“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh (Galatians 3:1-3)?”
The unjust death of George Floyd has enraged the hearts of many and has led to national and global protests that are seeking and demanding change. Highways are shut down, passionate crowds are in the streets, walking, kneeling, sometimes lying flat, and holding signs that say such things as “Justice for Floyd,” “I can’t Breathe,” “No to Racism,” and “Black Lives Matter.” Due to the unjust brutal death of George Floyd there is a fire in people’s hearts against injustice, racism and the seeking of change.
This fire in the heart over an unjust-brutal death is the heart of our scripture this morning. Paul is holding up and reminding the churches of Galatia of the brutal and unjust death of Jesus to keep the churches from sliding back into the old forms of oppression. Notice again Galatians 3:1 “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.” People have come using words and arguments to confuse the people so that they may be enslaved once again to the elementary principles of the world. Paul’s response is to hold up the public execution of Jesus Christ to remind the people of that fire in their own heart. This is what he means when he says, “before your eyes.” The people of Galatia did not literally see the cross, but they heard about it from Paul preaching Christ crucified, causing the eyes of their heart to open. Through the message of Christ crucified the people were grasped by the passion of Christ, his suffering and his love. Their hearts were set ablaze and they were changed. The death of Jesus is not a symbol of how the world needs to change but is how God changes the world.
This is a fundamental truth of the Christian faith. The unjust-brutal and public execution of Jesus put on display all the sins of humanity, all the things that need to be changed. In his crucifixion we see the abuse of power by both the Sanhedrin and the Roman soldiers, we see racism and prejudice, hate, oppression and corruption. There on display at the cross is greed and pride and envy as witnessed in Judas who betrays Jesus and the religious leaders who want him killed because they are jealous of him. Violence is done to the body of Jesus that no one here has ever seen. The cross of Christ shows how broken this world is and all the ways that this world needs to change even today.
Seeing the protests of today in regards to the death of George Floyd caused me to wonder, “Why did those who followed Jesus not protest his death?” Why did the crowds not rise up, tear down the Roman fortress, and not get rid of those who had power over them? About 30 years from the date of Jesus’ death there will be massive protests and riots in Jerusalem and across the land seeking change, but not now, not for Jesus. But there could have been.
One of Jesus’ apostles was Peter. He was the apostle with a quick anger, the one who carried a sword in the garden and cut off the soldier’s ear, and on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem he went about preaching the unjust death of Jesus. He says in Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, … you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. “ And again in vs 36 – “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” You killed the very one of God.
Reading on in verses 37 of Acts 2 we see thta the crowd is cut to the heart. “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter has the crowd in the palm of his hand and I believe that if Peter said to them, “It is time to revolt, it is time push back against oppression, to end injustice, it is time to bring the change this world needs.” I believe the crowds would have fought to do exactly that. The Jewish wars of 66 AD would have started here in 33AD.
But that is not what Peter says or does, we read instead “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).” The change that Peter preaches is not about the changes that need to happen in this world (which are many), but about the change that God brought into this world and into the lives of people through Christ crucified. The Cross of Christ is a moment of change brought by God and not by us but for us. To be clear, I am not in any way suggesting that we should not seek change in this world. We should. In the context of today, if you are led to peacefully protest for the purpose of seeking change, do it. It is your right as citizen of this country.
What I am asking are the same questions that Paul is asking the people of Galatia. Remember Christ Crucified. Is your heart on fire over the unjust death of Jesus? Jesus is unique. There was and is no one like him. He is the only man who lived a life of perfect love, the only man who lived a life without sin, and a life of complete righteousness. Thus, how much more should we be inflamed over his unjust death? Is your heart on fire over the death of Jesus? That is what Paul is asking. That is what Paul is pointing to as being the problem. This lack of fire in the heart is why the people of Galatia are being bewitched, confused by words and arguments, leading them back into a slavery to the elementary principles of this world. Is your heart on fire over the unjust death of Jesus?
Secondly, do you recognize that the historical death of Jesus is about God bringing change into this world? The cross of Christ does not symbolize a change that needs to happen but is in itself a bringer of change. This is why Peter can preach a message of repentance and belief rather than a message of revolt, riot and protest. The historical death of Jesus (Included in this phrase is Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension) brought a change into this world by God. Our condition is changed by what God has done. The change that we need does not come from us, but is brought to us through the work of God in Jesus Christ. This is so foundational to everything. Going back to Galatians 3:1, notice what Paul does not say.
- He does not say “Don’t you remember the teachings of Jesus?”
- He does not say “Don’t your remember all the spiritual principles?”
- He does not say “Don’t you remember the set of rules that we are supposed to follow?
- He does not say “Don’t you remember the things you need to do in order to be a Christian?”
Rather, he says, “Don’t you remember the story of Jesus. His life and his death. It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.” He is reminding them of what God has done, not what they are to do. This is the larger theme of the book of Galatians. This is the message of being justified by faith. That in Christ our sins are nailed to the cross, there is justice done, and because of that justice done we become justified before God. There is a change in how you and I are viewed by God. We are viewed through the righteousness of Christ, which results in and leads to God’s change in us. Not only does the cross of Christ results in a legal change (you are justified), but also a relational change seen in God’s Spirit is given to all who believe upon Jesus. Again, listen to the words of Peter on that day of Pentecost when the people ask, “what must we do?” “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).”
The gift of the Spirit is the relational change that takes place. Thus, the gift of the spirit is not an addition to our salvation, the Spirit is not a gift that some Christians have, and others do not. The gift of the Spirit is not some mystical force or superpower but is the heart of what it means to be saved. Thus, the third question, “Have you received the Holy Spirit?” The Holy Spirit is God, thus the gift of the Spirit in you is that new relationship with God brought about by the work of the cross. The gift of the Spirit is God’s presence in your life. He (the very presence of God) is the great longing of the heart, and if salvation is defined as living in the presence of God, then one can say (and I do) that the gift of God’s living presence in your life through the Spirit is the culmination of being saved. A salvation that is experienced through the very living presence of God.
One of my favorite books growing up was a book called the Lord of the Rings. In the trilogy, an old hobbit named Bilbo Baggins gives to his nephew Frodo, a coat of mail made by a special metal called mithril. Fordo does not think much of it. It is light, easy to wear, and soon forgets about it. But one night he overhears the others talk about Bilbo, and as they do they talk about this mithril coat that they know Bilbo received years ago. They talk about its beauty, and how powerful it is, and how it is of greater worth than the entire country that Bilbo lived in. As they talked, there in the corner Frodo is wearing it realizing that he is walking around wearing something of greater value and power than an entire country.
If you are a Christian, under your old flesh, you are walking about with something of greater value than the whole world. Do you know what you have? Do you know who is in you, are you staggered by him? In 2 Chronicles 7:1-2, King Solomon has just dedicated the temple and the glory of God fills it. We read “As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house.” The fire the comes down from heaven is the Holy Spirit. He is what people prayed for and what people longed for. He is God’s glory that fills the temple to such an extent that no one can enter it, not even the priests. Now, because of the atoning death upon the cross by Jesus, and us being justified by the righteousness of Christ, this Spirt of God, this fire from heaven, fills the lives of those who place their life in Jesus. Do you know the beauty, the value and the power of who is in you?
“Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh (Galatians 3:2-3)?” In this argument between works and faith do not miss what Paul says about the Spirit when he says, “Having begun by the Spirit.” Your life as a Christian begins with the Spirit. The Spirit is given when you believe, having begun with the Spirit. Likewise, we could say, if you do not have the Spirit of God in you, you have not yet begun, you are not yet saved, you are not yet a Christian. Do you have the Spirit of God in you? I am not a judge of people’s souls, I cannot see what only God can see, but I do think that there are many people who call themselves Christians out of convince. They will voice nominal belief, and partake in a church’s rituals, hold up the Bible as being important, and try to do good, but they have never been gripped by grace. They have not yet begun. Do you have the Spirit of God in you? Have you begun?
I believe that there are two ways that a person can recognize God’s spirit in him or herself.
1. The Spirit of God is in you if you truly confess Jesus Christ as your Lord. That you honestly, truly, believe in Him, that you trust Him with your life. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:3 “… and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.” Living this life by faith and in faith is evidence of the Spirit of God in you. Faith is evidence of the Spirit.
2. You will know that the Spirit of God is in you by the fruit of the Spirit in your life. Being partakers of the divine nature does something to us. It changes who we are. Latter in Galatians Paul is going to talk about these changes. Spirit of God works in us such things as;
- Love, and Joy.
- Peace and Patience
- Kindness and Goodness
- Faithfulness and Gentleness and Self-Control.
This change that the Spirit brings is internal, it is in us, impacting how we think, how we feel, how we see the world. It is an internal change leading to external action. The Fruit of the Spirit are all relational words. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is the change that we need in our world today, which means that God’s spirit in you is that change.
Do you have the Spirit of God in you? If so, Amen. Trust the Spirit of the Lord in this time. Do not be confused or bewitched by words or agendas that are contrary to the truth of the gospel. Live the memory and passion of Jesus’ death. If you do not have the Spirit of God in you, what should you do? Simply pray and ask the Lord, “Lord, I long for you. I long for real change in my life, I long for your presence. I ask that you forgive me of my sins and through your Spirit enter into my life, and my life into yours.” I believe that our Lord is good, and scripture tells us that he is faithful and just, and that those who call upon him, he will answer. Thus, call to him this day. Amen
Concerning the Word of Life 