Changing Sides
Would you desert The Gospel? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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There is a dangerous movement among churches and church goers.
How many of you have heard of faith “deconstruction?”
People who have doubts or questions about what to believe and the role of the church have started deconstructing their faith.
Apologist Tim Barnett (Red Pen Logic), “Deconstruction within Christianity refers to the process of questioning and reevaluating one's beliefs, often leading to a crisis of faith and a subjective understanding of truth.”
The problem for so many is they deconstruct right out of their faith and into either a “woke” church or become agnostic or atheistic.
A“Woke” Church —
Lowers their view of the Bible
Feelings are emphasized over facts
Essential Christian doctrines are open for re-interpretation
Historic terms are redefined
The heart of the gospel message shifts from sin and redemption to social justice
Deconstruction can impact one's relationship with Jesus by leading to a rejection of biblical and historically Christian beliefs, resulting in a subjective experience that does not align with objective truth or scripture.
It is based on postmodern philosophy, leading to a rejection of biblical authority and the promotion of never-ending skepticism, which impacts the understanding of truth and scripture.
Even in our Christian colleges their are students, some who were pursing being a pastor have deconstructed their faith and left the church.
Many are deserting the true gospel and literally changing sides by deserting Jesus!
This is not something new to the church, it just has a different name.
There was a church Paul wrote to that was in the grips of this very problem.
It is found in the letter of Paul to the Galatians.
For the next three weeks I want us to study what Paul is saying to the churches of Galatia and what he might be telling us as we seek the application for our day.
Galatians 1:6-12 is the text we will consider in these lessons, today our focus is on verses 6-7
Chair Bible pg. 778
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel,
7 which is not just another account; but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
Are you ready for the message God has for us today?
Cool, let’s unpack it!
What caused Paul to marvel?
What caused Paul to marvel?
There was a tradition of Paul in his letters to open with a greeting and prayer.
The letter to the churches of Galatia has no prayer, no commendation, no praise, no thanksgiving.
Instead Paul greets them and then bam he gets right to the issue.
Paul was amazed at how fast they were abandoning God!
He was astonished and wondered at this reality of those churches.
What is interesting is this letter was not written to just one church but to a group of churches in Galatia!
Look at verse 2!
In verses 6 in the NASB 2020 we find the word “deserting.”
This Greek word is interesting as it signifies the transfer of one’s allegiance.
It was used of soliders who revolt or desert, and of men who change sides in politics or philosophy.
Paul is calling them religious turncoats, or spiritual deserters!
They were turning away so quickly from God, who Paul says had called them by the Grace of Christ.
They had not completed the process of their dissertation hence the reason Paul is writing this letter and waisting no time on pleasantries and getting right to the heart of their issue!
The handling of this matter was of the utmost spiritual urgency! Their souls depended on it!
A different Gospel
A different Gospel
The word gospel is simply good news.
For Paul here the Gospel they were leaving is the gospel of the Grace of Christ.
The true gospel to Paul Acts 20:24
24 But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of God’s grace.
Good news of Christ wrapped up in the grace of God
The grace of God who is gracious to sinners 2 Corinthians 5:18
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
For Paul to turn from the gospel of grace is to turn from the God of grace.
With the Greek word for “different,” Paul is saying that this other gospel is unlike the true gospel in nature, quality, form, or degree.
It is so completely different that you should question it!
However, they didn’t!
Notice this statement of Paul that we might miss - verse 7a “Which is not just another account…”
It is as if he were stating, “there is no other gospel, but there are people who are troubling you with a different kind of teaching which they say is the gospel.”
The troubling teachers
The troubling teachers
So Paul points out where the influence for the deserting and starting to hold to something different comes from.
We don’t know who these false teachers were, Paul does not name them, but we do know what they were doing.
We should note that Paul is saying these false teaches were characteristically troublesome - Galatians 5:10
10 I have confidence in you in the Lord, that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear the punishment, whoever he is.
This is issue was also brought to the attention of the council in Jerusalem - Acts 15:23-25
23 and they sent this letter with them: “The apostles and the brothers who are elders, to the brothers and sisters in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles: Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have confused you by their teaching, upsetting your souls,
25 it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
People like this have always been causing trouble, leading to the disruption of faith and the deserting of God.
Our application?
Our application?
We know the reason for the deserting of the Galatians was caused by false teachers teaching a different or false gospel.
It must have sounded good to the listeners.
I wonder how well did they know the gospel of Christ, or the gospel of Grace as Paul calls it?
Then, how well do we know the true gospel?
I heard a pastor yesterday talk about birds being sin and the influence of Satan
Then he said, “A sanctified heart knows when its been pooped on!”
Could we recognize that?
Do we know the gospel so well, the word of God so well that would recognize something that is influenced by Satan?
The churches of Galatia had been thrown into a state of turmoil buy these false teachers.
The church today has also been thrown into a state of turmoil by false teachers.
Their gospel comes from an emotional center of doubt.
Some of these teachers have educated themselves right our of their faith, being willing to ignore scripture and its plain teaching.
They question the God of grace and what exactly Christ did.
You cannot modify or supplement the gospel without radically changing its character.
You cannot change the gospel and not change the church!
Tamper with the gospel trouble the church!
One author stated, “The churches greatest troublemakers are not those outside who oppose, ridicule, and persecute, but those inside who try to change the gospel.
I am passionate about this because I have friends and people I know who are seeking to radically change church by tampering with the gospel, tampering with the teachings of the scripture!
They have deconstructed their faith and have either created or believe a different gospel.
They seek then to lead others down that same path!
Conclusion:
Lest us not be complacent when it comes to the gospel of Grace!
Let’s know it so well that we would immediately see the counterfeit for what it is false teaching!
We would know when we have been pooped on!
Let us not desert God and his gospel of grace, let us stand firm on the foundation of the gospel our Lord Jesus Christ!
We will see next week Paul is not done yet with the calling out these churches and the false teachers!