Keep Running Well
Notes
Transcript
Deconstruction - are you all familiar with the term? It’s more or less a fancy term for apostasy, or for leaving the faith. But that’s not always the case, in some instances it can be beneficial.
To provide a better definition it is when people who were raised Christian begin to realize that they don’t believe what they were taught.
In some cases, it can be good. When they realize that what they were taught about your faith isn’t actually in the Bible, or that it isn’t in line with what the Bible taught. So when someone who is raised in a vaguely Christian cult deconstructs - and then reconstructs to biblical Christianity it is good.
So when they begin to dismantle unbiblical tradition it can be a good thing - but when they deconstruct and leave nothing to come back to - it’s really sad. It can be useful to deconstruct as long as they reconstruct and that reconstruction is based upon the scriptures. And while this happens, it seldom seems to be the case.
However, while there can be a benefit to some forms of this deconstruction - most of it is “I want to sin”. Most of the people who are deconstructing are because they don’t like what the Bible says about sexuality and they abandon it because of this.
It’s sort of an epidemic among my generation - it’s not new by any means - but the internet is a thing so it seems to be more pervasive. Especially since it has become a common trend that people use their deconstruction to build a platform, and unfortunately profit - for example the number of people who have build up their social media presence through deconstruction youtube videos is sickening.
And yet when I think back to friends I knew in college, or in church growing up - I see this happening a lot. And in many cases I have the same question as Paul “You were running well. who hindered you from obeying the truth?”
We find all sorts of reasons that people are hindered from obeying the truth. One of the most common issues to day is that acceptance. There are people who I went to church, ministered with, went on mission trips with, had Bible studies with, etc. who were hindered from obeying the truth. They were seemingly running well - and then someone hindered them.
Warning
Warning
Here in verse 7 Paul begins with a sports illustration. And while I know many people who feel sports illustrations are frustrating or unrelated Paul uses them all over the New Testament. So it’s biblical. And in this question he’s asking a question somewhat like “You were doing great…” and then just like Nancy Kerrigan someone comes out to hurt your knee. While Paul asks “who hindered you from obeying the truth?” He’s not looking for a name or to open an investigation to find out that the person who sowed discord among them were sent by Judaizers as Tanya Harding’s husband
Paul doesn’t have a name for the person who has hindered the Galatians from running well - but he sees that they have deceived them. Paul understands the errant theology that is deceiving them - and he knows that it did not come from God, as he says in verse 8.
But notice how Paul follows this up. In verse 9 he uses a different illustration. He moves from a sports illustration to a baking illustration. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Even a little yeast is enough to make the bread rise. A little heresy, spoils it all - a little bit of errant theology leads to a shipwreck. His warning here is that if they begin to accept this works righteousness they will soon depart the Christian faith. And I’ve seen this time and time again - someone begins to be interested in another theology or another topic and it things begin to spiral all in one direction. Sometimes this can be a positive - one aspect of Christianity makes sense then other things begin to make sense - that can be good. Other times though I’ve seen people study sometime in isolation, and ONLY read that perspective, and ignore anything or anyone critical of it and then immediately lead to changing churches - or worse leaving the church all together.
This isn’t to say don’t study other things, or even don’t study heresy. I have books from heretics in my personal library.
But if you immerse yourself in the study of one thing and one perspective you’re going to come out looking like that one perspective. Unless you have the foundation to reject false teaching - which then errant theology should remind you of what is true as you reject that which is false.
Be on guard for those who might hinder you from obeying the truth.
The news. Your neighbor. Family members
Even pastors - not all of my peers are preaching sound doctrine.
Even though Paul’s rebuke here is strong, and angry it is not without hope.
Though Paul is concerned that they have departed from the truth that
And a significant part of this is Paul’s theology.
It is extends from Paul’s believe in justification by faith. But also in Jesus’ ability to save.
Hope
Hope
The reason that he has this hope is that Jesus, the good shepherd, never loses his sheep. Those who are truly Jesus’ sheep will never be snatched from his hand.
There may be goats who have hidden their horns and trimmed their hair up real nice to look like sheep - but that doesn’t make a goat into a sheep.
Paul can take hope in the church in the midst of this because he believes what he wrote in Phil. 1:6
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Paul’s confidence in the doctrines of electric and perseverance of the saints comfort him in knowing that Jesus’ sheep will not be deceived so far that they cannot return.
AND yet that’s not the only comfort that Paul takes here. Paul also takes comfort in the justice of God. He is confident that the Lord will judge the one who is troubling them. That person will bear the penalty. Paul doesn’t seem to know who that it is at the point of writing given his statement “whoever he is.” This is to our benefit as the reader - because it reminds us that it could be anyone. And what Ι mean by that
The one who is troubling you will bear the penalty. There are several warnings like this in scripture - ultimately that those who are teaching and instructing will be responsible for what they teach.
Luke 17:2 warns that it would be better for one to have a millstone hung around their neck and cast into the sin than cause a little one to sin.
Hebrews 13:17 warns leaders that they will give an account for the souls they watch over.
James 3:1 warns that not many should be teachers as they will be judged with greater strictness.
And I take this very seriously. I hope that is apparent in how I approach curriculum for our children, and how I preach and teach. I certainly wont be perfect, but I pray I’m never sloppy.
And this connects to my earlier statements about deconstruction since in many cases what they are deconstructing and dismantling are not even biblical. In many cases, they were given a fault foundation with a truncated gospel, grew up and came to reject something that looked like Christianity but wasn’t truly biblical Christianity.
But that’s not every instance of deconstruction. In many cases, it is merely that they wanted to sin, love sin, or approve of sin more than they wanted to pursue Christ.
Sometimes the person who hindered them from obeying the truth is themselves, other times it is a college professor.
In verse 11, Paul proceeds to interject concerning how accusations have been made against him. He does this by asking questions - he returns to that Columbo method that I referenced a few weeks ago.
Why would Paul be facing opposition if he was continuing to preach the same thing? At the beginning of the letter Paul had to defend his ministry and his apostleship because of what was being spread against him. And here Paul mentions that the offense of the cross has been removed. We don’t always think of the cross being offensive but when we are reminded that we are depraved sinners who bring nothing to our salvation but the sin that makes it necessary, and that our works are not good enough for our salvation - we start to get that. And Paul has explained this clearly in this letter. There is nothing that we can do to save ourselves. We must believe in Christ Jesus for our salvation.
Response
Response
This is Paul’s response to those unsettling the Galatians, as well as the response that the Galatians should have to this.
Paul is so frustrated and upset with this deceiver that he pens the strongest sentence in this letter, quite possibly the strongest sentence in any of his writing.
12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
In other words: I wish that those who are insisting upon cutting of the flesh -would just move the knife up a little cut the whole thing off.
That should be a bit shocking…
But Paul is not just being crude here - What he is saying since you’re so concerned with whats going on *down there* remove the entire thing and let’s move on.
Speaking of moving on - Paul no longer dwells on the conflict but instead speaks to them about their freedom. He speaks to them about what they will lose if they continue on the way they are going.
But he also instructs them in how they ought to use their freedom. And this important for all of us. If you are in Christ you are free in Christ. Free from sin. Free from the law. Free in Christ.
But even if you are free - do not abuse that freedom. Do you use your freedom as an excuse to sin. Freedom from sin, not liberty to sin. That’s what Paul is saying in verse 13. You weren’t set free so that you can enslave yourself to sin again by being a degenerate - but rather you were set free so that you can serve others.
That might seem like a bit of contradiction - but the freedom that we have in Christ is not a freedom from serving others.
But rather a freedom to serve others.
it is for Freedom that Christ sets us free, but Christ sets us free that so we might serve one another.
And Paul further reinforces this by citing the law. Free from the law - but that doesn’t mean the law is useless.
14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Much like Christ did not come to abolish the law, Galatians is not written to nullify the law. While certain aspects of the law - the civil law - have passed away - we are still called to love God and to love our neighbor. And that is what we are to use our freedom for.
Paul the concludes this section in verse 15 with a final warning: a warning for us, and a warning for the Galatians.
15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Do not destroy one another. Which if you are loving your neighbor this wont be an issue - but we often fail to love our neighbor well.
Just this week, as I was preparing for this sermon I was talking to a friend who is a pastor in another state. He began describing to me a conflict that he is mediating between an elder and a deacon. This situation that he has described to me is centered on the deacon and his wife being unchristlike and offensive, and then in an unchristlike manner accusing the elder of having anger issues. This has led to people leave the church. For context, this conflict predates Switzerland in this conflict. However, as he is describing this scenario to me my immediate response was “Sounds like Galatians 5:15.” This deacon is biting and devouring the elder. Their ultimate goal was to get the elder ousted from the elder board to to step down from shame. And yet it leads to conflict among the whole church.
As a comparison, I want to read Paul’s words from Romans 12:16-18:
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
If you are seeking to live at peace with other believers there will be no room to bite and devour others.
(We’re going to take of the Lord’s Supper in a few minutes - if you have a grudge, or are harboring bitterness to the point where you cannot live peaceably with another in the Christian community - repent of that, and seek to resolve it before you take this morning.)
Warnings that we need to take heed of from this text:
Keep Running Well
Do not let others lead you away from the truth. Examine the scriptures to insure that what you hear, what you read, and even what you say is in accordance with the Scriptures. Remember the Jews in Berea:
11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Do not lead others away from the truth. Keep a close watch on what we teach. One of the most dangerous things a teacher can do is assume that what they have always heard is in the Bible without checking to make sure that it is.
The scriptures give significant warnings for those who mislead others. Woe to Andy Stanley. Woe to Joel Osteen. To Creflo Dollar.
Be careful how we interact with one another in the church. If we bite and devour one another we will collapse. There’s no place for bitterness among those in teh church. There’s no space for grudges among other believers. If Christ’s death breaks down the dividing wall of hostility between us there there is no space remaining to bite and devour one another. There’s no room left for
As we read last week - if Christ has set you free then you are free indeed. And as a reminder if Christ has set your brother or sister free - then you are free indeed.
Use that freedom to serve one another. Keep running well.
