Galatians: Our Emancipation Proclamation

1People are moving faster than ever before, but they have no idea of where they’re going. Galatians answers the age-old question: How can I find real meaning in life?

The Bad News Gospel

2Jesus’ last words from the cross weren’t “EARN THIS.” His last words were a shout of triumph, “It is finished!” Sadly some Christians spend every day of their lives feeling like they have to live in a way to earn the sacrifice of Jesus. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He was saying there was nothing else we could ever do to be saved.

The Perils of People-Pleasing

3If you devote your life to trying to please others you will find yourself enslaved to their opinions and approval.

From Terrorist to Evangelist

4Paul lived the first part of his life learning how to be a good Jew, not knowing that from the beginning of his life, God had other plans. And God has a plan for your life.

Born (Again) Free

5We were all born in bondage to our sinful nature, but there is something within each one of us that longs to be free from the guilt and shame of our past.

Too Graced to be Two-Faced

6When Peter’s behavior didn’t line up with the gospel, Paul confronted him publicly.

How God Rescues Sinners

7It takes faith to believe that Jesus lives in me, but it takes an understanding of grace to stop trying to be good and do good.

Are You Wired for 220?

8We still have physical life, but when it comes to sin’s power over us, we’re dead. We still live in the world, but we can’t let the world live in us. We have been crucified with Christ, but every day we must renew our death certificate.

“Bewitched”

9The bewitched believers in Galatia faced the danger of falling from the teaching of grace into the trap of legalism.

Far as the Curse is Found

10I believe it’s no accident that the final word in the Old Testament sums up the entire message of the Old Testament: Curse.

Grace: The Great Escape

11Grace is God’s ability to declare us to be free from the prison and faith is the only key that unlocks the prison door

The Ground is Level at the Foot of the Cross

12The Old Testament gave favored status to the Jews and considered Gentiles unclean. But the New Testament teaches that the ground is level at the foot of the cross.

From Slaves to Siblings

13Do you realize how much God really loves you? The answer to that question has to be, “No.” Because you can never comprehend the height, the breadth, and the depth of God’s love for you.

Don’t Go Back!

14Legalism is a real temptation for us because we’re wired to DO something. We have learned that we earn our bread by the sweat of our brow and we can’t help but apply that to our spiritual life.

What Happened to Your Joy?

15There’s no joy in religious legalism. Joyless religion is like going into a nice restaurant and eating the paper menu instead of enjoying the food.

Who’s Your Mama?

16God promised Abraham that he would have thousands of descendants. Abraham and Sarah showed a lack of faith when they launched the Hagar Solution.

Give Me Liberty…or Give me Legalism

17When we live under the liberty of grace, we admit we are powerless to help ourselves. When a person is in bondage to an addiction, they will remain in chains as long as they try to help themselves. They think, “I can fix this. I can do better. I can live better.” But it’s only when they admit that they are powerless, that they begin the journey to wholeness, healing, and restoration. The same is true about the Christian life.

Can You Fall from Grace?

18Can you fall from grace? Absolutely. You can’t fall away from salvation, but you can reject the truth of grace.

Set Free to Serve–NOT to Sin

19I believe that when you come to Christ, God forgives every sin you’ve ever committed and every sin you’ll ever commit. So if I’m forgiven, then why should I run from sin? One word: Consequences. Forgiveness is God removing the penalty of my sin problem—eternity in hell. But as a Christian I still have to face the consequences of my sin in this life. Moses sinned against God by showing pride and disobedience. He was forgiven, and he’s in heaven, but he sinned, he suffered the consequence of never entering Canaan. King David sinned against God, and he was forgiven, and he’s in heaven how. But because of his sin, he suffered tragedy and heartache in his family.

The Inner Uncivil War

20Each of us has a sinful nature, we simply call it human nature. When we become a follower of Jesus, God places His Holy Spirit in our hearts, and the war begins.

Rotten Living that Leads to Loss

21Don’t treat sin like a weed-eater whacking away at the visible weed—go to the root of the problem. It’s a heart problem, not a behavior problem.

The Greatest of These is Love

22One of the problems in the English language is that we only have one word for love. We have to use the same word when we say we love God, love our sweetheart, and love hot dogs. Because we’re restricted to the one English word, you can be misunderstood.

Joy is a Choice–Not a Feeling

23When you wake up every morning, you have a choice. You can wallow in the ashes of the world, or choose the beauty that God offers. You can give in to mourning, or you can have the oil of joy covering you. Are you burdened down with a spirit of heaviness? You can choose to put on the garment of praise. Joy is a choice!

Jesus is Your Source for Serenity

24Some people think peace is the absence of problems, but it’s not possible to go through life without trouble and adversity.

I Want Some Patience—NOW!

25A discussion of three important truths about patience: What it is, why it’s so hard to have, and how you can display it.

Kiss ’em with Kindness

26The kindest thing you can do for a person is to introduce them to Jesus. And sometimes the easiest way to do it is by performing some act of kindness to them in Jesus’ name. Kindness is an evangelistic tool. You may not know the four laws or the seven steps, but you can show kindness in Jesus’ name.

Good for You!

27We think we’re good because we compare ourselves to others. We look at our neighbors, our coworkers, and our friends and if we’re a little better than them, we feel we’re pretty good people. You’re using the wrong standard if you compare yourself to other people. God’s standard is perfect goodness and complete holiness. If you use the wrong standard, then all comparison is useless.

Faithfulness: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

28Like all the other flavors of the fruit of the Spirit, faithfulness is not something we have to manufacture ourselves. It is part of the character and nature of our God.

People are Fragile—Handle with Care

29If you learn anything about gentleness, please understand that real gentleness requires supernatural strength. In fact, the way to be gentle is to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Who’s in Charge Around Here?

30Everybody struggles with self-control. We all wish we had more of it.

The Secret to a Fruitful Life

31The biggest mistake you can make about the Fruit of the Spirit is to think you can manufacture love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Fruit can’t be manufactured. You can’t manufacture Spiritual Fruit either. It comes supernaturally when there is a proper mix of the Life of the Son, the power of the Holy Spirit, and your willingness.

Grace for the Disgraced

32The Bible is full of stories about spiritual superstars who fell into sin and disgrace. So what should be our response when this happens today?

How to Handle Burdens

33There are three kinds of burdens: The kind we share; the kind of we bear; and the kind we wear.

The Law of the Harvest: You’ll Pick What You Plant

34Seeds are small, but they turn into large plants. You may think a tiny word or deed is insignificant, but it always multiplies and grows into large consequences

Never Give Up…Never, Never, Never!

35The only people God can’t use are those who quit. In the Christian life, it’s not how you start the race, but whether or not you FINISH the race.

One Cross, Three Crucifixions

36When we’re crucified with Christ, we’ll be like that thief on the cross. He longer cared about what people thought about him. They could have yelled that he was ugly and stupid, but it didn’t bother him, because he was crucified with Christ. He didn’t fear arousing the wrath of the Romans for talking to Jesus, because he was crucified with Christ.

Every Scar has a Story

37In Roman times, a slave was often branded with a hot iron identifying the owner. Paul repeatedly referred to himself as a bond slave of Jesus Christ. So he considered the scars in his body as a mark of ownership. He belonged to Jesus Christ.