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[1547.74 --> 1549.74] is open up that story,
[1550.04 --> 1550.50] and hopefully,
[1550.70 --> 1551.82] if you're new to the Christian faith
[1551.82 --> 1552.96] or you're just reading the Bible,
[1553.24 --> 1555.14] I hope actually that you'll get some clarity
[1555.14 --> 1556.74] around the story of the Old Testament
[1556.74 --> 1559.90] that helps us understand why Jesus matters,
[1560.30 --> 1561.94] how Abraham fits into the story,
[1562.04 --> 1563.38] and how we understand the law
[1563.38 --> 1564.26] in relation to Jesus.
[1564.66 --> 1566.50] No pressure, Dave, in one sermon.
[1568.40 --> 1569.54] Yeah, I feel it.
[1570.54 --> 1572.96] The reason Paul mentions Abraham
[1572.96 --> 1574.84] eight times in Galatians 3
[1574.84 --> 1577.34] is likely because there are these agitators,
[1577.54 --> 1577.84] the Judaizers,
[1578.54 --> 1580.26] who are coming into the churches in Galatia
[1580.26 --> 1581.18] and saying to people,
[1581.62 --> 1584.52] hey, if you want to be part of God's family,
[1584.68 --> 1586.44] which is Abraham's family,
[1586.86 --> 1588.40] this is how you have to live.
[1588.50 --> 1589.46] There's works of the law,
[1589.58 --> 1591.06] there's the practice of circumcision,
[1591.28 --> 1593.12] and they're using Abraham as their example,
[1593.22 --> 1594.18] saying if he did these things,
[1594.24 --> 1595.76] then you have to do these things.
[1596.38 --> 1598.18] And Paul, being quite fired up
[1598.18 --> 1599.38] by what's happening in these churches,
[1599.48 --> 1599.82] he says,
[1599.82 --> 1601.40] let me tell you
[1601.40 --> 1603.68] how Abraham fits into the story.
[1604.62 --> 1606.22] So I'm going to read for you verse 7,
[1606.76 --> 1608.14] and then we're going to go to the back story
[1608.14 --> 1609.94] and come back to Galatians 7
[1609.94 --> 1611.04] in a few minutes.
[1611.10 --> 1612.20] So this is how Paul starts
[1612.20 --> 1613.26] when he talks about Abraham.
[1614.60 --> 1615.74] Understand then
[1615.74 --> 1617.76] that those who have faith
[1617.76 --> 1619.38] are children of Abraham.
[1619.98 --> 1620.98] Scripture foresaw
[1620.98 --> 1623.90] that God would justify the Gentiles by faith
[1623.90 --> 1625.82] and announced the gospel
[1625.82 --> 1626.96] in advance to Abraham.
[1627.06 --> 1628.16] Isn't that a fascinating phrase?
[1628.16 --> 1631.12] All nations will be blessed through you.
[1631.62 --> 1633.66] So those who rely on faith
[1633.66 --> 1635.68] are blessed along with Abraham,
[1636.14 --> 1636.94] the man of faith.
[1637.52 --> 1639.26] Now if that's clear as mud,
[1639.42 --> 1639.78] it's okay.
[1639.88 --> 1640.98] We're going to work through this together.
[1641.44 --> 1642.28] But let me just summarize
[1642.28 --> 1644.12] what Paul is trying to get at here,
[1644.20 --> 1645.04] and then we'll work it out.
[1645.58 --> 1646.00] Paul is saying,
[1646.16 --> 1646.72] number one,
[1647.72 --> 1649.20] the faith in God,
[1649.36 --> 1649.66] or sorry,
[1649.74 --> 1650.84] the essence of the Christian faith
[1650.84 --> 1652.06] is always faith,
[1652.14 --> 1653.22] not just works of the law.
[1653.40 --> 1654.92] Abraham from the very beginning,
[1655.02 --> 1657.24] who's sort of the beginning of God's people,
[1657.24 --> 1658.76] was a man of faith,
[1659.12 --> 1660.74] and it was credited to him as righteousness.
[1660.90 --> 1661.98] So faith is at the center.
[1662.70 --> 1663.94] But equally important,
[1664.08 --> 1664.56] says Paul,
[1664.64 --> 1665.90] is that the gospel was preached
[1665.90 --> 1667.10] in advance to Abraham.
[1667.94 --> 1668.86] And what was that gospel?
[1669.82 --> 1671.54] That the nations would be blessed.
[1671.76 --> 1672.86] That the blessing of God
[1672.86 --> 1674.00] would move through Abraham
[1674.00 --> 1674.76] to the nations.
[1674.90 --> 1675.62] And I'll say this once
[1675.62 --> 1676.30] and return to it.
[1676.30 --> 1678.04] God's plan from the beginning
[1678.04 --> 1679.74] was to have a global,
[1680.12 --> 1681.10] multi-ethnic,
[1681.26 --> 1682.04] diverse church.
[1682.68 --> 1684.00] That was the plan from the beginning,
[1684.18 --> 1685.04] that his people,
[1685.26 --> 1686.12] unified by faith,
[1686.34 --> 1688.06] would be unified by the nations
[1688.06 --> 1689.50] coming in by faith to Jesus.
[1691.06 --> 1692.44] So here's the back story.
[1693.60 --> 1694.52] In Genesis 3,
[1695.36 --> 1697.16] God's good world came undone
[1697.16 --> 1698.40] through an act of rebellion,
[1698.56 --> 1699.02] through sin.
[1699.50 --> 1700.92] Adam and Eve rebelled against God,
[1700.92 --> 1701.76] and all of a sudden
[1701.76 --> 1702.56] this new sickness,
[1702.80 --> 1704.16] this new disease that is sin,
[1704.24 --> 1705.74] started taking hold of human hearts
[1705.74 --> 1706.68] and creating havoc.
[1707.16 --> 1707.92] We see murder,
[1708.08 --> 1708.74] we see jealousy,