Complete The Mission

Complete The Mission

Sermon Scripture Galatians 5:7-9 (KJV)

Galatians 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

All of our hard work means nothing if we don’t finish what we have started

Who did hinder you?

In this scripture the apostle Paul is explaining to a group of people that he had passionately preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to earlier.

However just as fast as he could get the truth to the people the enemy would use the same method to spread lies

This reminds me of the Television preachers of today’s time. As fast as the truth about Christ can come out over the airwaves the enemy comes right in behind with some programs that trick the potentially changed heart out of what they have just received

Paul knows that in order to have a civilized life one must obey the laws of the land and he never suggested that the people do anything different than be law abiding citizens

However when a person is allowing himself to be led by the Spirit of God he will operate at a level that is above the laws of man

He will know that God is his ultimate judge and can see all things at all times. This will make a person more obedient to the laws of land.

When we subject ourselves to be questioned by the laws of the land then we have ultimately lowered our standards.

Not that we are above the law but if we look at the fruit of the Spirit vs. the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.) that Paul taught and if we allow the fruit of the Spirit to truly enter our hearts and be our guide then we will never have to worry about the laws of man.

I find this particular passage of scripture very interesting (verse 7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?) . Paul suggest to the people that they are no longer obeying the truth. This is interesting because both the law of the land and the Spirit of God are truth.

However when there is a discrepancy or they are not sure of what they should do then they should always choose to be led by the Spirit and in doing this they will be able to satisfy both.

Another thing that I find interesting is how Paul (like Jesus did so often) took something that the people were very familiar with and very interested in to teach them about God

Paul used a race. These people were passionate about races and they took races very serious.

There is one interesting thing about a race though. When you are running in a race you never have to face obstacles placed by your opponents.

However Paul said, “Who did hinder you?” instead of , “What did hinder you?” Had he said, “What” then it could have included who but by him saying, “Who” Paul was pinpointing the idea that something unauthorized was happening to them.

Paul was informing them that anyone that spoke anything different than what he was teaching was presenting a stumbling block to them

By him specifying that it was the who that was causing them to lose their way, he immediately gave away the enemies hiding position

I am sure that Satan came against the people in that time just as he does against us now

I am sure that he was operating without them ever really knowing that he was there

He was probably concealing himself as an imposter of an angel of light

He has not changed his tactics at all Saints he is going against us now just as he did against these people then

Some of us have left the course and we are losing the race and we don’t even know what is happening to us

Saints it is not the what that is happening to us but it is the who

When a race competitor lines up at the starting line of a five mile race and the referee gives the signal to go. If the racer leads the race for 4.90 miles and then decides to leave the course in the last tenth of a mile, the once synch to win all of a sudden becomes a lost soul.