JOIN US FOR EASTER SUNDAY THIS SUNDAY AT 7:45AM, 9AM, OR 10:45AM OR WATCH LIVE AT 10:45AM. DOWNLOAD WORSHIP RESOURCES HERE.

X Close Menu

Sermons

The Law Cannot Do What Christ Has Already Done!

December 27, 2020 Speaker: Jack McNeil Director of Youth and Families Series: Behold: Good News of Great Joy

Topic: Christmas I Passage: Galatians 3:23– 4:7

The Law cannot do what Christ has already done! The Christians at Galatia were teaching that to be a real Christian meant also living according to the Law of Moses. In our day “living according to the law” is the equivalent of working hard to impress God and our neighbor by always doing good things, and always avoiding doing bad things. Paul argued that the Law was meant for a period of time, guiding and keeping the people of Israel moving in the right direction until faith had come. When Jesus fulfilled the law, we no longer needed to be confined. Faith in Christ now justifies us and transforms us. The law cannot save or transform anyone. To reinforce his argument, Paul gives three results of Christ’s completed work:

  1. While the Law divides us, there is unity in Christ. All are welcome at the cross of Christ, despite your social background, gender or race. 
  2. Jesus gives us the freedom to love and serve God and others without fear, while the Law simply tells us what to do, and we inevitably fall short. Being told what to do doesn’t require a relationship, faith, responsibility, or even integrity. But Christ’s love frees us to anticipate, celebrate, delight in, and even surprise without worrying about the results.
  3. Jesus makes it possible for us to have a personal relationship with God, as sons and daughters, with a promised inheritance in eternal glory. God is not a distant, unknowable entity. Paul references the term “Abba,” which is about the equivalent of “Daddy.” The Law, on the other hand, keeps us working hard like an employee trying to please an unapproachable boss.

Remember, the Law cannot do what Christ has already done!

Taking it Home: How can you challenge yourself to love someone this week without being told what to do or worrying about the results?

More in Behold: Good News of Great Joy

December 24, 2020

Christmas eve 2020