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The Life I Now Live

Galatians #6


Galatians 2:16 - 21

The life I now live realizes:
 1. You can’t get right with God by obeying the rules.

“Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.”   – Galatians 2:16

The law – the set of rules and regulations defining what is right— will never lift you to the life God intends for you.

The purpose of the Law is not to make us right but to show us what is right.  I’m glad there are laws against stealing and assault for example, but the laws won’t make a person obey – they are powerless to do so.

The Life I Now Live realizes:
2. We don’t break the Law – we break ourselves against the Law.

When I jump out of the window, I break myself against the Law of Gravity.  When I lie, I break myself by not recognizing truth will always prevail.  When I am resentful or unforgiving, I break myself with my own bitterness.  When I don’t pray, I break myself by not touching heaven.

When we realize the Law is right – and we are wrong – we are forced to look to a higher source for righteousness.

Nothing will make you appreciate the grace of God and the greatness of His forgiveness like knowing how really wrong we are and how much we really deserve judgment.

The Life I Now Live realizes:
3. A right standing with God is a position given to us by God.

Justification is a position given us by God – a position of being right with God, of righteousness, healing, blessing and forgiveness – and from this position I now live.   

Sanctification is a process – God working into me what He has given me.  This is God’s way:  He declares something as so and then sets about forming it.  He calls Joseph a leader – then makes him a leader.  He calls Gideon a man of valor – then He makes him a man of valor.

The Life I Now Live realizes:
4. No one can spin all the plates correctly.

"For through the Law I died to the Law, that I might live to God.”  
- Galatians 2:19

The law crushes us because we cannot keep it.  We know it is right, but we cannot do it. 

There are so many things I know are right, or wrong, but I do not have the capacity to keep all those plates spinning – reading my Bible, praying, exercising, dieting, managing my finances, building healthy relationships, being a husband, being a father to 2 teenagers, meeting everybody’s expectations and as a pastor, employing a staff of 14 people… the plates can go on and on. 

Trying to do right in all of that brings me to the end of myself.  It’s all things that are right but I just can’t do them all – and God does not ask me to. 

The Life I Now Live realizes:
5. A Christ empowered life is the only way to truly live.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.”   – Galatians 2:20

The life I now live is different from the life I used to live!  The new me is a new man, powered by God living large inside of me.  It’s not me trying to pull myself up by my own boot straps – it’s Christ living in me!

It’s the exchange of life:  I exchange my sin for His righteousness.  I exchange my inability for His ability.  I exchange my weakness for His strength; my ashes for his beauty; my mourning for his oil of gladness. 

We don’t reduce Christianity to a bunch of nice guys living by the rules – the life I now live is far more powerful than that!