Sunday, January 17, 2016

Paul's Epistles - Galatians Part 2 – No Other Gospel

Paul's Epistles - Galatians
Part 2 – No Other Gospel
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org


INTRODUCTION
We have already looked at the Book of Acts, meaning “acts of the Apostles”, describing the events from the Pentecost, (when the Apostles received the Holy Spirit) to the first martyr (named Stephen).

By the way, a true martyr is not one who kills for his faith, but who has died because of it. 

One who kills for his faith is not part or a religious order, rather a cult.

The book of Acts also showed us the churches persecution by Saul (later becoming Paul), and his conversion, as well as Paul’s ministry, seed sewing and church planting, all the way up to his imprisonment.

We learned from the book of Acts how the church was founded, established, and operated during good and bad times.

From there we looked at the book of Romans. This book establishes the doctrines of Christianity.

1.      Justification by faith revealed in the Gospel
2.      Universal need for justification by faith
3.      How we are justified (by being obedient to the faith)
4.      How justification is not a new doctrine
5.      Blessings that follow justification (peace, joy, glory in tribulation, love of God in your heart)

We also read of the duties of those who are Justified in Chapters 12-16

From there we looked at I & II Corinthians.

Here we read of the problems that have come to a new church which Paul has founded, as well as the correction he has made, and their turning (repenting) from sin, and forgiveness of those sins, and being in a right standing with God once more.

We will now examine Paul’s epistle (letter) to the Galatians whose message is of Christ as the Deliverer, from the Law to Liberty!


SCRIPTURE REFERENCE Galatians 1:6-10
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ

    I.      QUICKLY DESERTING THE ONE WHO CALLED YOU TO LIVE IN THE GRACE OF CHRIST
a. Turning to a different gospel
                                                                   i. Which is no gospel at all


b. Some people are throwing you into confusion
                                                                   i. The author of confusion is NOT God!

                                                                ii. I Corinthians 14:33For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

                                                             iii. The difference between God’s voice and Satan’s...
1. God is the still and quiet voice, never contradicting God’s Word, and always using conviction to persuade from sin.

2. Satan is the loud clanging gong, always perverting God’s Word, and always using guilt to persuade you away from God’s presence.


c. And they are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ
                                                                   i. Which has been Satan’s desire from the beginning of mankind



II.      EVEN IF WE OR AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN SHOULD PREACH A GOSPEL OTHER THAN THE ONE WE PREACHED TO YOU, LET THEM BE UNDER THE CURSE!

a. Even if we (Apostles) or an angel from heaven (heavenly being)
                                                                   i. Angel means literally “messenger of God”

                                                                ii. Apostles were the earthly messengers delivering the gospel

                                                             iii. Angel from heaven meaning heavenly beings delivering the message

                                                               iv. Why do we not “see” angels as they did in the bible?
1. Sin caused separation between God and man

2. Man could no longer be in the presence of God, who is perfect and Holy

3. Not everyone could receive the Holy Spirit, through whom God communicates with His followers

4. Therefore the need for another type of “messenger” was needed, and we were allowed to communicate with messengers from another dimension, we call angels (and demons)

5. In the Temple was A veil, a very thick, woven curtain, separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. When Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, that heavy curtain was torn from top (representing from heaving or by God) to bottom (earth).

6. Now God, through the Holy Spirit can once again communicate directly with His followers, and the need for messengers such as angels no longer exists, so the doorway to the spirit world was closed.
a. This door will be opened again during end times though.

b. Revelation 16:12,16 “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and dried up its water to prepare the way {hodos <3598>} for the kings from the east…Now the spirits gathered the kings and their armies to the place that is called Armageddon in Hebrew.”

c. Hodos is the Greek word for “way”, and in this passage means literally “road”.

d. The “spirits” (demons)

e. As of RIGHT NOW, angels are keeping the spiritual door guarded

Revelation 9:12-16 “12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.”

The First Woe The first woe is revealed after the fifth trumpet judgment. This woe is involves something like locusts that have the ability to sting like a scorpion (Revelation 9:3). Generally, these are not accepted as literal locusts because of their description and because they come from the Abyss and have a demonic overlord (Revelation 9:3, 7-8, 11). These creatures are permitted to harm only those people who do not have the “seal of God on their forehead” (Revelation 9:4). Those bearing God’s seal are the 144,000 (Revelation 7:3-4) or, possibly, all believers during that time (Ephesians 4:30). These demonic locusts are allowed to torment unbelievers for five months (Revelation 9:5) with painful stings. Although victims will long for death (Revelation 9: 6), they will not be granted that release.
The Second Woe will be the opening of the door which keeps the fallen angels out of our dimension.
f. Until the Lord opens the road again, the door to the spirit realm has been closed as far as physically seeing, touching, etc...


b. Any gospel preached other than the one we preached before is no gospel at all
                                                                   i. The true gospel was preached, and saved/changed you already
                                                                ii. Now you are abandoning it...

c. Let the false teachers of a fake gospel be under God’s curse!
                                                                   i. “God’s Curse” is the law, law of Moses, the ten commands
                                                                ii. Galatians 3:10For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

                                                             iii. This is exactly what the “Good News” (gospel of Christ) tells us Jesus came to resolve!
1. John 12:46-48 "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. "If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.  "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.…”

2. One of the “books” that is mentioned in Revelation 20 that will be opened on Judgment Day will be “Jesus’ sayings”, the “Word He Spoke”
a. This will take place at “The Great White Throne”

b. Where the unsaved (those who names were NOT in the Book of Life (Lambs Book of Life)



III.      AS I ALREADY SAID, SO NOW I SAY AGAIN!
a. There is NO other gospel
                                                                   i. Gospel means “good news”

                                                                ii. What “good news”?
1. There is only 1 gospel that saves us from God’s curse!

2. The “good news” that Jesus PAID the debt we owe!


b. There is NO other good news! Jesus FREES us from the Law!
                                                                   i. Galatians 1:4, 5 “...the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
                                                                ii. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

                                                             iii. Romans 3:20 “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.”

                                                               iv. Anyone believing in ANY other gospel will fall under God’s Curse, which is Judgment of those living without Christ Jesus.


1. Remember Jesus says in John 12:46-48, “...If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.  "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.…”
a. If you do not “keep” (or live by) the Lord’s instruction, you are NOT judged NOW...

b. However, Jesus says, you WILL be judged if you continue to reject Him (do not repent)

c. And you will be judged by His teachings and the Word He spoke at the Great White Throne, where there is NO escape.


c. God’s Curse
                                                                   i. Revelation 20:11-15 “11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 

                                                                ii. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 

                                                             iii. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it (meaning even those who died without proper burial), and death (the actual ACT and transformation from physical being to spiritual) and Hades (Sheol - place of departed spirits) gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 
                                                               iv. 14 Then death and Hades (Sheol) were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 

                                                                  v. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

                                                               vi. Galatians 5:4You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.


CONCLUSION - “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” ~ Galatians 1:10

There is only 1 gospel, 1 “good news” message, which is to be preached, and that is Jesus Christ died for you.

Jesus calls us to repent of our sins, and live by His Word and message.

If we do not repent (or turn away from our sin), then He says we have “rejected Him”, and although He will NOT judge you now, (because we are in the dispensation or age of the church/grace) if you do not repent, you WILL be judged at the Great White Throne where books will be opened, the lambs book of life, and if you are not in it, you will be judged by the other books that will be opened.

Books which both record the Words and message of Christ, as well as every word, thought and deed by you.

Confess your sin, repent and turn away from it while you are still able, because once you stand before the judge, you will only be there to receive your sentence, not plead your case.





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