No other gospel
Galatians Series / Part 4 / Sunday August 20th, 2006
Intro: A few weeks ago we took a family vacation out to the Raystown area; a few of us toured the Lincoln Caverns. The guide took us down 120 feet into the earth and turned out all the lights. It was intense darkness. You could not see your own hand in front of your face. He told us that a person left in those conditions for even a few months, would become irreversibly blind. Even if returned to daylight you would remain blind. True darkness takes away our vision. It was truly an odd feeling. He told us how a second cave was discovered when Myron Dunlavy, Jr crawled through a sink hole on the property. The hole is about 18 inches round and about 25 yards long. It opens up into the cave now called Whisper Rocks.
The Bible illustrates the opposite as being true for mankind: that we are born into darkness and must find a way out.
Colossians 1:13 “he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,”
Paul is going to navigate us through a narrow passage way, one many feel is too narrow to pass through. In deed it is a narrow passage. But one that is necessarily narrow. It is the only way out of the darkness.
The Galatians had listened to Paul and accepted the Gospel Message (essentially the Map-quest set of directions to leave darkness and enter into the Light of God.) But they allowed false teachers into the church. These teachers began to cloud the truth, they began to add to the gospel message, they began teaching that a person must become a Jew and follow after the Old Testament Law for salvation.
Text: Galatians 1:6-9 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”
Paul is writing to people who had already accepted the Message of Salvation through Jesus Christ. They were “Born again” they were believers in Jesus. They had accepted a very small looking lie, a very reasonable, seemingly beneficial lie. This “little” lie actually threatened their salvation.
I. If you miss the Gospel you miss God
a. A different gospel is really no gospel at all
1) Paul isn’t splitting hairs here. He isn’t talking about the subtle nuances of the truth.
2) To get the Gospel of Jesus wrong is to miss, loose or forfeit eternal life.
3) It’s that serious!
4) So when we read this let’s not think that Paul is some over zealous “spaz”
• Changing / Adding too / Subtracting from / Deleting anything from the “Gospel of Christ” completely destroys its effectiveness in the person’s life.
True Christians don’t agree on all matters.
Doctrine is very important, but it is only the matrix for understanding and pursuing God.
Life doesn’t come in the form of doctrine.
It isn’t hard to find Christians who will argue day and night over doctrine.
Jesus confronted the Jews for thinking that the Scriptures brought them life.
Jesus made it clear that the Scriptures pointed to Him. Jesus is the point.
John 5:37-47 “And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form; 38nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
b. Some beliefs have eternal consequences and others don’t
Absolutes: The Scriptures are Inspired by God / There is only One True God / In the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ / Man Willingly Fell to Sin / Every Person Can Have Restored Fellowship with God Through ’Salvation’
Interpretations: “Let me tell you what this means” statements. A lot of these in end times doctrines.
Deductions: 1+1+1=___
Subjective Opinions/Personal preferences/Feelings/Cultural Norms. music/color/style
• All true Christians will agree on the “absolutes” but that’s about it.
• Some Christians put all of these into the “Absolute” category.
• At the other end of the spectrum are people who say that “nothing really matters” and nothing can be placed into the “absolutes” category.
• “After all, who are we to judge?” they say.
How many of you love Ice Cream? One of the best brands of Ice Cream is certainly Breyers. It contains all the essential ingredients: Milk, Cream and Sugar. Breyer’s Ice Cream contains nothing artificial or imitation. Then the individual flavors are added. There are some “so called” ice-creams that are basically imitations to the real thing. They contain ingredients you can’t even pronounce. They are imposters.
So it is with Christians. All real Christians will contain the essential ingredients. After that, the individual flavorings are added. Some are a little fruity, some a little nutty. Others are just straight Vanilla. But all the basics are there.
There are people who call themselves Christians, but are not. They are imitations to the real thing because they substitute pure ingredients with others beliefs.
II. False teachers and their followers are in real danger
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say again…”
a. Anyone who tries to pervert the gospel is in grave danger.
b. All other “great teachers,” prophets sent from god, illuminaries, guides, spiritists or even angels from HEAVEN who attempt to change the gospel will be damned.
2 Thessalonians 1:7b-9 NIV “…when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power”
c. Anyone who trusts in any other gospel is in grave danger
• The way Paul address these people show that they were in the process of losing
• The Galatians accepted one of many prevalent lies
Galatians 5:2-4 “Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
Last time I checked, we didn’t have a huge problem with Judiazers coming into the Kiski Valley.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t have people preaching “a different gospel”
It isn’t only those who try to be “justified by the law” who miss the grace of God and distort the gospel.
• Any distortion or addition or modification or deletion from the Gospel of Jesus Christ puts you at great risk of “falling away from Grace” and making “Christ of no value to you at all.”
d. We mostly see the “Good works” perversion
Bill Hybles, “Everything about my existence could be summed up in two words: “Earn it” My father had built into me monstrous work ethic and had reinforced my Earn-it mantra daily. “You earn every penny you make,” he would tell me. “You earn your way into the starting lineup on the basketball team, You earn good grades. You earn it all. There is no free lunch.”
I have been trying my whole life to impress God, I remember thinking I’ve poured all my effort into proudly presenting my good deeds to him – my righteousness, my hard work, my striving. But I felt skeptical all the while – would it ever be enough? Truthfully, I wondered if I would ever reach God’s quota and be found acceptable by him.”
• These folks are basically counting on good works.
• They think they have it worked out with God
e. We often see the “Yes, and” twists.
• These are people who believe in Jesus, but want to add to His work
• We have a large number of Catholics in our communities.
• They say, “Yes I believe Jesus died for my sin, but I also need Mary”
• I saw a bumper sticker a while ago that said, “Jesus is King; Mary is Queen”
f. We also have the “Jesus is just one way”
• This perversion hit close to home this last week. My Uncle who I was told was a Mason died this week.
• With close to 34,000 lodges around the globe and a membership numbering upwards of 6 million, it is obvious why the Encyclopedia Britannica would dub Freemasonry as the largest world-wide secret society.
• You wont have to go far to find a car plague or license plate, or lodge.
There are many reasons why Freemasonry is a false religion:
1. Freemasonry prays to a false god.
Freemasonry calls God “The Great Architect of the Universe.” This is the Freemason’s special name for God, because He is universal. He belongs to all men regardless of their religious persuasion. All wise men acknowledge His authority. In his private devotions a Mason will pray to Jehovah, Mohammed, Allah, Jesus, or the Deity of his choice. In a Masonic Lodge, however, the Mason will find the name of his Deity within the Great Architect of the Universe.
Allen E. Roberts, The Craft and Its Symbols: Opening the Door to Masonic Symbolism (Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., 1974)
2. Freemasonry claims its teachings are superior to the Bible.
From the Encyclopedia of Masonry in the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Dallas: “The Bible is properly called a greater light of Masonry…The Bible is used among Masons as symbol of the will of God, however it may be expressed, and therefore, whatever to any people expresses that will, may be used as a substitute for the Bible in the Masonic Lodge. Thus, in a lodge consisting entirely of Jews the Old Testament alone may be placed upon the altar, and Turkish Masons make use of the Koran.
3. Freemasonry claims their teachings are revelatory light, (a revelation from God.)
But the Bible clearly states that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. There is no other light.
4. Freemasonry teaches a way to heaven void of Jesus
Acts 4:11-12 “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
1 Corinthians 3:11 “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
5. Freemasonry teachings are opposite of Jesus’.
Opposite the Great commission (Secrets as opposed to “preach”)
Opposite of loving one another (secrets are to be kept from ALL non-masons, including spouse.)
6. Masons take blasphemous oaths (Lodges Examined, Rice / Page 21)
To keep the secret teachings hidden (against their own lives)
Commit to breaking the law to hide each others crimes.
Matthew 12:36-37 “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
Some may say, “It just a club that does good things for people.”
“The Mason who wears the Masonic “white lambskin apron” given to him during the first degree is “reminded of that purity of life and conduct so essentially necessary to his gaining admission into the Celestial Lodge above, where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides.”
Official Cipher [ritual] (Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, 1989), 34.
Mason Carl Claudy, “Freemasonry gives to a man a well-spent life, and assurance of a glorious immortality.”
Colossians 1:16-20 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; 20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”
Jesus will set you free / But you must break ties from false religion / (Lodges Examined, Rice / Page 79)
Conclusion: These things are not benign attachments to the Gospel of Jesus.
You owe it to yourself to thoroughly commit yourself to understanding this truth.
Especially if you are unclear, or uncertain as to what the Bible teaches about this wonderful salvation available to all who will accept it.
Let your pursuit of Jesus Christ be your only consuming thought. Seek only wisdom from God. Not from a “grand master” not from a great prophet, nor priest, nor charismatic leader, not from the dead Saints of old, not from Mary, not from Horoscopes, NOT even from your own imaginations
Life is all about knowing God; knowing Jesus / Not religious activity
Paul met Jesus face to face; it forever changed his passion.
Will you let Jesus change yours?
