GALATIANS
“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.” (Gal. 1:1-5)
The book of
Galatians is a small book, but it is powerful.
Oliver B. Greene,
when writing about Galatians, said: “Great Bible teachers of the past have
called this ‘Paul’s crucifixion epistle’ and ‘Paul’s explosive epistle.’” One
Bible scholar said that every sentence in it is a “thunderbolt.” Another great
scholar said, “Every word in Galatians is a stick of dynamite.”
Martin Luther
testified, “Galatians is my epistle. I am married to Galatians.” Certainly this
book was the pebble from the brook with which Luther, like David, went to meet
a mighty giant more dangerous than Goliath – the papacy of the Roman Catholic
Church. Like David, Luther emerged victorious.
I find it
interesting that only five verses in Galatians are given as the introduction.
Most of you would agree if I said that the church of Corinth was the most
carnal church mentioned in the New Testament. It was a wreck. We have two
epistles on record explaining the situation there and all of the things that
were going on. But if you go back and look at the introduction to I Corinthians,
you see that Paul spends nine verses greeting his friends and co-laborers
there.
The church at
Galatia seems to be in a lot better shape, but as we see in the middle of
chapter 1 that is not the case. Paul gives a brief greeting and then says, “Now
stop it! You’re doing wrong.” Why would he seem so nice to the Corinthians but
smack the Galatians in the mouth so quickly? The answer is simple. In Corinth
it was a matter of behavior; in Galatia it was a matter of belief.
Do you know what
is wrong with our churches today? We minor on the major and major on the minor.
We are so concerned with how people behave, while God is more concerned with
how they believe. You can teach behavior if the belief is right. If the belief
is wrong, the behavior does not matter.
What an incredible
thought. Why is So-and-so not living right? Why has that family gone downhill?
Why is this person turning his or her back on God? It is because they all have
no concept of the holiness of God. They have been taught, “Do this and don’t do
that. Then you’ll be good boys and girls.” Belief must come before behavior,
and Galatians is a power-packed book because it shows that the heart of the
matter is your belief system.
We are a
spiritually ignorant generation. We do not know the doctrine and the
fundamental truths of the Word of God. In Galatians the Apostle Paul got back
to basics, and he wasted no time doing it.
Why is it so hard
to build a good church? People like to be tickled, not taught. They don’t want
to have doctrine, because it requires going line upon line, precept upon
precept. You have to plow through it verse-by-verse. It takes work. Most of us
would much rather sit back and listen to a topical sermon on whatever happens
to be the flavor of the month.
It is harder for
preachers and Sunday school teachers to go verse-by-verse because you have to
deal with whatever is there. I remember the first time I went through I and II
Corinthians with my former church in Texas. In no time we were on the subject
of tongues. I thought, “I’d really like to just save topic that for another
time,” but it was the next verse so I had to address it.
It all boils down
to laziness and apathy. We are more concerned about the things of the world
than the things of the Word. Galatians is one of those books that makes you
say, “Wow!” when you first read it. But when you start studying it and breaking
it down, you realize that there is a lot there you need to know.
What was this
other gospel? What was there about it that was so confusing? I am a
fundamentalist, and I have no doubt about it. I am very settled in that. But
did you know that some of our fundamental brethren have preached some very bad
doctrine over the years? They have hurt some people by preaching things that,
if you were a Berean Christian, would have made you stop and say, “Whoa! That’s
not in my Bible.”
We had a period of
time where we so exalted men and our own movement that they became more
important then the Scripture. At the same time we were blistering all of the
infidels, we were not even preaching the Bible.
In Galatians, Paul
talked to the people about how far removed they were from what he had taught
them. They were being seduced by other teachings that were not the Gospel, and
Paul said, “I’m not happy about this. We need to deal with it.”
Our study begins
with the first verse of the first chapter. “Paul, an apostle, (not of men,
neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from
the dead).” The Apostle Paul lays out some strong CREDENTIALS. He
was not “Papa-sent and Mama-called.” He was called by God, sent by God and with
a message from God. He laid out his position, the proof of that
position, and the power from which it came.
You do not have to respect Brent Stancil, but when
Brent Stancil opens the Word of God you had better listen. I have never claimed
to be anyone special; at times I have been embarrassed to be a pastor. I can
say some silly and dumb things, but when I tell you what the Bible says, you
need to take it seriously. The Word of God is the standard. It is the power.
I am amazed at how
many churches have no idea what preaching is anymore. My wife and I like a lot
of different styles of preaching, but too many people confuse style with
substance. Preaching is not about oratory; it is about reading a verse from the
Bible and conveying its meaning to the listeners.
Paul told the
Galatians, “You have to listen to me – not because I am Paul, but because I am
God’s man.” Today we have two major problems in that we don’t have enough
preachers who will preach the truth or enough people who will listen to such
preaching. We are all accountable for what we hear. It is almost better to stay
away from church than to hear something and not respond as you should.
At the same time,
we as preachers and teachers need to get back to teaching the Word of God. A
wide variety of material will make its way to my desk on any given week, and a
few years ago I got something from a major publishing house promoting a Sunday
school series based on “The Andy Griffith Show.” The idea is for a class to
watch a few clips from Mayberry, draw a truth from it, and that is your lesson.
It can be fun for some people, but it grieves the Spirit of God. We have so
little time each week to share the Word and we must take maximum advantage of it.
Some say, “People
won’t come if you preach the Bible.” Solid Bible-preaching churches across the
nation are proving that the opposite is true. I believe people are starved for
truth. They crave the opportunity to hear someone say, “This is not what I think
or what I feel. This is what God’s Word says. Like it or not, you must be
accountable to it.” If you’re wondering what I plan to do to help my church
grow, I don’t know any other way than to “preach the word; be instant in
season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and
doctrine” (II Tim. 4:2).
We don’t need to
change our philosophy. We just need to tell them what Jesus said, and get back
to the kind of Christianity found in the book of Acts – go, win, baptize,
teach.
Every new
Christian and every new member in your church should be in a discipleship
program. They need to learn the Book. You say, “I don’t want a church like
that.” Go to a church that only has a Sunday morning service and you will love
it there. I’m not trying to run off anyone from my church, but sometimes you
have to prune a plant to see it grow. When growth seems to have reached a
plateau, it’s time to speed up, not ease back. We need to get more serious
about the Word of God. I want my members to be able to go to the workplace and
tell their associates about the promises contained in the Bible and how it can
help them in the daily lives.
Notice in verse 2
that Paul was not alone, but had his COWORKERS. “And all the brethren
which are with me…” So often we as Christians get into this “poor me, I’m
all by myself” syndrome. One big reason our church hosts a Single Vision
Conference is to let fundamental Baptists who are single know that plenty of
others out there who believe what they believe. Even Elijah, as described in
Rom. 11:3, lamented, “I am left alone.”
There are still a lot of people across the country
and around the world who believe the Bible as it was written and the old-time
religion. Recently at our church’s luncheon for new members we heard from several
who were thrilled to find a church in the area that still wins souls and has
Sunday night services. “The church we came from used to believe that, but they
don’t anymore,” they will often say.
God’s plan is for us to encourage one another in the
Word like that. Did you ever wonder why they were sent out two by two? It was
because one day Peter might be up and James would be down, and another day it
would be reversed, but they could always encourage and strengthen each other no
matter who was excited or who was depressed. Each of us needs to be reminded
from time to time, “You are not alone.”
Go back to the book of Exodus and you can read about
how the Lord gave Moses instructions on how to build the tabernacle, then
added, “But you’re not going to build it.” Look at Ex. 31:1-6.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I
have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of
Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in
understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise
cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of
stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of
workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of
Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted
I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee.”
Chapters 37 and 38 of Exodus give details about all
of the things Bezaleel built in the tabernacle, concluding in Ex. 38:22. “And
Bezaleel the son Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the
LORD commanded Moses.”
Moses had a vision and a dream from God, but he
needed coworkers to carry it out. I believe he was the greatest leader we know
of in human history, guiding about three million Israelites through the
wilderness over four decades. God gave him direction regarding the tabernacle
but said he would not do any of the actual labor. How would it get done? God
sent some men that were trained and gifted in the areas that were required for
this project.
Your church will make its mark for Christ in your
community because the Lord has sent you some Bezaleels. I have a vision for our
church, and some of it scares me sometimes, but God will provide the laborers
we need when we need them.
You are a Bezaleel also. God has wired you to do
something important for Him and for your church, and you are different from
others in your congregation. I am a big-picture guy who hates details, but I
have been blessed at my church with some key people who love details and are
good at dealing with them. Each of us as Christians has a Bezaleel-type skill
that is to be utilized for the cause of Christ. God did not give you that
ability so you could sit on the sidelines. He expects you to serve Him with it
and bring Him glory through it. You need to be in a church that encourages this
and stirs you up to do something for God.
Do you realize that we would not have a New
Testament if Paul had to write it himself? He needed other people to write down
what he said. It is recorded in his epistles that he frequently asked for
certain people to come because of the ways in which they could help him.
Subsequently, he and his coworkers turned their world upside down for Christ.
The latter portion of verse 2 refers to the CHURCHES.
These were the people who had been saved, baptized and were serving the Lord in
that city. The churches were scattered all over the region in the various
cities Paul had visited on his missionary journeys. Each one is what we know
today as a “local church.”
God’s plan for this age is to use the local church.
Television, radio, the Internet, and anything else you can think of that is
effective in spreading the Gospel is meant to be a tool of the local church. I
am tired of people thinking that Christianity is some huge invisible kingdom
out there to which you have no personal connection. That is not true. You are
accountable to the local church. We are all part of the family of God, and I am
thankful for that, but each of us is responsible to a specific local church.
We are to send out missionaries through the local
church, and their task is to evangelize their portions of the world by
organizing new local churches. Every worthwhile ministry has some kind of
connection to the local church. When someone wants to do something outside the
local church, it is often to avoid accountability.
Some of what we waste our money on and call
“missions” is ridiculous. There are times when, instead of sending our money
all over the place, we should be channeling it to reach our own communities
through our own churches.
Some people don’t like the local church because they
know that if they aren’t there one week, they’re going to get a phone call.
Someone is going to check up on them. We’re not trying to control your life,
but we know how the devil works, and when you miss one week it gets easier to
miss a second, third and fourth time. Before long you’ve been gone a decade,
and that is a decade of your life you will never get back.
I am tired of people trying to “fix” our church.
We’re doing just fine. If you don’t like the way our church operates, that’s
OK. There are hundreds of other churches in our area, and you should be able to
find one to your liking. I would prefer that you stay, but not with a critical
spirit or a gossiping spirit. All that does is destroy lives and hurt the cause
of Christ. The local church is a family, and we should treat each other that
way.
Look at verses 3-5 and see the CHARGE from
Paul. “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.”
God wants us to have grace and peace in our lives.
Do you have that? I sleep like a baby at night because I don’t worry or get
stressed out about things. When you worry about everything, you make yourself
(and everyone around you) miserable. As we see from this verse, God does not
want us to be miserable. He wants us to have the grace and peace that can only
come from Him.
Grace and peace can only come from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Some people don’t have grace and peace because
they have never been saved. This includes a lot of church members. Those of us
who are born again know that, as verse 4 says, we have something much greater
to look forward to after this life, so there is no need to be terrified by what
is going on in the world today.
How do we have grace and peace? It is simple:
·
We have been delivered from sin’s penalty.
·
We are being delivered from sin’s power.
·
One day we will be delivered from sin’s
presence.
All of this is done for one reason: So that God
can be glorified for ever and ever.
When you realize that God wants to give you things
you cannot even imagine, you will see how futile it is to worry, whine and
complain. Do you have that relationship with God through Jesus Christ? Do you
know that your sins are forgiven? If the doctor came to you tomorrow and said
you have about 30 days to live, it would change your perspective about
eternity.
My desire for my church, like Paul’s for the
Galatians, is that they live in grace and peace by knowing Christ and walking
in fellowship with Him. There is no more joyous Christian in the world than a
Christian who serves and walks with God. Likewise, there is no more miserable
person alive than a Christian who does not do those things.
I have no desire to build a big church just for the
sake of having a big church. I don’t need to be known nationally or be “number
one” in anything. I just want my people to get a taste of what it feels like
when you are right with God and serving Him. There is nothing greater in the
entire world. So many Christians just don’t get it, and they languish through
life in misery.
The late Tom Malone used to say, “I can drink all I
want to, I can dance all I want to do, and I can run around on my wife all I
want to. The trouble is, I just don’t want to.” He had found something so much
better.
What a great church you could have if your
congregation just decided to serve God and didn’t get caught up in petty
problems and a critical spirit. Anyone can tear something down; it takes
character to build something up. When we understand that, we can do something
great for God.
