Galatians 1:6-9
“Gospel, Gospel, Gospel, Gospel, Gospel”
SI: All of Paul’s letters start with a salutation: Paul, to church, grace and peace.
Then Paul always includes a prayer for those
writing to—word of thanks to God.
Except in Galatians.
In this letter—after his
salutation—without a prayer or word of thanks—
he jumps right into
his reason for writing the letter.
INTRO: Number of years ago walking on beach in
fell in step with a
very tan, scantily clad—
He was quite talkative and
began to tell me about his hobby—
collecting Horatio
Alger books.
Told me
about the history of Horatio Alger books.
About his collection of Horatio Alger books.
Which Horatio Alger books prized by
collectors
About Horatio Alger book collectors
convention in
In those 15 minutes before I
was able to break away and flee in opposite direction,
I heard the name Horatio Alger more than I
had heard it in my whole life.
Horatio Alger books were
important to that man.
What is important to Paul?
He barely gets past his
greeting—he jumps right into his reason for writing.
And what you hear over and over in those
opening words is “Gospel.”
Gospel, Gospel, Gospel, Gospel, Gospel.
The Gospel is what is
important to Paul. It’s his subject.
In these opening words Paul
lays out his reason for writing.
Galatians were turning away from the Gospel
and toward false teaching.
We will get into the
specifics of this more as we go.
But Paul so concerned, not
only mentions Gospel,
he curses those who are perverting. Let them be eternally condemned.
Anathema. “Damn them to hell,” Paul says, for
perverting the Gospel.
Then, just to make sure the
Galatians know he’s not just exaggerating for effect—
he says, I’ve said
it once and I’ll say it again—
let them be
eternally condemned, anathema, for perverting Gospel.
Galatians is a letter about
the Gospel—written to Christians.
Not an evangelistic letter to
unbelievers—written to believers.
About the importance of
getting the Gospel right—
and applying it to
the Christian life.
A Christian must know it, understand the implications of it—
and then use it to
shape his or her attitudes and conduct.
Gospel is not just milk for
babes in Christ—strong meat for mature believers.
In another letter, I
Corinthians Paul wrote:
“This is of first importance—Christ died for
our sins.”
The Gospel is of first importance.
Is it of first importance in
your life?
Is this the news shapes the way you think
and act about everything?
It should be. Hope that becomes more
clear to you as study Galatians.
It must also be the heart and
soul of our church.
Opening words Paul reveals
some of the key features of the Gospel.
Let’s look at these verses under three
headings:
Gospel is logical, personal, essential
MP#1
The Gospel is logical
There is an order—a logic—to
the Gospel.
If you violate that order, even a tiny bit,
then you no longer have the Gospel.
Paul said that among the Galatian churches there were some people who were
throwing them into
confusion and trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
This word pervert—also
translated distort or reverse—sense of turning inside out.
Paul’s point is that is message was not a
little wrong—
it was not another
point of view that could be tolerated.
It was not the Gospel at all.
There is no such thing as the Gospel with
just a few errors.
You get it just a little
wrong and it reverses the whole thing—
so that you end up
with something that is the logical opposite.
Now, there are lots of things
that Christians disagree about—big things.
Several churches on
Why isn’t it just our church?
Well, let’s take the church just
up the road: Spirit Life Church of God.
I know and respect Pastor Andrew Ball.
We both believe in the Holy Spirit and the
gifts of the Spirit.
But we differ on what gifts
the Holy Spirit gives and when He gives them.
That difference is big enough
that we need to have two churches.
Won’t get into whether that is good or
bad—that’s the way it is.
But what I want to point out
is that neither of our views is a perversion—
or a reversal of
the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s go down
Don’t know the minister there—parents sent
to Free Will Baptist School 5 years.
Thing I remember as a little
Presbyterian boy was not the Free Will part—
but their view of
modesty, sobriety and how Christians should resist worldliness.
Specific things said a Christian should not
do to be a good witness.
None of those specific things
were emphasized in my church—
even though we also
believed in modesty and sobriety and resisting worldliness.
Differences in what Christian
behavior should be in particular areas
may be so strongly
held, that have different churches.
But differences not
perversions of Christian witness.
We could go all around
Cullman and find differences on baptism,
church government,
evangelism methods, church involvement in politics—
Christians of good will
disagree over these so strongly, separate churches.
But many of these differences (not all) are
not perversions.
But when it comes to the
Gospel, any variation is a perversion.
There is no way to be a little off when it
come to the Gospel.
To deviate even a little is a
perversion. You have the opposite.
The logic of the Gospel demands it.
It’s either all Jesus Christ,
all God’s grace, or it’s not.
If even a little of our standing with God
determined by our merits—not all grace.
Even if you retain biblical
language, many key doctrines—
if anything comes
between Christ and the believer—another gospel, not one.
As we will see in coming
weeks—these people who troubled Galatians
were not freaks
like Jim Jones, David Koresh.
In almost every single point
of doctrine they were in complete agreement with Paul.
They could have said the Apostles’ Creed.
But they turned the Gospel
into a program
for getting right
and staying right with God.
Any program for getting right
with God is not Good News. Not the
Gospel.
Not good news to be told: “This is what you have to do.”
Good news is: “This is what God has done for you in
Christ.
Do you love God and as a result
He loves you? OR
Does God love you and thereby enable you to
love Him?
Do
you say: Because I’m being a good
person, I am acceptable to God.” OR
Reason I’m able to be a good person, because
I am already accepted by God.”
I
have to repent or God will reject me and I’ll fall from grace.” OR
I have to repent because God won’t reject me
and I can’t fall from grace.
How can I grieve the person who at infinite
cost saved me from my sins?
Anything
but Christ alone. Any addition. Any program. Not Gospel.
Luther:
No middle ground between Christian righteousness/works
righteousness.
MP#2
The Gospel is personal
I am astonished that you are so quickly
deserting the One who called you by grace.
The Gospel is doctrinal
content—it is truth expressed in a logical way.
The doctrine of justification by faith—never
less than that—but it is much more.
It is a personal relationship
with God.
The Son of God became a man—good news is
that Jesus Christ calls you
by his grace into this
relationship with him.
Let’s consider the call—Then the One who called you.
When the Bible speaks of God
calling you—different from the way we call people.
When we call, our words do not actually have
power.
When you call your children to supper, words
do not cause them to appear.
In fact, you will often call
them and what will they say? Just a minute.
Sometimes you have to actually go and get
them.
But when the Lord calls there
is power with that call to bring it about.
“Let there be light.” And there was light.
“Peace be
still.” And the storm was stilled.
“Pick up your mat and walk.” And the paralyzed man did it.
“Lazarus, come forth.” And out he came from the tomb.
The Gospel is the call of God
by grace that brings you into a personal
relationship with
Him. It is His work. He takes the initiative.
He calls you and with that call comes the power to hear the Gospel.
I just mentioned this 2 weeks ago, but it’s such a great illustration.
Remember the story Dr. Barker
told about his conversion.
He was in seminary when he became a
Christian.
Talking to an older
Christian. Why didn’t Martin
Luther know Gospel?
Read commentary on Galatians
last year—read again, Gospel on every page.
What had happened? Gotten smarter? No. Called by Christ.
Few years
ago in Tuscumbia, talking to man who was assistant pastor at time.
Told me he had met a woman at
church in
When she found out where he was pastor.
“I grew up in that church. I never heard the Gospel.”
Well, I started doing some
calculations—teenager under my dad’s ministry.
Indignant. Thought later. Of course she didn’t hear it.
But then she did. Because the Lord called her
by grace.
I hope that the testimony of
every child who grows up in Christ Covenant is:
I never knew a time when I didn’t know and
trust Jesus.
Hope all kids in the church
are like David who said:
“You made me trust in you even from my
mother’s breast.”
Or like Timothy: “from
infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make
you wise to
salvation.”
But I know that there will be
some whose testimony goes like this:
I grew up in Presbyterian Church in
Until I heard it in
college. Or I heard it as an
adult from friend.
That’s because the Gospel is
a personal call by God who brings it home
to the heart when
the time is right.
Now let’s talk about the One
who calls—it’s the Lord.
When that happens, you have a
relationship with Him.
Jesus Christ becomes more to you than a
religious idea—
He becomes the greatest person in your life.
You are always conscious of
his presence—with you, over you, ahead of you.
You trust Him
You tell him your needs and wants.
You count on his love and power every day
for everything important in life.
Mostly you know him as the one who brings
peace with God.
Because of this a great
change comes—
stop obeying God to
get things from Him—
you start obeying
him because it pleases Him—
and because it is a
way of knowing him better.
Have you experienced the
personal call of Christ in the Gospel?
Gospel never less than doctrinal truth—
but it is much
more—it’s the One who called you by his grace.
Jesus Christ is the Gospel.
MP#3
The Gospel is essential
Did you notice the
seriousness of Paul’s tone?
As you read through his other letters—strong
emotions—but not this.
Other doctrinal matters he
addresses in letters,
matters of
Christian misconduct—never speaks this way.
He urges and pleads, warns. But not like this.
If I or an angel should
preach another gospel—Let him be eternally condemned.
I say it again. If anyone preaches another gospel, let him be
eternally condemned.
Luther
“Here Paul is breathing fire.”
Get the Gospel wrong and you
go to hell no matter how religious you may be.
Because getting the Gospel wrong means that
you turn away from
Jesus Christ who is the only Savior of the
world.
The Gospel is essential to
our eternal well being. A matter of
first importance.
I want to focus on Paul’s
first words:
“I am astonished that you are so quickly
deserting the one who called you.”
We could talk about how this applies to
individuals—how some desert Christ.
But Paul wrote that to the
churches in
let’s consider this as a church letter.
These churches heard Paul and
Barnabas preach.
They saw miracles performed.
Word of Jesus came with power and changed
lives.
How could it be that they
turn away so quickly.
Embrace something, not just a little goofy—
something that struck at the vitals of what
they believed at first?
Paul was astonished by it.
There is a warning here.
Good churches that love Jesus, teach Gospel,
can very quickly desert Him.
Where will we be as a church 5 years from
now? 10 years from now?
If the churches that heard
the apostles themselves preach with miracles
could turn away, Christ Covenant could too.
So, are we just sitting
ducks?
Are we just helpless against whatever scheme
devil brings along to spoil us?
Is it just inevitable, at some point we will
crash as a church, like they did?
Not at all. That’s why Holy Spirit preserved this letter.
Why, as I said last week study of it tied to
revivals in the church.
What does Paul do? Does he just say—It’s inevitable.
No, he brings them back to
the Gospel.
Shows them the wonderful freedom they have
in Christ.
Shows them the glory of justification by
faith.
Shows them the errors of false gospels and
how those enslave.
Wants them to know the
Gospel, have such a taste for it—
that they are able to tell when something is
not right.
We need a church full of
people who are so attuned to the Gospel—
that they can smell a rat.
Might not even know what it
is right away.
Something in my church is taking glory away
from Jesus Christ.
Something in my church sounds like a
religious program to get to God.
Something in my church displacing our
absolute dependence on Jesus.
Sometimes the rat’s in the
teaching—sometimes it’s in the pulpit.
The actual things taught and preached are
not right.
Sometimes the official
doctrine is fine—says all the right things—
but the rat’s in the spirit of the
place.
Spirit is one that subtly
diminishes Jesus and elevates something else.
It may even be a good thing—probably will be
a good thing—
but even best things can ruin a church, if
come between worshipper and Christ.
Need people who smell these
things because so attuned to aroma of Gospel.
So that they can be dealt with as Paul
instructs.
Study of Galatians will help.
Do you believe that the
Gospel is essential?
That it is a matter of life and death as
Paul did?
If can’t see that then you
have never understood it.
CONC:
God, in the gospel of his
Son, Makes his eternal counsels known;
Where love in all its glory
shines, And truth is drawn in fairest lines.
Here sinners of a humble
frame May taste his grace, and learn his Name.
May read, in characters of
blood The wisdom, power, and grace of God.
What’s important to you? What’s important to us as a body?
It must be the Gospel.
We must understand the logic
of it—anything added detracts from Christ alone—
that should to us because it is a personal
call,
this wonderful person Jesus Christ has brought
us into his life.
We must know that it is
essential to our life as body and individuals—
and guard it like Paul, resist anything that
comes between us and Christ.