A Pastor's Heart

A Pastor's Heart - Galatians 4:8-20 October 22, 2023 John Wesley, the well-known 18th Century English theologian had quite the interesting conversion story: • He was the son of a clergyman and a clergyman himself. • He was orthodox in belief, faithful in morality, and full of good works. • He did ministry in prisons, sweatshops, and slums. • He gave food, clothing, and education to slum children. • He observed both Saturday and Sunday as the Sabbath. • He sailed from England to the American colonies as a missionary. • He studied his Bible, prayed, fasted, and gave regularly. • Yet all the time, he was bound in the chains of his own religious efforts, because he trusted in what he could do to make himself right before God instead of trusting in what Jesus had done. Later, he came to "trust in Christ, in Christ only for salvation," and came to an inner assurance that he was now forgiven, saved, and a son of God. Looking back on all his religious activity before he was truly saved, he said: "I had even then the faith of a servant, though not that of a son." What a sobering testimony this is. It is possible for us to do the work of a Christian, and not actually be a Christian. Paul will continue his plea to the Galatian people to not become like Wesley was before his conversion. Follow along as I read Galatians 4:8-20: 8 FORMERLY, WHEN YOU DID NOT KNOW GOD, YOU WERE ENSLAVED TO THOSE THAT BY NATURE ARE NOT GODS. 9 BUT NOW THAT YOU HAVE COME TO KNOW GOD, OR RATHER TO BE KNOWN BY GOD, HOW CAN YOU TURN BACK AGAIN TO THE WEAK AND WORTHLESS ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF THE WORLD, WHOSE SLAVES YOU WANT TO BE ONCE MORE? 10 YOU OBSERVE DAYS AND MONTHS AND SEASONS AND YEARS! 11 I AM AFRAID I MAY HAVE LABORED OVER YOU IN VAIN. 12 BROTHERS, I ENTREAT YOU, BECOME AS I AM, FOR I ALSO HAVE BECOME AS YOU ARE. YOU DID ME NO WRONG. 13 YOU KNOW IT WAS BECAUSE OF A BODILY AILMENT THAT I PREACHED THE GOSPEL TO YOU AT FIRST, 14 AND THOUGH MY CONDITION WAS A TRIAL TO YOU, YOU DID NOT SCORN OR DESPISE ME, BUT RECEIVED ME AS AN ANGEL OF GOD, AS CHRIST JESUS. 15 WHAT THEN HAS BECOME OF YOUR BLESSEDNESS? FOR I TESTIFY TO YOU THAT, IF POSSIBLE, YOU WOULD HAVE GOUGED OUT YOUR EYES AND GIVEN THEM TO ME. 16 HAVE I THEN BECOME YOUR ENEMY BY TELLING YOU THE TRUTH? 17 THEY MAKE MUCH OF YOU, BUT FOR NO GOOD PURPOSE. THEY WANT TO SHUT YOU OUT, THAT YOU MAY MAKE MUCH OF THEM. 18 IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO BE MADE MUCH OF FOR A GOOD PURPOSE, AND NOT ONLY WHEN I AM PRESENT WITH YOU, 19 MY LITTLE CHILDREN, FOR WHOM I AM AGAIN IN THE ANGUISH OF CHILDBIRTH UNTIL CHRIST IS FORMED IN YOU! 20 I WISH I COULD BE PRESENT WITH YOU NOW AND CHANGE MY TONE, FOR I AM PERPLEXED ABOUT YOU. Let's begin with our main idea: A pastor's heart is that the congregation knows God and is known by God. Paul addresses these issues in two ways, first through expressing his concern, and then by pleading with the Galatians. Let's begin first with PAUL'S CONCERN (8-11): Paul addresses this with four questions: * Look how far you've come, why are you turning back? (8-10) o We've seen this all throughout the letter already, haven't we? o It's a great reminder for us also. * We're no longer slaves to our sin. * We are called sons and daughters. * We are no longer outsiders, but now we get to experience a personal relationship with God. o These are all promises that we've seen in this letter. * Back when I worked in Human Resources, I had several people reapply for jobs after they either unhappily quit or were let go. Most of the time, I wondered why they wanted to return? * That's what Paul was concerned about, them returning to their old ways. * That's what every pastor is concerned about. * He continues with some more direct questions: * Don't you know, you're known by God? (9) o It's great to be known. o I know this is silly, but I'm a big sports fan. A couple of years ago I posted a comment on a picture of Reggie Miller and Steph Curry. Miller is one of my favorite basketball players of all time. Guess what? He "liked" my comment! o Back in March, Christian band "Cochren and Company" liked a comment I made about their performance here in Tucson. o I was all excited. Silly, I know. But to be seen by someone who is "famous and influential" is pretty neat. o But to be known by God is infinitely better. o In Luke 12:7, Jesus said that God knows the number of hairs on our heads (for some of us that's easier than others) o In Psalm 139, we're told that God knitted us in our mother's womb. o Notice what Paul did in this verse, though. o He began by saying we know God, then he corrects himself, stating that we are known by God. o You see, we cannot really know God, if we're not known by God. o Recall the scary words from Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23: 21 "NOT EVERYONE WHO SAYS TO ME, 'LORD, LORD,' WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT THE ONE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN. 22 ON THAT DAY MANY WILL SAY TO ME, 'LORD, LORD, DID WE NOT PROPHESY IN YOUR NAME, AND CAST OUT DEMONS IN YOUR NAME, AND DO MANY MIGHTY WORKS IN YOUR NAME?' 23 AND THEN WILL I DECLARE TO THEM, 'I NEVER KNEW YOU; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WORKERS OF LAWLESSNESS.' o That knowledge is personal. It's familiar. It's intimate. o Paul has deep concern for this church. o His next question is ... * Why do you observe days, months, seasons, and years? (10) o This could most definitely refer to Judaism but can also refer to pagan practices from their old way. o Something noteworthy from verses 8-9 is Paul's usage of the phrase "ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES" again and also references the "GODS." o Last week we determined that that phrase was addressing the law, the ABC's of the faith, the basics. o Here, Paul seems to be addressing the demonic forces, however. o So, which one is it? o I think both. Why? Well, Satan's ministry - so to speak - is to confuse, to deceive, to trick, to distract, to cause doubt, all for the purpose of driving you away from Jesus. o Paul is concerned that this is what is happening to the churches in Galatia. o That these Judaizers are being used by Satan and the demonic influences to pull the church away. o So, rightly so, Paul asks: * Was this all in vain? (11, 19-20) o Paul's tone in verse 11 as well as verse 20 is one of great concern. o Paul's perplexity indicates that he's at a lose of what to do with these people. o But we see that Paul is not willing to give up. Particularly when you read verse 19. * Paul says that he's willing to go through the pains of childbirth with them, yet again. So, you see, Paul's heart was hurting for his church. This is why he changes his tone when he gets to verse 12, where he calls them brothers. Also, in verse 19 when he calls them little children. What we're going to see from Paul is his heart, this time in a plea for them to return, once again reminding us of our main idea this morning: A pastor's heart is that the congregation knows God and is known by God. So, how are we known by God? Let's look at ... PAUL'S PLEA (12-20) to find out. First ... * Be transformed (12) o Paul uses himself as an example here. The example here is less of Paul's doctrinal beliefs, but more of how he was just like them. He was a Jew. He was a zealot. Yet, he was known by God only through his conversion. o He says, "I was the worst of them all, yet here I am, free from the law. So, be like me. Be free." o When I was coaching, I tried to show the team what I expected of them. If I wanted them to move to the ball, I tried to show them how to move to the ball - eyes, shoulders, hips, and feet. o That word "ENTREAT" could be translated "begging." o He says be transformed. Live a transformed life. Next, we are to ... * Receive Christ (13-14) o Let's face it, this is foundational to this entire letter from Paul. * To receive Christ is to be made right before God (justification) * To receive Christ makes us sons and daughters (adoption) * To receive Christ is to be aligned with God (one Gospel) o Paul is reminding them that through unusual circumstances, they still received the Gospel, and followed Jesus. o And he illustrates this by giving us information in verses 13-14 that we're not really sure what he's speaking of. o If you're familiar with the Scriptures, you know that in the book of Acts, the writer Luke, details Paul's conversion and ministry, and no where there are we made aware of this "BODILY AILMENT" that he references here. o Some believe that he may be speaking about that "THORN ... IN THE FLESH" from 2 Corinthians 12. But we cannot be certain. o I think the key here, though, is that when Paul arrived with the Gospel, they were excited and willing to receive the Word despite Paul's illness that seemingly was a burden to them. o Their excitement to hear the Word was so much that they accepted Paul as they would an angel or Christ Himself. o You can sense here in this section that Paul is increasingly concerned for their Spiritual health because they literally did a 180 in respects to their faith. * They went from accepting him to rejecting him * From receiving his message, to adding to the Word * From following Christ, to following the law o Do you get excited about hearing and learning from God's Word? o Next, Paul prays for the church to ... * Be generous (15) o I'll admit, this one is a bit of a stretch, but I'm looking at Paul's desire for them to be like they once were, and part of that was their heart o They loved and admired Paul so much, that Paul states they would've gouged out their eyes and gave them to him o Of course, many believe that this confirms that the BODILY AILMENT was some sort of eye condition. Which, it could be. o Paul preached generosity as part of the Christian life. o We see this in chapter 6 when he urges them to BEAR ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS. o We see this in 2 Corinthians 8-9 when he speaks about taking up an offering for the Jerusalem church. o We saw this even in his own ministry when he didn't ask for money when he ministered to the churches, but rejoiced in their generosity when they did. o The way we can be generous amongst one another is through developing personal relationships with each other, otherwise, we won't know the burdens that others are carrying. o Paul's concern for them is that they lost their heart of giving o Next, Paul encourages them to ... * Embrace the truth (16) o Paul is clear here ... the churches in Galatia were turning on him. o Why? Because he was telling the truth o Hmm. Does that sound familiar? o No, no way. That's not something that happens today, is it? o I was talking to Elizabeth last week about some of these other religions who change their position because it no longer fits their beliefs, and how absurd that is. o What we see today is no different than the historical philosophers who tried to effectively change the meaning of words in order to support their ideas. o But today, what they are doing is attacking the very institutions that we used to count on in our society. Namely the media, the schools, and even our families. o The root of this is sin. Sin is contrary to the truth. The truth, in fact, reveals our sin. o This is what Paul changed his angry tone to a concerned pastoral tone, and urges them to ... * Don't be deceived (17-18) o Paul, when he speaks about the Judaizers shutting them out, he is revealing their true motive. o While they were telling them that they would be closer to God, what they were doing in reality was drifting further from Christ. They were actually - quite literally - going backwards. o I have a confession. I am horrible at directions. If you tell me to go east ... I'm going to need to pull out the phone and check out the compass. I've lived in the NW side of Tucson for 13 years, and I still get turned around. Sometimes, literally going in circles. o That's what the people of Galatia were doing. o Again, we looked at his earlier, Satan and his demons want to cause confusion. They want to deceive you. Christ is the only answer to that confusion. o Think about it. True Christianity has relied on one inspired work - the Bible. Other religions have written their own or have added other works to the Bible. o We must stay close to the Word, so as not to be deceived by the world. o Next, Paul says ... * Be zealous for Christ (18) o A zealot describes someone who is fanatical or uncompromising in their beliefs or views. o He's saying, "look, if you're going to be zealous, be zealous for Christ" o Paul himself was a self-proclaimed zealot, then he became a follower of Jesus. o My favorite example of this from Paul's life is from Acts 22. At the end of Acts 21, he was arrested in Jerusalem, and he had asked to speak and address the crowd, and we see the address in chapter 22. What did Paul do? Did he defend himself? No, he preached the Gospel. o That's being zealous for the Lord, in a good way. An effective way. o When you have an opportunity to share Christ with someone ... do it. o Finally, Paul begs (remember that word "entreat" from verse 12?) for them to ... * Be Christlike (19-20) o Paul's heart was for them to be transformed into the image of God. o That's what it means for Christ to be formed in us. o A Christlike love for others o A Christlike selflessness o A Christlike prayer life o A Christlike empathy o A Christlike boldness o Many of us are familiar with Romans 12:2 where Paul says: DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWAL OF YOUR MIND, THAT BY TESTING YOU MAY DISCERN WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD, WHAT IS GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT. o Full circle friends. To know God is to be known by God. If you ever wondered what your Pastor's heart and desire is of the church he's been called to serve. This is it. This is pastor's heart. That you're transformed. That you have received Christ. That you are generous. That you have embraced the truth. That you are not deceived. That you are zealous for the Lord. And that you become Christlike. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Sunday mornings are not enough. I went a long time in my walk with a Sunday morning all you can eat buffet and not eating the rest of the week. You know what that does? It makes you hungry. It makes you sluggish. It makes you vulnerable. It's the little habits that build into bigger and healthier habits. When you wake up, pray. Wake up and grab some coffee or tea and read a chapter in the Bible. Find an opportunity in the week to gather or connect with other Christians. Be consistent. Be intentional. These simple daily steps can allow you to draw nearer and nearer to the Lord. That's our prayer for you. That's a Pastor's heart. Let's pray. 2