Experiencing the Grace (2)

Sermon series based on the Letter to the Galatians (III)

Galatians 3

We read strange signs in front of churches:

“Walmart is not the only saving place.”

“There are some questions that cannot be answered by Google”

“Artificial intelligence is not a match for natural stupidity”

“Salvation guaranteed- or your sins cheerfully refunded”

Well, the Galatian churches missed the point. They preached that Salvation was earned. Paul wrote to them, “Did you lose your mind?” What happened to you? How did you receive the Holy Spirit? By observing the law?

No, of course not. When we read in Acts and in 1 Corinthians we see that most churches had received the Holy Spirit and they were practicing the gifts of the Spirit. They were speaking in tongues and experienced healings and miracles. Paul who was the founder of these churches challenged them and reminded them of their beginnings. “How did you receive the Spirit? It was through your works? By being “good” people?” he asked.

2. My Second point is this. By faith you receive God’s Spirit, not by laws or works.

Let me illustrate what it means to live by faith and receive the Spirit of God.

There are two ways to sail. One is called a rowboat and the other sailboat. Rowboats depend on the human effort to go forward. Sailboats need the power of wind. In spiritual life, the sailboat is the model. When sails are raised, the wind moves the boat. Similarly, when we live in faith the undying power of the wind, (the Holy Spirit) moves the “boat.”

“I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? ³Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? ⁴Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? ⁵Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?” (2-5)

So examine yourself. Whatever miracles happened among you are not a result of obeying the law. It is that you heard the message, and you believed in Jesus Christ. We received the Spirit through faith and not the law.

Some of us have difficulty in believing that miracles can happen today. They say it was common experience those days, not today.

I disagree with this statement. I am not a show man. I don’t make miracle shows to you. But I know and some of you know also that God is the same God and does miracles in us today.

Let me make an important statement: God is willing to work miracles in our lives if we are willing to put our faith in Him.

I have seen miracles happen in my life and in life of the churches I served. God is faithful. God keeps His promises. God answers prayers, according to His will.

When I look back, I see that God performed miracles mostly in other people’s lives. (I believe God performs miracles in our lives also.) If you are praying only for miracles to happen in your life, something is wrong.

-One of my favorite times in our church bible studies is when we pray for each other. All of our Bible studies, Monday night, Wednesday night, San Jose coffee time, all of our ministries believe in praying for each other. That is wonderful, and I hear stories of how God is answering us. I hear stories of how God is shaping us.

-Just the day when I was preparing my sermons, a letter came from Elam ministry, which is a ministry to Iran. (Some of you pray for this ministry). Lately the persecution of Christians in Iran is accelerating. One of the Christian converts was questioned by an officer for bringing in New Testaments. (It is forbidden to bring Bibles into Iran.) This Christian was praying silently: “When the Spirit of God is on me, I will preach as Paul preached.”

This brave Christian offered a New Testament to the officer. God gave him the power to do it. The man said, “I want to read it, but don’t you see there are cameras all over. I am afraid to take it.” The Christian fellow laid a copy of the NT on the ground so the official could pick it up later.

Are you looking for miracles to happen in your life? Look for opportunities to be the miracle in someone’s life.

This is one of the ways God demonstrates His power in this world. There is power in prayer. There is also God’s power in obeying whatever God wants you to do. Look to opportunities.

One of the young people who came from Armenia said to her family that she will collect shoes and clothes and send them to the children who she met. She will be the woman through whom God will do miracles for all these people.

Paul is saying the faith you have in Jesus Christ gives you the Spirit of God so you can see God’s miracles performed in your life. This is done through faith and not through laws.

3. Through Faith in Jesus ALL NATIONS will be blessed.

“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, ²⁷for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (27-29)

This promise is not just for one nation. Abraham was blessed so the Seed, (Jesus Christ) will come and be a blessing to all nations. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ (vs 16).

This transcends culture, this transcends color, this transcends social class. With Jesus, and by having faith in him there is no Armenian, American, Middle Eastern, Hayasdantzi, and so on. Jesus brings us together. What a wonderful concept.

How do we end this sermon? Let us conclude. Well, for three Sundays we are hearing the power of faith. This Sunday my title is EXPERINCE the GRACE.

Yes, experience. On one hand, the law is firm. The wages of sin is death. On the other hand, God who loved the world and His creation took on His shoulders this punishment and sent His Son. This is Grace.

I will finish with this illustration:

-Fiorello LaGuardia was mayor of NY City during the worst days of the Great Depression. One bitterly cold night in January 1935, the mayor dismissed the judge and took over the bench to take care of the cases. After some time the police brought an aged grandmother for stealing a loaf of bread. The grandmother explained the reason for stealing the bread. Her son-in-law escaped home. Her daughter who had two kids was she extremely sick. She had to find bread for these starving children.”

The mayor was silent. He looked at the woman and said. “I’ve got to punish you. The law makes no exception- ten dollars or ten days in jail.” Then the mayor reached to his pocket and took out a ten-dollar bill and said: “Here is the ten dollar fine. and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat.” He did collect that day $47.50 and gave the fine and rest to the grandmother. (Brennan Manning, The Ragmuffin Gospel, Multnomah, 1990, pp. 91-2).

You see God did exactly the same thing. God knew that the “law” is not enough. The wages of sin is death, eternal death. We cannot change it. God can. He did. He sent His Son. The cross is the center of our preaching. The cross and resurrection of Jesus is where our salvation starts.

We will end this worship by approaching to the Table that our Lord Jesus Christ prepared. We will sing a song called “Megheroves Der”

Let us come to the table with broken hearts, ready to receive the Grace.