However, one of the saddest things in the Christian life is to see someone who professes to know the Lord but lives their life in such a way as to cast doubt on their salvation.
Illus: Evangelist Ding Teuling is often asked how many were converted in some of his meetings. He tells them he really does not know, but he can go back in about six months and tell you how many were truly converted.
Paul had led many to the Lord, but after he departed from Galatia and heard some things about those who professed to be saved, he began to doubt if they truly ever came to know the Lord.
• It is an amazing thing how SPIRITUAL some can be when the preacher is around, but once he is gone they head back to the hog troughs of sin
• It is amazing how SPIRITUAL some can be in church, but once they are outside of church they talk and live an entirely different way
When Paul left these Galatians that professed to be saved, many of them returned to their old lifestyle.
We have to always remember that with every POSITIVE ACTION there is a NEGATIVE REACTION. In everything there is a polar situation, there is:
• Up and Down
• In and Out
• Hot and Cold
• Front and Back
• White and Black
• Right and Wrong
• Fast and Slow
In the Christian life there is also a FORWARD and BACKWARD, and Paul was afraid they were going backward. Paul wanted these Galatian Christians to know that someone they were listening to had messed up their minds.
This is why Paul said to these same Christians in Galatians 3:1, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?”
Paul shows his concern for these Galatians by giving them-
I. A REMINDER
Sometimes we forget some very important things in our life. For example, we husbands sometimes forget our wedding anniversary.
Illus: An aged farmer and his wife were leaning against the edge of their pig-pen when she asked him what special day was coming up. He said, he did not know. The old woman wistfully recalled that the next week would mark their golden wedding anniversary.
"Let's have a party, Homer," she suggested. "Let's kill a pig."
The farmer scratched his head. "Gee, Ethel, I don't see why the pig should take the blame for something that happened fifty years ago."
Illus: One morning before going to work, a man’s wife said to him, “You know what tomorrow is, DON’T YOU!” He said, “Sure, how could I ever forget anything as important as that?”
He went to work, and all day he thought:
• Is tomorrow her birthday? I forget what day she was born.
• Is tomorrow is our wedding anniversary? I forget what day we got married.
To play it safe, the next day he bought her a new dress, a big box of candy, and a dozen red roses!
He gave them to her and she broke out into tears of joy and said, “Honey, this is the best “Ground hog” day that I have ever had!”
Sometimes we husbands have been known to forget our wedding anniversary. Fellows, some of you might want to know that the Internet now has a web site where you can record your anniversary and they will send you a reminder a few days before it takes place.
Out of love, we remind our children about dangers over and over again. Sometimes we remind them so many times that they say, “Dad, you told me that a hundred times.”
We do this because we know they might FORGET about certain things that we know that are dangerous. We are all forgetful!
Illus: Two elderly couples were enjoying friendly conversation when one of the men asked the other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?"
"Outstanding," Fred replied. "They taught us all the latest psychological techniques using visualization, and association - it made a huge difference for me." “If we could not remember something, we would associate it with something else and we would be able to remember it.”
"That's great! What was the name of the clinic?"
Fred went blank. He thought and thought, but couldn't remember.
Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, "What do you call that red flower with the long stem and thorns?"
"You mean a rose?"
"Yes, that's it!" He turned to his wife. . ."Rose, what was the name of that clinic?"
We often forget important things and need to be reminded. We need to be reminded of a lot of things, and SOMETIMES WE NEED TO BE REMINDED TO TRUST GOD!
Illus: The other day I read of a letter that was supposed to have come from God, It said, “I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help. If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. It will be addressed in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it.
• Should you have a bad day at work; Think of the man who has been out of work for years.
• Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.
• Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; Think of the man in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed his children.
• Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
• Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; Think of the cancer patient in ‘chemo’ who wishes she had hair to examine.
• Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.
• Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. YOU COULD BE THEM!!!!”
Everyone needs to be reminded of these things, WE WHO ARE SAVED NEED TO BE REMINDED FROM TIME TO TIME THAT WE ARE DEAD TO THE OLD LIFE WE ONCE LIVED.
Before they were saved, the Galatians had been slaves to false gods. According to Acts 14, they had worshipped Zeus and Hermes. But they had come to know the TRUE AND LIVING GOD. They HAD been in slavery to these false gods.
• But they had professed to be saved and delivered from such things
• But now they are willing to go under the law which was the same as returning to false Gods
Paul is REMINDING them that they have been set free from the bondage of such worship, and must never forget it.
Illus: John Newton goes down in history as giving the church the wonderful song, “Amazing Grace”.
But many do not know the history of how God marvelously saved this man who wrote that beautiful hymn.
• Newton was an only child and lost his mother when he was seven.
• At the age of eleven he went to sea as a sailor and became involved in the inhumane African slave trade.
• Soon, hardened by his evil surroundings, he outdid his companions in immorality, vulgarity, and blasphemy.
• But when he was twenty-three, his ship was caught in a severe storm, and when he began to fear for his life he cried out to God for mercy and was marvelously saved.
• Not wanting ever to forget the depths of sin from which he had been rescued by God’s grace, Newton later inscribed the words of Deuteronomy 15:15 above his mantel: “And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee.”
Unlike Newton, the Galatians forgot what they were once like.
Illus: Just a few years before Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan, Japan had a terrible earthquake that killed thousands. America came to the rescue and sent food, clothing, building supplies and medical supplies. Japan’s response was, “We shall never forget what you have done for us!” But on December 9, 1941, Japan forgot, and attacked Pearl Harbor killing thousands of folks in a sneak attack.
HOW SOON WE ALSO FORGET WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE FOR US!
• Paul is shocked that these Galatians had forgotten how the Lord saved them from the bondage of sin
• He was equally shocked that they were returning to their old lifestyle
Notice, he says in verse 10, “Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.”
Some, such as the Jehovah Witnesses, use this verse to forbid celebrating birthdays and holidays. That is not the intent of Paul’s message in this passage of scripture. This verse does not forbid anyone from celebrating Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Easter. He is simply pointing out that SUCH RITUALISM HAS NEVER SAVED ANYONE!
Someone had confused them and had them observing SPECIAL DAYS ON THE MOSAIC CALENDAR. That is, they kept special days, and months, and seasons.
Illus: If people are going to take this literally, they should not observe any months or any seasons either!
Just keep your A/C going summer and winter or keep your heater going winter and summer. DO NOT OBSERVE SPECIAL SEASONS!
That’s ridiculous! Yes, and it is ridiculous to believe that observing special days can save anyone! They were returning to the Mosaic law, observing SPECIAL DAYS as a means of salvation. Paul reminds them that this is what they did before they knew the Lord Jesus.
Look at our condition in verse 8, we read, “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.”
• He reminds them that they have not ALWAYS KNOWN GOD
• He reminds them that when they did not KNOW HIM, naturally they did not SERVE HIM
We need to be reminded that we ONCED LIVED AS SLAVES TO SIN because we DID NOT KNOW HIM!
WHY DID WE LIVE LIKE THAT? Paul says we served gods that were not gods because we did not have the KNOWLEDGE OF WHO HE WAS. Look at verse 8 again, “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.”
He reminds them that when they did not have the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD they actually served gods that did not really exist.
People who DO NOT KNOW GOD HAVE SOME STRANGE CUSTOMS! But you can also find that in some so-called Christian churches. Today we hear a lot about rednecks. In fact, we are told today that we have redneck churches.
Illus: You know you are in a redneck church when ….
• People ask whether the two fish were bass or catfish when Jesus fed the 5,000
• The pastor says, "I'd like to ask Bubba to help take up the offering," and five guys and two women stand up.
• One of the members of the church requests to be buried in his 4-wheel-drive truck, because he said "It ain't never been in a hole it couldn't get out of."
• In a congregation of 500 members, there are only seven last names in the church directory
• There is a special fund raiser for a new church septic tank.
• The people in the congregation think "rapture" is what you get when you lift something too heavy
• The final words of the benediction are, "Y'all come back now, ya hear?”
These Galatian Christians were gloriously saved from the bondage of SIN and RITUALISM, and after Paul left, they are headed back into what God had delivered them from. THIS IS DUMB!
Illus: These people remind me of a man who goes into a store and tells the clerk, "I'd like some Polish sausage."
• The clerk looks at him and says, "Are you Polish?"
• The man, clearly offended, says, "Well, yes I am. But let me ask you something."
• If I had asked for Italian sausage would you ask me if I was Italian?
• Or if asked for a kosher hot dog would you ask me if I was Jewish?
• Or if I had asked for a taco would you ask if I was Mexican? Would ya, huh? Would ya?"
• The clerk says, "Well, no."
• With deep self-righteous indignation, the guy says, "Well, all right then, why did you ask me if I'm Polish just because I ask for Polish sausage?"
The clerk replies, "Because this is Home Depot."
Paul is not excusing their ignorance, he is just stating a fact of their past. They once served gods that really did not exist! But now they have come to KNOW THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD.
When it comes to the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD we can receive it different ways.
(1) THROUGH CONSCIENCE
God placed within every human a conscience. The heathen may not have a Bible to reveal God to them, but God has placed in every one of them a conscience that reveals God to them.
Illus: Someone said:
• Cowardice asks the question: Is it safe?
• Consensus asks the question: Is it popular?
• Conscience asks the question: Is it right?
Illus: Many electronic fire alarms have an internal switch triggered by a beam of light. As long as light is received unbroken by the photo-sensitive receiver, the detector is quiet. But if smoke or moisture or an insect obstructs the beam for even a split second, the alarm sounds.
Our conscience resembles such an alarm. When sin obstructs our connection with the light of God's Spirit, the conscience signals us that there's life-threatening danger. (A.D. Sterner, Akron, Colorado. Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 4.)
But also we know Him-
(2) THROUGH CREATION
The Word of God says, “The fool hath said in his heart there is no God.”
The reason God calls such a person a fool is because that is exactly what they are. For a person to make such a statement, they would have to say, “I know everything. There is nothing I do not know.” And only a fool can make such a claim. A man who says there is no Creator is the biggest fool of all.
In Psalm 19:1, the Word of God says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.”
Nature tells us a great deal about God. It is obvious that:
• God loves pretty clouds, trees, flowers, oceans, ponds and streams
• God loves all kinds of animals, look at how many kinds He created
(3) THROUGH HIS WORD
The Bible reveals more about God than anything on this earth. The more you read the Bible, the more you will learn about God.
Because the unbeliever does not know God as God, he consequently is enslaved to those things which by nature are not gods.
Yes, there are false gods in this world; plenty of them! But even though we call them gods, they are not really gods.
WHY DID PAUL REMIND THESE PROFESSING BELIEVERS OF THEIR PAST? So they might persevere in the present by remembering what they were in the past. We must not forget. This is A REMINDER.
Conclusion:
Some here today need to be REMINDED that we no longer serve gods that do not exist, we now serve the true and living God.
We have looked at:
I. A REMINDER
In the next message we will look at…
II. A REMEDY
