Toxic Christianity – Legalism – September 3, 2023
Welcome, Introduction, and Opening Prayer
SHARE – Icebreaker – In this sermon series, we are exploring some of the toxic behaviors that we experience in the church. This Sunday we are looking at legalism. Which statement do you relate to more: “Rules are there for a reason,” or “Rules were made to be broken?”
STUDY - Text: Galatians 2:15-21 (NRSV)
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. 17 But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; 20 and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
Have you ever received what you would consider a revelation from Jesus Christ? What did you experience Jesus saying to you?
Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we have to do certain things in order to earn God’s favor. Can you think of a time when you felt like you had to earn someone else’s favor? Can you think of a time when you felt like you had to earn God’s favor?
Just prior to this text, Paul challenges Peter’s claim that Gentiles have to be circumcised in order to fully become members of the faith. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to challenge someone else?
What traditions and religious rituals do you hold dear that might actually be holding you or others back from the Christian faith journey?
Paul encourages the churches in Galatia to put aside their own traditions in order to find freedom in Christ. What attitudes, especially about people who differ from us socially, need to be laid aside in order that God’s inclusive grace might flow more easily through our ministries and church and even our own individual lives?
What can we do this week to deal with the legalism in our lives? How might you restore your hope in Christ?
SUPPORT - Blessings and Burdens: What has been life-giving for you this week? What has been life-draining for you?
Closing Prayer