and that trying to define the community by any other means is to make it about something other than Jesus—to set up a false gospel. So the accusation against Paul, in a nutshell, is that he's got a gospel of human origin—that he got from someone else or that he made up himself—but a gospel that they think has been watered down to make it more palatable to the gentiles, that makes it too easy for the pagans to call themselves people of God.  If we understand that, then we'll understand these first verses.  This is why Paul breaks off after writing, “Paul, an apostle…”  Remember how be breaks off suddenly and adds: (My apostleship doesn't derive from human sources, nor did it come through a human being; it came through Jesus the Messiah, and God the Father who raised him from the dead.)   Some teachers had arrived in Galatia from Jerusalem and they've told the people there not to listen to Paul.  He's not a real apostle.  He wasn't there in the beginning with Jesus.  He never knew Jesus.  Instead, they should listen to them, because they got their gospel—at least so they claim—from the men who walked with Jesus for three years, real apostles like James and Peter.  And so Paul reminds them that he, too, had an encounter with the risen Messiah.  Paul would still be a Pharisee if it hadn't been for that miraculous encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus.  And it was in that encounter that Jesus himself commissioned Paul to take this good news to the gentiles.  In fact, it was seeing Jesus risen from the dead that convinced Paul of the truth of the gospel.  So he goes on: Paul, an apostle…[verse 2]and the family who are with me; to the churches in Galatia.  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Jesus the Messiah, our Lord, who gave himself for our sins, to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of God our Father, to whom be glory to the ages of ages.  Amen.   Paul…and the family who are with me.  That's the church in Antioch.  First Paul stresses that his apostleship is as from Jesus as that of any other apostle and now he stresses the relationship that he and the church in Antioch have with these churches in Galatia.  They were accusing him of being a people pleaser, of being a traitor, of being a false brother and here he reaches out with verbal arms and embraces them and reminds them that in Jesus they're all family, all brothers and sisters. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Jesus the Messiah our Lord.”  Paul has this amazing way of making everything about Jesus and the gospel.  In the Greek world they greeted each other with the word chairein, which meant “to rejoice”, but in a letter basically just means “greetings” or “salutations”.  This is, for example, how James opens his epistle.  But Paul exchanges chairein for charis, the word for “grace”—from God the Father and from Jesus the Messiah—grace to you.  He adds the Jewish greeting of shalom as well: that means “peace”.  But even his word order here in his greeting sets the tone for the whole letter.  It's not grace and peace to you; it's grace to you and then peace.  Because the sum total of God's position towards humanity is grace and this is manifest uniquely and finally in Jesus the Messiah.  Everything begins with God's grace poured out in and through Jesus.  Even the peace we know and the peace we look forward to in the age to come, even that comes as a result first of God's grace. Paul then follows this up with a four-faceted summary of the good news.  First, Jesus gave himself for our sins, (second) to rescue us from the present evil age, (third) according to the will of God our Father, (four) to whom be glory to the ages of ages.  Amen. Jesus has rescued us from the present evil age.  What does that mean?  Well, when the Jews looked at history, they divided it into two ages.  There was the present evil age dominated by sin and death and full of pain and tears and then there was the age to come when God would fulfil his promises to set the world to rights and where his people would live in his presence forever.  The present evil age is dominated by dark powers that enslave humanity through idolatry and sin.  We worship idols, giving to them the glory we were created to give to God, and we rebel against him—that's sin—and our sin tightens the chains those idols have on us and on creation.  While we were bound up in the present evil age, Jesus came to our rescue, writes Paul.  He seems to have Isaiah's song of the suffering servant in mind as he writes this, because it's this suffering servant who represents Israel and who gives his life to break the chains the idols have cast around God's people.  He dies for their sins and breaks sin's power and he leads the people in a new exodus—into the age to come.  I like the way Tom Wright often reminds us that Jesus' resurrection isn't an odd or one-off event within the old world, but rather it's a launching and defining event of God's new world.  Paul's gospel, his good news, is that Jesus has dealt with the sins that chained us as slaves in the dark and bloody temples of the idols, and he now leads us out into the sunlight, into the beginnings of God's new world. Now, here's why this is so important in Paul's letter to the Galatians.  Remember that for Jews, the problem with gentiles was that they were idolaters.  There was one true God, the God of Israel, but the gentiles instead worshipped idols and they lived and behaved sinfully, as idolaters do.  This is what made them unclean and so offensive to the Jews.  This why good Jews wouldn't go into their homes or eat with them.  There were some gentiles who saw the Jews and were attracted to their purity of life and joined up.  But to do that, they had to be circumcised.  It was a dramatic (and painful) sign that they were leaving behind the idolatrous pagan world and becoming part of Abraham's family.  But—and this is vital to understanding Galatians—Paul's point is that the gospel tells us that on the cross Jesus defeated those evil powers when he dealt with the sin that put us in their chains.  This is how there can now be one family.  This is how the gentiles can be welcomed into this new Israel.  Again, If God has defeated the idols, the dark powers of the evil age, then the gentiles, the pagans can trust in the God of Israel and become part of Jesus the Messiah's family.  And, second, because Jesus's death has dealt with sin, then those who believe in him and who become part of his family, they are no longer “sinners” or idolaters.  The thing that separated Jews and gentiles has been dealt with by Jesus at the cross, and so membership in his family is by faith in him alone and nothing else.  To add anything else to that—like circumcision or any of those other things that marked out the Jews—to add anything else is to detract from Jesus and to lose the gospel itself. And then points three and four of Paul's gospel summary: The cross wasn't some accident of history.  This was God's plan all along.  What Jesus has done reveals the faithfulness of God and that, in turn, brings the gospel back to the glorification of God.  We often make the gospel about us, but for Paul the gospel is always and only about God.  God has redeemed us and in that he shows his glory and this is why we give him glory and praise.  The gospel begins and ends in with God. So that's the gospel in all its magnificent glory.  We can hear the shock and the disappointment as Paul goes on in verse 6 and following, rebuking the Galatians.  He writes: I'm astonished that you are turning away so quickly from the one who called you by the grace of the Messiah, and going after another gospel—not that it is another gospel, it's just that there are some people stirring up trouble for you and wanting to pervert the gospel of the Messiah.  But even if we—or an angel from heaven!—should announce a gospel other than the one we announced to you, let such a person be accursed.  I said it before and I now say it again, if anyone offers you a gospel other than the one you received, let that person be accursed.   It's not just that these churches have gone astray.  That would be bad enough, but it's how quickly after he left them that they've turned away.  The language suggests that Paul might be comparing his own astonishment to the astonishment of Moses at how quickly the Israelites went from praising the Lord for his miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea to creating and worshipping a golden calf.  As dumbfounding as it was to Moses to find his people dancing around an idol, Paul is dumbfounded at how quickly and how easily the Galatians have been led astray to another gospel.  And Paul quickly amends that, because, really, there is no other gospel.  There's the gospel.  Everything else is just is a lie. Also, the language Paul uses to write of them “turning”, that has its own shameful undertones.  The word he uses is one used in the Greek Old Testament to describe desertion.  In 2 Maccabees there's the poignant story of seven brothers whom Antiochus tried to force to eat pork, killing them one after the other when they refused.  When it's down to the youngest of them, the text says that Antiochus tried to entice the boy to “turn form his ancestral ways”.  (Or course, the boy refused and became a martyr.)  This is the same language Paul uses here and I think just to stress his point.  This probably corresponds to what we read in Acts about “certain persons from James” who arrived in Galatia not long after Paul and Barnabas had returned from their mission there.  Paul had seen these people devoted to Jesus and to the gospel, he'd seen them transformed by it, and now he's shocked that they've turned from the gospel—and so quickly and easily.  If they're going to accuse him of being disloyal to Israel's traditions, he turns that accusation right back around on them.  They've been disloyal to, they've deserted Jesus. He's not into the details of their corrupted gospel yet, but he says here that they've turned from the one who called them by grace.  They've turned from God himself.  Paul puts the emphasis on grace as manifest in Jesus the Messiah.  God's call is an act of pure grace.  His sending of Jesus is a pure act of grace.  The God of Israel has finally sent his Messiah as a gift of pure grace—and Paul now points his finger at these people and says—And you've turned away from him! So what was their “other gospel”?  We have to do more reading between the lines and it won't be fully fleshed out until we get through the rest of the letter, but the best way to look at it may be to see these new teachers not so much preaching a different Jesus, but preaching Jesus as the culmination of a different story.  Paul was preaching Jesus as the fulfilment a story in which the God of Israel defeats the powers of sin and death to rescue his people from the present evil age, but these folks seemed to be preaching Jesus as an add-on to Jewish life as it already was—maybe Jesus as the fulfilment of some Jewish nationalist hope or agenda: maybe a message that fired up zeal against the gentiles, for example, instead of announcing to them the grace made available in Jesus. And I think it's likely that Paul had in mind what “gospel” meant in the Roman world.  To the Greeks and Romans, “gospel” was the good news announced about the accession or the birthday of Caesar.  Caesar's new cult was spreading like wildfire through Asia and that included Galatia.  It's not that the Christian there were in danger of worshiping Caesar.  The danger was that they would embrace torah to save themselves from persecution for not worshiping Caesar.  To refuse to worship Caesar—not to mention all the other gods—would be a bit like marching the wrong way, carrying the flag upside-down, and saying unpatriotic things in the middle of a Canada Day parade.  But in that culture, not only was it disloyal, if and when calamity struck the city or the country, you'd be the one to get the blame for it, because you'd angered the gods.  But the Jews, they were uniquely exempt.  The Jews would rather die than worship an idol, so after all the trouble they'd caused him, Caesar had granted them an exemption.  And those first Christians started claiming that exemption for themselves.  They were, after all, Jews.  Even the gentile converts claimed it.  But then to claim to be Jews, well there was pressure to start acting like Jews, too—and that became a problem. And so Paul announces: Anathema!  A curse.  The real gospel, the true gospel is about how, in Jesus and his death and resurrection, God has dealt with sin and inaugurated a new age.  That's why it's good news.  But these new teachers, they're not just veering off course a little.  They're completely wrong.  They're telling a different story.  They're not announcing the good news that God's new creation has started.  No, they're just giving advice about how to live and get along in the present evil age.  There's no good news there.  As my New Testament prof, Gordon Fee, used to put it, they'd gone backwards from AD to BC—going from the bright sunlight of God's new day, back into the darkness of the old.  No, Paul says, if any—even if an angel from heaven—proclaims anything other than the good news that I've proclaimed, let that person be accursed. Brothers and Sisters, it's really very simple.  It's about Jesus and Jesus alone and it's faith in him that defines the people of God.  There is an organic relationship between faith and works such that real faith will always show itself in our lives.  We know good trees because they bear good fruit.  But as much as good works borne of faith mark us out, the thing that makes, the thing that defines us as the people of God is faith in Jesus.  That's it.  Nothing else.  Whenever we add something else—whether it's circumcision as in Galatia or some other thing or set of rules, when we establish some ethnic or cultural criteria, when we set up some kind of personal or ecstatic or emotional experience that stands alongside Jesus—we diminish Jesus and we rob God of his glory and we lose the gospel.  The solution, I think, if we listen to Paul, is to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and the cross.  Over and over Paul comes back to Jesus, declaring things like “who loved me and gave himself for me”.  We need to do the same.  Every week the Lord offers us a reset when he invites us to his Table.  Here we recall and participate anew in those events by which Jesus the Messiah gave himself for our sins, to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of God our Father.  Here we're reminded of grace, to go into another week with our eyes focused on Jesus that we might live to the glory of our gracious God and for the sake of his kingdom.  Here we're reminded again that it's all about God's grace poured out in Jesus.  It's not about us, it's not about who we are, it's not about what we've done or will do, it's all about and only about Jesus. Let's pray: Heavenly Father, you have poured out your amazing grace on us, giving your Son as a sacrifice for our sin and rescuing us from the bondage of the present evil age.  We should be overwhelmed by your grace and by your Son, but we confess that we too often lose our focus on him.  By your grace, set our eyes again and always on Jesus, that we might perpetually be amazed by your grace, so that we are never tempted to diminish your glory by adding anything else to the gospel.  In his name we pray.  Amen.

Jesus warned his apostles that they would face opposition.  And while we expect opposition from those who are outside of the church, sometimes that opposition comes from within.  In the letter to the Galatians Paul deals with some opposing forces within the church, laying down the case for his apostleship and the unhindered acceptance of … Continue reading Opposition to Apostolic Authority (6/23/24 Bible Class)

As we conclude Galatians Paul will continue with the Spirit led life with specific practical applications and evidences of a Spirit led person. It is one thing to say I live by the Spirit and it is another thing to actually live what is described as a Spirit led life. Paul will give us a clear view again of what that life looks like. He will lead off with what should be obvious; A Spirit led person is a restorer, which is in opposition to a person of the flesh which by definition in chapter 5, bites and devours. We are called to restore others without every excusing sin. Jesus came to set people free and we are an extension of Him in this world.———————————————————————————————Connect with us on Social Media:Website: nbcc.com/Facebook: facebook.com/nbccnorcoInstagram: instagram.com/nbccnorcoYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6S-3n9PVnXm8zSPHAYVyGw----------------------------------------If you have any prayer requests or questions, please message us on our social media or send us an email at hello@nbcc.com. Don't forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast!----------------------------------------Join us in person, Sunday's at 9am & 10:30amhttps://goo.gl/maps/PEe1rzXWKBv

October 16 2023 Monday Week 05 / A Study In Galatians Paul Didn't Allow Them To Invoke The Law On Them #findoutwhoyouare My Vision My vision is to teach the world Who They Are In Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! To Teach them what the Bible says about them and who they have been made to be in the promises of God's Word. This changed my life years ago and completely transformed me from a person full of doubt, fear and unbelief to a strong confident Christian that knows I can do anything through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. And I'm determined to teach the world what God has taught and commissioned me to teach and that is His Word.  That commission takes me to jails and detention centers weekly along with other open doors at many churches and ministries that are wanting to teach these important truths to the world. My podcast goes out 6 days a week to help the people I am ministering to grow in the truths that God has taught me for many years now. This podcast is free to all that want to listen and grow strong in who God has made them to be in Christ Jesus their Lord and Savior. My Prayers For The World Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT  'Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.'  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT 'When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.' This In Him Scripture Study Started On June 21 2021 Go Back And Listen From The Beginning…  The Study In Romans Started on March 30 2022… The Study In 1 Corinthians Started On September 19 2022… Matthew 11:28  Find Rest In Jesus Christ Your Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return…  Psalm 37:4  God will give you the desires of your heart… The Galations, having launched their Christian experience by faith, seem content to leave their voyage of faith and chart a new course based on works—a course Paul finds disturbing.  His letter to the Galations is a vigorous attack against the gospel of works and a defense of the gospel of faith.   Paul begins by setting forth his credentials as an apostle with a message from God:  blessing comes from God on the basis of faith, not law.  The law declares men guilty and imprisons them; faith sets men free to enjoy liberty in Christ.  But liberty is not license.  Freedom in Christ means freedom to produce the fruits of righteousness through a Spirit-led lifestyle. Galatians 2:14 Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You… Romans 13:8  Live in God's Love… Romans 8:16-17  Heirs of God and Joint Heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Revelation 1:6  We are kings and priest in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Romans 10:13  Call On The Name Of Jesus And Make Him Lord today… The Biblical Definition Of Grace Is God's Unmerited Favor… Matthew 18:19-20  I will agree with you about your prayer request… Acts 10:34  God is not a respecter of persons. He loves and cares for us all the same… Romans 12:3  God has given us His Faith… Biblical Hope Is A Confident Expectation… Romans 5:5  God has given us His Love… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are the Righteousness of God in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… God's Word Is True Above All Opinions…  Romans 12:2  Renew your mind to what God's Word says… Believe God's Word Above All Opinion… Philippians 4:13  We can do all things through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Philippians 4:19  God will provide all your needs… Romans 10:17  Faith In God comes from hearing God's Word… Isaiah 54:17 No weapon will prosper against me… 1 John 4:4  Greater is He In All Of Us… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You…  John 3:3  You Must Be Born Again… Luke 15:10  Heaven Rejoices Over One Person That Repents And Is Born Again… John 3:16  Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ Your Lord And Savior… 1 Peter 2:24  Healing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Luke 6:38  Give and it will be given unto you… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media Website https://the-prodigalson.com What God's Word Can Do In Your Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJWTZG_x2vE&t=3s Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com YouVersion Bible App  https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

October 05 2023 Thursday  Week 03 / A Study In Galatians Paul Didn't Give In To False Teaching #findoutwhoyouare My Vision My vision is to teach the world Who They Are In Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! To Teach them what the Bible says about them and who they have been made to be in the promises of God's Word. This changed my life years ago and completely transformed me from a person full of doubt, fear and unbelief to a strong confident Christian that knows I can do anything through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. And I'm determined to teach the world what God has taught and commissioned me to teach and that is His Word.  That commission takes me to jails and detention centers weekly along with other open doors at many churches and ministries that are wanting to teach these important truths to the world. My podcast goes out 6 days a week to help the people I am ministering to grow in the truths that God has taught me for many years now. This podcast is free to all that want to listen and grow strong in who God has made them to be in Christ Jesus their Lord and Savior. My Prayers For The World Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT  'Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.'  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT 'When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.' This In Him Scripture Study Started On June 21 2021 Go Back And Listen From The Beginning…  The Study In Romans Started on March 30 2022… The Study In 1 Corinthians Started On September 19 2022… Matthew 11:28  Find Rest In Jesus Christ Your Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return…  Psalm 37:4  God will give you the desires of your heart… The Galations, having launched their Christian experience by faith, seem content to leave their voyage of faith and chart a new course based on works—a course Paul finds disturbing.  His letter to the Galations is a vigorous attack against the gospel of works and a defense of the gospel of faith.   Paul begins by setting forth his credentials as an apostle with a message from God:  blessing comes from God on the basis of faith, not law.  The law declares men guilty and imprisons them; faith sets men free to enjoy liberty in Christ.  But liberty is not license.  Freedom in Christ means freedom to produce the fruits of righteousness through a Spirit-led lifestyle. Galatians 2:5 Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You… Romans 13:8  Live in God's Love… Romans 8:16-17  Heirs of God and Joint Heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Revelation 1:6  We are kings and priest in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Romans 10:13  Call On The Name Of Jesus And Make Him Lord today… The Biblical Definition Of Grace Is God's Unmerited Favor… Matthew 18:19-20  I will agree with you about your prayer request… Acts 10:34  God is not a respecter of persons. He loves and cares for us all the same… Romans 12:3  God has given us His Faith… Biblical Hope Is A Confident Expectation… Romans 5:5  God has given us His Love… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are the Righteousness of God in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… God's Word Is True Above All Opinions…  Romans 12:2  Renew your mind to what God's Word says… Believe God's Word Above All Opinion… Philippians 4:13  We can do all things through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Philippians 4:19  God will provide all your needs… Romans 10:17  Faith In God comes from hearing God's Word… Isaiah 54:17 No weapon will prosper against me… 1 John 4:4  Greater is He In All Of Us… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You…  John 3:3  You Must Be Born Again… Luke 15:10  Heaven Rejoices Over One Person That Repents And Is Born Again… John 3:16  Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ Your Lord And Savior… 1 Peter 2:24  Healing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Luke 6:38  Give and it will be given unto you… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media Website https://the-prodigalson.com What God's Word Can Do In Your Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJWTZG_x2vE&t=3s Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com YouVersion Bible App  https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

October 02 2023 Monday Week 03 / A Study In Galatians Paul Wasn't Lying #findoutwhoyouare My Vision My vision is to teach the world Who They Are In Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! To Teach them what the Bible says about them and who they have been made to be in the promises of God's Word. This changed my life years ago and completely transformed me from a person full of doubt, fear and unbelief to a strong confident Christian that knows I can do anything through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. And I'm determined to teach the world what God has taught and commissioned me to teach and that is His Word.  That commission takes me to jails and detention centers weekly along with other open doors at many churches and ministries that are wanting to teach these important truths to the world. My podcast goes out 6 days a week to help the people I am ministering to grow in the truths that God has taught me for many years now. This podcast is free to all that want to listen and grow strong in who God has made them to be in Christ Jesus their Lord and Savior. My Prayers For The World Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT  'Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.'  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT 'When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.' This In Him Scripture Study Started On June 21 2021 Go Back And Listen From The Beginning…  The Study In Romans Started on March 30 2022… The Study In 1 Corinthians Started On September 19 2022… Matthew 11:28  Find Rest In Jesus Christ Your Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return…  Psalm 37:4  God will give you the desires of your heart… The Galations, having launched their Christian experience by faith, seem content to leave their voyage of faith and chart a new course based on works—a course Paul finds disturbing.  His letter to the Galations is a vigorous attack against the gospel of works and a defense of the gospel of faith.   Paul begins by setting forth his credentials as an apostle with a message from God:  blessing comes from God on the basis of faith, not law.  The law declares men guilty and imprisons them; faith sets men free to enjoy liberty in Christ.  But liberty is not license.  Freedom in Christ means freedom to produce the fruits of righteousness through a Spirit-led lifestyle. Galatians 1:20 Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You… Romans 13:8  Live in God's Love… Romans 8:16-17  Heirs of God and Joint Heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Revelation 1:6  We are kings and priest in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Romans 10:13  Call On The Name Of Jesus And Make Him Lord today… The Biblical Definition Of Grace Is God's Unmerited Favor… Matthew 18:19-20  I will agree with you about your prayer request… Acts 10:34  God is not a respecter of persons. He loves and cares for us all the same… Romans 12:3  God has given us His Faith… Biblical Hope Is A Confident Expectation… Romans 5:5  God has given us His Love… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are the Righteousness of God in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… God's Word Is True Above All Opinions…  Romans 12:2  Renew your mind to what God's Word says… Believe God's Word Above All Opinion… Philippians 4:13  We can do all things through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Philippians 4:19  God will provide all your needs… Romans 10:17  Faith In God comes from hearing God's Word… Isaiah 54:17 No weapon will prosper against me… 1 John 4:4  Greater is He In All Of Us… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You…  John 3:3  You Must Be Born Again… Luke 15:10  Heaven Rejoices Over One Person That Repents And Is Born Again… John 3:16  Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ Your Lord And Savior… 1 Peter 2:24  Healing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Luke 6:38  Give and it will be given unto you… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media Website https://the-prodigalson.com What God's Word Can Do In Your Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJWTZG_x2vE&t=3s Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com YouVersion Bible App  https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

September 29 2023 Friday Week 02 / A Study In Galatians Paul Was Sent To Us #findoutwhoyouare My Vision My vision is to teach the world Who They Are In Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! To Teach them what the Bible says about them and who they have been made to be in the promises of God's Word. This changed my life years ago and completely transformed me from a person full of doubt, fear and unbelief to a strong confident Christian that knows I can do anything through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. And I'm determined to teach the world what God has taught and commissioned me to teach and that is His Word.  That commission takes me to jails and detention centers weekly along with other open doors at many churches and ministries that are wanting to teach these important truths to the world. My podcast goes out 6 days a week to help the people I am ministering to grow in the truths that God has taught me for many years now. This podcast is free to all that want to listen and grow strong in who God has made them to be in Christ Jesus their Lord and Savior. My Prayers For The World Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT  'Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.'  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT 'When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.' This In Him Scripture Study Started On June 21 2021 Go Back And Listen From The Beginning…  The Study In Romans Started on March 30 2022… The Study In 1 Corinthians Started On September 19 2022… Matthew 11:28  Find Rest In Jesus Christ Your Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return…  Psalm 37:4  God will give you the desires of your heart… The Galations, having launched their Christian experience by faith, seem content to leave their voyage of faith and chart a new course based on works—a course Paul finds disturbing.  His letter to the Galations is a vigorous attack against the gospel of works and a defense of the gospel of faith.   Paul begins by setting forth his credentials as an apostle with a message from God:  blessing comes from God on the basis of faith, not law.  The law declares men guilty and imprisons them; faith sets men free to enjoy liberty in Christ.  But liberty is not license.  Freedom in Christ means freedom to produce the fruits of righteousness through a Spirit-led lifestyle. Galatians 1:15-16 Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You… Romans 13:8  Live in God's Love… Romans 8:16-17  Heirs of God and Joint Heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Revelation 1:6  We are kings and priest in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Romans 10:13  Call On The Name Of Jesus And Make Him Lord today… The Biblical Definition Of Grace Is God's Unmerited Favor… Matthew 18:19-20  I will agree with you about your prayer request… Acts 10:34  God is not a respecter of persons. He loves and cares for us all the same… Romans 12:3  God has given us His Faith… Biblical Hope Is A Confident Expectation… Romans 5:5  God has given us His Love… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are the Righteousness of God in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… God's Word Is True Above All Opinions…  Romans 12:2  Renew your mind to what God's Word says… Believe God's Word Above All Opinion… Philippians 4:13  We can do all things through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Philippians 4:19  God will provide all your needs… Romans 10:17  Faith In God comes from hearing God's Word… Isaiah 54:17 No weapon will prosper against me… 1 John 4:4  Greater is He In All Of Us… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You…  John 3:3  You Must Be Born Again… Luke 15:10  Heaven Rejoices Over One Person That Repents And Is Born Again… John 3:16  Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ Your Lord And Savior… 1 Peter 2:24  Healing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Luke 6:38  Give and it will be given unto you… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media Website https://the-prodigalson.com What God's Word Can Do In Your Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJWTZG_x2vE&t=3s Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com YouVersion Bible App  https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

September 27 2023 Wednesday Week 02 / A Study In Galatians Paul Made A Promise  #findoutwhoyouare My Vision My vision is to teach the world Who They Are In Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! To Teach them what the Bible says about them and who they have been made to be in the promises of God's Word. This changed my life years ago and completely transformed me from a person full of doubt, fear and unbelief to a strong confident Christian that knows I can do anything through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. And I'm determined to teach the world what God has taught and commissioned me to teach and that is His Word.  That commission takes me to jails and detention centers weekly along with other open doors at many churches and ministries that are wanting to teach these important truths to the world. My podcast goes out 6 days a week to help the people I am ministering to grow in the truths that God has taught me for many years now. This podcast is free to all that want to listen and grow strong in who God has made them to be in Christ Jesus their Lord and Savior. My Prayers For The World Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT  'Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.'  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT 'When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.' This In Him Scripture Study Started On June 21 2021 Go Back And Listen From The Beginning…  The Study In Romans Started on March 30 2022… The Study In 1 Corinthians Started On September 19 2022… Matthew 11:28  Find Rest In Jesus Christ Your Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return…  Psalm 37:4  God will give you the desires of your heart… The Galations, having launched their Christian experience by faith, seem content to leave their voyage of faith and chart a new course based on works—a course Paul finds disturbing.  His letter to the Galations is a vigorous attack against the gospel of works and a defense of the gospel of faith.   Paul begins by setting forth his credentials as an apostle with a message from God:  blessing comes from God on the basis of faith, not law.  The law declares men guilty and imprisons them; faith sets men free to enjoy liberty in Christ.  But liberty is not license.  Freedom in Christ means freedom to produce the fruits of righteousness through a Spirit-led lifestyle. Galatians 1:11 Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You… Romans 13:8  Live in God's Love… Romans 8:16-17  Heirs of God and Joint Heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Revelation 1:6  We are kings and priest in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Romans 10:13  Call On The Name Of Jesus And Make Him Lord today… The Biblical Definition Of Grace Is God's Unmerited Favor… Matthew 18:19-20  I will agree with you about your prayer request… Acts 10:34  God is not a respecter of persons. He loves and cares for us all the same… Romans 12:3  God has given us His Faith… Biblical Hope Is A Confident Expectation… Romans 5:5  God has given us His Love… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are the Righteousness of God in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… God's Word Is True Above All Opinions…  Romans 12:2  Renew your mind to what God's Word says… Believe God's Word Above All Opinion… Philippians 4:13  We can do all things through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Philippians 4:19  God will provide all your needs… Romans 10:17  Faith In God comes from hearing God's Word… Isaiah 54:17 No weapon will prosper against me… 1 John 4:4  Greater is He In All Of Us… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You…  John 3:3  You Must Be Born Again… Luke 15:10  Heaven Rejoices Over One Person That Repents And Is Born Again… John 3:16  Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ Your Lord And Savior… 1 Peter 2:24  Healing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Luke 6:38  Give and it will be given unto you… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media Website https://the-prodigalson.com What God's Word Can Do In Your Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJWTZG_x2vE&t=3s Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com YouVersion Bible App  https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

September 18 2023 Monday Week 01 / A Study In Galatians Paul's Letter To The Galtians #findoutwhoyouare My Vision My vision is to teach the world Who They Are In Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! To Teach them what the Bible says about them and who they have been made to be in the promises of God's Word. This changed my life years ago and completely transformed me from a person full of doubt, fear and unbelief to a strong confident Christian that knows I can do anything through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. And I'm determined to teach the world what God has taught and commissioned me to teach and that is His Word.  That commission takes me to jails and detention centers weekly along with other open doors at many churches and ministries that are wanting to teach these important truths to the world. My podcast goes out 6 days a week to help the people I am ministering to grow in the truths that God has taught me for many years now. This podcast is free to all that want to listen and grow strong in who God has made them to be in Christ Jesus their Lord and Savior. My Prayers For The World Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT  'Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.'  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT 'When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.' This In Him Scripture Study Started On June 21 2021 Go Back And Listen From The Beginning…  The Study In Romans Started on March 30 2022… The Study In 1 Corinthians Started On September 19 2022… Matthew 11:28  Find Rest In Jesus Christ Your Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return…  Psalm 37:4  God will give you the desires of your heart… The Galations, having launched their Christian experience by faith, seem content to leave their voyage of faith and chart a new course based on works—a course Paul finds disturbing.  His letter to the Galations is a vigorous attack against the gospel of works and a defense of the gospel of faith.   Paul begins by setting forth his credentials as an apostle with a message from God:  blessing comes from God on the basis of faith, not law.  The law declares men guilty and imprisons them; faith sets men free to enjoy liberty in Christ.  But liberty is not license.  Freedom in Christ means freedom to produce the fruits of righteousness through a Spirit-led lifestyle. Galatians 1:3 Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You… Romans 13:8  Live in God's Love… Romans 8:16-17  Heirs of God and Joint Heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Revelation 1:6  We are kings and priest in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Romans 10:13  Call On The Name Of Jesus And Make Him Lord today… The Biblical Definition Of Grace Is God's Unmerited Favor… Matthew 18:19-20  I will agree with you about your prayer request… Acts 10:34  God is not a respecter of persons. He loves and cares for us all the same… Romans 12:3  God has given us His Faith… Biblical Hope Is A Confident Expectation… Romans 5:5  God has given us His Love… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are the Righteousness of God in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… God's Word Is True Above All Opinions…  Romans 12:2  Renew your mind to what God's Word says… Believe God's Word Above All Opinion… Philippians 4:13  We can do all things through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Philippians 4:19  God will provide all your needs… Romans 10:17  Faith In God comes from hearing God's Word… Isaiah 54:17 No weapon will prosper against me… 1 John 4:4  Greater is He In All Of Us… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You…  John 3:3  You Must Be Born Again… Luke 15:10  Heaven Rejoices Over One Person That Repents And Is Born Again… John 3:16  Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ Your Lord And Savior… 1 Peter 2:24  Healing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Luke 6:38  Give and it will be given unto you… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media Website https://the-prodigalson.com What God's Word Can Do In Your Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJWTZG_x2vE&t=3s Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com YouVersion Bible App  https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

Galatians 1, Part One Description:In this intriguing podcast episode, Dr. James Tour takes us on a journey through the captivating background of the Book of Galatians. Join Dr. Tour as he expertly unravels the historical context and sheds light on the challenges faced by the early Christian churches in the northeast region of the Mediterranean, […]

It's July 4th, a special day for us here in the United States, as we celebrate the freedom that is ours because we live in this land. It's a freedom we often take for granted, but we need to stop and thank God for the freedom we enjoy. But you know, real freedom is when you are free from the things that keep you personally in bondage. No earthly government can grant you that freedom. It is found only in Jesus Christ. What is holding you in bondage from which you really want to be set free? Fear or guilt? Shame? Failures in your past? Wrongs done to you? Poor choices you've made? Insecurity? Pride? Paul wrote to the Galatians: 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 (Galatians 5:1). Mind you, Paul was writing to Christians, those who had declared themselves to be followers of Jesus Christ. And yet, Paul is encouraging them not to let themselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery because Christ had set them free. When as Christians we continue to live in bondage to these things, it's like someone has put us in a jail but they didn't lock the door, so at any time we can push open that door and walk out to freedom, but we don't. We sit in that jail cell, as though we cannot escape, when all the time all we have to do is push open the door and walk out. Later in that letter to the Galatians Paul wrote: “You were called to be free. . .” If you've been born from above through faith in Jesus Christ, your calling from him is to be free from all that weighs you down. Jesus said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). So, as you celebrate our nation's freedom, ask yourself if you are standing firm in the freedom that Christ has given you, or if you're allowing yourself to be burdened by a yoke of slavery.

It's July 4th, a special day for us here in the United States, as we celebrate the freedom that is ours because we live in this land. It's a freedom we often take for granted, but we need to stop and thank God for the freedom we enjoy. But you know, real freedom is when you are free from the things that keep you personally in bondage. No earthly government can grant you that freedom. It is found only in Jesus Christ. What is holding you in bondage from which you really want to be set free? Fear or guilt? Shame? Failures in your past? Wrongs done to you? Poor choices you've made? Insecurity? Pride? Paul wrote to the Galatians: 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 (Galatians 5:1). Mind you, Paul was writing to Christians, those who had declared themselves to be followers of Jesus Christ. And yet, Paul is encouraging them not to let themselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery because Christ had set them free. When as Christians we continue to live in bondage to these things, it's like someone has put us in a jail but they didn't lock the door, so at any time we can push open that door and walk out to freedom, but we don't. We sit in that jail cell, as though we cannot escape, when all the time all we have to do is push open the door and walk out. Later in that letter to the Galatians Paul wrote: “You were called to be free. . .” If you've been born from above through faith in Jesus Christ, your calling from him is to be free from all that weighs you down. Jesus said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). So, as you celebrate our nation's freedom, ask yourself if you are standing firm in the freedom that Christ has given you, or if you're allowing yourself to be burdened by a yoke of slavery.

In episode 211, “Joseph's Perspective", Brooke & Faren discuss the meaning of Genesis 45:5 when Joseph comforts his brothers who betrayed him. Hear how this Bible story helps us learn to have a spiritually mature outlook on life's highs and lows. We use our © Read Pray Talk Tell Method to discover ways we can practically live this scripture out in everyday life. The Kid Classics mini series begins on episode 209 and goes through episode 218 of the Witty & Gritty podcast. CLICK FOR FULL SHOW NOTES Links From the Show Kid Classics Mini Series Witty & Gritty on IG Paul's letter to the Galatians Paul's letter to the Ephesians Paul's letter to the Philippians Paul's letter to the Colossians Casey Coat's Episode 91 Check Yo Tech Episode 10

Galatians   Talk 2.  Galatians 1:6-9   In our first talk we began by looking at three reasons why Galatians is important:   It has made a significant impact on the history of the church It's the first thing Paul wrote explaining that salvation is by faith and not by works It's of practical relevance to our daily lives.   We then made a start on the text by reading the first 6 verses:   1. Paul, an apostle - sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead  2. and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia:  3. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4. who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5. to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 6. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.   We noted that Paul's purpose in writing was to correct a serious doctrinal error that had crept into the churches since Paul had planted them. Paul had taught them that we are saved by faith in Jesus, and not by observing the law of the Old Testament, but some were now teaching that circumcision was now necessary for salvation, and Paul was amazed that they had so quickly turned away from what he had taught them (6). And that's where we pick up the reading today. Let's read verses 6-7.   6. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – 7. which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.   v 6 I am astonished After the customary greeting at the beginning of his letters, Paul usually says something to commend his readers, even if later he has to say something to correct or rebuke them, but the problem in Galatia is so serious that he moves straight into the issue he urgently needs to deal with. He is astonished, astounded, appalled at what they are doing. There are some issues in church life where we need to be direct, although the usual approach to those who need to be corrected is gentleness (6:1).   so quickly deserting He's astonished that they're departing from the gospel he preached to them, but particularly that they're doing it so quickly. It wasn't long since they had heard and received his message of salvation by faith in Christ, but they had soon moved away from it when they heard a different ‘gospel'.     the one who called you But they were not only rejecting the true gospel. They were rejecting the one who had called them. But what does Paul mean by the one? Does he mean himself or Christ? Of course, it is Christ who calls us to salvation and the rejection of Christ is far more serious than the rejection of his messengers. But Jesus did say to his disciples, Whoever rejects you rejects me (Luke 10:16), so is there a double – or even treble – meaning here? In rejecting Paul's message, they were rejecting the messenger, and in rejecting the messenger they were rejecting Christ, the one who sent him.   What should we do when people reject our message? Paul was certainly exasperated by the behaviour of the Galatians, but he did not desert them. He felt responsible for them and cared enough to warn them of the serious consequences if they continued to reject his message.   by the grace of Christ As Christ's messenger, Paul had called them by the grace of Christ. Grace, the unmerited favour of God, was the heart of Paul's message. On his first visit to Galatia he had preached that   Through Jesus, the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39).   And this was the message of his grace (14:3).   If the churches he is writing to in Galatians are the same as those he planted in these chapters in Acts, they had certainly already heard Paul's message of justification by faith.   and are turning to a different gospel But now they are turning to a different gospel. The word Paul uses for different is heteros, which means another.  In Greek there are two different words for another:               heteros which means another of a different kind             and             allos which means another of the same kind.   Paul uses both these words in verses 6-7. In verse 6 he says that the Galatians are turning to another gospel. Here he uses heteros. Their so called ‘gospel' of justification by obeying the law of Moses was a totally different kind of gospel than that which Paul preached, justification by faith. Gospel (euangelion in Greek) means good news.  And their insistence that for a man to be saved he must be circumcised as well as believe was certainly not good news!   In most countries today circumcision is probably not the issue that it was back then, but any insistence that any ritual baptism, communion for example is essential to salvation is a false gospel. We should be baptised and take communion because Jesus commanded it, but it's only faith that saves us.   v 7 which is really no gospel at all In fact their ‘gospel' was really no gospel at all. Translated literally, what he says is:   which is not another.   Here Paul uses allos (another of the same kind). Their ‘gospel' is not the same kind at all. It's bad news, not good news.   some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ Any teaching that detracts from the simplicity of the true gospel of salvation by grace through faith is in fact a perversion and will only lead to confusion. In 1 Corinthians 14:33 Paul tells us that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. It was God the Holy Spirit who brought order out of chaos (Genesis 1:1).   8. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned 9. As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!   But even if we… In effect, Paul is saying, Even if I start preaching a different gospel, don't believe it! The message of the gospel is more important than the messenger, however impressive their credentials, their personality, or their presentation. It's the truth of the message that validates the messenger.   or an angel from heaven This may reflect the Jewish belief that the law had been given through angelic mediators (cf. Acts 7:38) but is more likely to be connected with the fact that Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Confusion is his work and he's still in the confusion business today. What Bible believing Christian can fail to see the hand of Satan in the upheaval of moral standards that has taken place in recent decades, as biblical revelation has been rejected, even in some churches, and replaced with the mistaken ideas of godless people?  Those who bring confusion, whether it's into the churches or into society at large would do well to heed Paul's urgent warning in these verses:   But why the repetition? This may be just for emphasis, but As we have already said (9) may well be a reference to his teaching when he had planted the churches. However, the two verses are not entirely identical: Verse 8 refers to the gospel he had preached. Verse 9 refers to the gospel they had accepted. Paul had not only preached the true gospel, but the Galatians had accepted it. let him be eternally condemned The word Paul uses here is anathema. He uses it in Romans 9:3 where he says that he could wish himself accursed from Christ if only his fellow Jews might be saved. The plain sense there is that he would have been willing to sacrifice his own salvation if only it could achieve theirs. And in 1 Corinthians 16:22 he uses it to say, If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ let them be accursed. So the NIV translation, eternally condemned, here in Galatians, does not seem inappropriate.   But did Paul really want anyone to be eternally condemned? If it sounds like it here, we need to remember that Paul had dedicated his life to preaching the gospel so that others might be saved. If his words seem harsh, we should remind ourselves that God himself, who is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, will not force salvation on anyone. He has provided the way of salvation through faith in the atoning death of Christ, but, if that is rejected, Jesus said those who do not believe are condemned already (John 3:18).  This is because the only way of salvation is through faith in Christ – and that's because only Christ was capable of saving us.   So here in Galatians Paul is only affirming what God has already said. Those who were teaching, and those who were believing, a different ‘gospel' were denying the total efficacy of Christ's death on the cross, and to reject that is to reject the salvation that it offers. And as Paul says elsewhere, Their condemnation is just (Romans 3:8).   This matter is so important, and Paul cares so much about those he had led to Christ, that he urges them to reject the false gospel of the Judaizers and to return to the gospel by which they had been saved in the first place. Salvation is dependent on accepting the gospel. We cannot lose our salvation, but this passage shows that we can reject it by rejecting the gospel we once believed.   Paul's teaching throughout Galatians reminds us of the urgency of both believing (and continuing to believe) and preaching the one true gospel of salvation through faith in Christ. We will return to this theme again and again, but as we do so perhaps we should ask ourselves how seriously we are taking our responsibility of sharing this truth with others.

How we live the Christian life is a topic of endless books, seminars, camps, and conferences; in Galatians Paul speaks of living in the Spirit's power. When he speaks of the Spirit's power, he is referring to God the Holy Spirit and the restored relationship that is provided in Christ. When we understand the truth of the Gospel, we have a transformative and supernatural power to live for Christ in real ways. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE VIEW WINTER MISSION UPDATE HERE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

INTRODUCTION: Jeffrey Kranz is a Bible geek who started OverviewBible, a biblical literacy website, in 2013. He uses his expertise as a writer and consultant to help people understand what the Bible is, what it's for, and what it's all about. In 2019, he wrote The Beginner's Guide to the Bible, a non-preachy, jargon-free breakdown of the Protestant canon. In his free time, he loves trying bizarre amari, performing musical improvisational comedy, and working Hamilton references into his homebrew D&D campaigns. He hides from the sun at his home in Seattle, WA.  INCLUDED IN THIS EPISODE (But not limited to): ·      A Breakdown Of OverviewBible.com·      A Review Of Jeffrey's Book – The Beginner's Guide To The Bible ·      How The Bible Is Composed·      Identity Politics·      The Struggle For Gentile Acceptance·      What Exactly Is The ‘Hebrew' Bible?·      The Flexibility Of Jesus  CONNECT WITH JEFFREY: Website: https://overviewbible.comWebsite: https://jeffreykranz.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OverviewBible/about CONNECT WITH DE'VANNON: Website: https://www.SexDrugsAndJesus.comWebsite: https://www.DownUnderApparel.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sexdrugsandjesusYouTube: https://bit.ly/3daTqCMFacebook:   https://www.facebook.com/SexDrugsAndJesus/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sexdrugsandjesuspodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TabooTopixLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devannonPinterest: https://www.pinterest.es/SexDrugsAndJesus/_saved/Email: DeVannon@SDJPodcast.com  DE'VANNON'S RECOMMENDATIONS: ·      Pray Away Documentary (NETFLIX)o  https://www.netflix.com/title/81040370o  TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_CqGVfxEs ·      OverviewBible (Jeffrey Kranz)o  https://overviewbible.como  https://www.youtube.com/c/OverviewBible ·      Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed (Documentary)o  https://press.discoveryplus.com/lifestyle/discovery-announces-key-participants-featured-in-upcoming-expose-of-the-hillsong-church-controversy-hillsong-a-megachurch-exposed/ ·      Leaving Hillsong Podcast With Tanya Levino  https://leavinghillsong.podbean.com  ·      Upwork: https://www.upwork.com·      FreeUp: https://freeup.net VETERAN'S SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS ·      Disabled American Veterans (DAV): https://www.dav.org·      American Legion: https://www.legion.org ·      What The World Needs Now (Dionne Warwick): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfHAs9cdTqg  INTERESTED IN PODCASTING OR BEING A GUEST?: ·      PodMatch is awesome! This application streamlines the process of finding guests for your show and also helps you find shows to be a guest on. The PodMatch Community is a part of this and that is where you can ask questions and get help from an entire network of people so that you save both money and time on your podcasting journey.https://podmatch.com/signup/devannon  TRANSCRIPT: Jeffrey Kranz[00:00:00]You're listening to the sex drugs and Jesus podcast, where we discuss whatever the fuck we want to! And yes, we can put sex and drugs and Jesus all in the same bed and still be all right at the end of the day. My name is De'Vannon and I'll be interviewing guests from every corner of this world as we dig into topics that are too risqué for the morning show, as we strive to help you understand what's really going on in your life.There is nothing off the table and we've got a lot to talk about. So let's dive right into this episode.De'Vannon: Hello and happy New Year. I hope your year is phenomenal, fantastic in everything you want it to be and more. Jeffrey Kranz is the Brains Behind Overview bible.com and the author of The Foundational Read, the Beginner's Guide to the Bible, which is a non preachy, jargon-free handbook to what the Bible is, where it came from and what it's all about.Jeffrey is here to help us understand how to navigate the Bible, learn about God, and expand our minds in a loving and open-minded [00:01:00] way. I've never heard anybody coin the term non-Christian Bible study until I met Jeffrey Kranz.And so I'm delighted to bring this interview to you so that you can learna little bit more how to navigate the Bible and to do so in a non-judgmental way. Lots of love to everyone. Please enjoy the show.Well, we have us here another episode of the Sex Drugs in Jesus podcast. And I'm here with a, a beautiful redheaded man by the name of Jeffrey Kranz. And he lives up yonder in the, in Seattle I believe you're in. That's correct. And and and I discovered him. Trolling around, no, that's not a cute word these days.I around on on [00:02:00] YouTube. But finding like different videos because I've recently discovered that I'm more of a, like a visual learner. So I've been consuming documentaries and all kinds of videos. So I've found that it sticks in my head better than re reading. Depends on what I'm reading. And so I discovered Overview Bible's YouTube channel and then thus the website.And so then I reached out to Jeffrey in hopes he would reply and he replied to my message and everything like that. And so here we are. Jeffrey. How are you? Jeffrey: I'm doing well, Devean. Thank you so much for having me. been looking forward to De'Vannon: this. Danielle's gonna enjoy how well spoken Jeff Jeffrey is like his, his dick's flawless and everything like that.And so so you are what I would consider to be. A Bible scholar, you are very, very detailed in your approach to all things that have to do with understanding this book. So the, y'all, the reason why I [00:03:00] reached out to Jeffrey as opposed to so many other people who are in various forms of media talking about the Bible is, is, is his approach.He's not really like trying to push Jesus on people. He's more like trying to make information available so that people can make up their own decisions. And so his objective neutral approach to it I found to be so refreshing in light of how so much of Christianity is trying to be forced on people during this day and time.And so his methods are very simple and easy to understand. And so it reminded me of how in the Bible, in the Hebrew Bible, it talks about how Jesus taught with simplicity. You know, he wasn't like super dramatic and over the top and trying to make everything a big deal and, you know, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.And then his, his Jeffrey does a lot of drawings and they're super colorful. And so that really made me feel like I was back in elementary school again, which just really warmed my, the boy and at least still lives inside my soul . So. [00:04:00] So Jeffrey, what would you like to tell people about you personally?Maybe some of your background education and what got you so impassioned about this book, ? Jeffrey: Yeah. Thank you so much for the kind words that made me feel good for, for those listen. . It's, it's about eight in the morning in Seattle today. And I feel like I'm starting off my day on a, on a very kind note.So, so thank you for all that. This is gassing me up and it's a Friday no less. So this is gonna be a very good day. Mm-hmm. . Yeah, so I would describe the overview Bible body of work as you know, you, you really, I, I think you encapsulated it pretty well when you, when you used the word neutral. I, I really like making things learnable and so I think that it's important when you're approaching something as large as the [00:05:00] Bible to, to have an idea of just what it is, what it's for, and what it's all about.Before you start really getting into, I guess the, the musts regarding re regarding biblical study, you know, when. When I was introduced to the Bible it was very much in the context of this is, this is what you should believe about the Bible. This is, this is what the Bible means to us as a family.This is what it means to us as a faith tradition. And so it, it came almost shrink wrapped in, in that sort of context. And, you know, I, as a child really, really got into studying it. I I really enjoyed analyzing the structure of the books. I started doing that as, as more of a teenager. And I was teaching Bible studies as a teenager and, and as, as an adult afterward.[00:06:00]And so what what I started doing when I was in my twenties was writing, writing overviews of the individual. That of, of the Bible and trying to help people who didn't necessarily have a lot of context to be able to approach it in a non-intimidating way. And so that's where, that's where the website came from.I started doing YouTube videos a couple years thereafter to try and help more of those visual learners out there and just grow as a presenter. It was a cool way to, to grow few skills that that I wanted as well. And then the book came later. De'Vannon: Oh, you say you did this when you were in your twenties.you still look young. . Jeffrey: Thank you very much. Devon . No, no, I'm I'm 33 now. De'Vannon: Yeah, I was gonna say, I don't know, that was like yesterday. So you started working on this maybe like in the last 10 years, this whole body? Jeffrey: Yeah. Yeah. . Yeah. It was, [00:07:00] I, I would say, Yeah, I think 2013 was when I wrote the first page for overview bible.com.And then I was done with the first stab at pages on every book of Bible. So if you go to overview bible.com I have an overview of each individual book of the Protestant cannon there on, on that website. And that was how the website began. Now I have more content digging into characters and themes and, you know, items from just the history of the Bible as a book.But no, that was how it began. Just individual overviews, trying to make it a little more approachable for people in my. De'Vannon: Let me make it more clear to people just how granular in detail your website is. So it's like, if you're reading one article, something [00:08:00] may be hyperlinked, is gonna take you in a further detail and then again, in a further detail.So like he said, he has an overview of all the books, but he also has overviews of like many popular characters. Mm-hmm. the Bible too, individually. So I was reading in there this morning before we got on, like, you have a breakdown on like on each of the apostles you have a breakdown on like the different prophets, the minor prophets, the major prophets who wrote the psalm, you know, and then there's a breakdown of like, of all of those.So this, like the, the painstaking detail that has gone into, into your website is absolutely mind boggling. I mean, I've never seen a, a bi, a bi biblical website make it so it's so much complex information. And it's presented in like such a readable way, and it's a lot thank you of little details in there for a lot of different people.So like on my website, the Sex, drugs and Jesus one, I'm creating this like little [00:09:00] minicourse version that shall never be as com as complex and detailed as your website is. Because I just don't want it to be, and my, my website's already as extra as I am and it's got a lot going on and so Nice. So his website is overview bible.com.Like the namesake says overview. Jeffrey likes to use this term high level view a lot. Yes, I do . And so if you watch his YouTube videos over on his YouTube channel, which is also Overview Bible, you know, you'll hear him say high level view. So his YouTube channel parallels. The website, and you'll see YouTube videos embedded at various points throughout the website as well.For those of you who want to click over to it. Mm-hmm. . So I really love the way the website is really well written. The YouTube channel compliments that, and then you provided these different mediums of learning and you've got everyone covered. [00:10:00] Thank you, . Jeffrey: I'm glad someone likes it. . De'Vannon: So you have a lot of comments on your YouTube videos though?Like people Yeah. Really. Have some feelings. One person called you a cult. . Yeah. Jeffrey: Yeah. That's there's always, there, there's always a new and interesting opinion on on YouTube and sometimes it's mine. But, but yeah. Yeah, it's, YouTube is a funny place. I think that the. Ability for people to just kind of browse and say whatever's on their mind can lead to some really interesting questions.And I try to approach most, most questions and comments in good faith. YouTube is also just kind of a breeding ground for bad faith arguments as, as many comment sections on the internet are. So [00:11:00] yeah, I would say that I would say moving from the website, which was predominantly found via Google to to making YouTube content as well exposed me to a lot more of the, of, of, of some thoughts that people have on the sort of material that I make.So, yeah. Yeah, the comments can be, can be pretty interesting. I feel like, and you know, Devon, maybe you deal with this too, as, as another internet creator. I feel like there's always a balance to be struck between like engaging, interesting comments that that people throw out. And, and then also saving yourself time and energy in, in responding to things and trying to assess the utility there.It's a fundamental exercise anyway. De'Vannon: So the way I'd say what Jeffrey's saying y'all is that some people are batshit fucking [00:12:00] crazy and they're not worth the damn time.Jeffrey: Yeah. There are, you know, the, the, there are some comments that, that I'm just like, okay, well this is this. I don't think there's much more for me to say here, , De'Vannon: you know, you know, as, as, as, as, as the saying goes in the good book, you know, every time we go to do good there's evil presence. And so, you know, weak-minded people are going to come onto our websites and send us nasty messages because this is, you know, the force of negativity trying to hurt us through people who are vulnerable to such influence.And so this is why we surround ourselves with people who are positive minded and who cater to positive energy and lighted not to negativity. Not, not so much cuz we judge the people, but because, you know, negativity can reach us through them. And so, Jeffrey: It's, yeah, I think, yeah, that's, that's such an interesting, [00:13:00] it's such an interesting part of the world, isn't it?Like the, I, I think that negativity wants to, it almost feeds by creating more of itself. And so positivity is almost an act defiance against that. Like, how can you, how can you continue to approach people maybe that you'll never meet again in good faith and be, or at least for, for me, I, I, I try to, even if someone's being mean online, it would be nice to be someone who is kind to that person.See, De'Vannon: now that's it. Sunday school teaching, right there, coming out , . Jeffrey: I mean, sometimes I'm better at it than others. I, I have responded to some comments with, and I quote, sir, this is a Wendy's. De'Vannon: Yeah, the, the, the, the, the, the, the redhead fire in you does come out in those comments. I would expect nothing lessAnd so, all right, [00:14:00] so the, his book is called The Beginner's Guide to the Bible. So that's what we're gonna talk about. Just a few parts of it. It goes over a little bit of the, well, it goes over a lot of the history, you know, of the Bible and where it came from and everything like that. And then the latter half of it is like a very deep overview, but still a deep look into like, literally each of the 66 books of the Bible.Mm-hmm. . And so tell us in your own words who this bible, who, who your book is written for. Jeffrey: Yeah. So when I started writing the Beginner's Guide to the Bible it, there was a specific conversation that I had with someone I had been doing improv with for, for a couple of months. And she was talking about how she had never really grown up with any sort of religious background.She didn't really have any context [00:15:00] for for what the Bible was or really what Christianity was at all. But she wanted to be able to speak with her aunt about things that were important with her. And I think this conversation was in 20, I think this would've been 2017 20 17, 20 18. And so there was, there was a lot of discussion happening in her family around like, politics, what does it mean to be an American?What does it mean to be a Christian? And my friend had no context for that, that third piece. And so in that conversation I had said, or she was saying, yeah, I just wish. I wish I had more context to be able to talk to my Christian aunt about these things that are important to to both of us. And I said, you know, I've been, I've been kicking around this idea of writing down just kind of like a beginner's guide to the Bible so [00:16:00] that you had, even, even if you never went to Sunday school or if you grew up in Sunday school and never really spent much time reading the Bible, which is a lot of people who would consider who, who would, you know, say, oh yeah, I'm a Christian.I grew up Christian, still haven't either had the time or desire or brain space to to really read or study the Bible said. I said I would like to establish some sort of baseline with a book. And she said, if you write that book, please let me know as soon as it's done, because that is, that is exactly what I want.I wanna be able to have an intelligent conversation about the bible. Without necessarily needing to go to seminary or, you know, go to church or do all the work to try to to try to arrive at, at where you're at. And I do think that that's a very fair thing to, to ask for. So, oh, you look like you've got a question.De'Vannon: No, you keep talking. [00:17:00] You're here, Mike. Cool. Keep Jeffrey: going. All right. All right. So that was the conversation that really sparked writing this book and when, when I finished it in 2019, felt like I had a good first edition. That would be for someone who knew that the Bible was important, but didn't necessarily know how to talk about it with anyone that didn't already share their beliefs.So if you read it now you should be able to have. A good baseline for talking with a priest, a pastor, a religious relative, your bartender, an atheist, all that good stuff. All De'Vannon: the fucking things. So I'm gonna comment on the, that the whole priest, bartender, and everything in a minute. So we said improv.What kind of improv you mean like some sort of Ted Talk improv? Were you doing standup comedy Jeffrey: or, [00:18:00] you know, I, I tried standup for a little bit, but I keep getting tired of my own jokes. So, no, it's improvisational comedy, mostly musical improv. That was, that was my forte. And so, you know, just a, a bunch of adults getting up on stage and pretending and making things up for an.De'Vannon: That sounds so much fun. I bet you there was a lot of alcohol and weed involved in perhaps other hallucinogenics, . Jeffrey: Sometimes, sometimes there is the, the improv community is really interesting. Like you've got, you've got a full, you've got the full range of debauchery from like afterschool special appropriate to absolutely notDe'Vannon: I'm here for the absolutely not appropriateSo I think it's interesting you said that, you know, your book, you know, is gonna help people be able talk with the Bible, talk about the Bible with their pastor and atheist, the bartender, or anyone that's interested. [00:19:00] So I think this, this statement speaks your open mindedness cuz you know, when I was growing up in.You know, they told us not to dare step foot in a bar, let alone have a conversation with a people bartender, you know, and an atheist. You know, they, they built up our egos to act like, you know, we're so great and we're better than everybody, you know, the heathen folk and everything like that. So, the fact that you're mentioning these taboo people who are considered outliers, outcasts from Christianity, by so many of these churches and preachers and pastors who look down their nose at them, I think validates, you know, your open-minded approach to this.Thank you. . I've been in churches where they were like, you know, don't, if somebody doesn't make enough money, don't even talk to them. You know, they were like, you don't want their, you know, brokeness bringing Oh man and stuff like that, . Oh, Jeffrey: that sounds so healthy. , De'Vannon: you know, that's, you know, that those were [00:20:00] the Pentecostals who told me that shit, you know?And so and where I think they get this from is how in the Bible, you know, you have like the Nation of Israel and God's telling his people to be separate from the people around them and everything like that, which has all kinds of like historical context and stuff like that, that we can go on and on for hours for.But there was a practical reason why God told them that he did not say for everybody who, whoever believes on him to distance themself from whoever they feel like isn't living right. You know, that's an example of people taking the Bible and doing what the fuck they want with it. Which is super easy to do.Yeah. It, Jeffrey: it's . Yeah. I'm, that's, that's kind of one of the reasons why, you know, in the book, what I, what I put a lot of energy toward at the beginning is talking about what it is and what it's for. Because if you treat this [00:21:00] collection of ancient writings as something that is essentially your magical codex and then whatever, whatever meaning you can pull out of this, because you can link your thought to this magical book, then that gives it authority.If that is, if that is your mindset, then you can wreck a lot of harm on the relationships in your life. You can wreck a lot of harm on people that you don't even necessarily know. If you, if you bring that into the world around,De'Vannon: That's what I call the batt crazy, like what I mentioned earlier, because you know, the, you know that and there's a lot of ego there, you know, for somebody to read through the Bible. Ultimately, what I believe the Bible is for is for each individual to read through it, to find out how they can improve themselves, end of story.Like it has nothing to do with policing somebody else, you know? You know, [00:22:00] but it's presented that way. So, so we're talking a lot about, like, talking about the Bible. I think it's fascinating. You know, we talk about so much stuff with our friends, you know, sex, who we've slept with, who we're gonna sleep with, who were dating.Oh my God, the travel, all the trips were taking, you know, I bought this thing, that thing, you know, and yet when it comes to like religion and Christianity, I think the furthest generally as society we've come is the whole universe. So people will be like, I'm gonna manifest this in the universe. That is very friendly talk that I get everywhere I go, but specific deities are like gods and stuff.Mm-hmm. like that, not so much. And so I like, like your rhetoric and everything. Just the fact that, you know, suggesting that somebody would want to have a conversation with a pastor, an atheist, just to converse at all, rather than just saying, oops, we shouldn't talk about that, is like a big deal. I get this from, [00:23:00] like, I remember when I was like, you know, younger in my twenties and going around all the gay bars, doing all the cocaine and all the drugs and everything, you know, and trying to be cute.But you know, we never really had serious conversations about religion, , you know, or life. If it was, it wasn't Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, don't bring it up. You know what, I'mJeffrey: you know, you know, I think I can honestly say that I've never been in a situation in which, if it's not Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan don't bring it up, really applies to me.But I have been in plenty of contexts in which religion did not come up myself. , I've, I, I guess it's safe to say I've had a lot more conversations about the Bible than I have about Lindsay Lohan. De'Vannon: The thing is man in, in the gay community and just in general [00:24:00] society, we talk so much more about the things we want to acquire in life, our successes or, or the experiences we want to have, be it drugs or traveling or going fishing.But we barely ever talk about spirituality. Hmm. And then usually when people mention the universe, it's about something they're trying to get from it, you know? Yeah. I don't really hear people who subscribe to the universe as their higher power is talking about like spiritual growth a lot. You know, self-help and self-development is separate from the speak of the universe.Like when the secret first came out and everything like that, you know, I watched that video and it was very much about, I'm gonna put this picture of this house on the wall, I'm gonna get it right. You know, it was all about like, what can I get? You know? I'm not throwing shade at it, I'm just saying it just is very grabbyJeffrey: It's, it's really interesting and I think that, In some ways, like it's an unfortunate [00:25:00]side of human nature to approach something good and then say, how can I exploit this? Like, how can I get, how, how can I use this for all it's worth for me? And I think that that really gets to I guess what I, I shouldn't say what religion is good for, but like the, I, I think conversations around spirituality with the people in our lives are a really good opportunity to, to check that.Like, that's, that's one of the reasons why I like discussing spirituality with folks because it feels like an opportunity to identify ways in which, you know, maybe we're, maybe we could be thinking about ways to be good to the universe in return and what can we. , what can we contribute to, to the cosmos around us as opposed to what can we extract for, for ourselves right now?Obviously we need to get, we need to get good [00:26:00] stuff too. But I think having, having an attitude of generosity for the universe is also really helpful in spiritual conversations. Can help Facilit facilitate that. De'Vannon: It's balance, man. This is what I'm saying. This is, there was nothing wrong with us doing all the cocaine and talking about Lindsay Loja and Paris Hilton, but we should have talked about something spiritual too, you know?So, yeah. So get, get all you want, but give too. So what I. What I hate is when I have friends who I've known forever and talk to all the time, who never talk about anything spiritual. And then like when something happens to like one of their kids or something bad happens and they take the social media wanting all this prayer, and suddenly everything is Jesus in my faith.And I'm all like, bitch, I didn't know this about you, . Wait. Oh man, where'd this come from? . Jeffrey: And that's, that's really interesting. Like, I think that one [00:27:00] of the, one of the really interesting things that or, or an interesting topic that I find myself discussing with like new friends is like, what, what is spirituality even for, like, what's, what's the utility in being a spiritual person or things like that.And, and I feel like what, what you're describing is, is something that a lot of people. we're told religion was for right. Like this is, this is your channel to go to someone or something that's more powerful than you because they can do things that you cannot. Mm-hmm. . So once, once you like, reach a spot in which you realize that you can't, you don't have the control that you want you don't have the resources or the talents or you know, the, the scope in order to realize what you want, then what do you go to?You go to your, your religion to try and see, okay, well is there anything [00:28:00] here that can help me? Now that I've exhausted everything De'Vannon: that I can do,I want people to stop looking at God as a means to an end though, because none of us want some, want some food coming around just when they want some shit from us. Like nobody wants that. And so, God lets us abuse him like that , you know, because he's really nice. But , Jeffrey: I think it's, I think it's really interesting, like, because a lot of, a lot of the thought around like asking, asking God for things doesn't seem to take into account like where that thing is going to come from.So, you know, I, I think, I think we're all familiar with like this idea of two people fraying that their sports team wins the same match. Well, okay. It's, I think it's pretty clear to see like where the interests are aligned there. Or we're [00:29:00] not aligned there. Like that's, that's pretty, that's pretty base level.But then even in the Bible, you've got the, the problem of job in that, oh, job loses everything, has no idea why he's lost it. and ends up, ends up saying, you know, I, I want to file a complaint with God. Essentially asks like if God had a manager job, would've asked to see him or demanded to speak with him.And you know, at the, at the end of it, we see God just saying to Job, look, you don't even understand why the ocean stops at the beach. Like you don't, you don't know how any of this works and you want to file a complaint with, with me and how, and how it works. Like this is just beyond your understanding.The system is so complex. And, and I think that, you know, like that that human desire for there to be someone making things right in the [00:30:00] end has been part of, that's been part of us for as long as we've been a species as far as, as far as I can tell. And. Like when to, to, to bring it back to like asking God for things or just like demanding things.I think I think that as, as far as the picture of God has been painted in like the Hebrew Bible and, and the New Testament, this God seems to understand and, you know, not really begrudge humans of of asking him for things. But there's, there's something bigger. There's always something bigger at play than, than what we want.And you know, the Apostle James says that if, if anyone lacks then they can ask for wisdom and God you know, God's not going to begrudge them that. And [00:31:00] so I think like asking, asking for things like wisdom that don't need to come from somewhere else, like, that's not going to disrupt any other part of the system.The way asking for rain or asking for money or asking for, you know, a child or things like that might, I think asking to have more of that divine perspective I think, I think God will, God will make it rain on that front, right? Yes. But, yeah. Yeah. But, but no, I, I don't, I don't think God gets annoyed by, by us asking things.And I, I, I agree with you. Like he is, he puts up with a lot of our bullshit because he is nice. But I think he's also wise and he knows that we're just children and we're doing the best we De'Vannon: can. I know he's not angry. I'm angry on his behalf. I'm like, I want y'all to see that he's a person, he's like a human without flesh, whatever personalities we have.What, you know, he's that. The more, because we're [00:32:00] made in his image, you know, we're just like little versions of him. So his feelings to get hurt and stuff like that, though he possesses the capacity could be completely objective in spite of his feelings being hurt. So I just want people to see like the humanity in God.Mm-hmm. , even though he's totally divine, and yeah, we can ask for everything, but still, he's like a person and you know, you know, he, he has feelings. Yeah. , Jeffrey: that was, and if you read the, the Old Testament prophets, you'll see that. De'Vannon: See just best feelings. You know what, I don't. , you know, so we're not gonna be on this earth forever, and eventually we're gonna look at God in the face.You know, our relationship with him cannot just have been transactional the whole time. You know, at what point are we gonna just get close to him for who he is and just talk, just, you know, know him. Mm-hmm. , you know, and I get off my soapbox on that. I wanna comment on something that you had mentioned earlier about your, like your, your family, friends, relatives, associates, saying like, they don't, they're trying to figure [00:33:00] out what it means to be American and to be Christian.So I just wanna say that to be an American is like a blank slate. You know, this country doesn't have its own language. We don't have a national religion. Like you can't speak American, like you can't write American , you know, this country. It's just like, oh, somebody says just like a white, well, they took a, like a, a, a dry race board, such as you have behind you , and, and there was a bunch of indigenous people on it, and then they like, kind of wiped the majority of those out.And then they, they just took, you know, when we went down to African and snatched people and threw them in there and, you know, and just like pieced it together, you know? So to be an American is what I, I don't really know. It's like this, whatever do you make of it, you know? Allegedly, it's supposed to be a whole lot of freedoms here, but that's not the case.But there's no like, say, like, you know, Italian, you know, culture, you know, rooted in us and stuff like that. You know, there's [00:34:00] no, Americans have pasta, you know, there's no, you know, the French have their crepes, you know, you know, there's no like American. You know, so it's whatevs. Jeffrey: I mean, we got serving sizes, right?we got we got, we got the supersize, we got the drive through . We got De'Vannon: things that the world laughs us about. So we have the golden arches. McDonald's. Yeah. Fast food capital. We're the fast food capital of the world. Arah,And what does it mean to be Christian? Well, you know, that's also very, very, very, very vague because you have many different denominations, you know, that are all supposed to be following, you know, the same God. But it seems like we can't get on the same page. So I think what it means to be both of these things, American and Christian, is very individualized.And I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I think it's a beautiful thing because it requires each of us to get to know [00:35:00] who God is for ourselves to see what exactly Christianity is gonna look like for us. Go ahead. Jeffrey: It's, it's interesting how much of religion comes down to identity politics. Like so much of, so much of what it means to be a Christian comes down to what that individual means by Christian.Cuz you can talk to a thousand different people who would say I'm a Christian, and then ask, okay, well what, what about you makes you a Christian? Or, or what, what does that mean for, for you? How does that make your life different from what it would be otherwise? And you can get a thousand different responses.And so, you know, granted, like many of them will say, oh, well I [00:36:00] believe in the Niacine creed. I believe in the Apostles Creed. You know, I, I subscribe to this, or, or, or that. But ultimately I think the reasons why, We take on labels is because we want to, we want to know where we fit into the world. And identity politics is a really big part of that.But the De'Vannon: danger there is letting how another group of people define themselves define you, or how a certain group of people want to define you. Define you. And so then, so you're trusting that they're right and that, and you're believing that you're wrong. And which is how I entered into Christianity, believing the guy up in the pool pit knew better than me.And so then I would bend my mind. Yeah. Whether I dis whether I agree with what he was saying or not, I would change my mind by force to go with what the guy on the stage was saying. Now, I would never do that again because I, I need, I see the falling in that. So you know this, that sort of person you're describing is what we would call.[00:37:00] Maybe somebody who's not super experienced in their faith yet. Maybe it's somebody new. Cuz as you grow in God, eventually you'll get the point that you actually don't need a preacher , you know, or a whole group of people to . Yeah. It's, yeah, Jeffrey: you don't need it. But I don't think I, I mean, it, it sounds like we're touching on maybe one of the darker sides of like Bible study and I guess the way people approach this sort of topic in that we, we like having rubrics and we like having scorecards.And, and so like when, when we're dealing with topics of like morality or, or identity, then. It becomes like, I, I think humans have this this natural [00:38:00] gravitation to say, okay, well we know that there is good and bad in the world, and therefore, how do I make sure that I can identify what's bad and how do I make sure that nobody thinks I'm bad?Like, that's, that's something that I think a lot of people immediately try to figure out. And so that's where the rules come in. And that's, that's where like the, okay, well I'll, I'll just bend my mind to believe what what I believe to believe what I believe. The people who tell me what to believe, believeAnd I promise if you play that sentence back, it makes sense, . But that's, that's what we end up doing because we want to fit in. with a group of people that, that are going to affirm this idea that we're good and that we're, and that we're doing, we're doing what's right. [00:39:00] And I think that when you get to know the teachings of Jesus, and if you, if you can approach if you can approach this God with who you know, like John says, God is love, like if you can approach someone who could be described as as love personified then I think, I think you start to understand that it's not so much about checking boxes or, or meeting a rubric or criteria and signaling that you're good so much as it is just changing from within.And like all your core drives becoming more and more aligned to acting out of love for. For people around you, for people in general and for the world, De'Vannon: for the whole wide world. Mm-hmm. , let's spread some love. [00:40:00] So you, indeed, you make a point to say that this is not a Christian book, like right at the top of it.So what, why, like, explain why. Like, I, I, I believe that I know why mm-hmm. , so, but I'd like to hear you say it. Jeffrey: Sure. Well, it's not a Christian book because it's not trying, like in, in my discussion of the Bible, I'm. Really not trying to influence what you believe about God or what you believe about the person of Jesus.Like that's, that's not what you're going to, to find in there. And in fact, I try to be I try to not even say things like, you know, God says this without saying, [00:41:00] the ancient Israelites believed their God. Sid said this, like, I want, I want to keep the, the discussion focused on what the Bible is and what it says.As opposed to trying to say because we have these shared beliefs, then we can agree that this is what it says. I think that that's dangerous because it gates the, it gates the meaning of the Bible behind some sort of creed. And that's just, I don't think that's a helpful way of approaching or understanding such an old set of documents.You know, people appeal to the Bible when they're making legislation. People appeal to the Bible when they're making decisions as to who they're going to date or marry. They appeal to the Bible when it comes to how they conduct themselves in society. And these are things that [00:42:00] affect so many people who aren't Christian and, you know, don't necessarily have any reason to, to have the Bible in their homes.I think that it's only fair that there should be resources that help everyone understand what this book that everyone's appealing to says without them necessarily needing to either adopt beliefs that they don't have or pretend. To adopt those beliefs in order to, to get the education. Like I think that this is something that a lot of people appeal to when making decisions that affect other people and those other people should have as much as, as much as possible and unbiased means of understanding what these people are appealing to.De'Vannon: I'm gonna read two excerpts from your book that I feel like has to do with this right here, what we're talking about. And we were talking about [00:43:00] what does it even mean to be a Christian? And you were saying from the book it says, with so many Christians joining the faith from different backgrounds, there was a lot of confusion as to what it was they were actually supposed to believe and do.How did you theologians former prostitutes, wealthy merchants, illiterate slaves and other diverse people live their lives together, the follower of Jesus. And the other question posed in the book was, what should they do about the Jewish law? Then you say, if churches are a mix of Jewish and non-Jewish people, Jewish being of the bloodline of Abraham, non-Jewish, not of the bloodline of Abraham, as I understand it.How would Christians handle the culture clashes? The Jews had methods and traditions of food, worship, work, sex. The other cultures had their own approaches to these. How would they start out? Cultural differences in a new mixed community? Mm-hmm. in the book of Acts, which I think is a titillating read now that I'm, you know, older and I know how to go now that I'm able to look through it myself.[00:44:00]Mm-hmm. , one part that they never preached to me in the book of Acts growing up and all of them in their churches was about just how much the Jews hated the Gentiles. And they didn't give a damn about what Jesus said about all y'all kissing makeup and get together , they. It really had a heart. The Jew, the Gentiles being people were not naturally the bloodline of Abraham, people who were outside of the culture of the nation of Israel, who God said when he rolled out that, that vision to Peter, he's like, I want everybody, I cleansed everybody.Everyone can now come. Those people were not trying to have none of this. You know? They were like, we don't want them still. And so the book of Acts, a lot of it's about, yeah, the Holy Ghost coming and speaking in tongues, but a lot of it's also about, just hear what I just said. And what Jeffrey talks about in his book is, how the fuck do we infuse, you know, us together?Because up until the time of Jesus, God had told them, be separate. You're, you're, you're gonna be [00:45:00] holy and different than all these nations. And now all of a sudden he's saying, nevermind everybody play nice together. And so they had a meeting in the book of, And when they came out of this meeting, they were like, okay, if you're not of the bloodline of Abraham, then don't like eat chit strangled meat, strangled to idols, or some shit like that.It was like three tenets that all had to do with idol ideology or some shit like that. Jeffrey: It was, yeah, don't, don't eat things that were strangled, don't eat food sacrifice to idols, I believe. And I think it was abstain from sexual immorality. And then in in Galatians Paul, Paul says that like the, the main stipulation was care for the poor.So like, I, I think in terms of acts, those first three were, were the things that James just kind of said, okay, all right, all right. Like, we're, we're not gonna hold everyone to, to keep the whole Torah. But, [00:46:00] but we, we do wanna make sure that, that we're aligned on these three things. Is that the, is that the, the conversation that you're referencing when, like Paul and Barnabas come down from, from Antioch and they, they have this whole discussion as to whether or not Gentile Christians need to abide by the, the Jewish law.Right. It De'Vannon: was a whole scene. It was a whole scene, yeah. And so whenever I reference the Bible, I try to call it the Hebrew Bible to remind people that we're talking about a, a Middle Eastern book, you know, from all those years ago. Jeffrey: And just, and, and just for, for your reference, the Hebrew Bible in the Bible are kind of two separate things.So the Hebrew Bible refers to the Old Testament and like there's today a, a lot of folks call it the TaNaK, long time ago, I think it was called like Miska or Mik. You can, you can tell I'm not a Hebrew scholar. But, [00:47:00] but yeah, the he, the Hebrew Bible. Refers to the books that we now preserve in the Christian Bible that were written in Hebrew.So Old Testament books ranged in a different way for the Hebrew Bible, but that's, that's the Hebrew Bible. New Testament was written in Greek. And so like the Bible, you're right, was written in a different part of the world. The Hebrew Bible is, is really in reference to, to the Old Testament.Anything with acts would be, that would not be included in what most people refer to as the Hebrew Bible. Just, just so you know. De'Vannon: Thank you for the education. You got itAnd so it sounds to me like what they decided was that people can keep their own culture and like you said, agree on those things. And so, I think a reason why a lot of people are unhappy or they don't make it very far with Christianity and following Christ is because they're trying [00:48:00] to do too much. You know, God is not asking you to act like his people did over 2000 years ago.He's not. He's asking you to not put anything else before him. And he said to basically treat everyone else nice and to get serious, you know about God. So when Jesus says the love, the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and the love of your neighbor as yourself, he says, basically everything boils down to those two things.And so that's why I'm a big proponent of people getting past, just asking God for stuff and actually getting to know him. You know, because you got to, any relationship we have with anybody cannot just be based on getting stuff from them. We have to go beyond that. Yeah. And so and so I think that we have more freedoms in Christ than what the church tries to let us know.So this, so I don't know. I don't, I mean, I don't think he could get any clearer than this. You know, God himself has said, do your culture, but just worship me first. You [00:49:00] know? I don't, Jeffrey: yeah. And, and I think, you know, to, if we were to, to bring all of this around to what you had originally brought up like what the early church was dealing with, like this this desire to remain faithful to this to these traditions which we, we still have these, these documents preserved today in the Old Testament but also wanting to, you know, wanting to welcome in people that did not have any of that context and in fact had very, very different contexts.And this is, this is where I think that that command to love one another. Really starts showing what, what I maybe like most [00:50:00] or en or enjoy most about early Christian teaching which is you, you can't necessarily know what the long range ripple effects of anything you do are gonna be you know, to, to someone in the first century.I don't know how much they, how, how, how much they would've known about the nutritional or scientific benefits of abstaining from non-kosher foods. You know, like to today, today there's a lot of, there, there's a lot of talk about like, going back and like trying to find the science to make these ancient commands make sense.But that's not necessarily what people were, were dealing with back then. Like they, they just had these traditions. They wanted to acknowledge And, and I think that what Jesus did was gave us this opportunity to say, [00:51:00] well, what if we instead of tried to check the right boxes? And what if instead of trying to see you know, who is, who is necessarily winning this game?Or are we playing this game? Well what if instead we made it about acting out of love for, for those around us? Cuz while you can't know the long range ripple effects of anything that you do you can know for sure whether or not you're acting out of love for someone else. Like that's something that you can always, you can always check.And in many ways it's kind of like the only thing that you can know when you're doing something. So, like when I, I think that that's a, a harder rule because it deals with. Becoming, you know, a transformed person. But it's a simpler rule and I think that's, that's something that, that Jesus did. And I think that's what, [00:52:00] that's what gave the early church so much, so much appeal.De'Vannon: So in other words, Jesus was like, way more chill, , Jeffrey: and in other ways, way not like I like. Yeah. The, this idea that this idea that you can, that you can come in from anywhere like this this kingdom of God is, is something completely different from the empire of. And, and this this faith tradition doesn't rely on you being from a certain nation and then converting from, from one, you know, ethnic tradition to another.It's instead focused on you bringing yourself and and just using who [00:53:00] you are on behalf of, of those around you. Whether, you know, that's, that looks like giving giving of your, your resources giving of your services just being compassionate to, to the poorer around you. Like that's, that's what we see in in the early church.And yes, there, there was concern about, you know, there, there, there was concern about traditions and there was concern about teachings. But the. The general narrative that you're seeing there in Acts is one more of opening up than than closing off. I love De'Vannon: how Jesus broke. His own rules. So, you know, like when he was going through the cornfield and eating you know, on the Sabbath day and you know, and look back how and when he referenced how when David went into the temple, you know, and ate the holy show bread and stuff like that, you know, Jesus is like, yeah, the [00:54:00] rules are here, but if it comes down to it, you put people before rules.Because I think he said something like, rules were made for people, not people for rules. Jeffrey: The Sabbath was for man and not man for the Sabbath. Yeah, De'Vannon: yeah. You know, and so. and the love part comes in when you go, yes, it's AAB today, but I'm gonna heal this motherfucker anyway because he needs it. The rules be damned.Yeah. You know, so a version of that today would be like, we're gonna show love to this woman and let her get, get whatever abortion she needs if she wants it. We're not going to be like, well, these are the rules, you know? So 10 year old girl, have the baby anyway, even though you just got weight. So,Jeffrey: oh man. The, now I am, I am someone who enjoys petant or Petry a good deal. But no, the, define De'Vannon: what that word is. . Jeffrey: Petry. Okay. So I, [00:55:00] I am the guy who's super fun at parties because I will, I will show up and be like, I, I am kind of like the All right. Well actually it was this, or, you know, like I'm, I'm, I'm very much like a social nit picker when it comes to like answering trivia games and, and things like that.So respectfully annoying might be one way of putting it. So, so I do, I do enjoy picking, picking through the rules and lawyering around life. I'm not a lawyer, but that can be fun. However reducing someone's life to this academic exercise of whether or not something is, is right or wrong according to the rules, I think is just, it's dehumanizing.It would be, yeah. It, and, and I think that's a huge problem that that people, that [00:56:00] people in Christian circles, Are dealing with today when we, when we elevate this idea of being, of having a purity of creed but not, or, but elevating purity of creed over the way we actually treat other people. I think that, that, I think we could all do do a lot better on that De'Vannon: front.I'll just say amen on that . But there's, yeah, there's just, there's just so many rabbit holes can go down there. Yeah. Jeffrey: Yeah. It's, and, and it's, it's super frustrating. I mean, like, I, I grew up very much encouraged to, to look out for false doctrine and, you know, watch out for, for people that that might be trying to lead me astray and, and you know, just like be, be very play defensive when it came to [00:57:00]When it came to identifying with other people, and, you know, to, to some degree, I still, I still have a, a lot of that baggage today.But I think that if you are, if you gate yourself and if you gate the ability to commune with other people behind making sure that you agree on things, then you just, not only, not only does that result in just less love shared in the world, which I think is a negative, but you also just cut yourself off from so many connections that you cut otherwise have.And, and yeah, like that's this, this idea of trying to make sure that someone is clear before, before being able to relate to them or before being able to think of them compassionately, I think is it's a pretty big problem. Mm. De'Vannon: [00:58:00] What he said, y'all exactly how he said it. So, so in your book till you get very clear about detailing, like where the Bible came from, what it is, and like you said, what it's for mm-hmm.and you say in there that the Bible didn't, and I'll paraphrase here, like basically magically fall out of heaven. No. So growing up, and this is a good thing because your book really does that high level view because in there you talk about how it's important you compare the Bible to like a big 600,000 piece jigsaw puzzle.Cause apparently many words are in the Bible. And so you're driving the point home is that you have to get, you have to step very far. To get clear on the full scope of the Bible, what it is historically, how it's organized in your book. You know, you talk about who really wrote the Bible, you know, there's so many books we don't know the authors, you know.Yeah. From this time, you know, just cause someone's name on the book doesn't mean they, it doesn't mean that they wrote it. So, growing up in church, [00:59:00] you know, I used to think, you know, they always say the words divinely inspired. So, and this, it just made it seem like the book was always there. So, so what can you tell us about like, how the bible, how it's composed and it's, you know?Sure, Jeffrey: sure. That is a, that is a huge question. Let me, let me try and, and distill this real quick. How the Bible's composed. I think that in order, in order for us to talk about that, like the, the Bible. That we referenced today. And let's, let's just say, say it's the Protestant Bible. For, for the purpose of this conversation you have the, the Old Testament, which that's the first like three quarters of the Bible.That is that is a collection of texts [01:00:00] that the Israelites preserved that in order to show their relationship with their God. New Testament was composed and preserved to help Christians and churches understand the teachings of Jesus and what to do about them. How were, how was, how those two works were composed is kind of different.So let's start with, let's start with the Old Testament. Old Testament. You've got oral traditions. That, that people were just sharing, you know parents to, to children. Eventually these oral traditions become written traditions these written traditions get compiled into these literary documents of, of various types.[01:01:00] Then these documents came together as part of larger literary works until eventually we have the tark which is, you know, the, the Hebrew Bible the, the books of the Old Testament. And so you have these who have these works of writing that fit together as a larger literary masterpiece. And so when we're talking about the Old Testament, like how is it composed?A lot of these works are older than the documents that we have today, because like they, they've just been preserved and and edited and, and I don't say edited in a way that n necessarily means, like they were, they were, it's, it's not like you edit a document before you, you send it off [01:02:00] to, to a client or, or your teacher or something like that.Like these are, these are just works that were in the works for, for a very long time. The writers had their rhetorical agendas and then they, they joined this larger library for the New Testament. It's, that happened over a quicker period of. Followers of Jesus wrote down things that Jesus had said and then also wrote down things that Jesus followers said and did.And so these documents got passed around a lot by early groups of Jesus followers called churches. Eventually, a couple hundred years later, by about the, the fourth century in the common era, most like every, every book that we have in the New Testament today was relatively known and used by [01:03:00] churches.It wasn't until over a thousand years later that we actually got this definitive cannon of what books belong in what we call the New Testament today. So long, long answer to that question. Old Testament oral traditions People speaking out on, on behalf of Israel's God. People preserving that in order to tell that story of Israel and their God.New Testament got this person called Jesus. People write down what he wrote. People write down what his followers did. And eventually the useful documents or the ones that a lot of people found useful got preserved today. De'Vannon: Thank you for that breakdown. I think you did an incredible and spectacular outstanding job.And so thank you . Woo. And so, absolutely. And so there's a video on your YouTube channel called [01:04:00] 12 Non-Trivial Facts about the Bible, and I feel like as you said in that video, you wish you had known these facts before you got started reading it. Yeah, I think that that's a very good video as well.You know, I'm driving all these points home to make the point that when people are reading the Bible, either before they start or if they never thought of it like this before. So really take a step back and take that high level view, you know, and see historically how did this all come together? You know, you know what's what.And so the last thing that we're gonna talk about is we begin to wrap up here. You know, in your book, a part that I felt like was very special was how you talked about like the covenants. Mm-hmm. you know, you talked about the covenant of Abraham with Israel, Moses, you know, with David and how we have our covenant in Jesus Christ.And so, you know, this, this beckons back to the whole point of God trying to reach out and communicate with us, get on our level. The fact that he was willing to even come down in the whirlwind and [01:05:00] talk to Job, read him for filth basically, you know, and then turn around and bless him the way he did. You know, God is Big O God.He doesn't have to, to to talk to us. You know, like he's our equal, you know, if he doesn't want to, but he's been trying to just have a relationship with us, you know, the whole time. You know? And so I appreciate it, the fact that you highlighted all the different covenants in what they mean. Jeffrey: I'm glad, I'm glad that was helpful.And, you know, for, for those listening, this is, this is one of the things that I do in the book to try and make this enormous collection of documents, the Bible a little bit easier to, to grasp. If you think of, you know, this 600,000 piece jigsaw puzzle I pull out four, four parts of the Bible that can almost be used as the corner pieces.And that can kind of frame [01:06:00] the way the way the Bible fits together in your mind in, in a pretty, in a pretty straightforward fashion. So those, those four covenants are the, and, and a, and a covenant kind of using antiquated language here. But the Bible's an old book, so deal with it, I guess.De'Vannon: deal with it. . Jeffrey: Yeah. So so you've, you've got these, these old like solemn agreements that that God makes with with a handful of figures in Israel's history. And, you know, Devana, and obviously you've already read this, but these, these all relate to God's presence in the world and God's blessing for the people of the world.[01:07:00] And so understanding these four high points between God and Abraham, Between God and Moses and the nation of Israel, between God and David and Jerusalem. And then also between God and Christ and and the whole world. Understanding those points in the relationship really bring the rest of the Bible into focus.De'Vannon: Yeah. Yo, this book is practical. It doesn't have to be this overly spiritual woo woo thing, you know, it's practical. I wrote a blog on my website called The Common Sense of the 10 Commandments to break down how practical God thinks, you know, when he tells us to do something. It's for like a practical, physical reason.It's not just like, For fuck sakes or for rules sake, you know, or just to, you know, just to like have shit. So I'm gonna throw a little bit of shade at, at the Catholic church before I give you the floor for the last word. I feel like so much shit about all, you know, most organized [01:08:00] religions and especially the Catholic church, is just so extra for no purpose that I can articulate, you know, what the fuck are all the flowy robes and the, the goddamn processes, the protocols, all the pump, all the circumstance.You know, I, I think all of that is to just like, mind fuck you and to put you in a, a state of suggestibility so that you can't, you're focusing on so much shit. You can't really be critical of them. I just, I think that they're just like so over the top. And for me of all people to say something over the top, that is a big damn deal because I am an extra bitch , you know, all day long.I am a Sagittarius and I don't know when to quit. And so for me to say, you know, I got four felonies to prove that. And so for me to, so for me to say the Catholic church has gone too far, That that's a big deal. So I just wanted to throw a little bit of shade at them for not being simple. And practical and easy to understand like Jesus isJeffrey: Turns out [01:09:00] turns out running an empire is a little bit more complex than preaching a sermon sometimes. De'Vannon: Oh my God, when, when you say that, I'm getting parallels between the Galactic empire and Emperor Palpetine and the Pope. I think they're the same people. I know it . Jeffrey: It's Palpetine, not papain. Which sounds like some sort of only milks chocolate milk mixed chocolate milk drink.De'Vannon: Do the Pope is the Sy Lord. He is the Sy Lord. this whole time . Well, Jeffrey: no. Well, no. Hold on. I'm Pope Francis. Has gotta be the nicest sy Lord in the universe though, if that's, if that's the case. I mean like, he seems like a pretty nice guy. De'Vannon: That's until he executes order 66. It's[01:10:00]Jeffrey: It's, it's funny like the, you know, I, I can appreciate, I, I appreciate tradition. I think tradition has so much, has, so, like, there, there's, there's so much of what's cool about being human bound up in tradition gating understanding behind, behind behind regalia or, or behind I guess an ordeal.Can I, I don't think that's as good.De'Vannon: Okay, so tradition's cute, but I see too much sacrifice of people on behalf of the traditions, you know, is my thing. And then I [01:11:00] don't get where it comes from. So did God tell them to write out all these prayers and all of these things that you have to do before you qualify to be baptized or before you qualify?I heard the word say, as long as you have faith you can believe, not that you have to attend a catechism class. You know? So, Jeffrey: yeah. And that, and that kind of gets, that gets back to what we were talking about earlier, right? Like using rubrics to show that you're good instead of, instead of what's within, like how, how do we, how do we get people to behave sort of love for each other and for De'Vannon: the world?I say, take all the robes off and just put on fucking clothes and sit down and say what you got to say, . I'm done with it. There we go. But with that, Jeffrey, I thank you. You heard it Jeffrey: here first, folks, . De'Vannon: So Jeffrey, thank you for your time. I want you to again, his website is overview bible.com. His YouTube channel [01:12:00] is the same.The book is The Beginner's Guide on How to Read the Bible, A non preachy, jargon-free handbook to what the Bible is, where it came from, and what it's all about. The last word, anything you wanna say to all these beautiful bitches in the world? . Jeffrey: Hello? . No, no. The last word. The, the last word should not be.Hello. No. Thank you so much, Devon, for, for having me here. I, I absolutely love talking about this. And you know, if this, if you're listening and this makes you curious about, about this book, I just want you to know this is. The Bible isn't going anywhere. It's been around for a long time. And it's something that you can know just as well as anyone who believes it.And you, you don't necessarily need to, you don't need to change anything about yourself in order to understand what, what this is. It's [01:13:00] at the end of the day, this is information. This is something that is important to a lot of people and you, you don't need to adopt what someone else says about this information in order for you to know it.It's very knowable.De'Vannon: Hallelujah tabernacle and praise .Thank you all so much for taking time to listen to the Sex Drugs and Jesus podcast. It really means everything to me. Look, if you love the show, you can find more information and resources at SexDrugsAndJesus.com or wherever you listen to your podcast. Feel free to reach out to me directly at DeVannon@SexDrugsAndJesus.com and on Twitter and Facebook as well.My name is De'Vannon, and it's been wonderful being your host today. And just remember that everything is [01:1

CPT Fellow Neil Martin rejoins the podcast to discuss his newly release book Galatians Reconsidered: Jews, Gentiles, and Justification in the First and Twenty-First Centuries. This conversation also includes an overview survey of trends in Pauline scholarship over the past 50-plus years. What was the key insight Luther offered about Paul's gospel? What things might have been skewed in Luther's perspective? How does understanding Paul's 1st-century pagan context help pastors minister in the 21st century?

Episode 166 – Paul’s Places – Part 7: Ephesians and Colossians Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: I want you to know how I am getting along and what I am doing. This is why I am sending Tychicus to you. He is a dear friend, as well as a faithful servant of the Lord. He will tell you how I am doing, and he will cheer you up. Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 21 and 22, Contemporary English Version Tychicus is the dear friend, who faithfully works and serves the Lord with us, and he will give you the news about me. I am sending him to cheer you up by telling you how we are getting along. Colossians, chapter 4, verses 7 and 8, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re grateful to be with you today. We are in the midst of a series on Anchored by Truth that we are calling “Paul’s Places.” By “Paul,” of course, we’re referring to the Apostle Paul who wrote at least 13 of the books out of the 27 books that comprise the New Testament. Some Bible commentators believe Paul also wrote the book of Hebrews but we cannot be certain about that because the author of the letter to the Hebrews did not name himself. In this “Paul’s Places” series we are taking a look at Paul’s letters to the churches that are identified in our Bibles by the names of the cities, or the region, to which they were sent. So far we have looked at the letters to the churches in Rome and Corinth, which are cities, and Galatia which was a Roman Province in what would be modern day Turkey. Today we’re going to look at Paul’s letters to two other churches that were located in modern-day Turkey – Ephesus and Colossae. In the studio today we have RD Fierro, an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, why don’t you remind us of the reason we wanted to do this Paul’s Places series? RD: Well, I’d like to start by thanking our listeners for joining us here today. We launched this “Paul’s Places” series because in our day and age many people have lost sight of the fact that the New Testament documents are extraordinarily reliable as historical records. And one of the ways we can be sure about that is by looking at the geography, history, and cultural information contained within those records. When we do that we see that this information, which is almost incidental to the main purpose of the book or letter, corresponds perfectly with what we know about the geography and history from many other extra-Biblical sources. This amplifies the confidence that we may place in those records – and, of course, it is from those records that we get the most information about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. VK: In other words if we are confident about the geographic and historical information contained in Paul’s records we may be confident about the validity of the reports Paul makes. And in every report Paul made he affirmed the central element of the Christian faith – that Jesus rose from the dead. Christianity is distinguished from all other religions because Christianity affirms that our founder and central figure is still alive. Jesus died but he did not remain dead. Jesus rose and now sits at the right hand of God. That is why we may justifiably worship Him. Only God has power over life and death. Jesus demonstrated that He had that power when He rose out of the tomb on Easter and appeared to hundreds of His followers over the next 40 days. RD: Amen. It would be impossible for anyone today to personally testify that they were a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. We base our trust in the historicity of the resurrection in the records given to us by the Apostles and their representatives like Luke. So, it is helpful for our own faith to take a little time and see how we can confidently establish the historical reliability of the records that teach us about Jesus. That’s what this “Paul’s Places” series is, hopefully, doing. VK: Now you said that today you want to actually begin a study of two of Paul’s epistles: Ephesians and Colossians. Why are we tackling these two books together? RD: Well, you might call this portion of “Paul’s Places” a tale of two cities. But it is actually a tale of 3 cities. The New Testament contains, as the books of Ephesians and Colossians, the letters that Paul sent to the churches in Ephesus and Colossae. But in the epistle to the Colossians Paul mentions a sister city of Colossae called Laodicea. So, during the next couple of episodes I want to look at all three of these cities and see the role they play in the New Testament. To do that properly we are going to have to not only look at the books of Ephesians and Colossians but we are also going to have to look at the very last book of the Bible which is Revelation. So, let’s take a quick look at the first portion of Revelation, chapter 1, verse 4. VK: The first part of that verse says, “This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia…” You know I don’t think most people realize that when John wrote the book of Revelation he actually had a specific group of churches in mind. Revelation is the subject of so much sensationalism that I think people often miss that the opening part of the book has very specific messages for very specific churches. RD: I agree with that observation. The seven churches that John addressed his communication to were churches in these 7 cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. So, one fact leaps out right away. The city of Ephesus was the only city that received an individual letter from Paul that is mentioned in the list of the 7 churches mentioned in Revelation. And a second fact that also leaps out is that Laodicea, which again is mentioned several times in the epistle to the Colossians, also is part of the group of seven. None of the other cities to which Paul addressed an epistle are mentioned in Revelation. And while the city of Colossae is not mentioned by name in Revelation, I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that Colossae and Laodicea were both located in a region of Asia called the Lycus Valley. It was called the Lycus Valley because in ancient times the Lycus River ran through the valley. VK: So, how far away was Laodicea from Colossae? RD: Colossae was about 10 miles east of Laodicea. VK: And how far away was Ephesus from Colossae? RD: Colossae was about 100 miles east of Ephesus. VK: So, let’s make sure the dots are connecting as we move along. We’re studying the books of Ephesians and Colossians together because they share a number of connections in the Bible. Both Ephesus and Colossae are located in modern-day Turkey as is Colossae’s sister city, Laodicea. But Colossae and Laodicea are a lot closer together than Colossae and Ephesus. So, one fact leaps out right away that confirms the accuracy of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. In Colossians, chapter 4, verse 16 Paul said, “After this letter has been read to your people, be sure to have it read in the church at Laodicea. And you should read the letter that I have sent to them.” That’s from the Contemporary English Version. But Paul did not include a similar admonition in his letter to the Ephesians even though all of these cities were located within the Roman province of Phrygia. It made sense for Paul to tell the Colossians and the Laodiceans to share letters with each other because they were only 10 miles apart – but Ephesus was 100 miles away from them. 100 miles was a long distance to travel in those times. RD: Yes. And as long as we’re on the subject of how the geographic references within Colossians make sense let’s take a look at one more. Colossians, chapter 4, verses 12 and 13 say, “Your own Epaphras, who serves Christ Jesus, sends his greetings. He always prays hard that you may fully know what the Lord wants you to do and that you may do it completely. I have seen how much trouble he has gone through for you and for the followers in Laodicea and Hierapolis.” So, in Colossians besides mentioning Laodicea Paul also mentions another city from the Lycus Valley: Hierapolis. That also makes sense geographically. Colossae was about 10 miles east of Laodicea. Hierapolis was about 6 miles north of Colossae. VK: So, it makes sense that this believer named Epaphras would have had concerns for the churches in all three of those cities – Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. All three of them were located in the Lycus Valley fairly close together. RD: Right. And even though Epaphras was with Paul at the time Paul wrote the epistle to the Colossians most scholars believe that Epaphras probably founded the church in Colossae and possibly also in Laodicea and Hierapolis. In Colossians Paul seems to indicate that he had never personally visited Colossae or Laodicea. VK: You are thinking of Colossians, chapter 2, verse 1 which says, “I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally.” That’s from the New Living Translation. RD: Right. But we do know that Paul had spent a considerable amount of time in Ephesus. From the book of Acts, chapter 19, verses 1 through 10 we know that Paul spent over two years and possibly close to 3 years in Ephesus. VK: Verse 10 says, “This [teaching] went on for two years, so that all the people who lived in the province of Asia, both Jews and Gentiles, heard the word of the Lord.” RD: Yes. So, it is quite likely that sometime during this two to three year period Epaphras came into contact with Paul while Paul was in Ephesus. Before Paul’s time Colossae had been a thriving and prosperous town. It was the center of an important wool industry and it was located on a very important overland trade route. It had declined somewhat and in Paul’s day it was a fairly modest market center. Laodicea, by contrast, was a wealthy and important center for banking and textiles and it had a bit of a medical industry. It had a medical school that had developed an ointment that was used to treat eye problems. It is entirely reasonable that Epaphras may have been connected to one of the businesses that thrived in and around the Lycus Valley and had occasions to travel to Ephesus. VK: Ephesus was an important trade center in Paul’s day. It was on the west coast of Asia and was an important gateway that linked the Mediterranean world and the inland part of Asia. In Paul’s time Ephesus was one of the 5 most important cities in the entire Roman Empire. Rome was, of course, the most important city but Ephesus was ranked in the same category as cities such as Corinth, Antioch of Syria, and Alexandria of Egypt. I guess we might liken Ephesus to Miami which is the connecting city between North and South America. RD: That’s a good analogy. Ephesus was an important place to do business. So, even though it would have been a several day journey from Laodicea and Colossae a merchant, trader, or banker might have had occasion to go there regularly. Scripture does not tell us what trade or occupation Epaphras practiced but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to believe he was financially successful. He was prosperous enough to later leave Asia and travel to Rome to be with Paul while Paul was imprisoned there from around 60 AD to 62 AD. VK: Ephesians and Colossians are two of the four epistles that are sometimes referred to as the “prison epistles.” Again, epistle is just another word for letter. These epistles are called the “prison epistles” because scholars think wrote them during that period of imprisonment that is described in Acts, chapter 28, verses 16 through 30. The four prison epistles are Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. Philemon was a believer who lived in or around Colossae. RD: Yes. Paul wrote to Philemon to request that Philemon be kind to a believer named Onesimus. At one time Onesimus was either a slave or a servant of Philemon but Onesimus had run away from Colossae to Rome. In Rome Onesimus came into contact with Paul and became a Christian. Paul convinced Onesimus he needed to do the right thing and return to Philemon and reconcile with him. But Paul did not send Onesimus back empty handed. He wrote one of the most compelling appeals you will ever read for why Philemon should be gracious to Onesimus and it is quite likely that one of Paul’s closest associates, Tychicus, also accompanied Onesimus. VK: We heard about Tychicus in our opening scriptures. Tychicus is mentioned in both Ephesians and Colossians as the person who is bringing Paul’s messages to those churches. For instance, in Ephesians Paul wrote, “This is why I am sending Tychicus to you. He is a dear friend, as well as a faithful servant of the Lord. He will tell you how I am doing, and he will cheer you up.” RD: And in Colossians Paul wrote, “Tychicus is the dear friend, who faithfully works and serves the Lord with us, and he will give you the news about me. I am sending him to cheer you up by telling you how we are getting along.” VK: The language Paul used in both of those greetings is very similar. In both Paul says that Tychicus is a faithful servant of the Lord, that he will give the churches updates about Paul, and that he will “cheer you up.” Apparently, Paul had a lot of confidence in Tychicus. But the similarity in this language does give you the strong impression that Paul wrote both of the letters at or near the same time. RD: And that’s one of the reasons we wanted to tackle these two epistles together. Obviously, if these two letters were written at the same time one question is which letter did Paul write first? VK: Why is that relevant? RD: Because when people write multiple similar documents it’s sometimes possible to see the progression of their thoughts as they go along. And we get to see the writer imparting nuances that are important to understanding the content. School teachers used to tell us to “compare and contrast” things to better understand similarities and differences. That same thought process can be helpful as we come to Paul’s epistles. In other words, we can learn more by looking at all of the documents than if we just look at each document in isolation. VK: I see what you’re saying. If we look at one document by a writer – assuming it’s a competent writer - we can certainly see what the writer wanted to communicate. But we can’t necessarily pick up patterns or progressions in thought from a single document as well as we can if we have multiple documents from the same hand. And that is especially true if we can look at several documents that were prepared around the same time. RD: Exactly. Paul, of course, varied the content of his letters based on many different considerations. Each of the churches he wrote to had individual concerns and issues and often Paul needed to address those local situations. VK: We saw that in the first letter to the Corinthians. If Ephesus was the Miami of its time, Corinth was the Las Vegas. Sexual temptation abounded in Corinth. So, Paul spent more time addressing sexual temptation in 1 Corinthians than in any of his other epistles. RD: Exactly. Another consideration that affected the content of Paul’s various epistles was the state of development of the church. As we saw in Galatians Paul had to address the issue of certain agitators who were trying to tell the church members in Galatia they had to accept Jewish customs and laws before they could become Christians. This assertion struck at the heart of the gospel which clearly says that salvation comes by faith alone in Christ alone. Paul forcefully rebutted this contention in his epistle to the Galatians. Well, in Colossians Paul apparently had to deal with a peculiar form of angelic worship. Colossae was located in a region in which a particular form of pagan worship had developed. This religion was the worship of the goddess Cybele. [sib-ah-lee] VK: The New Geneva Study Bible has this to say about Phrygia, the region in which Colossae was located, and the worship of the goddess Cybele. [sib-ah-lee]. “In ancient times, the region had given birth to the worship of the goddess Cybele, whose cult … was characterized by ritual cleansing in the blood of a bull, ecstatic states, prophetic rapture, and inspired dancing. … Within a few years of the inception of Christianity among these Phrygians , Epaphras and Paul found that an appetite had emerged for something more than the crucified and risen Christ. … Cybele and her lover Attis were transformed at some time by popular pagan piety into astral and cosmic powers.” RD: Right. And I would add that at this point in history it was often thought in the pagan religions present in the Roman Empire that stars and planets, and even physical elements (earth, wind, water, fire) were thought to control the destinies of people. Remember that at the time Paul wrote Colossians Epaphras is with him. So, Epaphras has reported to Paul that a form of syncretism – combining the elements of two different religions – was starting to take place in Colossae. This, again, is not surprising given the religious history of the region in which Colossae is located. So Paul had to address this local issue in the letter to the Colossians. VK: In Colossians you see phrases such as “See to it, then, that no one enslaves you by means of the worthless deceit of human wisdom, which comes from the teachings handed down by human beings and from the ruling spirits of the universe, and not from Christ. For the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity, and you have been given full life in union with him. He is supreme over every spiritual ruler and authority.” That’s Colossians, chapter 2, verses 8 through 10 of the Good News Translation. RD: And while you do see Paul addressing the supremacy and necessity for Christ in Ephesians you don’t see him addressing the specific concern of pagan angelic worship. Now, I want to add here that the Colossians do not seem to have been worshipping the angels themselves but it is more as if they were trying to worship alongside the angels who in ancient times were often associated with astral or celestial powers. But that issue was apparently not present in the Ephesian church. VK: Possibly because Paul had spent close to 3 years in Ephesus ministering directly. It may be that the Ephesian believers’ extensive contact with Paul himself meant that they were far better grounded doctrinally. RD: Quite possibly. What you do see in Ephesians is more of a spirit of awe, prayer, and praise along with the very famous discussion of spiritual armor present in chapter 6 of Ephesians. We’re going to talk more about that in our next episode of Anchored by Truth. In Ephesians you actually don’t see Paul addressing any particular local issue with respect to the content of the Christian faith the way he did in Galatians and Colossians. That freed him up to spend more time expounding on subjects of general interest such as the unity of Christ with His church and the relationship between our lives before Christ with our life after we are saved. VK: Ephesus was obviously a very special place to Paul so it is natural that he would want to provide some last bit of encouragement to the believers who were there. In Acts, chapter 20, verses 17 through 35 we have a record of Paul’s last meeting with the Ephesian elders. At that time he said, “I have gone from place to place, preaching to you about God's kingdom, but now I know that none of you will ever see me again. … Look after yourselves and everyone the Holy Spirit has placed in your care. Be like shepherds to God's church. It is the flock he bought with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I am gone, others will come like fierce wolves to attack you. Some of your own people will tell lies to win over the Lord's followers. Be on your guard! Remember how day and night for three years I kept warning you with tears in my eyes.” That’s from the Contemporary English Version. RD: That meeting between Paul and the elders was about 3 or 4 years before Paul wrote his epistle to the church. But his warning to the elders helps us see the genuine warmth Paul was expressing when he wrote at the beginning of his letter, “I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people. So I never stop being grateful for you, as I mention you in my prayers.” That’s chapter 1, verses 15 and 16 from the Contemporary English Version. Somebody told Paul that at least up to that point that the Ephesians believers were remaining faithful and it genuinely pleased him. The other thing that is missing from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is any extensive defense of his own ministry of the type that is present in the letters to the Corinthians and Galatians. He didn’t have to provide a defense because the Ephesians knew him so well. VK: All of this goes to reinforce the major point that we are making in this “Paul’s Places” series. The epistles, the letters, Paul sent to the various churches we know in our Bibles by geographic labels are consistent not only with geography and culture but also with the history of the early church. Paul had apparently never been to Colossae or at least there were a lot of people there who had never seen him. But Paul had spent 3 years ministering personally in Ephesus. So, the tenor of the two letters is different even though they were obviously written about the same time. The religious traditions present in Colossae meant Paul put a special emphasis on the supremacy of Christ to any and all perceived celestial powers in Colossians. But Paul didn’t have to do that in Ephesians. But in Ephesians we do see a spirit of gratitude that probably resulted from the fact that - even though Paul hadn’t seen any of them for a while – someone had told him they were still remaining faithful. This sounds like a great time to go to prayer. Since we are so close to anniversary of the day that America declared her independence, today let’s listen to a prayer for God’s blessings to remain with this nation. ---- PRAYER FOR FOURTH OF JULY VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Opening Bible Quotes from the Contemporary English Version) Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 21 and 22, Contemporary English Version Colossians, chapter 4, verses 7 and 8, Contemporary English Version

In the book of Galatians Paul wants to help the church experience the simplicity and fullness of the Christian life and he sums it up in one simple phrase, 'Walk in the Spirit'. In this Lead Pastor, Brian engages on the battle between the flesh and the Spirit and start on the journey to living the fullness of the Christian life that God longs for us to have.

In the book of Galatians Paul wants to help the church experience the simplicity and fullness of the Christian life and he sums it up in one simple phrase, 'Walk in the Spirit'. In this Lead Pastor, Brian engages on the battle between the flesh and the Spirit and start on the journey to living the fullness of the Christian life that God longs for us to have.

In the book of Galatians Paul wants to help the church experience the simplicity and fullness of the Christian life and he sums it up in one simple phrase, 'Walk in the Spirit'. In this Leadp Pastor, Brian engages on the battle between the flesh and the Spirit and start on the journey to living the fullness of the Christian life that God longs for us to have.

Talk 3. God speaks to us through Jesus (Part 2) Last time: God speaks to us in the person of Jesus God speaks to us in the words of Jesus Today: God speaks to us in the actions of Jesus In his letter to the Galatians Paul lists nine wonderful qualities which he calls the fruit of the Spirit[1]. These qualities should be evident in the life of every Christian as they reflect the character of Jesus which the indwelling Spirit of Christ seeks to reproduce in us. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). As we read the Gospels it is not difficult to see these qualities in the life of the Lord Jesus. And, as we see what Jesus did, God speaks to us challenging us to do the same. Our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). And, of course, our attitude will determine our actions. Let's look at this wonderful ‘fruit' in more detail asking God to speak to us through the attitude and actions of Jesus.   We'll take them in reverse order from the list in Galatians so that we will conclude with love which is undeniably the greatest of all the fruit of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13). Self-control Right at the start of his ministry, straight after he was baptised in the River Jordan, Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.  Then, Matthew tells us: After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry (Matthew 4:2). He was hungry. What an understatement! He had eaten nothing for six weeks! I feel hungry if I haven't eaten for six hours! Then, suddenly, an opportunity comes to break his fast. Some of the stones in the desert may have looked like loaves of bread. You're the Son of God, aren't you? says Satan, Why not turn these stones into bread? Now Jesus knew that he was the Son of God. God has said so (just three verses earlier) at his baptism: This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17). Jesus knew that he had the power to do what Satan suggested, but just because you can doesn't mean that you should. I can't imagine how strong the temptation to eat must have been, but Jesus chose to listen to his Father rather than to Satan. He answered: It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Matthew 4:4). What amazing self-control! Where did it come from? His relationship with God, his desire to please him and his knowledge of God's word. Could there be any greater demonstration of self-control? Yes, and we find it in Matthew's account of the crucifixion: Those who passed by hurled insults at him… saying… ‘Save yourself. Come down from the cross if you are the Son of God!' (Matthew 27:39-40). And Jesus was the Son of God, and he could have come down from the cross. But he didn't. Despite the agony, he stayed there. Why? Because he knew that if we were to be saved he must die for our sins. He must pay the price. He must take the punishment. So he stayed there. He stayed there because he loved us. Let God speak to you through the example of Jesus' self-control. Humility The Greek word translated as gentleness in Galatians 5:23 carries with it the thought of humility. Paul uses it a few verses later when he says: Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted (Galatians 6:1). This warning, to watch yourself because you might be tempted too, clearly implies that Paul is using the word gently to mean in a spirit of humility. This is confirmed by the paraphrase in the Amplified Bible which interprets gently as not with a sense of superiority or self-righteousness. So it seems reasonable to assume that this is how he is using it when talking about the fruit of the Spirit just a few verses earlier. The humility of Jesus is most clearly expressed in two main New Testament passages. The first is Philippians 2:5-11. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! This passage speaks for itself. It took humility for someone who was equal with God to become a man, to become a servant, to become nothing. And yet he humbled himself even further. He became obedient to death, even death on a cross. And as Christians we're encouraged to have the same attitude. The second passage is John 13:1-17 where Jesus washes his disciples' feet. In verse 1 we're told that Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. He knew that he was shortly to be crucified. But he also knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God (v.3). And so he did something that would be an active demonstration of the truth later to be expressed by Paul in Philippians 2. It would demonstrate his humility and give his disciples an object lesson in how they too should behave. He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist (v.4). Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel (v.5). This was a symbol of what he would accomplish on the cross enabling his disciples to be washed clean by the shedding of his blood. That's why it was important that Peter, who had protested, should allow Jesus to wash his feet too (vv.6-10). And Jesus' humility, his willingness to wash feet, to cleanse us from sin, was another expression of his love. Finally, when Jesus had finished washing their feet he put on his clothes and returned to his place (v.12).[2] Then he said: Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them (vv.12-17). Let God speak to you through the example of Jesus' humility. Faithfulness From the very beginning of his life here on earth Jesus came to do the will of God. Hebrews 10:5-7 tells us that when Christ came into the world, he said…I have come to do your will, O God. Even at the age of 12 Jesus knew that God, not Joseph, was his true Father (Luke 2:49). And throughout his life he was faithful to his Father's will.  In John 4:34, when the disciples were trying to persuade Jesus to eat something, he said: My food…is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. And in John 6:38 he says I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. But his faithfulness to God and determination to do his will are no more clearly seen than in the Garden of Gethsamane on the night before Jesus was crucified. In Matthew 26 we're told that he took with him Peter, James and John, and told them, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow… Stay here and keep watch with me (v.38). Jesus then went a little farther and fell with his face to the ground and prayed: My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will (v.39). He then returns to his disciples and finds them sleeping! And this happens twice more. Jesus prays the same prayer, comes back, and finds them sleeping. This sad story reveals in stark contrast the unfaithfulness of the disciples and faithfulness of Jesus. The disciples can't even stay awake even at the time of Jesus' greatest need. Jesus knows what's going to happen. The thought of crucifixion horrifies him, and he asks his Father three times if there is any other way. But ultimately, when he knows that there is not, his faithfulness shines through. Yet not as I will, but as you will. But this story not only reveals Jesus' faithfulness to God. It shows his faithfulness to his disciples. If Jesus had refused the way of the cross – and he could have – what hope would there have been for them or for us? Perhaps the sight of the disciples sleeping reminded him of the weakness of human nature and our need for him to save us. His faithfulness, motivated by love for his Father and his love for us, gave him the strength to carry on. Let God speak to you through the example of Jesus' faithfulness. Goodness and kindness The English word goodness, like the word good, can be used in many different ways. It's very flexible. For example, we can talk of a good meal and we can refer to someone as a good person, but the meaning of good in each case is rather different. The same is true of the Greek words for good and goodness (agathos and agathōsunē). So we can't be entirely sure of how Paul is using the word in Galatians 5:22. However, in the New Testament the word is frequently connected with doing good works and in Colossians 1:10 we read: And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, The reference to bearing fruit in this verse seems to suggest that the fruit of the Spirit which Paul calls goodness relates to: Living a life worthy of the Lord Pleasing him in every way Doing good works Growing in the Knowledge of God. And, of course, that's exactly what Jesus did. He lived a sinless life. He pleased God in every way. As a human being he grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:52). And Peter, when summarising Jesus' ministry, said of him that he went about doing good and healing… (Acts 10:38). He not only was good. He did good. He was anointed with the Holy Spirit to preach good news to the poor… to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour (Luke 4:18-19). Similarly his kindness overflowed again and again as he met the needs of the poor and needy. Consider, for example, his kindness in turning water into wine at the wedding-feast at Cana in Galilee. We are so often preoccupied with the amazing miracle that we neglect the kindness of Jesus in performing it. And his goodness and kindness were surely motivated by his love. Let God speak to you through the goodness and kindness of Jesus. Patience The English word patience comes from the Latin verb patior meaning I suffer. That's why people in hospital are called patients – people who are suffering. But the Greek word makrothumia, translated as patience in Galatians 5:22, has a wider meaning. It comes from two other Greek words, makros meaning far and thumos meaning wrath or anger. So to exercise makrothumia is to keep your anger far from you. It's used elsewhere in the New Testament to mean patient enduring of evil, slowness of avenging injuries, or patient expectation. It's not difficult to see all these qualities in the life of the Lord Jesus. He was consistently enduring opposition from sinners (Hebrews 12:3), he prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified him (Luke 23:34) and he endured the cross, scorning its shame because he patiently expected the joy that was set before him (Hebrews 12:2). But he was patient with his disciples too.  They were so slow to learn and to believe. On the eve of his crucifixion they still had not fully understood who he was. In John 14:2-9 Jesus tells them that he is going to prepare a place for them in his Father's house (v.2) and that they know the way (v.4). Thomas says to him: Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way? Jesus answers: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him (vv.6-7) Then Philip says: Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us. Imagine how Jesus must have felt. In a few hours he's going to be crucified. And still they don't understand who he is. I know personally the frustration of a teacher whose students still haven't got what I've painstakingly tried to teach them! Yet I hear infinite patience in Jesus' reply: Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? (v.9). How amazing! Let God speak to you through the example of Jesus' patience. Peace and Joy Peace of heart, as every Christian knows, springs from that peace with God which results from our being in right relationship with him. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). But Jesus had no need to be justified. He was the sinless one. He always lived in right relationship with Father! Yet there's one occasion when it appears that Jesus is not at peace. As he bears our sins in his body on the cross he cries in anguish: My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?    (Matthew 27:46). It's as if God has turned his back on his Son. Jesus has forfeited his peace. He's bearing your sin and mine. And God is too holy to look at sin[3]. Jesus sacrifices his peace that we might have peace with God. And he does it because he loves us. And Jesus' relationship with God was the source of his joy too. He lived life in God's presence, and in his presence there is fulness of joy[4]. Luke records that Jesus was full of joy through the Holy Spirit[5] (Luke 10:21). What a pity that so many stained-glass windows and paintings portray him with a long and gloomy face! Jesus was a man of joy! Admittedly, he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief[6]. But that was primarily at the time of his passion, both in the Garden of Gethsemane and the events that led to his crucifixion. As with his peace, so with his joy. He sacrificed both so that we could have them. Let God speak to you through the example of Jesus' peace and joy. Love Finally, Jesus was a man of love. Love is the greatest of the fruit and it is possible to understand Paul's teaching in Galatians as meaning that love is the fruit and that the eight other qualities are manifestations of it. That's what I've been trying to demonstrate as we've looked at each of the fruit of the Spirit. They are all, in one way or another, a manifestation of love[7]. Jesus' love is evident throughout the New Testament, not just in the Gospels. Paul could refer to him as the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20) and this reference to the cross reminds us that Calvary is the greatest demonstration of love the world has ever seen. And, what's more, Paul says he did it for me. In the last two talks we have seen how God speaks to us through the person, the words, and the actions of Jesus. In all these three ways God continues to speak through Jesus, revealing what God is like, teaching us what to believe, and showing us how we should live. But, most important of all, he is telling us that he loves us. [1] You'll find a similar lists in Colossians 3:12-15 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.   [2] What a wonderful symbol of Jesus returning to his place in heaven after he had finished his redemptive work on the cross! Compare Hebrews 1:3 …After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. [3] See Habakkuk 1:13 [4] Psalm 16:11 [5] Luke 10:21 [6] Isaiah 53:3 [7] Compare, for example, Colossians 3:12-14

Sometimes we think Christianity is a constant struggle to earn God's love or avoid disappointing him, but in Galatians Paul warns believers not to fall into the trap of legalism. In this sermon, Joe and Tricia Rhodes teach about the ways a religious spirit might creep into our relationship with Jesus and how to get free from a legalist mindset.

In this episode we explore Paul's claim to be an authentic apostle with the true gospel message.

In our inaugural episode of "What Did Paul Mean?" I will be discussing some history of the church in Galatia. Paul, a fairly new writer, is starting to get word that the Galatians are turning away from the Truth, Jesus Christ. The Apostle makes it known that this Gospel does not come from man, but God has given us the gift of salvation. Man cannot take that away, and man has no place to manipulate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Paul wants the Galatians to understand that Jesus is the Messiah. Thank you for joining me on this great journey as we discuss the writings and life of Paul the Apostle! Check out this podcast that I help co-host called "Faithful to the Walk." There are a couple of episodes referring to Paul that I recorded previously. You will want to check those out as well! LINK: https://open.spotify.com/show/24S5yOlQp5hYh9DdtZXsuZ?si=ba71ef8bd0f64aba --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

My aim today in this message is to remind you of your salvation. There are so many glorious aspects of our salvation and of redemption that it is like looking at a prism and seeing how the light refracts into different colors. There is only one salvation and yet there is a universe of glories in this great salvation. Psalm 3:8 and Jonah 2:9 both say that “Salvation belongs to the Lord.” And so my goal, by God's grace, is that you would love the redemption of God even a little bit more. That you would understand how we've been redeemed even if just a little bit more. That you would taste and see the riches of His grace that you've been adopted in. And that it may overflow in thanksgiving and multiply into heartfelt sacrificial worship, a true worship that would lead to endurance, to a personal regard of holiness, to a greater love of humanity in general and the family of God specifically, and to an ever deepening appreciation of what Christ has done for you and a boldness to that witness. All for the good of these Cities and for the glory of God. We can't do this in our own strength. This is only possible with God. So let us go to our Father. Father, by the grace of your Spirit, and in your Son's name we ask for your help. We need your grace. Lead us, guide us, in your will, and for your glory. Amen. This passage continues the train of thought from last week's message from Pastor Jonathan which was the second half of Galatians chapter 3. We started seeing the glorious reality that God is our father and we are children of God. We saw that the law was added because of transgressions. We saw that Paul was not being exhaustive about the uses of the law under the New Covenant but because of the specific context that the Galatian church was facing, Paul was being clear that the law could not save. There were false teachers that were saying Christians needed to believe in Jesus and live under the Mosaic law to have life. As I heard it once said, when it comes to salvation, Jesus + something = Nothing, but Jesus + Nothing = Everything. The message of the Gospel is that law keeping does not give life but only grace through faith in Jesus gives life. And so the Apostle Paul here in verses 1 and 2 of Ch.4 finishes his train of thought from the previous passage about how the law was meant to be a guardian. Galatians 4:1–2 (ESV): 4 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. V.1 and 2 is describing Paul and all Israelites under the Old Covenant and it's protective role designed to keep them mindful of their condition looking forward to the promises of God. He compares them to a child who has an inheritance but can't use it until they are a certain age or until the date that is set by the parents. The child, in regards to touching and using the inheritance is no different than the lawyer who helped write the will, until that set time. The law under God's specific covenant with the people of Israel in all of its requirements was necessary in that stage of redemptive history. [My 2 sons find car seats very annoying. And you know what I do too.] But in their specific stage of physical development it is meant to protect them. It is meant to guard them. And in a similar way that's what the law under the old covenant was like. V.3 states “In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.” That phrase, “elementary principles of the world” is the same wording we find in Colossians ch 2v 8, 20 where its translated “elemental spirits of the world”. The context there is similar where people are being taken captive by different teachings and traditions and not walking in Jesus as they were taught. They were replacing faith and obedience to Jesus through biblical standards with a faith and obedience to another set of regulations and standards. Paul says in Colossians 2:23 that “These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” This is similar to what Jesus told the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day, saying in Matthew 23:28: “So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” And it's actually demonic, the Apostle Paul, says in 1 Timothy 4:1 “some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” Back in our passage the old covenant was a type of bondage relative to the freedom found in the new covenant. A commentator notes that Paul uses the same phrase in v.3 that he uses in v.9 and he states “v.9 is referring to the idolatrous practices in the Galatians' pagan past, drawing an implicit and shocking link between the false teachers misuse of God's law and the pagans' allegiance to false deities.” Outside of freedom in Christ we are enslaved. It doesn't matter if there is a religious exterior or a non religious exterior. Titus 3:3 “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures” John 8:34 Jesus says: “everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” John Piper describes sin as: The glory of God not honored. The holiness of God not reverenced. The greatness of God not admired. The power of God not praised. The truth of God not sought. The wisdom of God not esteemed. The beauty of God not treasured. The goodness of God not savored. The faithfulness of God not trusted. The promises of God not believed. The commandments of God not obeyed. The justice of God not respected. The wrath of God not feared. The grace of God not cherished. The presence of God not prized. And the person of God not loved. Oh church let us not allow our hearts to be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin but let us love the Lord God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. We saw in last weeks passage that the law was added because of transgressions, that the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin… we were held captive under the law… and today in this passage we've seen we were enslaved… but then we are shown the glorious truth of our redemption, and this sets up how our redemption allows us to be adopted to be the children of God— in v.4 and the beginning of v.5 here in this 4th chapter of Galatians it says that “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law” Here we see the beautiful Christological truth that Jesus was the God-Man, he was both fully divine and fully human. Truly God and truly man. Though he was born of woman he was sent by God. Sent purposefully at just the right time. Galatians 4 continues saying “He was born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law” He redeemed us. He lived sinlessly under the law and fulfilled all that the law required. In his life of obedience, and through his atoning sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection from death He did all that was necessary to redeem us. And one aspect of our redemption is God declaring us righteous in justification. At the end of Galatians chapter 3 from last week's passage it said “We were held captive under the law… until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” Some of you might know I have been arrested before. When I was a younger I got into a fight with someone and after the police showed up I ended up getting into an altercation with the police and I was charged with 3 misdemeanors: assault, interfering with an officer, and breach of peace. And one of the things that happened is by God's grace I had the opportunity to go through a specific pre-trial diversion program that they offered in Connecticut, the state I was living in, and I was able to fulfill the requirements needed and it allowed me to avoid criminal conviction. And so when I fill out a job application. And the question comes up “have you ever been arrested?” I can legally say that I've never been arrested. And everytime I've had a background check it comes up clean. In my eyes I know what I've done but in the eyes of the law, I have been legally declared completely innocent and it's like it never happened. And in an infinitely greater way that's what happens with us in Christ. Even though we are guilty, by grace through faith in Christ, we are covered by the righteousness of Christ because of the blood of the cross, and God declares us innocent. Listen, when someone is justified in Christ, when by God's grace, they repent of their sins and put their faith and trust in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, trusting in Christ alone as their only hope for their salvation, though they are guilty, God looks at them with the innocence of Christ and declares them righteous. And our adoption as children of God is similar. Scottish theologian John Murray wrote “Adoption, like justification, is a judicial act. In other words, it is the bestowal of a status, or standing, not the generating within us of a new nature or character” he goes on “in adoption the redeemed become sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty; they are introduced into and given the privileges of God's family” John 1:12–13 “12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Joel Beeke, on this verse says, “This may be the clearest statement of adoption by God in the Gospels, for “right” implies a legal authority, liberty, or privilege. A believer does not receive power to make himself into a child of God, but receives the privilege of being counted a child of God.” 1 John 3:1 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” Yo this is a glorious thought. In one way it's simple. God loves and he makes us his children. And yet in another way there are vast glories in that truth, an ocean of the riches of the goodness of God's love that are contained in that verse. It's a statement that transcends the loftiest places of the human imagination. A truth that ventures deep into the eternal recesses of the heart touching an instinctive familial desire and yet it's also a truth that goes outside of us beyond the reach of space and time and journeys into the shores of eternity, to where as the scriptures say in Ephesians 1 “he chose us in him before the foundation of the world” and that “he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” An echo of the reality that we find in Revelation that “the dwelling place of God is with man.” and of what God proclaimed through the prophet in Jeremiah 31, when he said “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are” Romans 5:5 says that “God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” Our adoption into the family of God is such a precious truth. God is creating in himself and for his glory a new family. We were dead in our trespasses and sins in which we once walked, following the ways of the world, we were sons of disobedience, children of wrath, we were like the pharisees, when Jesus told them that there “Father was Satan.” But God sent the Son to redeem us and then God sent the Spirit of the Son because he adopted us. V.6 says “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son in to our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” We see the word “Abba” which is an aramaic word for Father and here we see a glimpse of the mysterious glory of the Trinity at work that God sends the Spirit of His Son to our hearts, the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, who cries out with the very cry of Jesus for His father. And His cry for the Father becomes our cry for the Father so that we can cry out to God our Father as His children. Wilhelmus à Brakel, a pastor in the Netherlands in the 1600's wrote “God hears and answers [his children] as their loving Father. As children they take refuge [in] their Father [even] in perplexity and by reason of this relationship they call Him, “Abba, Father!” In an intimate manner they bring their needs before Him, and with tearful eyes they tell Him what their sorrow is [by crying] out…. “The Lord looks upon such children in love, and is pleased with their childlike complaints and their taking refuge [in] Him. He will most certainly answer them and deliver them at His time and in His manner.” Jesus in the gospel of John says something fascinating. He said, “I will not leave you as orphans.” The disciples hearts were troubled, they knew they were coming to the end of Jesus' ministry even if they didn't fully realize what was going to happen.” Let me read to you John 14:16–18, Jesus says 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. I will not leave you as orphans. That's why when Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, he astonishingly tells them to say “Our Father in Heaven” “Our Father.” We can call God, “Our Father” And so here in Ch. 4 of Galatians Paul says in v.7, “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” It is one thing to free someone who is enslaved but God frees us, adopts us, and allows us to be an heir through Him. Our inheritance is through Him. And so one important implication of our adoption is that— we are heirs with Christ if we suffer with Christ I get this from Romans 8:15-17, which is a parallel passage to our Galatians passage. It says. 15For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Think about this: the span of your life in light of eternity is a speck of dust. It's a grain of sand. And in that short amount of time is the only time and opportunity in your existence that you will get to suffer for Christ and to suffer with Christ. Romans 8:18–19 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time... are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. We suffer but we have hope in our suffering. And because of our hope sometimes we even risk suffering. A Pastor in Ukraine this past week in the midst of what's going on in his country wrote, “We have decided to stay, both as a family and as a church. When this is over, the citizens of Kyiv will remember how Christians have responded in their time of need. And while the church may not fight like the nation, we still believe we have a role to play in this struggle. We will shelter the weak, serve the suffering, and mend the broken. And as we do, we offer the unshakable hope of Christ and his gospel.” Oh Father may we live faithfully for your glory in light of these glorious realities, give us grace even right now to live in light of your redemption and the truth that we are your children. Thank you that we have been adopted into a family that spans the globe. Give grace and strength to our brothers and sisters around the world including Ukraine and that whole region. May we live obediently to you in what you have placed before us in our specific lives. May you be to us the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with your very comfort. Would we be renewed and sanctified through your Spirit and by your truth, going to you and crying out to you. Knowing you are our father who cares for us and loves us with an everlasting love. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

In chapter 4 of Galatians Paul is going to remind the Galatians that since they have been saved, they should not return to elementary principles of the world. In this video we are going to answer four basic questions about the chapter. 1. What is the heir? (v. 1-7) 2. Is slavery to the world better than slavery to the law? (v.8-10) 3. How does legalism affect brotherly love? (v. 12-20) 4. How are Abrahams sons an illustration of legalism and liberty? (v. 21-31) One of the dangers of coming out of legalism is the temptation to become progressive, or deconstruct our faith entirely. The reality of faith is that it strips away everything but Christ. So then, legalism is not the answer, but neither is "worldliness." https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/why-abba-does-not-mean-daddy/ https://www.amazon.com/Galatians-You-Reading-Feeding-Leading/dp/1908762578 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/don-vanzant/support

Back in 1656 there was an English Puritan pastor named Richard Baxter who wrote a book for pastors called The Reformed Pastor.  And by the word “reformed” he didn't mainly mean Calvinistic, but he meant to be born-again. By “reformed” he really meant “revived.” Because at that time in the 17th century it was not a given that pastors were even truly Christian. And so Baxter, who was burdened for the church in his country, he wrote this book urging pastors to first truly believe the gospel — be changed by the gospel yourself — and then serve others from that. And in one section of the book he says something that has really stuck with me — [and I feel like I've said this before at some point, so maybe you're hearing this again, but it helps me, so bear with me] — but Baxter, speaking of pastors, says: “He preacheth not heartily to his people, that prayeth not earnestly for them.” In other words, if a pastor wants to preach genuinely, effectively, to his church, then he should pray earnestly for them. And I think this actually points to something much more central when it comes to the preaching of a local church, and I wanna tell you. Now this is an unusual way to start a sermon, but I want you to know the purpose for why we do this.  Every Sunday at this moment, when it comes to the preaching,  we're not doing this just because we think “this is what you do”; we're not just going through the motions; we're not trying to talk at you, but really, we, as your pastors, are preaching for you — which means, we open the Word of God and we want to tell you what God has to say in Christ by his Spirit! And what he has to say to you, church, essentially, is that he loves you.  Through your faith in Jesus — not on the basis of your performance, but only because of the atoning death of Jesus in your place — God has fixed his love on you and that will never change. The only thing that can change is how much you come to understand his love, and so we preach for that.  Our preaching is for your assurance. It's so that you would “have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth — so that you and me and us!) — it's so that we would know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:18–19). Because I'm convinced that if we are assured of God's love, then we experience personal renewal that then flows into relational renewal. Hey, do you need help in your marriage? It starts here [pointing to heart].  So personal renewal leads into relational renewal, which then leads to church renewal. And church renewal as it multiplies leads into city renewal — and that's the vision! We're just trying to change a couple cities here. That's why we're called Cities Church. We want to saturate the Twin Cities with the gospel of Jesus Christ that has transformed US … and our relationships … and our church for our joy and the glory of God. We preach for that. That's what we're doing here. And I say all this now because today's passage aims right at the heart of this, and you're gonna see it when when get there, Galatians Chapter 3, verses 15–29. Let's organize the sermon this way. There are just two parts:  Part One is THE LAW (verses 15–24); Part Two is THE PROMISE (verses 25–29). So Law and Promise, and then some additional things to say in both of these, and before we get started, let's pray again for God's blessing. Father in heaven, by your grace, we ask that you send your Holy Spirit now to accomplish your will, in Jesus's name, amen. Part One: The Law (verses 15–24) And what we read in these verses is connected back to all that we've seen so far. Remember that Paul is writing this letter to address a problem in the Galatian church. A false teaching had slipped into the church and it was causing confusion about the gospel. The false teaching said that in order to be saved (or justified), “faith in Jesus was not enough, but you also have to keep Jewish law.” And so Paul is writing to demolish that idea.  He does his demolition work first by telling a personal story of when he confronted Peter (2:1–21). He explains that we are justified by faith in Jesus alone — that faith in Jesus is both necessary and sufficient for salvation — and to suggest anything else makes the death of Jesus pointless.  Then Paul reminds the Galatian Christians of their own origin story — he tells them that their very existence is the because of God, not their works. And to illustrate the point, Paul brings in Abraham. Now we spent several weeks on Abraham back when we preached through Genesis. Remember Abraham started as “Abram from Ur of the Chaldeans.” Abraham was once a lost pagan idolator in the middle of nowhere, but God came to him by absolute grace and promised to bless him and his descendants. And Abraham believed God.  Abraham had faith in God and he was justified through his faith in God — and we are too when we have faith in God!  — which is a completely different way of life than relying on the law. If you rely on the law for your justification you're under a curse. But see, Jesus died to redeem us from that curse. Jesus took the curse for us so that through faith in him we receive the blessing of Abraham — even if we're coming from a place as lost and pagan and idolatrous as Abraham once was.  Paul says all of this to us in Chapter 2, verse 1 to Chapter 3, verse 14. He says all of this to demolish the false teaching. And he does. By this point in the letter nothing is left standing that thinks obedience to the law is needed for justification. Paul had made his point. And he still has more to say, and for this next part, he goes next level. In our passage Paul steps back and he compares the two biggest covenants in the Old Testament, the Abrahamic covenant and the Mosaic covenant. [Y'all ready to see this? Now look, I gotta set it up for a minute. First we need to have an idea about what a covenant is.] What Are Covenants in the Bible? A covenant is simply an agreement between two parties with mutual obligations. And when it comes to the relationship between God and humans, this idea of covenant is central. You could say the whole Bible is a series of different covenants that God makes with humans. The idea of covenant is another way to talk about how God relates to us.  And God makes several covenants in the Old Testament, and they're all important, but there are two really big covenants. The first is the covenant God made with Abraham. God came to Abraham and promised to bless him, and God said that through Abraham's offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed (see Genesis 12:3; 22:18). A lot of times this is just called the Abrahamic Promise. The second big covenant is the one God makes with the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. We just preached through this in the Book of Exodus. The covenant at Sinai was a book of laws for Israel that God gave them through Moses. And it included the Ten Commandments, and then a bunch of other detailed laws that Israel should follow, and blessings and curses if they do or don't. A lot of times this is just called the Mosaic Law.  So two covenants: with Abraham there is the promise. With Moses (or Sinai) there is the law.  [Everybody tracking?] The Promise Came First Now with that established, look at verse 15:  In verse 15, Paul gives a human example on the way covenants work. Paul says that even on just a people level, nobody makes and ratifies a covenant and then annuls it or changes it. Once the covenant is made, it's made. That's the point. A covenant is a settled commitment, and everybody gets this.  Then in verse 16, Paul says that God's promise to Abraham (his covenant with Abraham) was also with Abraham's offspring (singular) which is Christ.  Look at this: In verse 16 Paul quotes a phrase from Genesis 22:18, which says: “And in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” And Paul says that God made that promise to Abraham and to Jesus, who is Abraham's descendent. Jesus is the offspring in view in Genesis 22. So in the Book of Genesis, God promised to Abraham and Jesus that one day the nations, the Gentiles, will be blessed in Jesus by faith. God promised that by covenant. And in case we're still unsure about what Paul is trying to get at here, Paul says verse 17. He says: Hey, this is what I mean. And I love that Paul says this. He's spelling it out for us. He wants us to track with him. So if we've zoned out a little. If we're confused on how it all comes together, Paul says, Look, this is what I'm saying. God's promise to Abraham came first. The Mosaic law came 430 years later, and it did not cancel out the promise. The promise stands. Verse 18: The fulfillment of the promise, the blessing we have in Christ, our “inheritance” as the children of Abraham by faith, our justification, that comes in the promise to be received by faith. It's not found in the law. Our hope and salvation comes through God's promise, not God's law. And now that brings up a super important question: “Why then the law?”  Why the Law? Why do we even have the law? If our hope is not in the law; if our obedience to the law doesn't save us; if God's promise to Abraham still stands, why did God give us the law? Well, Paul is about to tell us! In fact, he's going to tell us three important things about the law. Why did God give the law? #1. The law was added because of transgressions. (v. 19b) Have any of you parents in here ever left your kids unsupervised (like in a totally safe way)?  Say, for example, that you gotta run to the hardware store to get a bag of salt. It's a little icy on the front steps, and you need to some more salt; so you tell the kids, Hey, I'm going to be gone for half an hour. That's all you say, and you leave.  And you know your kids know you're their dad; they know you exist; and things are stable. However when you get back, and you walk in the front door, and it's just a complete mess. The house is trashed. It looks like a zoo — a dirty zoo. You come back to a situation like that, and you know what you do? You start looking around and you say: Hey, guys, don't eat candy for dinner. Hey, don't throw garbage on the floor. Don't leave the fridge door open.  Don't leave the milk out (and where's the top to the milk?) No, don't bake brownies with orange juice. Don't pull your sister's hair. Don't forget to flush the toilet. See what's going on? You're adding rules. And you're adding rules because of transgression. You have to go all Mount Sinai on the kids, and if the kids are really bad — like if the nation is totally depraved — then you'd have to say things like: Don't set yourself on fire.  Don't be gross with animals.  Don't murder your children. (See Leviticus 18:21–23) God added law because of transgression, verse 19. The law acted like guard rails to keep Israel from self-ruin, because without any prohibition, if they were left to themselves, the nation of Israel would have pranced into destruction like [snap of fingers].  Remember the golden calf? Moses had not even come down from the mountain yet, and the people were gone. The first thing Paul tells us about the law is that the law was added because of transgression. #2. The law was never meant to impart life, but be a guardian. (v. 21) Now we see this in verse 21, but first, what is this about angels and an intermediary (or mediator) in verses 19–20? Quickly here: remember that Paul is making the case that our hope is in the promise, not the law. The Abrahamic promise is superior to the Mosaic law.  And to make help make the point, Paul adds at the end of verse 19 that the law was “put into place through angels by an intermediary.”  He's saying that the Mosaic law, which was handed down at Mount Sinai, involved some kind of angelic administration and a human mediator, who was Moses.  In other words, God did not say the law directly to the people, but the law had creaturely mediation. And what's implied here is that the promise is different! God spoke the promise directly to Abraham. And these covenants are so different it might imply that there's more than one God, but Paul assures us: God is one. There is one God who gave two different covenants, and the promise is superior to the law. But does that mean that law is contrary to the promise? Does the law contradict the promise? No, it does not, because of the law's purpose, verse 21 —  the law was never meant to impart life.  If the law could give life, then we don't need the gospel. But that's not what the law was for. Rather, Paul says, the law was for: v. 22: imprisoning everything under sin v. 23: holding us captive v. 24: being our guardian And you can see, this is the same idea.  Hey kids, I gotta run to the store again to get another bag of salt, BUT I'm leaving this nanny here — who honestly is more like a security guard-bouncer with tattoos on his face, his name is Sinai, and he's got some rules for ya.  Look, Sinai is not here to bless you; Sinai is here to keep you from drinking Clorox.  The law was never meant to give us life. That's not the purpose. That's the second thing Paul  tells us about the law. The third is: #3. The law had a temporary role in salvation history. (v. 19, 23, 24) And really, this point is the most repeated throughout this whole passage. And I mention the salvation history part because, to be clear here, because Paul is not being exhaustive about the law and its uses and what Christians can learn from it. Paul is focusing on the role of the law in the saving action of God throughout history, and Paul says in that light the law is temporary.  Notice all the temporal language here: We see first in verse 19:  the law was added because of transgression, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made Verse 23:  Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, [that is] [we were] imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. Verse 24: So then the law was our guardian until Christ came “Until” “before” “until” “until” — the law's role was temporary. We see that plainly here. So these are three things Paul tells us about the law [right hand]:  It was added because of transgression; it was never meant to impart life; it had temporary role. And all of this is setting up verse 25. Verse 25 is the hinge. Verse 25 is the change. This is where we go from Part One on the Law to Part Two on the Promise.  [We tracking?] Part Two: The Promise (verses 25–29) The change happens with two simple words, verse 25: “But now.” And it's hard to overstate how big a deal this is for Paul. Because up to this point he's been saying the law is until, until, until. The law was temporary until faith came, until the coming faith, until Christ came. But here in verse 25 he says, Hey, BUT NOW that faith has come … now that Jesus has come … now that the gospel is here — See, this changes everything.  It's interesting: if you were to read through the whole letter of Galatians you'd notice that, compared to Paul's other letters, he doesn't say a lot about the Second Coming of Jesus, or our future resurrection, or really, in Galatians Paul doesn't say a lot about the future at all, which is unusual. But the reason is that the Galatians didn't need to be reminded of their Christian future, because they had forgotten their Christian now.   Oh how we need to be remember the NOWs of the Christian life!  Do you know the NOWs of gospel reality that are true of you in this moment? Think about your life for a minute. Think about the hardest, most difficult thing you have going on right now. [Are you thinking about it?]  Well look, it is good news that in Christ your future is bright; in Christ, truly the best is always yet to come — now that doesn't mean that every circumstance is going to go the way you want it to go in this world; sometimes God calls us to suffering and disappointment— but we do hope in the future. We're called to hope.  However, we can't begin to imagine our future hope if we don't recognize the grace that God has already given us now. God says something about you now that transcends your circumstance. How do you get through the hard stuff? Yes, you think about what God will do. Yes, we look forward. AND ALSO, we remember what God has done. We look forward and we look back to the cross of Jesus Christ and we embrace the NOW of who God says we are.  And I want to tell you what that is. And I know that what I'm about to say you may not feel. But it doesn't matter. In Christ, this is your reality now. Two things: 1. You are a child of God (v. 26) This is verse 26.  Verse 25 says “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,” verse 25: “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”  The apostle John says the same thing in the Gospel of John, Chapter 1, verse 12: “But to all who receive [Jesus], who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God.” John also says in 1 John 3:1, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” Paul says it again in Romans 8 and Ephesians 5. The New Testament is super clear: Christian, through your faith in Jesus, in Jesus you have become a child of God.  And I'm gonna guess that for many of us in here, we've probably heard that before — and we're gonna see it again next week in Chapter 4 — we've read this, we've heard this. We know that in Christ we are the children of God, but do we really get it?  I mean, on a daily basis, in our felt reality, do we know what it means to be God's children? Toward the end of last year I had been studying Galatians and meditating on this point, and it was an early morning; everyone's asleep; it's pitch dark outside; I'm in my study, Bible open, lamp on, house is silent — my favorite time of the day.  And I'm reading and journaling on Galatians 3 into Chapter 4, and I'm just chewing on this fact that in Christ I am a son of God. And I'm trying to put together that this is a fact not just to be known, but to be practiced. We actually relate to God as his children. It means that we call God Father.  And I'm journaling this, still trying to grasp what this means, and as I'm in silence, writing the words in worship “I can call you Father!” — as I'm writing “f-a-t-h” — my study door cracks open, and a little voice on the other side says “father.”  I was stunned. Not a normal quiet time. It was Micah and I told him to come in, and I said, “Buddy, that's crazy! I just was calling God Father at the exact same time you said it to me. That's crazy!”  And it is crazy … that in the same way my children relate to me, I can relate to God. Because he is my Father, and I am his son through faith in Jesus — and so are you, Christian. Brothers, sisters, in Christ we are the children of God. And that means something vertically, but also horizontally. This is the second NOW of gospel reality. It's that… 2. You are part of a new family (verses 27–28) Verse 27 Paul says, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” And the point of baptism here is the metaphor of incorporation. When you are united to Jesus by faith, baptized into him, you become a new person and you live like a new person — and that new person is part of a new family. That's verse 28:  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Now within the Jewish worldview, the major distinctions among people, next to Jewish/Gentile, was slave/free and then male/female. These are the three categories of ethnicity, economic capacity, and sex. And these categories, of course, are still very much active today. These are distinctions among people within our world, but the issue in Jewish thought was not just that these distinctions existed, it was that these distinctions were used as primary markers to determine different degrees of religious access. Under the law, the best-case scenario — the way to have the best standing before God — was to be a Jewish free man.  But Paul is saying that in Christ it doesn't work that way. In Christ there is nothing about ourselves that keeps us from God OR brings us to God. Differences among people still exist, but those differences have no bearing on our relationship to God — because our relationship to God is solely based on our union with Christ. We are all one in Christ. Now some have taken verse 28 the wrong way. This does not mean we become androgynes humans and everyone is an exact replica of everyone else. No! We're different people, but NONE of those differences are an advantage or a disadvantage in our standing before God, because all of us can only come to God one way: faith in Christ. By faith in Christ, everyone, no matter where you're coming from, no matter what your story is, by faith in Christ you become a son or daughter of God; in Christ you become part of the family — in the family tree of Abraham, where by faith in Christ we all have the same status and the same access. God is the same kind of Father to all of us because of our union with Jesus. And understanding that union leads to radical unity.  In the church, in this new family, we're not competing with one another, but we're encouraging one another. We're building up one another because we're convinced that when my brother and sister are built up, then we're all built up. And so we become this kind of family that is all looking toward and praying toward and working toward one another's good.  And what is that good?  What is the “good life” in the Christian life? Is it position or status? No.  Our good that we seek is our being assured of the love of God.   Brothers, sisters, your good is to know more deeply that God loves you. That through your faith in Jesus — not on the basis of your performance, but only because of the atoning death of Jesus in your place — God, your Father, has set his love on you and that will never change. What “good” could possibly be better than that? To be assured of the love of God, for our joy and his glory. This is what we want, Cities Church, and this what brings us to the Table. … The Table … because at this Table, as we take the bread and the cup, we move a little bit closer to comprehending with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of God in Christ that surpasses knowledge. If you receive God's love in Christ, if you put your faith in Jesus, eat and drink with us! His body is the true bread. His blood is the true drink.  Let us serve you.

What makes Christianity authentic? Answer: Christ as the authority. Find out how Paul authenticates his message to the Galatians by resting on the authority of Jesus. Gal. 1:1

What does it mean to be an apostle? And how does Galatians fit into God's plan to fix a broken world? Find out. Gal. 1:1

In chapter 3 of Galatians Paul is going to give three different arguments for why justification is by faith alone. These arguments are: A Personal Argument A Scriptural Argument A Logical Argument At the end of these arguments he is going to show how legalism is a prison, because all who live under the law, are living in bondage. Enjoy the video. Warren Wiesrbe "Be Free" Commentary https://www.amazon.com/Be-Free-Galatians-Spirituality-Commentary/dp/1434767477 Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheLostMissionPodcast/?ref=pages_you_manage --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/don-vanzant/support