Choosing To Please God Over Pleasing God's People Series

Choosing to Please God over Pleasing God’s People

Gal. 1:9-10

June 5, 2005 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor

Introduction:

A In 1979, 4th grade year, Vendee Myers was my first crush.

a She said, "Mike, I’ll be your girlfriend if you buy me a Coke." O.K.!....popcorn...candy.....and at the end of the night, "Mike, I don’t think it’s going to work out."

b No love...she wanted me to give her stuff so she would be my girlfriend

c In our text, there were some folks who were trying to say that God wanted people to do good stuff for Him so He would be their Savior/Lord

• Satan couldn’t destroy Christ, so he tried to abort the early church in its infancy by putting poison in its bottle. The poison was false doctrine.

• One poison came from Judizers (were saved, but turned back to Judaism and sought to incorporate Christianity as an extension of their works

B As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! 10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. Gal 1:9-10 (NASB)

a Paul gave a grave warning to everyone who perverted the core of the Gospel message (ETS)

b Believers please God when we share the Gospel as the Gospel.(ESS)

C I want my listener to please God this week by sharing the non-perverted Gospel with someone (OBJ)

a How can believers please God with the Gospel as gospel?(PQ)

b Let’s look at two directives that can equip us to please God with the Gospel as gospel.(TS)

c Pray

I The first directive that equips us to please God with the Gospel is...know the gospel.

As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

A A group of people (Judaizers) at Galatia were trying to teach a works-based salvation to new converts

a Judaizers taught that the Gentiles must become Jews by circumcision before they could become Christians and that all Christians, Jews and Gentiles alike, were righteous before God only if they remained bound under the Mosaic law, regulations, and ceremonies. (Jesus and circumcision, obeying Mosaic law, and sacrificing at the temple)

b Paul’s gospel that he preached was not Jesus and anything, it was just Jesus I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel Gal 1:6 (NASB)

* Paul protects this doctrine of grace like a father guards his daughter until she marries

* Paul was magnanimous on other issues (food, days to celebrate) but that was because Paul knew what was worth being stubborn over, the truth of the Gospel-grace

* Salvation through grace alone (not Jesus and this and that. Just Jesus, and that’s that).

* Paul says teachers who oppose this doctrine are accursed.

B We will produce good works as a result of God’s saving grace and power working in us, but we don’t do good works to earn or keep our salvation.

a For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. 2 John 1:7,10-11 (NASB) Don’t be under a pastor/teacher/church that teaches anything other than salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone

b You can be open to so much, but we’ve gotta know the line on the Gospel (baptism, church membership, Lord’s Supper, sinless, divorced, etc).

C (IL) Grace

II The second directive that equips us to please God with the Gospel is...show the gospel

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

A Paul had been accused of taking the "work" out of the gospel to win the favor of the Gentiles

a Paul just got done saying "damn"anyone who preaches another gospel other than the one I just preached about (don’t win friends and influence people with that kind of rhetoric)

b Paul’s reference to himself as a bond-servant is of significance.

* Every time Paul wrote a letter or preached a sermon he was either getting shipwrecked, put in jail, or being carried off by some angry mob of people he didn’t please to get rocks thrown at him