[Sorry, no audio for this lesson. Sadly, the microphone died in the middle of class.]

• Galatians

• From the apostle Paul (Galatians 1:1

• To the churches in Galatia (Galatians 1:2

• They were deserting God and going to a different gospel (Galatians 1:6-9!

• Galatians 5:1-13 - In what sense are Christians free?

• In this context, Christians are free from the law of Moses.

• Galatians 5:16-17 - Contrast between the flesh and the spirit.

• Galatians 5 - Is “spirit” here talking about man’s spiritual nature or the Holy Spirit?

• People disagree on this.

• If this is talking about a man’s spirit, is the passage teaching that a human’s spirit is allowed to follow its own path (cf. Jeremiah 10:23? No!

• If this is talking about the Holy Spirit, is the passage teaching that a human’s spirit is not involved in serving God (cf. Romans 1:9? No!

• Does a spiritually-minded person follow the Holy Spirit-inspired scripture? Yes!

• The Holy Spirit often uses the word “fruit” figuratively to mean the effect that God’s word has in one’s life. It might be a quality that is developed or an action that is taken.

• Lamentations 3:40

• Have I lived more righteously?

• Romans 6:12-13 - We need to use our bodies in righteous ways to serve God.

• I Timothy 6:11

• Have I gotten better about reading the Bible?

• Luke 10:38-42 - It is important to make God a priority in our lives.

• Bible reading has a long term positive impact on us.

• Deuteronomy 17:18-20 - God’s rules for Bible study for rulers. They were to write their own copy of the law and read it all the days of their lives. This was to help the king fear God and keep him humble.

• Have I increased my prayers?

• Daniel 6:10 - Daniel refused to stop praying, even when the king passed a law against it.

• Romans 12:12 - Pray without ceasing.

• James 5:13

• Have I done better in sharing the gospel?

• Mark 12:41-44 - God considers one’s abilities and not just the amount that he serves.

• I Corinthians 3:6 - God causes the growth. We don’t have to do everything ourselves - just what we can!

• Hebrews 6:18 - The two immutable things were God’s veracity and the oath that He made.
• Hebrews 6:19 - The hope we have in Christ keeps us from drifting in our faith, thus hope is our anchor.
• Hebrews 7:1. Melchizedek helped to set the stage for the coming of a new high priest, Jesus.
• Hebrews 7:3 - The popular view on this verse is that it is figuratively referring to Melchizedek being outside the genealogy of Abraham. An alternative view of this is that Melchizedek was deity in the form of a man. Whatever the identity of Melchizedek, his priesthood was superior to the priesthood of Levi.

• Psalms 15

• David asked the same question

• “Tent” - a simple dwelling

• “Holy Hill” - Zion/Jerusalem

• Christians seek a New Jerusalem (Hebrews 13:13-14)

• Those who qualify

• Scripture lays out conditions (I Corinthians 9:24-27)

• “Walk blamelessly” (Psalms 15:2)

• The blood of Christ makes one blameless, but one must still walk blamelessly (I Thessalonians 5:22).

• “Speaks truth in his heart” (Psalms 15:2)

• The Lord considers man’s heart as well as his actions. (Genesis 6:5)

• We must test our hearts (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

• “Does not slander” (Psalms 15:3)

• We must filter our speech. (Ephesians 4:15)

• If we do not control our speech, we are hypocrites. (James 3:9-12)

• “Takes no reproach against a friend” (Psalms 15:3)

• We must patiently and objectively seek the truth (I Timothy 5:19-20)

• “Despises the vile and honors the reverent” (Psalms 15:4)

• We cannot afford to relax convictions. (Ephesians 5:6-12)

• We must save the lost, exercising caution. (Jude 1:22-23)

• We must honor our brethren. (Acts 28:10)

• “Swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Psalms 15:4)

• Keeping our word can hurt sometimes. (Matthew 5:37)

• The exception comes when we discover our involvement is morally wrong. (Matthew 14:6-12)

• “Charges no interest, and takes no bribe.” (Psalms 15:5)

• We must give of our means without expecting anything in return. (Luke 14:12-14)

• Take a bribe to pervert justice will prevent us from dwelling with God.

• “He who does these things will never stumble.” (Psalms 15:5)

• Only in persevering can we hope to well with God. (II Peter 1:5-11)