GOD’S RESCUE PLAN
November 21, 2021
Pastor Kat and Mike Nagamine
THE INTRO
Last week we started in Galatians 3 and learned more about the incredible promises we have in Christ. We are all called to live a life with genuine and living faith. That faith should reflect in how we think and what we do every moment of the day. Paul also reminds us that God gave us a promise in the Holy Spirit who both advocates on our behalf and leads us as we navigate through life.
This week, we end our journey through Galatians so that week can begin our Advent series leading up to Christmas. This moment in Galatians perfectly launches us into a season of celebrating the birth of Jesus, as Paul reminds us why this child is the foundation of everything we believe. Without Jesus, there is no promise, no salvation, and no victory over death.
THE TEXT
The Law and God’s Promise
Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life.
Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement,
so it is in this case. God gave the promises to Abraham and his child.
And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,”
as if it meant many descendants.
Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ.
This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses.
God would be breaking His promise.
For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law,
then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise.
But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.
Why, then, was the law given?
It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins.
But the law was designed to last only until the coming
of the child who was promised.
God gave His law through angels to Moses,
who was the mediator between God and the people.
Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement.
But God, who is one, did not use a mediator
when He gave His promise to Abraham.
Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises?
Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life,
we could be made right with God by obeying it.
But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin,
so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. —Galatians 3:15-22 NLT
THE TALK
• GOD PLANNED AND PROMISED OUR SALVATION FROM THE BEGINNING.
• From His promise to Abraham, to the Law of Moses, to the death and resurrection of Jesus, God had each step planned.
I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” —Genesis 12:2-3
Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. —Ephesians 2:11-13
He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses He carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed Him down.
And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for His own sins!
But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all. —Isaiah 53: 3-6 NLT
• GOD DID ALL THIS TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH US
• The covenant was God’s promise to us, but it also foreshadowed Jesus
• The law showed us what offended God and that we needed a Savior
• Finally, God sent Jesus to save us. He fulfilled His rescue plan.
Since we have been united with Him in his death, we will also be raised to life as He was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When He died, He died once to break the power of sin. But now that He lives, He lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. —Romans 6:5-11 NLT
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” —John 3: 16-17 NLT
• GOD CONTINUES TO MAKE A WAY WHERE THERE IS NO WAY
• We can be confident in our trials because the same God who gave us salvation continues to work on our behalf.
• Because of salvation, we get to share in the same blessing and inheritance as Christ.
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” —1 Peter 1:3-7
THE APPLICATION
1) Continue to share the Gospel with others because we know that is the only way to salvation.
2) Invite others to your small group and Christmas service.
CLOSING PRAYER [Read together]
The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display His craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
Night after night they make Him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
Their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
And their words to all the world.
God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.
The sun rises at one end of the heavens
And follows its course to the other end.
Nothing can hide from its heat.
The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
Reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
Making wise the simple.
The commandments of the Lord are right,
Bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
Giving insight for living.
Reverence for the Lord is pure,
Lasting forever.
The laws of the Lord are true;
Each one is fair.
They are more desirable than gold,
Even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
Even honey dripping from the comb.
They are a warning to your servant,
A great reward for those who obey them.
How can I know allme from these hidden faults.
Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
And innocent of great sin.
May the words of my mouth
And the meditation of my heart
Be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. —Psalm 19
IN PERSON GATHERING
Sundays, 10am
Ala Moana Beach Park, Keyhole [Next to tennis courts]
