GCF NAGA English Sermons

Galatian Liberty Part 21 Confidence and Warning (Galatians 5:7-12) Paul expressed hope that the Galatians would choose the right point of view, although his dismay could still be felt. He would point out that a little leaven or wrong teaching can grow to dangerous levels, leading to severance from God’s grace. Moreover, those who hinder people from believing the gospel will suffer the penalty, whi...

Galatian Liberty Part 20  Freedom in Christ (Galatians 5:1-6) Paul instructed the Galatians to stand firm on the freedom they received in Christ and not desire to become enslaved again. The author touched on the subject of circumcision, which in Jewish tradition, is the act of joining the people of God. Yet he warned of the danger of seeking righteousness or justification via circumcision. The act...

Galatian Liberty Part 19  Tale of Two Sons (Galatians 4:21-31) Paul used an allegory to explain his point. He took a swipe at those who wanted to be under the law. The allegory was about Abraham’s two sons of two separate mothers. One mother lived free, but the other mother lived otherwise. Paul explained that those who pursue the law are the enslaved, and those who believe in the gospel, without...

Galatian Liberty Part 18  Paul's Anguish (Galatians 4:12-20) Paul appealed to the Galatians to follow his example. He was a dedicated Jew but now believes that justification is by faith alone through Christ. Paul lived free of the law, which enslaved him. After expressing his deep concern for the Galatians, Paul spoke to them about their shared experience, how they helped him during a crisis, and...

Galatian Liberty Part 17  Deep Concern (Galatians 4:8-12) Paul explained that God gave the law to reveal sin, which showed that all are guilty, thus needing a savior. Furthermore, Paul made it clear that the law of Moses does not contradict God’s covenant with Abraham. Instead, it complements it in a temporary nature. Paul then explained that the law functioned as a prison to set boundaries. Israe...

Galatian Liberty Part 16 Sons, not Slaves (Galatians 4:1-7) The Mosaic Law served its purpose, which was to function as a revealer of sin, a prison, and a tutor. Paul explained that the Law was a temporary arrangement, not a permanent one. The ultimate arrangement is adopting sons and daughters through faith in Christ. Again, not by the works of the law, but through faith in Him. Justification by...

Galatian Liberty Part 15  Heirs by Faith (Galatians 3:23-29) Paul explained that God gave the law to reveal sin, which showed that all are guilty, thus needing a savior. Furthermore, Paul made it clear that the law of Moses does not contradict God’s covenant with Abraham. Instead, it complements it in a temporary nature. Paul then explained that the law functioned as a prison to set boundaries. Is...

Galatian Liberty Part 14  Purpose and Promise (Galatians 3:15-18) Paul mentioned to the Galatians that the law justifies no one in the sight of God. But, conversely, he explained that justification is through faith in Christ and not through the works of the law. Furthermore, Paul cited Abraham, whom God credited righteousness because Abraham believed. Does the law of Moses change the Abrahamic cov...

Galatian Liberty Part 13  Unchangeable (Galatians 3:15-18) Paul mentioned to the Galatians that the law justifies no one in the sight of God. But, conversely, he explained that justification is through faith in Christ and not through the works of the law. Furthermore, Paul cited Abraham, whom God credited righteousness because Abraham believed. Does the law of Moses change the Abrahamic covenant?...

Galatian Liberty Part 12  Bewitched (Galatians 3:10-14) Paul explained that righteousness comes through faith and not the works of the law. He cited Abraham as the prime example of such. Abraham believed, and it was counted as righteousness. Paul would then proceed that the promise of God through Abraham is through the gospel of Christ. And that gospel is through faith, not the works of the law. H...

Galatian Liberty Part 10  Bewitched (Galatians 3:1-6) Paul told the story of the incident in Antioch, where he corrected Peter for not standing up for the gospel truth. Peter distanced himself from the Gentile believers when certain men from Jerusalem arrived. His hypocrisy influenced other Jewish believers, including Barnabas. Paul would then explain that justification is through faith and not th...

Galatian Liberty Part 9  Justified by Faith (Galatians 2:15-21) Paul corrected Peter about giving in to religious pressure. Instead of standing up for the gospel by continuously fellowshipping with the Gentiles, he separated himself when Judaizers arrived. Peter’s actions influenced other Jewish believers, including Barnabas. Paul corrected Peter in front of the others. Despite being fellow apostl...

Galatian Liberty Part 8 Paul Corrects Peter (Galatians 2:11-14) Paul brought Barnabas and Titus with him to visit the influential leaders in the Jerusalem church. Barnabas was a Jew and Titus a Gentile. Perhaps Paul tried to show how the team of different races could work together in reaching out to the Gentile world. Paul cited that the apostles did not require circumcision from Titus, which supp...

Galatian Liberty Part 2 Right Hand of Fellowship (Galatians 2:1-10) Paul brought Barnabas and Titus with him to visit the influential leaders in the Jerusalem church. Barnabas was a Jew and Titus a Gentile. Perhaps Paul tried to show how the team of different races could work together in reaching out to the Gentile world. Paul cited that the apostles did not require circumcision from Titus, which...

Galatian Liberty Part 6 Confidence and Confirmation (Galatians 2:1-10) Paul shared God’s call and purpose for his life, which was to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. But before he became an apostle, Paul reminded the Galatians how zealous he was in violently persecuting the church. Paul received the gospel directly from Christ, yet Paul had the chance to meet Peter, with whom he spent fifteen da...

Galatian Liberty Part 4  True Gospel, True Servant (Galatians 1:10-12) Paul explained the severity of believing a distorted gospel. It is the same as deserting the God who called them into the grace of Christ. Moreover, with strong emphasis, pronounced a curse on all who preach another gospel. Not even an angel from heaven has the right to preach a different gospel, nor any person. Anyone who does...

Galatian Liberty Part 3  One Gospel (Galatians 1:6-9) Paul gave the Galatians a greeting of grace and peace in Christ. The greeting included the death and resurrection of Christ and God’s purpose to deliver us from this present evil age. Paul also identified himself as the epistle’s author, including his call as an apostle sent by the Lord and not by men.  After giving the Galatian believers a cor...

Galatian Liberty Part 2 Galatians: Salutation II (Galatians 1:3-5) Paul, the apostle, greeted the Galatian believers with the grace and peace of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He referred to the resurrection in the first sentence of his salutation. Every believer understands the significance of the resurrection. Without the resurrection, there is no gospel. Paul would then state what th...

Galatian Liberty - Part 1  Galatians: Salutation (Galatians 1:1-2) A dire situation moved the quill (pen) of Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, to write a strong-worded letter. One could feel the anguish in the soul of the apostle. He ministered to the Galatians, yet they quickly fell away from the purity of the gospel message. Most likely, Paul wrote to the churches in Southern Galatia, which Pau...

Series Break  Wisdom and Excellence (Proverbs 22:29, 10:26, 25:13, 25:19) Those who pursue wisdom will pursue excellence, which means there is no room for laziness. Developing skills needs time, focus, and energy. However, excellence is not the only important trait. Those who pursue wisdom should learn faithfulness. In every work, one must cultivate faithfulness, which means being faithful to the...

Series Break Marry Wisely (Proverbs 13:20, 9:10, 18:2, 12:15, 26:12, 14:7, 23:9) Those who want wisdom should learn from the wise—learning the ways of the wise benefits all who do so (13:20). The benefit is becoming wise. One may surmise that the proverb applies to all who desire to grow in wisdom. Thus, this is especially true in marriage. A good choice of a spouse is someone who dares to walk in...

Series Break First Marriage (Genesis 2:21-25) Marriage is the most sacred of all human relationships. The reason for such is that God instituted it. Thus, all who fear and love God should look to the sacred text and follow the instructions. Before the first wedding, God assigned Adam to work on the garden, take care of it, and eat from any tree except for one. Then God said that it was not good fo...

Series Break  Qualities of a Leader (Psalms 78:70-72) The Psalm stated the many times that God blessed Israel. However, it also declared the many times that Israel provoked God. Such was the pattern of the Psalm. The Psalm concluded with God choosing a leader with integrity of heart and skillfulness of hands. Such are the qualities needed to shepherd Israel from straying away from God’s commands....

Series Break Wisdom and Planning (Proverbs 21:5, 15:22, 19:21, 21:31 ) Planning is necessary for both progress and survival. Without planning, the percentage of both progress and survival dramatically goes down. Such is especially true for nations, yet equally valid for all organizations. One may argue that it is also applicable to families and individuals. There are many intricacies to planning....

Wise Community Warning vs. Hypocrisy in Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15) The Lord Jesus gave a warning to His disciples. The warning covered giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. He wanted His disciples to veer away from the examples of the hypocrites. Hypocrites were actors who wore masks on stage. In the context of the text, it meant religious counterfeit. To avoid being a hypocrite, the Lord did not...