BACKGROUND
Similar in theme to Romans
Major issue: Jewish Christians demanding that Gentile Christians be circumcised and follow Jewish ritual law.
More relevant approach: What do I do when somebody or the world presents a different view from what has been revealed by God or his servants?
ICEBREAKER
Set out two objects, a jar of jelly, and a rock.
Q: Which of these two objects do you think God wants you to be like when it comes to living the gospel?
Q: Why?
A: The following point should be made: I believe that God wants us to be more like a rock than jelly. Jelly will always conform to the container you put it in. If I change the shape of the container, the jelly will just ooze and flow until it fits that shape. It has no strength of its own. People are sometimes like that. They conform to whatever opinions, beliefs, or practices the majority of people around them have. They just go with the flow with no inner strength of character. The rock on the other hand stands firm, it will maintain its shape no matter what the container presented to it looks like. I believe God wants us to be rocks, not jelly people.
TRANSITION
Many of the Galatian saints are having this problem. Which is kind of funny because if you change just one letter in the name Galatians, it becomes Gelations. Like gel, or jelly. They are conforming to a more popular belief that unfortunately conflicts with the revelations from Christ to his leaders. They are being tempted to go with the flow. Galatians will help you to know what to do when you feel pressure from the world to conform. When this happens we can be one of two things, but not both.
Q: Can you find the two types of people we can be in Galatians 1:10?
A: We can be one of two things. We can be men pleasers (jelly people, and you could point to the jelly jar at this point), or servants of Christ (and point to the rock). The great question of Galatians then is "Which are you?”
APPLY
The issue the Galatians are struggling with is that some are saying that the Gentiles members needed to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law in order to be true Christians, when this was not what the church leaders were teaching. That was their issue. But what are some of ours today?
Q: What are some of the issues where the world’s views conflict with those of the church?
Adults:
Gay marriage
Pornography
Sabbath day.
Women’s issues
For younger people:
Media
Swearing
Modesty
Cheating
Q: Raise your hands if you’ve ever encountered somebody that tried to change your mind or challenge your beliefs?
Let’s see what advice Paul has for us when we encounter these situations.
SEARCH
Divide the class into 9 groups with the same number of people in them inasmuch as that is possible. Then print out the following references and accompanying questions and distribute them to the groups.
Instructions.
Read your questions.
Read your reference looking for possible answers.
Discuss answers to the questions and have somebody write down your group’s thoughts.
Choose a spokesperson that will share your answers with the class.
Give them about 3-5 minutes to do this activity, and then go from group to group having the spokesperson share. While they share, the rest of the class should follow along in those verses.
REFERENCES AND QUESTIONS
Galatians 1:8-9
How does a Servant of Christ react when somebody tells them they don’t need to live a certain commandment, or that the church is wrong on some issue?
How do you think Men-pleasers would react?
Galatians 1:11-12, 16
Where does a Servant of Christ get their beliefs, opinions, and views?
Where do men pleasers get them?
Galatians 2:2
(Before Paul decided to go out and preach he went to Jerusalem to talk with Peter and the other Apostles to make sure that he was doing the right thing)
So: Where does a Servant of Christ turn to know if he should do something or not?
Where does a man pleaser turn?
Galatians 2:4-5
How do Servants of Christ react to those who try to pull them away from the gospel?
How do you think a man pleaser would react?
Galatians 2:20
Servants of Christ live for who?
Who do you think Men-pleasers live for?
Galatians 3:27
Who do servants of Christ “put on” or try very hard to act like?
Who do men pleasers “put on” or try very hard to act like?
Galatians 4:16
How do men pleasers view church leaders or parents that confront them for sinful behavior?
How do you think servants of Christ view leaders or parents that confront them?
Galatians 5:16
How does a servant of Christ walk?
How does a man pleaser walk?
Galatians 5:19-23
What kinds of things does the attitude of men pleasing eventually lead to?
What kinds of things does being a servant of Christ lead to?
POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Galatians 1:8-9
Servants of Christ: Accurse it, Set it Aside
Men-pleasers:Very concerned about what others think
Galatians 1:11-12, 16
Servants of Christ: Revelation
Men-pleasers: Flesh and Blood
Galatians 2:2
Servants of Christ: Prophets and Apostles
Men-pleasers: Friends, coworkers, the majority
Galatians 2:4-5
Servants of Christ: Give no place, not even for an hour
Men-pleasers: Dive headlong into it. Spend hours on it
Galatians 2:20
Servants of Christ: Live for Christ, Christ lives in them
Men-pleasers: Live for the world, and the world lives in them
Galatians 3:27
Servants of Christ: Put on Christ
Men-pleasers: Put on the World
Galatians 4:16
Servants of Christ: View them as friends
Men-pleasers:View them as an enemy
Galatians 5:16
Servants of Christ: Walk in the Spirit
Men-pleasers: Walk in the lust of the flesh
Galatians 5:19-23
Servants of Christ: The fruits of the Spirit
Men-pleasers: All kinds of wickedness
CONCLUSION
The incredible thing about being a servant of Christ is that you aren’t servants forever. God has a greater plan in store for you. He never intended us to be merely servants in his kingdom. What do servants of Christ eventually become according to Galatians 4:6-7.
Q: What do they become?
A: Sons and daughters of God.
Q: What does he say we become in Galatians 6:15.
We become new creatures. This is God’s hope and desire for every one of us. It’s our destiny. He doesn’t expect us to stay mere mortals. He intends to make us into Gods. Beings like Him. But we can never fulfill that destiny if we’re obsessed with pleasing and following the world. We must be ROCKS, not JELLY PEOPLE.
MATCHING
Have your students look up the verses on the left and then try to match them to the picture they feel best represents the message of that verse.
3:1 Who hath bewitched you?
4:18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing.
5:1 Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.
6:1 If a man be overtaken in a fault, restore such a one
6:3 If a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself
6:7 What ye sow you shall also reap
SHARING
Pick your favorite verse from that list and be ready to share why you like it.
Give them about 3-4 minutes to pick and prepare themselves.
Call on some to share or ask for volunteers.
Be ready and willing to share some of your thoughts as well.
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