They are more interested in trying to make us all Republicans or all Democrats than they are in trying to help the people that put them into office.
President Bill Clinton seemed to be the exception to this rule, he seemed to have other interests.
Illus: The story is told that Hillary Clinton went for her annual exam. After the exam, the doctor told her that she was going to give birth to a child.
Hillary couldn't believe the news and stormed out of the doctor’s office. She rushed to her limousine and picked up the phone to call the Oval Office. “You got me EXPECTING AGAIN!” “How could you be so careless?"
There was a silence on the other end. Finally, she heard Bill's voice: “Who is this?”
But generally in the political arena, the chief concern for most politicians seems to be trying to convert us to a particular political party.
The same thing is true in the religious realm. There are a lot of religious groups that are more interested in trying to make us all Baptists, Methodists, or Pentecostals than they are in trying to win the souls of lost men.
They very seldom have true conversions take place, and that is not a real concern, JUST AS LONG AS THE MEMBERSHIP ROLL GROWS!
But it is obvious as we read the Book of Galatians that Paul had a SINCERE CONCERN FOR THESE GALATIAN CHRISTIANS.
When Paul left these Galatians that profess to be saved, many of them returned to their old lifestyle. When this happens, there are two things for us to consider, such as:
(1) Some have never really become born-again, so naturally they are going to return to their old sinful ways.
2 Peter 2:22 says this about some, “…The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”
The reason that some return to the path of sin after they made a profession of faith, is because they have never truly come to KNOW HIM and been BORN AGAIN! This may be the reason some of these Galatians were returning to their old sinful ways.
Illus: They went into the baptistry as dry sinners and when they came out, they came out as wet sinners.
We have to always consider that this might be the case when a person makes a profession but returns to their sins. But we also have to consider-
(2) Some have truly come to KNOW HIM, but they have been influenced by SOMEONE or SOMETHING that is now causing them to head in the wrong direction.
As we look at this passage closely, it is obvious that Paul is baffled as to which of these two categories these professing Galatians fit into.
HOW CAN WE KNOW THAT WE ARE SAVED?
One of the ways we can tell that we are truly a child of God is that we PERSEVERE.
But some of these professing Christians in Galatia were not persevering. They were going back to their old way of living.
Galatians 3:1, we read, “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?”
In other words, SOMEONE HAD GOTTEN TO THEM!
Illus: One man said he likes it when flu and cold season comes. He said once he finds out he has the germ, he finds everyone he does not like, and shakes hands with them.
Illus: During the flu season, many know the danger and they take flu shots to protect themselves from these deadly viruses.
Some mistakenly think we get colds from cold weather. But this has proven to be not true. For example, they tell their children not to go outside without a coat or they will catch a cold.
The only way that cold weather causes us to catch a cold is because when cold weather comes, we do not go outside, we stay inside with others who have these germs.
When cold weather comes, one family member can come into contact with a germ, and soon that one person will give it to every member of the family, and perhaps none of them went outside in the cold.
During cold season, we become vulnerable to the flu because of the people we associate with.
Paul wanted these Galatian Christians to know that someone they were hanging out with had contaminated them.
Paul shows his concern for these Galatians by giving them A REMINDER that they have been saved from the old life of sin.
In our last message we saw that Paul gave them A REMINDER. He also shows his concern for them by giving them -
II. A REMEDY
I like remedies. We all have things that we face that we do not know the REMEDY for. I do not know about you, but I find it frustrating dealing with people that do not have a remedy.
For example, if you are a Sunday School teacher and your class is not growing, THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT! It could be a:
• Lack of preparation
• Lack of visitation
• Lack of concern
• Lack of burden
• Lack of an ability to communicate
There is a reason, and a teacher will never REMEDY the situation until they are willing to deal with the problem.
I like REMEDIES!
Illus: I came across this list of REMEDIES, some of them I think will work. For example:
• If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic. Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and presto! The blockage will be almost instantly removed.
• Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.
• High blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a while, thus reducing the pressure in your veins.
• A mousetrap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep when you hit the snooze button.
• Have a bad toothache? Hit your thumb with a hammer, then you will forget about the toothache.
After reminding the Galatians of NOT KNOWING GOD and NOW KNOWING HIM, he wants them to see the CONTRAST of the two lives.
Look at verse 9, we read, “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?”
Look at these words in verse 9, “…After that ye have known God…” How can you return to the old life?
He says something like we say in the South, “What’s the matter with you? Have you gone crazy?”
HOW CAN WE KNOW THAT WE REALLY KNOW HIM?
It will be evidenced by our perseverance in the faith.
• The term for “knowing God” is not a simple understanding of certain facts which the Bible states about God.
• Instead, it is an intimate knowledge of Him. The word implies something which is experiential.
Illus: Back in the 50’s, there was a song that I believe Patti Page used to sing. It was a girl singing about a boyfriend, using these words, “To know, know, know him, is to love, love, love him and I do…”
This is what happens to those who really KNOW HIM, they have come to KNOW HIM AND LOVE HIM!
• They know the One who Created them
• They know the One who holds the worlds together by His own power
• They know the One who will judge the world in righteousness before whose holy presence the heaven and the earth will flee
Do you really INTIMATELY KNOW HIM?
Listen, there are a lot of things in this life WE DO NOT KNOW, I wish we did, but we do not!
Illus: There are a lot of things we do not know. Someone said:
• If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?
• If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
• Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
• Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?
• Why is it that a person who plays the piano is called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car is not called a racist?
We all go through life not knowing many things, but none of us can afford to go through life NOT KNOWING HIM!
But AS GRAND AS IT IS TO KNOW GOD, Paul points to one thing that is even grander; HE KNOWS US!
Look at verse 9, “But now that you have come to know God, OR RATHER TO BE KNOWN BY GOD”.
It is not just a ONE WAY STREET. We KNOW HIM and HE KNOWS US.
• He knows your name
• He knows where you live
• He knows how much you weigh
• He knows what you think or do not think
• He knows who you talked to today and what you said to them
• He knows who you like and dislike
There is nothing about you that God does not know.
What is amazing about Him knowing us is that after knowing everything about us, HE STILL LOVES US!
Matthew 10:30, we read, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
He really KNOWS US! HOW DID HE COME TO KNOW US?
God did not come to know us because we had more integrity than others. No, indeed!
• He sought you! Before the foundations of the world were laid, He set His eye upon you in redeeming love.
• Before you ever entered your mother’s womb, He provided your salvation through sending His Son in your place to the cross.
• Before you ever desired Him, He desired you.
• Before you ever called out to Him for mercy, He had already provided mercy.
Now, in light of this truth, would you consider for a moment, going back to being enslaved again to those which are no gods? How could you?
Paul’s REMEDY is to KNOW HIM and to SERVE HIM.
You see, everybody has some god in their life that they are serving. It is these gods in their life that cause them to live a certain kind of lifestyle.
If we have come to know the true and living God we will serve Him.
Conclusion:
When Paul first came to Galatia, they treated him like an angel.
Paul is believed to have had bad eyes. He said they loved him so dearly, in Galatians 4:15, we read, “…For I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.”
They once truly loved the man of God, but now they were treating him like an enemy.
Let me share with you a little insight into the ministry. These Galatians who had heard Paul preach, professed to come to know Him, and when they left the truth, they left the man who brought the truth.
• The man who had been their pastor had become their enemy.
• These Galatians once admired Paul, but now they hated him.
The ministry is a difficult job, BECAUSE ONCE PEOPLE ARE THROUGH WITH GOD, they are THROUGH WITH GOD’S MAN.
The Lord tells us in John 15:18-20, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”
LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT BEING A PASTOR
• When you are a young man, they say you lack experience.
• When you have gray hair, they say you can’t reach the young people.
• If you don’t have any children, they say you’re setting a bad example.
• If you have six children, they say you have too many.
• If you preach from notes, they say you preach canned sermons.
• If you preach extemporaneously, they say you’re too shallow.
• If you pay attention to the poor, they say you are grandstanding.
• If you don’t pay attention to the poor, they say you’re an aristocrat.
• If you use too many illustrations, they say you neglect the Bible.
• If you do not use any humor they say you are boring.
• If you don’t use enough, they don’t know what you’re talking about.
• If you condemn sin, then you’re just a cranky old preacher.
• If you don’t please everybody, then you’re hurting the church.
• If you do please everybody, then you’re a man pleaser.
That’s why so many pastors are burned out, cynical, and unemployed.
But all good pastors follow the example of Paul. Just loved God and love people and that is all any good pastor can do.
In this passage this loving pastor offers:
I. A REMINDER
II. A REMEDY
