Things That Hinder Our Faith; Hebrews 12:1-3; Galatians 5:1-8
The Bible sometimes describes the Christian life as a race. In those days the Olympic games of Greece and the Isthmian games of Corinth were all the rage. They were the sporting events of the day. Athletic races were well known as feats of endurance, speed and agility. Everyone knew the races such as the decathlon and the marathon were only won by the most determined and the most disciplined athletes.
Athletes trained hard. They lived and breathed for the prize to be won by the first contestant to cross the finish line. They shunned anything that might lessen their chances of winning.
All these elements, discipline, training, speed, agility, desire, and endurance make the race such an appropriate analogy for the life of the believer who is to be striving for our eternal reward.
Have David and Amanda race… Piggy back David… Hebrews 12:1, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
Throw of everything that hinders and the sin… sin is not the only thing that hinders us in the race of life. There are other things that draw us away from the faith and that’s what happened to the Galatians… Galatians 5:1-8…
Four words in Vs. 7, “You were running well.” They speak of past blessings. They speak of present failure. These Men & women were born again believers Vs.1. But they were falling away from the grace of God Vs.4. In Vs. 7 Paul asks? “Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” OR WHAT?
1. False Teachers - 1:6-9; 3:1a
False teachers had confused them - Not sure who they were, but they were teaching Jewish law as a means of salvation. (LEGALISM)… Not the first time… Acts 15:10-11, “Now why are you trying to make God angry by placing a heavy burden on these followers? This burden was too heavy for us and our ancestors. But our Lord Jesus was kind to us, and we are saved by faith in him, just as the Gentiles are.”
This group was teaching circumcision as a means of salvation Galatians 5:2-3, “I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.”
Others teach baptism… Salvation by the law… Salvation by humans effort or good works… Today there are all kinds of false teachings and false religions. Hinduism, Buddhism, Muslim, Mormons, and the list goes on.
And in the secular society we have things like evolution… big bang… The DaVinci Code… All attempting to undermine the truth, Gods word… These teachers and teaching do not care about your soul, they want to take the joy of the Lord away from you.
I love the way Paul describes false teachers in Philippians 3:2, “Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.”
A. They Are Devouring. Paul called them “dogs”, (Best friend). In those days they were vicious, scavengers that ran the streets. They did nothing but devour and destroy. (Kuwait). I don’t know of a better description of false teachers and prophets than “dogs.” They are spiritual scavengers and predators that devour and destroy.
B. They Are Depraved. Paul also calls them “evildoers.” They may look nice and clean and wholesome outwardly, but they are corrupt on the inside
Matthew 23:27-28, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Those guys riding bikes in their nice white shirts and black ties…
C. They Are Deceiving. Paul called them “mutilators of the flesh.” He was speaking of those who taught that you must be circumcised to be saved... Galatians 5:12, “As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!”
They did not deny that faith was an essential part of salvation, but they added to it (works, circumcision, & other rituals). Many do the same thing today they believe salvation is by grace + …
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., was ill with a staff infection of the throat. A new medicine called sulpha-nil-amide was tried with amazing success. The publicity of the case caused the drug to be in great demand. A pharmaceutical company in Tennessee conceived the idea of preparing the drug in a liquid instead of a powder form. They dissolved it in diethylamide glycol. It proved to a costly and fatal. 61 people died.
A harmless lifesaving drug in one form became a poison in another form. It was not something that was taken away that made the drug deadly, but something that was added.
What these false teachers were teaching was just a spiritually deadening and damning. They were not taking anything away, only adding to it. Three times Paul said, “Beware.” Don’t give them your time, hearing, a chance to corrupt you.
Titus 3:4-5, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy”.
2. Fighting Christians
Galatians 5:15, “If you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” Now I want you to notice something Vs. 4 says they were trying to be justified by the law. They were being legalistic… What happens to people who become legalistic? They also become judgmental… They develop a self-righteous attitude… And that causes a lot of conflict and friction in the church.
But look at what Paul says about the law in Vs. 14, “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” In fact it’s proof of discipleship John 13:35, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” WHY? Because love is of God… 1 John 4:7-8, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
Bitterness and strife come from Satan - James 3:14-16, “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”
Do you know why it brings disorder and every evil practice? Because bitterness and strife keep us focused on our problems instead of Christ. Have you ever been in a room with a child that’s throwing a fit…? You cannot focus. You cannot focus on the Lord where there is strife.
Bitterness and strife hinder you walk because you’ve lost focus.
The monks at a remote monastery deep in the woods followed a rigid vow of silence. Their vow could only be broken once a year——on Valentine’s Day——by one monk. That monk could speak only one sentence. One Valentine’s Day, Brother Thomas had his turn to speak and said, "I love the delightful mashed potatoes we have every year with the Valentine’s Day Roast!" Then he sat down. Silence ensued for 365 days. The next Valentine’s Day, Brother Michael got his turn and said, "I think the mashed potatoes are lumpy, and I truly despise them!" Once again, silence ensued for 365 days. The following Valentine’s Day, Brother Paul rose and said, "I am fed up with this constant bickering!” That guy had lost his focus, he had been letting this build up for a year…
Hebrews 10:23-25 tells us our purpose toward one another, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
4 things we are called to do…
1. Hold fast the confession of our faith
2. Stir one another to love and good works… Good works is good but it doesn’t save us…
3. Meet together faithfully – your attendance isn’t just about you,
4. Encourage one another
Legalism never encourages it tares down, it hinders us, but love and grace lifts us up and frees us to run with patience.
3. Fleshly Walk
Galatians 5:13, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh…” Now there were some back them that were teaching that we have a physical body and we have a spiritual body, but they are separate from one another, so you can do whatever is pleasing to your flesh.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
Romans 5:20, “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”
Romans 6:2, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
Now there is no doubt a battle that wages within us between the flesh and the spirit…Galatians 5:17-21…
But in Christ we can have VICTORY - The Spirit Filled Life - Galatians 5:16, “Walk in the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Realize were sin begins: In our MIND. Critical - We must win this battle in our minds! Romans 8:5-6, “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
When we win the battle in our minds - the battle with the flesh becomes much easier.
4 steps to win the battle:
1. FILL your mind with God’s Word.
2. FOCUS on Christ - We often experience distractions - stay focused.
3. Walk by FAITH. We serve a powerful, almighty God - who is able, we need to exercise a walk of faith.
4. Submit to God – James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you”.
Conclusion: Conformity… Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
