Galatians 1:1” Paul an apostle not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father.” 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.
Perversion of the Gospel
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
Introduction:
Who you are in Christ!This epistle was written by Paul and he minces no words when he boldly declares his calling: PAUL AN APOSTLE! Wow, you need huge confidence of who you are in Christ to state your office and position in Christ. Isn’t that awesome? To whom this epistle is sent—to the churches of Galatia. There were several churches who got mixed with the wickedness and evil traditions around them, therefore we see Paul addressing this aspect with burden.
1. STAY AT YOUR POST
2. DELIVER US FROM THE PRESENT EVIL AGE
3. ENLARGE YOUR BORDERS OF FAITH
4. I WANT TO KNOW MORE OF YOU LORD!
5. IS YOUR LIFE GLORIFYING GOD?
STAY AT YOUR POST: Someone needs to hear this today, don’t budge, stay firm in the position God has given you, are you listening? Umpteen people will come to discourage you and pour cold water on you; however, you stay hot for God.
• Even if there are no students in your Bible class, keep preaching
• Even if none turns up for the morning prayer, don’t quit, keep doing the work
• Even none appreciate your work , don’t give up – keep at it, do it more vigorously and punch the nose of the devil
• Even if you have no church premises, gather under the tree, inside the car- wherever possible and praise God! I’m simply excited. When the HR department told me not to hold meetings inside the office, we gathered under the tree outside the office and prayed. I took the crowd to a building under construction, we sat on the floor and prayed there. I took the people on the terrace and prayed there. Nothing can stop you and should stop you! Hurray! Don’t let the devil discourage you by showing the HUGE buildings of other ministries, God has BIGGER plans for you. STAY AT YOUR POST! STAY COURSE!
Paul looked at the people in Galatia told them, you cannot stop me – I AM PAUL AN APOSTLE! Can somebody clap hands for God! He is worthy, worthy …worthy..
People don’t like it when you start walking in confidence with God-given authority and dignity, they start assaulting your character; Paul was unwavering in his stand with God. Initially, in the year 2002 when I started circulating my devotions among my colleagues ( I was still working with a multinational bank then), people did not like my style of writing and they despised it. They did not like direct confrontation from the word, some people left the group and others blocked me; however, God kept increasing my borders. Even after two decades, I am still writing. Don’t be afraid to walk in your calling, never be intimidated by your enemies, boldly declare your position in Christ. STAY AT YOUR POST! Be battle ready!
When you stay close with such fire-brands for Christ, their passion would rub off on you too. Did not Paul say in,” Ephesians 5:8”For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, 9for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.” I wish you feel the fire in me as write this….
DELIVER US FROM THE PRESENT EVIL AGE: Jesus gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. Listen friend, we cannot call ourselves as Christians if we still cling on to the world and the evil in it. Every form of reality shows these days are very unhealthy for watching, Cinema celebrities dominate the social media in almost all shows and all that they speak is of success, money and glamour. Evil age! Are you listening friends? Jesus came to rescue us from the power of it, yes, what started with Eve in the garden of Eden still continues today.
Let me give you an example of the evil power of satan, one particular teacher who worked in our school would also attend all our prayer meetings and she was slowly growing in the Lord, her husband was an alcoholic. He used a strategy to stop her from prayer meetings and disconnect her contact with me, he started showing more attention for her and he took her to three different hotels, on her birthday for three meals and bought her three different sarees. She resigned from work and vanished. That’s how the Galatians were, precisely Paul said: 6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ.” People who dance at church on Sunday are joining the gossip party the next day at work. How come? How quickly? . We need to understand the evil devices of the devil and stay firm.
Devil doesn’t always come with two horns , he comes with gifts, promotions, increments, rewards, flowers, sarees and sweets. Beware! Don’t be deceived!
ENLARGE YOUR BORDERS OF FAITH: People think it is humility when they say, “ I am a grasshopper”, no friend, in Christ you have the power and ability to slay giants. Clap hands for God! We need to understand “the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”(Ephesians 5:19)
I WANT TO KNOW MORE OF YOU LORD!
16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.
The entire chapter one of Galatians gives us a clear picture of Apostle Paul’s personal life. In the above scripture we read about his thirst, quest and hunt for God. God chasers will eventually find Him. Amen. After accepting Jesus Christ, your duty does not stop there, you got to make every effort to grow, know about God and His ways, make every effort to read the Bible and fellowship with good believers.
After my salvation, while I was a young mother of an infant and still working for a multinational bank, my hunt for God was crazy. I would read the Bible until midnight, with my 6 month old son on my shoulders and my 9 year old daughter in bed. I would wake up in the wee hours of dawn and pray, the next day I would go to work with red puffed up eyes. I was still not satisfied, I bought the books of Servants of God that I admired and I would read them cover to cover. The little infant that was on my shoulders and lap while I rocked him to sleep while I prayed, is now a Pastor. Joshua my 21 year old son has completed his Masters in Divinity and is working for a senior pastor in another ministry. Joshua is a gospel singer, song writer, preacher and also blog writer. My daughter is an Engineer, pursuing Masters in Divinity and serving the Lord, alongside with us. She is also a Gospel singer and an excellent preacher. Your anointing would rub off on your children when you keep them with you in your prayer closet. What you sow is what you reap! Hallelujah!
Colossians 1:10”That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God..”
Don’t wait for calamity to strike you to wake you up from slumber, stay your course, be committed and work for God. ‘Major changes in India are crisis-driven-changes ’said someone.’ How very true! We wake up only after a gruesome death! The same goes with individuals as well, we live in a state of inertia, bask under the glory of present blessings, God and the church are shoved far behind; only after a great awakening do we fervently hunt for a ‘powerful man/woman’ who can tap the power of God. Are you there? We hunt for prophets, miracles and for some magic that can wade away the calamity: it can be a serious doctor report, a HR chit that shows the door, bankruptcy, divorce or death. In the quest for fame, fun, money and luxury, our personal lives are subjugated! Let us grow spiritually, set right our life according to the standard set by God and have the covering of God’s protection over our work, family, finances, health, future and children. The Lord says, Hosea 6:6 “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. “ Don’t be careless, be battle ready!
IS YOUR LIFE GLORIFYING GOD?
Galatians chapter one ends like this, I bring this article to a grand finale:
23 but only, they kept hearing, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy."
24 And they were glorifying God because of me.
Wow, I like the way Apostle Paul says confidently: they were glorifying God because of ME. Phew! What a statement….what a statement…..!We need to live a life of purpose!
ILLUSTRATION:
I would like to talk about Rev Billy Graham and conclude this sermon. He accepted Christ at the age of 16 in the year 1934 and died at the age of 99 in the year 2018. Regarding the night he accepted Christ, Billy Graham wrote, “For the first time in my life I got down on my knees without being told to do so. I really wanted to talk to God. ‘Lord, I don’t know what happened to me tonight,’ I prayed. ‘You know. And I thank You for the privilege I’ve had tonight.'”
After giving his life to Christ, Rev Graham said: “No bells went off inside me. No signs flashed across the tabernacle ceiling. … I simply felt at peace. … happy and peaceful.” He joined Bible college at the age of 19 and went for street preaching along with his fellow students. At the age of 30, his name made headlines in the News Papers because he had invested his life at an early age and he kept growing in the Lord.
Billy Graham went on to preach the Gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history—nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories—through various meetings, including Mission World and Global Mission. Hundreds of millions more have been reached through television, video, film, and webcasts.
The Billy Graham Library is a 40,000-square-foot experience where you’ll discover the life and legacy of America’s Pastor. No matter your age or background, the Billy Graham Library will leave you inspired by the life of this amazing man and his message of hope.
STAY AT YOUR POST! HALLELUJAH!
Say this Prayer and surrender your life to serve the Lord:
Heavenly father, Bless me to be a light in this crooked world, let your Hands be upon me to propel me to your purpose in my life. Give me the strength to stand firm for you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
