WINTER QUARTER SUNDAY SCHOOL 2011-2012
THEME: GOD ESTABLISHES A FAITHFUL COVENANT PEOPLE
Unit Three: Through His Covenant Perfection. Lessons 10-13
“LIVING UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF GOD’S JUSTIFICATION (PART III)”
(The Blessing of Being Abraham’s Adopted Family)
Sunday School Lesson No. XII – February 19, 2012
Presented by Rev. Frank Davis, III, Pastor-Teacher
Lesson Text: Galatians 3:15-18; 4:1-7
Required Reading: Galatians 3 – 4
Memory Text: Galatians 4:7, “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
Reliable Resources: Precepts for Living by UMI; Union Gospel Press Expositor and Illuminator; Word Search 10 Electronic Library; Libronix Electronic Library; H. L. Wilmington’s Bible Handbook; Key Words of the Christian Life by Dr. Warren Wiersbe; Galatians Commentary by Lehman Strauss.
INTRODUCTION
The argument continues as the Apostle Paul makes his point passionately: How can one start out walking in the grace of God and change ships in midstream? The thought is ludicrous and holds no validity. To have been forgiven all of one’s sins by the finished work of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit and then void all of this by seeking to live one’s life by human effort just makes no sense. Paul described such thinking as “foolish” in Galatians 3:1. Dr. Warren Wiersbe expresses to us Paul’s thinking and reasoning in six arguments from his expository outlines on Galatians. Wiersbe declares Paul’s “Personal Argument
(3:1-5); Scriptural Argument (3:6-14); Logical Argument (3:15-29); Dispensational Argument (4:1-11); Sentimental Argument (4:12-18); and Allegorical Argument (4:14-31).” Now I am impressed by his Logical and Dispensational arguments and in my presentation I will borrow from Wiersbe’s thoughts. Like the Gentile churches of Galatia that lived under the Umbrella of God’s Justification, having been adopted into the family of Abraham by faith, we must remember that we too are justified (declared righteous) by faith. (Read Romans 5:1). Since we are justified by faith just like Abraham (read Genesis 15:6) we live under God’s Umbrella of Justification!
Anticipated Power Points:
· Abraham’s Promise from God Supersedes Moses’ Law. Galatians 3:15-18
· Adolescence Passes into Adulthood. Galatians 4:1-3
· Adoption and Unconditional Acceptance. Galatians 4:4-7
LESSON OUTLINE
I. Abraham’s Promise from God Supersedes Moses’ Law. Galatians 3:15-18
Having used what Wiersbe called a “personal argument” in chapter 3:1-5, Paul testified to the Galatians how they heard and received the message of Christ’s Gospel by word and spirit. (Read Ephesians 1:13-14). And then turning to at least six Old Testament quotes (Genesis 15:6; Genesis 12:3; Deuteronomy 27:26; Habakkuk 2:4; Leviticus 18:5; Deuteronomy 21:23) Paul, according to Wiersbe, made a sufficient “scriptural argument.” Now he makes his “logical argument” to prove that the permanent promises made to Abraham would in no way be superseded by the laws given to Moses, or simply, what was begun in grace through faith would not be nullified by the latter document of the Mosaic Law! Salvation was always and will ever be secured in a person by grace through faith plus nothing. (Read Ephesians 2:8-9).
Note the promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 22:18, “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” Now compare with Jesus Christ in Matthew 1:21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” And John 8:56 says, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” The scriptures all point to the Person of Jesus Christ as the “seed” of Abraham which God would use to secure eternal salvation. The Mosaic Law was not given to save men but manifested that men would have the knowledge of sin. Read Galatians 3:19-29 and let it speak alone.
II. Adolescence Passes into Adulthood. Galatians 4:1-3
Paul established elsewhere in scripture (I Corinthians 13:11) that there comes a time when God’s people must put away childish things. So here we see Paul impress upon the Galatians that the Mosaic Law was given as a school master to the Jews in order to bring them from adolescence to the fulfillment of the Law in Christ’s finished work, which brought them to adulthood by faith. Note, “Whether a person came to Christ from Jewish or a Gentile background, he could look upon his former life as a period of spiritual infancy…Whether coming from a strict Jewish background as was the case with Paul (Phil. 3:3-7), or being rescued from paganism, as was the situation with many of the Galatians...Before obeying the gospel, all people are in some sense bound by the ‘elements of the world’.” (Expositor and Illuminator). The law was at best as a guardian to an adolescent who could not make his own choices as an adult. But thank God that’s not the final destination!
III. Adoption and Unconditional Acceptance. Galatians 4:4-7
Paul closes this week’s lesson by describing a wonderful act of God that the Galatians and we who were not born in Israel, can appreciate. The Judaizers wanted the Gentiles to convert to Judaism as a part of accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour. But Paul declares in Galatians 4:4-7 (NLT), “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.”
Christ came under the curse of the Law as 100% human and yet in the full DNA of His Father, making Him 100% divine, He paid the price to release all by faith who would receive Him as their Lord and Saviour. Now all who have received Him are redeemed and fully adopted into God’s family, having the full rights of heirs with adult status. God even confirms this in the believer’s life by allowing all to call Him “Abba, Father.” This term was forbidden of any slave to use toward his master in Paul’s day, but a true child could refer to his father by this term of endearment which meant “Daddy.” Thank God that we who now walk in Christ have all the great rights and privileges of total sonship under God’s Umbrella of Justification!
CLOSING
Who’s your daddy? Many wonder and wish, but when Christ Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, we stand under the Umbrella of God’s Great Justification and the Creator of the universe is our Daddy! Read Romans 8:15-17.
Bibleway Missionary Baptist Church, New Orleans, LA & Little Bethel Baptist Church, Amite, LA
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LOOKING AHEAD: February 26, 2012 Galatians 5:22 – 6:10
SEE AND HEAR PASTOR DAVIS TEACH THE LESSON WEEKLY AT www.thstudyhour.com
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