Galatians -- The Church's Declaration of Independence

5 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

“Death is the last station on the road to freedom” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer). Christ has made us free by His death. To stand fast in “that liberty” is to stand fast in His death. A “yoke of bondage” is very specific, it is the kind of bondage we give to oxen. They are in bondage to us to plow our fields. This is the goal of every false prophet, to entangle you in a yoke of bondage. For example, a governor of the state needs to stand fast and not be entangled. It is expensive to run for office, every large donor is trying to entangle the politician in a yoke of bondage. This has become quite obvious during this pandemic. Why the mixed messages? In Florida the governor pressured the person posting data on the State to manipulate the data, they refused and were fired. “As a thief is disgraced when he is caught, so the people of Israel are disgraced— they, their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets. Jeremiah 2:26 The governor of Florida is disgraced. His denial of the dangers of this virus, his refusal to heed the warnings, his arrogance in thinking this wouldn't come there, and now his declaration that the schools need to be opened next month. He needs to be held accountable for all of his actions. Is he representing the people, or the business interests?

2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

Circumcision is only an example of how that would work. It signifies that you have “cut off your flesh” and it marks you as belonging to a “gang” or “clique” or “sect”. But it does not in any way indicate that you belong to Christ. It is also what we refer to as “party politics”. During this pandemic the mixed messages are a result of party politics. But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’” Jeremiah 14:13. This is getting ridiculous. The number of people infected in Florida is 3xs higher than it was when they were first warned and rejected the warning. These public officials keep making claims that they don't need to shut down, don't need masks, don't need social distancing, and these same states are now responsible for half of all the cases in the US.

3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

If you get a gang sign tattooed to your body then you belong to that gang. You become a debtor to do everything the gang does. Just like circumcision meant you belonged to the Jewish sect and now needed to keep every single law. Keeping the law does not make you righteous, rather it is when you don’t keep the law that you are unrighteous. So then, circumcision is a pledge to keep the entire law.

4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

“He who honors Me I will honor”. If you attempt to be justified apart from Christ you are not honoring Christ. This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. Jeremiah 23:16 They said it would go away in July just like the flu. That was a false hope. They said this only hits the elderly, that was a false hope. They said that children didn't get sick, that was a false hope. They said they had it under control. They said we would get a vaccine, now we know that a vaccine won't work because the immunity disappears quickly. One false hope after the next. Clearly those who are speaking this are estranged from the truth, they are estranged from the word of God, and they are estranged from Christ. It would have required faith to take the necessary steps to contain this in January. Shutting down the borders, monitoring temperatures, quarantining, tracing the contacts of people. It would have taken courage to listen to the Lord at that time. Likewise to impose nationwide standards for everyone to abide by would have been very unpopular. But, six to nine months later it would have been apparent that you were walking by faith and one with the Lord.

5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

“Faith working through love”. That is how we walk the narrow path that leads to life, the path that few people find. The Florida governor fired the person responsible for posting data because she wouldn't manipulate it. In other words he told her to lie about it, she said no, so he fired her. He must be held accountable.

7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

This would be a great topic for a book. For example, did Hitler hinder people from obeying the truth? He didn’t hinder Dietrich Bonhoeffer, he didn’t hinder Ann Franke, he didn’t hinder Oscar Schindler. If you stand fast in the death of Christ no one can hinder you. Why did the Germans become entangled with a yoke of bondage? They felt they needed a “strong leader”. But Bonhoeffer exposed the lie, he pointed out all authority is from God. You cannot be a “strong” leader if you are not under the authority of God. Second, a leader must have a servant mentality. Leaders are not kings, they are servants. It is up to you to choose to be under the authority of God and to serve others, if you do, then no one will be able to hinder you from obeying the truth.

8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.

Look at Jesus. No one was able to hinder Him from obeying the truth. They could crucify Him, that is true, they could bring false charges and have a monkey trial, that is true, but through it all He was able to obey the truth.

9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

Witness Lee was a master at this. If you read his books, and his writings are truly extensive, you would be hard pressed to find any leaven. He never published the lie about Watchman Nee being excommunicated because his “mother” was living with him. No, you had to hear him speak, and ten thousand people in the US did hear this, but when the books came out it wasn’t there. The only leaven I can find in print would be His exposition on the ground of the church. It is a master class on how to entangle others in a yoke of bondage. That teaching is 90-95% Biblical and true. It just takes a “little leaven” to leaven the whole lump.

10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.

“No other mind” refers to “faith working through love”. If you don’t have this confidence you would get angry, very angry. Many of those that protest for Black Lives Matter have expressed the feeling that people are not bearing their own judgement. For me, I can see a lot of progress in the last 50-60 years. I have also seen that the Lord is faithful, whatever a man sows that shall he reap. So I do have this confidence. 50 years ago when a politician spoke it wasn’t uploaded to Youtube where you could easily find it. I was able to find a Youtube video of Florida’s governor boasting about how these “prophets of doom” had told him that four weeks after reopening he would see a spike and here he was four weeks later no spike. However, two weeks after that there was a spike, and a few weeks later Florida was one of the very worst spots in the nation.

11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.

We are all familiar with this phenomenon. People are accusing the Black Lives Matter movement of supporting rioting and looting. There is a debate over face masks, one month they tell us they aren’t necessary, the next month they are. Here Paul is preaching against circumcision, but didn’t he circumcise Timothy? Paul’s message was very consistent that salvation depends solely on faith in Jesus Christ’s redemptive work. There is no suggestion anywhere in his writings that circumcision was necessary for salvation, or for any Christian. His circumcision of Timothy was about “not offending others with my liberty”. Not that different from Hudson Taylor dressing the same way as the Chinese, or of any gospel preacher preaching the gospel in the native language of those they are sent to. Besides it doesn’t make any sense. The Judaizers are claiming you can’t know what Paul teaches, because one day he is for circumcision the next day he isn’t. If that were true then why are they persecuting him for teaching you don’t need to be circumcised? Initially the word on masks was that they won’t prevent you from getting infected. That is true and no one has changed that. Then they promoted them because they would limit the spread of the disease, meaning the person who wears the mask is less likely to infect others. Since then there have been studies done that show that although masks don’t prevent the infection from spreading it does slow it down, and it does cause the severity of the infection to decrease.

12 I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!

Well, thank you Paul! Just when you think these apostles were too spiritual he goes and does something that I also do. How often when debating with some clown on the internet about whether or not masks violate your constitutional rights, or watching a video of some Karen trying to use white privilege to get her way have I thought “I wish those who trouble you would even cut themselves off”. This isn’t just Paul’s word, it is also the word of God! Ha! There is still hope for me yet.

13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Oops. OK, what he just said is that if I cut that person off it would be an opportunity for the flesh. So when he wished they would cut themselves off, he was prohibiting himself from taking that action. It is OK to be the angry prophet like Jonah. It is OK to hate the things Nineveh and the King of Nineveh are doing. It is OK to wish they would cut themselves off. But, even so, we have been called to serve them in love.

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jonah in the Old Testament really struggled with that. It seems he was more concerned about the animals and the trees than about his neighbor. To be fair to him he did go to Nineveh, he did preach and they did repent. But, even at the very end God was still working on him over this last point, “to love your neighbor as yourself”. He was angry that the tree had died and now he had to suffer in the blasting heat without any shade, yet at the same time he is sitting there hoping God will rain fire on Nineveh to destroy them. That is not the same mind as Christ, the mind to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.

15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

Many people do not know what to think about Donald Trump. I think that this four years has been characterized by him “biting and devouring” many, many people. He insults a man who was a POW in the Vietnam war even though he himself dodged the draft. He insults the family of a man killed in the war. You could go on, and on, and on. Well, now, four years later we see him being consumed by books from Bolton who he fired and called an idiot and from his niece. He is being mocked on the internet. One person is lip synching his words, a comedian called Sarah Cohen, she does this on Tik Tok, and her mockery of him is consuming him. To me these last four years are a cautionary tale warning that if you bite and devour one another you need to beware lest you be consumed by one another.

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Again, using Trump as an illustration, it seems he has no filter. He says whatever is on his mind. Even though you walk in the Spirit you may also have similar thoughts, the difference is that you won’t fulfill them. Paul wished that those who were troubling you would cut themselves off, he had very similar thoughts to Trump. The difference is that Trump “cuts off” those who he thinks are troubling him, whereas Paul didn’t fulfill that lust.

17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

The more we walk by the Spirit the stronger our filter becomes, so that we don’t fulfill the lust of the flesh.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

This is like rat poop. You might have a hard time discerning a false prophet. But, if you see any of these things you know there is a false prophet. Our current political situation is filled with hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, and heresies. 4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4:1-3) There was a teacher selling candy and soda to raise money for a trip to Europe at my son’s school. The items she was selling were prohibited by the Chancellor. I brought the regulation to the attention of the principal because my son was eating this stuff and I could see the impact all the sugar had on him. The teacher was angry she couldn’t get what she wanted and the principal let it slip that this was because of me. That is hypocrisy, it was because of the Chancellor’s regulations which the principal and teacher had chosen to ignore. I would gladly give money for them not to sell anything, it is very disruptive to have kids skipping class every week to sell candy and soda. If they were clear where the money was going I suspect all the teachers would give them the money rather than have them selling junk food. They don’t have because they don’t ask and when they do ask they don’t receive because their motive is to spend it on their own pleasure. The same is true in politics. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (James 4:4) The authorities that exist are from God. If the chancellor’s regulation prohibits certain foods to be sold because they cause obesity and diabetes, well that is from God. These women have made themselves enemies of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Once I was hiking in the adirondack mountains. I wasn’t following a trail just enjoying the woods. I found an animal trail and followed it. I found some scat and realized it was from a big cat, a mountain lion. That night in my campsite this same mountain lion showed up and strongly expressed its displeasure at me following the trail. My point is we can “track” the Spirit. If you spot love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, or any of these you know you have found someone who is walking according to the Spirit. Someone who is Christ’s. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? (James 4:5a) Jealously! Brothers and sisters are flirting with the world? How shameful! Have a backbone. The Spirit God gave us does not make us timid. We have a promise Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. (James 4:5b) So stop allowing the enemies of God to push you around. What did God say to Job? 9 Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? Yes! The Spirit God has caused to dwell in us does have an arm like God, it does have a voice that can thunder like God. The church is that arm, the church is that voice! We are the Body of Christ! God longs that the spirit He has caused to dwell in us would be revealed, pulling down strongholds and everything that exalts itself against the name of God. 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (James 4:6) There are snipers on all the rooftops looking for pride and arrogance. We need God’s grace and we won’t get it if we are proud, or self righteous.

24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

This is very important. Satan takes on the appearance of an angel of light. So if you see the works of the flesh, you know it is a fleshly person who won’t inherit the kingdom. If you see the works of the Spirit you know it is a spiritual person who belongs to Christ. But, what if you see both? Then you know it is a deceitful person, like Satan, attempting to appear as an angel of light. 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) Many times when we are under attack we want to rebel. On the other hand if we do not respond we feel we are being subservient to the devil. The key is to “submit yourself to God” first. Whatever happens, take it as coming from the Lord. Submit to it, receive it as from the Lord. Then, if the Lord says to “resist the devil” do so.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Church is not someplace we go Sunday morning, it is who we are all week. Many people enjoy the church service because it is like pumping them full of air, they “live in the Spirit”. Well if that is the case, you need to also walk in the Spirit all week long. If that means standing up to Hitler, then do that. Stand fast, all week long, in the death of Christ. The woman who was fired because she refused to manipulate the data is an example of someone walking in the Spirit. Yes she got fired but she has credibility and only a few months later people trust her more than the governor and state. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. (James 4:8) If you are going to resist the devil there is one thing you have to do, nothing else is even remotely as important. Make sure you are standing with God. Think of yourself as the little lion cub and the Lord is the Lion. I hear the drums of war, where is God, let me get as close to Him as I can.

26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Becoming conceited is like milk becoming sour. Provoking one another and envying one another is the smell. Some have recently called for tearing down monuments to George Washington, the father of this nation. That is a provocative statement. Another person said that July 4th is a celebration of white supremacy. That is an envious statement. You have to be extremely conceited to make such statements. This is not faith working in love. You will become “sour” or bitter if you do not have the assurance of faith that these ones will bear their own judgement. The gospel message includes the call to repentance from sins. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:8b-9) Secondly, you may be rescuing a lamb from the wolves. But even if that is true don’t be self righteous. You are a sinner saved by grace. 11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? (James 4:11-12) One knee jerk reaction is to slander those who are giving you trouble. Jesus is Lord, not you. If you act as a judge you are usurping the Lord, the one who can save and destroy. Warfare is about balance, if you are usurping the Lord you are unbalanced.

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.

This book begins with Jesus rescuing us from this evil age and concludes with us being the ones to restore a person caught in sin. Paul was caught in sin when he was Saul of Tarsus and Ananias “restored him gently”. He was riding around the country seizing Christians and turning them over to the Jewish leaders to be tried and even stoned to death. He was blind, thinking he was serving the Lord when he didn’t even know who the Lord was. When the Lord healed him, laying His hands on him, Paul’s sight was restored and he saw the Body of Christ. Salvation comes to Israel when the Lord restores His people. Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. Ps. 80:3 This experience of Paul is similar to Abraham’s experience. Lot was living in Sodom, there was a war between the Kings in Sodom and the four kings led by Chedorlaomer. Lot was taken captive and Abraham pursued the kings and restored Lot and all he had. In this experience Paul would have been Lot, taken captive by these four kings representing this evil age, and Abraham would be represented by the Christians and Ananias. This experience is where we first see Melchizedek. That is, this is where Paul first sees Jesus. Abraham was one that “lived by the Spirit”, he “walked by faith”. If you are a son of Abraham, if you are one that walks by faith, one who lives by the Spirit, then you also should restore those who are caught by sin. That is the goal of the book of Galatians. We see the same thing with Peter. Think about his experience on the mount of transfiguration where he suggested building tabernacles to Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. God was very clear, “this is my beloved Son, hear Him!” That is the message of the book of Galatians. Jesus, as our Melchizedek is greater than Moses and the law. We have a superior covenant with Jesus, why would we want to insult Him by building a tabernacle to Moses?

But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

James was tempted. He had Paul make a Nazarite vow which included sacrificing a bull. Why would anyone choose to sacrifice a bull when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has been sacrificed for us? The book of James has the same burden as the book of Galatians. He is writing to “the twelve tribes in the dispersion”. Why are they scattered? Is it because they have been carried off by this evil age? James concludes 5:19 My brethren, if any among you err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 let him know, that he who converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins. The book of James is an example of a man who is spiritual, restoring those who have wandered from the truth. He restores them gently and there are several indications that he is fully aware that he also might be tempted James 3:1 Be not many of you teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment. How many Christians have missed this point? If someone is caught in a sin our response should be to restore them gently. Nelson Mandela is an excellent example of this. When he became president of South Africa there were many people who had been “caught in a sin”. He restored them “gently”. That response had a big impact on the peaceful transition, the number of people who repented, and the lack of support for any who still favored apartheid. Compare the recent protests we have seen with the Black Lives Movement. Both are demanding justice, both are asking “how long?” But watching the Black Lives Movement is like watching a person who has epilepsy. Luke 9:39 and behold, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth, and it hardly departeth from him, bruising him sorely. One minute they are protesting according to righteousness, the next minute there is rioting and looting. One minute they are making the case that you can’t simply be non racist, you must be anti racist. The next minute some are expressing racist sentiments. This is clearly the offspring of the civil rights movement, but they appear demon possessed. And it bruises them sore. They destroy businesses and people who were the very people they were seeking justice for. Why? Because they are faithless and because they have been influenced by a crooked and perverse generation. Luke 9:41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,”Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? It takes faith to defeat the four kings that Abraham defeated. Rioting, looting and racists remarks are all a result of a lack of faith and having been corrupted by this perverse generation. The only way to remove the stony hearts and replace it with a heart of flesh is by prayer.

2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

This is the standard by which we will be judged, did we “fulfill the law of Christ”? James refers to this as “the perfect law that gives freedom”. It is the royal law to “love your neighbor as yourself”, if you do that you “are doing right”. James said to “speak and act as those that will be judged by the law that gives freedom”. To carry each other's burdens is to serve one another, this is the example the Lord gave us before He was crucified. Guilt can be like a burden that is too heavy to bear. Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Ps. 68:19 Paul said he was “less than the least of all saints” yet they welcomed him into the fellowship and gave him the full assurance that he had been forgiven of his sins through the blood of Christ. Peter, Paul and James all were restored from their sins and they then went on to carry our burdens. Paul gave us the vision of the body of Christ, James helped those who had wandered from the truth and become scattered. Luke 9:44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it. This battle is a relay race. Mandela was imprisoned for many years, he was delivered into the hands of man, and others had to carry the burden during that time. Gandhi was ultimately martyred and others had to carry the burden, Martin Luther King Jr was martyred and others had to carry the burden.

3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.

Saul’s name was changed to Paul which means “small”. Paul referred to this when he said that we should not become conceited, provoking one another and envying one another. In England they tore down one statue, threw it in the sea, and then put up their own statue of one of the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement. Others want statues of Columbus, George Washington, and Lincoln torn down. These actions are provocative, and demonstrate envy. These are actions of people who are conceited and think they are something. People who are conceited are not willing to become a servant of all. The Lord said that in the evil age people want to be served, but in His kingdom if you want to be something you must serve others. So, if you are unwilling to carry each other’s burdens because you think you are something, you are deceiving yourself, only those who are servants of all are anything in the kingdom. You need to have the mind of Christ who humbled Himself to become a servant. Luke 9:46 And there arose a reasoning among them, which of them was the greatest. 47 But when Jesus saw the reasoning of their heart, he took a little child, and set him by his side, 48 and said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this little child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same is great. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Nelson Mandela, he was great. He wasn’t conceited, he didn’t provoke, he didn’t envy. Gandhi, he was great, he also became “least among you”.

4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load.

The word for “load” is different in verse 2 and verse 5. In verse 2 we are a corporate body concerned about each member, in verse 5 we will all have to answer for our actions to the Lord. We will all appear before the Lord to answer what we have done with the gifts the Lord has given us, we will all be held accountable for our own actions. If your gift is to encourage others, then we will see that in your actions of encouragement. Whatever your gift it will be manifested in how you ministered to others, how you carried each other’s burdens. Luke 9:49 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out demons in thy name; and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us. 50 But Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against you is for you. Black Lives Matter is not the only one casting out demons from this evil age. Abortion is an evil, destruction of the Amazon rainforest is an evil, cruel treatment of animals is an evil. We each need to carry our load. I am working to overcome the implicit bias in the school system. To level the playing field for inner city youths, especially young men of color. We need to each take up the burden that the Lord has given us.

6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

Our gift grows and is manifested as we grow in the Lord. This is a process of fellowship in the word. Regardless of who you are and what your gift is, you received instruction in the word, you received the milk of the word and you grew thereby. None of us is independent.

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.

Zephaniah 2:10 This is what they will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the Lord Almighty. 11 The Lord will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the earth. Distant nations will bow down to him, all of them in their own lands. This is the heart of all those who are faithless. They think God can be mocked. They have been deceived. Putting statues of confederate leaders up in the public square after they lost the Civil War, that is mockery. It is pride, it is insulting and it is mocking the people of the Lord. So then, God will be just when He is awesome to them and destroys all the gods of the earth. Distant nations are taking notice of what is happening in the US. So don’t be faithless, don’t be deceived, don’t be influenced by this crooked and evil age.

A man reaps what he sows.

We are seeing people get fired left and right for things they say and things they do. Why don’t they wise up? They can’t. They have sown these seeds already, they have grown up in their heart, it is what it is. They can’t hide it, instead it is being shouted to the whole world using Youtube, etc.

8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Jesus' death was likened to a grain of wheat being sown into the ground. Jesus sowed unto the Spirit and He is reaping the church. We are the firstfruits of the Spirit. Likewise Judas, the Jewish leaders and the Roman leaders sowed unto the flesh when they crucified Jesus using false testimonies and a monkey trial. Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken. Proverbs 22:8 It was injustice and they will reap destruction. The rod that they used to crucify Jesus was broken. No stone was left upon a stone. Right now we are witnessing the world reaping destruction. This is an evil age, we are surrounded by liars who defraud and abuse others. In the last six months they estimate the world’s economy has lost $12 trillion. Those who have been sowing to the flesh have just seen it go up in smoke, a burnt offering to the Lord. Our inheritance is not something that can be stolen, it is kept safe for us in the heavens. Our inheritance is eternal, weighty and glorious.

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

There are many indications that those in the Black Lives movement have become “weary”. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Psalms 119:28 The word of God strengthens us to sow unto the Spirit and to not give up. There are plenty of indications that the Civil Rights movement will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Jackie Robinson was an indication that the racist wall in professional sports would fall, since then it is safe to say that there has been a harvest of professional athletes who are minorities. Still there is a lack of minorities who are NFL coaches, so there is still more to do. Carl Burton Stokes was an indication that the racist wall in political life was going to fall, since then Barack Obama and many other high ranking officials can be viewed as a harvest. There are many other examples, but the fact is it is hard work to remove the stones and thorns from men’s hearts. Let us not become weary in doing this good work and we will reap a harvest at the proper time. This expression the “proper time” or “due season” is the same expression used in Matthew 24:45 concerning servants “give them their food in due season”. It is also the same as Romans 5:6 that Christ died in due season. All these things are done in “due season”, Jesus Christ is sown into the ground as a grain of wheat, the brothers and sisters have been fed the word of God and there will also be a season in which we reap. This is why verse six talks about the fellowship with those who instruct us in the word of God. The age of Grace is the age in which we are fed and nourished in the word of God. The end of this age is the season in which we will reap.

10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

Paul put his “John Hancock” on this document. John Hancock wrote his name especially large on the Declaration of Independence because he wanted to make sure King George could see it. The document was an act of treason and all those who put their names on it could be executed for treason. It was a courageous act to sign that, and to do it in such large letters was unambiguous. There were many who were trying to straddle the fence; present the Christian gospel while also pleasing the Judaizers. Paul made it clear in this letter there is no compromise on this issue. The book of Galatians is the “Declaration of Independence” for the church.

12 Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.

Some of the Christians wanted to avoid persecution. If we can say that everyone we baptized also got circumcised we can boast to these Judaizers that we are spreading the gospel of the Old Testament. What they are really doing is avoiding being persecuted for the Cross of Christ. The Old covenant was enacted with the blood of bulls and goats, the new covenant was enacted with the Lord’s blood. It is the same with all these protests. Which is more important, having a big crowd that impresses people, or doing good to all people as we have opportunity? In India the British were trying to tax the people. Everyone needed salt, this was at a time before they had widespread refrigeration. So they instituted a salt tax. You could get a big protest, you could get millions of signatures, you could try to change that law that way. But what Gandhi did was to walk to the sea, and pick up a little salt from the seashore. Very simple little protest to say “we don’t need you to give us salt”. Of course it was 240 miles from his home to the seashore and he walked there and back, so altogether more like 500 miles. That is what it means to be “persecuted for the cross of Christ”. Gandhi picked up his cross and followed the Lord, walking 500 miles to make a very simple point, “we don’t need you to give us salt”. Likewise the British wanted to get the raw materials from India, send them to England where factories would make clothes and then ship them back to sell in India. Gandhi got a portable spinning wheel, spun thread and made his own clothes. Again, his point was “we don’t need you to make our clothes”. He didn’t make a big show to impress people, instead he was persecuted for the cross of Christ and that was a powerful word. After the mortgage crisis the government bailed out the banks because “they were too big to fail”. What we need to do is take up the cross and make a clear statement “we don’t need the banks”. These bankers knowingly defrauded millions of Americans out of their homes. They violated their fiduciary responsibilities, they deceived these people and they mocked the people of God. Then to add insult to injury they took money from the taxpayers and gave it to the crooks so that they could continue to give themselves million dollar bonuses. Be courageous like Abraham, Lot has been taken captive by the rulers of this evil age, we need to restore him. We need to say “we don’t need these crooks”. The Black Lives Matter movement is calling to “defund the police department”. We are the taxpayers, the police need to serve and protect us. If they don’t we don’t need them, we can hire someone else to do this. There are laws and unions that protect the police, even when they abuse their position. The simplest way to deal with that is to defund the entire department and bring in different people to “serve and protect”. Do you think the clothes that people made were better than the clothes that the textile mills in England made? In many cases, if not most cases, probably not. But if they bought the clothes from England they would continue to be subservient to England, if they made the clothes themselves then they were declaring their independence. Why do you think the police protect and serve people in the suburbs? Because the people in the suburbs have made it clear to the police who they are working for. What these recent BLM protests say to me is that the police in the inner cities need to know who they are protecting and serving. They do not seem to understand that and defunding a few police departments should help them understand.

13 Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh.

Think about this, circumcision is a sign, just like a wedding ring is a sign, of the covenant. If you wear a wedding ring it signifies much more than simply putting on a little jewelry. But these people who were pushing the Gentiles to be circumcised had no intention of keeping all the law, just the circumcision. That is reprehensible just as much as a woman who wears a wedding ring without any intention of being faithful to all that this implies. I saw a video of a protestor try to deface a statue of Columbus only to be surrounded by a crowd of elderly Italians. Immediately he starts crying out for the police. The crowd then mocked him “oh, now you want the police”. You can’t have it both ways, that is hypocrisy. If the police are abusive, they aren’t serving you, they aren’t protecting you, then you need to act. If it turns out that the majority of people in that city agree, defund the police and hire different people to “protect and serve”.

14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Our covenant is with Jesus Christ, and the sign of that covenant is the cross of Christ, and through that cross the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. The cross is extreme. Do you really need to die, can’t we compromise? Nelson Mandela was extreme. His demand for justice was extreme and his forgiveness was extreme. Gandhi was extreme. When he said “we don’t need you” it was extreme. But his non violence was also extreme, even in the face of horrible atrocities.

15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.

What counts is the new creation! Jew and Gentile, male and female, Greek or Sythian, none of these count, what counts is that I am a child of God.

16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.

I am a child of God and I am being transformed into the prince of God, the body of Christ, the church.

17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

The tribulations that we are suffering are filling up the lack, the marks you have received become the marks of Jesus. This is our covenant, Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. Together we are the vine tree.

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.


Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” 18 “I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you. 19 At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. 20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.