Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 4-6 CEV

Associate Producer

Chase Jacobson

Podcast Introduction

It’s Epistles Sunday, and our reading will be Galatians 4-6, which will complete Galatians.. I’m calling this episode “Legalism Or Freedom.”

And since it’s Sunday, we’ll have a time of prayer.

Comments on Galatians 4-6

The apostle Paul was concerned that some in the Galatian church believed the teaching of the false teachers who were saying that they had to follow the Mosaic Law. In chapter 5:2-4, Paul answered that teaching very succinctly. “2I, Paul, promise you that Christ won’t do you any good if you get circumcised. 3If you do, you must obey the whole Law. 4And if you try to please God by obeying the Law, you have cut yourself off from Christ and his gift of undeserved grace.”

Paul was saying that by attempting to follow the Law, they would actually be denying the message of the Gospel, and therefore denying Christ. Attempting to please God by following the Law is the exact opposite of placing your faith in Jesus. In following the Law, or “Legalism”, it is impossible to please God, because it is impossible to follow the whole Law. Our only hope of salvation is in Jesus. 

Paul said in verse one of chapter five, “Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don’t ever become slaves of the Law again.”

There are those who will wholeheartedly agree with Paul here because they are not Jews. But these same people have adopted their own list of laws. Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew and don’t go with girls who do. You get the idea. There are some Christian denominations that have adopted, if not officially, certainly culturally, a whole host of forbidden activities. I know this because I have been involved with a few of them in my 50 plus years as a Christian. You couldn’t go to a movie theater. You couldn’t go bowling. You couldn’t drink alcohol. You couldn’t smoke. Women were required to wear dresses to church. Men had to wear a suit and tie. And you absolutely could not wear shorts to church…men or women. 

Which of those “laws” was biblical? Oh sure, you can give me reasons why some of these restrictions might make sense, but you can’t show me any scripture that supports even one. And I could have made the list much longer. With the same findings in reference to being scriptural.

And this legalism was just about as effective as the Jewish legalism. 

Don’t let legalism separate you from the freedom Jesus gave His life to gain for you. But don’t use that freedom to slap Him in the face, either. In chapter six Paul listed the things that the flesh would have us do, and the things that God’s Spirit grows in us. In most translations, these attributes are called the fruit of the Spirit. 

Remember, Beloved. Fruit grows naturally. An apple tree grows apples because that’s what an apple tree does. The tree doesn’t have to strain to grow them. They just grow. 

The same is true for the fruit of the Spirit. If you belong to Jesus, you have Holy Spirit in you, and you will begin to show these fruit in your life. As the Spirit of God matures you, you will just naturally begin to display the fruit of the Spirit. You will become loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. And if you don’t see these attributes growing within you, it’s time to take a close look at your relationship to Him. 

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Transcript

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Steve Webb 0:00
Which of those laws was biblical?

Steve Webb 0:10
It’s the Lifespring one year Bible coming to you from Riverside, California and podcasting since 2004. I’m your og Godcaster. Steve Webb. This is the daily podcast where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Hello, I hope you’re doing well today. Thanks for inviting me in. It’s epistle Sunday, and our reading will be Galatians, four through six, which will complete the book of Galatians. I’m calling this episode legalism or freedom. And since it’s Sunday, we’ll have a time of prayer. Now, before we get into the reading, let me say how great it is that you’re here. This past Wednesday, we began the sixth month of this season’s year through the Bible. And I know that a daily show that averages about 20 minutes per episode can sometimes feel like a lot, that many of you set a goal for yourself to make it all the way through the year and you’re sticking with it. And that takes persistence on your part. And for what it’s worth, I commend you hang in there. We’re close to being halfway there. I’ll do my best to keep things interesting for you. And if you have any feedback for me, I’m always Happy to read your emails. And speaking of keeping things interesting, I’m going to be adding a new segment to the show starting this coming Wednesday. That’s all I’ll say about it right now. Just know that something new is coming. And now let’s begin our reading with a prayer. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you so very much for your word. I thank you for each one that’s here today. And I pray God that you would touch our hearts, that you would open our minds and that you would teach us I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, are you ready? Let’s begin.

Steve Webb 1:48
Galatians chapter four. Children who are under age are no better off than slaves, even though everything their parents own will someday be theirs. This is because children are placed in the care of Guardians and teachers until the time their parents have said, This is how it was with us. We were like children ruled by the powers of this world. But when the time was right, God said his son, and a woman gave birth to him. His son obeyed the law so he could set us free from the law, and we could become God’s children. Now that we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his spirit tells us that God is our father, you are no longer slaves, you are God’s children, and you will be given what he has promised. Before you knew God, you were slaves of gods that are not real. But now you know God, or better still, God knows you. How can you turn back and become the slaves of those weak and pitiful powers? You even celebrate certain days, months, seasons and years. I’m afraid I’ve wasted my time working with you, my friends. I beg you to be like me, just as I once tried to be like you. Did you miss treat me when I first preached to you? No, you didn’t. Even though you knew I’d come there because I was sick. My illness must have caused you some trouble. But you didn’t hate me or turn away because of it. You welcomed me as though I were one of God’s angels or even Christ Jesus Himself. Where’s that good feeling? Now, I’m sure if it had been possible, you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me, am I now your enemy just because I told you the truth. Those people may be paying you a lot of attention. But it isn’t for your good. They only want to keep you away from me. So you will pay them a lot of attention. It is always good to give your attention to something worthwhile, even when I’m not with you. My children, I’m in terrible pain until Christ may be seen living in you. I wish I were with you now, then I would not have to talk this way. You really have me puzzled. Some of you would like to be under the rule of the law of Moses. But do you know what the law says? In the Scriptures we learned that Abraham had two sons. The mother of one of them was a slave, while the mother of the other one had always been free. The son of the slave woman was born in the usual way, but the son of the free woman was born because of God’s promise. All of this has another meaning as well. Each of the two women stands for one of the agreements God made with his people. Hagar the slave woman stands for the agreement that was made at Mount Sinai. Everyone born into her family is a slave. Hagar also stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia, and for the present city of Jerusalem. She and her children are slaves. But our mother is the city of Jerusalem in heaven above and she isn’t a slave. The scriptures say about her. You have never had children, but now you can be glad you have never given birth. But now you can shout once you had no children, but now you will have more children that a woman who has been married Read for a long time. My friends, you were born because of this promise, just as Isaac was. But the child who was born in the natural way, made trouble for the child who was born because of the spirit. The same thing is happening today. The scriptures say, get rid of the slave woman and her son, he won’t be given anything, the son of the free woman will receive everything. My friends, we are children of the free woman and not of the slave

Steve Webb 5:29
Galatians chapter five. Christ has set us free. This means we really are free. Now hold on to your freedom and don’t ever become slaves of the law again. I Paul promise you that Christ won’t do you any good if you get circumcised. If you do, you must obey the whole law. And if you try to please God by obeying the law, you have cut yourself off from Christ and His gift of undeserved grace. But the Spirit makes us sure God will accept us because of our faith in Christ. If you’re a follower of Christ Jesus, it makes no difference whether you are circumcised or not. All that matters is your faith that makes you love others. You were doing so well until someone made you turn from the truth. And that person was certainly not sent by the one who chose you. A little yeast can change a whole batch of dough, but you belong to the Lord. This makes me certain you will do what I say instead of what someone else tells you to do. Whoever is causing trouble for you will be punished. My friends, if I still preach that people need to be circumcised. Why am I in so much trouble? The message about the Cross would no longer be a problem if I told people to be circumcised. I wish everyone who is upsetting you would not only get circumcised but would cut off much more. My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. All the law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself. But if you keep attacking each other like wild animals, you’d better watch out or you will destroy yourselves. If you are guided by the Spirit, you won’t obey your selfish desires. The spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They’re always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should. But if you obey the spirit, the law of Moses has no control over you. people’s desires make them give into immoral ways, filthy thoughts and shameful deeds. They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I’m telling you again, no one who does these things will share in the blessings of God’s kingdom. God’s Spirit makes us loving, Happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. God’s Spirit has given us life. And so we should follow this spirit. But don’t be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are

Steve Webb 8:30
Galatians chapter six. My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out and don’t be tempted yourself. You will obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand. If you think you’re better than others, when you really aren’t, you are wrong. Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others. We each must carry our own load. Share every good thing you have with anyone who teaches you what God has said, You cannot fool God. So don’t make a fool of yourself. You will harvest what you plant. If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction. But if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life. Don’t get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right. If you don’t give up. We should help people whenever we can, especially if they’re followers of the Lord. You can see what big letters I make when I write with my own hand. Those people who are telling you to get circumcised are only trying to show how important they are. And they don’t want to get in trouble for preaching about the cross of Christ. They are circumcised but they don’t obey the law of Moses. All they want is to brag about having you circumcised, but I will never brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his cross, the world is dead as far as I’m concerned, and I am dead as far as the world is concerned. It doesn’t matter if you’re circumcised or not. All that matters is that you are a new person. If you follow this rule, you will belong to God’s true people. God will treat you with undeserved kindness and will bless you with peace. On my own body are scars that prove I belong to Christ Jesus. So I don’t want anyone to bother me anymore. My friends, I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you. Amen.

Steve Webb 10:38
The apostle Paul was concerned that some and the Galatian Church believed the teaching of the false teachers who were saying that they had to follow the Mosaic law. And in chapter five, verses two through four, Paul answered that teaching very succinctly. He said, I Paul promise you that Christ won’t do you any good if you get circumcised. If you do, you must obey the whole law. And if you try to please God, by obeying the law, you have cut yourself off from Christ and His gift of undeserved grace. Paul was saying, beloved, that by attempting to follow the law, they would actually be denying the message of the gospel and therefore, denying Christ, attempting to please God by following the law is the exact opposite of placing your faith in Jesus, in following the law or in legalism. It’s impossible to please God, because it’s impossible to follow the whole law, our only hope of salvation is in Jesus. And then Paul said in verse one of chapter five, Christ has set us free. This means that we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom, and don’t ever become slaves of the law again, beloved, there are those who will wholeheartedly agree with Paul here because they are not Jews. But the same people have adopted their own list of laws. Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew and don’t go with girls. Who do you get the idea? There are some Christian denominations that have adopted if not officially, certainly, culturally, a whole host of forbidden activities. I know that is because I’ve been involved with a few of them in my 50 plus years as a Christian, you couldn’t go to a movie theater, you couldn’t go bowling, you couldn’t drink alcohol, you couldn’t smoke. Women were required to wear dresses to church, and men had to wear a suit and tie and you absolutely could not wear shorts to church, men or women. Now, let me ask you which of those laws and I use quotes around that which of those laws was biblical? Oh, sure, you can give me reasons why some of these restrictions might make sense. But you can’t show me any scripture that supports even one of them. And I could have made the list much longer with the same findings in reference to being scriptural. And guess what this legalism was just about as effective as the Jewish legalism will love it. Do not let legalism separate you from the freedom that Jesus gave his life to gain for you. But don’t use that freedom either to slap him in the face. In chapter six, Paul listed the things that the flesh would have us do and the things that God’s spirit grows in us. In most translations, these attributes are called the fruit of the Spirit. Remember, beloved, fruit grows naturally, an apple tree grows apples. Why? Well, because it’s an apple tree. It’s what an apple tree does. The tree doesn’t have to strain to grow apples, they just grow. The same is true for the fruit of the Spirit. If you belong to Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit in you. And you will begin to show these fruit in your life. As the Spirit of God matures, you you’ll just naturally begin to display that fruit. You will become loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self control. And if you don’t see these attributes growing within you, it’s time to take a close look at your relationship to him. Have you been or are you currently in a church similar to what Paul described? How do you feel about legalism and freedom in Christ? What about the fruit of the Spirit? Have you noticed a change in your life? Let me know call the Lifespring family hotline it plus 1-951-732-8511 Or go to comment.lifespringmedia.com and put your comment there. And of course I love it when you send to boostagram with your comments. Tomorrow will be the law Monday speaking of the law, and our reading will be Exodus 37 through 40 which will complete the book after that we’ll be getting into Leviticus.

Steve Webb 14:57
We have a new associate producer today. Chase Jacobson came in with a $20 donation and signed up to make that monthly. So thank you so much Chase, God bless you, and how he came in with a 500 set boost using the fountain app. Thank you, Howie. God bless you. And I want to acknowledge those of you who are streaming SAS while you listen to the show, I see them and I thank you, God bless each of you. And let me say, too, that the last couple of days have been encouraging to me in terms of donations, thank you for confirming that you find value in the Lifespring one year Bible. Beloved, your donations of time, talent or treasure are what makes it possible for the show to continue coming to you seven days a week, they help to pay the bills, and they let me know that the show is a blessing to your life in some way. So when I sit down behind this microphone, I know I’m not just spinning my wheels, I really do want to provide a service to you and maybe even make a difference in your day. At the very least, I pray that the show helps you to know God’s word better, and so to know him better. So again, thank you. If the show is a blessing in your life, you can find out more about how to support it right here. Lifespringmedia.com slash supports. I’ll thank you, and I believe that God will bless you.

Steve Webb 16:15
Let’s pray. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we love you. And we thank you that Jesus came to set us free. Lord, help us to live in that freedom. But at the same time, I ask that you grow the fruit of the Spirit within us. We don’t want to abuse the freedom you gave us, Lord, because we want to glorify you and everything that we do. Father, I ask that you be with each Lifespring family member today. Bless them and help them to see your work your hand in their life today. Thank you for bringing the Lifespring family together here. You know every need, and I pray that your will would be done in each life. We pray this in Jesus name, amen. Our next time of prayer will be this coming Wednesday, to tell me your prayer requests or your praises, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com or call the Lifespring family Hotline at plus 1951732 at 511. I’ll pray for you and praise the Lord with you in my quiet time. And of course I’ll share them on the show this coming Wednesday.

Steve Webb 17:24
The show art today is from Scott Snyder. Thank you again, Scott. And Thanks to Sister Denise Michael Haner, Jason Paschall and Brittaney who just sent out the latest newsletter. Did you get it? If not be sure you’re signed up, go to news dot Lifespringmedia.com I will never share your information with anybody and I won’t spam you. That’s my promise. Thanks to today’s associate producer Chase Jacobson and Thanks to Holly for the boost. You guys helped to make this episode possible. And of course last but certainly not least, I thank you, beloved, for inviting me to be a part of your day until tomorrow. May God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. By Lifespring media bringing the message of hope, love and good news since 2004 boostagram

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