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. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. – Galatians 4:4-7

God sent His Son to buy us freedom. We are no longer slaves…so why do we so often let our own sinful nature control our actions and our words? God sent His Son so that we could be free from sin and He gave us His Spirit to live in our hearts. This freedom that comes from a Spirit-filled life should look like love and not harsh words or bitter attitudes. The presence of the Holy Spirit should be evidenced by the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and SELF-CONTROL.

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. – Galatians 5:13-15

This is where Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia sounds so much like James’ letter to the Christians scattered across the region. When do I need self-control? Pretty much every time I open my mouth. Here’s the tricky part: Self-control is really not about SELF-control but about allowing the Spirit to be in control. If I put myself in charge of controlling the words I say and the tone with which I say them, I cannot sustain holiness. But when I give in to the urgings of God’s Spirit and allow “self-control” to simply be a fruit of His presence in my life, my tongue is put under HIS control.

This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor. – James 3:7-18 (The Message)

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under the obligation to the law of Moses.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things! – Galatians 5:16-23

Abba Father, thank you for your gift of the Spirit living within me. I am so thankful that is not up to me to produce holiness but to simply submit to your Spirit and let your fruit be evident in my life: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Because I belong to Christ Jesus, the passions and desires of my sinful nature have been nailed to his cross and crucified there. It is my desire to live by the Spirit’s leading in every area of my life – never conceited or jealous of others, never provoking or injuring someone with my words (Gal. 5:24-26). I want my walk with you to be characterized by getting along with others, loving others because I love you. Feel me anew this morning with your Spirit and may you be glorified in my life today. Amen.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…

It seems to me that the word FAITHFULNESS is reserved for God Himself. If God is the definition of faithfulness, then is it even possible for man to be defined as faithful? This was the question I asked myself when I went to study the fruit of faithfulness this morning. I found out of the 68 times the word “faithfulness” appears in the Bible, almost every time it is referring to God and His faithfulness. How then can we be faithful? Then I found this Scripture in Isaiah that seems to explain it all:

A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” – Isaiah 40:6-8

In Texas, I had these plants growing in my backyard with these big, beautiful leaves. I watered them “faithfully” but I was losing the battle against the sun, which browned the edges and caused them to quickly lose their beauty. One day, the plants starting producing these beautiful tropical flowers – flowers that would be beautiful for a day and then would start wilting. Only one bloom sustained its beauty for more than a day.
We are like grass and our faithfulness is like the flowers – the potential for beauty is there but it cannot sustain itself. Without nourishment, it will wither and fall. No matter how hard I try of my own strength to be faithful, it will not be sustained. It will wilt and the petals will drop. It is the faithfulness of God that endures forever. But here is the good news – although we cannot truly be faithful, the Spirit living within us can produce faithfulness. Therefore, if our lives can be described as faithful, it is not to our glory but to the glory of the God who gave us the Spirit whose fruit is faithfulness.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. – Proverbs 3:3

Oh that the Holy Spirit would use my heart as a tapestry! And as long as the Spirit is producing the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness, it would be great if He could soften up this heart of mine and tame this tongue so that gentleness would be the fruit of my walk with Christ.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. – Proverbs 15:1

Oh, the power of a gentle response – so powerful that it can break a bone (Prov. 25:15)! Gentleness is not weakness. Remember when God responded gently?

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” – 1 Kings 19:11-13

Jesus describes himself as gentle and is described by others as gentle.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30

Say to Daughter Zion, “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” – Matthew 21:5 and Zechariah 9:9

So if God is found in a gentle whisper and Jesus is gentle and humble in heart, it is no surprise that the fruit of the Spirit living within us is gentleness – that God’s plan for our life is to produce gentleness.

Let your gentleness be evident to all. – Philippians 4:5

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. – Colossians 3:12

Thank you, God, for these truths this morning. I woke up still soaking in yesterday’s truths – that you are good and that you are kind. And now I praise you for being a faithful God and a gentle God of grace, mercy and compassion. Lord, fill me with your Spirit and make me into the child of God you want me to be. I love you. Amen.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness…

It is good for me to take time to review Galatians 5:22-23. I need to ask myself if the fruit of the Spirit living within me is evident in my life. I need the Spirit to point out moments in my week when I am neither displaying patience nor self-control. There is still work to do in my life – a dying to self and submission to the Spirit living within me.

This morning I look at KINDNESS and GOODNESS. What better example of kindness than to look at the grace of God that Paul spoke about in his letter to the Galatians. That we are called children of God; that we are forgiven for our sins; that we have been “grafted in” and given life through a relationship with the God who created us – these are all signs that we serve a KIND God.

Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! – Romans 11:22-24

And if we, by grace, have been shown kindness by God, and if we are truly grafted into the one true Vine, kindness should be a natural outflow of the Spirit living within us.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. – Colossians 3:12-13

Not only is God kind, He is good – all the time! We serve a good God. In the midst of the most difficult of circumstances, it is necessary to be reminded that God is loving, that He is kind and that He is good. One of my favorite references to the goodness of God can be found in a conversation with Moses:

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” – Exodus 33:18-20

The glory of God is defined by God as goodness, mercy and compassion. So as God desires to be glorified through our lives, He places His Spirit in us to produce the kind of fruit that brings God glory – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And He adds to that list: grace, compassion, humility, forgiveness, mercy and deeds prompted by faith – All of this BY His power and FOR His glory!

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Oh Lord, you are SO good. You are a kind and merciful God and I am humbled in your presence. Thank you for your grace – for your mercy and compassion towards us. Father, I give you permission to make me worthy of your calling. I cannot be consistently good and kind on my own. By your power, bring to fruition the desire of my heart to be kind and to live a good life. Fill me with your Spirit so that every good thing coming out of my life is a result of the work of the Spirit, my time in your presence and my faith in you. May the name of the Lord Jesus be glorified in me, and me in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! – Galatians 5:22-23

So, as I draw close to God and spend time in His presence, He fills me with the Holy Spirit and the result of this indwelling is fruit. My roots grow deeper and wider, and the result of that growth is increased fruit. As we talked about on Friday, agape LOVE is the result of the Holy Spirit doing a work in my life. Another fruit of the Spirit living within me is JOY.

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. – Psalm 16:11

At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.” – Luke 10:21

While recently studying James’ letter, he encouraged us to consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds (1:2). This is the kind of joy he was referring to – not a false joy we have to create on our own or a happy face we need to paint on to fool people, but joy that is fruit from the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. Then, not only will we experience joy in the midst of trials, we will also experience PEACE.

Yesterday in our small group time, the youth group looked at Mark 4:35-41. Jesus was out in the boat with his disciples and had laid down to rest. A fierce storm came up, causing waves to break over the boat and the boat to fill with water. Consumed by their circumstances, the disciples reacted in fear. Their focus was on the storm instead of the reality that Jesus was with them and His presence is enough to help us through any storm. It’s that presence in our lives that brings peace, even in the midst of trials.

Always be full of JOY in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s PEACE, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7

As we dwell in the presence of God and live in Christ Jesus, we begin to grow because our roots are growing deeper and deeper in Him. The presence of the Spirit in our lives produces fruit out of this growth. In difficult situations, we remember the words of our Savior:

“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” – John 14:27

The fruit of the Holy Spirit that helps us persevere and not give into our circumstances is PATIENCE – to focus on the hope that is before us so that we can endure the moment we are living in today.

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. – Hebrews 10:35-36

We live in expectation or hope of what we will receive, confidence that persevering through difficult times is worth it. Hope is not a focus on what MIGHT happen but what must happen. Patience based on hope helps us to bear difficult circumstances because we are inspired by an expectation of what is to come. This kind of hope is inspired by our Lord Jesus and this kind of patience is a gift from the Spirit.

We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thessalonians 1:3

It is the filling of the Holy Spirit that releases the power of the peace that Christ gives us through the Holy Spirit. Lord, fill me with your Spirit today – give me a new and fresh infilling of your presence. And may the evidence of your Spirit in my life be characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Amen.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, LET US FOLLOW THE SPIRIT’S LEADING in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another (5:19-26).

We talk a lot about outcomes at the Pregnancy Resource Center – end results or consequences of our actions or services. We know who we are and what we have been called by God to do, but we also know what the result of our ministry could or should look like. We take measurements and ask the question – Are we accomplishing what God is calling us to do?

In Galatians, we learn that the fruit of the Spirit is the outcome of the Spirit dwelling within us. This fruit (singular) has nine different characteristics, the first of which is love. God is not speaking here of “eros” love (longings or desires, most often associated with the love between a man and a woman) or “philos” love (the love of a friend for a friend). We are capable of producing these two kinds of love without the Spirit because they are both self-centered. We see examples of these kinds of love within the world today. Even those who are not following Christ can produce loving relationships.

The fruit of the Spirit is characterized by “agape” love, which is divine. It can be reproduced by man but it cannot be maintained for long without the Spirit’s help. 1 Corinthians 13 is a great description of agape love – love that seems impossible of our own strength. Agape love is patient, kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, self-seeking, or easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs, not delighting in evil but rejoicing in the truth; always protecting, always trusting, always hoping, always persevering. And here’s the big one – Love never fails.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t fool myself into believing that I can reproduce that kind of love. Only God is capable of agape. Agape is not a feeling but a response regardless of the feeling, fueled by the needs of others and not by my own desires. When I completely surrender to the Spirit, he will express agape love through me – for agape love demands to be shown and lived out.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has not pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: we know it by the Spirit he gave us. – 1 John 3:16-24

Thank you, God, for your gift of the Spirit and the work you are doing in our hearts. Lord, we give you this day and ask you to fill us with your Spirit so that we can live out the kind of agape love you desire from us. Fill us with everything that is YOU and empty us of all that is our sinful nature. May our lives produce the kind of spiritual fruit you desire today. Amen.

Again Paul encourages us on to holy living instead of giving into our sinful nature.

Don’t be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone – especially to those in the family of faith. – Galatians 6:7-10

Wow, what powerful words Paul uses here. He reminds the Galatians that God is not only loving and the source of this incredible grace, He is also a just God. If we as Christians continue to satisfy our sinful nature instead of responding to the Spirit God has given us, we will harvest what we our sowing – death and decay. God cannot be mocked by someone who boasts, “I prayed the prayer, my eternity is secure so I can do what feels good to me right now instead of what I know God wants me to do.” That is not the servant’s heart God wants us to respond with. He wants us to listen to the urgings of His Spirit living within us and harvest a blessing instead of a curse. He wants us to live for others because we live for Him, not live for ourselves or to please our own sinful nature.

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. – Galatians 6:1-3

Humbly and gently – let’s not miss these very important adjectives. The heart of what Paul is getting to here is that we should not be so concerned about ourselves that we don’t love our fallen brother or sister enough to lovingly help them back onto the right path. We know that God’s plan for them is to live to please the Spirit and not their own sinful nature. Perhaps your loving and kind words can help them see that they are missing God’s perfect plan for their life.

But first, Paul warns that we are to be sure we ourselves are on the right path, living to please the Spirit and not ourselves. We cannot point out the speck of dust in someone else’s eye if we have a plank in our own, right?

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct. – Galatians 6:4-5

This week I have been at teen camp with our girls. We have had SO much fun and each of us has grown in our walk with God. Pastor Todd Keller has led us daily to the throne as we have studied the life of Abraham. Each service, he has given us a tangible way to respond – a physical way to show what God is doing for us spiritually. I came praying God would be with each of our teens from Pekin, but God has also spoken to my own heart and strengthened my faith.

Paul warns us not to become too proud or boastful about our walk. Then we will begin seeing our conduct, our job well done, as a result of our own strength and ability instead of a gift of the Spirit to help us live a godly life. We become drenched in self-righteousness instead of beautifully clothed in God’s righteousness.

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God (6:14-16).

Remember yesterday? We are saved by grace through faith and not by works. It is not our observance of religious laws or our faithful attendance at church that matters – it is the transformation that God does in our lives through His Spirit when we truly empty ourselves of all of our own desires and allow Him to fill us with His. Then we receive God’s peace and His mercy; then we are a new person of God and no longer a slave to our sinful nature. Praise God!!!

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. – Galatians 2:20-21

I do not want to treat the grace of God as meaningless. Christ died on a cross so that I could experience salvation. I did not earn it. I do not deserve it. I can never be good enough on my own. This salvation is a gift from God – a gift by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This gift is available because of God’s unmerited favor on us – His grace. To begin working hard to earn my salvation is pointless and it ignores God’s grace, treating it as if it has no meaning.

Grace – what a wonderful blessing in our lives! But, just because I could never be good enough on my own to deserve God’s grace does not mean I know have an excuse to sin. Another gift from God was the Holy Spirit. He gave us the gift of His Spirit in order that our faith could be expressed in our actions. With the power of the Spirit living within us, we are able to follow the urgings of the Holy Spirit and not the urgings of our old sinful nature.

Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. – Galatians 1:4

God gave us His Son, and Jesus willingly died for us, in order that we could be rescued from evil – in order that we could overcome the sinful nature. He promised to give us the gift of His righteousness, a gift that is ours when we live by the Spirit. That’s wonderful! We don’t have to create a righteousness of our own, just as we cannot earn our salvation by good works. Instead, His gift of grace gives us the gift of His righteousness and the gift of the Spirit living within us.

But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us…What is important is faith expressing itself in love – Galatians 5:5-6

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. – Galatians 5:13-15

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. – Galatians 5:16-17a

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, LET US FOLLOW THE SPIRIT’S LEADING in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another (5:19-26).

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your gift of grace – for loving us enough to send your Son to die for our sins. Thank you for the gift of the Spirit and for the gift of your righteousness. Holy Spirit, guide my life and give me desires that are the opposite of what my sinful nature desires. Produce in me this kind of fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I nail the passions and desires of my old self, my sinful nature, to your cross and crucify them there. I long to follow the Spirit’s leading in every area of my life. Amen.

Is it true that we are saved by the work accomplished by Jesus when He died on the cross, or is there something more necessary on our part to earn our salvation? This was a question in the churches spread across the Roman province of Galatia and it is a question we often hear among today’s churches. Paul had visited this area during his first missionary trip (Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe), and now he is addressing this question that keeps coming up – this insecurity that I must somehow earn the salvation provided for me when Jesus died on the cross.

We hear in Paul’s letter to the Galatians the same message we hear over and over again in Paul’s writings – we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not by works. YET, if we believe in Christ, works are to be a result of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This trips us up if we are not careful because it is easy to slip into a works mentality. We begin to see our salvation as a result of our works, that we are earning our eternal life, that we are good enough for God’s favor. But God’s plan is that works are a result of our growing relationship with Him – that He is able to accomplish His will and further His Kingdom through us.

Let’s hear what Paul had to say to the Galatians:

Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. – Galatians 2:16

We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not by works – no amount of good deeds can earn us heaven, no degree of self-righteousness can make us good enough. There is only one way we are made right with God and that is by faith in Jesus.

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. – Galatians 2:20-21

Okay, so this is not a new message. We have heard this over and over again, yet we still find ourselves falling into a works mentality. Why is that? Paul asks the same question of the Galatians.

Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses?…After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? – Galatians 3:2b,3

So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” – Galatians 3:11

Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. – Galatians 3:24-26

Oh, I like that analogy – when we are united with Christ in baptism, we have put Christ on, just like putting on new clothes. It is not about us “putting on” or pretending to be something we are not. It is not about creating our own new wardrobe of righteousness we produce of our own strength. There is nothing beautiful about that. It is about wearing Christ and letting His presence bring about a change in our lives; allowing His Spirit to come in and begin producing His fruit through us. Paul has more to say:

You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. I fear for you – Galatians 4:10-11a

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. – Galatians 5:1

What a great reminder this morning of something we know to be true. What a great warning to stay out of the trap of an earned salvation or a deserved gift from God. I think Galatians 2:20-21 says it all. Let’s pray this verse together:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder this morning that my old self has been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. I commit this morning to live in this earthly body by trusting in your Son, the One who loves me and gave himself for me. I never want to treat your grace as meaningless. For if simply obeying a set of rules or living a good life could make me right with you, then there would have been no need for Christ to die. Lord, forgive me for all the times I have forgotten this. I give you this day and I give you my heart. Amen.

James, the brother of Jesus, was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. When he refused to deny his faith in Jesus, he was thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple – more than 100 feet high. When he survived the fall, his enemies beat him with a club. Our hearts grieve as we think of the great suffering that took place shortly after James’ death. The early Church and those who called themselves Christians were persecuted, unjustly charged, imprisoned, tortured, and many put to death. The early Church witnessed, and no doubt many of them were killed, when Jerusalem was captured and destroyed.

We started out our study of James with the challenge to consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds. The weight of these words sits differently when we consider how harsh the persecution was during that time. We may go through difficult times, but it pales in comparison to what some of the writers of the New Testament letters went through. When we are going through a hard time in our lives, we are comforted by the words penned by men who suffered horrible deaths, all for the sake of Christ. Even now, many missionaries and pastors in other countries preach God’s word despite the threat of death. Why would they be willing to do for the gospel?

Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ…When I am with the weak, I share their weaknesses, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. – 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22-23

How committed are we to the gospel, to winning souls for Christ? What are we willing to become in order to win the weak? This brings me to the closing thoughts of the book of James.

My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. – James 5:19-20

Listen to these same two verses in The Message:
My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.

There is a sense of urgency in these verses. We were saved to serve God. How does He want to use us or what does He want to do through us today? Are we willing to open ourselves up to whatever He wants us to be for the sake of others or are we going to hold tight to this issue or that, to this right of ours or to this past hurt for which we refuse to forgive.

Dear Jesus, I am yours today. Use me however you wish. Guide my thoughts, stir my heart and fill my mouth with your words that I may be who or what you want me to be. May nothing in my life be a stumbling block to others but may I be a hand extended to those who are lost or in need of my friendship. Oh God, may we be thankful today for religious freedom and for those who have lost their lives to protect it. May we also stand strong in protecting this freedom for future generations. May we boldly proclaim your love to those around us and count it a joy when we face trials, knowing that the testing of our faith develops perseverance. Amen.

Why does God sometimes heal and sometimes not? Can our physical suffering be a result of unconfessed sin in our lives? Why does God allow tragedies to happen? Why is it that sometimes when we are praying hard for someone to make it through the night, we feel like God is unresponsive – possibly turning His back on us? We have probably all felt that way at some time, or watched someone else struggle with these things. Looking back at his letter, James has lots of great advice for us.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. – James 1:2-4

So not anger or self-pity, but joy. I need to choose joy in even the most difficult of situations, persevering and asking our generous God for wisdom in the situation.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. – James 1:5-6a

And when you are in a situation where you feel powerless to do anything, remember there is something you can do. You can draw closer to God, spending time in His presence and giving Him your full attention. Abide in Him and then stay there. Be still and know that He is God, that He is worthy of your trust.

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. – James 4:7-8

Don’t let this difficult situation be an opportunity for the enemy to get a hold of your attitude and your heart. In your grief or struggle, do not turn away from God in anger but turn towards Him in submission. Rest in His love and wisdom. Remember that there is something you can do. You can pray.

Are you hungry? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven – healed inside and out.

Make this your command practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. – James 5:13-16 (The Message).

We live in an imperfect world where sin and sickness are a reality. The consequences of generational sin are right here for all of us to experience. Jesus told us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b). God is bigger than any situation pressing down around us. We CAN trust Him – we can trust Him to be with us and we can trust His heart. When you don’t feel His presence, trust in what you know to be true – HE IS THERE!

Not only is all of James’ letter good advice for us, it was good advice for him. James faced his own struggles as the persecution of the church increased. James stood before his false accusers and refused to denounce the name of Jesus – his brother but, more than that, his Savior. Perhaps He remembered the words of Jesus in that moment.

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” – Matthew 10:39

Was he there or did someone tell him how Jesus said to the disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26)

At this point, I don’t believe James saw Jesus as his brother anymore. I think He saw him as God – as the One who was willing to die for him and the One he was willing to die for, even a brutal death.

Is that how we see Jesus? Do we recognize that his death on the cross was out of his deep love for us? If so, what do we do with that recognition? Does it change the way we live our lives? Would we be willing to die for the One who died for us? Would we be willing to do anything for Him – move, forgive, switch jobs, extend grace, love the unlovable, stand for religious freedom, give our time to an elderly woman who wants someone to remember with, choose tough love, consider it joy when we go through trials and suffering…

What am I willing to do for Jesus today? What is He asking of me? Am I too busy finding my life to lose it for His sake?