back to indexBerean Community Church Wednesday Bible Study Galatians 4:1-7
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For those of you guys who are either by the door, 00:16:01.160 |
It's really exciting to see all of you guys here. 00:16:05.160 |
The room is so full and ready to study together. 00:16:10.160 |
So per our usual just setup and schedule for the evening, 00:16:14.160 |
we'll have our time of worship and then go straight 00:16:19.160 |
Would you please join with me as we take a moment to pray 00:16:24.160 |
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your grace. 00:16:32.160 |
and the provision you grant to us every single day. 00:16:38.160 |
that we would receive strength and nourishment 00:16:44.160 |
to fellowship in this way, to dig through the scriptures, 00:16:49.160 |
and I pray that it would be so fruitful to us. 00:16:52.160 |
And God, as you see the church coming together 00:16:55.160 |
over your truths, I pray, God, that you would be pleased 00:16:58.160 |
and that all that we do is honoring to you, God. 00:17:44.160 |
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled. 00:23:40.160 |
You rose, you rose, the grave and death are conquered, 00:24:20.160 |
Heavenly Father, God, we praise you because you are our rock and our redeemer. 00:24:28.160 |
Lord, you sent your Son to redeem us from our sin. 00:24:40.160 |
And we thank you for the love and the grace that you showed to us on the cross. 00:24:44.160 |
Lord, I pray that as we jump back into Galatians, 00:24:53.160 |
and God, strengthen us to apply it into our lives, 00:25:19.160 |
Well, we're going to go right into our time of sharing and discussion. 00:25:23.160 |
Since it is the first one for this second half, 00:25:26.160 |
please do talk a bit about what are the major themes and movements that you saw. 00:25:31.160 |
But then go ahead and talk about the observations and questions you made 01:13:09.360 |
As you guys are getting situated, that right there up top is my cell phone number. 01:13:18.360 |
If as we are studying the passage you have questions about the text, 01:13:24.360 |
there's a theological concept that's coming out that you're curious about, 01:13:30.360 |
you can text me directly and after the main teaching portion, 01:13:35.360 |
I'll go ahead and answer some of the questions that you guys may have. 01:13:39.360 |
If it's a complicated question and it's difficult for you to text it, 01:13:43.360 |
just raise your hand and I'm going to give an opportunity for you to just ask it 01:13:50.360 |
Well, let's take a moment to pray and then jump into the review of the passage 01:13:57.360 |
that we just discussed, okay? Let's pray together. 01:13:59.360 |
Lord, sometimes God, as we study, you remind us of the treasure of the gospel 01:14:08.360 |
in different imageries and in different light. 01:14:12.360 |
Sometimes in case in such a short passage, but to our hearts, Lord God, 01:14:17.360 |
what an encouragement, how we're edified, God, by seeing your love executed over time, 01:14:26.360 |
overcoming all kinds of difficulties with your power in my exercise in Christ for our benefit. 01:14:33.360 |
So as we meditate and think about it tonight, Lord, we just want to thank you 01:14:37.360 |
and pray for a fruitful time of study. It's in Christ's name. Amen. 01:14:42.360 |
Okay. What I'd like to do first is since we are starting this series, 01:14:55.360 |
Before we do a review, I want to ask the question, easy toss-up softball question. 01:14:59.360 |
Anybody, especially right up here in the front. 01:15:02.360 |
What was the tone of chapters one through three that we studied last session? 01:15:06.360 |
What was the tone? Anyone, anyone? Daniel, sitting right in front of me. 01:15:26.360 |
Good. Okay. Good. He said there was rebuking. 01:15:30.360 |
There was some explaining, an explanation of how, like, you know, 01:15:34.360 |
they were acting and what implications that has. 01:15:37.360 |
So in many ways, yeah, actually the way I would like to summarize it is 01:15:45.360 |
And actually, when you think about, you know, 01:15:51.360 |
he would ask all these questions that were very rhetorical, like, 01:15:54.360 |
"And do you remember how this worked?" Right? 01:15:59.360 |
And then a lot of it was, "What are you doing?" 01:16:02.360 |
"And what are you allowing the Judaizers to do?" 01:16:05.360 |
A portion of the text that was important as right at the get-go was 01:16:13.360 |
"I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him." 01:16:18.360 |
"Who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel, 01:16:26.360 |
and wanting to distort the gospel of Christ." 01:16:28.360 |
Schemes of the devil that we should be aware of. 01:16:31.360 |
People who will discourage, disturb, cause us to wonder, like, 01:16:36.360 |
"Am I really a Christian? Do I need to do more?" 01:16:40.360 |
He would distort not always this radical falsehood, 01:16:46.360 |
Verse 8, "But even if we or an angel from heaven 01:16:49.360 |
should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, 01:16:58.360 |
if any man is preaching to a gospel contrary to what you received, 01:17:09.360 |
it was very, very convicting for us in our last session 01:17:11.360 |
that we were challenged there has to be a level 01:17:14.360 |
of faithfulness and accuracy to the gospel of Christ, amen? 01:17:19.360 |
There has to be a level of faithfulness and accuracy 01:17:24.360 |
It is our job and duty to make sure that we're digging and studying 01:17:31.360 |
And yes, maybe there are those who will actually 01:17:37.360 |
Actually, I feel like the way that we're discouraged 01:17:38.360 |
is people saying, "Why do you study the Bible so much? 01:17:41.360 |
It's like you idolize the Bible and not Jesus. 01:17:44.360 |
Oh my gosh, you're all about accuracy and make it biblical. 01:17:52.360 |
I feel like to us, it's like a weird perversion that way to us. 01:17:55.360 |
And maybe some of them are accusing you like, 01:17:58.360 |
"I bet your pastor is talking all cultish and preparing you like, 01:18:03.360 |
oh, you know, you're going to be persecuted by this and that 01:18:07.360 |
But actually for us, the accuracy and hanging on every word of Jesus 01:18:15.360 |
It's our appreciation that what God has given to us in the gospel 01:18:20.360 |
is something that we will dare not pervert, amen? 01:18:23.360 |
So with that said, Apostle Paul talking about how important 01:18:28.360 |
the message is, went on a long kind of rehearsing 01:18:33.360 |
of his journey, of the way that he got his message. 01:18:36.360 |
And he said, "You know my life. You know my message. 01:18:38.360 |
You know my ministry. You know where I've been. 01:18:59.360 |
And that was a big portion of the text that we studied. 01:19:05.360 |
that not by law, but justification is by Christ, by the Spirit. 01:19:11.360 |
And here we get the passage in Galatians 2, 19 through 21, 01:19:16.360 |
which probably a lot of you have devoted to memory. 01:19:51.360 |
And then we left off here in chapter 3, verse 22 to 29, 01:19:58.360 |
where it says, "But the scripture has shut up everyone under sin, 01:20:12.360 |
It says, "No, we were kept in custody under the law, 01:20:14.360 |
being shut up to the faith, which was later to be revealed. 01:20:29.360 |
for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." 01:20:33.360 |
That was the last portion that we studied in the previous text. 01:20:37.360 |
Then looking forward, in preview of chapters 5 through 6, 01:20:47.360 |
How do you feel like the latter half reads in terms of tone? 01:20:57.360 |
I'm going to pick on the tables right in the front row, okay? 01:21:23.360 |
I would say maybe more on the encouraging side. 01:21:33.360 |
was a whole lot of, "Man, I fear that I've labored in vain." 01:21:39.360 |
There was a lot of pleading, a lot of begging. 01:21:50.360 |
Where is your celebration, knowing what you have? 01:21:53.360 |
And then he even says, "I'm perplexed by you," right? 01:22:01.360 |
It's a little bit of more of that kind of rebuking, 01:22:18.360 |
There's a lot of arguments within the text, yes? 01:22:20.360 |
And so I want you to know that as a preview of what's to come, 01:22:25.360 |
actually one-third of what we'll study this session 01:22:28.360 |
is going to still sound heavy doctrine and heavy argumentative, 01:22:43.360 |
And I'm going to comment on that a little bit later. 01:22:47.360 |
I'm actually giving you a little bit of the... 01:22:49.360 |
Also, I'll post, just like Pastor Peter Chung did, 01:23:01.360 |
And then he starts asking, "So what's going on?" 01:23:32.360 |
he'll give the challenges of what that all means 01:23:37.360 |
that as we're not under the law but rather free, 01:23:50.360 |
because there is this closing few little lines 01:23:54.360 |
where he just ends with a crazy, crazy mic drop 01:24:40.360 |
And then he points to your spirituality, you too. 01:24:56.360 |
And it's all supposed to be studied together. 01:24:59.360 |
But for the sake of our own diving and digging, 01:25:04.360 |
But the push here is you are no longer slaves, 01:32:29.360 |
within little playgrounds, they're bossy kids. 01:33:29.360 |
but one of the things I want to highlight is, 01:33:32.360 |
so this has been going on since the fall, okay? 01:33:51.360 |
in this passage, starting from verse three to five, 01:33:56.360 |
about this big, encapsulated gospel teaching? 01:34:10.360 |
God sent his son so that we would be redeemed. 01:34:38.360 |
he can fulfill its requirements for righteousness, 01:37:40.360 |
I have this long-waited revelation of Christ, 01:37:46.360 |
That guy said we still have to be circumcised. 01:38:17.360 |
We should meditate on how God feels about that, 01:39:36.360 |
we receive the Spirit of Jesus in our hearts, 01:39:50.360 |
a deep, deep explanation that needs to happen 01:40:00.360 |
meaning you are going to receive God's blessing. 01:42:54.360 |
before he even gets a chance to say anything, 01:43:20.360 |
"I'll clean the bathroom with the toothbrush. 01:43:46.360 |
if any of you guys do actually struggle with, 01:45:21.360 |
Please make sure that this, to you, is assured. 01:45:27.360 |
"For you have not received the spirit of slavery, 01:45:31.360 |
"but you have received the spirit of adoption, 01:45:36.360 |
"The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit 01:45:50.360 |
So we have this great, great truth for us today. 01:45:54.360 |
you have people who are essentially being swayed to think, 01:45:58.360 |
"Maybe if I just keep going with the crowd, I'll be saved. 01:46:01.360 |
"Oh shoot, do I need to do something with my body? 01:46:04.360 |
"Oh shoot, do I need to keep the laws and wash my hands? 01:46:09.360 |
"Oh my gosh, can I fellowship with those people? 01:46:19.360 |
"Why are you looking to these rules, policies, 01:46:23.360 |
"to make you feel like you're secure in Christ? 01:46:32.360 |
Heavenly Father, I pray that we would have conviction 01:46:54.360 |
God, there is no blessing like having somebody 01:47:02.360 |
perfect grace, perfect strength, perfect holiness, 01:47:10.360 |
And so I pray, God, that our hearts are encouraged, 01:47:24.360 |
God, that they weigh nothing to us because of you. 01:47:37.360 |
today, in some sense, the passage was pretty simple 01:47:40.360 |
because it, again, encapsulated gospel message 01:48:04.360 |
But we will offer it again at the beginning of, 01:48:22.360 |
any other questions that you guys have for the passage? 01:48:25.360 |
I think this was a pretty straightforward passage, etc. 01:48:33.360 |
here, actually, I was going to move this to the end. 01:48:36.360 |
Pastor Peter Chung just has some announcements for us, 01:48:43.360 |
And then we'll post the discussion questions up 01:49:13.360 |
we have more people in small group and home group 01:49:25.360 |
if your attendance or your preparation is shoddy, 01:49:35.360 |
week after week after week after week after week 01:49:40.360 |
So this is something that is part of the membership covenant. 01:49:53.360 |
there are people that are waiting for that spot. 01:50:03.360 |
Okay, remember the idea is you're coming to share 01:50:10.360 |
we want you to learn how to do it on your own, okay? 01:50:33.360 |
just the holiness that is required of the men of God, okay? 01:50:41.360 |
and are not faithful stewards of your time, all right? 01:50:49.360 |
because a lot of times, like, the line goes out the door 01:51:02.360 |
And we're gonna cater from Panda Express, okay? 01:51:05.360 |
We're gonna have orange chicken and broccoli, 01:51:08.360 |
So please take a moment to do this right now if you can, okay? 01:51:15.360 |
'Cause logistically, if you've ever done logistics, 01:51:18.360 |
people signing up at the end, it's always hard, okay? 01:51:22.360 |
So just in consideration of the people putting this together, 01:51:36.360 |
we're gonna try to do this either, like, three times a week, 01:51:43.360 |
There's a lot of, like, wear and tear in our church, 01:51:47.360 |
a lot of things that need to be regularly cleaned 01:51:51.360 |
So we're gonna have our first one of the year on March 9th, 01:51:54.360 |
and we're gonna try to make sure the sanctuary is spotless, 01:51:58.360 |
and we're gonna try to organize the church a little bit. 01:52:03.360 |
please join us and help beautify our campus, okay? 01:52:12.360 |
So here's a couple very important announcements. 01:52:15.360 |
We've been told that there are either just homeless people 01:52:30.360 |
And the last thing I want is to have one of our sisters 01:52:34.360 |
having to walk far away and get freaked out, okay? 01:52:38.360 |
So if you are a brother and you parked either in this lot 01:53:02.360 |
I'm gonna give you the persecution eyes of death, okay? 01:53:05.360 |
So please don't park, and if you're gonna come early, 01:53:09.360 |
you can't park in those lots until I think after 5 o'clock. 01:53:13.360 |
But if you guys can, park farther away, get your steps in, 01:53:17.360 |
and for safety reasons, leave the closer ones for the sisters. 01:53:21.360 |
We're not allowed to park in this lot, that's right here, 01:53:31.360 |
But please, there are people that are a little bit unnerving 01:53:38.360 |
So please do, just for the sake of the sisters. 01:53:41.360 |
And the last thing is, the BAM winter retreat, 01:53:50.360 |
and then the youth group, they're all going on a retreat, 01:53:53.360 |
and then the BAM, we've got it two weeks later. 01:53:56.360 |
So please keep that in prayer as well, all right? 01:53:58.360 |
Thank you, that's enough, that's all the announcements.