Who Has Bewitched You? • Galatians 3:1-5
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Review & Overview
Review & Overview
1. Previous Study’s Review
1. Previous Study’s Review
In Ch. 1 & 2 we looked at a section called: The Preservation of the Gospel.
In that section we looked at several ways how Paul preserved the Gospel of Grace or how he defended the Gospel of Grace.
We saw several things:
This Gospel of Grace the Gospel Message is by Revelation not by Invention.
Paul Preserved the Gospel of Grace by explaining to the audience how his ministry was approved by the leadership of the church.
and more recently, Paul Preserved or Defended the Gospel of Grace by Rebuking Peter who was being a hypocrite.
2. Current Study’s Overview
2. Current Study’s Overview
This brings us to Ch. 3 where we begin the 2nd section of the letter: The Explanation of the Gospel of Grace.
Preservation, Explanation, & Application. READ…
The Title of Today’s Message Is: Who Has Bewitched You?
Because as you saw in our quick reading of today’s scripture Paul offers 5 questions or 5 arguments for the Gospel of Grace.
If you taking notes we want to look at 4 things regarding Paul’s Argument to Preserve The Gospel of Grace.
Paul explains the Gospel of Grace by asking 5 questions
The Deception of an Evil Spirit Vs. 1
The Gift of the Holy Spirit Vs. 2 & 5
The Need for the Holy Spirit Vs. 3
The Suffering for the Holy Spirit Vs. 4
1. The Deception of an Evil Spirit Vs. 1
1. The Deception of an Evil Spirit Vs. 1
Their actions showed a lack of understanding and reasoning.
Because to turn to the law from grace is to be bewitched.
Bewitched Greek - baskainō (bas-kah'-ee-no) - It means to speak ill of someone, to slander someone, and bring evil on someone.
The word speaks of changing someones emotional state by a magic spell ( to bewitch) so that some one may accept lie for a truth.
APPLICATION: And you know this happens to people. I’ve seen it plenty of times even here in the High School ministry.
Where they listen to someone on youtube or something and they come back and they tell me they can’t come here anymore because they don’t believe certain things anymore.
I’m like what! Who are you listening to!? It really is like someone cast a spell on them and bewitched them.
Listen we have to be very careful in who we listen to, in fact, don’t even trust me. You need to be in the word for yourself because.
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
And I bring this up because…
When Paul asks: “Who has bewitched you?”, the grammar indicates the who as singular (Gk., tis), not plural, maybe suggesting that the devil was the author of this false teaching. Turn w/ me to…
Galatians 1:6–9 “6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.”
Pop - Off Be in the WORD!
Go back to…
Because notice the results of being bewitched by someone there in the middle of Vs. 1
When one is bewitched that person does not obey the truth.
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
And the word here is speaking of the Gospel of Grace.
5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
2. The Gift of the Holy Spirit Vs. 2 & 5
2. The Gift of the Holy Spirit Vs. 2 & 5
So the question is pretty straight forward: When you received the Holy Spirit did you get it by working really hard and following the 613 laws in the OT, or did you receive the Holy Spirit simply by faith, by believing.
In other words, Let them go back to the time of their conversion—the time when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in their bodies.
How did they receive the Spirit? By doing, or by believing? Obviously it was by believing. No one ever received the Spirit by keeping the law.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
Romans 8:11 (NKJV)
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you…
Question: How do you know the Holy Spirit is in you? If you are taking notes I want to quickly give you 7 pieces of evidence that one has the Holy Spirit:
1. Has There Been a Transformation of Character?
Fruit of the Spirit
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
2. Is There a Conviction of Sin?
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
3. Do You Have Guidance & Direction?
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
4. Do You Have an Understanding of Biblical Truths?
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
5. Do You Have a Desire for Holiness Obedience?
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
6. Do You Have a Love for Others?
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
7. Do You Have an Assurance of Salvation?
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
APPLICATION: If you have these qualities, you have the Holy Spirit…
And listen, you didn’t receive the Holy Spirit by working really hard or doing, buy by simply believing.
3. The Need for the Holy Spirit Vs. 3
3. The Need for the Holy Spirit Vs. 3
I like Paul’s passion here, in the beginning there Paul is saying: Are you dumb bro!? Are you so foolish!?
If they couldn’t obtain salvation by works, how could they possibly expect to grow in holiness and Christian maturity by the law?
If the power of the Holy Spirit was necessary to save them, how could they complete the process of maturing by works?
APPLICATION: It’s so dumb! Listen guys, if we want to grow as a christian, if we want to finish this life strong in the faith, we need the Holy Spirit!
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
4. The Suffering for the Holy Spirit Vs. 4
4. The Suffering for the Holy Spirit Vs. 4
When the Galatians first trusted in Christ, they exposed themselves to persecution, perhaps partly at the hands of Jewish zealots who hated the gospel of grace.
Was all that suffering in vain and a waste of time? In going back to the law were they not saying that the persecutors were right after all?
This third question looked back on the persecution the apostles and believers experienced in the region of Galatia.
At the end of Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey, they warned the Galatian converts that they would suffer as Christians (Acts 14:21–22).
21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”
And Persecution quickly came, and Paul reminded them that if they turned from grace to Law they would brand their former position in error and would then have suffered so much for nothing.
APPLICATION: This passage invites us to consider the cost of discipleship and the value of our perseverance in the faith.
As Christians, we are going face trials and persecution because of our commitment to Christ and the gospel of grace.
However, these sufferings are not in vain. They are a testimony to our faith and our reliance on the Holy Spirit.
When we endure hardships for the sake of Christ, we are sharing in His sufferings and standing firm in our commitment to the truth.
APPLICATION: But if we to turn away from our faith in Jesus Christ that would undermine the work that God has done in us and through us.
It is a step backward that invalidates our witness and the sacrifices we've made.
Instead, let us hold fast to the grace of God, knowing that our perseverance is not just a personal journey but a powerful testimony to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.
By remaining steadfast, we affirm that our suffering is not a waste of time but it is a part of our growth and witness to Christ.
Let our lives reflect the grace we have received, standing firm against any pressure to revert to a life apart from Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
DONE…
