Him Who Called You

Good morning. We're going to be dropping in on this passage here, diving into it. But before we do that, I just want to bring up a sneak peek on next quarter's electives. Believe it or not, that's only about a month and a half away. July through September, we're introducing electives, two of which will be new. We'll be doing the last of the eight quarters in the Book of Romans, and so finishing that up by the end of September.

Isn't that unbelievable? But yes. The next one, which will be a new one beginning in July and continuing through September, The Principle and Principles of Grace. So that will be a new one. And the second new one will be The Sermon on the Mount, To You or For You. So we'll be having those new ones. We don't have signups for that yet. We don't want that to interfere with the lawn signups. So at any rate, we'll hold off on that. But just so you can kind of give some thought to it and ponder what might be best for you. Now let's move into our passage here this morning.

Galatians 1, 6 through 10 as Wayne read it for us. We're going to be dividing it up as you see here in the three parts. Stepping through it in that way. One of the things we pointed out from the very beginning, and we would reiterate here, is that Galatians is one big chiasm that's a mirror image pattern in writing.

And we're right in the middle of the very beginning part of that. So just in terms of getting an orientation, where are we? We're right in the very start. And one of the things we want to bring to you is though today's words in the passage are going to be pretty strong language, don't worry, the story has a happy ending. Okay? We just want to comfort you with that. Last Sunday we issued a caution about this week's passage, if you can imagine that.

And what we said is we're going to tell you today about the words that aren't there and the words that are there. And what do I mean by that? We're going to be talking about the words that aren't there in this Galatians passage. And we're going to be talking about the strong language that we warned you about last week. All right. Now, first, let's talk about the words that aren't there. The words that aren't there in the book of Galatians are not there because of this reason.

In the Apostle Paul's other letters, of course, we've got 13 letters to churches and individuals. Paul wrote these letters, and after his initial greeting, he usually, typically, would write that he was thankful to God for what the Lord had done for them, for what the Lord was doing for them, and what the Lord would do for them. And, in addition to that, he would tell them often, not always, but often, that he was praying for them. Those two messages would come through. He didn't do either one of those things in this letter. That's what makes this letter The first, apparently, of the letters that we have of his, this letter is exceptional.

Why would he do that? I would suggest to you that he bypassed that because the news he got about the church there was so shocking. It was really bad news. And quite likely that's why he stepped aside from that pattern and just simply went right to the heart of the matter.

Now, one of the things to point out about this thank you pattern that we see in the rest of his letters is a little cultural surprise that we pointed out a few years ago when we were studying Philippians. We, in our culture, work hard to train our kids to say please and thank you. That's pretty common. And it's a good thing that we do. I'm certainly not knocking that in the least.

In the Greek and Roman culture of New Testament times, astoundingly, it was not the norm for people to say please and thank you to one another, particularly not thank you. Now, the New Testament does have a few thank yous, but they are thanks to God. And that's the pattern that we see in Paul's writing when he would write thank you is I thank God for you. Here's an example in 1 Corinthians, and you have it on page one of your handout. Paul writes, beginning, Paul called as an apostle, and there in the third verse we see, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.

And this is the same kind of pattern that we see, in fact it's the same words exactly, that we see in Galatians 1.3. But look what Paul wrote next, and this is also on page one of your handout. Now keep in mind that here's a church, here's Chlorith, It's a fleshly church.

He tells them point blank, you are immature. You are fleshly. It was piled high with problems. Problems high deep. Look what he wrote to them next. Verse 4 starts off with, I thank my God once in a while. No, always concerning you. Here's this church with lots of troubles, lots of problems. I thank my God always concerning you.

You can see a similar pattern in Philippians 1.3.

So, the words in Galatians that aren't there are words of thanks to God for the believers that he often wrote, just like we saw there in 1 Corinthians. And, that Paul was praying for them, even thanking the Lord for them. Those words are not there. Now, let's look at verses 6 and 7. First part there, still on page 1 of your handout. I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel. So, let's take a look at those words.

I am amazed. These are wow words. He's going, wow, what news I just got. He is astounded. This is translated from one Greek word, thalmatso. It was used often in letters in New Testament times. They would write about, to express their amazement, that they're just shocked at what they've heard or found out, or even to express disappointment. That's the kind of word it is. And it has packed within it, I am, right now, amazed, shocked, disappointed in what I've heard. The Galatian believers would see that word and they would know, uh-oh, Paul's not happy. Paul is surprised. He was not taking this news lightly.

All right, now, that you are so quickly. Now this word here is from the Greek tachaios. It is a word here that it doesn't have some precise time. It doesn't look at a stopwatch and say, ah, that's quickly. No. But it does convey the sense Wow, this happened quick.

I can't believe how fast things have slipped. I mean, after all, we were just there. It happened with astounding speed that you just flipped away from the truth. The speed of falling away from the teachings that Paul and Barnabas had just left with them was shocking. They were amazed. Paul was amazed. Now, I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting. Now, one thing I have to make clear here, this deserting has nothing to do with eating dessert really, really fast. This is a different deserting. What kind of dessert is he talking about?

It was a rapid shifting from the gospel of grace to the, quote, gospel of law. It was not something that God desired or required. It wasn't what God had in mind, contrary to what the Judaizers were saying. It was in fact a desertion. A desertion. Paul is addressing the question, what does God want from us? Does God want us to be under law? That's the question Paul is beginning to address. God Himself had called these believers just in the same way He called Paul. And one of the ways that Paul makes that clear It is God who called and who calls. Past and present tense. Not like this calling. None of those. Not on the phone. Not like the pigs I used to call on the farm. None of those.

Here is an example out of Galatians 1.15, later on the same chapter.

But when God, who set me apart even from my mother's womb, and called me through His grace, When God calls, three things. He calls permanently, just as our Lord did to His disciples. He calls for good. Permanently. Second thing, He calls us with a purpose. He doesn't say, hey Vern, what did you call for? I don't know. He calls us with a purpose. And thirdly, He calls us personally. He says, yeah, I mean you. Yeah, I mean you. Galatians 5, he's going to give them a similar message. You are running well, who hindered you? And as we'll see when we get there, that's a cutting in on a race. Who cut in on you? This persuasion did not come from Him, God, who calls you.

And finally, in Galatians 5.13, for you were called to freedom. It was calling in a particular direction and for a purpose. You were called to freedom.

Okay, now, by the grace of Christ is the next phrase here that comes up. We're now on page two of your handout. Paul had already introduced the word grace in his greeting to the believers in Galatia. And remember, one of the points we made last week is that grace was a word that was already in existence in the Greek language.

Paul and the other apostles stretched the word to give it a new definition. Grace had meant a favor you do without expectation of return for a friend or a relative. Grace now was instead, was limitless grace, not grace to a point, but limitless grace to people who may not even be your friends. As a matter of fact, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Paul had already introduced this word grace to the believers and taught them well what it meant. so that when he said grace and peace earlier, they knew what he was talking about.

He would continue to use it throughout the book, as we've kind of done by exaggeration to make the point. Grace, grace, grace, grace, grace. Oh, and by the way, grace. Because the Galatian believers, and Paul is astounded by this, had quickly forgotten. This grace that is not incidental, it's not optional, absolutely essential to the true gospel, to their faith.

Remember in Galatians 1.3 it said, grace to you and peace. God is the one who by grace broke the chains that held us to the law under captivity.

In Galatians 1.15, but when God called me, remember we talked about what that calling is, through His grace. It's by his grace that he called.

Galatians 2.9, the grace that had been given to me. Paul's own commission.

Galatians 2.21, I do not nullify the grace of God.

Galatians 5.4, and this is an astounding statement, you have fallen from grace.

And 6.18, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. He continues to underscore this theme of grace as he writes to the believers at Galatia. We'll see it as we step our way through the chapters. What Paul presented to the believers there in Galatia was indeed the grace of Christ. This grace, as we pointed out, was from Christ as a source. And it was by means of Him as well. It is from Him and by means of Him. Both of those are true. God's grace was from Christ and through Him, and that was a grace that was not just looking the other way.

Ah, Galatians will be Galatians. It wasn't just kind of, I won't look at it, or we'll just kind of wink at it, let her fly. No. It wasn't because God was being lenient about sins, not in the least. Now, the next line that comes up here is for a different gospel, which is really not another. The context here made a contrast stand out in the Galatian readers' minds, because there's a difference in words that doesn't jump out at us in the English. They somewhat bring it out here, but let's bring it out even stronger. We put it here in pictures.

A zebra is not a horse. The Greek word for different here is heteros, another of a different kind. The Greek word for another, the last part in verse 7, is alos, another of the same kind. We show in pictures a zebra is not a moose. That's heteros. Those are different. Or alos, another of the same kind, two moose. Moose-eye? Anyway, you figure that out. The gospel of law wasn't just some other option. Oh, there's a bunch of gospels, and pick one. Didn't mean that there's a range of choices, and it really doesn't matter which one you pick. So what do we mean by gospel?

Good question to ask, because he's going to make a big point of it. This word gospel, euangelion, is the Greek there, it was used by the Lord and the Lord's apostles, and it meant good news or good message. We think of eww as something awful, right? To the Greeks, eww was good, right? So, good news.

Now, they used this word gospel in two different sizes or parts. Let's talk about what that means. One of the things we pointed out previously, and we'll likely point out again, we are saved, rescued from the penalty of sin. What a person must believe in order to be saved from the penalty of sin, this is the simple or small gospel. It doesn't take that long to present it. It's not that hard to understand. I understood it when I was four and a half years old. It's not that difficult. We put it here as crucified for our sins. Christ was crucified for our sins.

He was buried and raised on the third day according to the scriptures. Basic gospel. That's the small gospel. That's the gospel that must be believed for one to be saved from the penalty of sins. Next we present, we are in the present given provision by God to be saved from the power of sin. And finally, when we go to be with the Lord from the presence of sin, those three, it is that total gospel, the whole gospel, not only what it takes to be saved from the penalty of sin, to be saved based on the simple, small gospel, but the large gospel that we're talking about here. I'm going to go on here. One meaning of the gospel is what we must believe in order to be saved. That's the simple or small gospel. The larger gospel includes food for believers to live on and to grow on. Together, those two are the larger gospel. It's a good news, bad news kind of scenario.

He says, I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel which is really not another. A not another of the same kind. Since the gospel of the law was of a different kind than the gospel of the gospel of grace, it wasn't the same kind as the gospel of grace.

That simple. There isn't a substitute or alternate to the gospel of grace given in God's Word. Notice that? Hey, here's gospel number one. But if you don't like that, here's gospel number two. No. There is no other of the same kind. I want to give you some substitutes for you to ponder, to think about, would you accept these substitutes?

Here's a guy at the gas pump smiling. Now, there's not too many people at the gas pump these days smiling, right? And why is he smiling? Because he's getting his stuff to fill the tank really cheap, he's pumping in water. Would you like that? You can fill your tank really cheap, just fill it full of water, tank will be full. My guess is it will be full all the time. You'll never reduce the amount, most likely. And you just pump the water in there, and boy is it cheap. I tell you, what a savings.

Would you like that substitute? Does that work for you? Okay, you don't like that. Let's try another one. You get short on fundage. The wallet gets a little skinny. Guess what? Would you like to print the money? Let me give you some tricks. Here is a website. It's www.hasbro.com. You can print your own money if you like, as much as you want. No police will show up at the door. You might get some funny looks at the store, but hey, you can print your own as much as you want. Go for it.

How do you like that substitute? Or how about this one? You know the fruit stuff? It gets eaten up. It was bad if you don't eat it fast enough. Hey, we're going to fix it. How about wax fruit? You just buy that stuff all the time. The worst thing is you just might have to dust it once in a while. Other than that, you don't run out of it. It doesn't go rotten. I tell you, it's great stuff. How about that for a substitute? I don't see anybody all that impressed.

Let's try something else. How about a mannequin vacation? What I'm talking about here is, you know, going on vacations, it can get expensive, really time-consuming. You've got to go other places and travel. I mean, there can be some problems. You know, the food might not agree with you or something. So here, here's this. A mannequin vacation. What do you do? UPS, okay? You get your mannequin, and it needs to be in something like that form works pretty good, you know?

Something like that, and you ship it UPS to somebody like Heidi and Helmut. They're right over on the ocean, and you can ship it to Heidi and Helmut. I don't know what they're going to do with 50 mannequins, but anyway. You can ship it to Heidi and Helmut, and you can even have Phil give them surfing lessons. And it's a whole lot less expensive and a lot less hassle. How does that do for a vacation? Do you like it?

You see, my point in doing this, aside from being ridiculous, is there are some things for which there isn't any good substitute. The substitutes I've offered are really not all that great, besides of which I'm not sure how either Heidi or Helmut or Phil would like this. There is no substitute for the true gospel. There isn't some other option that's just as good. There isn't some other alternative that you could pick.

So if you've raised your eyebrows a bit on this, that's okay. I don't mind. Now, the word gospel means good news. That's the meaning of that word. Gospel means good news. So a different gospel, because there is no substitute, that's bad news. Okay? A different gospel is really bad news. Okay? Now, only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. Let's take a look at that one.

Paul described the actions of these recently arrived messengers of the law in two ways. Way number one, they are disturbing and troubling the new believers at Galatia. The word that Paul uses that's translated disturbing or troubling is a word that is used in other contexts to stir up the water. agitated, like you might see with class 5 rapids. They're really stirring you up. They're really getting you agitated.

That's part number one. Part number two. They're wanting to distort and pervert the gospel of Christ. That word that is translated distort here is a word that means to turn around and head in a different direction. That's what he's talking about. They're coming in and agitating the believers there, getting them really stirred up, and they're heading them off in a different direction, and it is not a good one.

It is not just another gospel. It's a very different one. Now we get into verses 8 and 9. Now you see verses 8 and 9. These are the strong words that I was telling you about. This is the strong language that I was giving you a caution about last week. And you read through that.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you have received, he is to be accursed.

Now, what's your impression there? Is Paul wanting God to just zap these people? Or maybe, how about this one? Is Paul just getting really, really grouchy? Is that what he's doing? Well, let's take a look at what he is doing. I would suggest to you it's neither one of those. Paul made similar statements here in two verses. He did it twice. But there was a purpose in his restatement beyond just repetition. And that's underscored by the differences. The differences do make a difference. And we'll take a look at what those differences are. Now on page three of your handout here, We're going to look here in verse 8.

Paul is saying something here that he wants them to hear very clearly because he puts it in bold terms. In verse 8, Paul said that even if he, and here he is the messenger of the gospel, the ones who originally brought the gospel and the ones sent by God, along with those with him, certainly Barnabas, or even an angel from heaven brought a different gospel, And by the way, it's the angels who delivered the law. So that's one reason why Paul would bring this up. It wasn't just a matter of, hey, I'll think I'll bring up angels. No, it's the angels who delivered the law.

Let's take a look here, Acts 7.53. And you who received the law as ordained by angels and yet did not keep it. Here's Stephen speaking. Even in Galatians, two chapters from now, why the law then? It was added because of transgressions having been ordained through the angels by the agency of a mediator, Moses.

And Hebrews 2.2, for if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, we cannot change the law. So if the law is delivered clearly and is understood as being given through angels, that's exactly why Paul should say, hey, even if an angel comes to you with something different, it doesn't cut it. I might point out a couple other things.

Here's a couple of more recent, that is since the Bible, messages that have come our way. There's the Book of Mormon given by the angel Moroni. By the way, if you open up the inside cover of the Satanic Bible, that's one of the names on the list. And the Koran, supposedly given by Gabriel. So here are some more recent than the Bible false gospels that have come through angels.

So Paul's warning was not empty. Now, the gospel that Paul And Barnabas had preached to those who came to believe, including those he's writing to here in Galatia, was the gospel that Paul had received just kind of by rumor? No. Directly from the Lord Jesus Christ. There wasn't any alternate gospel or alternate authority, and that's Paul's point. No alternate gospel, no alternate authority. Nobody can come in and say, hey, I've got this other authority basis and you need to listen to me. I've got a new gospel. Boy, you've got to listen to this. No. That won't cut it.

There was no alternate gospel, nor alternate authority for the gospel. Then, as we have said before, in verse 9, this may well refer to Paul and Barnabas having said that in person. Because remember, he didn't say, as we said before, right in the verse above, but as we said before when we were there. We told you when we were there. No other gospel. No matter who does it. In that case, they had apparently forgotten.

If somebody comes along with some other gospel, don't believe it. Nobody has the authority and there is no other gospel. In verse 9, Paul widened the caution from himself, Barnabas, even including any angels, to any person, any person, if they come up with a different gospel, it will not cut it. There is no alternate gospel. There is no alternate authority. No other true gospel.

The word received here in the Greek has packed within it the meaning of the active voice. Now, certainly to say my voice is active, that's not the point. What does active voice mean? It means that the believers in Galatia actively received and learned the gospel. And that's an interesting thing to point out. Often when the apostles wrote, I noticed we found it in our 1st and 2nd Peter class. It is true when we studied Philippians. Often when the apostles wrote and they said learned or received, they had it in the active voice. Learning and receiving by God's intent is active, not passive. That's why we have pews and not beds. We don't have to just come in and say, pastor me, while I lay down and sleep. No, it is not passive, it's active learning.

That's what is intended here. Now, what does to be a cursed mean? Now that's a big question. Paul wasn't just stating an apostolic expletive. That's not his point here. What's he doing? The Greek word there is anathema. He obviously says it twice. Once in verse 8, once in verse 9. These words are not intending to indicate that Paul himself was passing judgment. Got that? It's not intended to indicate that Paul himself was passing judgment. Here's what it does mean.

He would concur with God's judgment of condemnation on the alternate gospel. I agree with God about this. That's why He doesn't say, I accursed them. But He is to be accursed. I agree with that pronouncement of judgment. Now verse 10, here on page 4 of your handout. For am I now seeking the favor of men or of God? For am I striving to please men? If I were still striving to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. Is he a people pleaser or a God pleaser?

That's the issue. Now Paul was accused of changing his message to whatever the people wanted. What face do you want? How would you like the face to look? Paul was being accused of being two-faced or multiple-faced, whatever face you'd like, they would say. That's what face Paul would put on.

After all I think about it, he offered a gospel that was free. I mean, that's amazing. Where else do you hear about that? A completely free gospel. Absolute, total grace. That sounds too easy. It sounds too good to be true. Paul's response? His response was, He was a bondservant of Christ. What does that mean? Christ is the one to be pleased. Singularly. Christ was the master. Christ bought me.

Now for Galatians expanded and explained. Galatians 1, 6 and 7. I am amazed, mixed with disappointment, that you, the saints in the Roman province of Galatia, are so quickly, and I just came back from having established you in the faith. So quickly, deserting God who called you by the grace both from Christ and made available to you by the work of Christ for a so-called gospel of a different kind. Whoa! Did we blow out here? Alright, when we blow out, here's what we do. Take your hand out, and so you'll still have an overhead, hold it over your head. Thank you. Okay, page four of your handout.

Which is not really another gospel, there cannot be any other. Only there are some men from Jerusalem falsely claiming to represent the apostles there who are agitating you and have a fixed inclination to change the gospel of Christ so as to put you in an entirely different direction. Verses 8 and 9 go this way, but even if I or Barnabas or anyone else from Antioch or an angel from heaven, even one who has delivered, an angel who has delivered the law of Moses, should preach to you a good message contrary to what we have preached to you when we were there with you, I stand in approval with God that he is under God's judgment. And then in verse 10, in response to the empty and groundless accusation from these men that I am seeking the approval of other human beings, am I seeking it from human beings or from God?

Think about this. Or is there any truth to the accusation that I am actually motivated by a desire to please other human beings? if their groundless accusation were true, that I were still trying to please men, that I would not be, as I truly am, a bond-servant with a singular obligation to Christ alone, by the purchased price of His blood, full ownership by Him, and having as special and specific commission as an apostle."

You see, the gospel is unbelievably good news that you have to believe. Unbelievably good news that you have to believe. Grace is entirely counter to the way human beings think, isn't it? You go to the grocery store and you load up the cart and you just walk through and the checker just smiles, right?

No! We're used to, somebody's got to pay for something here. Can we have a relationship with the Creator of the world? by just believing? Is that possible? Is entirely everything necessary to our salvation ours at God's own expense? Wow, that's just kind of astounding. Is it true that all we must do or can do is just believe and nothing more? What else on earth works like that? I would venture to say, not much. Not much.

You see, the gospel is spiritual food required for our spiritual growth. Certainly to be saved, but also in order for us to grow. The Holy Spirit uses God's Word. Certainly the Holy Spirit inspired it. The Holy Spirit uses God's Word. As we behold the Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ, to change us, 2 Corinthians 3.18, change us from glory to glory. That change is called spiritual growth. Scripture pictures that use of God's Word as a window through which we behold the Lord as spiritual food. We behold the Lord, the Lord of Glory, through His Word.

That's spiritual food. That's how we're fed, spiritually. The same thing, physical food, spiritual food, God's Word is required to grow spiritually. You have on the bottom of your handout, on the second to the last slide on the left side, the food that feeds spiritual growth.

There are four stages that are outlined in scripture, and the first one, newborn, brephos, is one that Peter uses where he focuses on the desire, as newborn babes desire the milk of the word. Next we see milk applied as food for infants in a few places there, 1 Corinthians, Hebrews, and Ephesians. A youth eats meat and solid food, 1 Corinthians and 1 John. And maturity, that level of maturity is signified by the appropriate food, by eating the solid food, the meat.

As Paul goes on here in Galatians, he's going to pose some questions to the Galatians. In Galatians chapter 3, the second and third verses, the small gospel is going to be what he addresses in verse 2. The small gospel, the good news about how one is saved. at which time the believers receive the Holy Spirit. And he makes the Holy Spirit the issue. And by the way, this is the first time that he introduces the Holy Spirit in the book of Galatians, and he does it at least once in every chapter thereafter.

This is the only thing I want to find out from you, you Galatians. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? Hearing the Gospel. Which one was it? You received the Spirit when you believe the gospel, the simple gospel, not the one that you have to follow the law, all 613 rules. 365 don'ts. Got them memorized?

The next point in the next verse, verse 3, this is what believers are to grow on, not to be born with, but to grow on. Are you so foolish, having begun by the Spirit, when you first believed, Are you now being perfected, grown, brought to maturity by the flesh, by the law?

Because that's what it is. What Paul has laid out in this passage is really amazing. The gospel is really good news, isn't it? And the reason the false gospel is so important to distinguish from the true gospel is because the good news is so very good. That's what makes the false gospel so very bad. And it has to do with where we are. With the true gospel, I'm seated in the heavenlies. With the true gospel, I have a citizenship in the heavenlies. With the true gospel, I behold the Lord as I am seated with Him. in glory. That's the true gospel. The false gospel doesn't come anywhere close.

Keep looking at the stones, because that's as far as it's going to go. The big difference. Let's pray. Lord, as we look at this passage, what an incredible distinction and difference is made here. We look to You now, through Your Word, and we are drawn of heart to behold you and to see the distinction, the wide chasm between what is true and what is false. And we thank you that what is true is not simply statements, not simply propositions, but you indeed are the truth. We behold you and ask that you draw us this morning to look at you even more. In Jesus' name, Amen.