Grace in Galatians (Part 198) – You Are Under An Apostolic Blessing

https://youtu.be/ihcTE4R7Nvc?si=06AjSThbMFgnIUBW

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 6:16 TPT“May God’s peace and mercy rest upon those who follow this rule of life, for they are now true Israel and part of God’s family.”

Supporting scriptures:

Hebrews 7:7 NKJV“Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.”

Numbers 6:24-26 GNT“May the Lord bless you and take care of you; May the Lord be kind and gracious to you; May the Lord look on you with favor and give you his peace.”

Psalm 23:6 NKJV“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Lamentations 3:22-23 AMPC“It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.”

Galatians 5:25 TPT“If the Spirit is the source of our life, we must also allow the Spirit to direct every aspect of how we live.”

Romans 8:1 NKJV“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Romans 9:6 AMPC“For it is not as though God’s Word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are [the true] Israel.”

Galatians 3:29 TPT“And since we are now part of Christ, we are the true descendants of Abraham. And as heirs, we inherit the very promises God made to him long ago.”

Setting the Stage:

Today, we continue in Galatians 6:16. Friday, we opened this verse and saw that Paul, the pen still in his own hand, pronounces a blessing over every new creation believer. Peace. Mercy. Belonging.

But there is more in this verse. There is the way Paul SPEAKS it. There is the way peace and mercy REST. There is the present-tense reality of being the Israel of God. Let’s pick up where we left off, and unpack the rest of what Paul is doing in this one powerful verse.

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

1. Paul Is Speaking A Blessing Over Every New Creation Believer.

Read Galatians 6:16 again. Paul is doing something specific here. He is speaking. He is pronouncing. He is calling down peace, mercy, and a sense of belonging, from heaven onto the lives of every New Covenant believer. This is an apostolic benediction. It is more than a closing greeting. When an apostle speaks blessing in the name of the Lord, words carry weight. Heaven backs them up. And the blessing Paul spoke over the Galatians 2,000 years ago still rests on every born again believer today, including you.

How this applies to you:

— Words carry weight when an apostle pronounces a a blessing in the name of the Lord.

— Hebrews 7:7 NKJV says, “Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.” Read that. The greater pronounces blessing over the lesser. The apostles spoke under the authority of Jesus, and the blessing they pronounced over the church carries the weight of the One who sent them.

— I want you to picture yourself sitting in the Galatian church when Paul’s letter is read aloud for the first time. The Judaizers had been pressuring you to keep the Law. Then Paul’s words land. “Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule.” Can you feel the relief? Can you feel the weight lifting? You are not under the Law. You are under an apostolic blessing. Not only that, but the blessing included a sense of belonging. Paul was speaking to non-Jewish converts to Christianity who were feeling pressure from Jewish converts to Christianity to conform to their ways. If they didn’t, they would be seen as outsiders. But Paul says, “No, you’re not an outsider. You belong. As a matter of fact, you are part of the true Israel.”  

— The blessing was for them. The blessing is for you. Receive it today. Receive peace, mercy, and a sense of belonging.

— Yesterday I preached, and at the end of my message I gave the benediction. In the benediction, I pronounced the priestly blessing, also known as the Aaronic blessing. This was given by God to Moses and to Aaron to speak over the nation of Israel. This is what it says. “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26). Read those words. This was Aaron’s priestly blessing over Old Covenant believers. Paul, the apostle of grace, picks up that same priestly heart and pronounces a similar blessing over every New Covenant believer.

— The blessing of God does not have an expiration date. You can receive this blessing today!

— Every time you read Galatians 6:16, receive what Paul pronounced. Open your hands. Let peace and mercy rest on you, and may you never feel like you do not belong in the Body of Christ.

2. Peace And Mercy REST On You. You Do Not Have To Chase Them.

Look at the word Paul uses. REST. Peace and mercy REST upon those who have been made new in Christ Jesus. They do not visit. They do not show up sometimes and disappear other times. They REST. Like a dove descending and staying. Like a cloud settling. Like a covering you cannot shake off. And the implication is profound. You are not chasing peace and mercy. You are not hunting them down. They REST on you. 

How this applies to you:

— Peace and mercy do not have to be chased. They rest upon you today and every day.

— Religion turns peace into a target you keep missing. Grace makes peace a covering you cannot shake off. There is a revelation of a difference. 

— Many times when I’m praying for someone, I pray that the peace of God would overwhelm them and overtake them. I’m asking for God’s peace to be so present in their lives that worry, fear, and anxiety would literally fall off of them. 

— Psalm 23:6 NKJV says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Read that. Follow me. All the days. David is not chasing goodness and mercy. They are chasing HIM. And so it is with you. Peace and mercy are not running ahead of you to be caught. They are overwhelming you as you go.

— I want you to picture a believer who is always trying to “find peace.” He is reading books. He is going to conferences. He is hunting for the next experience that will finally give him peace. Stop hunting. Look behind you. Peace has been following you the whole time. Look above you. Mercy has been resting on you the whole time. Receive what is already yours.

— The peace of God is not a destination. It is a present reality.

— Walk into today with the knowledge that peace and mercy are not waiting for you to qualify. They REST on you because you are in Christ.

3. You Belong. The Days Of Feeling Like A Spiritual Outsider Are OVER.

Look at what Paul is doing here. He is speaking peace and mercy over the new creation believer, AND he is closing the verse by reminding them that they are now part of God’s family. Read that. They BELONG. Paul was writing to Gentile believers who had been made to feel like second-class citizens by the Judaizers. The Judaizers were saying, “You’re not really one of us unless you become like us. You don’t measure up unless you keep the Law.” Paul looks at every Gentile believer and says, “NO! You belong. You are part of the family. Stop feeling like a spiritual outsider, because you are not one.” That same blessing of belonging rests on you today.

How this applies to you:

— You belong. Period.

— Religious people have a way of making other believers feel like they do not measure up. “You don’t worship right. You don’t dress right. You don’t pray right. You don’t go to the right church.” Stop letting religious people define your belonging. The world cannot define you because the world did not design you. Jesus already defined it at the cross. You belong because the Father adopted you. End of discussion.

— Ephesians 2:19 TPT says, “So now, you are no longer foreigners or guests, but rather you are the children of the city of the holy ones, with all the rights as family members of the household of God.” Read those words. No longer foreigners. No longer guests. Children. Family members. With all the rights. When the Father adopted you, He did not give you a guest pass. He gave you a permanent address in the family.

— The blood of Jesus made you family. Religious tradition cannot kick you out of a family you were BOUGHT into with Jesus’ own blood!

— I want you to picture a believer who walks into church every Sunday but always feels like the new person at the party. He sees the people who have been there longer, who know more, who serve more, who look more spiritual. He thinks, “I do not really fit in here.” Stop. You are not the new person at the party. You are the child of the host. This is HIS party, so it is YOUR party! You belong here because you belong to Him.

— The orphan spirit says you are alone. The Spirit of adoption says you belong.

— Galatians 4:6 TPT says, “And so that we would know for sure that we are his true children, God released the Spirit of Sonship into our hearts, moving us to cry out intimately, ‘My Father! My true Father!'” Read those words. The Spirit of Sonship. The Spirit Himself confirms that you belong. You belong to the Father. You belong to Christ. You belong to the family of God. You belong in the local church where He has planted you. Live with that sense of belonging today and every day!

4. You Are NOW The True Israel Of God. Not Someday. TODAY.

Look at the word Paul uses. NOW. He says those who have been made a new creation in Christ are NOW true Israel and part of God’s family. Read that. NOW. Not when you become more mature. Not when you sin less. Not when you finally feel worthy. NOW. The moment you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you became part of the true Israel. Not the ethnic Israel. The TRUE Israel. The Israel God always had in mind. The Israel defined by faith in His Son, not by bloodline. You are not waiting to belong. You belong NOW.

How this applies to you:

— The word NOW is the most important word in Galatians 6:16. It is driving home your present-day reality. And the sooner you embrace it, the sooner you will enjoy the freedom of knowing that you belong to God. 

— Romans 9:6 AMPC says, “For not all who are descended from Israel are [the true] Israel.” Read those words. The true Israel. Paul is teaching that God’s true people are not defined by ancestry. They are defined by faith. And when you placed your faith in Jesus, you joined the true Israel of God.

— I want you to picture every believer throughout history standing together. Abraham. Isaac. Jacob. Joseph. David. Peter. Paul. The Galatians. The first-century church. Every saint, every believer, every person who placed faith in the promise of God across every century, in every nation, in every generation. THAT is the true Israel. And you are part of it.

— You are not on the outside. You are on the inside. You are part of God’s family. You belong!

— Galatians 3:29 TPT says, “And since we are now part of Christ, we are the true descendants of Abraham. And as heirs, we inherit the very promises God made to him long ago.” Read those words. True descendants. Heirs. The promises God made to Abraham apply to you. The promises God made before there was a Law. The promises that flow through Jesus and rest on you.

— Your standing with God is not pending review. Your standing is settled and secure.

— Walk into today knowing exactly who you are. You are the true Israel of God. You are a true descendant of Abraham. You are an heir of the promises. You are family. You are home. Live like it!

— You get to enjoy the blessing of Abraham (natural blessing) and the blessing of Jesus (spiritual blessing). Enjoy both, and as you do, do so, knowing that peace and mercy rest upon you. 

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I receive the apostolic blessing Paul pronounced over every new creation believer!

Peace and mercy REST on me. I do not have to chase them!

I walk by the new creation rule. I refuse to live under religious pressure!

I am NOW the true Israel of God. Not someday. TODAY!

The blessing of God does not have an expiration date in my life!

I am walking, not sprinting. I am walking, not climbing!

Goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life!

I am a true descendant of Abraham. I am an heir of the promises!

The Spirit leads. I walk. That is the rhythm of my grace life!

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!