Galatians 1:1-5
SERMON OUTLINE
TRANSCRIPT
If you have your Bibles please turn with me to Galatians chapter 1 verse 1 to 5. Allow me to read for you Galatians chapter 1 verse 1, “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
I have prayerfully decided to preach on the book of Galatians for our Sunday messages. The title of our message this morning is “The Letter To The Galatians.” Allow me to give you a brief background of this book. The author of this book was the apostle Paul and this was a letter that he wrote to the churches of Galatia - verse 2 tells us that. Many theologians have been debating about the meaning of the word “Galatia.” You see hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ, some fierce tribes have migrated from Gaul (modern day France) into Asia Minor and they had founded Galatia, which simply means “the country of Gaul.” Then with the emergence of the Roman Empire, the Romans conquered the region and they included several other areas into Galatia and they renamed it “the province of Galatia.”
So in those days when someone talks about Galatia, it could mean the small country of Galatia or it could mean the large Roman province of Galatia. So Bible theologians were divided as to whether Paul was speaking about the small country of Galatia, which is in the north or the large province of Galatia, which is in the south. Even till today, this debate is still going on – they call it “the North Galatia Theory” or “the South Galatia Theory.” The reason why I mention to you all this is because many commentators will say either one of these two. Some would tell you that Paul was writing to the churches in North Galatia, while others will say he is writing this letter to the churches of South Galatia. But according to Biblical records, we know that during the first missionary journey in Acts chapter 13 and 14, Paul and Barnabas established four churches in the southern province of Galatia – in the cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. The face that they book of Acts mention only these four cities in the south region and make no mention at all of any churches in the north region, we believe that Paul was writing to the churches in South Galatia, primarily to these four cities – Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe.
Paul was very concern about the churches in Galatia because after he had left, false teachers had infiltrated into the church. They were teaching another gospel. We will focus more about that in our next message. They were distorting the gospel of Jesus Christ – they were teaching that the Gentiles must fist be Jewish by circumcision before they could become Christians. And all Christians, whether Jews or Gentiles they were righteous before God only if they remain under the Mosaic laws, regulations, traditions and ceremonies. Essentially they were preaching a gospel of works, which means, “You have to work to earn your own salvation.” Paul calls it “Another gospel that cannot save you.” It was very serious, so much so that if you notice Paul would always begin his letters with a word of commendation to his readers. But this is the only epistle that he did not give any commendation to the readers.
For example, to the Philippians Paul said, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,” Philippians 1 verse 3. To the Colossians he said, “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,” Colossians 1 verse 3 to 4. Even to the worldly, immoral and immature Corinthians Paul said, “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;” 1 Corinthians 1 verse 4. But to the Galatians, there was nothing – no commendation at all. Why? Because when the very heart of the gospel was being undermined by the false teachers, when the gospel of grace was being replaced by the gospel of works, which is a false gospel, another gospel which will lead the people not to salvation but to damnation. Paul did not want to waste any time with commendation, he immediately dealt with the problem. So when you read this letter, you notice that it was very straightforward – immediately he went into dealing the problem.
I. His Authority
Throughout this book, the focus would be on the Christians’ spiritual freedom - our deliverance by Jesus Christ from the bondage of sin and from religious legalism. Basically this is the background of the book of Galatians. Our first point for today’s message is “His Authority.” Let us begin with verse 1, “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;).” Remember the false teachers had infiltrated into the church or churches in Galatia, and they were teaching another gospel. In order for them to teach another gospel, they had to first urge the people to reject the gospel that Paul had preached. And the only they could do that was to reject the authority of Paul. In other words, they attack the truthfulness of the message by attacking the authority of the messenger. Apparently they managed to convince some of the Galatians that ‘Paul was not like the twelve apostles. He was just a self-made; self appointed apostle, with no divine authority, no credentials at all. So don’t listen to him, don’t trust him. He is not a God appointed apostle.’ Isn’t it true that sometimes when people cannot find any fault with the message we preach, they would attack our character or they would question our credentials or accuse us of things we did not say or do. If they succeed in doing that, they have undermined our authority. Once our authority had been undermined, no one would listen to our message anymore. That is what the false teachers would always endeavour to do – attack the authority of the messenger so that the truthfulness of the message would be attacked too. Therefore at the beginning of this letter, Paul had to establish his apostolic authority. He says, “Paul, an apostle.” The word “apostle” simply means someone who has been sent out. In the case of the twelve apostles minus Judas Iscariot who was replaced by Matthias – they were directly chosen and sent by the Lord Jesus Christ for the foundation of the local church. One important criteria to be part of the twelve apostles was that they must be witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ - not just Christ, but the resurrected Christ. And one of the responsibilities of the twelve apostles was also to write the Holy Scriptures as in the New Testament. Once the last of the twelve apostles died, the office for this particular group of apostles had come to an end. That means that there would be no more addition to the Word of God – no one can add, no one can subtract. Apparently John was the last apostle to be alive, and by the inspiration of God, He gave this very stern warning at the end of the Holy Scriptures, Revelations 22 verse 18. Let me read for you, “ For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” So it is very serious. Today the charismatics would take it very lightly. They would come to you and tell you that “God has given to them new revelations, new knowledge, new things that you have never heard before. But the Bible tells us very clearly that anyone who adds and subtract, their names would be taken from the book of life.” Paul was also such an apostle like the twelve. He was specially chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ – the resurrected Christ, to be an apostle to the Gentiles. He was also used by God to write many books in the New Testament, we have studied many of his books. He described himself as “one who was born out of due time,” 1 Corinthians 15 verse 8. Paul had seen the resurrected Christ in a very unique way – he was actually on his way to Damascus to persecute and arrest the Christians there. Suddenly there was a light that flashed from Heaven all around him. He fell unto the ground and he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul why persecutest thou me?” At that time he was called Saul and he said, “Who art thou, Lord?” (and the Lord said) “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” The Lord Jesus had chosen and called him to be an apostle to the Gentiles – to bear His name before the Gentiles, before the kings and before the children of Israel. You can read about that in Acts chapter 9. But in the Bible, there were also other people called “apostles”. People like Barnabas, Timothy, Silas and some of the other outstanding church leaders in the New Testament church. As we have mentioned, the word “apostle” simply means someone who is sent out. So since the establishment of the church in the book of Acts, there were these people who were especially sent out by the church – you can call them missionaries, but they were different from the twelve apostles and the apostle Paul. So when Paul introduced himself as an apostle, he was not referring to himself as someone who was sent out like a missionary. He was referring to himself like the twelve apostles, chosen specially by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Therefore to all the false teachers who were accusing him of being a self appointed apostle who had no authority to preach and teach, he emphatically said this, “I am made an apostle not of man, neither by man.” In other words, “not by any church, not by any association, not by any denomination, not by any human instrument, but by Jesus Christ Himself. And God the Father who hath raised Him from dead, of whom Paul was an eyewitness.” He saw the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. So it was very important for Paul to first of all establish his apostolic authority because the false teachers were attacking his authority, so that they would attack also the truthfulness of the message.
II. His Message
Our second point is “His Message.” Verse 2, “And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:” Paul was not writing this letter alone, all the brethren were with him as he wrote this letter to the churches of Galatia. Most likely Paul wanted the Galatians to know that he was not alone opposing the false teachers. All the brethren were standing together with him against their heretical teaching. Verse 3, “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,” This is a very typical way for Paul to greet his readers. “Grace” refers to God’s underserved favour, love and forgiveness that free us from the consequences of sin. And it not only refers to God’s saving grace, but also to God’s sustaining grace that we need for daily living. In other words, we need God’s grace to be saved. We also need God’s grace to be sustained, to protect us, to preserve us, to provide for all our needs, to grant us journey mercies when we travel from place to place - we need God’s grace at every moment of our lives. And when we have received God’s grace, we have peace from God. This peace does not mean that there’s no trouble, no struggles, no afflictions or you will not be sick. This peace is not the absence of trouble – it is the presence of God in the midst of trouble. The trouble may still be there, but as Philippians 4 verse 7 says, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” My friends, take a moment and consider this. When we are not at peace, what happens? Our hearts, our minds would be filled with worries and anxieties, right? This morning, if you are sick and in hospital or if you are facing certain challenges and issues, financial problems, relationship problems, emotional problems; all kinds of thoughts, questions, doubts would flood into your hearts and minds. As someone rightly said, “Before the trouble gets you, the anxiety would overwhelm you.” In such times like this, the peace of God will be like a guard, the peace of God will be like a watchman. That is the meaning of the word “keep” - to protect your hearts and your minds and it is only through the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as Paul wishes for the Galatians to have grace and peace, likewise we also wish for our love ones, our friends, our moms and dads, our children to have grace and peace. Yesterday someone asked me, “Pastor, I heard you mention during prayer meeting about certain prayer items. I am burdened to pray for those people affected, but what should I pray for?” If you know someone is dying because she has advanced stage cancer, or if you know that a child may not survive weeks or months and may potentially die, what should you pray for? Well I said to the person, “Pray for grace and peace to be upon them.” This morning, if you are troubled, if you are going through certain trials so painful that words cannot express, what should you pray for? Pray for grace and peace. The trouble may still be there, the afflictions may still be there, but God’s peace will guard your hearts and minds as you go through the trouble. That is what the grace of God and the peace of God will help us. Remember Paul was dealing with the false teachers who were teaching the people that “Salvation is by works.” If that is true, if that is the case then it is not by grace, and if it is not by grace – it can never give us peace. Think about this, “If salvation is by works, you will never know if you have done enough to be saved. You will never know if you are eternally secured. You will always be thinking, have I done enough? Am I good enough? Am I righteous enough? Am I Holy enough? Am I prayerful enough? Have I done enough? Am I really saved? Am I really going to Heaven? You will never have peace. But if salvation is by grace then it is not what you have done or not done. It is about what our Lord Jesus had done on the cross of Calvary.” That was the reason why the apostle Paul says in verse 4, “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:” Recently someone said to me, “I do not read the newspaper anymore. So I asked the person why. He said, because there’s only bad news, turn every page there is always bad news.” Indeed we live in a world that is filled with sin and trouble, there’s always bad news. You switch on the television and hear the news – bad news, all the time. But as believers, we all know that the real bad news is that “all of us are sinners and come short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death. Not just physical death, also spiritual and eternal death.” Hebrews 9 verse 27 says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Because of our sins, we would be sent to the eternal lake of fire. Can you imagine that? A million upon a million years, we would be tormenting in a place the Bible says, “The fire never stops burning. No relieve at all - forever and ever.” That is real bad news. Not just the bad news you read in the newspapers, but there’s also the real good news, and that is the gospel. We can be saved because our Lord Jesus died for our sins. He paid the penalty for our sins through the shedding of His precious blood and His death on the cross. He was buried but He rose again on the third day from the grave. Indeed it is the real good news, that sinners can be forgiven and go to Heaven by trusting and believing in what Jesus had done on the cross of Calvary. Have you believed in Him or are you still lingering outside spiritual darkness, and trusting in your own strength to save yourself? You can never save yourself; you’ll be lost forever and ever. What is “this present evil world?” What does it mean? Depending on the context, the word “world” can mean different things. Sometimes it can mean this physical world, like “God has created the world,” it is this physical world, the earth. Or it can mean humanity, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That “world” is the world of humanity. Here, it means the present evil world system. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden this present evil world system has been dominated by Satan. Before our salvation, you and I were walking according to the cause of this world, according to how he dictates us to walk, according to the prince of the power of the air – that is Satan. But the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we have been delivered from this present evil world. Although we may be still in this world, but we are no longer part of this world. This world is not our home; Heaven is our home. If we are truly saved, then we should not be living our lives according to this present evil world. We should not be living according to all the influences, the philosophies, the beliefs, the value systems, the entertainment, sin and immoralities of this world, which are contrary to God. My friends, do you still love this present evil world? Do you know what the Bible says about someone who loves the things of this world – money, prestige, (and) worldly ambitions, so preoccupied with this world’s enjoyment, pleasures? You know what bible says? 1 John chapter 2 verse 15 to 16 says, “Love not the world,” that is a reference to this evil world system, “neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
So my friends, if you are someone who loves this present evil world, so preoccupied with the things of this world – money, prestige, power, entertainment, enjoyment. It is all about how and what this world can offer you; you know what is your condition, your situation? The Bible says, “You are not a true believer, because the love of the Father is not in you.” That is a very serious warning to us, right? And Paul went on to say (in Galatians 1:4), “According to the will of God and our Father.” In the Garden of Gethsemane our Lord Jesus, He agonized so tremendously that He cried out to God and said, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done,” Luke chapter 22 verse 42. So facing the cross, our Lord Jesus agonized how He would have to carry and bare the sins of the people. He says, “If there is any way, if there is another way, remove this cup of suffering.” But it was never God’s will to remove the cup of suffering, because otherwise you and I would be eternally lost. We would never be saved. It was the Father’s will that His precious only begotten Son would die, so that you and I who believe in Him might live. But to live for what purpose - to continue in sin and to continue to follow after the things of this world, all the influences of this world? God forbids - most certainly not. Because God saved us that we might delivered from the present evil world. We must live a transformed life, and this is according to the will of God. It is God’s will that believers must live this transformed life and not be focus on the things of this world, but rather be focus on the things above.
III. His Motivation
Our final point is “His Motivation.” If God had saved us, delivered us from this present evil world then our motivation should be to live for His glory. Verse 5 Paul says, “To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Today there are false teachers who have twisted and distorted the gospel. The health, wealth and prosperity gospel preachers would say to you, “Come and believe in Jesus and you will be bless with good health, wealth and prosperity. So you can enjoy your life, you can enjoy all the pleasures in this world.” That is the mindset of this present evil world, and those false teachers, they knew that. That is why they preach such a gospel. The new age preachers would say to you, “all you need to do is just to mouth the name of Jesus Christ, you will be saved. Doesn’t matter how you live your life, all you need to do is just to say those magical words “you believe in Jesus Christ”,” you will be saved forever and ever. They will never preach about sin, repentance, hell, but they will always preach about love, forgiveness, blessings, Heaven. It is a twisted gospel. It is a one-sided gospel, which is another gospel, a fake gospel. Sadly, thousands and thousands of people have believed in this fake gospel, another gospel that cannot save them. Once they die, they swing into eternity; they’ll be lost forever and ever. If we truly believe in the true gospel, our lives must be transformed. Jesus saved us and delivered us from this present evil world. We are not perfect but we cannot be living in habitual sins – it is not possible. If we are truly saved, my friends, all of us would have this undeniable desire to live our lives for the glory of God forever and ever. As Paul says, “To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” This morning, let us ask ourselves this question, “If today, the Lord were to cause us to draw our last breathe, would we be able to say, “The Lord has saved me, He has delivered me from this present evil world. This world is not my home - Heaven is my home. I have lived my life to the glory of God” or when we look back and take account of our lives, to our horror all we see is a life that is lived for ourselves, and we are all preoccupied with the things of this world – money, enjoyment, holidays, pleasures, including sin, immoralities and all other worldly pursuits?” My friends, then perhaps we have not believed in the true gospel. Because the true gospel is a gospel that will transform our lives – it is a gospel that will cause us to have this undeniable desire to live our days to the glory of God forever and ever. The Lord’s name be praised. Let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for Thy precious World. Indeed as we begin our study of the book of Galatians, help us to draw valuable lessons, spiritual lessons that we may apply into our lives. Help us not just to learn Thy Word for head knowledge sake, but Thy word will also rest in our hearts and be manifested in our lives. So teach us that we will not just be hearers only but to be doers of Thy Word as well. So we commit our lives into Thy loving hands, giving Thee thanks and we pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF GALATIANSA Letter To The GalatiansA Letter To The GalatiansGalatians 1:1-5
The Danger of Preaching Another GospelThe Danger of Preaching Another GospelGalatians 1:6-9
Be a God-Pleaser, not a Men-PleaserBe a God-Pleaser, not a Men-PleaserGalatians 1:10-12
But When It Pleased GodBut When It Pleased GodGalatians 1:13-24
Standing for the Truth of the GospelStanding for the Truth of the GospelGalatians 2:1-5
One Gospel, Different MinistriesOne Gospel, Different MinistriesGalatians 2:6-10
The Need to Confront Sin (Part 2)The Need to Confront Sin (Part 2)Galatians 2:14-16
The Need to Confront Sin (Part 3)The Need to Confront Sin (Part 3)Galatians 2:17-19
Dead, Yet Alive!Dead, Yet Alive!Galatians 2:20-21
Remember How You Were Saved!Remember How You Were Saved!Galatians 3:1-5
Saved by FaithSaved by FaithGalatians 3:6-9
The Age Old Promise of the GospelThe Age Old Promise of the GospelGalatians 3:6-18
Christ Bore Our CurseChrist Bore Our CurseGalatians 3:10-14
Will God Keep His Promise?Will God Keep His Promise?Galatians 3:15-18
Why Then Have the Law?Why Then Have the Law?Galatians 3:19-22
What the Law Meant to Us?What the Law Meant to Us?Galatians 3:23-29
The Son of God Became the Son of ManThe Son of God Became the Son of ManGalatians 4:1-7
No More a Servant and Child, But a SonNo More a Servant and Child, But a SonGalatians 4:1-7
Until Christ Be Formed In YouUntil Christ Be Formed In YouGalatians 4:8-20
Freedom in Christ or Bondage to WorksFreedom in Christ or Bondage to WorksGalatians 4:21-5:1
By Faith Or By Works!By Faith Or By Works!Galatians 5:2-6
The Dangers of False TeachersThe Dangers of False TeachersGalatians 5:7-12
The Christian FreedomThe Christian FreedomGalatians 5:13-15
The Works of the FleshThe Works of the FleshGalatians 5:19-21
The Fruit of the Spirit (Part 2)The Fruit of the Spirit (Part 2)Galatians 5:22-25
Restoring the Sinning BrotherRestoring the Sinning BrotherGalatians 5:26-6:5
Restoring the Sinning BrethrenRestoring the Sinning BrethrenGalatians 5:26-6:6
You Shall Reap What You SowYou Shall Reap What You SowGalatians 6:7-10
Living for the Praise of MenLiving for the Praise of MenGalatians 6:11-13
Living for the Glory of GodLiving for the Glory of GodGalatians 6:14-18
