False gods
Notes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
The First week we started a series called Galatians.
We talked about how The Good News is only found in Christ
The Good news is only found in the Grace of Jesus.
Then we talked about the Hypocrisy of Peter and the Accountability Paul had.
Peter was not allowing Gentiles to live in the freedom of Christ
Paul held him accountable for it.
Last week we talked about the purpose of the Law
The purpose of the law was to demonstrate that we need grace because we will never be righteous based on the law (our own actions)
This week we will be in: Galatians 4
We are going to be looking at the false gods that the people in Galatia kept turning back to.
Let’s pray
BIBLE
BIBLE
This week was a different week for me.
I typically like to break down 10-20 verses in a passage and kind of sit in that passage.
But this week, I got stuck on one verse.
Because I think a lot of us can understand what was happening, and if we are honest with ourselves we fall into a similar trap.
New International Version (2011) Chapter 4
8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
Formerly, when you (gentiles) did not know God
I love that Paul keeps reminding them of who they once were.
It’s important for us to do the same thing (remind ourselves of what life was like before Christ.)
So what were they like before Christ
They were slaves (in bondage) to who?
False Gods
They had to do certain things to please the false gods.
sacrifices
special ceremonies or feasts dedicated to these gods
bowing down to the statues
burning incense to please the gods
consulting oracles, soothsayers or practicing magic to gain favor and/or predict the future.
all to please the gods and earn the gods favor in their life.
Sounds exhausting
Paul was saying, this is who you once were, this is how you once lives.
New International Version (2011) Chapter 4
9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
but now that you know God.
capital G - aka the real God. the one true God.
or rather (better translated more importantly) you are known by God.
What does it mean to be known by God?
Listen to what it says in 1 Corinthians 8:3
New International Version (2011) Chapter 8
3 But whoever loves God is known by God
Whoever loves God (which is a believer) is known by God.
to be known by God means
that he knows everything about us
Psalm 139:1 “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.”
The Great I AM…..knows, you.
we are in a relationship with Him
John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me”
We are His
we have security and we can live authentically
Hebrews 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
God knows everything about you, yet he still chooses you to be adopted into His Kingdom.
the believers in Galatia were known by God
Let’s go back go Galatians 4
New International Version (2011) Chapter 4
9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
Paul says, you are known by God, yet you turn back to those weak and miserable forces
you go back to your old self!
the old self that lived in bondage, do you want to go back to that again?
The ESV translates that word miserable to elementary
Elementary forces - like a child consistently going back to what it knows it should not do.
This is easy for us to get in the “you dummy” mentality on this one, isn’t it?
Yet, if we think about it more and more…..what false gods are we turning back to?
This was an interesting question for me this week.
This is what I got stuck on.
in our minds we think, how can you pray to some random god.
how can you think that statue is going to do anything for you.
We don’t think of false gods the way they did back then, yet so often we rely on some major false gods
What is a false god?
False god: any object, idea, person, or power that people put their faith, hope, or devotion in instead of God. It’s a substitute for the true God.
Maybe it’s the false god of possessions and wealth
material possessions become false gods when they take God’s rightful place in our hearts—when we trust them, love them, or seek fulfillment through them instead of through God.
this is the god that consistently tells you that you are not doing enough and are not making enough, and makes you feel less because of it.
In Matthew 6:24 Jesus says it clear as can be. ““No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Do your finances run you life?
Do the things that you focus on the most all go back to money, how much can I make and find fulfillment in it?
is money the thing you wake up for?
Is this an false god that is in your life?
Proverbs 11:28 “Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.”
trust - strong confidence in and reliance upon.
Reliance upon your own riches will end up failing you.
thrive doesn’t mean prosperity - the word that also translates to be built up.
Don’t mishear me, God cares about our money, and us being wise with it.
the issue becomes when we trust in our own riches, we love our own riches, or find fulfillment in the things that we alone have accomplished.
instead of seeking fulfillment in riches, lets be thankful with what God has blessed us with. whether we are in plenty or in want.
Another big false god of today is career and success (our identity is in our job)
this is similar to possession and wealth, but it has more to do with the achievements we seek or the ladder we are trying to climb
When our identity and worth depend primarily on our job or achievements those things can become false gods we are trying to please.
So the question we have to wrestle with is does our position at work affect the person we think we are?
Colossians 3:23 says “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
With this one it comes back to the same thing i would say for possession and wealth.
it about the why.
Why do you do what you do, for the glory of God? or for the glory of yourself
This next one is an interesting one….and could be a hot topic, but lets go for it.
technology and social media
I was doing some research on this, and I simply asked the questions what does social media look like as an idol (or a false god)
These ones were tough to read out loud for me, I’m going to be honest.
So, how social media and technology become idolatrous?
when they consume our time and attention more than God.
when we crave approval or identity from online validation.
when technology controls our emotions or priorities
when it leads to neglect of real relationships and spiritual growth.
When it comes to social media, and the drive to have a voice, or get a like for something you shared or did. Galatians 1:10 has always stuck out (which we read earlier in this series)
Galatians 1:10 “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.”
These things listed here are some of the false gods that I believe Christians today are finding themselves falling back to.
Because this is what the world cares about.
So, what were the gentiles in Galatia doing?
New International Version (2011) Chapter 4
10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!
They were following the special days and month that were required under the law of Moses.
These days would have included the weekly Sabbath with all of its restrictions, beginning Friday at sunset and lasting until Saturday at sunset. It would have included specific festivals and fasts and days of remembrance. From the time of Moses until the time of Christ, all Israelites were required to obey God by observing these days. Failing to observe them was reason enough for God to remove His blessing under His covenant with Israel.
The issue isn’t that they were observing these holidays, the issue was they were trying to gain favor with God by practicing these holidays.
“The problem was that these Christians were observing all the special days, not to honor the Lord, but to be honored by Him.”
So here we go again with some tough questions.
Why do you do the things you do when it comes to your spiritual life?
Why do you come to church on a Sunday?
Why do you open your Bible?
Why do you pray? (who is the focus of your prayer)
I ask these tough questions because I found myself asking them to myself.
So what’s the big deal in all of this, why is this something Paul choose to focus on?
I think the next verse in Galatians 4:11 helps hear Paul’s heart.
New International Version (2011) Chapter 4
11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. 12 I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you…
wasted my efforts - this sounds harsh, but I think he is truly speaking from his heart.
Matt Example
in the last 5 years he has taken up long distance running, and he’s describing a 52 mile race he ran recently
he was at Mile 51.5, and all he has to do is take one more 90 degree turn and he heads towards the finish line.
one problem, he runs right past that turn.
He talks about the big difference between running a 53 mile race instead of his 52 mile race.
Then he says this, and i couldn’t believe how well it tied into this message and exactly why i think Paul’s heart was in this moment.
Spiritually speaking, stay on the right path, because what happens spiritually, is you’re doing work on the wrong path, that you don’t need to do. I was doing miles on the wrong path that I didn’t want to run, and I didn’t have to run.
He finished with this which was so good, “sometimes in our yearning for holiness we fight so hard to do what’s right. we work so hard with so much effort do to the right thing, to be in the right place, to give the right amount, to do the right things, and the Lord is saying, “you’re not even going where I told you”
This was Paul’s heart.
He was worried about the people in Galatia running in the wrong direction, doing the wrong things for no reason. running back to these false gods.
He says “become like me” What does that mean?
The next line helps with that “for I became like you”
What were they? free from the law.
Yet here they were running right back into the bondage.
This week was a very reflective week for me.
