Protecting the Pure Gospel

We are going to be looking at the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the churches in the area of Galatia.  This would be central Turkey in our times.  Paul had invested himself into the Galatian churches and, like a father with his children, he is concerned by reports that he hears.  These reports tell of teachers who are misleading these Christians into thinking that they need to keep the Law of Moses in order to be a follower of Jesus.  Paul's concern arises from the fact that what seemed like a slight change that doesn't affect who Jesus is, completely changes the gospel.  It in fact changes it so much that it ceases to be the gospel, it has become a lie that leads people into bondage.  Throughout the letter Paul rebukes, reminds and teaches the Galatians what the gospel is and exactly why salvation is not a matter of Jesus plus the Law of Moses, but rather faith in Jesus alone.  Let's look at the first  two chapters.

The True Gospel

Of course Paul opens by making explicit who is authoring the letter and to whom it was written.  It is here that we see the letter was initially intended for distribution among the churches of the Galatian region.  Even in his greeting to the churches of Galatia we get a foreshadowing of his concerns for them.  He reminds them that the Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for their sins for the purpose of delivering them from the evil age in which they lived.  This was God's will.  Paul quickly moves to point out the problem that he wishes to address.

The Galatian christians are turning away from Christ in order to embrace a different gospel.  Paul sees Jesus and the gospel as so integrally connected that to change the gospel is to leave Jesus.  Paul's point is not necessarily about the finer fringe points of doctrine to which we may have different opinions.  But rather those issues that are at the heart of the gospel and define what it means to be "saved."  That is what is happening in this situation, which will become evident as the letter progresses.  Suffice it to say that they were being led to believe that faith in Jesus alone was not enough to be saved.  Rather, they also had to keep the Law of Moses.  Paul says this is a different gospel.  In fact it is no gospel at all because gospel means good news.  Thus perversions of the gospel are pointed out by Paul as temptations to draw us away from Christ, even though they pretend to give us greater teaching in Christ.

Next he makes it clear that the gospel they received from him was the "True" gospel.    Here the problem is not angels, nor apostles who have changed their minds.  But Paul starts with the stronger argument that even if he and his companions were to come back and begin teaching a different "gospel" that the Galatians should reject them and let the be under the wrath of God.  He also mentions angels.  Even if an angel were to show up and teach a different gospel then they should reject it and leave that angel to its coming wrath.  The fact that Paul says this twice demonstrates the forcefulness by which he intends to impress upon the Galatians that they already have the True Gospel.  Of course throughout church history false apostles and angelic visitations have led to many perversions of Christianity, otherwise known as cults.

Paul then highlights part of the problem.  He points out the twin issues of persuading and pleasing.  Whom should Christian's persuade and whom should they please?  We ought to persuade men and please God.  But, too often we get this backwards.  In trying to please men we adopt ideas and actions that "plead" with God to change his mind. 

"Surely, you didn't mean what you said, Lord.  You had to really mean this.....  So I will just go along believing what I want to believe.  You agree don't you Lord?"

We don't actually says these words, but our actions are presumptuous.  The presume upon God to agree with us or back us up.  Paul says, his job is not to try and persuade God to change the gospel in order to please teachers who want to add the Law of Moses to it.  Rather, his job is to hear what God says and then to please Him, by pleading with men and persuading them to believe God.

It is important to notice the personal nature of this issue.  Paul is the one who brought them the gospel.  Now that gospel is being perverted.  Thus Paul will spend more time than he is comfortable with talking about himself so that they will be confident that they already have the Pure Gospel.

The Source of the Pure Gospel

Though God used men, the revelation of the gospel came from God himself.  Paul neither made it up nor received it from "wise men."  Rather the Son of God, Jesus Christ himself gave Paul the gospel.  The gospel is not some science experiment's hypothesis, open to further tweaking and refinement by wise men. 

Paul reminds them of his history.  He was very active in persecuting those who followed Christ and tried to destroy the church.  But God powerfully and graciously confronted Paul with the truth of who Jesus was and why he died on the cross.  Paul points out that he didn't confer with the other apostles and run down to Jerusalem to make sure he had heard Jesus correctly.  He had received the gospel from Jesus himself, just like the apostles who were in Jerusalem.  In fact it was three years before Paul went to Jerusalem and even then the only apostles he talked with was Peter and James.  He then continued to preach the gospel throughout the area of Syria and Cilicia (the seacoast area around the Northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea).  He did this for 14 years before he ever headed back to Jerusalem again.  Paul's point is to show the confidence in which he held and gave the gospel.  He knew quite clearly that Jesus had appeared to him (more than once) and confirmed the truth of who he was and what the gospel was.  This leads us into chapter 2 of Galatians.

Paul Confronts the Apostles

Paul tells them of a trip he took, at least 17 years after his conversion to Jesus Christ, to Jerusalem after having a revelation from God.  Though he doesn't go into the details of this revelation, it clearly has to do with the "false brethren" (Gal. 2:4) who were stirring up trouble in the areas where Paul preached.  These men were coming from Jerusalem and appeared to have a connection with James, the converted brother of Jesus.  Paul went to Jerusalem to make sure that the Apostles in Jerusalem were teaching the same gospel he was.  He did not want to be risking his life to create converts that someone later would come along and persuade to believe another gospel. 

Several things come of that meeting.  First, Titus, a gentile believer, was not compelled to be circumcised at the time. The point being that if these perverters of the gospel were right then it would have come out then.  The apostles of Jerusalem did not tell Paul that Gentiles had to be circumcised.  Paul uses a term here that gives us a flavor of the gospel versus the law.  Paul says that the false brethren came by stealth to spy out the freedom that Paul's churches had in Jesus.  Thus the law is equated with bondage and the gospel of Jesus is equated with freedom.  This will be further developed later.

Paul points out that the apostles didn't "add anything" to him.  Thus Paul was not deficient in their minds.  Instead they recognized that God had worked powerfully through Paul as an Apostle to the Gentiles like He was working powerfully through Peter as an Apostle to the Jews.  The apostles instead of correcting Paul, gave him the right hand of fellowship.  The one thing they encouraged Paul to do, remember the poor, was something he was already doing.

Paul then brings up a later story in which Peter comes to Antioch to see what is happening there.  At first Peter would eat with the Gentile believers.  But when "certain men" from James came to Antioch, Peter "withdrew and separated" himself from the Gentile believers.  Why?  He feared those of the "Circumcision."  Whether this was a title that they used of themselves or Paul coins it, it becomes an apt description of what they believed and taught.  Peter knew how they thought as well and he, in trying to please men, acted hypocritically.  Notice Paul points out that though Peter knew the truth he was being manipulated into not acting in accordance with the truth.  Paul publically confronted Peter about the hypocrisy of his action and its discordance with the truth of the gospel.  The eloquent defense of Grace that follows (Gal. 2:14-21) is a powerful sermon in itself.  Here we see why Paul is making a big deal of this perverse teaching.  Even the Jews themselves knew they couldn't be justified by the law and that is why many of them followed Jesus.  If it was possible for righteousness to come through the law then Jesus' death was for nothing or unnecessary.  Of course, it was necessary and righteousness is not possible by the law.  Thus, to try and please God through the fleshly requirements of the law, especially circumcision, would be to push aside the grace that God is offering in Jesus.

Today we see all kinds of threats to the Pure Gospel.  In fact, many would throw up their hands and say how can I know that I have the Pure Gospel?  There has been 2 thousand years of people perverting it and twisting it.  This is where we remind ourselves of the Protestant cry of old- "Sola Scriptura," only Scripture.  When we hear the gospel preached today, we do not receive it from a man like Paul or Peter.  These apostles had received the gospel directly from Jesus and were uniquely empowered by his Holy Spirit to have the gospel written down for us.  No matter how many perversions have arisen, the Bible we have today is essentially what the Apostles wrote.  Thus the written word of God and the assistance of the Holy Spirit are the only witnesses that we need of what the pure gospel is.  The false brethren have continued in every generation to try and manipulate God's people into embracing that which is not really a gospel and in so doing to turn them away from the Lord Jesus who died for them that they may know the grace of God.  But their perversions are always obvious when viewed in the light of the Scriptures.  Whether it is a focus on legalism today or a plunging into the pleasures of this world the real question is not what works have you done, but do you really trust Jesus?  Those who trust Jesus will know that they can add nothing in themselves to be acceptable to God.  And, those who trust Jesus will also pick up their cross and follow him.  Let us do so today!

The Stand to Which We are Called

This sermon was originally delivered over two weeks (July 10/17, 2011). 

Much of Christianity within the West, specifically in the U.S.A. is trying to determine the best way to make a stand for Christ.  It is evident that godlessness is growing and we are seeing our society become more and more against God's laws and more and more for its own will.  So what is the best course forward? Is it a "take our nation back for Jesus" campaign that focuses on politics and politicians. Do we strategically amass our funds and efforts to election believers and reseat the courts and remake the laws?  What is God's call to us as his people?

In 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 Paul speaks to the people of this Greek city and commends them for their  stand in Jesus.  I believe we have much to learn from these commendations.  Paul no where commends believers for "fixing" their countries, laws, governments, or societies.  Instead he commends them for their faith and love- the very two things the Bible says will be in short supply in the end times.  Could it be that America has more need of Christians who are growing in faith and love instead of growing in political power?  I think the answer is obvious.

Standing in Faith

Paul commends them for their faith.  Faith has two sides to it.  There is the thing in which you are trusting and then the other side are the actions we take as a result of it.  Thus the Object of our faith and the objectives of our faith.  What are we trusting in?  I mean the church in America.  What are we trusting in?  The object of our faith is supposed to be Jesus himself.  But not just as an idea, but as he is specifically revealed to us in the Word of God.  Paul had shared with them the life, teachings, and works of Jesus on their behalf.  They were trusting in what he had given them.  Because they were trusting in the life, teachings, and work of Jesus the Thessalonians kept worshipping God in spite of persecutions.  They kept trusting Jesus though their own people turn their back on them.  But they also grew in the objectives of their faith.  They were daily living the life of Christ, laying down their lives for the sake of each other and the lost.  They were not shrinking back from fear, but rather their faith was firm and growing stronger.  They were obeying the direct commands of Jesus to love their enemies and forgive those who sin against them.  They were submitting themselves daily to the obligations of love that go beyond any command, but are the fruit of a heart that cares for others.  In fact I focus on faith first because love is impossible where there is no faith.

Standing in Love

Though we are to love one another, we cannot do that so long as our faith is in ourselves or in each other.  Our faith must firmly be fixed upon Jesus.  Only then can we love each other as the Lord loved us.  Like Peter sinking in the water, we too fail at doing the impossible because we get our eyes off of Jesus and onto everything else around us.  "But, Lord..." is the words of a person who has their eyes on the things of this world instead of on the Risen Lord.  Paul says that they had love in abundance.  That means they had more love than what they knew to do with.  Jesus said that in the last days love would grow cold.  There is nothing like persecution to make our hearts hard and unloving.  But the Thessalonians were not using this as an excuse.  Instead they were overflowing with love.  I doubt it was the kind of love where they were dancing around and singing happy songs everywhere they went.  It was the kind of love that picks up a cross and packs it up the hill where you are going to be crucified for the sake of those who are beating you.  This is the love that God calls us to.  To love those who do not deserve our love.  Why?  Because I didn't deserve His love- none of us did.  We live in a day when the enemy is turning up the heat of persecution.  Will my love grow or snuff out like a candle in the wind?

How can we do this?  You probably noticed Paul's mention of their perseverance.  I could have easily added it to the list- We need to grow in Faith, Love and perseverance.  But I think the perseverance is the point.  Because they were persevering their faith and love were growing.  What is the perseverance here?  It literally means to "remain under."  When continuing in love and faith gets seemingly too heavy to bear, we continue anyways.  Yes we may speak to God in prayer how we feel like we are going to be crushed and can't keep loving, but then we see Jesus who has gone on before us.  He has blazed the trail of love and faith for us.  As we keep our eyes on him we are able to persevere, remain under the load.  We can remain under the load because we are remaining in Jesus.  We have taken up our residence in Christ.  Though we are tempted to move because it is so hard, we keep connected to Jesus.  Why?  Because only he has the words of life.  Those who are full of love and faith are not so because it comes easy.  They only get there through great and difficult inner battles whereby they end by saying, "nevertheless, not my will but yours be done."  They have fought through the temptation that comes in the statement, "but it doesn't work."  They do not love because it works.  They love because it is the way that Jesus has led them.  They do not trust Jesus because, "it works."  But, rather, because they know he is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Oh, sure trusting Jesus does work.  But we don't see that if we are looking at the things of this world.  The cross "works" but not for those who want to make money, drive nice cars, and travel the world vacationing in exotic places. 

When we patiently hold to faith and love they change us.  Too often we are worried about how others are responding.  But I can't control that.  I cannot quit loving and quit trusting because others don't do such and such.  I can't quit loving and quit trusting simply because others did something to me that hurt.  They can't change Jesus.  Thus they shouldn't be able to change me.  Lord forgive us and help us here in America to grow in faith and love because this world needs it like never before.

Standing by the Power of God's Spirit

In verses 11-12, Paul mentions that his prayer is for God to supply his power for them to continue in faith and love.  God will always bring us to the end of our own power so that we can learn to allow his Spirit to love through us.  We stand not by our own strength but by the power of God's Holy Spirit.  When we are submitted to the Holy Spirit, faith and love become weapons in his hands.  It sets people free from the shackles of the past changes the situation.  The issue is not whether you love someone anymore (a feeling) but whether you will love them anymore (the decisive action).  It is easy to gain a nostalgic love for the lost.  But when you are in the trenches with fellow believers and lost people you will find the limits of your own love.  Pray for God to supply his Spirit in your life that you may go beyond the limits of your own faith and love.  When you see those actions that your heart wants to back away from ask God to give you the power to carry on.  Thus Paul says we will fulfill all the good pleasure of God's goodness and it will bring glory to him.

Standing until the Judgment Day

It is in the fires of persecution that we begin to recognize the hatred that can exist for those who dare to trust God and love others.  God has set a day by which he will judge the world and it's governments.  God's judgment will be a righteous one.  Nobody wants to be judged and held accountable to "God."  It is interesting to me that the more we reject God in our society the more we increase our need for man-made laws and accountability to men.  If you plan to stand by God then plan to be maligned as judgmental and worthy of persecution.   2 Timothy 3:12-14 says, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it."  Suffering for doing good is not a sign of God's absence or abandonment.  Rather, it is proof that we are actually standing with God and it is proof that God is righteous for setting a day when all will be held accountable.  It is proof that we are worthy to obtain the kingdom of God.  Not worthy in the sense that Jesus was worthy.  Without Jesus none of us would be worthy.  But our faith in the midst of persecution demonstrates the wisdom of God to save those who have simply believed on him even though it didn't seem to save them from the persecution.  But it did.  The persecution was unable to extinguish their faith.  It only made it burn brighter.

We will not have "rest" in this world until Jesus comes.  Yes, we can rest in Jesus, spiritually.  But outwardly we will find ourselves under the attack of an enemy that despises our faith in Christ and the resultant love that flows out of us.  We may have times of outward rest but they are not guaranteed.  We are only guaranteed that the Holy Spirit can give us an inner rest whereby we can persevere and overcome until the day that he gives all his saints rest at the judgement day.

Paul focuses on the powerful coming of Jesus in verse 7.  He is coming back with mighty angels to assist him in judgment.  He is coming in flaming fire.  This is definitely metaphorical as fire is the ultimate judge of that which is temporary versus permanent.  But it may just as well be literal as the Bible clearly states that the armies of this world will attempt to fight against Christ but will be destroyed.  He comes taking vengeance.  It is not a vindictiveness, but rather a setting to right what is out of whack.  Today when we see the weak taken advantage of by the strong and the poor by the rich we long for it to be righted.  God has set such a day and will right everything in the man Jesus Christ.  Only God can give perfect justice and he need not be blindfolded, because he plays no favorites.  Each one is judged by their actions.  Notice the statement that he will punish those who do not know God nor obey his gospel.  The world has for thousands of years heard the gospel, but more and more it rejects the decree of God and pushes the world into more and more oppression.  We replace God with ourselves and thus enter into the greatest slavery this world has ever known.

We are to stand until the day that he gloriously reveals those who are his saints and we stand in awe and admiration of the Lord our King.  Lord, help us to trust you ever greater and to choose to keep trusting you as the work of representing you grows harder and is resisted greater.  Help us to love one another, but to also lay our lives down that those who are lost may find true love in you.