Jailbreak: Pity the Fool

Galatians 3:1-18

Intro:

Paul begins this chapter with "You foolish Galatians!" How would you react if a pastor began a letter to our church like that?


Scripture Discussion & Application:

"Fools" are defined by Paul as people that KNOW but don't APPLY. What areas of your faith are you well educated with but lacking in execution?

What excuses do we often make for not being obedient to the clear and obvious things that God has commanded?

Scripture is full of examples of people allowing their gaze and focus to distract them from what really matters. What are the big distractions that cause you to lose focus on being the man or woman that God has called you to be? What things in the world catch your eye?

Read Matthew 5:17 and Romans 7:4-6. What do these passages indicate about the Law and the Spirit? How do these work together?

How does Paul describe the Galatians defection from the true gospel? In what ways are people led away from the gospel today?

Do you struggle more with escaping a religious past, a sinner's past, or a combination of both?

What are the things you do (or don't do) in order to obtain God's favor?

What "Christian rules" seem to be important in your circle? Can you identify a positive purpose for those rules, or are they burdening you unnecessarily?

If rules aren't a means of obtaining salvation, what is the purpose of the commands in the Bible (i.e. to tell the truth, not to steal, to share what you have with others – Ephesians 5:25-28)

What difference does it make when you base your relationship with God upon how well you keep  a list of rules, rather than living in light of the truth that God accepts you through faith?


Next Steps:

Examine your motives this week. Why is it that you do (and don't do) certain things? Are you trying to earn God's approval, or are you living in the light of the fact that you have been freely accepted?


How to Pray This Week:

Pray that you will live an example of Galatians 3:11 -Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."


Happenings:

During this 8-week study of the book of Galatians, we are challenging ourselves to read along in Galatians during the week as we go. Turns out there are 6 chapters in Galatians, so we'd love for you to join us by reading one chapter of Galatians each day Monday–Friday each week during the 8-week study.

If you do, then at the end you'll have read through the book 8 times, heard 8 sermons on it, and had 8 opportunities to discuss it in rGroups if your rGroup follows our sermon series. We hope you'll lean into this challenge and encourage your group to do so as well and that God will speak to you powerfully along the way!