Grace in Galatians (Part 196) – You May Be The ONLY BIBLE Some People Will Ever Read

https://youtu.be/zdPZNjRixXs?si=2ZI9k-g8WfgEfKlc

Today, we continue our focus on THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, as we learn to maintain our posture of faith after God has revealed His plans for our future.

As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians.

Key scriptures for this year:

2 Peter 3:18 GNT“But continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now and forever.”

Luke 10:20 Mirror“It’s time for you to rediscover who you are from Heaven’s perspective.”

1 John 3:10 Mirror“There is a very visible and vast difference between living one’s life from your God identity or from a fallen man’s mindset.”

Proverbs 25:2 NKJV“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Scripture we will study today:

Galatians 6:15 ERV“It doesn’t matter if anyone is circumcised or not. The only thing that matters is this new life we have from God.”

Supporting scriptures:

Genesis 1:3 NLT“Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 TPT“For by grace you have been saved through faith. Nothing you did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving.”

Romans 12:2 TPT“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 TPT“We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another.”

Matthew 9:17 TPT“And who pours new wine into an old wineskin? If someone did, the old wineskin would burst and the new wine would be lost. New wine is always poured into a new wineskin so that both are preserved.”

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 TPT“The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves! Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself has written it. Not with ink, but by God’s living Spirit. Not chiseled into stone, but on tablets of human hearts.”

Philippians 2:13 TPT“God himself is so engaged in your spiritual journey that he is empowering you to live out his explosive plan of love for you. He is at work within you, releasing both the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”

Setting the Stage:

Yesterday, we walked into Galatians 6:15 and unpacked four powerful truths about the new creation. You are a brand new creation in Christ Jesus. Today, we’re going to spend another day on the same verse. There is plenty in this verse for us to glean.

Yesterday, we focused on the IDENTITY of the new creation. Today, we are going to focus on the LIFE of the new creation. Specifically, four things every believer needs to understand about how the new creation actually gets lived out day to day. Let’s get into it.

So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.

1. When You Were Born Again, God Did The Creating And All Did Was The Receiving.

Look at the word Paul uses in this verse. “What counts is the new CREATION.” That word is no accident. Creation is a God-word. It is the same word used in Genesis 1 when God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” The God who spoke the universe into existence is the same God who spoke your new life into existence. He did not improve you. He CREATED you NEW. And here is the critical part. You did not create yourself. You cannot make yourself born again. You cannot make yourself righteous. You cannot make yourself a new creation by trying harder. The Creator God did the work. You just received the gift. Salvation is a gift, given by the unearned grace of God and it is received by faith, not effort. 

How this applies to you:

— The Creator God did the work. You just received the gift.

— Ephesians 2:8-9 TPT says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. Nothing you did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving.” Read those words. Never a reward for good works. Never. Not one drop of your salvation came from your effort. Salvation is ALL ABOUT HIM!

— You cannot make yourself a new creation. Only the God, the Creator can.

— I want you to picture the day God created the world. He spoke. And it became. Light came from nothing. Water came from nothing. Trees came from nothing. The God who CREATES from nothing is the same God who made YOU new a recreated righteous being from a flesh-bound sinner. 

— The same God who said “Let there be light” said “I will put my Spirit down inside this person so they can become who I called them to be.”

— The more I study the grace of God, the more I realize how exhausting it is to attempt to earn your salvation without it. 

— God made you NEW! This means that you are not trying to become what God made. You are learning to walk in what God already made.

— Stop trying to earn what is already yours. Your job is not to create yourself new. Your job is to receive what He already created, believe what He already declared, and walk in what He already made. Rest in the finished work of the Creator!

2. Your Mind Has To Catch Up To Your Spirit.

You are a tripartite being, just like God. You are spirit, soul, and body. The moment you got born again, your spirit was transformed, so your spirit was saved. It was made new. Your soul (which is comprised of your mind, emotions, and will) is being made new, and then one day your body will be made new. So your spirit was saved instantly, your soul is being saved progressively, and your body will be saved eventually. So, if you do not renew your mind, you will spend your whole life as a new creation thinking like the old man. The day you are born again, you are a new man living in an old body in need of a new mind. 

How this applies to you:

— Your spirit was made new instantly. Your mind (or soul) has to catch up daily.

— Romans 12:2 TPT says, “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” Read that. A beautiful life. Satisfying and perfect. That is what is available when your mind finally catches up to your spirit.

— The reality of the new creation lives in your spirit (where God’s Spirit bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God). But the old programming lives in your mind.

— I want you to picture a believer who got born again but never opened his Bible after that day. His spirit is alive, but his mind is still operating on the old software. When trouble comes, he reverts to old reactions. When the enemy lies, he believes the lie. When God says, “I love you,” he hears, “Maybe.” Why? Because his mind is still living in the old neighborhood.

— The way you got dirt in your mind is the same way you get the Word in your mind. Input. You must get the word through your eye gates so you can get down in your soul. You must get the word through your ear gates so you can get down in your soul. 

— 2 Corinthians 3:18 TPT says, “We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another.” Read those words. From glory to glory. That is not a one-time event. That is a daily process.

— The believers who walk most powerfully in their new identity are the believers who fill their minds with God’s Word every single day. They meditate on it. They speak it. They live by it. Their minds eventually catch up to their spirits, and they start operating from the reality God has already declared over them.

— The new creation is settled in your spirit. But your daily experience will never go beyond the level of your thinking. That is why renewing your mind matters. Get into the Word. Get the Word into you. Let God’s truth reprogram the way you think, feel, and make decisions. You will experience God’s best when your mind finally catches up to who you have already become!

3. New Wine Needs New Wineskins.

Jesus taught a principle in Matthew 9:17 that maps perfectly onto the new creation life. He said, “Nobody puts new wine into old wineskins. If they did, the skins would burst, the wine would spill, and the skins would be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” Read that. NEW wine in NEW wineskins. Here is the principle. A new creation life cannot be lived in old structures. The old habits you used to have. The old relationships that used to define you. The old environments that used to shape you. The old patterns of behavior. Some of those have to go. Not because they are evil. Because they are OLD WINESKINS. Paul could not become Paul in Saul’s old environment.

How this applies to you:

— The new life God created you into requires new habits, new thinking patterns, and it often requires new relationships.

— Matthew 9:17 TPT says, “And who pours new wine into an old wineskin? If someone did, the old wineskin would burst and the new wine would be lost. New wine is always poured into a new wineskin so that both are preserved.” Read those words. Both are preserved. When you put new wine in new wineskins, the wine is preserved AND the wineskin lasts. God’s new life in you needs new containers.

— Old wineskins burst under the weight of new wine. If you try to live as your newly created person in some of your old environments with an old mindset, it causes nothing but confusion and pressure on both sides. The environment is confused, and you wind up being confused as well. 

— I want you to picture a believer who got born again but kept hanging out with the same crowd, in the same places, doing the same things, talking the same way. He is sacrificing the new wine for the old wineskin. Eventually, his initial passion and hunger for God will dissipate, because he has chosen the old wineskin over the new wine. 

— Some people, places, and things cannot come with you into your new creation life.

— When I got born again on August 27, 1995, I had to make some new wineskins. I changed who I hung out with. I changed what I listened to. I changed what I watched. I changed what I read. I cut off relationships that were pulling me back into the old life. It was not always comfortable. But it was always necessary. Because the new wine God had poured into my spirit required new wineskins to hold it.

— Now, years later, God freely sends me into different types of environments. He allows me to minister to all sorts of people. I’m comfortable listening to some of the music that I couldn’t listen to when I first got born again because I was on a mission at the time. My mind was being renewed. I could not afford to allow anything to disrupt the process of what was happening, but now that I’m settled, God can use me in all sorts of environments. It takes a certain level of maturity to understand this process. Please don’t judge someone else if they are at a different stage in the process. 

— I will close this point with this. God will not pour new wine into old wineskins, because He values both too much. He values the wine of His Spirit, and He values you, the wineskin, too much to let you burst under the weight of what He is doing. So sometimes He will lead you to change your environment. Change your friends. Change your habits. Change your patterns. Not as punishment. As preservation. Embrace the new wineskins God wants to create for you. Because the new wine is worth it!

4. You Are A Living Letter To Be Read By The World.

Here is the why behind the new creation. God did not make you new just so you could go to heaven when you die. He made you new so the world around you could READ what He has written on your life. You are God’s Living Letter. 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 TPT puts it like this: “The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves! Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself has written it. Not with ink, but by God’s living Spirit. Not chiseled into stone, but on tablets of human hearts.” Read those words. Christ Himself has written it. Your life is a letter. The world is reading your patience. Your peace. Your joy. Your integrity. Your forgiveness. Your love. The question is not whether they are reading you. The question is what they are reading.

How this applies to you:

— You are not just a believer. You are a part of God’s love letter to the world.

— You may be the only Bible some people will ever read.

— Paul was being challenged by religious people who wanted to see his credentials. And Paul essentially said, “You don’t need my credentials. YOU are my credentials. Your transformed lives ARE my letter of recommendation.” The same principle is true for you today. Your transformed life is the most powerful evidence the gospel works. People can argue with sermons. They cannot argue with a changed life.

— People can debate the gospel. They cannot debate a life that has been changed by God!

— The world does not need another argument for Christianity. They need demonstration. They hear that God can heal a marriage, and they need to see God healing yours. They hear that God can bring you out of debt, and they need to see Him bringing you out. The Living Letter answers the question the world has been silently asking. “Is any of this gospel stuff real?” Your life is the answer.

— Philippians 2:13 TPT says, “God himself is so engaged in your spiritual journey that he is empowering you to live out his explosive plan of love for you. He is at work within you, releasing both the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Read those words. God Himself is so engaged. He is not standing back watching. He is the one writing the letter, one day at a time, through the new creation life inside of you.

— In closing, walk into every room knowing you are a Living Letter. Your patience preaches. Your peace preaches. Your generosity preaches. Your integrity preaches. The world is reading you whether you realize it or not. Make sure they are reading the right gospel. And let the new creation in you be a Living Letter that points the world back to the Author! Remember, IT’S ALL ABOUT HIM!

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I thank You that I am Your new creation, finished by Your hand and signed by Your blood!

I cannot make myself new, and I refuse to try!

The same God who said “Let there be light” said “Let this person be new”!

My spirit was saved instantly. My mind is being renewed daily. My body will be glorified eternally!

I am being transfigured from glory to glory!

New wine is in me, and I embrace every new wineskin!

I let go of the old to walk in the new!

I am God’s Living Letter, written by Christ Himself!

My patience preaches. My peace preaches. My integrity preaches!

I am Living THE GRACE LIFE, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!

I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!