Faith Baptist Church
07/12/26 Worship Service

      • Colossians 1:15-17ESV

      • Colossians 1:18-20ESV

  • In Christ Alone
  • Lamb Of Glory
  • Here Is Love
  • Calvary's Blood
  • Galadriel says this to Frodo in Lothlórien in The Lord of the Rings. The full, chillingly beautiful quote from J.R.R. Tolkien is:
    "The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true"
    Galatians feels just like this. Paul is writing to the Galatians. They are considering turning away from the true gospel, and Paul is warning them, “Galatians you are standing upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and you will fall to the ruin of you all!”
    What decision could be so monumental? What decision could be calamitous?
    The decision to turn away from the true gospel. Such a choice would be fatal!
    Paul wanted the Galatians to known that turning away from the gospel would be a fatal decision!
    The same peril faces the church today, faces individuals today. Stray from the truth of the gospel- even a little- and you will fail to your ruin!
    Why is deviating from the gospel such a fatal decision?
    Paul gives four reasons in our text.

    I. Deviating from the gospel is equivalent to deserting God (v. 6)

    Galatians 1:6 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—
    After a normal introduction to his letter, Paul does not waste space or time. He does not bother with small talk. He instantly gets to the point.

    A. The Galatians’ Rapid Desertion

    Galatians 1:6 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—
    Paul is astonished!
    to marvel v. — to be amazed at (an event or occurrence).
    This Greek word is used almost exclusively for people’s reactions to the miraculous. When people saw Jesus perform miracles, they were astonished!
    Matthew 9:33 “33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.””
    Why was Paul astonished? Why was he genuinely shocked?
    Galatians 1:6 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—
    The Galatians had so quickly deserted the true gospel!
    So quickly! In such a short amount of time.
    promptly adv. — with little or no delay.
    Acts 14:27 ESV
    27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
    End of Paul’s first missionary journey… (so quickly)
    And then on the next ship into Antioch Paul is given the news that the Galatians are on the verge of turning to a different gospel.
    New believers or those still young in the faith are very susceptible to wandering away from Christ.
    Modern Day Example: Illustration
    A teenager turns the magical age of 18 and suddenly they can make decisions on their own. And the church is astonished because so quickly they desert him who called them in the grace of Christ and they turn away.
    We are all prone to wander: Application
    But it isn’t just young people or new believers. We all need caution. As the hymn writer sings, “prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.”
    What are the various influences that draw us away?
    For the Galatians it was false teachers who came from outside of the church.
    Friends of family who have doubts about Christianity.
    Social media, YouTube, podcasts, blogs, reels, posts, DM’s…
    Not just 2nd or 3rd level interpretive issues! We are talking about deviating from the TRUE GOSPEL!
    Practical ways to guard against our proneness to wander!
    Be influenced more by your local church than social media.
    The local church is a pillar and ground of the truth
    1 Timothy 3:15 ESV
    15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.
    When you become involved in a local church that faithfully adheres to the gospel, when you submit yourself to the accountability of other believers and do not live the Christian life on your own, you safeguard yourself from being like the Galatians who so quickly turned to a different gospel.

    B. The Galatians’ Ruinous Decision

    Notice the root cause of Paul’s astonishment- why were the actions of the Galatians was so shocking?
    Galatians 1:6 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—
    The Galatians were turning to a different gospel. This word “deserting” and the idea of turning to a different gospel is in the present tense. That is, the process is on going. The Galatians have not fully deserted or turned, but they are well on their way. However, they are not beyond hope.
    Notice what turning to a different gospel is equivalent to!
    The Galatians were deserting or turning away from God- the one who called them into the grace of Christ.
    By turning to a different gospel they were simultaneously turning away from the One who called them into the grace of Christ.
    What different gospel were they turning to?
    Galatians 5:2–4 ESV
    2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
    When you think about your salvation do you think about it as Jesus +?
    How did the Galatians false teachers think about salvation? The insisted on circumcision! What does Paul think about that?
    Severed from Christ! If you add anything to the gospel message you have turned to a different gospel! You are severed from Christ! And...
    Galatians 5:4 ESV
    4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace
    Paul forcefully states here in chapter 5 that if they accept circumcision then they also will fall away from grace!
    What in the world does that mean?
    Galatians 1:6 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—
    We have to think about what Paul means when he says that God called the Galatians in the grace of Christ!
    What are we talking about?
    What does the Bible refer to when it speaks of God calling us?
    Romans 8:29–30 ESV
    29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
    Golden chain of salvation! Why is this called that? Every verb in v. 30 is in the aorist tense. Past action! Our future glorification is so certain that God can speak about it in the past tense. In the mind of God if you have been justified you will be, beyond any shadow of doubt, glorified. And we can work backwards through the chain.
    If you have been justified that means that you were also predestined (before the foundation of the earth), and if have been justified, then you were also already called.
    Calling then is an effective working of God that brings some who hears the gospel to saving faith.
    1 Corinthians 1:23 ESV
    23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
    Who did Paul preach Christ crucified to? EVERYONE! Jew and Gentile. To some Paul’s preaching was not good news, it was FOLLY.
    1 Corinthians 1:24 ESV
    24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
    But the preaching of the gospel to those who are called- it is not folly, but the wisdom of God!
    Calling then is an effective working of God that brings some who hear the gospel to saving faith.
    If this is true can you ever fall away or be severed or desert your calling by God?
    Romans 11:29 ESV
    29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
    If that is true...
    Galatians 1:6 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—
    How is it possible for the Galatians to desert God the one who called them in the grace of Christ?
    Is Paul teaching that you can lose your salvation?
    2 Peter 1:10 ESV
    10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
    If the calling of God is irrevocable, if the calling of God is part of the golden chain of salvation- then why do we need to confirm our calling?
    These verses are written from different perspectives.
    If the verse is written from God’s perspective who knows our hearts and also knows our calling- then our calling is beyond any doubt. God who knows our hearts knows our calling and that can never be taken away. If you are called then you will be justified and if you are justified your will be glorified. God will save you all the way to the end!
    If however the verse is written from man’s perspective- as humans we cannot see as God sees. Man looks on the external, God looks on the heart. I cannot see the genuineness of your heart. You may have made a profession of faith in Jesus, you may have prayed a prayer, you may have walked an isle. But because we cannot see the heart, from man’s perspective we cannot be sure of one’s calling. That is why Peter gives us instruction on how to confirm our calling.
    How do you confirm your calling? Many biblical ways to do this. One of the ways to confirm your calling is to hold to the true gospel! Don’t turn away to a different gospel. Don’t turn away from the One who called you into the grace of Christ.
    Now if you turn away from the true gospel, that doesn’t mean that you lost your salvation. What does it mean?
    1 John 2:19 ESV
    19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
    It means you were never saved in the first place!
    Let’s think about the ruinous decision of the Galatians!
    Galatians 1:6 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—
    In the grace of Christ
    Could mean: by means of the grace of Christ.
    Or I think it better that God called the Galatians into the realm of the grace of Christ.
    Two realms:
    The realm of grace. How do you enter into the realm of grace? God the Father calls you into the realm of grace! How does this happen?
    1 Corinthians 1:23–24 ESV
    23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
    The calling of God into the realm of grace, from a divine standpoint happens before the foundation of the world, but from a human standpoint happens when the gospel is preached and believed.
    The gospel message is a message of grace!
    Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV
    8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
    Romans 4:4–5 “4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,”
    The moment you add works to your salvation you are leaving the realm of grace and you put yourself into the realm of works!
    Galatians 5:2–3 ESV
    2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.
    Friends, this is a fatal decision! The moment you add anything to the gospel once delivered you turn to a different gospel. You desert God the Father, the one who called you into the realm of the grace of Christ!
    You are severed from Christ and you have fallen away from grace. You cannot enter the realm of grace through works. Grace and works are like oil and water- the two cannot mix when it comes to our salvation.
    Illustration: Conversation with an individual- we believe the same thing you do about Jesus. We believe he died, was buried, and rose again. But, we also believe baptism washes away you sins. What’s the big deal- we believe the same thing about Jesus- we just add baptism to the equation.
    You are turning to a different gospel! You are deserting the one who call you into the realm of the grace of Christ!
    You are making a fatal decision!
    Deviating from the gospel is equivalent to deserting God Himself.
    My friend are you saved? Have you entered into the realm of grace? Has God called you to salvation through the gospel? Do you hold to the one true gospel?
    Why is deviating from the gospel such a fatal decision?
    Deviating from the gospel is equivalent to deserting God Himself.

    II. Any alteration of the gospel is a distortion of the truth (v. 7)

    Galatians 1:7 ESV
    7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

    A. Only One True Gospel

    At the end of v. 6 Paul said that the Galatians were turning to a different gospel.
    The idea of a different gospel may lead some to assume that there were more than one!
    Here Paul is very eager to clear up any misunderstanding.
    7ὃ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλο,
    Not that there is another (one) gospel,
    There is no other gospel. There one and only one gospel to the exclusion of all others.
    Jude 3 ESV
    3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
    Romans 1:16 ESV
    16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
    The gospel and the gospel alone is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
    What is the gospel?
    GOD / MAN / CHRIST / RESPONSE
    1 Corinthians 15:1–4 ESV
    1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
    Were the Galatians preaching the one true gospel?

    B. A Distortion of the Truth

    Galatians 1:7 ESV
    7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
    The false teachers were troubling the Galatians.
    Trouble- to cause inward turmoil, stir up, disturb, unsettle, throw into confusion
    How were they troubling the Galatians? By distorting the gospel of Christ.
    Distort- to cause a change in state or condition, change, alter. This word denotes STRONG contrasts.
    Acts 2:20 “20 the sun shall be turned (distort/changed) to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.”
    James 4:9 “9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.”
    Acts 26:24 “24 And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.”” distorting/changing your mind from sanity into madness.
    Also- fresh water into salt, feasting into mourning, daylight into darkness.
    Illustration: conversation with Jim about Catholics- they believe the same thing we do about Jesus- they just add these other things to their faith. What’s the big deal? They have fundamentally altered the gospel- they have strongly altered the truth. Like changing the sun to darkness or joy to gloom or freshwater into salt.
    When you add to the gospel you distort the truth and if you distort the truth you are left with no gospel at all.
    There is only one gospel and we cannot add to it or take away from it.
    “Any theology, then, that posits works as the basis of our relationship with God is not the gospel of Christ.”
    This destroys pluralism! Some claim that salvation may be gained through all religions. As long as people are sincere God will accept them. Paul is exclusively claiming that there is only one truth, there is only one gospel.
    This destroys inclusivism! Some claim that people may be saved through Christ, even though they have never heard the gospel. God just accepts everyone!
    Our culture preaches a gospel of tolerance. Satan subtly works to deceive Christians into loosening the rigidity of the gospel. The world may label you with words like bigot or homophobe. It takes courage to proclaim that there is only one true gospel and everything else is a distortion of the truth.
    Acts 4:12 ESV
    12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
    John 14:6 ESV
    6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
    Why is deviating from the gospel such a fatal decision?
    Deviating from the gospel is equivalent to deserting God Himself.
    Any alteration of the gospel is a distortion of the truth.

    III. Believing anything contrary to the gospel brings condemnation (vv. 8-9)

    Galatians 1:8 ESV
    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.

    A. Content not Credentials

    Paul was intent on defending the content of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel that Paul preached to the Galatian church on his missionary journey was not of his own making. Paul’s source of truth was Jesus Himself!
    Galatians 1:12 ESV
    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.
    Thus it follows...
    Galatians 1:8 ESV
    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.
    Paul is elevating the content of the gospel message above the credentials of the messenger.
    Why? Most certainly because the false teachers were attempting to elevate their own message, their deviated and distorted false gospel above Paul’s gospel. And in order to do that they were boasting of their credentials and discrediting Paul’s credentials.
    “Dear brothers of Galatia, we greet you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! We have heard how through the ministry of Brother Paul you have been converted from the worship of dumb idols to serve the true and living God of Israel. We are glad you have made such a good beginning, but we are afraid that there are some very important things about the gospel Paul has omitted to tell you. We ourselves come from the church at Jerusalem which is directed by the very apostles Jesus called and ordained. Paul though is an upstart. Why, he never even knew Jesus while he was on earth and was certainly never commissioned by him as an apostle. True, Paul did visit Jerusalem just after he stopped persecuting us, and there he learned the ABCs of the Christian faith from the true apostles. But the message he now preaches bears no resemblance to theirs. I don’t imagine he even told you about circumcision! Why, this is the very way God has made it possible for you Gentiles to become a part of the New Israel. Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Circumcision is just as important as baptism—nay, more important, for it will introduce you to a higher plane of Christian living. If you will observe this holy ordinance of the law, God will be pleased with you. We are just now forming a new association of law-observant churches, and we would love for Galatia to be represented! We are the true Christians. Jesus, our great example, pleased the Father by fulfilling the law and so can you!”
    Timothy George, Galatians, vol. 30, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 95–96.
    But, Paul is concerned about the content of the gospel message itself. Paul is claiming that the gospel he preached to the Galatians had as its source Jesus Christ Himself.
    Therefore, even if Paul or an angel from heaven were to preach another gospel- don’t listen- in fact let them be accursed!

    B. Condemnation not Consideration

    Galatians 1:9 ESV
    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.
    ἀνάθεμα- cursed thing n. — the object of cursing or detestation; that which is execrated.
    In the LXX this word group is used for the idea for putting the Canaanite nation under the ban- or devoting them to destruction.
    What does it mean in the NT sense?
    Galatians 1:9 NET
    9 As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell!
    Paul does not tolerate those who would distort the gospel.
    Most strikingly is that these false teachers, these Judaizes most likely proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ. If they had denied the deity of Jesus, if they had denied the resurrection or the crucifixion of Jesus most certainly Paul would have blasted them for it. But there is nothing on these issues in the letter. Instead the heresy of the false teachers is that they added to the gospel by insisting that one cannot be saved without being circumcised and without keeping the OT law.
    Even though they profess Jesus as the Messiah, because they have distorted the gospel, Paul is convinced they are not saved. Let them be accursed! Let them be condemned to hell! Those who distort the gospel will certainly face eternal condemnation.
    Friends, have you drifted from the gospel? Have you allowed any kind of theology that mingles elements of works into the basis for your relationship with God? If so you are making a fatal decision. Believing anything contrary to the gospel brings condemnation.
    Finally,
    Why is deviating from the gospel such a fatal decision?

    IV. Changing the message of the gospel pleases people not God (v. 10)

    Galatians 1:10 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.

    A. Paul’s Logic

    Rhetorical questions.
    Galatians 1:10 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.
    10Ἄρτι γὰρ ἀνθρώπους πείθω ἢ τὸν θεόν;
    For am I now seeking the approval of people or God?
    ἢ ζητῶ ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσκειν;
    Or am I trying to please people?
    Apparently, the Jewish opponents claimed that Paul failed to preach the whole gospel, which included the requirement of circumcision. Paul omitted circumcision to curry favor with the Gentiles in Galatia

    B. Paul’s Loyalty

    Galatians 1:10 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.
    If I were still trying to please people (but I never once had that desire / 2nd class contrary-to-fact conditional statement)
    If that were true (and its not), then I would not be a slave of Christ!
    What does Paul mean?
    Galatians 5:11 ESV
    11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.
    Galatians 6:17 ESV
    17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
    Acts 14:19 ESV
    19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
    Galatians 1:10 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.
    If I were trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
    I would have changed my message in order to avoid persecution, thus pleasing man.
    But I do not seek man’s approval, but Gods! If fact I am willing to face death itself rather than dilute my message.
    Galatians Pleasing God

    What slavery we live under when we long for the good opinion of others! It is far better to be a slave of Christ than to be enslaved to human opinions of us. Fear of human beings can be deadly.

    How can fear of human beings be deadly?
    Afraid to trust Christ because your family will disown you.
    Afraid to tell someone else at work what it means to be a Christian, because of what it might cost you.
    Afraid to tell your religious relatives who believe in Jesus, but have added works to their faith that they are in danger.
    Believing and sharing the gospel requires the faith to please God and not people.
    Do you have that kind of courage?
    If you see in yourself a desire to please people and not God, what are you going to do about it this week?
    Psalm 34:9 ESV
    9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
    Psalm 84:11 ESV
    11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
    Do you trust that? Do you believe that? What actions would pleasing God and not man produce in you this week?
    Repentance!
    Obedience!
    Friends if we deviate from the gospel we end up making fatal decisions.
    Why is deviating from the gospel such a fatal decision?
    Deviating from the gospel is equivalent to deserting God Himself.
    Any alteration of the gospel is a distortion of the truth.
    Believing anything contrary to the gospel brings condemnation
    Changing the message of the gospel pleases people not God.
    Friends, instead of making the fatal decision of deviating from the gospel in any way, let’s follow our Lord.
    May God give us the conviction and the courage to follow Jesus all the way to the end!

      • Galatians 1:6ESV

      • Galatians 1:6ESV

      • Galatians 1:6ESV

      • Acts 14:27ESV

      • 1 Timothy 3:15ESV

      • Galatians 1:6ESV

      • Galatians 5:2–4ESV

      • Galatians 5:4ESV

      • Galatians 1:6ESV

      • Romans 8:29–30ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 1:23ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 1:24ESV

      • Romans 11:29ESV

      • Galatians 1:6ESV

      • 2 Peter 1:10ESV

      • 1 John 2:19ESV

      • Galatians 1:6ESV

      • Galatians 1:7ESV

      • Jude 3ESV

      • Romans 1:16ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:1–4ESV

      • Galatians 1:7ESV

      • Acts 4:12ESV

      • John 14:6ESV

      • Galatians 1:8ESV

      • Galatians 1:12ESV

      • Galatians 1:8ESV

      • Galatians 1:9ESV

      • Galatians 1:9ESV

      • Galatians 1:10ESV

      • Galatians 1:10ESV

      • Galatians 1:10ESV

      • Galatians 5:11ESV

      • Galatians 6:17ESV

      • Acts 14:19ESV

      • Galatians 1:10ESV

      • Psalm 34:9ESV

      • Psalm 84:11ESV

  • We Will Follow
Faith Baptist Church
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