Grace in Galatians (Part 201) – Grace Gets The Final Word

https://youtu.be/zwdTa5Hu5ys?si=aLcUvQhXRsYX7RWP

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 6:18 TPT“May the wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, be with your spirit, my dear brothers and sisters! Amen.”

Galatians 6:18 AMPC“The grace (spiritual favor, blessing) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with your spirit, brethren. Amen (so be it).”

Supporting scriptures:

Galatians 1:3 TPT“Grace and peace come to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.”

Philippians 1:6 TPT“I pray with great faith for you, because I’m fully convinced that the One who began this glorious work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you and will put his finishing touches to it until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Romans 8:16 TPT“For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, ‘You are God’s beloved child!'”

1 Corinthians 6:17 TPT“But the one who joins himself to the Lord is mingled into one spirit with him.”

Galatians 4:19 TPT“My dear children, I feel as though I’m in labor pains again until the Anointed One will be fully formed in your hearts!”

Romans 5:20 TPT“When the law came into being, it simply amplified the extent of their sins. But as sin expanded, grace excelled and surpassed it!”

Romans 8:1 TPT“So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One.”

Setting the Stage:

Today, we arrive at Galatians 6:18. This is the final verse of the entire letter. After everything Paul has taught us about law and grace, performance and rest, religion and relationship, he writes one last line. And we should pay close attention to how he chooses to end.

Galatians 6:18 TPT says, “May the wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, be with your spirit, my dear brothers and sisters! Amen.” Read that. Paul ends the most grace-saturated letter in the New Testament with one more word of grace. Let’s unpack it.

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

1. Paul Ends Where He Began. Grace Is The First Word And The Last Word.

Look at how Paul opened this letter. Back in Galatians 1:3, his very first words to these believers were, “Grace and peace come to you from God our Father.” He opened with grace. Now look at how he closes. It’s like the Apostle Paul was saying something I like to say: “I’m getting out the same way I came in.” Galatians 6:18 ends with, “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” He closes with grace. Read that. Grace is the first word of Galatians, and grace is the last word of Galatians. Everything in between, all the confrontation, all the correction, all the teaching about law and flesh and bondage, is held between two bookends of grace. And your life is bracketed the very same way. You started by grace. You will finish by grace.

How this applies to you:

— Grace opened the letter. Grace closed the letter. Grace also holds everything in between together.

— Philippians 1:6 TPT says, “I’m fully convinced that the One who began this glorious work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you and will put his finishing touches to it.” Read those words. He who began will finish. The God who started you by grace is not going to finish you by works. Grace started the work, and grace will complete the work.

— You did not start the Christian life by grace and then graduate to performance. You started by grace, and you will end by grace. 

— I want you to picture a believer who got born again by simply receiving the free gift of salvation. No striving. No earning. Just grace received by faith. But somewhere along the way, religious voices convinced him that staying saved was up to him. So the man who started his journey resting began stressing. Galatians was written to stop this very thing. You start by grace, you continue by grace, and you finish by grace. This is why I preach #TheGraceLife.

— The same grace that saved you is the same grace that keeps you.

— Galatians 1:3 TPT, the opening of this letter, says, “Grace and peace come to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.” Paul could not greet them without grace, and he could not say goodbye without it either. This pattern was not just indicative of his writing style; it was indicative of his life. 

— Walk into today knowing that grace is not just how your story started. Grace is how your story will end. Every chapter in between will also require God’s unearned and amazing grace.

— My life is a GRACE CASE! I pray that you realize yours is as well. 

2. Grace Was Sent Straight To Your Spirit.

Look at where Paul sends the grace. He does not say, “Grace be with your circumstances.” He does not say, “Grace be with your bank account.” He does not say, “Grace be with your body.” He says, “Grace be with your SPIRIT.” Your spirit is the deepest part of you. It is the part of you that was born again. It is the real you. It is the eternal you. Paul is showing us that grace does its primary work from the inside out. Grace targets the spirit first, and then it works its way out into everything else.

How this applies to you:

— Grace works from the inside out, not the outside in.

— The world tries to fix you from the outside. Change your circumstances, change your scenery, change your situation. But grace does not start on the outside. Grace starts in your spirit, the control room of your entire life. And when your spirit is full of grace, it changes how you handle everything on the outside.

— Romans 8:16 TPT says, “The Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, ‘You are God’s beloved child!'” Read those words. Into our innermost being. That is where grace speaks. Grace does not shout at your behavior. It whispers to your spirit and reminds you who you are.

— Your spirit is the real you. Your body is just the house you live in.

— 1 Corinthians 6:17 TPT says, “The one who joins himself to the Lord is mingled into one spirit with him.” Read that. One spirit with Him. When you were born again, your spirit was joined to the Lord. So when Paul prays grace over your spirit, he is praying grace over the part of you that is already in union with Jesus.

— A believer can have a hard day on the outside and still have grace ruling on the inside. This is why I told you many times that your internal state does not have to be contingent upon your external circumstances. 

— Walk into today letting grace rule from the inside. Feed your spirit. Guard your spirit. Live from your spirit. Meditate on the Word of God in your spirit. 2 Corinthians 4:16 TPT says, “Even if outwardly we’re falling apart, our inner being is renewed every single day.” Your outer man is fading, but your inner man is being renewed every single day. So live from the part of you that grace is making brand new.

3. Grace Corrects You, But Grace Never Disowns You.

Look at the word Paul uses to close. “Brethren.” The TPT says, “my dear brothers and sisters.” Now remember something. Paul has been TOUGH in this letter. In Galatians 3:1, he called them “foolish Galatians.” He told them he was perplexed about them. He confronted them sharply, chapter after chapter. But watch how he ends. He does not end with, “Shape up.” He does not end with a threat. He ends with “brethren.” Read that. After six chapters of hard correction, Paul still calls them family. Because grace corrects you, but grace never disowns you.

How this applies to you:

— God loves you enough to correct you (which is actually true love), but He will never leave you, forsake you, or abandon you. That’s grace!

— Earlier in this same letter, Galatians 3:1, Paul called them “foolish Galatians.” He did not soften it. He told them the truth. But truth from a grace-based heart always aims to restore, never to reject. Paul confronted them BECAUSE they were family, not to prove they were not.

— Correction is not a sign that you are out. It is proof that you are in.

— Galatians 4:19 TPT shows Paul’s heart for them. He says, “My dear children, I feel as though I’m in labor pains again until the Anointed One will be fully formed in your hearts!” Pau called them his dear children. That is not the language of a man trying to get rid of people. That is the language of a spiritual father who refuses to give up on his family.

— Religion disowns you when you fail. Grace disciplines you because you can never be disowned! That’s grace.

— Hebrews 12:6 AMPC says, “For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes.” God’s correction is not the opposite of His love. It is the evidence of it. And look at how the verse ends. He corrects every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. Correction and belonging are tied together.

— I want you to picture a believer who failed badly and is now convinced God is done with him. He believes the relationship is over. He is bracing for rejection. But that is religion talking, not grace. Grace says, “You are still My child. We are going to deal with this, but we are going to deal with it as family.” God has never once disowned one of His own over a failure.

— Walk into today knowing that the correction in your life is not rejection. It is the fingerprint of a Father who calls you His own. 

4. No Matter What Else Speaks, Grace Gets The Final Word.

Here is the bottom line of Galatians 6:18. The whole letter has been a conflict. Law versus grace. Performance versus rest. Religion versus relationship. The Judaizers wanted the law to have the last word over these believers. But look at who Paul gives the last word to. Not the law. Not the Judaizers. Not the flesh. Not condemnation. The last word of the entire book of Galatians is GRACE. And Paul seals it with one more word, “Amen,” which the Amplified says means “it is so.” 

How this applies to you:

— The last word of Galatians is grace. Let it be the last word over your life, too.

— Romans 5:20 says, “Where sin abounds, grace abounds EVEN MORE!” Whatever sin did, grace did more. Whatever the law accused, grace provided responses EVEN MORE! Grace always has more to say than anything speaking against you.

— Many things will try to get the last word over your life. Your past will try. Your failures will try. Religious voices will try. The accuser (satan) will try. From God’s perspective, grace overrules and outweighs them all. Don’t listen to the world’s perspective, and don’t allow religious voices to cause you to live in guilt, shame, and condemnation. Open your heart to the grace of God and believe what He believes about you.

— Romans 8:1 TPT says, “So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One.” The verdict is in, and grace won.

— Paul ends the letter with “Amen.” That word means “so be it, let it be established.” Paul is not hoping grace works. He is declaring that the grace verdict over your life is final.

— We have walked through the entire book of Galatians together. From the first verse to this last one, the message has never changed. You are saved by grace. You stand by grace. You will finish by grace. So walk into today, and every day, letting grace have the final word. Live #TheGraceLife and you will become the man/woman you were born to be, and you will leave the impact you were born to make!

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I thank You that grace is the first word and the last word over my life!

I started by grace. I stand by grace. I will finish by grace!

The same grace that saved me is the same grace that keeps me!

Grace rules in my spirit, and it governs everything in my life!

I live from the inside out, because grace lives in my spirit!

Correction is proof that I am IN, not a sign that I am out!

Grace corrects me, but grace will never disown me!

No past, no failure, no accuser gets the last word. Grace does!

The case is closed. Grace won. The verdict over my life is settled!

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!