Remember the minister

Introduction:

anyone who knows me knows i am absolutely uncomfortable preaching sermons like i am going to preach today, but when the lord lead me to preach through Galatians he lead ME to preach word for word and verse for verse...

and guess what good solid doctrinal preaching is going to get uncomfortable and sometimes it will be uncomfortable for the one preaching it

Understand this, the Galatian people were a backslidden people.. just like the modern church is a backslidden people

and backslidden people need appeal after appeal because they are walking a dangerous road when they turn their backs on god

the good news is to be backslidden they at one point had to be right with god so they were a saved people

remember also this letter was written to a church and a church has to have a minister in it

and when someone is turned away from god they are usually turned away from their minister

a common theme in the life of a backslidden christian is they want nothing to do with god, gods people, and gods man

The Galatian people went a bit further than normal here...

false teachers and critics of Paul began to attack Paul personally and in his ministry at the church

they were attacking him every way they could which we covered in chapter 1...

the church was in danger of rejecting the god called man and they were also in danger of following after a man or a teaching that wasn’t of god

Paul here had to do whatever he had to do to stop the chaos and the destruction going on in the church

one of the hardest things for a god called pastor to do is see is sin, backsliding, and chaos going on in the church god placed him

a hireling or someone who just wants the money or positions won’t care to much and it will show in their response to trouble and false teachings....

but a god called man will always do whatever it takes to correct a wrong course of action in the people and the church he is called to pastor ...

and let me be honest that makes him the “bad guy” to a lot of people, but thats his job and this passage is about paul appealing to the people to remember their affection for their minister...

lets look at the text:

I. Treat him as a brother (12)

Galatians 4:12 KJV 1900

Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.

remember that some in the church were attacking Paul… but look at what Paul did:

A. paul called them brothers:

he didn’t treat them as enemies or even as the troublemakers they were being

he didn’t gripe or run his mouth or fire a shot at them in this letter

what he did is expressed brotherly affection for them

it says he “BESEECHED” them or he was pleading with them (not commanding them to do this or do that)

he was showing his love and care for them even though they stood against him

they were returning to the law when the law wasn’t what paul was preaching and a group was trying to divid and take over the church claiming paul was wrong…

yet paul still begged them to get right instead of bad mouthing them

and paul also made sure they new he didn’t hold a grudge or he didn’t or wouldn’t get angry with them

now right here i want to point something out a minister of god is not the admiral of his church members lives

he also doesn’t have the authority to command someone do this or do that in order to be right with god unless what he is telling someone is right out of the bible

i’ve seen pastoral authority abused in the church and that has hurt the church badly i've even seen some men say if you disagree with them you disagree with god and you can’t possibly be saved

but if you look at Paul he was begging them to get right not writing them off as lost in their disagreement

there is a lot of false ministers in the world today in every sect of christianity but as a baptist i can only speak of baptists right?

so I’m not bashing baptists but thats all i know....

but there are a lot of false pastors who are in pulpits today and we don’t even have to go further than this first verse to point that out (and just so you know you can be a good preacher but not called to pastor)

the heart of a true pastor is a heart of love, affection, kindness, and care for the people he is pastoring…

even ,or especially when, they are critical of them

but church listen to me when a true pastor is begging you (not commanding you) to get somehting right or to see truth then you may want to pay attention

take that how you want but thats kind of the job of your pastor to pastor you and if you have been here more than twice you can go ahead and call me your pastor because i think of you as calvary...

II. we are to welcome or trust a minster of God in a few areas. (13-16)

Galatians 4:13–16 KJV 1900

Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first. And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

A. welcome their witness:

the Galatians had welcomed paul when he first came and he Preached the gospel and they had responded to the preaching of truth

they didn’t question his call or his message they heard and they responded

their was no criticism of him or his preaching when he came and their hearts and arms were wide open to him and his work

paul was appealing to that same spirit of welcome he received when he first came to them

somewhere along the lines the people lost it t

he honey moon stage was over and people were tired of getting their toes stepped on

he was asking gods people to remember who’s people they were

let me tell you criticism and division isn’t one of the fruits of the spirit

B. welcome them in their weakness and infirmities:

too often this isn' true… churches and christians abandon ministers because of a lot of reasons but one of the worst is in their weakness on infirmities

when paul went to Galatia he was stricken with some problem in body or spirit

what is the problem idk and the bible doesn’t say but most think it was some eye problem due to looking at pauls life and all that

but the point is this when he first went and this happened they didn’t despise him, reject him, but instead they recieved him as a messenger of god

now i am going to camp out here for a few seconds because this is important...

when you have a problem (sickness or sin) who do you go to?

when your family has a problem (sickness or sin) who do you go to?

too many times the people of god have turned their back on the man of god when he had a problem whether it was sickness or sin

i’ve seen churches fire pastors because he got sick and couldn’t do what they expected him to do for a brief time

i’ve seen pastors hold their sin in and never reach out for help because if they did their church would turn on them

i’ve often used the example of people thinking its ok for them to miss church to go fishing or whatever but would be upset if the pastor did it , but here is the cold hard truth

people think pastors are perfect let me tell you i have sin problems just like you do

and i’m not immune to sickness just like you’re not

one of the saddest things i’ve ever seen is when a man dedicates his life to people and their families as their pastor and as soon as he falls or needs help they turn their back on him...

C. they should be welcome in the truth they proclaim:

and whats even worse is the peolpe who turn their backs on him when he does soemthing they dont like...

this one here really stresses how open they were to paul at one point… he said they seemed to be the type who would have given him their own eyes if they could have

paul came in a proclaimed the truth we have been studying since the first sermon of the year:

we are saved by faith alone in christ alone and not by law or by works

we can’t earn salvation and good deeds without the righteousness of christ are nothing more then self glorifying deeds because they don’t glorify god

but now they were attacking him for this same message and following after false teachings that made them feel like they had done something:

think about it how many churches and church members have turned their backs on gods man because he Preached truth to them they didn’t want to hear

they liked it when they first came or else why would they have kept coming back?

they were spiritually fed and they responded spiritually when they first came or else why would they have loved it then?

now all of a sudden the same message and the same messenger and people are upset

and ill tell you why people don’t wanna hear about sin and repentance they want to hear about how good they are and what they can do to live their best life now

again take it how you want but just because you get upset doesn’t mean the man who upset you is wrong…

i get it we can look at case after case when the supposed man of god abused the church or twisted the scripture

and you all know me ill name them by name in a heart beat and call them out to their face because they are wrong

but if you have a god called man standing in a god anointed church preaching the word of god word for word in context and loves you enough to invest in your life don’t get mad at him when

he does his job and preaches truth and you don’t like it

he tells you to get right in some areas and you don’t like it

he goes out of his way and takes time from his family to make sure you’re doing well and loves on you a little bit

again look at what the bible says here:

1 Timothy 5:17 KJV 1900

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

Hebrews 13:17 KJV 1900

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

i preach what i preach and any pastor worth anything preaches and leads how they lead because one day they have to give an account

not just of them self but of everyone in their church or under their ministry

and no this verse doesn’t ever give a pastor the right to rule your life like a dictator,

this is talking about the rule or authority you have freely given the as pastor by coming to the church and sitting under their ministry

they have authority to preach the word and to teach the word in your life because you come to church under them

they have authority to help you spiritually because you come to church under their ministry

so don’t get made at them for doing what you have asked them to do just because you don’t like it

again one of the saddest things i’ve ever seen is when people come to church and love it

and then when he pastor starts to invest himself in them or when the preaching is too uncomfortable for them they all of a sudden wanna leave and abandon the church

their is biblical and right reasons to leave a church (god moving you to serve elsewhere, leaving false teaching, ect…)

but your feelings getting hurt isn’t a biblical reason to leave a church

you not being used as much or how you think you need to be used isn’t a reason to leave the church...

III. we are also to reject false ministers (17)

Galatians 4:17 KJV 1900

They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.

A. keep in mind the false teachers were zealous in their teachings...

and they wants as many as possible to follow after them

and they went about it by trying to cut people off from true ministers of god

they sought after people by the merits of themselves but they tore down others who taught truth because if the sheep here truth they might respond to it

we have to understand their is a big difference between the real teachers of the word of god then and now...

false teachers then and now want people to focus on the law or on works and effort and ritual and ceremony

they want you to focus on you and what you can do

and they want the honor off god and put onto people because we by our depraved nature crave the honor that only belongs to god

a true minster will always focus the attention on god not on him or the people...

the love of god; the honor of god; the glory of god and the praise of god are first and for most on the heart and in the message of a true minister of god

look at this:

Matthew 7:15 KJV 1900

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

and boy do we have some wolves in the pulpits today...

doing it for a paycheck, doing it for their own glory, making sure everyone they meet knows they are important,

liars trying to deceive people into thinking they are worthy of praise honor and glory

liars trying to tell people they are essentially good people...

here is the truth we without christ are lost dying and on our way to hell...

and after we have accepted christ as our savior we are still sinners who if we are not dependent on christ and in our bible and talking to god through prayer we will fall into the false teachings

and false teachings will take us out of serving god and out of a good church so we need to be on guard against false teachers....

IV. welcome all minsters who seek to honor god (18-20)

Galatians 4:18–20 KJV 1900

But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.

paul here is stating that we the church should always welcome a minister who is seeking to honor god

not just his ministry but the ministry of others who are honoring god

we need to reject false teachers and have nothing to do with them… but we must embrace and receive true ministers who are doctrinally sound and truly called… even if their preferences are different...

how do we know who is why?

A. a true minister seeks to help believers for their own good and to help them grow in christ

its never about them its always about christ

B. true ministers hold gods people in their heart like paul did “as dear children”

he is tender and caring for them and he is protective of them because thats the job of a minister of the word of god towards the children of god

C. a true minister seeks to grow the church spiritually

numbers isn’t what is important o a true minister… its about the spiritual growth of the people

now numbers often come with true ministers, but numbers will never be the priority

gospel sensitive minister verse a seeker sensitive ministry

d. true ministers will guard the church against error

they will teach doctrine and hold doctrine in the highest regard in the church

sadly in many churches it has become about one man or one ministry...

but the truth is if we are going to be a church that follows the bible we need to be able the savior and his glory and his honor...

conclusion:

so many churches have left good god called men because they preach truth… so many christians have turned on good god called men because they hurt their feelings...

so many pastors and preachers have taken advantage of the responsibility they have of pastoring churches and hurt people who disagreed with them

this passage isnt about treat your pastor this way… if preached correctly its about how a pastor should treat his church and how a church treat their pastor...

its also about being on guard against false teaching in the church

if you don’t know christ but want to know Christ and be saved talk to god and come talk to me

if there is sin in your life you have to get that take care of… i am begging you to get right with god and serve him how he will use you