The Town

Paul is dealing with two types of behavior: those who provoke and those who are envious. Those who provoke are those who look down on others. Those who are envious are those who feel inferior and look up toward others. Both provocative and envious people have one thing in common - they both want the glory for themselves.

If you have been justified by faith and are free under the Gospel, then you will desire to keep in step with where the Holy Spirit leads you and desires to change you. We are to always be asking God what He wants from us and how we can become more like Christ.

Since we have been set free in Jesus Christ, we can now live a life that reflects and enjoys that freedom. We are free from the rules as a way of salvation, but are also now free to obey out of our gratitude. And this is not a yoke of slavery. Obedience is the mark of a free man.

We often hear about the great religions of the world. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are often included together. In our pluralistic and idealistic culture we attempt to reconcile all the great religions together. They, according to the masses, are of equal significance and equal truth. Jesus didn't think so and neither did the Apostles. Remember, Paul began Galatians by curs...

We often hear about the great religions of the world. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are often included together. In our pluralistic and idealistic culture we attempt to reconcile all the great religions together. They, according to the masses, are of equal significance and equal truth. Jesus didn't think so and neither did the Apostles. Remember, Paul began Galatians by curs...

It doesn't matter if you are male or female, Jew or Gentile, slave or free--you are a son of the Living God by faith in Jesus Christ alone. We have different names. We have 46 different backgrounds. We look different. We have different cultures and traditions. We have different theology. But under the one Gospel, we are one people, under one Father God, because of one Messiah. In the Christian fai...

Paul makes it clear that salvation does not depend on our performance. But the Law must play some role in the Christian's life. Some Christians view Law and Grace as two equal tracks that must be tread upon carefully. We must have one foot on the Law and one foot on grace. But Paul does not teach this. He says that we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Paul is working against the tide of a works-faith based hybrid of Christianity. The Galatians had begun with faith in Jesus and were now depending on adherence and obedience to the Law for their salvation. This teaching had come from Judaizing Christians who did not believe that Jesus on the Cross was enough.

There is a huge contrast between the Law and the Gospel. The Galatians had forgotten Jesus crucified and were now returning to that which damned them as a means of salvation. Christians must know the difference between the Law and the Gospel. They are not enemies, but they have different functions.

In Galatians 2:15-21 Paul is speaking to those who had also been raised in the faith. He says, "we ourselves are Jews by birth." Paul is beginning to make the case that birth into a religious family does not save you, for he goes on to say that we have been justified by faith and not by works of the law.

The Apostles probably did not fully understand the real world implications when they decided that circumcision and food laws were not to be added to the Gospel. It didn't take long to arrive at the truth, but it would take time to iron out the details in the real world. It didn't take long for Peter to flip flop. It's what Peter did well. He also repented well. Although Peter knew that nothing was...

Imagine the setting. All of the greatest players are in the room. They have all the authority to make things happens. It is do or die time. A conflict has arisen and this group of people has been asked to bring a resolution. Whatever they decide will set the tone for billions of people until the end of time. What could cause such a commotion? What could bring so much intensity to one room? Circumc...

We don't often see what God is doing through someone until the whole plan unfolds. Paul was one of those guys. Before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul, then called Saul, was on his way to destroying the church and crushing the Gospel--or so he thought. The church must have wondered what God was up to every time Saul showed up in their town to wreak havoc. This man was relentless. And yet...

When we add even a small addition to the Gospel we have no Gospel at all. This is what Paul is saying in the first verses of Galatians. We are free to follow Jesus and Jesus alone. We can't add good works, self-righteousness, traditions, churchianity, Christianese, or even our brand of doctrine to the Gospel. The Gospel is the Gospel all by itself. It doesn't need our help to improve upon it.

Have you ever heard of a person who made a complete turnaround in their life? Maybe you were shocked by the turnaround because this person seemed like a lost cause? Paul was that man. He was once called Saul and he made it his mission in life to kill Christians and crush the advancing Gospel of Jesus. That is, until Jesus met him on a road and told him otherwise.

What are your worries about tomorrow? What is on the agenda? What is bothering you? W hat gives you great concern? Is it your job? Your kids? Your lack of a spouse? The spouse that you have? Money? Success? What gives you great consternation? What seeds of doubt have been planted concerning the future. God makes promises about the future in the Bible. He tells us that there will be good times, bad...

The doctrine of assurance is so important to the lives of Christians because it gets at the heart of the nature of salvation and of God's character. Our war with sin has been won already, but in the battles left to fight until we're glorified, Christians often get discouraged. One of the most unfortunate and darkest ends of this discouragement is when one believes that they are no longer under the...

There is perhaps no more fertile soil for seeds of doubt than suffering. Suffering can produce feelings of animosity toward God, feelings of isolation, or perhaps a full-out denial of God. Psalm 46:1 says that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." This is true, and should bring us assurance. But the working out of this truth is hard, because we are temporal people who l...

Is doubt the enemy of faith? Is it a sin to doubt? Can doubt be a good thing? Is it okay for a Christian to doubt? Doubt can destroy us or it can lead us to deeper knowledge of God. Doubt can be the cause of anxiety or reliance on Jesus. To be sure, every human being that has ever walked the face of the earth has struggled through doubt, but Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith gives us go...

If we want to do something well in life we have to discipline ourselves in order to become accomplished. Many in the church today have steered clear of devotions, prayer, and the spiritual disciplines. The reasons are many and varied. Yet the Scriptures make it very clear that in order to know God more we have to draw near to Him in prayer, worship, the Scriptures—we need to be disciplined.

Many of us have questions about the character and nature of God. Questions like "why does God allow evil to happen?", "does God know everything?", and "does God hear me?" all point to a deeper question of "what is God, what is he like, and how can I really know him?" The Bible addresses these questions and confronts us with Jesus' claims about how we can know God and be in relationship with him.

Many of us have questions about the character and nature of God. Questions like "why does God allow evil to happen?", "does God know everything?", and "does God hear me?" all point to a deeper question of "what is God, what is he like, and how can I really know him?" The Bible addresses these questions and confronts us with Jesus' claims about how we can know God and be in relationship with him.

We live in a terrific and fascinating age of science. We make new discoveries every day that effect our lives and how we look at the world. It is no secret that the Church has often clashed with science, especially when a scientific discovery seemed to conflict with the church's agenda, power over government, or influence over people. Even the brightest theologians have often made fools of themsel...

This sermon was preached by Tom Harr from Faith Presbyterian Church (http://www.faithwilmington.com ) about how our sufferings as Christians lead to joy because of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.

We spend so much time, money and resources on getting ready for Christmas. Most of us, by December 25th are ready for the big show. You are ready for Christmas but are you prepared for Christ? Christmas is a time of year when we can remember the birth of Christ but also look forward to his return. It's great to spend time with family and preparing for a special day of presents, family time and mem...