When Different is Dangerous

Galatians 1:6-11

“6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—

7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.”

Intro:

Why is God so misunderstood?

One of the great tragedies of human history cen­ters on how few people understand God. Indeed individuals often misunderstand God and take His name in vain. Natural disasters are often dubbed “acts of God.” Misfortunes are placed at His feet. Taking His name in vain becomes routine in every day talk. People bad-mouth God at every turn.

So many even misunderstand God in Christian churches, Christian preaching, and the way Scripture is interpreted. Does God really choose only the elect to be saved and the rest to be thrown away? Does God allow some to be born lost and stay lost? Does God give irresistible grace to the elect alone, but abandons the rest?

God through out world history has been Misunderstood, Misrepresented , and Mistreated. I can be somewhat understood coming from those who have been mislead. Those who don’t believe. They aren’t the only ones we should point the finger at… We also should point at the church.

Same Songs , Same attire , Same sunday meetings, Same programs, but Different Gospels. We major in UNiformity while lacking in UNity.

“Picture Gospel”

But in essence, 'the picture gospel' teaches that Jesus death on the cross was simply a statement, a moral illustration meant to motivate us and stir us.

Those who preach this kind of gospel want to minimize the idea that anything supernatural was taking place on the cross. The Birth Life Death Ressurection is just a Symbol.

“ Prosperity Gospel”

Today, there are many who define the benefits of the gospel according to earthly measurements, or earthly definitions of 'the good life'. They believe that a victorious Christian life is about financial abundance, business success, and good health. Here are just two quotes from very well known teachers who have sold millions of books and are watched by million of television viewers:

"Some people come to me and say, well I came here to get some peace, not money, and I tell them, you need money otherwise you ain't gunna get no peace.". Another teaches, "If you are struggling financially, then you have not got the victory."

You see, this prosperity gospel utilizes biblical terms like victory and triumph and blessing and overcoming and freedom and abundance and conquer, and then twists these words in order to make them fit into a message of worldly success.

And the flip side of this is just as troubling. If you are struggling financially, if you are sick, if you are not successful at work, then you must not have enough faith.

“ Partial Gospel “

The 'partial gospel' is a gospel of easy-believe-ism. It's a gospel that separates saving faith in Jesus from a call to follow Jesus. It’s a gospel that turns repentance into a mere mental shift over certain historical facts rather than a sorrow over and a rejection of sin.

A gospel that accepts him as Savior and Rejects him as Lord. Thank you for saving me , but no thanks to living my life your way.

“ Performance Gospel “

The 'performance gospel' declares that Jesus got the ball rolling, but you need to keep it going. It teaches that Jesus can bring you into God's family, but that it's up to you not to screw it up, that is, you better behave yourself. Upfront, the 'performance gospel' is all about what Jesus has done. But after that, it's all about what you should do.

This is why Paul was upset and use such colorful and explict language. Yes I beleive it was inspiried by God because like anyone else God dont want to be misrepresented.

Paul was shocked, caught off guard , to the fact some were deserting the faith, because of some other preachers who would come behind paul preacher another gospel. Teaching that Jesus wasnt enough. What he did is good, and wonderful but not enough.

They were

Devoted to Destruction

- Therefore Paul says in vs. 8 - 9. Those who preach a different gospel should be danmed. go to hell. Those who are devoted to destroying Jesus work, should be destroyed themselves. Those who preach a gospel of perversion. Gospel that goes back to the ways of man, and atempt to add on to the work of christ. Those who preach a different Gospel is tearing down what God wants to build.

either you are devoted to destruction or you are

“Devoted to Development”

The gospel we are encourage to preach causes one to grow. The Gospel message is the only thing that will cause you Grow properly.

Paul talks about his Conversion, How the gospel saved him.

Then how he was Cultivated. Spent 3 years in Arabia. Paul shares with us that growth takes time. Which is why there must be a sense of devotion to development.

The conversion was immediate but the Shorts skirt took time.

Salvation was Swift but Smoking took time to stop.

lusting took time, whatever your issue is. Gospel message doesnt stop with your soul but it continues towards your heart. How do I grow, by Growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus christ. Get to know the right Person. Paul was shocked they left Christ to quickly. Paul says in chap 3… Oh foolish one - Unintelligent , without understanding. who bewitched you? who decieved you? you had everything you needed in your sight. what type of magic trick they do to make you change.

lack of knowledge will leave you vunerable to deception.

And if there is no Growth something went wrong. You cant love God, You cant be saved and remain undeveolped. Its impossible to be in christ and remain a seedling tree. Thats what we as disciples should be always growing. always striving for better.

The Gospel is devoted to developing the whole man.

But there is another thing the text shows.

Paul was shocked at how they renounced and relinquish the faith. Ask the question why would they leave? Im sure Paul preached and taught well. I mean one of the best to ever do it. And you are leaving already??? We suggest there are some who are

Devoted to Division vs Devoted to Divirsity

There are ones who want to keep people out!

Whats going on here is Paul would travel all over preaching the Gospel. Paul ministry was to the ones who were not invited to the party. His ministry was to the outsiders the gentiles. But when Paul would leave and head to another place, other preachers would come in and add works to the message of grace.

Paul told you about Jesus which is good. But thats not enough to get to heaven. Thats not enough to get saved. What you have to do is bodily harm. You gone have to get circumcised. Them leaving dont seem so odd now, Paul didnt mention that part.

In other words they preached Flesh over Faith , Law over Love.

You can be part of us, But you have to do this, then you have to do that.

Man speak on Works but the Gospel speak on Fruit.

They wanted them to follow the rules they broke on a daily basis.

Isn’t it strange that we want to make people do what we never accomplished. If they don’t then we run them off. Heck you still making the same mistakes also, you still messing up also, Gospel ain’t meant for certain its meant for all.

When you refuse to share the gospel you stopping somebody from coming in,

when you share a different gospel you may cause somebody to run off.

satan is more divirsed than us.

He want all souls in Hell , while we want Certain people in Heaven.

If God put the access to heaven in your hands, how many would be accepted?

The Gospel isn’t meant to keep certain ones in and others out. It is for ALL Men.

Devoted to Dominance vs Devoted to Delieverance

Freedom is the state that emerges after God has acted to remove all hindrances—social, spiritual (sin and death), economic, and institutional—that block our creational purpose. This purpose is to know, love, worship, and enjoy God forever. This is a freedom that has been won for us by the death and resurrection of the Messiah. By the power of the Spirit, the Christian seeks to live into this freedom and to join with God in freeing others, while we await freedom’s full realization at Christ’s second coming

v.7 Distort - To turn, to change, They were devoted to hinder deliverance. The Gospel changed and turned them from what God had delievered them from.

Paul admonishes us to stand fast in our Christian liberty. If we step back into legalism, we risk entanglement and bondage. How well the Jews of Paul’s day knew what legal bondage meant (Acts 15:10). Gospel delievered us from something we could never defeat. Christ Conqored what no one could. NO ONE!

Watchman Nee says, “Law means I must do something for God; grace means that God does something for me.” How wonderful it is for the Christian to enjoy the liberty of grace! This means moving out of the bondage described in Romans 7 into the glorious liberty of Romans 8! Romans 8 shares that nothing can seperate me from the love of God. Nothing can ruin my deliverance. Nothing or Nobody can destroy what Christ has done.

of Christian liberty does not encourage a wicked life; instead, it binds us closer to Christ, and Christ lives out His life through the believer. From slave to son. We are brought closer. As a son you see things slaves dont. As a son you experience things salves dont. You inherit things slaves dont.

Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 528). Victor Books.

This is Paul's fourth and final metaphorical description of the Law - notice that #'s 1-2 are the positive effects the Law as it leads us to believe in Christ and experience spiritual freedom. #'s 3-4 are both negative effects and describe the enslaving effect of the Law.

Tutor in Gal 3:24,

Guardian in Gal 4:2

Bondwoman in Gal 4:22ff

A yoke of slavery Gal 5:1

Scripture also speaks to deliverance from sin (Pss. 39:8; 79:9); the way of evil (Prov. 2:12); the power of evil (Matt. 6:13; Gal. 1:4; Col. 1:13); the law (Rom. 7:6); the body of death (Rom. 7:24); and the coming wrath of God (1 Thess. 1:10). God is the agent of deliverance in Col. 1:13 and Rom. 7:24–25. Christ is the agent in 1 Thess. 1:10 and Gal. 1:4, where He brings deliverance by giving Himself for sins

"Back in the nineteenth century our sixteenth president realized something radical must be done about slavery in our country. Unwilling to look the other way any longer, on September 22, 1862, he presented what came to be known as the Emancipation Proclamation, an official document condemning human slavery. Abraham Lincoln, realizing that slavery is completely against human dignity, officially abolished it from the United States on that day. Tragically, little changed in the daily life of our nation, even though the slaves were officially declared free. You know why; you’ve read the stories. The Civil War was still going on. The plantation owners never informed their slaves. The vast majority of the former slaves couldn’t read, so they had no idea what the news was carrying. There was no mass media then to announce those kinds of presidential pronouncements. And so for the longest time, slavery continued even though it had been officially brought to an end. The war ended in April 1865. Do you know when Lincoln’s declaration was officially enacted? When the people finally began to leave their enslaved lives and make their way toward freedom? December 18, 1865—more than three years after he first released his proclamation. Lincoln had been dead for months. The word traveled out of the streets of Washington and down into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, across the back roads of the Carolinas and into Georgia, then Alabama, then Mississippi, then Louisiana, then Texas, then Arkansas, announcing what had been true for more than a thousand days. Even then the word somehow either wasn’t believed or wasn’t acted upon. Those officially emancipated people, thinking slavery was the way they were condemned to exist, continued to live in bondage though they had been declared free men and women since the fall of 1862.

Grace invites and gives

The law condemns the sinner

Grace redeems the sinner.The law says DO

Grace says IT IS DONE.

The law says, Continue to be holy

Grace says, It is finished.

The law curses

Grace blesses

The law slays the sinner

Grace makes the sinner alive.

The law shuts every mouth before God

Grace opens the mouth to praise God.

The law condemns the best man

Grace saves the worst man.

The law says, pay what you owe

Grace says, I freely forgive you all.

The law says “the wages of sin is death”

Grace says, “the gift of God is eternal life.

”The law says, “the soul that sins shall die”

Grace says, Believe and live.

The law reveals sin

Grace atones for sin.

By the law is the knowledge of sin

By grace is redemption from sin.

The law was given by Moses

Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

The law demands obedience

Grace bestows and gives power to obey.

The law was written on stone

Grace is written on the tables of the heart.

The law was done away in Christ

Grace abides forever.

The law puts us under bondage

Grace sets us in the liberty of the sons of God.

Living, He loved me Dying, He saved me Buried, He carried my sins far away Rising, He justified freely forever One day He's coming Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

Im Free Praise the Lord Im Free No Longer Bound No more chains holding me, my soul is resting its just a blessing praise the lord halluajah im free.