Well, it's awful, isn't it, when you hear stories of con artists, salesmen, scammers, cold callers, people who prey on the vulnerable and pose as somebody they're not.
! You've got to watch out for that, haven't you? And if that is the case with your bank details, or your online identity, or your passwords and property, how much more important
is it in spiritual things and in your soul? You might know the history a little bit of the book of Galatians, you can read about it in Acts, chapters 13 and 14,
and Paul, the apostle, he's on his missionary journeys, isn't he? And he tours this region of towns called Galatia. He sets up some churches there, he sets them up and then moves on,
but within a short time in these churches some problems arise. And we're going to look through the whole letter to the Galatians as a kind of new series over the next few weeks,
and we'll see more about what was the matter. But basically, in a nutshell, they have been conned. Spiritual scammers have been sniffing around the front door of the church,
and they've got into the church. Do you see, he says in verse 6, doesn't he, that they've been led to a different gospel from the one that Paul initially gave to them.
And so he's writing this letter to deal with that issue. And in this intro section, I want you to see with me three things.
Firstly, the gravity of the situation that they are in. The gravity of the situation.
As you pick up the letter to the Galatians in the New Testament, some people think that Paul, he's being quite cold, and he's being quite nasty.
He seems quite prickly, as you read through it. He's pretty touchy.
And it's quite unusual. The tone in the letter is quite unusual. It's not the Paul that we're used to listening to.
There's not much politeness. There are no airs and graces. There's not his usual words of gratitude and thanksgiving for the Christians in Galatia,
like there is in Ephesians or Philippians or even in Corinthians.
The tone is really tense. It's serious. It's pained. He cuts to the chase in verse 6, doesn't he?
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ.
Later in chapter 3, he calls the Galatians fools.
But don't mistake that tone for coldness.
Because some situations require a harder tone of voice, don't they?
Imagine a child running into the road. You're not going to politely ask them to stop, are you?
You're going to shout, stop! And grab them.
His harshness in the letter reflects the gravity of the situation that they are in.
Because, if you look at verse 7, he says,
There are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
Our baby, he's called Kit.
And he's three weeks old and he loves drinking his mother's milk.
He's really good at feeding.
But imagine that Emma and I, we go away for the night and we get a babysitter in.
We get one of you lot to come and look after him for the evening.
And we get the milk all set up in the kitchen, lined up, ready for you to feed him.
And it's all sterilised and it's pure.
And it's ready to go.
And all you've got to do is deliver it.
As is.
But when we get home, you say to us,
Thanks for the milk, it was really good.
But I wanted to liven it up a bit.
So I thought I'd add some iron brew to the milk.
Is that alright?
It just needed that fizz factor.
So I've added some Coca-Cola as well.
I've enhanced it.
Just a little bit.
Just a few drops.
Well, we'd be mortified, wouldn't we?
You haven't enhanced it at all.
You've ruined it.
You've changed the milk and you've damaged the child.
And that is what has happened to the Galatians.
Notice how he describes the fake message that they have been duped by.
Verse 8 and verse 9.
He says twice, doesn't it?
It is a gospel that is now contrary.
A gospel contrary to the one that we preached.
Just a little tweak.
Just a little addition.
But it's now totally in opposition to what Paul taught them.
For Paul, that the genuine gospel message of Christianity,
delivered by him originally,
the real McCoy, the good news of Jesus Christ,
is so good and so pure
that if it's tampered with in any way at all,
it is utterly ruined.
And it's utterly contrary to the truth.
It's not just mainly truth, is it?
With a bit of untruth added in.
The whole thing becomes contaminated.
And so you can't tweak the Christian message
for a different audience.
You cannot fine-tune it or perfect it.
It's already perfect.
It's actually beyond the realm of criticism.
And you can't do that without absolutely ruining it.
Without damaging people with it.
It's actually more like putting a bit of bleach
in the baby's milk bottle, isn't it?
For Paul.
And so he's livid.
He is worried.
Very worried about the gravity of the situation.
Of them turning to a modified gospel.
So that's the gravity of the situation.
But secondly, look with me at the guile of the con artists.
The guile, the trickery of the con artists.
He calls them troublemakers, doesn't he, in verse 7.
As we go through the letter over the next few weeks,
we'll see that the particular things that they were adding
to the gospel that Paul gave were to do with the function of God's law.
To get right with God.
Do you know that the message of the Bible has always been
that being right with God
and being in a relationship with him
is a gift that is given and not earned.
You and I can never belong to God
because we obey him.
But we do obey him
because we belong to God
through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
As a gift.
But the troublemakers,
what they're doing is that they're flipping that around.
Yes, there was faith in Jesus Christ
but they wanted to add a little bit more.
Just a little bit of fizz.
It was Jesus plus something else.
And certain religious ceremonial activities
were added in, like circumcision, we'll see.
To be right with God.
And it was very subtle.
Very clever.
The guile of the troublemakers.
It was very attractive.
And we know that
because of the way that Paul describes their message.
And look at that key verse in verse 6 again.
It's really interesting.
What he calls their message,
he calls it a different gospel.
A different gospel.
He says,
I'm going to use that fantastic word
that is loaded with great meaning
to describe what they are doing
but I'm going to use that word
to highlight how clever they are.
It's likely that the troublemakers
were calling themselves Christians.
They preached gospel.
It looked legit.
It looked gospel-like.
They had gospel meetings
and gospel-driven churches.
They led gospel ministries.
Published gospel tracts.
They sang gospel songs.
Read gospel books.
That's the name they used for them anyway.
And the use of that word
that Paul is using there,
he's being a bit sarcastic, isn't he?
Because in verse 7 he says,
well, not that there is another gospel.
But the point is that
what they are doing,
it looks Christian.
It uses gospel language.
Maybe they talked about Jesus Christ
and his church
and the cross
and the resurrection.
All the right words might be there.
If you go to one of their meetings,
there won't be a poster
outside the church door saying,
welcome to the meeting
with visiting heretic,
the reverend such and such,
leader of false gospel ministry.
You're just not going to see it.
And actually what made them more dangerous
was it seemed like
they were advancing the gospel.
It was as if they were being more holy.
It was Jesus plus.
It seemed like they were more faithful.
They were enhancing the gospel message
that Paul gave.
That you've got faith in Christ.
But we want to go one step further.
And we want you to come with us
and do this little ceremony
or this little law.
Paul's got a message, yes,
and we love him for it.
But we've been around
a lot longer than Paul.
And we want you to go further with Jesus.
And it is, isn't it,
how the best con artists work
by making the bad stuff they do
look really good.
That is what the Bible tells us
the devil does.
That he makes himself look like
an angel of light.
So that when he's doing bad things,
when he's adding bleach into the milk,
it looks really good.
We don't have physical persecution
so much, do we, as Christians,
if you are a Christian
living for Jesus in this country.
And we're grateful for that.
That has been done in the past,
hasn't it, in this country.
The devil has used that tactic.
But I don't think he does that
as much in our country, anyway,
at the moment.
But in a way,
what he does is even more dangerous.
Because the devil is trying
to destroy the true gospel
and he does it
under the disguise
of advancing the gospel.
Like the troublemakers,
he poses
as a gospel advancer.
He says,
I'm not going to silence the gospel.
I'm not going to try
and kill Christians off.
I'll just give them
a better gospel.
I'll give them another one.
I'll try and get them
to think of a better gospel.
that there's a whole world
out there
beyond simply trusting
in Jesus Christ.
Whether it's giving money
or taking mass
or not eating chocolate
over Lent
or whatever.
Whatever it is
I can get them to do
that is additional,
whether it's superstition
or merit
or brownie points.
However silly it is,
it doesn't matter.
If I can get them
to think they need more,
that Jesus isn't quite enough,
I can even peddle them
as enhancements
to the gospel,
as Jesus plus,
if I can do that
then actually I can ruin it.
Because Jesus plus anything else
equals nothing actually.
And actually I think
that is the tactic
he's using in many churches today
sadly.
The calm is happening
It is not Islam
or secularism
or atheism
or pluralism
that threatens
the true gospel
most.
It's not these
obvious false messages
but it is the temptation
of a better gospel.
Of Jesus plus
something else.
And so that is the guile
of these false gospel advances.
The gravity of the situation,
the guile
and thirdly
the Galatians gullibility.
The Galatians gullibility.
A friend spoke about
the time he'd been on holiday
to a country
in the Near East
and it was one of these
cities with a fantastic
tourist industry
and he knew that
going there
he had to keep his wits
about him
for pickpockets
and people like that.
At one point
he got lost
trying to find his way
back to the train station
so he asked the local
for directions
and the local man
immediately in Helford
not only to give him
directions
but to lead him
to the train station.
He would take him there.
I know a shortcut
he said
leading him through
the back alleys
and the back streets
until they arrived
at their final destination
which did not look
at all familiar.
There was not a train
or a platform
in sight
and it turned out
to be a shop
that the guide's brother
owned selling rugs
to tourists.
Come in
he said.
He'd been duped.
He'd been conned.
He'd been led
in a different direction
and he was
an experienced
traveller.
He'd gone to this
place knowing
you've got to keep
your wits about you.
He wasn't stupid
but that is why
cons work
isn't it?
Cons work
for people
who think
they're not going
to be conned.
And that is why
this letter
is as relevant
today as it was
then because
as hard as it sounds
for you and me
we are as gullible
as the Galatians
were.
They are in a
grave situation
and we may be
closer to it
than we think.
We are
in as much
risk as they
were
of turning
to a different
gospel
of turning
to a gospel
that supplements
the basics
of faith
in Jesus
with other
stuff.
We are.
we really
are.
And we
won't see
that easily
will we
when we're
in it.
But we're
just as at
risk of
losing why
the good
news of the
gospel is
good news
at all.
Of knowing
that Jesus
death
verse 4
Jesus who
gave himself
for our sins
to deliver
us
is enough
for you to
be free
to enjoy
God
and to
live for
him without
fear.
We are
just as gullible
on this.
Look at
what happened
to them.
They've had
Paul the
great apostle
the great
master theologian.
Look at the
start they've
had as
churches.
The theologian
on grace
and on the
atonement
that look
what they've
done in
verse 6
I'm astonished
that you've
so quickly
deserted
him who
called you
in the
grace of
Christ.
verse 9
we've said
it before
so we
say it
again
it's not
the first
time that
he's warned
them about
this.
This isn't
just a little
blip
it's a
perennial
problem isn't
it?
He knows
how gullible
they are
and how
easy it
is to
veer off
and how
quickly
they've
done that
and those
harsh words
in verse 6
they might
not be
written to
you and
me in
2019
but they
are written
for you
and for
me.
Adding
other things
on to
trusting in
Jesus is
for us
folks a
constant
and easy
and quick
mistake to
make.
I think it
is pretty
safe to say
that I can
almost guarantee
that the
moment we
leave this
building
and even
in this
moment right
now we
are
at risk
of this.
That we
are gullible
we are
susceptible
to the
claim that
the gospel
is about
earning
salvation.
Our idea
of Christianity
is a kind
of performance
related pay
system isn't
it from
God.
We may
say that
Christ is
everything
but deep
down maybe
we live as
if he is
insufficient
and we've
got to top
it up a
little bit
more.
God
and it
can be
doing good
things isn't
it that
is good
to do.
Acts of
social justice
and praying
and fasting
and picking up
litter and
reading the
Bible and
evangelism.
Good things
to do.
But we
forget don't
we so often
that we
don't obey
that we
might earn
and belong
to God
but we
already belong
in Christ
and so
we obey.
So I
can have a
bad week
can't I
and I
can have a
good week
where I've
done lots
of good
stuff
but actually
I'm all
over the
place
and I
kind of
think of
God
as having
this kind
of emotional
wreck
by the end
of it.
And Christian
meetings can
be full of
that too
can't they?
We look at
each other
and we make
comparisons
but if you
start thinking
that that is
the way the
gospel works
you've got a
different gospel.
Jesus plus
anything else
equals nothing
at all
and the gospel
is ruined.
Just as we
close let me
say that these
meetings on a
Tuesday
as you
listen to
God's word
preached maybe
on a Sunday
and in other
meetings
this meeting
on a Tuesday
is probably
the most
dangerous place
that you can
be in Ealing
right now.
As you
come, as
people come
here and
the Bible
is opened
and the
gospel is
spoken out
prayerfully
and faithfully
we are not
infallible
people are
we?
I am not
the Apostle
Paul.
And there
is always a
risk isn't
there?
that the
true gospel
is so
good and
pure
there is
always the
risk that
we could
ruin it
that if we
don't tell
it faithfully
and if we
should ever
tell you
or imply
that you
need more
than faith
in Jesus
actually you'd
be better off
not coming
at all
honestly
you would
be better
off not
coming
if we
ever try
and enhance
the gospel
in that
way
tell us
and then
do not
touch us
with a
barge pole
Paul is
much stronger
than that
isn't he?
Verse 8
verse 9
if anyone
does that
let him
be
accursed
it's the
same idea
being
accursed
the same
idea as
in the
Old Testament
when
people
dropped down
dead
didn't they
when they
went in
the temple
and they
were unclean
or they
touched the
ark of the
covenant
if anyone
does that
let him
drop down
dead
Paul says
even if
it's an
angel from
heaven
even if
it's me
says the
apostle Paul
that is how
grave it is
to add
anything to
Christ
nothing matters
more than the
purity of the
message of
grace
of salvation
being a
gift
so let me
say don't
get taken
in by
the con
and it
can come
in different
ways
can't it
because we
can't easily
see it
happening
in our
context
let us pray
that as we
go through
this letter
we would
recognise
our own
gullibility
when it
comes to
good works
and earning
salvation
and obedience
and to
recognise
those areas
in our lives
where we
battle with
that
where we
get confused
on that
because
Jesus Christ
plus
anything at
all
really is
nothing
let's pray
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