GALATIANS 4:8-202005 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Galatians 4:8-20

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2005. The grace of God. This is what Paul has been talking about all through the book of Galatians. He's been speaking to them and he's writing this letter because

False teachers had come in and were telling the Galatians that they needed to be obedient to the law. They needed to follow these rules and regulations if they truly wanted to be spiritual or have a right standing with God. But Paul has been combating that. He's been coming against them and he's saying, no, it's by faith in Jesus Christ that we can be obedient to the law.

that you and I have right standing with God. It's by faith that we receive blessing from God. It's by faith that we receive the Holy Spirit. And last week we saw, it's by faith that we have the relationship with God as a child does with their parents. A child relationship with God in that we can come to Him and He welcomes us and loves us and He embraces us as we would a child.

It's by faith, Paul says. It's not by our works and what we do to bring right standing before God. No, it's by faith in Him and His work. It's by His grace that we have this opportunity to have fellowship and relationship with God. So we've been looking at and talking about the grace of God. Now, whenever you talk about the grace of God, there's always a couple who will be concerned. There's always extremes that can be taken on the position of the grace of God.

On the one hand, one extreme, you have people that will say, okay, well, since it's by grace, then it's okay for me to continue in sin. I can just do whatever I want because God already paid for it at the cross. And so I can live my life however I want to, fulfilling whatever desire I want.

Or maybe just this particular one that I hold on to, that I enjoy. But I can continue in that and not have to worry about it because, hey, it's God's grace. He'll cover it. He'll take care of it. That's what He does. He's a gracious God. That's one extreme. It's not a good position to take. It's not a good way to live our life. The other extreme, on the other side of the spectrum, is people who will say, well...

If it's all grace and not about works, then I don't really need to have works to be saved. And so as long as I just said, okay, I believe in Jesus, then I'm saved. I don't have to, I can do whatever. I don't need works. I don't need to demonstrate. There's nothing. In essence, everybody's going to be saved because, hey, I mean, as long as you just say you believe in God, then you're okay.

Again, it's one extreme to the other, but both are not good positions. The balance is here in the middle, and this is what Paul is sharing with us this morning. There is a balance. There's a need in our lives. Paul is very concerned for the Galatians. He has some serious concerns that he shares with us this morning, and we need to take heed to them in our own lives. Make no mistake, God's grace is astounding. His grace is.

His saving grace is received by putting your faith in Jesus Christ. And it's only for his children, as we studied last week, those who come to him by faith. That's what his saving grace is for. It's not for running away from God and living a life of sin. It's not for just saying something so that I can do whatever I want and not have to demonstrate. No, saving grace is for approaching God, coming to God. Saving grace is because you and I blow it.

And God poured out the judgment for sin on himself, on his son, that you and I could come to him. That's what grace is for, for us coming to him. But for running away, that's not what grace is for. For living in sin, that's not what grace is for. To be unchanged, that's not what grace is for. We need to be aware. Paul has some serious concerns here for the Galatians. Things that should speak to our hearts very deeply. He starts off in verse 8.

And he says, Now, he starts out, and we need to understand the context to fit what Paul is saying into this letter. He starts out and he says, but then, what's he been talking about? Well, last week we saw in Galatians 3.26-4.7,

We saw Paul was talking about the relationship that God gives us by faith of that of a child-parent relationship and that we can come to him and find him with open arms receiving us as a parent would their child. We can have intimacy and great fellowship, this wonderful relationship with God by our faith in Jesus Christ.

If you look at Galatians 3.26, Paul told us there, you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. It's by faith that we attain this relationship or we receive this relationship. Galatians 4.7, the verse just before the portion we are studying this morning, he says, therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of God also.

through Christ. Notice what he says here in verse 7. He says you're no longer a slave. What does that mean? That means at one time, at one point, you were a slave, but now you're a son because of your faith in Jesus Christ. And if you're a son, you're an heir, which means you get to receive and partake of the promises of God, the blessing of God, the Holy Spirit's work and eternal life with Jesus Christ.

So in Christ Jesus, we are sons and daughters. We're children of God. But this position is not a position that we have automatically. It's not a position that we have from birth. Yes, we're all children of God in the sense that he is our creator. But we do not have a relationship with God until we put our faith in Jesus Christ. Until we receive the work that he did for us there at the cross.

So we did not always have this position as a child with that relationship to God. There was a time, Paul says, that we didn't know God. We didn't have a relationship with God. Paul says, instead of knowing and worshipping the true and living God, you worshipped things that by nature are not God's. You worshipped things that are not all-powerful, are not all-knowing.

Not everywhere present. You worship things that are created. You worship things that were made up. Now, Paul's writing to the Galatians. The Galatians were in the Greek culture. And so in the Greek culture, they had very many gods present.

The Titans were some of the gods that they worshipped, but they were overthrown by the Olympians. And so you probably remember some of the Olympians like Zeus and Hades and all these other guys. And so they're up there on Mount Olympus. They're called the Olympians. And these are the gods that the Greeks worshipped. But not just those. You remember when Paul was in Athens, also in Greece, and Paul was in Athens and

He says that there's idols and altars on every corner for everything imaginable, even one to an unknown God, just in case we missed one. We want to make sure here it is. But they worshipped everything. They had all kinds of gods, all types of gods. And so Paul says, before you knew God, these are the gods that you worshipped. They're not gods, but you worshipped them. You treated them as if they were gods by serving them. What about us?

What is it that we worship before we know God? Before we have a relationship with God. What do we worship? What did we worship? It's the same things over and over again. It's the same things that they've worshipped from time beginning and will continue to worship until the end of days when Christ comes and we get to be with Him eternally. The gods of pleasure. They have different...

Pictures now are images, different outer appearance, but they're the same gods. We worship gods of pleasure, of popularity, of money, of self. Worship the gods of sex or of power. All types of gods and things that we worship, that we devote ourselves to, that we're passionate about. They're not God. They are not gods. They cannot satisfy us. They do not save us. They have no power whatsoever, yet we stubbornly insist on worshiping them outside of Christ.

It's pretty pathetic of us when you think about it. When you realize what we're doing and insisting on worshiping them. It's like using a Cheerio as a flotation device. And you say, no, it's a flotation device. I know it is. It'll save me if I fall off the boat. No, it's a Cheerio. Come on. It's not going to save you. It's not going to do anything for you. Here I have a keychain, which I have because...

On our honeymoon last year, my wife and I, we got matching keychains. Well, kind of matching. Same type of thing. Hers is green. But here I have this keychain. And I know the first thing you think of when I show you this keychain is, man, that guy is really cool. He must be a rock climber. Because it has this clip on it, right? This clip on it right here. It's for climbing rocks, right? Climbing up mountains. And that's what they use these for, right? Well, only kind of.

because you might look at that and I know that's what you thought. I mean, hey, that guy is cool. He must be pretty tough. He's a rock climber. But if you look carefully at this, you'll understand, no, it's really just for clipping the keys to your belt or something else that you want to clip it to. It's not really good for rock climbing because on it, imprinted in the metal, it says, not for climbing use. That's not what it's for. It looks like that. I saw it in the movies. I saw one of these. I said, hey, cool. But that's not what it's for. Now,

It's not made for rock climbing. By nature, it's not useful for that. But if I stubbornly insisted, I'm going to climb with this. I'm going to get some rope. I'm going to tie it to it. And however they use it, I'm going to figure it out. And I'm going to climb up a rock. And if I insisted on doing that, it would be very foolish for me because it says right on it, this is not for climbing rocks. And I would find myself on my back. I would find myself hurt.

And Paul is saying the same thing. It's true with any other God. They're not gods, but you worship them. And if you worship the things that are not gods, by nature they're fake. They might look good, they might sound great, but you're going to end up hurt on your back. They're not going to be able to help you or save you or support you when you're hanging from the rock.

Verse 9, Paul says, but now after you have known God or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements to which you desire again to be in bondage? So here we are, worshiping things that are not God's. That's how we were before, right? That's what Paul is telling the Galatians. Now, that was to be expected before is what Paul is saying. Because we did not know any better. We didn't know God yet.

We didn't have a relationship with God. So, of course, we're going to worship other gods. We're created to worship something. And we will worship something and devote ourselves to something. Whether it's God or not, that's up to us. But we will worship something. And so before we have a relationship with God, it should be expected. We're not going to worship God. We're going to worship other things that are appealing to us or that we desire. But Paul says in verse 9, but now...

Now, things have changed because now, now, after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements? Paul says, how do you turn back after you've experienced relationship with God? After God has revealed himself to you, there is nothing greater than a relationship with God. Amen?

There's nothing greater than a relationship with God. Everything that we're looking for, we find in Jesus Christ, relationship with him. And Paul says, it's right there. After you've known God and have a relationship with God, how is it that you're turning back to these other things? It's like since the holidays coming up, you have a Thanksgiving dinner there on the table. It's all prepared. It's ready. All you have to do is sit down and eat.

But you say, no, I'm going to go to A&P and they've got hot dogs on sale. I mean, that's crazy, right? There's this great and wonderful thing, relationship with God. And Paul says, how are you turning back to some hot dogs that are on sale that probably fell out of someone's car as they drove by because they don't taste like real hot dogs? How can you turn to that thing? How can you look to that and go back to that and seek to be in bondage to that after having the greatest thing ever?

How do you then turn back to the weak and beggarly elements? The Galatians, they were turning to the law. They were turning to a legalistic relationship with God. And Paul says, how can you do that? He uses the word weak. It means without strength. Or as we've been studying over and over again, we've heard it time and time again, the law is powerless. It's powerless.

It has no strength. It's not able to make us right standing before God. It's not able to help us in a relationship with God. It does not draw us close to God. The law, it's powerless. It's weak. It's without strength. He also uses the word beggarly. The word beggarly means poor and helpless. It speaks of one who is unable to work and the only thing that they can do is beg.

These are the other gods that we worship. These are the other things that we serve. When we devote our lives to the things that are not God, the one true and living God, they're weak, without strength, unable to satisfy us, to save us, and beggarly. They're always lacking and wanting. And so we find ourselves in bondage, Paul says, which means to be in subjection. But the word carries with it the idea of reducing to bondage.

Being reduced to slavery. We get the picture of Paul saying, listen, you were a slave. That's what he says in verse 7. You're no longer slaves, but now you're sons. You were a slave, but then you became a son by faith. But now you are reducing yourself to bondage and becoming a slave again. It's like the story of the prodigal son in reverse. Remember the story that's found in Luke 15. The son takes the inheritance from his father.

He says, Father, I want the inheritance early. He goes off and he wastes the money. And after all the money is gone, there's a famine. And he finds himself in desperation working by feeding pigs. And he was so desperate and so hungry and in such a bad spot. As he's feeding the pigs, the food he's feeding them is looking very attractive to him. He's like, oh man, that looks so good. And it comes to his senses, it says.

And he realizes, hey, my servant, the servants in my father's house, they have plenty of food. They have food left over. So why am I here? Why don't I just go back? Now, I've already wasted my inheritance. I don't deserve to be my father's son. But maybe I'll go back and he'll let me be a servant, be a slave for him. And I'll just serve him. But at least I'll have food. I'll be able to be taken care of. But of course, as he goes back, the father says,

Has nothing to do with that and just receives him in open arms and puts him back in the position of a son and treats him and honors him and loves him as a son. And it would be what the Galatians are doing, Paul says, it would be as if that son now he's been received back and loved by the father. But now the son decides, you know, we had some good times with those pigs. I'm going to head back there. That food was great back in those days, man. It was wonderful.

And now he leaves his father. This loving relationship, this greatest thing ever, that he found he already had what he was looking for when he first left. He comes back, he finds him still there, loving him. But now, he says, I'm just going to go back to the pigs. I want to go wallow in the mud a little bit more. It was a lot of fun. Or whatever our hearts say. That's what the Galatians were doing. That's why Paul's astounded. How are you doing this? After you know what it's like to have a relationship with God, how do you...

Now turn back to those things. If you desire to worship God and serve God, and if you struggle with sin, because we all do, remember this. The law is powerless. It's weak and beggarly. It does not help you have right standing before God. It does not help you draw close to God. Turn with me to Colossians chapter 2. Not Galoshes. Colossians chapter 2.

Colossians chapter 2 verses 20 through 23, it says this. Now let's stop there just for a second. He says, look, you've died in Christ from the basic principles of the world. What is that? That's what Paul's talking about here in Galatians.

The weak and beggarly elements. These things that cannot save. They're the basic principles. They're what we worship naturally. But he says you've died to those with Christ. So why...

Why do you subject yourself to those regulations? Do not teach, do not teach, do not touch, do not taste, and do not handle. Going on in verse 22, which all concern things which perish with the using according to the commandments and doctrines of men. Why do you subject yourself to these things according to what men say, according to what men teach, and these laws and doctrines of men? Verse 23, notice this.

What does it say? What is Paul saying? These basic principles, these weak and beggarly elements.

Paul says, how are you turning back to them again? These things, they have the appearance of wisdom. They look good. They sound good. Legalism sounds good to us. Okay, to be saved, here's what you got to do. Just, you know, go to church and read your Bible on, you know, a regular or occasional basis. Pray sometimes. Believe in God. And here's the list and here's the rules. And just keep those things and you'll be saved. Or,

The even more advanced, well, if you really want to be spiritual, if you really want to be close to God, then you need to keep the whole law and go back to eating the way that the Old Testament said they should eat. And you need to be circumcised and you need to keep the feasts and the Sabbaths and keep all those things. And then you'll be saved. Then you'll really be spiritual. Whatever level you're talking about, we have these rules and regulations. They have the appearance of wisdom. They sound good. They sound right.

But Paul says that they're self-imposed religion, self-imposed religion. All these things that we impose upon ourselves. This is what I must do to have relationship with God and false humility, which is accompanied by this legalistic relationships and neglect of the body.

Well, you need to be fasting. You need to not take care of yourself. If you really want to be spiritual, just let yourself go. Then you'll truly be spiritual. Don't have to adorn yourself and make yourself look pretty or nice or anything like that. Just neglect the body. Paul says, they're of no value. They sound good. They sound great. Our mind says, well, that's logical. That makes sense. But that's not the way that God works. They're of no value, Paul says, against the indulgence of the flesh. If you want to come to God,

but you struggle with sin. Know and understand the law will not help you in that struggle against sin. The law will not help you come to God and have right standing with God. It's not about the law. You have to come on the basis of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. And so Paul says, how is it that you're going back to what was powerless and weak, unable to satisfy and has no value anymore?

has no value against the indulgence of the flesh. Back in Galatians chapter 4, verses 10 and 11, Paul tells us, So now they're performing the rituals and the ceremonies of the law.

He says, I'm afraid for you. You have all these things. Now, does this mean that we should not have boundaries or regulations in our lives to say, just do whatever you want? No, no. We need to have those things. The law in itself is not bad. The law is good. It's good for us. But when we attempt to relate to God based on our keeping the law, when we trust in the way that we hold to the law or how well we do in keeping the law,

And we rely upon that for our right standing with God, we're in deep trouble. We're in a bad spot. That's not what the law is designed for. The law is powerless. But it is not pointless. It points us to Jesus Christ. Yes, we do stumble. We do fall. We will not keep the law, but it should point us to Jesus Christ. We go to the cross, trust in Him and His work. And by our faith in Him, we have right standing.

Paul says, so now you're observing days and months and seasons and years. And you might say, well, what's the big deal? So they celebrate some feasts, have some good food. But that is Paul's point. If they were doing it to remember, if they were doing it as a remembrance of what God had done, to have a feast together, to fellowship, to give thanksgiving, then that would be fine because it's just food. But the point is that they're not taking them just as food.

but now they're relying on their keeping these feasts for salvation, for blessing, for the filling of the spirit, for a relationship with God. And that is why it's weak and beggarly because it doesn't help you. It's great to do fellowship, have feasts. It's a good time. Keep the things that God puts upon your heart, but do not rely upon that for your salvation. Paul takes this very seriously. He goes on to say, I am afraid for you.

lest I have labored for you in vain. I'm afraid for you. We need to take this very seriously. Salvation comes only by faith in Jesus Christ. And anything else, Paul says, I'm afraid for you. I am very afraid for you. Many times people will ask, is this type of person saved? Is that type of person saved? I have a friend so-and-so, you know, and they're involved in this. Are they going to be saved? And we need to be careful because sometimes

We don't see what is in the heart. Man sees the outward, but God sees the heart. And that's what matters and that's what's important. And our heart, our heart's relationship with Jesus Christ is what brings salvation. But we can know some principles from God's word and understand for ourselves. Salvation is not dependent on where you go to church. It doesn't matter where you go to church. Can you be at the Mormon church and pray?

Receive salvation? Absolutely. It will not be because of their doctrine. It will be in spite of it. But salvation is received by faith in Jesus Christ and his finished work at the cross. And so no matter where you're going, no matter where you are, no matter where you celebrate your feast or attend church or anything else, the issue is your heart and your relationship with Jesus Christ.

It has nothing to do with the feasts you keep, the laws you perform, anything else that we do outwardly. It's based solely on our faith in Jesus Christ, which means also you could be here. You could hear the Bible taught week in and week out. And if you don't have a relationship with God, if you have not put your trust and your faith in Jesus Christ, you are not saved. Paul takes it very seriously, and we should as well. He says, I'm afraid for you. Churches that emphasize a person's works.

Paul says, I'm afraid for you. The emphasis is on what you do for God. The emphasis is on what you can do to be in right standing before God and be pleasing to God. Paul says, I'm afraid for you. It's not up to me. I'm not the judge. I don't know if you're saved or not. That's up to you and the Lord. But I'm afraid for you. Because the evidence points to that there's not a relationship with Jesus Christ.

You're not trusting in him for salvation. Churches that water down the word of God to be more attractive to people, to bring the people in, the seeker-friendly mentality. Paul says, I'm afraid for you. I'm afraid. Salvation is only found through a faith and trust in Jesus Christ. It's only found there. Let me ask you this this morning. Have you found yourself back involved in things that God has delivered you from? Paul would say, I'm afraid for you.

Whatever it may be, it might be legalism like the Galatians were experiencing, but it might be habits or lifestyles or sins that you were involved in. They're all false gods. And Paul would say, I'm afraid for you. How are you turning from God to those things and going back and being involved in those things that he delivered you from? Our hearts, they're so quick to wander. Like Paul, we can cry out, what's wrong with us? Who's going to deliver me from this body of death? Oh man, my flesh longs to sin.

To walk away from God. But the law does not help me. It does not help me. I need to trust in Jesus Christ. Verse 12. Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. Do you remember back in Galatians chapter 2 for those who were here? Paul had a situation that he had to withstand everything.

Peter, he stood up to Peter and had to rebuke him in front of everybody because Peter began to act in hypocrisy. Now, Peter, being a Jew, grew up with the rules and regulations of the law, and so he knew them very well. But after Christ came and the Lord spoke to him in Acts chapter 10, that things were different now. He was relating to God on a different basis. Now it was by faith. And so he was with Paul in Antioch.

They're there with the fellowship. They're there with the rest of the church and the believers. And they're having a great time together. They're fellowshipping together. You know, they're having feasts together and breaking bread together, eating together, spending time amongst one another. And Peter's there with them, participating in it all.

But then some brothers come, some people come from the church in Jerusalem. Now they're Jewish believers. They come from James, who is one of the leaders there at the church in Jerusalem. And as they come from James, now Peter begins to change the way that he's acting. No longer does he fellowship with everybody, but now he begins to say, okay, well, I need to keep the law again. And so now he's only fellowshipping with the Jewish believers and he's

He's participating and keeping the laws and keeping the things the way that he did as he always did growing up. And Paul rebuked him and said, hey, you're a hypocrite. You're acting in hypocrisy. You would eat in fellowship with them, but now you change. You're switching sides. And this is what the Galatians were doing. They used to have freedom in Christ, but now they're restricting themselves and putting all these legalities and things upon themselves, binding themselves to

Paul says, you need to let that go. I urge you, he says, to become like me. Well, how is Paul? 1 Corinthians chapter 9. You don't have to turn there, but just a couple of points from there. Paul says, though I am free from all men, I made myself a servant to all that I might win them more. Paul says, I'm free from all men, but I made myself a servant to all. And he goes on in verse 20 of 1 Corinthians 9. He says, to the Jews, I became as a Jew.

I kept the law, I kept the regulations, not relying upon them for my salvation, but just to be close to them, just to be around them, that I would be able to share with them the gospel message, and I would be able to win them to Jesus Christ. But then he goes on to say, to those without the law, I didn't worry about the law, I didn't worry about the food that I was eating, I didn't worry about the legalities of keeping this day or that day, I just spent time with them and fellowship with them, that I might be able to have an opportunity to share with them the gospel message.

To the weak, he says, I became as weak that I might win the weak and so on and so forth. He became all things to all men that he might bring the message of salvation to them. So Paul is saying, become like me. Become like me. Set aside the legalism, the laws and regulations, what you eat, and the keeping of the feasts. Set aside those things because they do not help you in your relationship with God. Do them, but do not rely upon them.

for salvation. And Paul goes on to say, you have not injured me by going back to those things. Who have they injured? Well, they've injured themselves and they've injured God themselves because now they're relying upon themselves. And since they're relying upon themselves, they will not experience the grace of God that comes by faith. They will not experience the blessings, the working of the spirit that comes by faith. They will not experience the childlike relationship with God that comes by faith.

And they've injured God because we cannot please Him without faith. Hebrews 11.6 makes it very clear. He died for their sins, just like He died for your sins and my sins. Yet they are disregarding that and trying to do it on their own. That's okay, Jesus. Nice of you to do that. But I'm going to do it this way. I'm going to approach God this way. I can do it. I'm a really good person.

I'm very religious or very disciplined or whatever the case may be. And they're disregarding what Christ did. And so it pains God because he desires relationship with us and he cannot have relationship with us unless we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. It's the only way when we come to him relying upon him and what he did for us. Let's move on to verses 13 and 14. He says, you know that because of physical infirmity, I preached the gospel to you at the first time.

Now we do not have record of what Paul is referring to here, this infirmity that caused him to go to Galatia. We have records in the book of Acts about him going to Galatia, but it doesn't give the details as to the circumstances why he was there.

His infirmity, we don't know exactly what that was either. In verse 15, we understand that it was related to his eyes because they were willing to gouge out their own eyes and give them to him if that was possible. It could be here that he's referring to a form of malaria that is common in that part of the world. It could also be that this was the thorn in the flesh that he referred to in 2 Corinthians chapter 12. But whatever the case, he came. And when he came, Paul says, I was in bad shape.

Tradition states that because of this problem with his eyes, that he would always have stuff oozing out of his eyes. And he would just be not very pleasant to look upon. Not someone you would want to gaze into their eyes. It was disgusting. It was gross. It was freaking people out. Paul says, even though I wasn't attractive, it was hard to look at me. You received me as an angel of God. Now, he even goes on to say, even as Christ Jesus said,

Doesn't mean that they worshipped him, but they embraced him, disregarding the outward appearance, and they received him as if he had a message from God, which he did, the gospel message. Faith in Jesus Christ gives you relationship with God and eternal life with him. But an important principle for us to take note of for a second here, and that is that we should never let our looks or appearance keep us from preaching the gospel. It doesn't matter what we look like, even if

You're just in your pajamas at the grocery store because you need to get milk. God gives you the opportunity. Take it. The important thing is not the outward appearance. The power of God into salvation is the gospel message. That's what Paul came and shared. And so it didn't matter what he looked like. All that mattered was the message that he preached. Something for us to remember. Paul is not saying that they should worship him or that they worshiped him, but that he received him.

But they received him as if he had a message from the Lord, which the gospel message, it's from God. And that's the power of God unto salvation. So Paul says, remember, you received that. Now what? Verse 15. What then was the blessing you enjoyed when you received that? What was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.

Back then, Paul says, even though I looked all crazy and hideous, you received the gospel message and you experienced blessing. You experienced the love and the joy that comes from a relationship with God. And it was demonstrated, their love that they experienced, it was demonstrated by their willingness to pluck out their own eyes if they could. Their willingness to say, man, Paul, if I could, I would sacrifice my own eyes and give them to you.

if that were possible. It was their demonstration of love, the result of what was taking place in their hearts because of their relationship with God. I have a cousin who is a youth pastor in East Anaheim, and he did a beautiful thing this last week because one of his youth members, a 13-year-old girl, she was in need of a kidney. She had to have a kidney transplant. And actually it

I didn't know this, and just a little tidbit of information for you. They didn't replace her kidney. They just added one. So now she has three. I don't know if that's normal or not. But she had need of it. They had one lined up. She was ready for the operation. But then something happened, and it fell through. And the donor, original donor, did not come through and decided against it. And so my cousin, this youth pastor, he gets the youth leaders together. And they go down, and they get tested themselves.

And they see, well, is any one of us eligible? Do we have the same blood type? Is it a good fit? And it turned out that he was the perfect donor. And so this last week, he did a beautiful thing. He demonstrated his love by giving one of his kidneys that one of the young ladies in his youth group would be able to continue on in life. Amazing. Beautiful.

This is the heart. This is what was taking place there in the churches of Galatia. Paul says, you would have given your eyes if that were possible. And this is something important for us to know. Because the result of true doctrine, the result of real relationship with God, will always be love. Love that's demonstrated in this way. Love that's demonstrated. Because that's the type of love that Jesus had for us. In Galatians 5.22, we'll see it in a couple weeks.

Paul said, the fruit of the Spirit is love. The way that you can tell if something is of the Spirit, is of God, is a result of a relationship with God, is the love that's manifested through a person's life. It's a good test for us, because there are many who teach false doctrines. There are many who would pull away, just like these false teachers were doing in Galatia. Many will come to you and say, you need to believe this. This is the way.

But what you need to ask is, what is the fruit of their relationship with God? This great relationship that they say that they have. What is the fruit of that? And to take a step back and see, what is the result? Is it love? Is it love as demonstrated by Christ Jesus? Now, I've had experiences. Some people that you talk with, they get so angry. Even as they're sharing the word of God. They're in the heat of this argument. They're so angry. There's animosity and anger.

As they share with you the word of God. This is what you need to do. This is what you must do. It's this way. The fruits of their life. You can see. It's not the love that comes from a relationship with God. Listen. If it's not in love. If the result is not love. It's not of God. So be careful. What you listen to. And what you receive. Because there's many false teachers. Just as there was in the days of Paul the Apostle. Verse 16 says,

Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? Have I become your enemy? Now, do you see what's happening here? Is the fruit of the doctrine that was being taught there in Galatia, is the fruit of that doctrine love? No. Now they're counting Paul as an enemy. This guy who came and shared with them the gospel message, introduced them to God, that they might have a relationship with God. Now they're saying, he's my enemy.

The result of that doctrine, that teaching, that relationship that they were now trying to experience with God was not love. It was not love. And as we share the gospel message, as we speak the truth, understand we will have enemies because that's what Paul is doing. He was sharing the truth. He's not sharing with them some deeper or difficult theology. He's sharing with them the gospel message, the grace of God. He's finding that they're becoming his enemies.

In the same way, people will come against us because the world hates the truth. But the fruit of a relationship by faith in God is love. Now the Galatians have been completely deceived. They've taken the bait, hook, line, and sinker. They've just been completely seduced. Now they're turning against Paul because he's telling them the truth, but they're not receiving it. It's a sad state to be in. You've probably seen this state among family and friends.

You've probably seen this state in your own heart as well. When we're so deceived by whatever it is. Oblivious to reality. Oblivious to the truth. Paul says, this is the state that you're in. He goes on in verse 17. They zealously court you, but for no good. Yes, they want to exclude you that you may be zealous for them. Verse 18. But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always and not only when I am present with you.

These false teachers that were there in Galatia. What was their motivation? Paul says they zealously court you. They have great zeal, but it's not a godly zeal that they have. They're falsely motivated by their pride and lust for power. They seek to gather people around them. Notice it says that you may be zealous for them. For them. They're seeking to attract people and get people so that they can say,

Look at how many people, they're zealous for me, for my doctrine, for what I teach. Paul says, it's not right. They zealously court you, but it's not for any good. And that's how false teachers often work, by the way. They do not go out and try to convince unbelieving people. Instead, they go to people who are already confessing a faith in God, and they zealously court them to lure them in to their own doctrine. That's what they do, to lure them in.

It's the art of seduction in which a person is deceived so that now they think they're being zealous when their former teacher is their enemy. They think they're doing God a service by having enmity with Paul. No, we're doing what's right. But Paul says you're blind to the scriptures. You're blind to the gospel message. You've been deceived by the teaching of these false teachers.

Paul says, it's good to be zealous. Be zealous. But it's only good to be zealous if it's a good thing that you're zealous about. And if you're always zealous, not just when I'm around. It's good to be zealous, Paul says. Go all out. That's good. But let it be according to the word of God. Let it be according to the truth which God presents here. That it's by faith in Jesus Christ that we find relationship with God.

Faith in what He did for us and not what we do for Him. Be zealous for the things of God. Go all out for Him. Serve Him completely. Worship Him wholeheartedly. But He says, always be that way. Not just when I'm there. Not just when you're here. In the corner of Lincoln and Railroad. Wherever you're at. Not just when Pastor Tom is around or anybody else. Not just when a Christian brother is next to you. Always be zealous.

For the things of God. That's a good thing. But you need to make sure that your zeal, that what you're so passionate about and what you're devoted to is found in here and is according to what God speaks to us through his word. We need to make sure that our zeal is rightly placed. Verse 19 and 20. My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.

I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I have doubts about you. Once again, we see in Paul the love of a father. And he says, I will continue to labor in birth again. When he was first there, there was labor involved. He had to share with them the gospel message. He had to suffer the persecution that goes along with that. They received the rejection for however long it took before they received the gospel message.

He labored in birth and he says, I'm doing it again. I will continue to labor again until Christ is formed in you. I will continue to speak the truth to you until you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and his work and not in your own works. Another reminder to us, guys, as we come upon the holidays, Thanksgiving on Thursday and Christmas around the corner.

A time when we see family and friends that we maybe don't often see. Listen, don't give up on those that you love. Be faithful to labor and birth for them in prayer and intercession and sharing the truth, even if they consider you an enemy. Be faithful. Don't give up. Persist. Paul says, I'll continue to do it because he had this great love for them. Paul says, listen, I would love to be there and have my tone changed.

I would love to change my tone. I don't want to be correcting you or having this tone against you, but I can't.

I have my doubts about you. Again, like he said a few verses earlier, I'm afraid for you. Was it all in vain? All the doctrine that you heard, all the things that you know, the relationship and the experiences that you had, and the love of God, the joy of God, the peace of God, is it all in vain now? Is it all thrown out the window? I'm afraid for you. I have my doubts about you. I don't know where you stand with God right now, Paul is saying. I have my doubts. You're walking away.

You're relying upon these things and not Jesus Christ. Paul says you're in grave danger. He takes it very seriously and you and I should as well. The gospel message, the Christian life, it's not something to play around with. It's very serious. Our eternal life is at stake. And as we close this time this morning, I would ask you, looking at your life, the things that you're involved in, the way that you live and the relationship that you have with God,

Would Paul have doubts about you? Would he say, I'm afraid. Oh, I'm fearful for you. I don't know. It's not the demonstration of love and joy and peace that comes from a relationship with God. It looks like you're relying upon these works or you're involved in this sin and you won't let those things go. You're not continuing on in your relationship with God. Now, this is not to make you all freak out and go, I don't even know if I'm saved anymore. That's not the idea. Paul says, no, no, for sure.

Be assured. Know that you're saved. Know that you have a relationship with God. But find it by faith and trust in what Jesus Christ. Come back to Him and have a loving relationship with Him. That's what God desires. That's how we find eternal life. Jesus said, I've come that they may have life and have it more abundant, to the full, overflowing. That's the life that God desires for us. But it's found in relationship with Him as we put our faith and trust in what He did for us.

and not what we can do. You and I, we don't have to live under a big question mark, saying, I hope that I'm saved. I hope that I make it. I'm trying real hard. Paul would tell us, stop trying and find salvation by relationship with Jesus Christ. Receive what He did for you on the cross. Be absolutely sure by putting your trust in Jesus Christ. You don't have to hope you are saved. You don't have to hope you'll make it to heaven.

You can know beyond a shadow of a doubt by trusting in Him. That's what God says. Believe in Me and you will have everlasting life. You will not perish. There are those who will perish because they do not believe in Jesus Christ. It's not because they failed to attain to some level that He asked of them. It's not because they failed to keep the law or keep some certain works. But it's because they failed to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and rely upon Him for salvation. You might say, that doesn't make a lot of sense. How does putting my faith and

Jesus saved me. That's the point. That's faith. He said, believe in me, receive me, and you will be saved. And so I take God at his word. And I say, okay, I believe in you. I receive your work. Give me a relationship with God. Help me to walk with God. Let my life demonstrate the love, the joy, that peace that comes as a result of a relationship with God.

I want to challenge you this morning. Are you here this morning and you have never been born again? You've never taken this step to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Life is hard without Christ. Life is hard with Christ too. But you have relationship with Almighty God and He promises to meet your every need. And you can be assured of your salvation. You can have relationship with God simply by putting your faith and trust, by receiving what He did for you. This morning, are you here

And you have, but you're like the Galatians. You've received Jesus, you've received the message, but you've found yourself back involved in things that he delivered you from, or back involved in things that are the weak and beggarly elements of the world. I would say, God offers deliverance to you. Prodigal son, prodigal daughter, come back to the embracing arms of the loving Father by faith and trust in him. It's not about our works, but we need to come to him by faith.

and he'll receive us and give to us the thing that we need most, which is relationship with him. You can be forgiven, free from the guilt, the shame, cleansed from sin, and have assurance that you'll spend eternity with God by simply putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray for those who are hearing this right now. God, I ask that you would speak to their hearts.

Lord, open our eyes. If we are involved in things that are not of you, open our eyes, God. Show us how much we need you. God, I ask that you would help us to receive the work that you did for us at the cross. You're here this morning and you want to receive Jesus Christ. If you've never been born again, but you want God to come in and to do a new work in your life, or if you're here and you at one time knew God, walked with God, but you've been involved, bound to the weak and beggarly things,

and you want to come back to relationship with God. Just pray this prayer in your heart after me. Lord Jesus, thank you for your work at the cross. Lord, I blow it and I'm involved in false worship. Worshiping gods and serving gods that cannot save. Lord, forgive me. I come to you now by faith in what you said and what you did there at the cross. Forgive me of my sins. Come into my life and make me born again.

Lord Jesus, help me to walk with you. In Jesus' name we all pray. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.