GALATIANS 3 PART 2

We're going to take up where we left off in Galatians chapter three.  If you open your bible to verse 15, you will see more than Paul's intellectual understanding of grace. He makes his greatest argument for grace through the work of the Cross, versus works of the law.  The arguments are simple yet profound, and display Paul's deep understanding of Torah, and the principals of the promise.  Even more astounding is the fact that Paul is addressing gentiles who didn't have the cultural heritage of Judaism, or even a race identity as Hebrews.  Paul would eventually give his life to erase the divide between Jews and gentiles. Sadly, the divide still exists.  

It would be easy to think that with Christianity having spread to almost every nation on earth, that this divide wasn't an issue, but it continues because of erroneous teaching in the church.  It still continues because men simply can't give up control of their fate to their creator.   Just because someone calls themselves a Christian, doesn't mean they are.  Sadly, even well meaning Christians can become confused if they fail to listen to Holy Spirit, and ignore the cultural backdrop onto which Paul's message was put in front of.  

There are many awesome ideas that Paul puts forth in the 15 verses we're going to look at, but here are three that stand out to me.

The Promises to Abraham and His child.

The purpose of the law.

The Promises to all who believe. 

If we can't clearly express the promises of Abraham, and how they are important to others, we risk losing our ability to bring the nations to Christ.  We don't have to make the gospel relevant to the day and age we live in, we have to know what the gospel is and does for everyone we touch on a daily basis.  Just as Holy Spirit used Paul to make the gospel appealing to a bunch of rowdy Celts in Galatia, we can still make the gospel appealing to a dying generation.

Last week I was talking to a wonderful man of God who is also a landlord.  He was  about how his denomination was facing a crisis in reaching out to young people.  Among the denomination's leadership there was a sense that they could no longer reach young people for Christ.  As the leadership began to brainstorm the problem, they used old worn out ideas about relevancy, modernization, technology, and message. I asked him what the average age of the people in his church was, and he told me about 68 years old.  What he said next surprised me; Some of those need to die out in order for new blood to come in.  

I said NO, they need to pray like never before for a revival to sweep through their churches, and to preach Christ, and HIM crucified.  Everything else we do is 'pop culture' and generational reaction to the gospel.  If I want to praise God today, I'm not going to go find a harpsichord and play Bach.  Even as beautiful as it would be, it wouldn't 'appeal' to this generation.  However, if I tell what Christ has done on the cross for all mankind, it will have the same effect as it did 40 days later when Peter preached his Pentecost sermon.  We are the relevance to this generation, and the message of Christ is the appeal.  Holy Spirit knows who we are going to face everyday, and if we are listening to Him, He will fill our mouths with the relevance, and the message.  If you don't think you know what to say, just open your mouth and watch what spills out.  

THE SAFEST PLACE IN THE HOUSE

As part of the expansion on the traits of a king, let's look at a quality I called 'being hopeful.'  I wish I had a better term for it.  In the Air Force leadership course I took, the instructor called it 'optimism.'  I remember when I took my notes, optimism seemed to be too...I don't know...dark.  Don't get me wrong, I tend to be a pragmatist/realist, with a strong optimistic nature.  OR, at least that was the way I tested out on one of the half dozen character/ leadership surveys we did.  They gave us hypothetical questions about 'what we would do' if confronted with common everyday leadership challenges, and to me they were like 'no-brainers', but then again I didn't tend to think very deep then.  Leading a shop full of YOUNG men seemed no different than raising a couple of teenage girls.  Once you get past the daily drama, it all boils down to doing what's right.  BUT>>>>>>>> It isn't always that simple, and then you find yourself confronted with disasters of your own making.  Optimism is only one part of the leadership toolbox.
Let me see if I can make sense of my confusing start.  Optimism is not based on anything but your outlook.  Hopefulness by it's very nature implies trusting something outside of yourself for the better outcome.  If circumstances are against you, if you have reached the level of your incompetence, then the only thing left is 'something' or 'someone' else outside of you.  Hope demands belief in something more powerful than yourself, and that is why I had a hard time with optimism being a leadership trait.  YES, I believe in having a positive outlook on life.  Yes, I prefer to believe in the goodness of individuals, and yes, weirdly enough, like Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame, I don't believe in a 'No-Win' scenario.  I believe in my heavenly Father, and the eternal life He's made available to me through His Son, Jesus. I was given my school of hard knocks from the time I was in the first grade, and eventually, I had to come to a place where I believed God had me in the palm of His hand.
As a Christian father, we have to be more than optimistic!! We have to be the calm in the eye of the storm, and the foundation of our children's faith in Him who rules over the storms.
It is important for a child to know that they are safe.  Safety might be more than you just saying something positive as the pressures of life fall all around you.  Optimism can wear very thin when every day is a repeat of the terrors of the day before.
For those of us who've been to Nicaragua over the last few years can attest to, the hopefulness of our brothers and sisters in Christ even though they live in conditions that would crush many here in the states, is a testament to their faith in Christ.
Yes, I believe in being optimistic...well...because I am, but I believe in being hopeful even more.  If we know that God is for us, then who can be against us.  That doesn't mean things won't come against us, it means what, or who are they in terms of eternity?  WE come back again to the statement of Jeremiah 29:11 I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU.....
When things come crushing in on you or your family, the one thing you want them to know is "God has this." The weather service tells us that there are places in our house that are the safest in a Tornado, in earthquake prone places of our country they tell us the safest places to hid during an earthquake.  In the storms of life, you should be the safest place in the house. 
You might ask; what if it's death, severe injury, poverty, ridicule, persecution, or even isolation from all those you love?   God has a plan for you.  Try that on your little ones in their trying situations.  Make it more personal by telling them you have a plan for them.  What was God's plan for Israel?
Simple; To prosper them, and to restore them.  That should be your plan!  Easy Peezy!   No problems, no sweat, I got this, and because I got this, you've got this.

As a side note, you might look up Stephen Curtis Chapman and the things he went through.