Adapted from a

Steve Shepherd sermonhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?

ContributorID=&SermonID=145784

Purpose&

PromiseGalatians 3:15-29

Galatians 3:15 Brothers and sisters, I offer an example from everyday life: When a

covenant has been ratified, even though it is only a human contract, no one can set it

aside or add anything to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. Scripture does not say, "and to the descendants," referring to many, but "and to your descendant," (Gen 12:7; 13:15; 17:7; 24:7) referring to

one, who is Christ.

17 What I am saying is this: The law that came four hundred thirty years later does not cancel a covenant previously ratified

by God, so as to invalidate the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on the law, it

is no longer based on the promise, but God graciously gave it to Abraham through

the promise. 19 Why then was the law given? It was added because of

transgressions, until the arrival of the descendant to whom the promise had

been made.

It was administered through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an

intermediary is not for one party alone, but God is one. 21 Is the law therefore opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law

had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22

But the scripture imprisoned everything and everyone under sin so that the promise could be given — because of the faithfulness of

Jesus Christ — to those who believe.

23 Now before faith came we were held in custody under the law, being kept as

prisoners until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 Thus the law had become our guardian until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer

under a guardian. 26 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.

27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male

nor female — for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to

Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to the

promise.

One of golf’s immortal moments came when a Scotchman demonstrated the new 

game to President Ulysses Grant. Carefully placing the ball on the tee, he took a mighty swing. The club hit the turf and scattered dirt all over the President’s beard and surrounding vicinity, while the 

ball stayed on the tee. Again the Scotchman swung, and again he missed.

The President waited patiently through six tries and then quietly stated, "There seems to be a fair amount of exercise in the 

game, but I fail to see the purpose of the ball.“

That was a pretty good response. Purpose is what we’re thinking about in this lesson, not the purpose of the golf ball, but the 

purpose of our lives.

Why are we here? We know how we got here, but what is the purpose for which God put us here? Have you come to a good conclusion for that question? John W. Gardner (Secretary of Health, 

Education, and Welfare under President Lyndon Johnson) said it’s a rare and high privilege to help people understand the difference they can make -- not only in their own lives, but also in the lives of others, simply by giving 

of themselves.

Gardner tells of a cheerful old man who asked the same question of just about every new acquaintance he fell into 

conversation with: "What have you done that you believe in and you are proud of?"

He never asked conventional questions such as "What do you do for a living?" It was always, "What have you done that you 

believe in and are proud of?"

It was an unsettling question for people who had built their self-esteem on their 

wealth or their family name or their exalted job title.

Not that the old man was a fierce interrogator. He was delighted by a woman who answered, “I’m doing a good job raising three children;” and by a 

cabinetmaker who said, “I believe in good workmanship and practice it;” and by a woman who said, “I started a bookstore and it’s the best bookstore for miles 

around.”

"I don’t really care how they answer," said the old man. "I just want to put the thought into their minds. They should live their lives in such a way that they can have a good answer. Not a good answer for me, but for themselves. That’s what’s important."

I would say that the old man hit on a good thought. What have you done that you believe in and are proud of? Your 

occupational work in this world? Some may view their work as being more 

important than others.Is it really?

Let me illustrate it this way.Back in the 1980s I worked as a freight 

pilot.

It was a hard job because of the heavy lifting loading & unloading freight, plus 

working night hours and not being a good daytime sleeper. I did make fair wages but, I didn’t see much of a future in it. I saw this as a stepping stone to an airline cockpit, which it was, so I could be a success in life. But who said we’re supposed to be ’successful’ in life? Where does this idea 

come from anyway?

I think it comes from the world. We get the idea that unless we’re making a good salary with decent hours and also doing 

something we like then we’re not successful. But nowhere in scripture do I find that we’re supposed to be successful in the eyes of the world! In fact, if we are, we may not be right in the eyes of God!Here is the purpose of life for the Christian regardless of who we are or what we do for 

a living.

1 Corinthians 10:31 NET So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do

everything for the glory of God.Here’s what the wise teacher Solomon said: Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring

every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. 

Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 NIV

Could I fly a plane hauling freight and do this work to the glory of God? Why, of course, I could! How? Do a good job. Be 

pleasant. Be a good worker and demonstrate a good spirit to everyone I came in contact with. And even be a 

witness for Christ whenever I could. Speak a good word for Christ whenever the 

opportunity arises. THIS APPLIES TO ALL CHRISTIANS! 

And when we get the purpose right, the promise will be even more meaningful. What do I mean? When we figure out that we’re here for the Lord’s glory (and not our own) then the promise of God will have even greater meaning for us in life.

Now to our text, which is also about purpose and promise, only it deals with the purpose of the Old Law and the promise of God. Is there a conflict between these 

two?

Let’s discern what Paul is saying.1- The purpose of the law2- The promise of God

19 Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the

arrival of the descendant to whom the promise had been made. It was

administered through angels by an intermediary.

THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW

Mike Yaconelli (Co-Founder of Youth Specialties, a training organization for Christian youth leaders and was killed in an automobile accident in 2003 at age 61) in "The Wittenburg Door" (Christian satire and humor magazine) wrote: I live in a small, rural community. There are lots of cattle ranches around here, and, every once in a while, a cow wanders off and 

gets lost.

Ask a rancher how a cow gets lost, and chances are he will reply, ’Well, the cow starts nibbling on a tuft of green grass, and when it finishes, it looks ahead to the next tuft of green grass and starts nibbling on that one, and then it nibbles on a tuft of grass right next to a hole in the fence.

It then sees another tuft of green grass on the other side of the fence, so it nibbles on that one and then goes on to the next tuft. The next thing you know, the cow has 

nibbled itself into being lost.“He said: Americans are in the process of nibbling their way to being lost. . . We keep moving from one tuft of activity to another, never noticing how far we have gone from home or how far away from the truth we 

have managed to end up.

I think this is true. Do you remember the old cigarette commercial (Virginia Slims) that said, "You’ve come a long way, baby"? We’ve come a long way from where to where? We have everything in America, materially speaking. Just think of what you now have in comparison to what you had when you were a kid. It was a different era: Most of us had either no or black & white TV, you played outside, you weren’t 

worried about many things, life’s pace was slow.

We always had time to be neighborly, etc. Now, look at where we are today! Not only do we have everything, but we also do everything! And everything we do isn’t 

good or godly!

For example, the Gay movement, which is a very acceptable lifestyle by most people today, was unheard of many years ago. If it was heard of, it was not called "Gay." 

Have you noticed the difference in movies today in comparison to the movies of the 50’s and 60’s? Little sexual activity to MUCH sexual activity. And more.

You can’t go see an R rated movie today or else it will be filled with filthy language, extreme violence or sexual explicitness.

What in the world has happened to our world? We’ve gone from bad to worse in regard to sinful behavior. And as some 

people have suggested, "Is nothing sacred anymore?" No, not in Hollywood and not in 

America.

The thought is this: What is the purpose of God’s law? Paul said, "It was added

because of transgressions."

Mankind apparently didn’t know it had sinned until God stated his law. Oh, there was a certain amount of inborn realization of sin or that something wasn’t right, but God gave man His law so that sin would be specifically spelled out, as in, "Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery" etc.

It’s like when children are small. There are many things they can’t understand and that’s when moms and dads had to say, "no, no" until they learned what a "no, no" 

meant.

God’s list of "no, no’s" was given in the old law. And the people needed it to 

understand where they had sinned against God and man. So, in that sense the law 

was not bad.

But there was a bad side to the law. What’s that? 

Galatians 3:10 NET  For all who rely on doing the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, "Cursed is

everyone who does not keep on doing everything written in the book of the

law." (Deu 27:26) 11 Now it is clear no one is justified before God by the law, because

the righteous one will live by faith.(Hab 2:4)

The bad side of the law was two-fold: 

First - No person could completely fulfill the law in its entirety. No one could live a 

perfect life.

Second - The law made no one just in God’s eyes. We could only be made 

righteous BY FAITH! 

21 Is the law therefore opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly

have come by the law. 22 But the scripture imprisoned everything and everyone under sin so that the promise could be given —

because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ — to those who believe.

23 Now before faith came we were held in custody under the law, being kept as

prisoners until the coming faith would be revealed.

 Prisoners to the law.

But now that Jesus has been revealed we live by faith in Him. 

15 Brothers and sisters, I offer an example from everyday life: When a covenant has

been ratified, even though it is only a human contract, no one can set it aside or add anything to it. 16 Now the promises

were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. Scripture does not say, "and

to the descendants," referring to many, but "and to your descendant," (Gen 12:7; 13:15; 17:7; 24:7) referring to one, who is Christ.

THE PROMISE OF GOD

17 What I am saying is this: The law that came four hundred thirty years later does not cancel a covenant previously ratified

by God, so as to invalidate the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on the law, it

is no longer based on the promise, but God graciously gave it to Abraham through

the promise.

Our inheritance in Christ depends on faith in God’s promise, not the law.

A sign in the middle of the Royal Gorge bridge in Colorado, the tallest suspension bridge in the world, rising 1053 feet above the water level: "No Fishing From This Bridge." How could a person fish from a 

bridge that high? There is no way! 

How could a person be saved by a law that is impossible to obey completely?

"How can we achieve a right relationship with God? Shall we try to achieve it by a meticulous and even self-torturing obedience to the law, by performing 

endless deeds, by observing every small regulation the law lays down? If we take that way we are forever in default, for 

man’s imperfection can never fully satisfy the perfection of God.

"We are forever frustrated, forever climbing up a hill in which the peak never comes in sight, forever under condemnation; but if we simply abandon this hopeless struggle and bring ourselves and our sin to God, then the grace of God opens its arms to us and we are at peace with God who is no 

longer judge but our father.“(William Barclay)

There is no way that any of us could ever fulfill or live up to God’s requirement for 

righteousness.IT’S FUTILE. It’s a waste of our time and money. But as William Barclay said, when we open up to His promise by faith, we can 

become justified before God.It’s God’s plan and it will be done His way or not at all! And when we play the game His way, His blessing and grace floods our 

souls and lives!

"The inheritance was given to Abraham by promise; and ours depends on the 

promise."(People’s New Testament)

All hope is in the gospel.

Our only hope is in the gospel!

"The principle of law and the principle of faith are quite opposite; you cannot direct your life by both at one and the same time; you must choose; and therefore the only logical choice is to abandon the way of legalism and to venture upon the way of faith, of taking God at His word and of 

trusting in His love.“(William Barclay)

Galatians 3:24 NET Thus the law had become our guardian until Christ, so that

we could be declared righteous by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no

longer under a guardian. Fred Brown compared the law to a plumb line. When a builder wants to check his work, he uses a weighted string to see if it’s true to the vertical. But if he finds that he has made a mistake, he doesn’t use the plumb line to correct it. He gets out his 

hammer and saw. 

The law points out the problem of sin; it doesn’t provide a solution.

The law is the light that reveals how dirty the room is, not the broom that sweeps it 

clean. (Dr. Phil Williams)

26 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed

yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor

free, there is neither male nor female — for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if

you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according

to the promise.

Someone put it this way: If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; 

If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; 

If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; 

If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer;But our greatest need was forgiveness, so 

God sent us a Savior. JESUS! 

He alone is our Savior.He alone is our hope!

What have you done for Christ that you believe in and you are proud of?