No Other Gospel (2)

Have any of you heard of the diet whole 30?

Basically it is a diet where for 30 days you cleanse your body from all the junk it takes in on a regular basis.

And its an intense diet, because you can’t have anything processed, you can’t have any sugar other then that in fruit. It is a really hard diet.

And I remember one of my roommates in college he decided that he was going to try to do this diet, and he was a couple days in and it was amazing.

He was already seeing the results and he just looked healthier, but then a couple days later he quite because he said it was to hard.

Well I thought are you kidding me, you were already seeing results.

And I decided since it worked so well for him I was going to try and do it but I was going to go the 30 days.

Well I remember I had my first meal and was proud of myself and then around lunch I was trying to find something and I couldn’t find a thing I liked so I caved in and broke the diet on my first day.

You can imagine my friend who I gave a hard time was really giving me a hard time.

But have you ever turned your back on something that quickly?

where you start a hobby and you loved it then the next moment you give up on it

You decide your going to the gym and you feel great but then you only use your membership twice

But often times we find ourselves in places where we give up on things so easily and a lot faster then what we plan.

And today we are beginning our new series called “Freedom In Christ” where we will be going through the book of Galatians

And really this book is actually a letter written to a church in Galatia,

And its a church that Paul who was a leader in the early church, but He actually helped build it.

And whenever you help build someone up or a group of people you usually get pretty close to them right?

And so you can picture Paul viewing this church very affectionately

But there is an issue, because while the church started well, they have now began to follow something very different then the message that Paul gave them.

and throughout this book, Paul is trying to bring the Galatians back to the true Gospel message,

And So we are going to be in Galatians 1:6-10, And my hope for us today is to see the places and areas where maybe we have strayed from this beautiful message that we have been given.

And so lets start in Galatians 1:6-10 because it says

Galatians 1:6–10 (NIV)

No Other Gospel

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

1P0 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. SoPaul feels in this letter because they have abandon the true gospel, 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. SoPaul feels in this letter because they have abandon the true gospel,

and in verse 6 Paul actually says I am astonished how quickly you did it.

and in the Bibles original language that word “astonished” is used as “marvel” so Paul is really shocked what has happened to this church.

He is basically saying I am dumb founded with amazement over how you could turn away from the true gospel of Christ so quickly.

and the reason why Paul is so dumbfounded about this is because when you think about your life before entering aa relationship with Christ and after entering a relationship with Christ, I think most of us would say its pretty different.

It would almost be like say I had nothing.

I don’t have a house, a car, a job, any money, or anything else

And so you see me and go “I like this guy, you know what here is a nice house, a new car, and 100,000 dollars, and a job.”

If you see me in a few months, you would expect my life would be completely different, right?

But if I had nothing again, you would go “Brendan are you serious?”

And this is the reason Paul is so amazed how this church could turn back so quickly

and to be honest thats what it is for us

Because we start out excited in our walk with God and we see this drastic life change, but what happens is over time we allow this gospel message to be distorted.

and Paul is looking at us saying “Why are you doing this to yourselves?”

And look at verse 7 because Paul says immediately “really this distorted Gospel you are following its not even a Gospel.”

And really what would happen in the Galatian church is they were part of Rome and so the Romans were alright with them worshiping Jesus, as long as they also worshipped the gods of rome

And not just that but there was this idea that worked its way into the church where God’s grace was not a free gift, but it was a gift that they had to work themselves into.

and what Paul is recognizing is happening to these people is they started in a really good place, but they are slowly drifting away and distorting this original message that changed their lives.

and He is saying our walk with God really needs to be informed by God and less about the things around us.

It would be like if you have ever made a penut butter and Jelly Sandwhich.

Anyone love Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches? (set up table).

You know it is made up two slices of bread, Penut butter and Jelly.

But if you add or take away any of those ingredients guess what it is not longer a peanut butter and Jelly sandwich.

So I could add ranch, Ho sauce, cheese, I could take away the Penut butter

Bu this stops becoming a penut butter and Jelly Sandwich right?

and this is what Paul is saying because he knows we like to view our walk with God like aa buffet where you pick and choose what you want.

You know some of us might go well our walk with God is good because really it is just self help. Its something that improves our life.

Some of us are good at taking our walk with God and we make it God’s walk with us, where God believes what we belive and he accomplishes what we want.

and I I love how Paul ends this little secion that we are in, because he ask a question.

Read this out-loud with me, because He says:

Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

You know Paul boils it down to who am I serving?

You know Liam goes to school tommarow

And we were talking about the person he should be listening to,

And is really easy to listen to the kids that are not listening.

In fact the other kids will probably think its funny.

But I told him I want you to listen to the teacher, righ?

You know this morning what voices are we listening too?

because its really easy to listen to others, but Paul is asking something hard

And I just want to read one last part of this passage and its verses 11-15,

Because he says:

Galatians 1:11–15 NIV

11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased

You know Paul is not just saying you evil wicked people, I am so glad I am not like you.

Bu He shares his story a little bit and he goes you know this is somthing I struggled with!

If you know Pauls story, he was actually a Jewish leader, and he loved the law that was given in the Old Testement,

I mean he followed it to a T

And whats amazing is when these Christ followers started coming around, Paul looked at the law and said yeah I think we can justify killing these guys through the law.

And he is going what I didn’t realize is how informed I was from things other then God.

In fact in verse 15 he said I just did it because it was the traditions of my fathers.

And Paul brings it all together by giving us the reason why he was able to change.

And I know I already read this but I want us to sit in it a little longer (verse 15)

Galatians 1:15 NIV

15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased

He says the reason this matters and really the reason we do not want to be this person that treats our walk with God like our personal buffet table, is because God has set us apart in our mothers womb and he haas hcalled us for a purpose.

You know Paul uses that phrase “set apart”

And he is not saying, “oh wow I am more special then you”

Its almost like when you think of kitchen appliances,

Who thinks they could live without there fridge?

What about an oven?

a Crockpot?

Microwave?

Dishwasher?

All of these serve a different purpose, but we need them right?

And God has made us all unique, but I think what happens over time in our lives and our walk with God is we start to loose this unique purpose that God has called us to.

And I think the question is, is it time to come back?

Have we caught oursevlves altering away from the place God has called us?

Because this morning whether we are struggleing with the feeling that we need to work ourselves into a relationship with God or that we feel the need to alter our believes

I think God is with us going I made you unique, and I am tired of you making this nasty mess.

Where is your heart?

Lets pray