NO TURNING BACK(Galatians 4:8-31)

I. INTRODUCTION

1. The Cookie Thief

a. Amazing things can happen when you are “not on the same page” with someone else. Chuck Swindoll in his book Simple Faith tells the story of a traveler who, between flights at an airport, bought a small package of cookies.

b. She then sat down in the busy snack shop to glance over the newspaper. As she read her paper, she became aware of a rustling noise.

c. Peeking above the newsprint, she was shocked to see a well-dressed gentlemen sitting across from her, helping himself to her cookies.

d. Half-angry and half-embarrassed, she reached over and gently slid the package closer to her as she took one out and began to munch on it.A minute or so passed before she heard more rustling.

e. The man had gotten another cookie! By now there was only one left in the package. She was flabbergasted; but she didn’t want to make a scene, so she said nothing.

f. Finally, as if to add insult to injury, the man broke the remaining cookie in half, pushed one piece across the table toward her with a frown, gulped down his half, and left without even saying thank you.

g. She sat there dumbfounded.Some time later, when her

flight was announced, the woman opened her handbag to get her ticket. To her shock, she discovered in her purse her package of unopened cookies.

h. Somewhere in that same airport another traveler tried to figure out how that strange woman could have been so forward and insensitive.That man and woman were “not on the same page,” so there was total confusion and chaos.

2. A Different Gospel

a. In the first-century church, the Galatians had invented their own edition of the gospel by combining grace and legalism.

b. Things were falling apart spiritually because they were “not on the same page” with God. By combining grace with Old Testament law, they were producing a dangerous version of Christianity, another gospel that, was, in fact, no gospel.

c. Therefore, in chapter 3, Paul reminds the Galatians of Christ’s sacrificial death for them, asks how they got the Spirit, and shows how God’s plan had always been by faith. In chapter 4, Paul presents three arguments to prove that grace is superior to the law.

Let’s read...

II. READING OF TEXT-GALATIANS 4:8-31

Galatians 4:8–31 (ESV)

CONTEXT

In our text this morning we see a very personal word from Paul to the Galatians. Luther said these words “breathe Paul’s own tears.”

In this passage Paul asks three questions:

Why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? (9)

Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? (15)

Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth? (16)

These questions will lead us to principles that can help us have a strong and intimate relationship with God.

II. THE SORROW—vv. 8–11

1. Service—v. 8. Why do service to idols?

a. An idol is anything that we give devotion to instead of God

b. Notice Paul here is referring to religious idols. As he refers to the Gentiles having idolized by observing day, months, seasons and years.

c. The culture in that time believed in the worship of many Gods. The people of that day worshiped Gods of the stars and the sky

d. We even do that today in trusting of horoscopes and fortune cookies which are a generic form of witchcraft.

e. Then there is the false God of self as we trust in our own wisdom of philosophy, wokeness, and cancel culture

f. Conversion to Christianity meant the gentiles had to completely be separated from the false of Gods of their culture that demanded their allegiance.

g. We also have that creeping into the universal church. The culture wants us to celebrate pride for a whole month and the delusion of a twisted sexuality that isn’t of God’s will.

h. They want us to erase hell by not preaching about it and saying the only hell anyone will experience is in this life.

i. Instead of sinners in the hands of an angry God they want us to believe in a word of God that holds no authority.

j. Paul asks the Gentiles a question and he also asks us one....

2. Slave—vv. 9–10. Why turn back to the worthless and weak elementary priniciples that you were once enslaved by?

a. Once upon a time we were enslaved by Satan. We all have a time in our lives where we can point back and say Christ saved us and we recieved Him as Lord.

b. These weak and worthless things of the world such as hate, gossip, slander, pride, lust, greed, bitterness, envy and so on all kept us in a prison of unbelief.

c. We now see Pauls sorrow...

3. Sorrow—v. 11. Leaving Christ and returning to the old ways of sin.

a. To Paul he was dumbfounded that once these people tasted the goodness of God that they would return to the vomit of the world.

b. Of course when we fall away we don’t see it happening. Every single person i’ve known that has fallen away from the faith and stopped attending church, did so because they were confronted with truth that they didn’t like.

c. Now the only worse thing you can do then fall away from faith is to fall away from faith and take people down with you...

d. I had a pastor friend tell me about his church that had a major split all because he told one person that they couldn’t do one thing they wanted to do.

e. That person left, and told lies, slandered, and convinced half the congregation to go with him.

f. We see Pauls Pastoral concern to the gentiles in this letter as they were leaving Christ and going back to their old life of being bounded by the law.

III. THE SINCERITY—vv. 12–20

1. Acceptance—vv. 12–14. They accept Paul’s preaching as if he were an angel.

a. This was pretty high praise coming from galatia because of how high they regarded angels.

b. So Paul came and at first, they celebrated him.

c. But, then Paul shows that he’s not angelic. That he’s not perfect right. Paul shows up with some kind of physical ailment, no one knows what it is. All we know from other scripture is that he had a thorn in his flesh.

d. Paul mentions, how despite his imperfections that they still treated him well at that time..

2. Affection—v. 15. They loved Paul enough that they were even willing to gouge their eyes out and give them to him.

3. Attitude—vv. 16–20. We now see though Paul talk about being perplexed about the people.

a. He wonders if he has become their enemy by telling them the truth

b. He said he is in anguish like childbirth until Christ is formed in them

IIII. THE SUPERNATURAL v.21-31

Paul makes one final attempt to convince the Galatians that the gospel of grace is better than the law v21.-31

Paul addresses those who desire to be “under the law” v21.

There are some benefits of being under the law. Such as...

The certainty of having a list of rules to keep

You can compliment yourself that you keep the rules better than someone else

You think you earn your own salvation by keeping the rules

But the benefits of grace severely outweigh the law

Under Grace it’s not what you do for God but, what God has done for you that makes you right before Him

Under Grace, it’s about who Jesus is and what He’s done and not about our performance

Under grace we are covered by the blood of the lamb but, under the law we find fig trees to cover our shame as Adam and Eve did.

4. Some men hold God’s law like a rod over Christians, and say, ‘If you sin you will be punished with it.’ It is not so.

6. Charles Spurgeon says....”The law is under a Christian; it is for him to walk on, to be his guide, his rule, his pattern … Law is the road which guides us, not the rod which drives us.”

b. Paul shows how the Old Testament scripture speaks to how grace is better than the law with the contrast between two sons of Abraham, -Isaac and Ishmael v.22-23

1. It’s like a parent, who talks about how mis-behaved someone else’s children are. We never do that right? and I wouldn’t recommend that.

2. Abraham’s first son named Ismael. He wasn’t born from his wife but his wife’s servant who was the “Bond-woman” because they weren’t being very patient waiting on God so they made a scheme to achieve it their way and not God’s way.

3. Ishmael was born according to the flesh, and unbelief of striving to make our own way before God

4. Often we think that our legalism is right, good, and Holy.

a. Think about years ago when everyone thought you had to always come in suits and dresses on Sundays or when we thought having a tv was evil, or that the king james version is the only real bible

5. Abrahams second son was named Isaac and he was born by a miracle through Abrahams wife, Sarah(The Free-woman)

a. Isaac was the son of God’s promise.

b. Have there ever been a time in your life when you should of waited on God, and you didn’t but God still showed himself faithful?

C. The Old Testament also shows a contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion(v24-27)

1. Mt. Sinai and Mt. Zion both are real places, but they are also symbolic. 

2. Mt. Sinai is the place Moses received the ten commandments and represents the Law.  It represents legalism and works.  It represents fear and striving in our own strength

3. Mt. Zion is where Christ was crucified.  It represents grace.  It represents Jesus’ blood that paid for our sins so that we may be forgiven and saved.  It represents heaven. 

4. Many choose one or the other.  Which would you choose?

VI. APPLICATION

We are free to worship the one and true living God. We no longer are bound to idols

Freedom in Christ does not give us the right to do as we please but the power and ability to do as we ought

‘I Have Decided to Follow Jesus’ is a Christian hymn originating from India. The lyrics are based on the last words of a man

About 150 years ago, there was a great revival in Wales. As a result of this, many missionaries came to north-east India to spread the Gospel. The region made up of hundreds of tribes who were aggressive head-hunters

Into these hostile and aggressive communities, came a group of missionaries spreading the message of love, peace and hope in Jesus Christ. Naturally, they were not welcomed. One missionary succeeded in converting a man, his wife, and two children.

This man’s faith proved contagious and many villagers began to accept Christianity.

Angry, the village chief summoned all the villagers. He then called the family who had first converted to renounce their faith in public or face execution. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the man said:

“I have decided to follow Jesus.”

Enraged at the refusal of the man, the chief ordered his archers to arrow down the two children. As both boys lay twitching on the floor, the chief asked, “Will you deny your faith? You have lost both your children. You will lose your wife too.”

But the man replied:

“Though no one joins me, still I will follow.”

Let us also decide that there is no turning back to the ways of the world or we we use to be. Let us move forward with God!