Beware the Spies

Spies. Impostors. People pretending to be something they were not in order to gain information and set loose a parasite of misinformation in order to pollute the truth. That was the issue. That was the problem… and it was a very REAL problem.

As we begin to look at Galatians 2 today, we come across a very timely message. As we find ourselves in the season of celebrating our national freedom, we need to understand that at any given moment, thee are forces that would love take away or rob us of those freedoms.

Freedom is something that needs to be protected. Such is why we have soldiers and first responders who diligently work to secure and to protect the freedoms of all Americans. If no intentional effort is given in this regard, you can bet that freedom will be challenged… and eventually lost. Such is why we need to show our appreciation every day for those who risk their safety for the sake of our freedom.

But this morning is not so much about our national freedom. While this is important, our most important freedom we have comes through the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Next week, we will be talking in depth about how this freedom was not free. A price had to be paid… a price we could not pay… and Jesus paid it all. Because of His work on the cross, we now have access to a freedom this world simply could not deliver.

No amount of firepower or military might could gain us this freedom. No amount of diplomacy or political talk could gain us this freedom. No treaty could be signed, no deal could be made. The Word of God was clear - the only satisfactory payment was the blood of a SPOTLESS Lamb. Jesus was that spotless sacrificial Lamb!

As we consider our spiritual freedom this morning, I also want us to consider a very real threat that exists regarding this freedom.

To be clear: THIS WORLD CANNOT TAKE AWAY THE FREEDOM YOU HAVE IN JESUS CHRIST! There is nothing this world can do to take it by force or to strip it away from you. As Jesus said in John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

However… there is an enemy who would like you to surrender your new found freedom. The devil would like nothing more than to wrap you back up in bondage.

Things that bind us are:

Sin - sin is the ultimate binding element the enemy tries to ensnare us in. In fact, when Christ was speaking in John 8, He was talking about setting people free from sin.

False teaching/deception - the path that leads to Jesus is a path of freedom. The enemy works to lead a person off that path and back onto a path that binds and enslaves.

Here’s the deal: The enemy desires to rob you of life and freedom. But Christ gave paid the price that we might have freedom and life to the full.

This is the spiritual warfare that is taking place right now. This warfare has been taking place from the moment God created this world and will continue to take place up until the day that Satan himself is bound and thrown into the lake of fire… forever.

As we get back in into Galatians 2, we are going to see this battle taking place and we are going to see the steps that were taking to make sure that spiritual freedom was protected and secured.

Paul begins this chapter by giving somewhat of a history lesson. As we look at the first 5 verses, we are going to see how spiritual freedom was being attacked and the steps that were taken to protect the TRUE gospel message of Jesus.

Galatians 2:1-5 reads, “Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

There is a lot going on here but the cause for all that is going in is made clear in verse 4. False believers had “infiltrated” their ranks. This means these false believers had worked to gain special access for a specific reason. THEY HAD AN AGENDA. And this agenda DID NOT line up with the gospel truth.

They had gained access to “spy” on the freedom they had in Jesus.

They had gained access to make them “slaves”

These false believers were wolves in sheep’s clothing. these individuals did not have the kingdom of God in mind, but rather had personal agenda in mind. They were motivated for all the WRONG reasons and because of this, they were working to move believers from freedom to slavery.

Specifically, this was being done regarding the issue of circumcision - a ritual observed among the Jews in Old Testament days that was no longer valid because of what Jesus did on the cross.

Circumcision was no longer necessary. But these false believers who would cheapen the grace of God were pushing for this “ritual” for legalistic purposes.

And some might say, “what’s the big deal? it was a practice that really didn’t hurt anyone? Why the big fuss?” THEY WERE ADDING CONDITIONS TO THE SALVIFIC WORK OF GOD! That is a VERY big deal!

With this problem in view… with this spiritual warfare taking place, Paul lays out the steps they took to make sure they remained in the freedom Christ had given them. And these steps can help us today to not fall for the works of an enemy who would love for us to surrender the freedom we have in Jesus Christ.

They Confirmed the Message.

The spies had come to challenge the gospel message that Paul was preaching to the gentiles. They had come to make the new converts “slaves” to a system of rituals and legalism. Again, the specific point they were pushing was circumcision. How do we know this? Because of the information given in verse 3. Titus, who was a Greek, was not compelled to be circumcised after receiving the message of God’s grace.

Paul was seeking confirmation. Paul wanted to be sure. He didn’t want to get the message wrong. So after 14 years, he went back to Jerusalem for what I would call a gospel message check up. He convened with the higher-ups. He spoke with the apostles to confirm the message. And pay close attention to his motivation.

He was running a hard race. Ministry was not easy. So he wanted to make sure he was running with accuracy and not running in vain.

He did NOT want to deliver a message to the gentiles that would make them slaves. Instead, he wanted to make sure he was giving them truth… TRUTH THAT WOULD SET THEM FREE!

Now, we may not have access to the original apostles… but we have access to some amazing helps that can assist in keeping us on track!

We are blessed today to have access to this truth right here… THE WORD OF GOD. We are blessed to have this as a resource, as a consultant, as a guide to living life God’s way.

The Word is what we are to preach and teach. The Word is what we are to be students and it is the source of truth we are to point people to.

In Paul’s day, they did not have access to the new Testament Scriptures like we do… they were still being written! But… they did have access to several of the people who wrote down the Scriptures we now study. And never forget, we believe that all of Scripture is God-breathed meaning this book came from God Himself!

So here’s the deal… if someone or someone is trying to gain access with a “word” I highly recommend you make sure it lines up with THE WORD… GOD’S WORD before you take it to heart.

Listen folks, the enemy himself tried to twist the Word of God for his gain.

He twisted God’s words in the Garden of Eden and influenced Adam and Eve to sin against God.

Satan tried to use the Word against Jesus while tempting Him in the wilderness but Jesus saw through the attempt and denied the devil access to His heart.

Bottom line: there are times when we need to step back and confirm. If something feels or sounds fishy, it probably is. TAKE IT TO THE WORD. Don’t take it as truth, compare it to the Word we know is truth!

This helps us personally but also helps make sure we are preaching and teaching the right message. Do not allow the enemy access to your heart through a false word.

Secondly, we are blessed to have access to the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit was sent to be our helper, an advocate. The Spirit of God will help us know whether or not a word is truly from God.

Consider the main text again. Paul said he returned to Jerusalem “in response to a revelation.” We do not know for sure what this revelation was but something moved Paul to go to Jerusalem.

We are not sure of the form of the revelation. It might have been a prophetic utterance tested and accepted in the assembly or it might have been a prompting of the Spirit within Paul himself. I would bet church that the Holy Spirit was involved!

And I would double down on this bet because… Paul was not accustom to doing things on his own accord. Paul routinely followed the prompting and leading of the Holy Spirit.

When the Holy Spirit provides a check… when the Holy Spirit say, “Hang on… you might want to reconsider taking that information to heart,” WE NEED TO LISTEN AND OBEY!

The Holy Spirit will NEVER lead a person into spiritual bondage or slavery. He will always lead a person to the truth that will set you free.

We have been given tremendous resources to check or confirm the message. If you suspect that the enemy is trying to enslave you with a bad word… take that word to THE WORD and confirm the truth.

They Denied the Spies Access.

Once the message was confirmed, the spies were given no access. Although these false teachers had gained access in the ranks of the church, they were denied access to the hearts of the people.

Verse 5 of Galatians 2 makes this clear, “5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.”

Remember what we said regarding our national freedom… we have soldiers and first responders who are on the front line on a daily basis protecting and securing our freedom. In a sense, this is exactly what Paul was doing for the believer in his day.

Paul himself refused to give in. He refused to “please” the agenda of others and he stayed true to the gospel message. This was most likely upsetting to the “spies” but Paul did not give them access nonetheless.

Because of his refusal to give in, he also preserved the truth of the gospel for others. The message was not tainted. The message was not polluted or compromised. He was on the front line protecting the validity of the message that Jesus saves! His grace is sufficient! His blood is enough!

Here’s the problem church, when we give the enemy access to our hearts, we become polluted… polluted with a contaminant that not only enslaves our hearts but comes with the risk of spreading to others.

I do not want to become enslaved to any un-truth the enemy may try to plant in my heart.

I do not want to risk enslaving others with an un-truth that the enemy is trying to place in their hearts.

In our story, Paul calls out “spies” who are trying to plant these seeds but church… they were not the enemy. The enemy was using these people for his gain. They had bought into a false teaching that polluted their heart and was spreading to others.

The only way to guarantee that we will not pollute the hearts of others is by making sure we do not allow the enemy to pollute our own hearts and minds. WE MUST DENY HIM ACCESS TO OUR LIVES.

How might the enemy try to gain access to our lives? There are a lot of avenues he might take, but I want to focus on just one for the moment. One avenue that seems to be evident in this passage.

The enemy will often play on our desires and our agendas to introduce pollutants to our hearts.

Again, consider Adam and Even. He distracted them with a false word and by presenting the fruit of the tree as something really good. In a sense, he played the “fear of missing out” card.

Consider Jesus while in the wilderness. Scripture tells us that after fasting for 40 days, Jesus was hungry. What was the first angle Satan used to try to get Jesus to fall? He told Jesus in Matthew 4:3 “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” The devil was saying “if you are who you say you are, then take care of your hunger pains in a way only the Son of God can.”

Adam and Eve fell to this play… but Jesus stayed on mission. He did not allow for His hunger pains or His identity to be threatened by the enemy. Jesus did not fall to the agenda of the enemy… He stayed faithful to the appointment God placed on His life.

The devil is crafty. He will play to our felt needs. He will try to shape his destructive work in a way that appears to be beneficial to our agenda and direction.

This is why it is SO important that our lives not be governed by personal agenda but by the presence of God. It might have been easier for Paul to allow for the teaching of circumcision to circulate throughout the region… but it would have been devastating to the spiritual health of the region.

Securing and protecting our spiritual freedom is not easy… that’s why we call it spiritual warfare. But church, it’s a freedom worth defending. Deny the enemy access and remain in the freedom of Jesus!

Closing

Church… there are “spies” among us. I’m not suggesting within the congregation but we know there are false teachers and false teachings all around us that are working to do two things:

Spy on the freedom that we have in Jesus.

Make us slaves to a corrupt system.

These “spies” and false teachers operate from a polluted heart. The enemy is working to spread this pollution and we need to make sure of two things:

Before accepting a “word” as truth, we confirm the message. We make sure it lines up with THE TRUTH that is God’s Word.

We deny the enemy access to our hearts. It might seem easier to give in and allow for the un-truth to go unchallenged, but such leads to spiritual slavery. Such requires that we surrender our freedom.

Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross that we might be set free.

His blood has the power to set us free from any and all sin and spiritual bondage. The enemy does not want the world to know this because he wants to keep you in bondage. Do not fall for the lies of the enemy… be set free today in Jesus’ name!

Maybe you are here today and you know and feel the bondage I’m talking about. You can feel the chains. You can feel the weight. You are tired… you are battle weary and in need of hope. JESUS IS THE ANSWER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.

Jesus wants to set you free today. But you must be willing to let go of sin and grab hold of Him. He will cleanse you of all sin and set you on the path of spiritual freedom. Is that the path you desire to be on today?

PRAYER - SALVATION

Secondly, we need to pray for God’s help. This world is full of words… let’s make sure we are living according to the Word of God.

Reject the efforts of the enemy to spy on your freedom. Reject the enemy any access to your heart.

Maybe you’ve been struggling with thoughts, feelings, statements and such that do not line up with God’s Word. It’s time to call it out what it is - an attack of the enemy on your soul.

We want to join with you in prayer as we deny the enemy access and take a stand for God’s truth.