I love reading biographies and autobiographies. It doesn’t matter if it’s about a historical figure, a prominent minister, or a legendary football coach, I have always been fascinated about how a man or woman came to be the person they are.
As we continue in our series Set Free and come to the end of Galatians 1, we enter what has been called the “biographical section” of the letter. Those who have read Galatians before and know of all that’s to come – justification by faith, the meaning of the cross, flesh vs. Spirit – may be tempted to skip the biographical bits and get to the “good stuff.”
Yet we intentionally wade through this section for two reasons: First, this is simply a basic commitment to the text. Secondly, however, it’s a way of affirming that the history matters. The good news of Jesus Christ, that is the gospel, who “gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age” (Gal. 1:4) is not merely an intellectual or philosophical belief but an embodied belief.
It is true that the amazing grace of God is a historical reality but as Paul makes clear in this biographical section, the amazing grace of God is also a personal reality. It is a revelation that changes real lives of real people, yours included. As we walk through this passage, we’ll explore the amazing grace of God: what God was doing, what God is doing, and how it changes us.
Dinner Table Conversations:
Adult & Teen Table Talk:
- How does the good news of God’s amazing grace free you from pride and guilt?
- How are you most tempted to fear men and seek their approval? What would change if, in those moments, you lived to please the God who is pleased with you?
Little Learners’ Table Talk:
- What do you think it means that God loves you?
Sermon Title: Amazing Grace
Sermon Series: Set Free
Sermon Passage: Galatians 1:10-24
Closing Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:15-17
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