Deserting Him

Opening

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1-3))

Six days in, He created mankind. God took the first man and woman, Adam & Even, and placed them in a garden called Eden. It was paradise!

God walked with them. And they had more than they ever needed.

God told them they could eat of any plant in the garden, except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

They understood very clearly how to maintain their relationship with God - let God be God and trust Him. We call that faith.

This was the ONLY way. And because God didn’t create people to be robots, He gave them (and us) a choice.

Sadly when an alternative path came into their mind, with the encouragement of the serpent, the couple deserted God, by rejecting His instruction, and they ate the forbidden fruit.

Since God is a just God, He dealt swiftly with their sin. Death and toil entered into the world and they were banished from the garden. There was a curse on all of creation, ultimately separating mankind from God.

Yet God, in His love, enacted a rescue plan to bring redemption for all of humanity.

Fast forward many years and we have the good news or what we call that the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Though no sinner could repair what was broken . . . 2 Corinthians 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

God made him who had no sin (that’s JESUS) to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

And the Bible makes clear . . . We are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.

There is no other gospel! Sure, some will TRY to add to it or take away, but when they do, they become false gospels.

Series: No Other Gospel

Last week, Pastor Josue began our series, “No Other Gospel,” by clarifying what is the true gospel of Jesus

The Gospel is the grace and peace from God

It is the ongoing salvation from God

It is the will of God

And it is the Glory of God

Yet, not everyone receives it. Nor does everyone live in it.

Though God has made clear that there is ONE way, ONE gospel - some stay and some stray

What about you?

Bibles

I want to invite you to open up your Bibles with me to Galatians chapter 1, page 1001

If you need a Bible, an usher will bring you one

This is our guide. Outside of this book there are many false gospels

The best way to separate truth from lies is to know God’s Word.

The Apostle Paul addressed believers in Galatia who were struggling to do this

Galatians 1:6–7 NIV

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—which is really no gospel at all. . .

Why would someone choose a different gospel? Because they are misled. And we may think that would never happen to us, but the reality is that if we’re not intentional about staying, we’ll stray.

No thoughtful husband or wife wakes up one day, and all of a sudden thinks “I’m going to cheat on my spouse and destroy my marriage and my family.”  No, most often it happens slowly when one compromise is made and then another compromise and then another.

In the same way, no thoughtful Christian after receiving the true gospel of Jesus Christ, wakes up one day with a totally different gospel. It too is one compromise at a time.

What about you? Will you stray from the gospel or stay in the gospel of Christ?

Today we are going to talk about three distinctions between strayers and stayers.

1. Strayers are flakey, but Stayers are faithful

Do you know anyone who is flakey?

They may or may not show up if they said they’re coming over

Or it’s a 50/50 chance that they’ll take care of what they said they would

Or maybe they’re non-committal. They are always holding out incase something better comes along.

They are like a high school girl who is asked to prom, but doesn’t immediately say yes, incase a cuter boy asks her.

Or a guy that commit period.

Paul talked about flakey believers who, in his words are, “quickly deserting the one who called [them].” The One they abandoned is Jesus himself.

Now for the Galatians specifically they were deserting the call to live in the grace of Christ and they were moving into works-based salvation.

Last week, Pastor Josue, talked about groups that had a Christ PLUS approach to salvation, as if Jesus were not enough

But, I find that more often than not today, people don’t want to add to it, rather they want it even more simple.

They want the free gift of salvation part - a way to heaven, but they don’t want to actually follow Jesus

A gospel of Grace and Peace? Not if that means actually repenting from sin. That’s not fun.

A gospel of ongoing salvation? Not if that means becoming more like Jesus, that sounds like a hassle.

A gospel that is the will of God? Not if it interferes with their will.

A gospel that glorifies God? Well No because sometimes they want to get the glory.

Strayers are flakey and so they go off and find other gospels that suit them so that they can live however they feel like it at any given moment.

In Matthew 13:1-23, Jesus tells the parable about a farmer who sows his seed. Some falls along the path, some on rocky places, some along the thorns, and some on good soil. The seed represents the word of God. The type of soil is what people did with it. Some took it seriously and put it in “good soil.”

But not the Flakey believers. They are represented by the seed falling on rocky places. That’s not a good thing, like a house built on a rock. No! Seed is not going to make it among the rocks.

Matthew 13:20–21 NIV

The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

Apply:

Maybe you are here today and you realize that you have a tendency to be flakey, but you want to be faithful.

God can help you! The good news is that Jesus is the epitome of faithful. He remains perfectly in line with the will of the Father and all that was prophesied.

Jesus will fill in the gaps where we fall short, but there must also be an intentionality on our part.

Luke 16:10 NIV

“Whoever can be trusted [“faithful” ESV] with very little can also be trusted with much . . .”

Be faithful with the small things, such as your words and promises. Jesus says that our yeses should be yes and our no’s no. Matthew 5:37

Husbands be faithful to your wives. And wives faithful to your husbands.

Be faithful at work and have integrity.

Being faithful in the little things will help you to be faithful in the important areas, like living in the gospel of truth

Strayers are flakey, but stayers are faithful

Will you stray from the gospel or stay in the gospel of Christ?

2. Strayers remain confused, but Stayers find clarity

Galatians 1:7–9 NIV

. . . Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 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! 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!

There were people in Galatia that were spreading confusion and leading many astray. Paul warns sharply against them, emphasizing their fate for betraying Christ.

We will come across people that are very convincing. Some individuals are great debaters and smooth talkers and if we are not careful, we can get tricked into believing their lies

Paul says that “even if an angel from heaven should preach . . .” One fallen angel has come and spread false lies, and his name is Satan. He has convinced many to turn from God and from the truth of the gospel of Jesus.

How well do you know the truth? Are you able to spot the lies when they come?

Christian Apologist, Allen Parr, has a video identifying “7 Dangerous Lies Christians Need to Stop Believing.” I want to see if you can catch them. So here is a 10 question pop quiz and I need full participation. I am mixing in some truths as well. So I’ll say a statement and you tell me if its a truth or a lie. Are you ready? Truth or Lie

“The Bible tells us to follow our heart” - This is a lie! The Bible really tells us that the heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). Don’t trust your heart. You should however Love the Lord with all your heart and also all your mind, soul and strength.

Truth or Lie?

2. “The Bible says, each person should Live their Truth.” - This is a lie! Truth is truth. It is not relative, as some suggest. Something is either true or its not. Perspectives are one thing, but there are real truths. If there weren’t we have no standards for measuring anything. John 17:17 Jesus prays to the Father, “Sanctify them [his disciples] by the truth; your word is truth.”

Truth or Lie?

3. “The Bible says, everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” - This is true! (Acts 2:21)

Truth or Lie?

4. “The Bible says, we should never judge.” - This is a lie! Though we should not condemn anyone to hell - only God can judge the heart - we should make judgments between right and wrong. John 7:24 encourages us not to be hypocrites, but to “judge with right judgment”

Truth or Lie?

5. “The Bible says that Jesus died for us while we were still sinners” - This is True! Romans 5:8

Truth or Lie?

6. “God just wants me to be happy” - This is a lie! Certainly God wants us to be joyful, but He also wants us to be holy. If we only do what makes us happy we can go down roads of doing things that are actually disobedient to God. Consider 1 Peter 4:19 where Peter talks about God’s will for those who suffer. Note that it is possible to find joy in suffering.

Truth or Lie?

7. “God is Love and Love means total acceptance” - This is a lie! The first part is true, God is love and He does love everyone. But love does not mean agreement of every person’s actions and beliefs. There are things in our life that do not align with His will. God calls all of us to repentance. 1 Corinthians 13:6 “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”

Truth or Lie?

8. “You don’t need to change anything about yourself, you are enough” - This is a lie! Jesus says in John 15:5 “apart from me, you can do nothing”

Truth or Lie?

9. “The Bible says that God is with us to the very end of the age” - This is true! (Matthew 28:20)

Last one. Truth or Lie?

10. “If you believe something, you have the power to manifest it into your life” - This is a lie! We don’t have authority to just “name it and claim it”, but to stand upon God’s word - James 4:13–15 “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.””

Allen Parr says that there is one thread behind all these lies and that is that people reject God because they want to be their own God of their own lives.

Jesus warns us that the enemy is like the birds who come and eat the seeds (the word of God) that falls along the path.

Matthew 13:19 NIV

When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

Apply:

Everyone of us will be confused at times. I don’t have every answer to every question or problem. I will not pretend to know everything about God, the Bible, or to even fully comprehend the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But where my mind is limited I have reasonable faith in Jesus who has proven himself again and again.

Jesus is never confused. And He has sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us.

John 15:26 NIV

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.

So as we look to God, He will help us!

Strayers stay confused. They go wherever the wind takes them and they are overly impressionable

Strayers lack discipline and they settle with cheap answers.

Strayers easily believe social media influencers and AI chatbots without digging in to the Word of God.

Do you not know that the enemy uses every tool imaginable to draw you away from the true gospel of Christ?

Stayers on the other hand keep the word of God close to the chest and seek out legitimate answers.

If they are confused, it is not for long

Maybe you are here today and you realize that you have a lot of questions about the gospel and Christianity in general. You are in the right place. It takes time to understand the Bible. My intent today is not to make any of you feel bad about how much you do or don’t know, rather to be aware that stayers are ongoing learners.

You don’t have to know everything immediately, but keep learning. We have classes and groups to help you along the way, like our Christian Basics and Theological Foundations, as well as specific men and women Bible studies.

Don’t let your Bible collect dust. Pull it off the shelf and read it often as you can so you will find clarity in the Gospel of grace.

Will you stray from the gospel or stay in the gospel of Christ?

3. Strayers serve culture, but Stayers serve Christ

Galatians 1:10 NIV

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.

I want to be honest with you that I like it when people are happy with me, when they agree with me, and there is no tension. It feels good.

I have had to work at making sure that my desire to please people does not override my call to live for God and speak truth. Sometimes that means taking an unpopular stand and speaking out.

Sometimes that means stepping out of my comfort zone and sharing what I can only imagine sounds crazy to non-Christians

1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Unbelievers may not understand the message and those with hardened hearts may especially reject it, even making us their enemies.

Matthew 10:22 NIV

You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Sometimes people don’t want to be around believers because they know that they are living in sin. They may pretend they don’t know, but the Holy Spirit brings conviction. And when someone doesn’t want to repent and turn to God, there is tension with believers.

I grew up in public school and worked in secular jobs, often in situations where I was the only believer. It can be tough.

I understand the temptation to want to just fit in. And sometimes Christians are well meaning in trying to attract people to Christianity by going out of their way to show them that Christians are just like everyone else. And I’m all for not being overly weird as Christians, but when we spend so much energy acting “normal,” we are missing out on the more important aspect of what sets us apart - the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I’ve observed Christians attempt to do what they think is damage control by apologizing for Christian convictions - marriage limited to union between a man and woman, a strong stance on life from conception, biblical ethics on lying and stealing, a commitment to purity, and even the exclusivity of Salvation - that there is only one way.

Apply

Brothers and sisters, you should apologize if you’ve done wrong - you gossiped, you were mean-spirited, and you misrepresented Christ. But don’t apologize for truth. The gospel of Jesus is the most important message in the world.

People are hellbound without Jesus. People are missing out on an amazing relationship with the king of the universe who has the power to comfort them and bring them peace, to give them hope and a future. We don’t need to be ashamed of that.

Serve Christ, rather than the culture.

What’s that mean? Love Him with everything. Get to know Him and follow what He has commanded. You’ll benefit as you do that.

Others will benefit as you do that too. Because loving God is also loving others. We don’t serve culture, but we do love people and therefore serve them in ways that honor God.

Our Men’s groups had this set of verses as their theme last year and I think it speaks well to our call to stand firm in Christ and to do so in love.

1 Peter 3:15–16 NIV

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Closing

Again, people don’t usually wake up one day choosing to desert Christ. The problem is that they chose along the way to put their guard down and not take seriously the message of Jesus and the grace we have been given.

Jesus died on the cross for you and He rose three days later for you so that you can have life. Do you believe this?

Do you receive this? Meaning it goes beyond the brain and you internalize it so that you can now live in it. The gospel of Jesus transforms our whole life.

And will you stand in it so you stay and don’t stray?

I want to close by reading Ephesians 6:10-17 the famous “Armor of God” passage. Listen how many times Paul encourages us to stand firm.

Ephesians 6:10–17 NIV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Prayer