This week begins the “meat and potatoes” of the year long series on Freedom! I start preaching in Galatians. This week is actually an introduction and overview of the entire 6 chapters. All of it focused around slavery, bondage, and freedom.

The message of Galatians-the message we carry-is not one of “we are for this” or “we are against this.” Our message is the Good News of Jesus Christ offered to all sinners.

Galatians has been called the Magna Carta of liberty, the Christian’s declaration of independence.

Martin Luther called it “my own book,” not because he wrote it, but because it was so important to his coming to understand the Christian gospel. By studying the book, he came away from his Roman Catholic teaching of salvation by works and came head on into God’s plan of salvation by grace through faith.

Starting last September I have been reading Galatians through Colossians each week. Ironically this week I was back to reading in Galatians. There is nothing like relevance to make reading come to life.

This week is an overview of the book-admittedly not the most exciting of subjects. However, I honestly believe when the truth of the Gospel hits people it changes us.

1. It changes our relationship with God.
2. It changes our relationship with our teachers.  See I John 4:1
3. It changes our relationship with each others.

In February 1989, the East German border guards at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin shot to death a man trying to go escape from the East to the West. But on November 9 of that same year, after dividing far more than one city for over 28 years, the Berlin Wall fell. Cranes and bulldozers finished the job over the next few months. Walls fall. Slavery to the Law falls. Freedom is experienced when the wall-building Law is overcome by the magnificence of God’s grace.

If you have a few moments this weekend, would you mind praying for me and the church? Thanks.

My shout out and thanks to Chuck Swindoll for the three changes which happen.