Desert Breeze Community Church

Conflict comes much more naturally to us than reconciling. We either fight, flee, or freeze in conflict rather than live as peacemakers. A quick look at our lives and others shows that true biblical peacemaking does not come naturally to anyone. We rewind the story of conflict and covenant reconciliation back to the book of Genesis. We find that at the root of all horizontal conflict is vertical conflict and the gospel of Jesus is the answer.

There is nothing more complex and challenging in life like relationships. The acknowledgment of struggle and failure should not overshadow the hopeful truth that in Christ relationships can be repaired, maintained and flourish.

The lie of the serpent in Eden was that if we obey God fully we will be miserable because happiness lies outside of God’s will, not within it. This lie has passed deeply into every human heart but nothing could be further from the truth.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul & body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Money is the #1 rival God that not only blinds us to its power over us but also binds us from the financial freedom Christ died to give to us.

Christian Hedonism says God’s worth and value are displayed best in lives that are most satisfied in Him. It is a doctrine that is both compelling and convicting. It is compelling because it encourages our natural desire to be happy and it is convicting because none of us are as happy in God as He demands or deserves. (Phil4:4)

Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved (Ps80:3, 7, 19)! The restoration of our lives is not just to believe in God but to experience the joy of His presence (let your face shine) and to have our lives conformed to His will (that we may be saved) not out of duty but out of an inner sense of His beauty. Each prayer increases with intensity (Ps80:3, 7, 19) because restoration is not a quick fix but involves a wrestling with God in prayer. (Gen32:26; Ps51:12)

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.—Hebrews 11:6

The Cross is the symbol of the Christian faith, the crux of human history, a stunning revelation of the love & justice of God giving to us a life most people only dream about. “The Cross is the blazing fire at which the flame of our love is kindled, but we have to get near enough for its sparks to fall on us.” – John Stott

Just as there are physical laws that govern our bodies and break them to our own disintegration—i.e. eating too many fatty foods can harm the physical structure of my heart/body and shorten my life. So it is also true that there are moral laws that govern our spiritual lives and breaking them will lead to even greater consequences—i.e. living your life against God’s laws can harm your life spiritually, psychologically & relationally. Your life will become the sum total of what your daily little decisions are in part.

Relationships are only as healthy as the individuals that make up those relationships. Therefore, individual wholeness is the key to healthy relationships. Relationships don’t put you in conflict with others as much as they put you in conflict with your own sinful nature.

As Christians we have incredible and incomparable resources for life change. And so, it just makes a world of sense that the Creator of the Universe would have Children who are less and less characterized by the “works of the flesh” (vv19-21) more and more characterized by the “fruit of the Spirit”

In the first half of chapter 5, we learned that Christian freedom gives us a whole new motivation for living. In normal religion, the motivation for morality is fear and/or pride. In gospel Christianity, the motivation is a heart captivated by Christ’s love (5:6, 14). In this passage we learn how to grow in character through this new dynamic of love.

If salvation is a gift from God by grace through faith in Christ Jesus then what incentive do I have to live a holy life? If you can’t earn your salvation by your behavior, and can’t “un-earn” it by your behavior than what would motivate you to obey God? It is the Freedom of the Gospel that gives us life changing incentive and motivation to live a life wholly devoted to Christ!

The text gives us two contrasts between Religion vs. the Gospel: 1st What it looks like in our relationship with God vv8-11 2nd What it looks like in our relationship with others vv12-20 Non-Christians will tend hear gospel presentations as appeals to become a “nice person” rather than a “new person” unless we are clear in articulating the drastic difference between moralism and the Gospel. Even among Christians the default mode of our hearts is “moralism”—that is, the idea that our performance determines how God feels about us. Unless we are actively preaching the gospel to ourselves and others daily, beating it into our hearts continually…. we will easily fall back into “moralism.”

The text gives us two contrasts between Religion vs. the Gospel: 1st What it looks like in our relationship with God vv8-11. 2nd What it looks like in our relationship with others vv12-20. Why does it matter? As Paul sees the Galatians failing to do this, he is “afraid” for them (v11) and “perplexed” about them (v20). Life and death, heaven and hell hang in the balance for both this life and the life to come.

“The notion that we are children of God, His own sons and daughter…is the mainspring of Christian living…Our sonship to God is the apex of creation and the goal of redemption.”—Sinclair Ferguson

Is our salvation through God’s promise or our performance? False Teachers: Believe and Obey and you’ll be Saved Gospel: Believe and be Saved and you’ll Obey

Experiencing Spiritual growth and power is found by regularly spending time understanding and knowing who and what has been given to you in the gospel. Process: study, worship and the testing of your faith.

Being able to articulate the Gospel with accuracy is one thing; having its truth captivate your soul and applying it to every area of your life is altogether quite another.