Springhill Church

Series: Galatians

  • Galatians – Part 6

    Don’t Give Up – Don’t Quit!

    (Galatians 6:7-9 NIV) Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (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. (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.

    HELP, I’M TIRED!
    • The comparison trap

    (Galatians 6:4-5 NLT) 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. (5) For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

    (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, (2) fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

    • Trying to please everyone.

    (Proverbs 29:25 MSG) The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in GOD protects you from that.

    • Things are not happening when we want them to.

    (Galatians 6:9 AMP) And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.

    (Galatians 4:4 NLT) But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

    • Becoming inwardly focused.

    (Galatians 6:9-10 NLT) (9) 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. (10) Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone–especially to those in the family of faith.

    I WON’T QUIT! 

    When you think about quitting, ask yourself why you started!

    1. God always does the right thing!

    We must learn about God’s character and then learn to trust it.

    (Deuteronomy 32:4 GNB) “The LORD is your mighty defender, perfect and just in all his ways; Your God is faithful and true; he does what is right and fair.

    (2 Peter 3:9 NLT) The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake…

    1. God is always faithful!

    (Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT) Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes His unfailing love on those who love Him and obey His commands.

    (Psalms 89:8 MSG) GOD of the Angel Armies, who is like you, powerful and faithful from every angle?

    (1 Thessalonians 5:24 MSG) The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!

    1. You are closer to victory than you think! 

    “It is always too soon to quit!” (Raymond Edman) 

    (Romans 13:11 NIV) And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

    (Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT) So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! (36) Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.

  • Galatians – Part 5

    We Are Free!

    (Galatians 5:1-4 NIV)  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  (2)  Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.  (3)  Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.  (4)  You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

     (Romans 6:14 NIV)  For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

    (1 Corinthians 15:55-57 NIV) (55)  “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”  (56)  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  (57)  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

    1. Freedom never comes from OUR struggle.

    Whatever you focus on, you move towards.

    1. Freedom never comes from guilt and  condemnation.

    (Romans 7:15-20) NLT  I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.  (16)  But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good.  (17)  So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.  (18)  And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.  (19)  I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.  (20)  But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

    People who are under guilt and condemnation are doomed to stay in bondage!

    (Romans 8:1-2 NLT)  So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  (2)  And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

    (John 8:1-11 NIV)  but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  (2)  At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.  (3)  The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group  (4)  and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  (5)  In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”  (6)  They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.  (7)  When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  (8)  Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  (9)  At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  (10)  Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”  (11)  “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

    Jesus still does this today!

     (Hebrews 4:15-16 NIV)  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin.  (16)  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

    1. Freedom comes only from God’s grace.

    (Romans 5:20 MSG)  All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down.

    Sin does not stop God’s grace from flowing, but God’s grace will stop sin.

    (Romans 5:20-21 NLT)  God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.  (21)  So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

    (Romans 6:15 NLT)  Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!

    Translation of Romans 5:20: “For wherever sin exists in abundance and is multiplying and constantly expanding, that is precisely the time and place where grace is poured out in far greater and surpassing quantity.”