No Longer Deceived

Our theme for 2021 is “Redeeming the Time”

Each year I try to do at least two book studies.

Why? Because it forces me (and us) to look at scripture and learn from what is there instead of just going to the Bible to reinforce what we already believe.

This year, I chose Daniel and Paul”s letter to the Galatians.

Why? Because both of these books deal with growing and transforming despite opposition.

Daniel was a witness for God in Babylon of all places!

Instead of Babylon turning he and his friends into pagans, they were used of God to turn the heart of the King to Him!

Paul also encountered opposition, and as he writes to those who came to faith in Christ, he is finding himself in the position of needing to defend his ministry and to remind them of the truth that he taught them.

Paul’s first missionary journey covered what would now be modern day Turkey.

It was in the Roman province of Galatia, though ethnic Galatia is farther north.

Paul would go into the synagogue and begin teaching about Jesus, but that often did not go well.

Acts 14:1–7 ESV

1 Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 4 But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. 5 When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, 6 they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, 7 and there they continued to preach the gospel.

So that was the pattern - go to the Jews - the Jews get upset and make trouble, so they go to the Gentiles.

Then the Jews try to stir up trouble among the Gentiles.

Eventually their lives are threatened, forcing them to leave and go to the next city.

When Paul writes this letter, it is apparent that these Jewish “missionaries” followed Him from place to place through the whole region.

They would tell the Gentile believers in Jesus that they could not be Christians unless they became Jews first.

That meant keeping all of the Jewish rules and becoming circumcised - Ouch!

Now the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 took up this matter and decided not to burden the Gentiles with these requirements.

If that had already happened, then Paul is writing to bring the needed correction to the churches. If not, same thing.

Becoming a follower of Christ is not just a matter of changing your religion, it is a supernatural transformation.

You are no longer what you used to be.

When that happens, it seems like all hell breaks loose.

The enemy tries to accuse you, discourage you and get you to believe that you were better off before Christ.

I have watched this happen. Someone comes to Christ and they are filled with peace and joy.

Then a family member of a friend comes and says, “your starting to act like you are better than me. I like you better that way that you were.”

Maybe someone else comes and tries to argue with them, “How do you know that the Bible is real? Which Bible are you reading? Is that the right one? Do you believe in predestination? Did you know that the church is responsible for teaching colonialism, slavery and genocide?

I could go on, but you get the idea...

The miracle of that first encounter with Christ gets overwhelmed by questions, conflicts and social pressure.

Paul is trying to bring them back to simple faith in Jesus.

You are not what you used to be.

Why would you want to go back to what never worked and was never satisfying?

Every day we encounter lies. The worst ones are the ones that we believe about ourselves: You’re crazy.” “You’re inferior.” “There is something wrong with you.” You’ll never change.” And the big one … “You’re the only one who feels this way!”

Lies deceive us into thinking that they are true.

Even if we know that they are not, they can cause us to doubt, hesitate and miss something that God has for us.

Paul knows what it is like to be deceived.

Remember: he is the one who thought he was doing a service to God by persecuting and killing Christians?

Then Jesus knocked him off his horse (or his camel) and he came to realize that the One he was persecuting is the True Messiah!

What a revelation!

Do you think Paul would ever go back to his old way of thinking?

I want to challenge some old way of thinking that we tend to go back to; using Paul’s word’s to the Galatians.

You know too much to go back - you are no longer deceived.

Know the Gospel

Galatians 1:6–9 ESV

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Gospel literally means “good news.”

It is an announcement, a proclamation.

Once you hear the good news, your reality changes.

You can’t un-know what you already know.

So the strategy of the enemy is to try to drown out the “good news” with information.

Te get us away from the simple gospel an into intellectualism, esoteric wisdom or perhaps just loads of useless trivia.

Martin Luther and the other reformers saw the church drifting away from the gospel and into a kind of faith that was not accessible to the average person.

That’s why they insisted that the Bible be translated into the common language and that people be educated to be able to read it.

They called people back to simple faith by using “only” statements.

By Scripture alone.

By Grace alone.

By Faith alone.

And then two more were added.

Through Christ alone.

To God alone be the glory.

This is the gospel - pure and simple.

Anything else is a “different gospel” Paul and the later reformers would say.

It’s a distraction and deception.

Don’t buy it!

The Gospel is only by grace.

Galatians 1:10–12 ESV

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Who are you trying to please? God or someone, maybe everyone else?

Grace is God’s favor - He is pleased with you!

God loves you and wants to be in relationship with you!

Everything else that you do to try to be “good enough for God” is a false gospel.

You can’t earn God’s grace because you already have it.

What you do for God is a response to His grace and not the other way around.

Galatians 1:15–16 ESV

15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;

The Gospel is only through faith.

The gospel starts with God.

Grace means that God initiates and we respond.

Read the testimonies of people like C. S Lewis or Josh Mac Dowel and you read that they thought that they were seeking God, only to find that God had been pursuing them all along.

I find that so may people in the church don’t understand grace, because all they know is guilt.

“If you were a good Christian, you would… (complete the sentence)”

Grace plus anything else is not grace.

Jesus loved you first; what you so is your response to Him.

That trust relationship that you have with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is called faith.

I addressed this in one of our “hot topics” this summer, so I won’t go into it so much now.

For now I just want to point to what Paul says in the next chapter.

Galatians 2:15–16 ESV

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

If the Jews who were raised to think that their status with God is based on how well they keep the law now know that they can only be saved by faith in Jesus Christ, then why would anyone expect a Gentile to keep the law?

God knew we couldn’t keep the Law and that is why Jesus died for our sin.

Why would you try to persuade someone to do what you already know is impossible?

It’s just petty jealousy - why should they have it so easy?

Thank God for justification by faith!

Our works then come from faith.

Because faith without works is dead.

But works without faith are also “dead works.”

And faith is not just belief in God or just any faith; it is faith in and through Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is only because of Jesus Christ.

But who is Jesus?

Paul takes up that question with the Corinthians because these people have all kind of ideas.

2 Corinthians 11:4 TPT

4 For you seem to gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you preaching a pseudo-Jesus, not the Jesus we have preached. You have accepted a spirit and gospel that is false, rather than the Spirit and gospel you once embraced. How tolerant you have become of these imposters!

Can you think of any pseudo-Jesus’ that people preach?

Sweet baby Jesus - no power, just a harmless baby in a manger.

Solemn Jesus - notice how in most of our pictures of Jesus; he never smiles.

Jesus on the cross - it makes sense that people would want to be reminded of Jesus’ suffering, but He is also the risen Lord!

White European Jesus - I just had to get that in there. Jesus is portrayed as rich and powerful, actually he was part of the working class in an occupied territory, hardly rich or powerful.

And then there are those who only associate Jesus with the poor and the downtrodden. But he also had the attention of the Pharisees and there were wealthy people among his disciples.

And when He comes again it will be as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The point is that Jesus is all of these things and yet none of them exclusively.

A false Jesus or pseudo-Jesus is when we make Jesus out to be who we want Him to be instead of worshiping the God that is.

That’s why we talk about having a relationship with Jesus and getting to know Jesus.

Do you think anyone here really knows you if all they ever see is one side of you?

The more you know Jesus, the more bring Jesus into your many and varied situations.

The more your faith becomes a real relationship that is multi-dimensional and full of surprises.

Know your Testimony

How do you know what you know?

Do you just listen to people who are supposed to be smarter than you?

Is something true just because a famous person said it or because you heard it in a sermon?

I hope that you believe what you believe because it comes out of your own experience.

You have a story - a testimony.

People can argue with your theology, but they can’t deny your testimony!

After Paul tells the Galatians that they are being lied to; he tells them his story.

Why? Because his credibility is in his testimony.

He was the good Jew trying to to everything right.

He was the one persecuting Christians because they talked about faith and repentance, not keeping the law.

Your testimony is the best way to share the gospel.

Remember earlier this year, I encouraged you to write down your testimony and rehearse it.

Here’s how you do that.

Remember where you came from.

Galatians 1:13–14 ESV

13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

What was your life like before Christ?

What have you tried that wasn’t working?

What did you believe about God or about yourself that you now know to be false?

What was your goal or purpose in life before you knew that God had a plan & purpose for you?

When we talk about our past, it is not to glorify the sin that we were involved in, but it is to help people relate to the person that we were so they have hope for the person that they can become.

Remember who you learned from.

Galatians 1:18–19 ESV

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.

Who were the people and what were the circumstances that demonstrated the truth of Jesus Christ to you?

For some people that was a person who modeled Christ to you.

For some people, there was not person directly involved, but a circumstance caused you to cry out to God.

Then there were people who spoke into your life and helped to answer your questions and to shape you spiritually.

For Paul, there were times when he was all by himself in the desert seeking God.

And then there were times when he sought out people who would have the answers to his questions - like the time that he spent with Peter and James.

What experiences and people have helped to shape you?

Remember what God has done.

Galatians 1:22–24 ESV

22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

The best way to communicate the truth of the gospel is through transformation stories.

Paul was the primary persecutor of the church because they were proclaiming a faith, a way of salvation apart from the temple and the law.

Now he is the Apostle to the Gentiles - preaching the very doctrine that he one condemned and taking it beyond the bound of Judaism.

My wife Karie just celebrated 35 years of faith in Christ this week. She had one of those dramatic conversions like Saul-Paul. In fact, several years later when she was preparing to go to the mission field she wrote a letter to the Pastor of the church where she was attending when she got saved. He expressed praise to God for her transformation and admitted that he “didn’t think she would make it as a believer.”

That’s the whole point of the Gospel - God does what we cannot do.

If you could do it yourself you wouldn’t need God.

If you could change yourself, then salvation through faith in Christ would be unnecessary.

The gospel is not a philosophy or a set of rules or even a religion in the sense of man’s attempt to reach God.

The gospel is God reaching to us with his grace and us responding with faith.

It is the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ happening in you and in me as our old life is brought to death and our new life in Christ begins.

Know your Calling

You may have noticed that we skipped over the greeting of the letter.

Maybe your thought that greetings aren’t that important?

Actually greetings are very important as they set the tone for the letter.

One of the most notable things about Paul’s greeting in this letter is that it begins abruptly without the usual pleasantries.

Which give this letter an urgent tone.

And the first words are Paul - Apostle - not of man - or through man!

Galatians 1:1–2 ESV

1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

Know who has sent you.

I was in a pastor’s meeting this week where the conversation came up about leaders being accused of being controlling. One of those present mentioned that there is a difference between control and authority. Control is imposing your will on others. Authority is recognizing that you have the responsibility to convey, and perhaps enforce, the will of another, namely God.

That’s the first thing Paul says in this letter.

This is not about me, I’m under orders from God.

Yes, Paul has a lot invested in these new believers, but it’s much bigger than him.

This is the plan of God to bring salvation to both Jews and Gentiles through Jesus Christ.

God is the one that is doing the transformation and Paul is his instrument.

Apostle literally means one who is sent.

An apostle is an official representative with delegated authority to act or to speak on behalf of another.

When you share the gospel, you are sent by God and God is speaking and working through you.

Know your authority.

Galatians 1:3–4 ESV

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

You are not alone as you face the evil of this present age.

You are in Christ!

You are called to represent Christ to the world.

It’s not just Apostles and Pastors who are called, but every believer is called to share Christ and to demonstrate Christ.

Grace and Peace is what you have to share.

You know God’s love, show God’s love to others.

You have received mercy, chow God’s mercy to others.

You have been made whole, you can offer that wholeness to others.

Know your goal.

Galatians 1:5 TPT

5 All the glory will go to God alone, throughout time and eternity. Amen!

Our goal is to give glory to God.

Sola Dei Gloria!

Check yourself, is your life being lived for the glory of God? Or for self?

Did you know that you can think you are serving God, but actually be working against God?

Paul had devoted his life to serving God.

He did that by persecuting Christians because he thought they were a threat to God.

But when he had an encounter with Jesus Himself, he realized that he had been deceived.

I believe that Paul was really desiring to know the truth and eventually it found him.

That’s right, God initiated and Paul responded.

Paul realized that what he thought was the goal was not the goal.

Questions for reflection:

Have you had an encounter with Jesus Christ? When did God become more to you than just a word? Are you sure that you know the truth?

Are you living the simple gospel or have other things made it complicated to be a Christian? Are you worshipping Jesus as He is or have you made Him to be who you want Him to be?

Are you sharing the grace and peace that you have in Christ? Do you have your testimony ready? Can you honestly say that you are no longer deceived?