Galatians 4:1

For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ. And if you be Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, differs nothing from the servant, though he be Lord of all, but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the Father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Let's pray. Father, as we just sang, Holy, holy, holy are You, the Lord God Almighty, the one who was and is and is to come. You are awesome in power. You are the King of kings, the Lord of lords. Lord, You created all things seen and unseen. By a word You said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

As we see in this passage, You have called and adopted us as Your children. How amazing, how awesome it is to be able to come before the King of kings, to know that even at this very moment, we have fellowship and communion with You, and that You are here in this place. For You promised that wherever two or more are gathered in Your name, there You are in their midst.

Lord, we thank You that we are able to come before You today into Your presence. As Pastor Richard shared out of Psalm 16 last week, Lord, in Your presence is fullness of joy. We pray that that joy would be evident as we look into Your word, for we ask it in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen.

You can be seated. We have been going through the book of Acts on Sunday mornings for the last several months, but as we go through the various chapters of the book of Acts,

The first 30 years of the church, from the time that Jesus ascended into heaven until just before Paul's martyrdom in Rome, were marked by letters written to churches throughout the regions where the church was spreading. We want to go through those letters in chronological order alongside the Book of Acts to gain context and understand what was happening in the church and in the Roman Empire at the time these letters were written.

In the Book of Acts, we are right at the point just before Paul's second missionary journey in Acts chapter 16. Here, Paul and Silas will return to the region called Galatia to visit the churches that Paul and Barnabas had planted in Acts chapter 13 during his first missionary journey. However, between Paul's first and second missionary journeys, he received word from the church in Galatia that men called Judaizers had come into the fellowship, bringing another teaching that seduced some and confused many.

In response, Paul writes a powerful letter filled with exhortation. Some of his words may seem harsh and strong, but he wrote in such a tone because he was deeply concerned about what was happening in that fellowship. The believers were being seduced into a works-based relationship with God, a form of Phariseeism, where they related to God based on their lineage from Abraham and their adherence to the law of Moses.

Paul writes to challenge this notion. As we see in verse 26, he states, "For you all are children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." There were those in the fellowship who told them that before they could become true children of God, before they could be saved and have a right relationship with God, they must first become Jews. They were told they must first become children of Abraham, not by faith but by works, through circumcision and by keeping the law of Moses.

For the Gentile believers, especially the men, this doctrine would have been particularly painful. The Pharisaical Judaizers presented the teaching that the only way to have a right relationship with God and be a child of God was to first become a child of Abraham. Up to this point, Christianity was essentially seen as a sect of Judaism.

And yet Paul, in this letter, would show that this is actually an error. Paul slams this false teaching, presenting that individuals become children of God in the same way that Abraham had become a friend and follower of God back in the book of Genesis, specifically in Genesis chapter 15. There, in verse 6, it says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him as righteousness." It had nothing to do with his works, nor did it have anything to do with his special lineage. It was simply the fact that God, by His grace, had called him.

We also can join with Abraham in following God and receiving the gift that was promised through Abraham by faith. The word "faith," used in Galatians chapter 3, verse 26, is seen throughout the New Testament. The Greek word "pistis" really has two definitions that are extremely important. A lot of times, when we hear the English word "faith," we think of just mental assent or belief. Yes, I believe that there was a man named Jesus 2,000 years ago who lived and walked upon the earth. Many people will even say, "I believe that Jesus did good works and spoke great words." Some would even go so far as to say that He was crucified by the Romans and rose again on the third day.

However, that belief, that faith, that word "pistis" also means fidelity or faithfulness to the truth. Once you believe that truth, it ought to affect, change, and transform the way that we live. There are a lot of people who just have a kind of mental assent, saying, "Yeah, I believe that there's a God." Yet James, as we already looked through the book of James, would say, "Hey, you believe that there's a God; you do well. But even the demons believe and tremble." They have not received any form of salvation because they have not repented. That belief, that conviction that "yes, it's true," has not transformed their way of thinking or living.

The Judaizers also taught that not only did you have to do certain works to be right with God, but you had to basically become a Jew to be right with God. Paul says in verse 28 that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ. These Judaizers put stock in the fact that they did great works and that they were Jews, insisting that you must become a Jew as well. They also took pride in their lineage, claiming descent from Abraham. Notice what Paul says in verse 29 of chapter 3.

And if you be Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. What promise is Paul talking about? Well, the promise that God gave to Abraham back at the very beginning when He first called him in Genesis chapter 12. In verse 3, God speaks to Abraham, saying, "I will bless them that bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. And in you shall all the families, or all the nations, of the earth be blessed."

This blessing that was being spoken to Abraham was the fact that through his line would come the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus would be the one who would be a blessing to all nations, not just one small group of people or one small family under Abraham, but all nations would receive that blessing. And how do they receive that blessing? The same way that Abraham received that blessing. He believed God, and it was accounted unto him as righteousness.

Paul is seeking to combat this false teaching that had come in, which stated that to be right with God, to be a child of God, and to receive this blessing, one must first be circumcised and become a child of Abraham through circumcision. Then, one has to keep the law of Moses and all the different rites that went along with it. Paul says that's not the case.

As we continue on here in verse 1 of chapter 4, he states, "Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, differs nothing from the servant, though he be lord of all. But he is under tutors and governors until the appointed time of the father."

In households throughout the Roman Empire, as Paul was ministering around 50 AD, people would understand the relationship of slaves and masters. It is believed that 60% of the Roman Empire were slaves, which is a pretty phenomenal number. When Paul speaks of the slave and the master here, these people would fully understand what he is talking about.

He says that the heir, the son of the master, is no different from the son or the child of the slave when they are children. They play together, perhaps in the yard, and they are under the same tutors, under the same leaders. However, there comes an appointed time when the father gives over to the son the inheritance, granting him the rights of the family. In the Roman world, there was no specific age for this coming of age or becoming a man.

Typically, it happened when the father thought that the boy was ready or the time was right. If we were to look into one of these Roman families, where a master had a son and many slaves, we might be able to identify which one was the master's son and which ones were the slaves' children. However, the children would not recognize this hierarchy. They would probably not understand their position until they were older and came to the full realization that they were actually the master, the one with authority over the servants and slaves.

In verse 2, Paul mentions that they were under tutors and governors, which takes us back to Galatians 3:24. Paul states, "Wherefore, the law was our tutor or our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith." He builds upon this idea of tutors or schoolmasters, further explaining the relationship between the slave and the master's son in verse 3 of Galatians chapter 4.

Paul writes, "For even so, we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." When we were children, we were in bondage under the elements of the world until just the right time. Just like the governors and tutors placed over the slaves' children and the master's children, the law was our governor until that perfect moment.

As Paul told the church at Rome, at the right time, Christ saved the ungodly. But what exactly does "the right time" mean? Why was 2,000 years ago the right time? There may be many different answers to that question. I have heard various explanations from different Bible teachers and commentaries over the years. However, one thing I have observed while studying the Scriptures is that when we look at the creation of man in Genesis chapters 1 and 2, followed by the fall of man in Genesis chapter 3, we see that God made an atonement. He provided a covering for man and his wife in the Garden of Eden.

There was blood that was shed so that they could have a restored relationship with God. From that time until the giving of the law, roughly a 2,000-year period, man tried to come to God, to approach God, and to attain some sort of enlightenment by his own methods and plans. However, it always came down to sacrifice.

We see that there were right sacrifices offered and there were wrong sacrifices offered. Look at Genesis chapter 4. Remember the story of Cain and Abel. Both Cain and Abel brought forth a sacrifice according to their choosing, but one of them was accepted and one was not. Cain's was not accepted because it was not a sufficient sacrifice; there was no blood atonement. Cain was very angry about this. He could have changed his ways and recognized that he made a mistake, but instead, he got angry and killed his brother Abel.

Continuing through the book of Genesis, we come to chapter 11, where we find that man is still trying to reach up to God in his own methods. We have the Tower of Babel, where man gathered together to build a great tower in the Valley of Shinar, trying to reach up to the heavens. It is always man's way to find a method, under his own understanding, to attain enlightenment.

Think about the 6.5 billion people that live in the world today. There are so many different worldviews and ideas about how enlightenment or attaining righteousness comes. But God, in the very next chapter, Genesis chapter 12, calls a man by grace—He calls Abraham. Abraham followed God by faith, and God accounted unto him righteousness. He called Abraham's entire family, and over the next 400 years, we see the multiplication of that family until it became very great in the land of Egypt.

God brought them out of the land of Egypt, not because of their merit or their works, but because of a covenant He had made with their father by grace through faith. The children of Israel came out of Egypt, went into the wilderness, and arrived at Mount Sinai. There, over 400 years after Abraham, God established the law. The law is magnificent. I don't think there is a person alive who has studied the law that has not found it to be truly magnificent, powerful, and awesome. The Scriptures say it is holy, just, and good. Basically, what God said with His law...

The proper way to approach God has always been a significant topic. Man has been trying to do it under his own strength, by his own volition, and by his own will. However, this is not the correct approach. The standard set by God is very high.

As we see in Galatians chapter 3, verse 24, the law was given for a purpose. It was not to make man righteous; rather, it was to show man that he was sinful and that there was no possible way he could keep God's perfect standard. As is often the case, when given a list of things to do, a man will try to accomplish it and claim he has succeeded. For centuries, the children of Israel spoke of how well they kept the law, right up until the time of Christ.

During that time, different sects within Judaism emerged, such as the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, and the Herodians. They believed themselves to be righteous based on their works, their lineage, and other factors. This mindset began to infiltrate the church. After man had attempted to follow his own methods and plans, we see the failures at the Tower of Babel, with Cain and Abel, and through idolatry. Despite these failures, they continued to assert that they were doing just fine under God's perfect standard, the law of Moses.

At the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. It was the ungodly—those who recognized their sinfulness through the law—who received Christ. In contrast, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the religious leaders of the day rejected Him, claiming they did not need a Savior. The sinners understood their need for salvation. The gospel was well received by many among the Gentiles as Paul and Barnabas traveled into Galatia. As Paul and Silas continued their missionary journeys, we see that many Gentiles came to the knowledge of the truth because they recognized their sinfulness.

However, a group of Judaizers, former Pharisees who had become believers in Jesus, began to teach that while faith in Jesus and His work was wonderful, it was not enough. They insisted that one must also be circumcised and keep the law of Moses to be considered righteous. Only then could one become a child of God, after first becoming a child of Abraham through these works.

It's not a new teaching at that point in time, but it continues today. There are those today who will come to your door and mine. They will say, "Listen, it's great that you believe in Jesus. Jesus is good, but you must also do this: you must be baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." That's false. It's no different than what these Pharisees were teaching—adding to the work that Jesus did for justification and for our atonement. The work that Jesus did is sufficient, amen?

We may believe that, the mental assent side of it, but there are two aspects of faith. The other side is where we put our confidence in it, where we put our trust in it, and we say, "I'm going to trust Him for my salvation, not my own works." We were under the tutor until the fullness of the time had come when God sent forth His Son to redeem us who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Such an awesome thing! You and I were slaves to sin and to death, and Jesus came at the right time to buy us back, to redeem us out of the slavery of sin and death. And you know what? That would be enough, wouldn't it? To say, "I have been purchased. I am no longer a slave of sin, but now I'm a slave of God. He's purchased me, and so I'll serve Him."

But God goes even a step further in His grace. He says, "Not only do I want to redeem you from under the law, not only do I want to redeem you and buy you back as a slave who was once a slave of sin and now you're My servant, I want to make you My child." He redeemed us from under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons.

And because you are sons, as stated in Galatians chapter 4, verse 6, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father." Paul says in Romans chapter 8, verse 16, that His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. God has not only redeemed us from sin and death; He has made us His children and has sealed us with His Holy Spirit. If you would, turn just one book to the right to the book of Ephesians, and we find that the Holy Spirit...

The guarantee of the inheritance that Paul speaks of here in Galatians chapter 4 is significant. In Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13, Paul says, "In whom, in Jesus, you also trusted after you heard the word of the truth of the gospel, your salvation. In whom also, after you believed, you were sealed with what? The Holy Spirit." This is the very same thing that Paul is discussing in Galatians chapter 4.

Now, let’s take a moment to read Galatians chapter 4, verse 7. He says, "Wherefore, you are no more a slave, no more a servant, but you are a son. And if you are a son, then you are an heir of God through Christ." God has purchased us by His blood. There on the cross, Jesus purchased us from slavery to sin and to death. Furthermore, He has adopted us and made us His children, sealing us with the Holy Spirit of promise. Not only that, He has given us an inheritance.

Romans chapter 8 tells us that He has given us an equal inheritance with Jesus. Jesus is the only begotten of the Father; He is a true son by nature. You and I are adopted as the children of God, and yet God in Christ has made us joint heirs with Christ. This is miraculous—the work that Jesus has done for you and me.

It would have been enough if He had merely purchased us out of slavery to sin and to death and said, "Now you're my slave, now you're my servant." But He says, "No, I want to make you my child, and I want to make you a co-heir with my son."

Continuing on in Ephesians chapter 1, right after He tells us that we trusted after we heard the word of the gospel, and after we have believed, we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Verse 14 states, "The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of His glory." The Holy Spirit in my life, in your life, is given to us by grace through faith because of the work that Jesus did.

The Holy Spirit in our lives is the guarantee of the inheritance that Paul speaks of both in Ephesians and in Galatians. What inheritance is that? Well, Galatians chapter 4, verse 7 says that you and I are heirs of God. We inherit God Himself.

You may wonder, what exactly is that all about? You mean there's no earthly inheritance? He's not going to give me gold and silver and a great kingdom here upon the earth? Listen, you can have that if you want, but this is all going to burn. I don't know if you really want that. Do you want the eternal inheritance or just this temporal inheritance?

The interesting thing is that this inheritance is the very same inheritance that God originally intended for the nation of Israel. When He brought them out of Egypt, into the wilderness, and ultimately into the promised land, remember that God was going to divide the promised land for the nation of Israel. He was going to give them an earthly inheritance, but He desired to give them much more than that. However, only one tribe among the twelve tribes of Israel actually received that inheritance.

The inheritance was intended for the whole nation, but you remember when the nation of Israel was gathered at Mount Sinai and Moses was up on the mountain receiving the law of God. The children of Israel wondered where he was. He had been gone for a long time, so they constructed for themselves a golden calf. They began to dance around this golden calf and said, "This is the God that brought us out of Egypt." They sinned against the Lord, and on that day, only one tribe separated themselves from the rest of the people: the tribe of Levi. As a result, they became the priests of the nation.

Notice what Deuteronomy chapter 10, verse 9 says: "Levi has no part nor inheritance with his brethren," speaking of an earthly inheritance. Why? "The Lord is his inheritance," according as the Lord your God has promised. You see, for the priests of the nation of Israel, which was originally intended for the whole nation, their inheritance was God Himself.

In Christ today, we inherit God for eternity. To be with Him in His presence, wherever He is, that's where we are.

He has given us a guarantee or a down payment, as Paul says in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 14. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance until that day of redemption when we are with the Lord. What exactly is that all about?

A couple of weeks ago, I read some great news, maybe for some of you. Toys R Us is offering layaway for the first time in a very long time, due to the economic conditions. What exactly does that mean? Well, you can go down to Toys R Us and see that great toy that you really want to buy, but it’s a little more expensive than you expected. You can put some money down, and it seals that possession for you until the day of redemption. When do you get to redeem it? Whenever you have the money to redeem it. As soon as that day of redemption comes, you give them the full amount, and they give you the product.

God has given us a portion of Himself in the presence of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling Holy Spirit, as the down payment before we are ultimately with Him in heaven. This is the guarantee of our inheritance. The fact that we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, the overabounding Holy Spirit in our lives, means His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are, in fact, children of God. We are those who will receive the inheritance, and we will be with Him eternally. Amen?

Because you are sons, God sent forth His Spirit, as stated in Galatians 4, verse 6, the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father." We have a unique relationship in Christ with God the Father. Prior to the coming of Christ and the door that He opened for you and me to come to God the Father, John chapter 14, verse 6 tells us, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me," Jesus said.

Before His coming, man could only approach God in a legal fashion. He had to offer a sacrifice or some sort of offering before he could come and approach God. But now, we have been given an open door where we can come before Him, crying out, "Abba, Father," which literally means Papa or Daddy. We have that kind of relationship with Him.

How does this look practically?

We have a totally different access to the President of the United States of America than we could ever have. Legally, we might be able to get access from the Secret Service to come and appear before Barack Obama. We could go through all the different steps and obtain some sort of ID card. They would conduct a background check and let us into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We would enter the West Wing, go before his secretary, Katie Johnson, and she would say, "Would you please sit here? It'll be a few minutes." At that point, we would have a legal authority to come before him.

However, do you think that Sasha and Malia Obama have to ask the Secretary if they can see the President? I don't think so. They definitely respect the office that their father holds, but they have a unique access that nobody else has. In the same way, we have access to God the Father through Christ Jesus. We call out to Him, "Abba, Father." Therefore, we are no longer His servants, but we are His children, and we are heirs of God through Christ Jesus.

If we are heirs, if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, as stated in Romans 8, verse 17. Martin Luther said that a son is an heir not by virtue of his high accomplishments, but by virtue of his birth. He is a mere recipient; his birth makes him an heir, not his labors. It is not because of something that we have done, but because of the position that we have in Christ by grace through faith.

Paul continues in Galatians 4, verse 8: "How be it then, when you knew not God, you did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that you have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto you desire again to be in bondage?"

You see, prior to having a true knowledge of God in Christ Jesus, these Galatian Gentiles served false gods. They bowed down to Zeus and Hermes. We know for certain that they thought Paul and Barnabas were Zeus and Hermes and wanted to worship them. They bowed down.

To Diana, they bowed down to all the different Greek and Roman gods that were around in that day. They bowed down, but now they had a new knowledge.

Now, it's interesting; the word for knowledge, or "they knew not God" in verse 8, is a different Greek word than the word used in verse 9, where it says, "after that you have known God and are known of God." The word in verse 8 means to perceive or to understand. All mankind has been created with this innate understanding that there is a God, and that's why man is prone to worship so many various things.

These Gentiles in the region of Galatia recognized that there was something that needed to be worshipped; there was a God, so they bowed down to Zeus and Hermes. However, after the gospel came to them, it was revealed that they were worshipping false gods and that they were not worshipping the one true God. After the revelation came, it says, "now you have known God." The word "known" in verse 9 is the Greek word "gnosko," which means to know experientially or to be in a relationship with. It's an intimate knowledge, the same sort of knowledge used to describe the relationship a husband has for a wife or a wife for her husband.

Now you have known God. You have a relationship with God. But even more than that, you are known of God. And let me tell you, that's even more important. In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus said at the end of the chapter, "many will come to me in that day saying, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and done mighty works in your name?'" And He will say, "depart from me, I never what? Knew you."

It's like the person standing outside the nightclub and the bouncer says, "you ain't coming in here." The person might respond, "wait a minute, I know the DJ." But the bouncer replies, "he doesn't know you. You ain't getting in."

Now, after you've known God, or rather known of God, how do you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements whereunto you desire again to be in bondage? You see, unfortunately, those Judaizers, those Pharisaical believers, forgot that Abraham, their father, was just another pagan. They had forgotten.

They served false gods in Egypt, continued to serve false gods in the wilderness, and for many years—hundreds of years—in the Promised Land, they served false gods themselves. They were just as much saved by grace through faith as the worst Gentile pagan you could find, but they had forgotten that. As I said earlier, they put a lot of stock in their lineage; they were from the line of Abraham. Sadly, we have a tendency to forget sometimes as well.

Paul would remind the church at Corinth, saying, "Listen, fornicators, adulterers, murderers, and homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of heaven." And lest we become prideful and say, "Well, we're so special," he adds, "And such were some of you." But you were washed. You were washed by what? By our good works? No, by the blood of Jesus Christ. He who knew no sin became sin so that we might receive His righteousness. A definite change had taken place. These Gentiles, who did not know God, had come into a relationship with God.

Prior to that, they had been in bondage to false gods, serving all these false gods for what they could get from them. They would go and serve Diana, sacrifice to Zeus, and worship Hermes, among others. Did they worship those things because they really loved those false gods? No, they worshiped them because they figured, "If I do this, then I'm going to have an abundant harvest. If I do this, I'm going to become very wealthy. If I do this, then I will experience great pleasure." That is why they served and bowed down to these things.

Now, that false understanding was being brought into the church as well, where they were saying, "If I do these things, then God will bless me." It still goes on today. How? In the form of, "Hey, if you send $10 to this ministry, God will give you $100." How is that not idolatry?

In our minds, when we think of idolatry, we often picture some little golden or silver image that we bow down to or offer incense to. Nod with me if you agree; that's what we picture. Yes, we would say that is idolatry, and we would be right. But a lot of times, idolatry is not just worshiping a false god; it's worshiping God in a false manner.

And so, these people began to be bound up in false worship of the one true God, relating to God based on the things that they had done and their lineage, and not upon the work that God had done in redeeming them. He very much clarifies this in verse 10, where he says, "You observe days and months and times and years, and I am afraid for you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain." They had been seduced into a pagan worship of the one true God, and it was no different than the idolatry that they had come out of. Sadly, this idolatry had been taught to them by people who said they were Christians, who had themselves been seduced by Phariseeism.

Paul cries out to the church at Galatia in verse 12, saying, "Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am, for I am as you are. You have not injured me." Paul had been in their shoes. He had depended upon his own works of righteousness, but he had departed from that Phariseeism.

Turn just a couple of books to the right to the book of Philippians, chapter 3. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. In Philippians chapter 3, verse 5, Paul speaks of himself, saying, "I was circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, I was a Pharisee."

You see, prior to Saul of Tarsus becoming a Christian and changing his name to Paul, he related to God based on who he was according to his lineage. Did you notice that in verse 5? He was circumcised the eighth day. He was from the nation of Israel. He was from the tribe of Benjamin. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, meaning if you went back through his family tree, you would see that there were no pagans in his family tree. And concerning the law, he was a Pharisee. This had everything to do with his identity.

Which is of the law, blameless. Verse 6 deals with the works that he did. Paul's relationship, when he was a Pharisee, had everything to do with the fact that he came from the right lineage and that he did the right works. These Judaizers, these Pharisaical Christians, were also still focused on that.

Notice what Paul says in the next verse, verse 7 of Philippians chapter 3: "But what things were gained to me, those things I counted loss for Christ." He looked at all those things that any Jew would establish as very valuable. He considered all that he had gained and said that this is not valuable in comparison to Christ. Those things may be good, but Christ supersedes them. Christ is more valuable.

It doesn't matter who you are, what you've done, or who your grandfather is, even if his name is Billy Graham. It has everything to do with whether or not you have placed your faith, your confidence, and your trust in Jesus Christ and the work that He did on your behalf and my behalf 2,000 years ago on the cross. If you're basing your standing with God today on anything else, it is false religion. I know that's heavy, but it's what the Scriptures say.

Paul says to the church at Galatia in verse 12, "You have not injured me." This church loved the Apostle Paul; he was their pastor initially and the one who planted the church. He speaks to them in very harsh tones, and they might look at this and say, "Whoa, man, he's a little ticked off. I guess we've upset him." Paul says, "Listen, you haven't injured me. I'm not upset because you've injured me. I'm concerned because you've injured yourselves by placing yourselves once again in bondage to these weak and beggarly elements of the world."

In verse 13, he says, "You know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at first, and my temptation which was in my flesh you despised not nor rejected, but you received me as the angel of God, even as Christ Jesus." He then asks, "Where is then the blessedness you spoke of? For I bear you record that if it had been possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?"

It appears that the Apostle Paul, when he came to the region of Galatia, had some sort of illness or sickness. There has been a lot of speculation by Bible teachers on just what this was. Some people think...

It had to do with his eyes because he references here that they would have given him their own eyes if it were possible. In chapter 6, verse 11, he says, "See with what large letters I write this letter." Some people say Paul had some sort of infirmity with his eyes. That may be the case, but by this time, Paul was in his late 40s or early 50s. How many of you in that age category have problems with your eyes? It's a pretty normal thing.

It would seem that it had something more to do with just the way he was when he came to them. There was some sort of infirmity that, when they looked at him, they thought, "Whoa, that guy's sick." He says, "You weren't put off by me when I came near you." Some believe that in the low-lying areas before he came up into the region of Galatia, perhaps he had contracted some sort of disease like malaria. Now he had come up into the region of Galatia, which is 3,600 feet above sea level. We don't know; it's all speculation.

Whatever the case, when Paul came to them, there was something about him that would have made them first look at him and say, "I don't know about this guy." And yet, they came to him. He became their pastor, and they loved him so much that they said, "We'd willingly give you our own eyes if we could." He loved them as well. He tended to them, took care of them, and preached the gospel even through sickness and difficulty. He continued to preach the gospel to them and asked, "Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?"

It seems to me that Paul was concerned that the harshness and tone of the letter he was writing might put these people in Galatia off, and they may say, "I don't like that guy," because we are tempted to do the same as well. Sometimes you come to church, and I recognize that sometimes the word of God is tough. Some people may even call this the church of the Holy Spanking. They come here and think, "Man, that was rough. I don't want to go there anymore. I want to go to one of those fun churches."

But just like Paul, I desire that Christ would be formed in us. I want us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we would be transformed by the word of God more and more into the image of His Son. Paul was willing to say the difficult things to these believers in Galatia. He would tell the church at Corinth, to whom he also wrote a very scathing letter—two of them, actually, much longer than Galatians. He would say to them in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 15, "I will very gladly..."

Spend and be spent for your souls. Though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved. Let's be honest. We Californians are politically correct. We don't like when people tell us the truth; we would much rather they lie to us. Paul says, "Listen, I'm not going to lie to you so that you feel better and die in hell eternally. Am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?" He was very zealous for the church at Galatia, zealous that they would walk in the truth of the gospel.

There were others, as we'll see in verse 17 when we get into it next week, that these Judaizers, these false teachers, were also zealous for the believers in Galatia. However, they were zealous for the believers in Galatia in a way that created a group of followers who would say, "I'm of Paul" or "I'm of Apollos," whatever their names might be. They wanted a group of people who would apply their name to their belief. It had nothing to do with the good of the Galatians; it had to do with the false teachers and their pride and ego. Paul said, "Listen, I don't care if you don't like me. I've got to tell you the truth."

Jesus was much the same way. The world didn't like Jesus, especially the religious establishment. This may be a shock to you, and you may not like it very much, but if you're a Christian today and you really want the world to like you, it's going to be a pretty hard life. If you enjoy the love of the world, then you'll make yourself an enemy of God. But if you seek after the approval and love of God by grace through faith, the world will want nothing to do with you.

We will see more and more, as we live in this day, that the view of Christians will change. It already is. I was watching a documentary yesterday on Isaac Newton and the theology of Isaac Newton on the History Channel, and I can't tell you, I must have counted...

At least twenty different times, they basically said he was a nut job, an idiot, or crazy because he believed the Bible. He literally believed the Bible. What do they say of us? If anything, the enemy desires to discourage us from speaking the truth by making us feel like nobody else likes us.

It comes down to this: Do you one day want to hear God say, "Well done, good and faithful servant"? Or would you like the love and admiration of the New York Times or whatever other group in this world? I'll tell you what I'm hoping for. I'm hoping to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." His approval means so much more to me than anybody's. Amen?

Let's stand and pray. Amen.

Lord, I thank you that you are willing to speak the truth to us, even though it sometimes hurts. God, would you fill our hearts and our minds with your word as we prepare to go from here? Would you pour out your Spirit in abundance upon us? Lord, give us the boldness to speak the truth—yes, with tact, yes, grace seasoned with salt—but to speak it nonetheless. In a day and in an age and in a culture where your word is greatly looked down upon, Lord, would you stir our hearts to stand strong and to speak with boldness? For we ask it in Jesus' name.