Reading …

Introduction …

  • For those of us who were around in the 1960’s we will surely remember the frequent sermons we heard on the second coming of the Lord Jesus …  
  • Jesus called Satan the father of lies …John 8:44
    • So it is no surprise that deception is part of his modus operandi.
    • And as we study church history deception and perversion of the truth is always visible for all to see. 
    • Peter, Jude and Paul all teach the need for sound doctrine…
  • One of the major problems in recognising error is …
    • It is perpetrated by cunning, crafty, deceitful, schemers …Ephesians 4:14
    • Peter says they will secretly introduce destructive heresies … 2 Peter 2:1
    • Their purpose is to exploit the people and bring the way of truth into disrepute… 1 Peter 2:2
  • It is therefore no surprise to find Paul, as he writes to Timothy, frequently dealing with the need for sound and accurate doctrine…

Importance of Sound Doctrine …

  • In the epistle to the Galatians sound doctrine is exactly the problem that Paul is dealing with …
    • And he is very uncompromising and confrontational in doing it. 
  • Sound doctrine is important for the following reasons …
    • Our relationship with God is based in a very specific message called the gospel …
    • What we believe affects what we do …
      • Our behaviour is an extension of our theology …
        • If I believe this message …
          • I will come to Jesus in faith  for salvation ..
  • My life style will change …
    • Sound doctrine is profitable for teaching reproof, correction, training in righteousness … 2 Timothy 3:16
    • It is contrary to a sinful way of life … 1 Timothy 1:9-10
  • It is a sacred trust …Jude 1:3
    • It is not ours to change by adding to or cutting out.
    • It is ours only to deliver, to protect … 
      • We are exhorted to …2 Timothy 1:13-14
        • Hold fast to the pattern of sound teaching …
        • Contend for … fight to protect that good thing that was committed to us to keep…
  • It is there to protect us against false teachers…
    • False teachers are in the world and in our churches …1 John 4:1
      • We are exhorted to test the teaching we receive to ensure sound doctrine …
      • But to test we must know sound doctrine …
        • This is specific especially to elders …
          • You can't be an elder if you don't know doctrine
        • But we all must know doctrine …
          • We must be ready at all times to defend…
        • The complaint of the writer to the Hebrews is that we are immature babies still surviving on milk instead of solid foods … Hebrews 5:12-14
  • Somebody once said …
    • Never worry about who will be offended if you speak the truth . Worry about who will be misled, deceived and destroyed if you don’t. 
  • Watch your life and doctrine … your salvation and that of others {who you teach} depends on it… 1 Timothy 4:16
  • Sound doctrine is something many people think is unimportant, arbitrary, unnecessary and only for a select few in the church.
    • However that is not what the bible teaches …
  • This is the exact situation  that we find in Galatians …
    • The very specific message that he preaches is being attacked by Judaizers who claim faith alone is insufficient. 
      • And Paul tackles it head on.
    • Thus the epistles to the Galatians along with Romans are 2 of the most important in the New Testament.

Why is Galatians important today …

  •  Because we are living in the last days …
    • Deceptive teachings are commonplace in churches today …
      • It is a sign of the end of the age …
        • Jesus return is imminent. 
  • For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and will turn away from the truth and be turned aside to fables …2 Timothy 4:3
    • These teachers preach what they want to hear not what they should hear 
  • There are 4 things we should think about in this verse …
    • They are tired of the true gospel
    • So they get false teachers to say what they want to hear
    • They avoid the truth 
    • They follow fables
      • We see these things reported in the news every day …
        • Zim prophet …money is not the root of all evil
        • Self proclaimed prophets …
          • Grow wealthy at congregations expense
          • Rape the young girls
          • Promise financial returns they will never see
          • And fake resurrections from the dead.
      • But their churches are packed out … full.
        • It is easy to preach prosperity in poor communities

Church history …

  • Although the problem of false doctrine was confronted  in Galatians, in Rome and elsewhere it was never eradicated …
    • Church history shows that very clearly …
  • In Galatians they were up against the works of the law in order to earn salvation. 
    • This has and always will be Satan's great lie …deception
      • And man's greatest weakness …
        • What must I do to inherit eternal life.
  • As early as 100A.D. Bishops were being appointed in churches and the Bishop of Rome is recognized as the head of the church.
    • By 313 A.D. the papacy was recognised by the Emperor Constantine 
    • But by 1409 A.D. John Huss had been excommunicated in part for preaching in his native language.
    • In 1410 he wrote his book De Ecclesia in which he says …
      • Christ alone is the head of the church not the pope …
    • In 1414 he was promised safe conduct to the Council of Conduct but within a matter of weeks was arrested and put on trial for heresy. 
      • At his trial they refused to test his teachings against scripture. 
    • He was found guilty and burned at the stake in 1415.
  • About 150 years later Martin Luther, having read De Elcesia…and many of Hus’s sermons wrote …
    • I could not understand for what cause they had burnt so great a man, who explained the scriptures with so much gravity and skill.
    •  Luther was later to translate many of Huss’s writings into German.
  • Can we see that in essence the problem here is the same as in Galatians …
    • Faith alone is not sufficient for salvation.
    • The Catholic system had in a very short space of time reintroduced works
      • Confessions, penances and payments to the system became the norms …
      • Contrary to scripture the pope was recognised as the holy father and the Vicar of Christ.
    • Sound doctrine was out of the window. 
  • Throughout church history this has been the problem …
    • Today we have a host of cults and cultures claiming Gods favour.
      • Mormons, Jehovah's witnesses, seventh day adventists, Apostolic missions, Catholicism, the reigning monarch is the supreme governor of the Church of England.
    • All of this because we fail to protect sound doctrine. 
  • So, in Galatians, Paul is very uncompromising in his defense of the doctrine …
    • And we need to heed his teachings so that we can stand firm in this day of deception.  

Occasion and purpose …

  • Background…
    • The Galatians to a large degree were new gentile converts who were facing several problems …
      • The Judaizers claim they have authority from the leader of the church in Jerusalem … James the brother of Jesus
      • Even leaders like Peter and Barnabus were yielding to these men
      • A Jew had preached to them and taught faith in a man of Jewish birth who was claiming to fulfill the Jewish scriptures
      • Where then does the Jewish law fit into the scheme of things
      • Of all people, Peter appears to favour them. 
    • The Judiazers attack is on 2 fronts …
      • They attack Paul's apostlic authority …
      • The true apostles they claim were taught by Jesus himself.
    • They question his theology of faith alone … 
    • Clearly the Galatians are in desperate need of some guidance.
  • Over the next few weeks we are going to study Paul's response as recorded in his letter to the Galatian churches. 
    • Andrew will take us through chapters 1 and 2 and deal with Paul’s defense of his apostleship.
      • In Galatians 1:1 Paul introduces himself as …
        • Paul, an apostle… sent by Jesus Christ and God the Father
          • That was a claim far greater than being sent by James …
          • But is that claim true.  
    • Then we are going to look at chapters 3 & 4 and examine Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith and see exactly where the law of Moses fits in …
      • The disciples of Jesus were taught for 3 years by Jesus himself. 
        • Surely they are correct. 
      • Where did Paul get his information from… It was not from Jesus himself or was it. 
        • We will look at the Gospel,  faith and the law, freedom and slavery, adoption and promise, the flesh and the Spirit.
    • Then in chapters 5 & 6 Stuart will take us into living and walking in the Spirit and the practical application of all this in our daily lives.

Conclusion …

  • Why are we doing Galatians …
    • Read Paul’s prayer for the Colossians 1:9-12
    • The Objective
      • To fill you with the knowledge of His will thru spiritual wisdom and understanding …
    • The outcome …
      • That you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him
      • That you may bear fruit in every good work  
      • Grow in knowledge
    • The enabling word …
      • Being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might
      • That you may have endurance and patience
    • Living a life of gratitude …
      • And give thanks to the Father.
  • This is our prayer for Medway church.