Galatians (Part 6)
Getting Into Heaven: It’s All About Grace
David begins with a funny story. A man dies and stands at heaven’s gates. Peter tells him he needs enough points from his good deeds to get in. The man talks about raising his family, being faithful to his wife, going to church, and helping the homeless. But he barely earns any points. Finally, he says, “The only way I’m getting into heaven is by the grace of God.” Peter says that’s exactly right—come on in!
This story shows us that we don’t earn our way into heaven by being good enough. We’re saved by God’s grace, not by collecting points for good deeds.
Christ Plus Nothing
David’s whole message is about Christ plus nothing. This means that Jesus has done everything we need for salvation. We don’t have to add anything to His work on the cross.
Some people in the church in Galatia thought they still needed to follow extra laws to stay right with God. Others thought grace meant they could keep sinning because God would forgive them anyway. Both ideas were wrong.
A New Way of Thinking
David talks about having a paradigm shift, which means changing how we see something completely. He tells a funny story about mixing yogurt as a kid because his sister warned him about getting “white bumps.” He thought she meant bumps on his face, but she meant lumps of yogurt not mixed in. Once he understood, his thinking changed.
God wants us to have a similar shift in how we see ourselves. We don’t have to earn God’s love. Instead, we’re accepted because of what Jesus has already done.
Religion vs. The Gospel
David shares a quote:
Religion says, “I obey, so I’m accepted.”
The gospel says, “I’m accepted, so I obey.”
God accepts us first. Because we’re loved and forgiven, we want to obey Him out of gratitude, not to earn His approval.
Crucified With Christ
The Bible says, “I have been crucified with Christ.” David explains this doesn’t mean we were actually nailed to the cross two thousand years ago. But spiritually, it’s real. When we believe in Jesus, our old sinful self is nailed to the cross. Sin loses its power over us.
Even though we still live in human bodies and face temptations, we don’t have to live as slaves to sin anymore.
Justified: “Just As If I’d Never Sinned”
David explains the word justified. It means God sees us “just as if we’d never sinned.” Through Jesus, our record is wiped clean. We stand before God holy, blameless, and without a single fault.
The enemy, the devil, tries to remind us of our past mistakes. But God sees us as completely new because of Jesus’ finished work, not because of our failures.
Don’t Live on Cheese and Crackers
David shares a story about a man on a long train trip. The man only ate cheese and crackers because he thought he couldn’t afford the dining car. But all the meals were included in his ticket.
Many Christians are like that man. They know they’re going to heaven, but they live like they’re stuck eating spiritual cheese and crackers. Jesus didn’t just die so we could be forgiven. He wants us to enjoy peace, joy, freedom from guilt, and authority over the enemy.
Don’t Nullify the Grace of God
David warns us not to nullify (cancel out) God’s grace. People do this in two ways:
By trying to add their own works to what Jesus did
By thinking grace means they can live however they want
Grace isn’t permission to sin. Grace gives us power to live God’s way.
God tells us to come boldly to Him, even when we’ve messed up. He’s not an angry judge waiting to punish us. He’s a loving Father who welcomes us.
You Are Not “Just a Sinner Saved By Grace”
David says we shouldn’t call ourselves “just sinners saved by grace.” We were sinners, but now we are children of God, righteous and clean because of Jesus.
He shares how he struggled with guilt after drifting away from God for years. One day, God reminded him that he was the righteousness of God in Christ. It changed his life completely.
Know Who You Are in Christ
David says we need to know our legal rights in God’s kingdom. Spiritually, we’ve been acquitted—found not guilty—because of Jesus. The devil tries to accuse us, but he has no power if we know the truth.
God doesn’t see us through a filter that hides our sins. Jesus’ blood didn’t just cover our sins for a while. It completely washed them away. God sees us as clean, holy, and righteous.
There’s So Much More
Jesus didn’t die so we’d barely get by. He offers us so much more than forgiveness. There’s joy, peace, authority, and freedom waiting for us now. We shouldn’t settle for less when God wants to give us everything we need for a full life in Him.
A Chance to Receive God’s Grace
At the end of his message, David invites anyone who doesn’t know Jesus to pray and surrender their life to Him. He explains that salvation is a gift we receive, not something we earn.
David encourages everyone to stop living on spiritual cheese and crackers and enjoy the full feast Jesus has prepared through His finished work on the cross.