Intro - All the Ways We Use the Word “Saved”
We use the word “saved” so many different ways, we hardly even notice it.
You “saved” $47 at the grocery store today, according to your receipt.
Even though you spent $150 to do it.
You “saved” a document right before your laptop battery went dead.
And said a little prayer of thanks that you did.
Your friend “saved” a seat for you at a movie right next to a guy that gives a full commentary between
handfuls of popcorn.
Goalies “save” shots.
We “save” friends’ numbers on our phones.
Firefighters and lifeguards “save” people.
We even talk about being “saved by the bell” when we get out of something at the last possible second.
We throw the word around so casually.
But we know it means something far more significant when we hear, “my friend got saved.”
Something that happened once, and now we’re just… saved.
But is eternal salvation like a coupon we clipped, or a retirement plan we’re saving toward that doesn’t
affect us moment by moment.
Set it and forget it? Done.
But here’s what I want to suggest to you this morning: when the Bible talks about being saved, it means
something so much bigger than any of those things.
Bigger, even, than what most of us were taught to expect when we prayed to receive Christ.
Yes, we’re saved from hell if we’ve trusted Christ as our Savior.
That part’s true, and it’s enormous - don’t think I’m minimizing that.
But that’s not the whole enchilada.
The same Jesus who saves us from the penalty of sin also intends to save us from a life without purpose.
To save us From fear.
From shame we’ve been dragging around for years.
From slavery to habits and temptations we can’t seem to shake.
From a life that revolves around nobody but ourselves.
That’s a lot more than a sale or a saved phone number or even a home in heaven
That’s a total rescue - top to bottom, mind and heart and will and behavior.
So, our time in Galatians is going to be answering a crucial question.
WHAT’S IT MEAN TO BE SAVED?
?- What’s it mean to be saved?
?- What’s it mean to be saved for all eternity from the penalty of our sins?
Knowing the answer can define a person’s eternity, whether in heaven with God or in hell where we
deserve to be.
?- What’s it mean to be saved from a life of futility and doldrums between now and eternity?
Knowing the answer to this question can also affect our expectations of how a relationship with God is
meant to change our lives.
We’re gonna see in Galatians that being saved is -
By GRACE not by the LAW
Through FAITH not through WORKS
In the SPIRIT not in the FLESH
For FREEDOM not for SLAVERY
The book of Galatians is a letter that was written by the Apostle Paul to answer this question.
It’s not like the book of Romans, in which Paul is explaining the gospel to the Roman church.
He’s already been to the region Galatia, led many to the Lord, and started churches in the region.
These churches would’ve begun during the Apostle Paul’s first missionary journey, which took place around
A.D. 46-48.
You can read about their experience in Acts 13-14 where they shared the gospel with mixed results in the
cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
What followed was what this addresses.
A group of Jewish people in the Jerusalem church had come to visit and were teaching a false gospel.
These teachers were determined to keep the Jewish practices of legalistic righteousness alive.
These practices included requiring observances of certain holy days, eating kosher, and circumcision.
Different from Romans which is a theological essay, Paul writes Galatians as a passionate theological appeal
He’s refuting the legalistic teachings and rebuking the churches for adopting these ideas.
This is why we will read in a few weeks
* Galatians 3:1-5 1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that
Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit
by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you
now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5
Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or
by hearing with faith—
The situation in the churches of Galatia is going to be a teaching opportunity for us.
Over the course of our study, we’ll learn about
justification by faith
salvation through Christ
receiving the Holy Spirit at salvation
union with Christ
unity in Christ
liberty in Christ
the promised gift of the Spirit
the practical side Christian living in everyday circumstances
And all of these stem from a transforming relationship with God, which is only attained through faith in the
total grace of the gospel.
In answering the question, “What’s it mean to be saved?” I hope to show you again and again that
salvation doesn’t just affect your eternal destiny but is a lifelong, life-transforming experience.
The Magna Carta of 1215 is celebrated as the document that defined the Western world’s idea of the
freedom of the individual.
Quote - Well, the Exegetical Bible Commentary states,
“This letter has been called the ‘Magna Carta of Christian liberty,’ for it maintains that only
through the grace of God received through faith in Jesus Christ can a person escape the curse
of sin and of the law and live a new life, not in bondage or license [through the flesh], but in a
genuine freedom of mind and spirit through the power of God.”
So, lets read the opening of this momentous letter to the Galatian churches.
* Galatians 1:1-5 1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God
the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of
Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our
sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the
glory forever and ever. Amen.
The first expectation from Galatians that I want to encourage you toward this morning is to -
1. EXPECT TO APPRECIATE THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
* 1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who
raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:
It was normal for letters to open with a salutation that included who it was coming from and who it was
written to.
This is a letter coming from one of God’s few apostles to one of the earliest groups of churches.
The term apostle means “sent one,” which can mean being sent as a representative or a missionary.
But in this context, Paul is talking about the very special role that he played as one of the few men who
received revelation from God that was to be delivered to the church and the world.
Paul specifically received revelation from God about the mystery of the gospel that was made evident after
Jesus’ death and resurrection.
* Galatians 1:11-12 11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me
is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it
through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
A large part of the mystery that God had revealed to Paul was that we Gentiles could become a part of the
people of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ…
As we’ll learn, Paul’s apostolic credentials were being challenged by the false teachers who had come and
started teaching in the churches in the region of Galatia.
To question Paul’s authority was to question the gospel he preached.
To defend his authority, Paul emphasizes that Jesus Himself commissioned him as an apostle.
This might seem odd to some because Paul never met Jesus while He was living among us.
And this was one of the requirements for a person to be an apostle - having known and been
commissioned by Jesus Christ.
But many of you who are familiar with the Apostle Paul’s salvation know about his experience on the road
to Damascus where the risen Christ appeared to him and commissioned him to service.
This may be why he emphasizes his apostleship having come through Jesus Christ and God the Father,
who raised him from the dead.
God the Father took part in Jesus rising from the dead.
And the risen Jesus appeared to Paul and commissioned him to preach the good news of Jesus Christ.
Man, when we have a pitch-in, if you listen, you might learn what to expect from certain dishes.
She can’t make them anymore.
But everyone used to go looking for Elaine’s sugar cream pie.
From what I understand, Penny’s chicken and noodles could be fought over.
Maybe that’s why I haven’t seen them at a pitch-in for a while.
But if you’re not expecting something to be delicious, you might just look at an empty dish and think,
“Wow, that went fast!”
Expect to appreciate the gospel of Jesus Christ during our time in Galatians.
I hope that by doing so, you’ll get to fill up on all the goodness we’re going to cover.
And there will be plenty for everyone.
We’re going to see this laid-out over Galatians.
But you can check your thinking on it now.
?- Do you see the value and calling that comes with the gospel you trust?
It’s not just Paul the Apostle that was given the responsibility to carry the truth of the gospel to others.
If you know Christ, God has called you to share Him with others.
Don’t worry though.
It’s like our calling to make a joyful noise to the Lord - no one says you have to be GOOD at it.
We’re just called to see if the Holy Spirit might take our feeble words and open a person’s heart.
From verses 2-5, I hope to help you to -
2. EXPECT TO EXPAND YOUR VIEW OF SALVATION.
* Galatians 1:1-5 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave
himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5
to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
These opening well-wishes give us a summary of the gospel - being brought into relationship with God
What is needed is grace and peace.
Grace is God’s favor which we don’t deserve and which saves and preserves us in salvation.
Peace is a positive status of blessing and wellbeing as a result of our relationship with God.
Expand your view of salvation and recognize that -
2A. IT’S MORE THAN JUST PERSONAL PEACE.
* 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
Peace to you is a pretty common greeting.
Maybe you’ve heard a Jewish person greet someone with Shalom, which means “peace to you.”
More and more we’re becoming familiar with the Muslim greeting “As-salam-u-alaykum.”
The “salam” in the greeting also means peace, with the whole greeting meaning “peace be upon you.”
What’s NOT so common in our world is the greeting “GRACE and peace.”
I don’t know if it’s because we tend to want to earn everything we have - but admitting we need grace can
feel like admitting failure.
What’s dangerous is that false religions make it easy for a person to feel peace when there’s not peace
between them and God.
This is the danger of legalism, whether in unbiblical false gospels or in false religions.
The person might wonder, “Is God OK with me? Am I at peace with Him? Am I saved?”
They’re in grave danger if their thought is then, “Oh yeah, I’m good because I did X,Y, & Z.”
It may be that they attended church or gave money or got baptized or prayed the sinner’s prayer when
they were 5
It’s not a good sign if they’re evidence of being saved is only something that they did.
Those of us who believer were saved need to ask ourselves the question - “How do I know I’m saved?”
?- Do you see the gospel as just one “path to God” among the other religions of this world?
The truth of the gospel is completely unique to provide grace and peace from God.
The gospel isn’t just about Jesus.
It came from Jesus.
It’s the whole reason that He gave His life - the only way to satisfy the penalty of sin.
It’s so vital that we hold it as being the only way of salvation that Paul writes something shocking.
As we’ll see next week, he says it be better for a teacher go to hell than to teach a different gospel.
Jesus is described in v. 4 as the one -
* 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God
and Father,
A big question which will be answered in this letter to the Galatians has to do with the basis of salvation.
This basis of salvation falls under our series question “What’s it mean to be saved?”
As I’ve said, salvation isn’t about DOING something to be saved.
Salvation is based on what Jesus has DONE - sacrificing Himself to pay the penalty of our sins.
But we’re going to be learning about the multiple layers of salvation which exist along with being saved
from hell.
And this comes into play in these first statements of this letter’s introduction.
And what it tells us about Salvation is that -
2B. IT’S FAR MORE THAN JUST AN EVENT IN YOUR LIFE.
Jesus gave Himself - not just to pay the penalty of our sins - but also to deliver us from the present evil
age.
Salvation affects the whole of the Christian’s life.
Tim Keller - “The gospel is not just the ABCs of the Christian life but the A to Z of the Christian life.”
What he meant by this is that the gospel doesn’t just begin our Christian life.
The gospel informs and blossoms in us through the Holy Spirit over the entire course of our lives.
When sailors see a floating piece of ice in the ocean, they shouldn’t dismiss it.
They don’t just look at it as if it’s just floating on top of the water and think, “That’s pretty small.”
No, they understand that what they’re seeing is “just the tip of the iceberg,” meaning there’s so much
more below the surface of the water.
We describe being saved in ways that are “just the tip of the iceberg”.
We talk about -
Trusting Christ for salvation
Receiving Jesus as Savior and Lord
Asking Jesus into your heart
But like an iceberg, that initial experience is only the tip of what it means to be saved.
When we’re saved, God takes up residence in our lives and changes us over the course of time.
He changes us from the deepest parts outward.
Heart / Desires
Mind / Thoughts
Will / Choices
Behavior / Actions
?- Are you treating Jesus like fire insurance, protecting you from hell?
?- Are you putting Jesus in a drawer with your Bible, thinking that He shouldn’t rule your life?
If your answer is “yes” then you’re not experiencing all of what it means to be “SAVED.”
Let me give you a small preview of how Galatians expands our ideas of what it means to be saved.
Rather than being left in the same state prior to salvation, Paul tells us that our lives have fundamentally
changed, as he writes in -
* 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the
life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
We’ll look at what it means to allow Christ to live through us for His glory.
Rather than flailing against temptation, we’ll learn how a relationship with God should set us up for success
as we read in -
5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
We’ll read about what fruit we should expect to see in our lives when walking by the Spirit from -
5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. \
We’ll also learn about how we should help one another experience the freedom that should come from a
relationship with God as we’re instructed in -
6:1-2 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit
of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so
fulfill the law of Christ.
In closing, I want you to know that I’m hoping that we all learn more about what it means to be saved from
Galatians.
I hope you’ll come to Galatians asking yourself,
“?- In what area of my life do I need to be delivered by God from this evil age we live in?”
God wants to walk into every area of your life with you and transform it.
I pray from the time we spend in this book that you stop seeing the gospel as something less than what it
truly is - a life-changing relationship with God.
