OT: “Indeed, a king will reign righteously, and rulers will rule justly. Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the rain, like flowing streams in a dry land and the shade of a massive rock in an arid land. Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The reckless mind will gain knowledge, and the stammering tongue will speak clearly and fluently. A fool will no longer be called a noble, nor a scoundrel said to be important… Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Pay attention to what I say, you overconfident daughters. In a little more than a year you overconfident ones will shudder, for the grapes will fail and the harvest will not come… For the palace will be deserted, the busy city abandoned. The hill and the watchtower will become barren places forever, the joy of wild donkeys, and a pasture for flocks, until the Spirit from on high is poured out on us. Then the desert will become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest. Then justice will inhabit the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in the orchard. The result of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever. Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place, in safe and secure dwellings.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭32:1-5, 9-10, 14-18‬ ‭CSB)

In the midst of Jerusalem’s rebellion and rejection of God, the Lord allowed Isaiah to have a vision of the future. Though Ahaz was an evil king, there would come a day when a Righteous King would reign. Though the leaders in Jerusalem were unjust, there would come a day when the leaders under the Righteous King would rule justly – like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the rain, and a flowing stream in the desert. No longer would fools and scoundrels be allowed to assume power and notoriety. The land would be led by good and righteous leaders filled with the wisdom of the Lord.

When God called Isaiah into service in Isaiah 6, part of the message that Isaiah was to bring was that the people could hear, but did not listen… they could look with their eyes, but could not perceive… they had minds but could not understand. During the reign of The Righteous King, the eyes of the blind would be opened, the ears of the deaf would hear and listen, minds that were once reckless would be filled with knowledge, and stammering tongues would be able to speak clearly.

A time was quickly coming when the people of Jerusalem would be given over to oppression and the land would be abandoned. But… one day, God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. In that day, places that were once barren deserts would become living orchards, and places that were orchards would become so full of life and fruitfulness, they would seem like lush forests. Barrenness and evil would be replaced with justice and righteousness, and all the people – God’s people – would dwell in peace.

God’s Spirit was poured out on “all flesh” on the day of Pentecost. Those who have placed saving faith in Christ now live under the reign of The Righteous King, serve in authority under Him as His ambassadors, and are able to be baptized and filled with His Holy Spirit. The redeemed people of Christ are now light to the world with rivers of living water flowing out of them. As they are in Christ by faith, they are anointed to bring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and liberty to the captives. As they offer themselves to the Lord as living sacrifices, their minds are renewed and they are able to understand and know what the will of God is. Though Christ’s kingdom has not fully come physically to the earth, those who have been redeemed and made righteous through faith in Christ can live spiritually in the not-yet kingdom of God and experience the future that Isaiah envisioned thousands of years ago. Are we living under the rule and reign of The Righteous King? Are we experiencing the fruitfulness of His poured-out Spirit within us? Are we bringing the life-giving message of His gospel to the world as His ambassadors?

NT: “You were running well. Who prevented you from being persuaded regarding the truth? This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough. I myself am persuaded in the Lord you will not accept any other view. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty.” (‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:7-10‬ ‭CSB)

When Paul brought the life-giving message of the gospel to the region of Galatia, many believed Paul’s message and came to faith in Christ Jesus the Righteous King. They began their race of faith well. Along the way, false teachers and Judaizers convinced them that faith was not enough and got them off course and headed away from the glorious finish line. It doesn’t take much to get us off course and headed in the wrong direction. A few degrees off here and there can amount to thousands of miles in the wrong direction over the course of a lifetime. As Paul wrote, a little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough. We can’t afford to compromise with the truth of the gospel. We can’t afford to drift into legalism. We can’t afford to buy into the idea of hyper-grace license. To fully experience and participate in the life-giving rule of the King of Righteousness, we must remain in faith and submitted fully to the King’s word, will and ways.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that as I have been redeemed by You through faith, and as I remain in You by faith, the fullness of Your righteous rule can be a right-now reality in my life. Help me, by Your Holy Spirit, to not allow any “leaven” into my life that would get me off course in the race You have called me to run. If I do allow “leaven” into my life, show me by Your Holy Spirit, that I may repent from it and get back headed in the right direction. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion, for the Lord is a just God. All who wait patiently for him are happy. For people will live on Zion in Jerusalem. You will never weep again; he will show favor to you at the sound of your outcry; as soon as he hears, he will answer you. The Lord will give you meager bread and water during oppression, but your Teacher will not hide any longer. Your eyes will see your Teacher, and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.” Then you will defile your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away like menstrual cloths, and call them filth.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30:18-22‬ ‭CSB)

When you stop to consider the mercy and grace of God, it really is amazing. Despite Jerusalem’s rebellion and refusal to listen to the wisdom and leading of the Lord, God was still waiting to show mercy and compassion. As the Lord was indicting Jerusalem through Isaiah’s words of prophecy, He allowed Isaiah to spiritually see a day when God’s people would wait on the Lord once again… and would return to inhabit the land. Eventually, during the time that the current inhabitants of Jerusalem would be living in exile and under the oppression of Babylon, they would cry out to God… and God would hear them, answer them and show them favor. Then, as they submitted to God once again, the Lord would lead them and show them His way to go. The Lord would once again be their God, and the gods and idols of the land would be cast off like worthless refuse.

The Lord is always waiting and ready to show forth His great mercy and compassion. What is He waiting for? He isn’t waiting to be begged – He is waiting to be Lord. God will not bless pride, rebellion and self-sufficiency. But when we humble ourselves, stop following our ways, and submit to Him as Lord, He is there waiting with amazing grace and blessing. Paul explained in Romans 12:1-2 that there is a way to know what the good, acceptable and perfect will of God is… to know which way to go by the leading of the Lord by the Holy Spirit. That way begins with offering your entire selves as living sacrifices to God, and not conforming to the ways of the Lord. As we submit our lives to Him and surrender to His ways, The Lord will renew our minds by the Holy Spirit and say to us, “This is the way. Walk in it.” 

NT: “For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery… You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace. For we eagerly await through the Spirit, by faith, the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.” (‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:1, 4-6‬ ‭CSB)

The way of the Lord is faith through love. The way that we are to walk as people of God is to love God completely and love others sacrificially by the grace that we receive through faith in Christ. As Jesus taught, all of the law and prophets are summed up in that. Christ has set us free that we may be free to live the life He has called us to. We need to stand firm in that freedom and not allow ourselves to go back to the system of measuring our righteousness or other people’s righteousness by how religious we appear or how many good things we do. None of that matters in Christ. All that system of earning righteousness does is separate you from the source of righteousness, Jesus Christ. Instead of living by a system of rules and regulations that we can control, we need to lay down the lordship of our own lives and place faith in and come under the Lordship of Christ. That is the way.

Proverbs: “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:25‬ ‭CSB)

There is a way that seems right to a person – then there is the way of the Lord. Without the leading of the Lord, we are lost at best and ultimately headed toward our demise. However, the Lord will lead us to abundant life if we will lay aside our way and follow Him.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that you are always ready and willing to show forth Your mercy and compassion to those who are submitted to You and walking in Your ways. I also thank You that you do not require me to try and guess what Your way is, but by Your Holy Spirit, You direct my paths and tell me the way to go. My desire is to always follow You on You way. Help me to do that by grace through faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “The Lord said: These people approach me with their speeches to honor me with lip-service, yet their hearts are far from me, and human rules direct their worship of me. Therefore, I will again confound these people with wonder after wonder. The wisdom of their wise will vanish, and the perception of their perceptive will be hidden. Woe to those who go to great lengths to hide their plans from the Lord. They do their works in the dark, and say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” You have turned things around, as if the potter were the same as the clay. How can what is made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”? How can what is formed say about the one who formed it, “He doesn’t understand what he’s doing”? …They are a rebellious people, deceptive children, children who do not want to listen to the Lord’s instruction. They say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy the truth to us. Tell us flattering things. Prophesy illusions. Get out of the way! Leave the pathway. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel.”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭29:13-16; 30:9-11‬ ‭CSB

This was an indictment from the Lord against the people of Jerusalem. Jerusalem watched the Northern kingdom fall to Assyria. Instead of the Northern kingdom’s fall bringing Jerusalem to repentance, the leaders of Jerusalem became more emboldened in their self-righteousness, thinking, “It will never happen to us.” The people of Jerusalem probably considered themselves to be God’s chosen people… the people of David, whose reign would never end. The Lord, however, saw beyond their religious rituals and self-righteous pride. The Lord said, “They look like they are devoted to Me with their religious talk and their ritualistic observations, but their hearts are far from Me. They appear to worship Me but their worship is based on a human contrived production, not on sincere adoration and absolute surrender.“

When an invasion from Assyria seemed eminent, instead of looking to the Lord and trusting in Him, Jerusalem depended on Egypt to protect them. That again brought an indictment from the Lord. God called them a rebellious people that refused to listen to the Lord their Maker and wanted nothing to do with the Holy One of Israel. They only wanted to hear what they wanted to hear. The leaders in Jerusalem shut down the true prophets of the Lord and set up their own prophets that would not bring correction, but would encourage them in their sin and rebellion.

It is sad to read of the people of Jerusalem, God’s holy city, drifting so far away from God and ending up in rebellion against the Lord. It is even more sad to see the same drift happen in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ – especially in the United States of America. The attitude of “religious Christians” in the United States is very similar to the attitude of the people of Jerusalem in Isaiah’s day. They think that America is “God’s city on a hill…” that America is God’s chosen nation… that God would never bring judgement on the U.S. All the while, the “religious Christians” in the church self-righteously practice their religion while allowing their heart to move further and further away from the Lord. More and more, many in the “church” drift away from the truth and teachings of the word and actually condemn those who defend the word – all the while listening to religious influencers who fall in line with the “truths” of the day.

Psalms: “God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life. So I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands. You satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭63:1-5‬ ‭CSB)

The superscription for his psalm states that this psalm was written while David was in the wilderness of Judah. Most likely, this was when he had to flee into the desert to save his life. In the midst of the bleak and desolate wilderness while undergoing a discouraging and challenging trial, David didn’t do what the leaders in Jerusalem did in Isaiah’s day. David eagerly turned to the Lord and sought Him. Why did David react that way? Because David’s heart was after the Lord. His praise wasn’t just lip service. David’s acts of worship were not merely ritual acts, they were expressions of his complete dependence, reliance and adoration of His God. David longed for the sanctuary of the Lord and looked forward to abiding in God’s presence. David had found out through his life that God’s love was better than life itself, and would gladly bless the Lord as long as he lived.

For the church – especially in the United States – to avoid the correction and discipline that the city of Jerusalem experienced, we must return to a love and devotion for the Lord, His word, will and ways that rivals David’s love and devotion for his God. As the world around us becomes more and more dry and desolate, where will we turn? Will we follow the wisdom and trends of the world, will we trust in our own devices, or will we say, “God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You.”?

Prayer: Lord, You don’t call me to mere religious observance. You aren’t simply concerned that I say and do the right things. You are after my heart. It does me no good to appear religious on the outside while my heart is set against You. Like David, I say, “God, You are my God and I eagerly seek You at all times, through every season – for Your love and mercy is greater than life itself.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise… When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir. But in the past, since you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods. But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elements? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?” (‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:27-29; ‭4:4-9‬ ‭CSB)

What a powerful portion of scripture! As I have written before, Jesus Christ is the great equalizer. We talk a lot about equality, but the way that most people try to achieve equality doesn’t work. Forced or mandated equality doesn’t change the attitudes of the heart. The only way to receive from-the-inside-out equality is through faith in Christ. When we come to faith in Christ and are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit, we become clothed with Christ. Filling us from the inside and covering us on the outside is Christ. Where we came from, what race we are, what gender we are, what social status we belong to – it doesn’t matter, for we are all filled with and clothed in Christ. Through faith in Christ we are all one and given equal value in the kingdom of God.

Before we came to faith in Christ, we were all enslaved to sin and trapped under the requirements of the law. God sent His Son to be born under the law so that He could fulfill the law and redeem us from sin. When we come to faith in Him and are redeemed from sin, we are adopted as sons and daughters of God. Because we are blood-bought children of God, God fills us with the Spirit of His Son so that we can know and experience God as our Dear Father. Because we are no longer slaves, but sons… because we are filled with the Spirit of Christ and clothed with Christ, we are made joint heirs with Christ to all of God’s Kingdom. All who are in Christ are heirs equally – there are no second-class citizens… there are no unprivileged, under-privileged, or overly privileged. We are all one and of equal value in Christ.

Considering all that we have been given through faith in Christ, Paul asked the question, “Why would you ever go back? Why would you ever give up all that you have received by faith to go back to being enslaved to the things of earth and burdened by striving to earn your own righteousness?” That same question is posed to us. Are you living in all that Christ has done for you, or are you choosing to live in some level of slavery?

Prayer: Lord, what a wonderful salvation You have provided for me! What honor and privilege You have given me, along with all others who are in Christ, simply through faith in You. Help me to fully live out who I am in You, and never go back to the trappings and enslavement of the world. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “Why, then, was the law given? It was added for the sake of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator. Now a mediator is not just for one person alone, but God is one. Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if the law had been granted with the ability to give life, then righteousness would certainly be on the basis of the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise might be given on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe.” (‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:19-22‬ ‭CSB)

If righteousness can only come by faith, that begs the question, “Why was the law given?” Paul answered that question for the Galatian believers, and for us. The law was never meant to be the permanent solution for humanity’s sin problem. The law was given as a temporary stop-gap measure until God’s promise of a Redeemer was allowed to come. The promise of global redemption and salvation was given by God directly to Abraham, the father of faith and the father of the Jewish people. Then, God gave the law to the Jewish people through Moses in order to keep the descendants of Abraham on the path of righteousness until the promise could be fulfilled. Once the promise was fulfilled through Christ, a descendant of Abraham and David, the law was no longer needed.

The law of God and the grace-based redemptive plan of God are not at odds with each other. They both work together to bring people to saving faith. The law was not intended to bring life. The law was intended to make humanity aware of their abject sinfulness and need for redemption. When a person is confronted with their sinfulness and their need for salvation, God’s grace is there to save by faith in Christ. The promise of salvation doesn’t come through the law. The law points to the fulfillment of the promise, which is received as a gift of grace through faith. Once a person is redeemed, made righteous, and made alive to God by the Spirit; God’s word, will and ways are then written on the person’s heart by the Spirit, and they are able to obey God’s word, will and ways by the flow of grace that they continue to receive by faith. Once we come to faith in Christ, all the promises of God are “Yes” and “Amen” in Him. The need for striving comes to an end and we are able to rest as we put on Christ’s yoke and receive all the grace we need to live a life of righteousness and holiness by faith.

Psalms: “I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will never be shaken… Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken. My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge. Selah” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭62:1-2, 5-8‬ ‭CSB)

Rest is such a wonderful thing. Everyone, at some level, needs it and desires it. Many people find rest an impossibility. They become desperate for rest because of all the responsibilities and pressures of life. Then, because they are desperate for rest, they begin striving to get rest, which prevents actual rest all the more. The Hebrew word translated here as ‘rest’ actually means silence. David wasn’t talking about sleep. He was talking about an absence of stress, anxiety and strife – where his thoughts were silent and quietly trusting in the Lord. As much as we try to make or take rest, this kind of rest is impossible through our own efforts. That is why David declared that the only way he could find rest was in God. The Lord God was his rock. The Lord God was his salvation. The only place where he could find true satisfying rest and refuge was in the Lord.

To a people who were worn out and weary from striving to meet the over-bearing righteous requirements of the Law, Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and learn from Me… and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).” It seems odd that the way to receive rest is to put on a yoke – which is a symbol of labor. But when we come to faith in Christ, the heavy burden of the law is lifted from us, striving in our own strength ceases, we get partnered with Christ and are able to obey through His grace by faith.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that in You there is a promise of true and deeply satisfying rest. I know that the rest that You have for me is not possible if I continue trying to make and take my own rest. Your promises are only fulfilled in me by faith. Instead of striving to find rest, I place my faith fully in You, obey Your leading completely, and trust that you will give me the grace and rest that I need. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

OT: “On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city. Salvation is established as walls and ramparts. Open the gates so a righteous nation can come in — one that remains faithful. You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you. Trust in the Lord forever, because in the Lord, the Lord himself, is an everlasting rock! For he has humbled those who live in lofty places — an inaccessible city. He brings it down; he brings it down to the ground; he throws it to the dust… The path of the righteous is level; you clear a straight path for the righteous. Yes, Lord, we wait for you in the path of your judgments. Our desire is for your name and renown. I long for you in the night; yes, my spirit within me diligently seeks you, for when your judgments are in the land, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:1-5, 7-9‬ ‭CSB)

In the first chapter of Isaiah, the prophet declared that the faithful town of Jerusalem had become an adulteress – the town that was once full of justice and righteousness was now full of murderers. Because of that, the judgment of the Lord would come. Then, here in the 26th chapter of Isaiah, Isaiah prophesied of a time when Jerusalem would once again be a strong city, established on salvation, and open only to the righteous. The ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy can be seen in Revelation 21, when God makes a new heaven and a new earth, a new Jerusalem descends from heaven to earth, and is inhabited only by the redeemed and faithful followers of the Lamb.

Isaiah 26:3 is a very familiar passage of scripture. It may not seem as familiar in the CSB translation. The New King James Version translates it this way, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” The word ‘stayed’ (or the word ‘dependent’ in the CSB) has to do with leaning on, resting on, being upheld and supported by something. When I think of being upheld by something, I think of the times when I have gone repelling. I personally have a fear of heights. It’s not debilitating, but it definitely makes me extremely uncomfortable. When I am up on a tall ladder or peering over a steep cliff, the only thoughts that go through my mind are all the ways that I could lose my balance and fall to my death – not very comforting. As much as I dislike heights, I actually like repelling. But for me to enjoy repelling, I have to place my complete trust in the rope that keeps me from falling. In fact, I have to trust the rope so much, that I lean all the way out, perpendicular to the cliff face, so that I can descend safely. As long as I have full faith in the rope and depend on it completely, I am safe and at peace.

Ultimately, that is what separates the righteous from the unrighteous. The righteous are righteous because they have placed complete faith in the Lord and have staked their entire lives in Him. Those who don’t place complete faith in the Lord will find another way to live, and their way will lead to their demise. Those whose minds are completely stayed and dependent on the Lord through faith will be at peace – they will walk on the straight paths of righteousness in the Lord – they will ultimately not be cast out, but will be welcome into the city of God and the dwelling place of the Lord almighty.

NT: “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed. Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.” (‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:10-14‬ ‭CSB)

In building his argument against the Judaizers, Paul quoted passages from the Jewish scriptures to show that righteousness cannot come through the law – it comes only by faith, and faith in Jesus Christ. First, Paul established (by quoting Deuteronomy 27:26) that unless you obey the law perfectly, you are under a curse. He then quoted the prophet Habakkuk, who wrote that the righteous will live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4) – and followed up that statement by demonstrating that the law is not based on faith, but on works (Leviticus 18:5). If we rely on the law or any other system of works to become righteous, we will forever be under a curse, for no one is able to perfectly obey the law in his own strength, and no one can perform enough righteous acts to remove the stain of sin.

However, Jesus Christ the Son of God was born as a human without sin – and by the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit within Him, He was able to perfectly fulfill the law and live as a completely righteous person. Then Christ, the only human who was not under a curse, chose to become a curse for us by being hanged and crucified on a tree. By becoming a curse, He removed the curse from all those who would place their faith completely on Him. The only way to become righteous and to be saved from the curse of sin is to humble yourself, stop trying to earn your way to righteousness, and become completely dependent and “stayed” on the life, death and resurrection of Christ by faith.

Proverbs: “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:18‬ ‭CSB)

Pride and arrogance has to do with self-exaltation, where one lifts him or herself up above everyone and everything. A prideful and arrogant person will not trust in others, for others are beneath them – they only trust in themselves. A prideful and arrogant person will not depend on anyone or anything, for they are the only dependable ones in their eyes. A prideful and arrogant person will not place their faith in anyone, for they are the only ones who are faithful. Becoming dependent on the Lord… staying your mind on the Lord… placing your faith completely on the Lord requires humility. It requires you bringing yourself low and exalting the Lord instead. A prideful and arrogant person will not do that, and because of that, their life is headed for destruction.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that though I am unable to become righteous through my own efforts, You have made a way for me to become righteous through faith in You. Though it is often tempting to become self-righteous, I know that the only way down the cliff… the only way to be saved from the curse of sin, is to lean fully into You, place my faith completely in You, and never stop trusting in You. Therefore, I choose to do that as You give me grace by faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

NT: “You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing — if in fact it was for nothing? So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard —  just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness? You know, then, that those who have faith, these are Abraham’s sons.” (‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:1-7‬ ‭CSB)

Based on Paul’s tone, it appears that as he was writing to the churches in Galatia, he was beside himself. He was the one that brought the gospel message to the region of Galatia. He was there when the people responded to the gospel with faith and received salvation. He witnessed first-hand when believers were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. He experienced the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in their midst. Yet, somehow the Judaizers had convinced the believers in Galatia that all of that was a farce – that the only way they could legitimately experience the salvation and blessing of God was to become Jews and abide by the requirements and restrictions of the law. According to the Judaizers, Paul’s powerful and convincing ministry was all for nothing, for the Galatian gentiles had not converted to Judaism. Somehow the Judaizers had clouded the Galatians’ judgement and hindered their ability to reason logically.

In order to counteract the Judaizers’ “spell,” Paul reminded them of their legitimate experience and gave them scriptural proof for receiving grace by faith. Abraham, the spiritual and biological father of the Jews predated the law. Abraham had no requirements to meet. He had no legally prescribed restrictions. He didn’t even have circumcision. The righteousness that Abraham was given from God, was given to him on the basis of his faith in God. God gave Abraham a promise and Abraham believed God… and God attributed to Abraham righteousness through that belief. Circumcision came later as a sign of the covenant that God had already made with Abraham. Then the law of Moses came much, much later. A person can either try to earn and never attain righteousness through the law of Moses, or they can be given righteousness by God and become spiritual sons of Abraham through faith. For some reason, the believers in Galatia were willing to give up the salvation and righteousness they had attained by faith to try to and earn salvation and righteousness through the law… and that didn’t make any sense.

How many times do we allow the enemy of our soul or other people to convince us that the salvation that we experienced by faith is not real… that we aren’t deserving of grace from God… that more is required? Let’s not allow ourselves to become spiritually dull and come under the spell of a lie. Let’s know the word of God, believe what it says and stand strong in the salvation and righteousness that we receive by faith.

Psalms: “God, hear my cry; pay attention to my prayer. I call to you from the ends of the earth when my heart is without strength. Lead me to a rock that is high above me, for you have been a refuge for me, a strong tower in the face of the enemy.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭61:1-3‬ ‭CSB)

King David’s confidence in salvation was not based on how well he obeyed the law of God… how faithfully he observed the feasts… how diligent he was to remain ceremonially pure. David’s confidence in salvation was based on his faith in God. David knew that when he was faced with an insurmountable obstacle… when his heart became discouraged in the face of impossible challenges, if he called out to the Lord in faith, the Lord would hear him, save him, and protect him. Salvation doesn’t come through our efforts. Salvation comes by faith in the Lord God.

Proverbs: “Get wisdom — how much better it is than gold! And get understanding — it is preferable to silver. The highway of the upright avoids evil; the one who guards his way protects his life.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:16-17‬ ‭CSB)

The beginning of wisdom and understanding is the fear of the Lord: honoring Him, obeying Him and placing faith in His word. Wisdom and understanding is maintained by avoiding evil and guarding our path from those who would try to lure us away by false teachings and accusations. Know the word, understand the word, believe the word, and obey the word; then you will guard your way from deception and foolishness, and grow in the wisdom and understanding of the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, everything that I have received from You, I have received by faith – not by my efforts, not by my talents, not by my intellect, not by my self-righteousness. Help me to never fall for the foolish belief that I can and should earn status with You through my efforts, and thus give up the grace that You lavishly pour out to me by faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.” (‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2:20-21‬ ‭CSB)

When we come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, one of the things that happens is our sinful selves are crucified. The person that we were – the person that was in debt to sin and hopelessly weighed down by the impossible requirements of the law – is put to death. Then the same Spirit that rose Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in us and brings life to our mortal bodies. This is all accomplished by grace through the faith that we have in the Son of God. Everything that needed to be done to pay the debt of sin and satisfy all the requirements of the law was done by Christ when He lovingly gave His life for us. When Jesus said, as He hung dying on the cross, “It is finished,” everything was finished. Nothing else needed to be done for our salvation – by God, by Christ, or even us. When we place saving faith on Christ, we appropriate everything that He did to our lives: we spiritually die the death that He died, the debt that we owed is paid, the legal requirements over our heads are satisfied, we are declared righteous, and we are spiritually raised to a new life that is filled, enlivened and empowered by His Spirit. All of that is graced to us by God because we placed faith in His Son.

A gift as generous and gracious as that is often hard to fully accept. We may think in our minds that we don’t truly deserve such a gift and that we must do something on our end to justify the extravagance. Or we have have thoughts that God didn’t really give me all of that for free… God must expect something from me… He must have some sort of divine tally sheet, and I won’t fully be saved until I check enough things off the list. When we fall into that line of thinking and try to earn our salvation through our own righteousness, we actually reject the gracious gift of God and render Christ’s death on the cross as meaningless.

There is something that God does require of us – but it has nothing to do with the law. It has everything to do with living in the life that Christ won for us. Now that we are in Christ by faith, this is what is required of us: that we consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ, that we die daily to the desires of our flesh and awaken ourselves to the desires that God has for us, that we submit ourselves daily to our Savior, Lord and King, and live in the resurrection power that He fills us with through the Holy Spirit as we honor His words, live according to His ways and accomplish His will. Again, He doesn’t call us to do that in our own strength, but by the grace that He gives us through faith in Him. What we do, we do through Him. The live we live, we live through Him by faith.

Prayer: Lord, what a great salvation You have won for me and given to me as I have placed my faith on You! As others have so eloquently said, it can seem scandalous that I, someone who has been guilty of sin, would be a recipient of so much grace. Help me to not fall for the lie that I must earn my way into your good graces… that my faith in You isn’t enough… that Your grace isn’t really grace. Lord, instead, help me to fully appropriate all that You have won for me and live fully in the life that You have given me as I die to myself and submit myself fully to You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews?” We are Jews by birth and not “Gentile sinners,” and yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.” (‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2:11-16‬ ‭CSB)

Sometime after the Jerusalem Council, Peter (Cephas) made a visit to the church in Antioch. When Peter first arrived, he was walking in religious freedom. He fellowshipped with the gentile believers and even ate with them. However, during his visit, other men from Jerusalem came. They were strict Jews that were of the circumcision party – men who believed that a person must first be circumcised before they can be fully saved. Peter felt pressured by their presence and quickly moved from freedom to fear. Instead of obeying the doctrines which he supported and even helped to defend, Peter distanced himself from the gentiles and began discriminating against them. Peter’s kowtowing to the legalists was troubling enough – but he influenced others to do the same… even Barnabas, Paul’s close associate. Paul could not allow the hypocrisy and unrighteous discrimination to continue. The stakes were to high.

Paul did not passively allow Peter’s hypocrisy to continue unchecked. Paul confronted Peter to his face, in front of all the other Jews. It was important for Peter to be corrected, but it was just as important for the complicit Jews to be corrected as well. In Paul’s rebuke he first criticized Peter for requiring something of the gentiles that he wasn’t requiring of himself. Then Paul laid out the fact that Jews were no better, nor were they better off that the gentiles. Judaism and adherence to the strict dictates of the law didn’t save the Jews. The Jews needed a savior just as much as the gentiles. The Jews weren’t justified and saved by the works of the law. They, just like the gentiles, were justified and saved by faith in Christ. Christ is the Great Equalizer. Before Him, all are guilty sinners in need of saving. Through faith in Him, all are declared righteous and made holy. The law never has nor ever will accomplish that. Legalism doesn’t justify people. Strict adherence to a moral code doesn’t justify people. Attaining enlightenment doesn’t justify people. Living a ritually correct life doesn’t justify people. Only faith in Christ can do that… and only God’s mercy through faith Christ can do that.

To give into the belief that one person is better than another person because of their ritualistic works is to deny the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection and place oneself under bondage once again. The future of the church rested on the truth that all are free in Christ. Paul could not and would not allow the enemy of our soul to gain a foothold in the church through an “innocent” fear of being ridiculed by religious elitists. So Paul boldly fought for freedom and won a key battle. Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of mankind is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.” By confronting Peter and fighting for freedom, Paul released Peter, the Jews, and the church at large from the snare of the enemy.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that at Your feet, all are made equal. However, there are many who say that faith in Christ is not enough… that you have to bow the knee to any number if “isms” to truly be righteous. Help me to not be snared by a fear of man… a fear of the vocal influencers that try to promote their virtues while shaming others. Help me instead to trust in You and fight for the freedom that You purchased for me and all humanity on the Cross. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

NT: “But we did not give up and submit to these people for even a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you. Now from those recognized as important (what they once were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism) — they added nothing to me. On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised, since the one at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles. When James, Cephas, and John  — those recognized as pillars  — acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They asked only that we would remember the poor, which I had made every effort to do.” (‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2:5-10‬ ‭CSB)

Fourteen years after Paul came to faith in Christ and began preaching the gospel, he was led by the Spirit to travel to Jerusalem, stand before the counsel of church leaders, present the gospel message that he had been sharing to them  and get a definitive answer on what was required for gentiles who come to the faith. The meeting that Paul had with the church leaders in Jerusalem was known as the Jerusalem Council. The story of that meeting can be found in Acts 15.

Legalist Jews believed that in order to experience the salvation provided by Jesus the Messiah, a person must first become a Jew. For men in that day, that meant becoming circumcised (the sign of the covenant God made with Abraham). At stake was the freedom for Gentile believers to remain in their culture and find salvation through grace (not works) by faith. When Paul was in Jerusalem, there were many who tried to convince Paul that he was wrong. So compelling were their arguments that Titus (a Greek) felt compelled to become circumcised. But Paul stood firm on the convictions that he had received from the Lord by the Spirit and didn’t give in to the unnecessary requirements of the law – not even for a moment. And when he stood before the Jerusalem Council and defended the gospel and the freedoms that he had been preaching, Peter, James and John all agreed and legitimized Paul’s call and ministry.

Freedom is not free. It comes at a great cost, is always under attack, and must constantly be defended in order to be maintained. Tomorrow, in the United States, we will celebrate Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a day set aside each year to remember and honor the men and women who gave their lives fighting for and defending the freedoms that we hold so dear in our country. The freedom that we as redeemed believers experience from sin, the devil and the heavy burden of requirements from the law, was not free. It came at a great cost and was purchased by the life of our Lord and Christ. Christ didn’t die for us to become enslaved once again. He died to set us eternally free. Because of the cost of our freedom, we should never capitulate to those who try to enslave us once again, but should always be willing to defend the gospel and the freedom it brings.

Psalms: “But I will sing of your strength and will joyfully proclaim your faithful love in the morning. For you have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble. To you, my strength, I sing praises, because God is my stronghold — my faithful God.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭59:16-17‬ ‭CSB)

The introductory notes to this psalm say that David wrote this psalm when King Saul sent men to watch his house and kill him while he slept. That story can be found in 1 Samuel 19:11-18. Not only was David’s freedom at stake – his very life was at stake. But David strengthened himself in the Lord. By faith, David said, “I will sing of Your strength and proclaim Your faithful love in the morning!” He knew that he would survive. How was he so confident? He knew that the Lord God was his stronghold and that the Lord God would be faithful to defend his freedom and his life. In turn, Michal (Saul’s daughter and David’s wife) was moved to help David escape and David survived the ambush. As we defend the freedoms that we have been given in the Lord, the Lord will be faithful to defend us and uphold us against His and our enemies.

Prayer: Lord, I know that the freedom that I enjoy in You came at a great cost. I don’t ever want to take the freedom that I have in You and the grace that I receive by faith in you for granted. Fill me with conviction and boldness from the Holy Spirit that I may always be willing to defend the gospel of Christ and the freedom it brings. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.