Sound Doctrine

Guest (Male): Today on Sound Doctrine, we begin an exciting new series in one of the most challenging books in the Bible, Paul's letter to the Galatians.

Jeff Johnson: It's not about works. It's not about doing things. "Well, I go to church every Sunday. God, you know that, huh? Cool." What do you mean? You're going to heaven because you go to church every Sunday? I think not. It has nothing to do with what we do; it has everything to do with what he has done. And that's this epistle.

Guest (Male): Thanks for starting the week off with us here at Sound Doctrine. Jeff Johnson is our Bible teacher, and today he introduces us to the book of Galatians. Over the course of the next couple of months, we'll be making our way through this epistle from beginning to end.

Jeff Johnson: What are you passionate about? Maybe your golf game, music, reading. Whatever it is, we all have things we feel passionate about. Now, do you feel passionate when it comes to the gospel of Jesus Christ? We hope so.

Guest (Male): The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the province of Galatia, so let's join Pastor Jeff there now.

Jeff Johnson: This is his first letter to the church. It's been called the Declaration of Christian Liberty, declaring it outright. There was a huge problem in this church, and Paul was really upset at those in Galatia in this region. Galatia is not a city. Usually, he'd write to those in Ephesus, or in Thessalonica, or in Colossae. Those are cities. But here, he's writing to Galatia, and that's a region. It's a region that we call Turkey today. That's a big region. So there were many cities, many churches that he was writing to with this epistle.

Here was where Paul wanted to deal with the issue that has come up. It's called legalism. Anybody know about legalism? Some of us have been in a denomination that was legalistic. It's just laws and regulations everywhere. Legalism was a real problem. It didn't take long for the church when it got started. Remember we were studying in Revelation chapter 2 about the church of Ephesus being the first church. We looked at all the seven churches as the seven looks throughout history of all the church because chapters 2 and 3 was to the church that existed in John's day but also throughout all existence.

The first church, it only took them 70 years, Ephesus, to backslide. They had been filled with the Spirit, they received Christ, the gospel's getting out, they're excited, and everything's going great for 70 years. Some even say shorter than that. They backslid. They left their first love. That's what it says in chapter 2. It talks about Ephesus losing their first love, getting away—not losing it, really, but leaving it. If you feel far from God, guess who left? You did. I did. He's always been there. He loves us.

Grace and God's good news wasn't being received by these brethren anymore. They were getting hard towards the gospel. There's a scripture in Romans chapter 1, verse 16. Paul is saying this, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes." The power of God. They weren't basking in that power anymore. They weren't giving out the gospel. Everything was dying around them. Everybody was getting religious. Everybody was getting into legalism, and it was boring.

Have you ever been bored in the Lord? It can happen. You go same old, same old. Going to Sunday, going on Wednesday. God help us. God, give us a hunger for your word so we might hide it within our hearts and not sin against you and be blessed of you. Our school theme just so happens to be Romans 1:16. The kids are proclaiming it: we are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Isn't that awesome? That's what they're meditating on. That's what they're going through this year, of just getting the gospel out, getting the good news out, how important it is.

Legalism is defined as the three Rs of religion, for those of you taking notes. Here are the three Rs of religion: ritualism, rules, and regulations. All kept alive in and through Judaism. You see, the Judaizers were getting into territory they shouldn't be. So Paul comes on the scene to try to wake them up. They're into the law. This was affecting the body of Christ like a disease. It was going through the churches all through the known world then, affecting everyone. This religious doctrine that they had, these religious people were persuading and deceiving so many that the law needs to be obeyed, that works is good, and they included grace.

That's kind of confusing, isn't it? The law? Now, I'm not against the law. The law is good, Paul said. If a Jew wants to live by the law, let them live by the law. If the Jew wants to live on Saturday being the Sabbath, go for it. But don't you ever say because you do those things you are saved. Don't you ever. It's not about doing things that saves us. It's about what he has done for us, period. That's grace.

This was confusing. Even Caesar, Nero Caesar, saw the hypocrisy of what was going on, and he is quoted in saying, "These people are fickle. They change so quickly. They are fond of change and they're not to be trusted." You can't trust them because they say one thing and do another, and they're just all mesh of confusion. These people that he's talking about came from Gruel. That's a neat name. Where'd you come from? Gruel. An area of France. They migrated into Turkey. They had a Celtic ethnic background, but they were called chameleons. They would just go with the flow. Whatever was happening, they would go with. They didn't want to make any waves. They just lived like whatever the people they were with lived.

That is not always good. In fact, over in Acts chapter 14, Paul visited this region. In Acts 14, it tells of a story where he sees this lame man, lame from birth, laying there. He comes up to him, takes his hand, and he says, "Rise up and walk." And the guy rose up and walked. Everybody freaked out around him. Barnabas was with Paul at the time. As that was going on, the people were rushing towards them. They wanted to sacrifice for them, and they called them names. They said, "Oh my gosh, Barny, he's like Jupiter has come amongst us, the god of Jupiter. And Paul, he's like the god of Mercury." They wanted to sacrifice to them.

Then Paul said something very interesting. He said, "What are you doing?" and he tore his clothes. He said, "We're just men. What are you doing? We did not do this. This is to God's glory. God has done this. Don't sacrifice to us." But he said to them, "Turn to God, who is your creator. Repent. Turn away from the things you're doing and repent. Come to God." Everybody freaked out on them. They immediately took Paul and took him out of the city and stoned him to death. You mean Paul died? Well, that's what it says, that he was dead outside of the city walls. All the brethren were around praying, just going, "Oh God, Paul's dead."

And Paul just kind of went... Now, mind you, they used big rocks to stone you. They wanted to do damage. They wanted to kill you. You don't use little rocks to stone somebody; you use big ones to kill them. And that's what they did to Paul. But he got up, shook it off, and God raised him. God's not done with Paul. You know when God's not done with you, you enter the hospital, you get out of the hospital. Wow, God's not done with me. And we start taking life a little bit more seriously. It's a wake-up call, God's hand upon God's people.

He comes out of it, and then he begins to minister to these Judaizers. He sees the problem. What's interesting is the Jews continued to follow after Paul when they found out that he was alive. These Judaizers began to slander him, and they questioned his authority. "Who is this Paul going around saying this and that?" They brought forth false accusations. You know that song we sang: "When there's no fruit on the vine, I will not fear what man can do." Paul lived a life like that. He didn't fear what man can do or tries to do. He didn't fear that. But he feared God. He reverenced God. He walked humbly before his God, and God was with him on the journey. That's important for us as Christians to get, as we walk humbly so God will be with us on our journey.

He will open doors and shut doors. So Paul's being slandered, accusations. This epistle of Galatians opens so many eyes. So many great men of God, as they read it, their lives were changed. One of them is Martin Luther. As he read the Galatians, he just really had a revelation. He simply said, and you've heard it before, it's not by works, or the just shall live by faith, not by works. We live by the faith of the Son of God who loved us and gave his life for us. We don't live with works.

These guys were trapped. They were in this religion of works mixed with grace. "Yes, grace; yes, Jesus died; but you've got to do this and you've got to do that." They were always doing their thing. This epistle's also been called Paul's freedom book, shouting freedom to those who have been religious. If you've ever been religious, you know what I'm talking about because you were under the gun. You had to do this, you had to do that. If you don't do this, this is going to happen. It's just always on, and you've got to do certain things if you're going to go to heaven.

That's not what the book says. There's only one way to heaven. Jesus said it himself, "I am the only way, the only life, the only truth." There is no other way to get to the Father but through me. No other way. "Well, I haven't been baptized yet." Oh, that's okay. "It is? I heard somebody tell me if you're not baptized, you're going to..." Well, that's not right. The thief on the cross, he said, "Will you remember me when you come into your kingdom, Jesus?" He said, "Today you'll be with me in paradise." It's not about works. It's not about doing things.

"Well, I go to church every Sunday. God, you know that, huh? Cool." What do you mean? You're going to heaven because you go to church every Sunday? I think not. It has nothing to do with what we do; it has everything to do with what he has done. And that's this epistle. It's going to be awesome. It's going to be quite a ride as we get into it and as we learn about the liberty that we have in Christ.

It's broken up very simply. Its outline is chapters 1 through 2, Paul's personal experience with grace, what he experienced in his life. Chapters 3 and 4 is Paul's doctrinal instructions about grace. What grace is, the bottom line, scripturally speaking. And let me add this, that there is a definition of grace that I think is very unique. It's God's unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor. Never going to earn it, never going to merit it. It's just given to us because God loves us. You mean you don't have to do anything for it? No, just ask for it. Just ask the Lord to show you his grace, to give you his grace, and then begin to walk in it. There's so much liberty in that.

Chapters 5 and 6, Paul's practical application of grace. We need to be applied to our practical living today. What does it mean? How is it going to affect our lives, and how do I experience it myself? That's so important. So first, Paul's personal experience with grace, chapters 1 and 2. Now, we see God's grace declared in chapter 1, verses 1 through 10. And then verses 11 through 24, we see grace depicted in Paul's life. He begins to just show it throughout his life.

Chapter 2, Paul defends grace in his ministry to the church corporately, to everyone. And he sets Peter aside and to Peter personally because, remember, Peter got caught up in legalism, and Paul had to correct Peter. You mean the Pope? No, he wasn't the Pope. And he wasn't; he wasn't the first Pope. But some would tell you he was. If he was the Pope, then we're in big trouble. Peter was a troubled dude. Always open mouth, put foot in it, and he really struggled. Paul saw his struggling, and Paul confronted him in front of others about what he was doing. That's going to be an interesting lesson in itself.

Let's look at it. Galatians chapter 1, verse 1. "Paul," in other words, he's the writer, "an apostle, not of men, neither by men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead." Why is he starting this way? Other times, he started his epistle saying, "Paul, a servant, a doulos of the Lord Jesus Christ." "I'm a bondslave of God. What can I say? He's my master, I serve him, and I will serve him for the rest of my life. He gave his life for me, so there's nothing. I'm just laying down my life, a living sacrifice." And that's what he said: "I'm a servant of the Lord Jesus." And then another place he said, "I'm a prisoner of the Lord." I'm captivated by him. I am his and he is mine and we're just tight; we're together.

But this time, he says "apostle" to these Judaizers that were challenging him. They were challenging his apostolic authority. They said, "You're no apostle. What do you think you're doing?" Now, what does apostle mean? It means this is one who has been sent. That's what it means. And so they're questioning this authority. Now, he comes back with authority. He's not afraid of these guys. I don't care how much they questioned his authority, how much they slandered him, or how much they made accusations against him. Paul would stand up and come back again with the authority of God.

"I don't come in man's authority." Now, it sounds pretty cocky at first. You go, "Wow, is he stuck up or what?" No, he's just saying the truth. God saved me. God sent me. I represent God. So you guys, I don't know what you're talking about or what you've got a problem with, but I know that my ordination didn't come from man. It came from God. I think that's very special. It's all about God's anointing. I am an apostle. I am someone who has been sent. Remember Isaiah 6, verse 7. Remember God says, "Whom shall I send?" and Isaiah stood up and said, "Send me." I love that. And then God says, "Now go tell this people."

Isaiah was sent by God. Go tell somebody about Jesus. Share with them how he's changed your life, how he's had compassion on you, and how he's loved you and revealed his amazing grace to you that saved a wretch like you. Give me a break. Realize who you are, what you are. Humble yourself before him and you'll be able to represent him well. People will just go, "Wow, this is interesting. I've never heard this before." Well, it's the gospel; it's the good news.

Remember over in Luke chapter 10, Jesus is speaking here in verse 3. He says, "Listen, go your ways, guys. Behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves." So I send you forth, and I'm sending you forth into a world that is not lovely. They don't love Christians. In fact, they'd like to devour you like a wolf would like to devour a lamb. But I'm just thinking that God's given us some teeth as Christians, Holy Spirit power, that they might come against us, but they're not going to devour us. We're going to stand on the gospel. We're going to give them God's word.

I guess you could call every single one of us who have received Christ as our Lord and Savior, who have asked him to come in and change our lives, you could call every single one of us an apostle. "Jeff, that's not right. There's only 12 holy ones." You are a sent one.