“What Happened”
By
Pastor M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
TEXT: Galatians 5:7 “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?”
I truly feel that the most beautiful and precious sight in the church is when a soul is delivered from the grips of sin and that person begins to walk in the newness of life. I believe that this is the greatest experience anyone could ever experience. When they have received the Holy Ghost and you can literally see that their very countenance is changed. There is a glow that radiates from them, a smile that is truly glorious is on their face and they speak with such excitement and exuberance that they have been born again. The Bible lets us know that the angels in heaven rejoice over one soul Luke 15:10 says “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth”, and we here are filled with great joy and will shout because another lost soul has been found and is now headed in the right direction.
For just a moment think back to when you first received the precious gift of the Holy Ghost. No doubt you might have said like one song writer put it “Said I wasn’t going to tell nobody, but I couldn’t keep it to myself”. You wanted everyone to feel what you where feeling. Love overflowing was coming out of you and you would tell everyone you came in contact with about the wonderful change that had taken place in you. You would call people on the phone and tell them about Jesus. A bill collector could call you and you were so excited about the Holy Ghost you would tell the bill collector about Jesus. You would go and witness and bring people to church with you. You began this race well and for some you are still running this race with patience and doing well.
However, some that have started this race have and they are no longer in full stride, but have dropped back and are now just leisurely walking along, while yet others have fallen out of the race altogether. It is extremely sad when a person no longer walks with God. They turn away, backslide, become lukewarm, and leave their first love. This is a tragedy and should cause us to become sadden because a soul that was lost had been found only to become lost again. When we look at the ones that have turned and gone back we see they all have one thing in common and that is they all start out well, but along the way for some reason they make the decision to turn away and no longer live this blessed life of holiness.
We can look around here and see those that started this race, but are now no longer in the race anymore. The church was growing, people were being delivered, and the anointing was flowing, it seemed like things where moving in the right direction, but then comes the time when you look around and the fire that was once there seems to be dying out, the joy and exuberance that once filled the pews is gone, we don’t praise like we used to praise, we don’t sing like we use to sing, we don’t dance like we use to dance and we must stop and ask the question WHAT HAPPENED?
In our text the same thing was going on and Paul addressed the very same situation. The church at Galatia had some of their membership actually stop doing what they had started out doing. In spite of their excellent beginning, something had gone wrong. Someone had hindered them.
I like how some of the other Bible translations bring this scripture out:-
The NIV has it: “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” The New Living Translation says it like this: “You were getting along so well. Who has interfered with you to hold you back from following the truth?” Elder Maughmer says you were running well – What Happened.
Paul compared this Christian life to a race that demanded discipline if the race is to be successfully completed. Some of the Galatians had begun the race well. They had both a head understanding and a heart acceptance of Christianity, but something happened that caused them to stop obeying the truth.
WATCH THIS:- The same thing that happened then is the same thing that happens to people today. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 1:9 “[there is] no new [thing] under the sun”. It’s the same thing just a different setting, it’s the same thing only wrapped in a different wrapping. It’s the same hindrances but it’s dressed differently.
NOTE:- When you understand how the enemy attacks you will be able to defeat the enemy. God said “My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge”.
WATCH THIS:- the word hinder means:- To be or get in the way of. To obstruct or delay the progress of. To block the way of and to impede.
The Galatians had begun their race well, but someone had cut in on them, causing them to break stride and stumble. They started running well, but someone came in and stole their stride (I’m not talking about the gum), killed their desire to press on, and destroyed that exuberance they started out with. The Bible says in John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly”.
Now the questions is: Who hindered these believers? Who cut in on them? Who put them off course? Who interfered with them so that they no longer remained faithful in following the Lord and joyful in serving the Lord? In other words What Happened?
We know in this case that false teachers had come in and tried to get these Galatians to hold on to tradition and hold to certain aspects of the law such as circumcision - Traditionalism.
Now don’t get me wrong tradition is so interwoven in the fabric of Christiandom that it is part of the foundation, but as you come into the light walk therein.
WATCH THIS:- Sometimes we can get so caught up in the tradition of how things use to be that we miss out of the benefits that change brings. Example: Several years ago you would walk down the street carrying a big boom box, but now a MP3 player or ipad is the norm. That is change, the tradition of listening to music as you travel down the street is still in- tact, but the method is changed. When you see someone still carrying a big boom box it looks funny and out of place. They have not accepted change.
When this happens in the spiritual realm it is nothing more than the spirit of deception that has taken hold. That is what happened in the Galatians church.
The devil, our adversary, tries to deceive people into believing that something is different than what God has said it is. If he is successful in that he will cause you not to obey the truth.
Well today it is the same spirit of deception, but it is just wearing a different mask. People today feel that oh I don’t need to go to church I can get everything that I need off of T.V., but the Bible says in Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” – that’s truth, but the spirit of deception has you believing that I don’t need to go to church, I don’t need to go to Bible class. You started out well when you first got saved, you were at church everytime the door was open, but who hindered you.
You use to be faithful, but who hindered you!
You use to read your Bible, but who hindered you!
You use to fast, but who hindered you!
You use to sing on the praise team, but who hindered you!
You use to testify, but who hindered you!
You use to be the first one at church, but who hindered you!
You use to be the last one to leave, but who hindered you!
You use to enter into His gates with Thanksgiving and into His courts with Praise, but who hindered you!
Oh Zion what’s the matter now you don’t pray like you used to pray.
WHAT HAPPENED – WHO DID HINDER YOU!
Can I just talk for a moment about some of the things that hinder you? I said that it’s the same spirit just with a different mask.
THINGS THAT WILL HINDER US IN RUNNING THE RACE
OUR SINFUL NATURE: - It still remains in every Christian. Oh I don’t need all of that, I don’t think it takes all of that. Well that is the sinful nature that is causing you not to obey the truth. Romans 7:18-19 says “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do”.
EASILY BESETTING SINS. Hebrews 12:1 says “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”.
The besetting sin is the sin that takes our attention, our effort, our devotion, our determination in living for God and places our efforts on self, on personal pleasures, and physical gain. The Bible says 2nd Tim 2:4 “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of [this] life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier”. We are engaged in spiritual warfare and we cannot afford to have our attention diverted from the task that is set before us. We must be like the horses in a race, you notice the horses have blinders on the side of their eyes that is to keep them focused on what is ahead and not have their attention diverted.
STUBBORNNESS OR SELF-WILL – 1st Samuel 15: 23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry...” Stubbornness – WATCH THIS – Pastor I don’t think it takes all of that or I don’t agree that we need to do that. I’m grown you can’t tell me I need to come to Bible class I can get all I need at home. Pastor says come to prayer for ½ hour before Bible Class and your stubbornness says I don’t think that is what you should do on Bible class night. Oh Zion what’s the matter now - the Bible says obey those that have rule over thee. YET - Stubbornness has hindered you.
PRIDE – goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. You started out well but pride came in and hindered you. You began to think in your mind there is nothing the preacher can tell me I got it I can figure it out on my own, God talks to me as well. That’s pride and it has hindered you.
DISCORD – This is one of the things that God hates. Yet you have been going around talking about those in the church. I can’t believe they said that or did that, I can’t believe he taught that, who in the world do they think they are. If I were you I wouldn’t sit there under them, I wouldn’t continue to go there anymore. Discord is lack of agreement or harmony between persons, things, or ideas. You can’t agree with the rules and regulations set before you so you start to spread the seeds of discord. You came in running well but discord has hindered you.
WORLDLINESS:- You came in running well, but you never became truly delivered from the world. Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness. Idolatry, sorcery (witchcraft). Hatred, jealousies, emulations, selfish ambitions. Dissensions, heresies, murder. Drunkenness, revelries are still part of your life and worldliness has hindered you so that you no longer are running this race.
UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIP:- You don’t understand preacher I Love Him or I Love Her. But let me tell you this truth - if any relationship keeps you from God it is unhealthy regardless of who they might be.
LAZINESS:- This is a sad one because you started out well, but you became too comfortable and your comfort turned into laziness, now you don’t come to Sunday school talking about it’s too early in the morning. You don’t come to praise practice because I have worked all week long and on Friday night I am just too tired. Laziness has hindered you.
INCORRECT CONCEPT OF GOD:- We believe that it is God’s desire for us to be happy, but our concept of what happiness is incorrect. We think that happiness is living in a fine home, driving an expensive car, having prestige and power, and never having the devil on our backs at all. We feel that happiness is a life of trouble free living and the Bible says in Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” and in 1 Peter 3:14 “Happy is the man that suffer for righteousness”. Happiness is not based on good things only, but since our concept of what happiness is has been incorrect we feel as though if things aren’t going a certain way that God has rejected us, because he is not operating in our expectations. This ain’t what I thought it was going to be or this ain’t what I expected. Therefore and incorrect concept of God has hindered you.
WHAT HAPPENED - YOU DID RUN WELL BUT WHO DID HINDER YOU.
WATCH THIS:- There are many of so called Christians that are going to be held accountable for committing spiritual murder because we are the ones that are hindering some people. We are the only Jesus this world will see and when they see us acting unlike Christ that causes a hindrance in those that do not know Christ and they will be spiritually lost, we will have murdered them
We must learn that our race must be run well. We must be sure that we run with all diligence. We must make our calling an election sure. For us not to run well will bring no honor to us, the church, nor to Jesus Christ.
We must all run with the one goal in mind and that is to finish the course well. Have you ever seen a person that was disabled or over weight run a marathon, their goal is not to be the 1st one across the finish line, but their goal is to finish what they started. You must finish this race. One song writer said “I started running this Christian race counted up the cost to see if I could stand the pace my back to the world got heaven in my view started with my Jesus and I’m going through. I don’t care what the rest of the world my do I started with my Jesus am I’m going through”.
God didn’t save you just so you could go to heaven. Nor did He save you just to keep you from going to Hell. He saved you so you would bring glory to God. Anything short of that would be failure.
Our objective today is to run well.
If we are going to be able to run well you must follow the rules. You can’t just do it anyway you want but you must follow the instruction. That’s why so many people fail in this race because they don’t follow the instructions
YOU MUST RUN ON THE RIGHT ROAD.
Matthew 7:13 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at”.
No one can run on two roads at the same time. The greatest problem in churches today is to get the members to stay on the right road. We must choose the right road.
Ask yourself this question am I running on the straight and narrow road or am I running on the broad way.
Let me tell you about the broad way.
The broad way consist of :- Good Intentions - They mean well – they intended to do certain things for God – but never got around to it. They intended to come to Sunday school but just didn’t get up. They intended to come to Bible class but just couldn’t seem to get there. They intended on praying and fasting but just didn’t find the time to work it into their schedule. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
The broad way consist of :- A from of godliness – They come to church on Sunday morning and test-a- lie I mean testify, but they have no power to be able to stand the slightest little thing that comes their way. They have a form of religion but not Relationship. The Bibles says in James deals with religion - James 1:26-27 says “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world”. They think because they seem to be good on the outside that their form of religion is going to take them to Heaven. It’s a misconception that has hindered them.
The broad way consist of :- Good Works. Titus 3:5 says “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” Well I give to the poor and I try to treat people right. That’s good but that is still the broad way.
The narrow way consist of :- living a holy life for the honor and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. The right road or the right way always begins at the cross. Have you been to the cross? Did your journey start at the cross? To run well - would be to be obedient to the truth of God’s Word, and obedience to God’s commandments. Hindering comes when men cease to obey the truth of God.
Pastor M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
