Salvation Changes a Believer’s Life

Transcript

GR 1161 Salvation Changes a Believer’s Life
08/08/1999
Salvation Changes a Believer’s Life
Galatians 4:16-20
Gil Rugh

I want to direct your attention to the Book of Galatians this morning and the fourth chapter. The Book of Acts is the history book of the early church. And in Acts chapters 13 and 14 we have recorded Paul’s first missionary journey and the establishing of the churches in Galatia on that missionary journey. It was a ministry accompanied by many difficulties and problems. I sometimes wonder as I reflect back as Paul and Barnabas or Paul and Silas, those who traveled with Paul, traveled to these various regions and ministered the Word, I wonder what they thought about the durability of the churches that were established. They clearly evidence full confidence in the sovereign work of God in people’s lives, and yet they’re churches that get racked by problems and conflicts and distention that are infiltrated by false doctrine and false teaching. And yet, here we are 2000 years later, reading a letter written to the churches in Galatia. We are in that line of churches that God has established through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we give Him the honor and the praise.

In Galatians chapter 4 verses 12 to 20 Paul is talking on a very intensely personal level to the Galatians. And in that context he takes them back to the days when he first came to them with the gospel and they responded in faith to Jesus Christ. And he tells them it was because of physical sickness that he came to Galatia in the first place.

In verse 13 of Galatians 4, “But you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time.” Now the book of Acts no has no record of that sickness. It just records the fact of Paul journeying from the region of Pamphylia on the coast up to the more mountainous regions of Galatia, and then goes into some detail in his ministry in the various cities of the region known as Galatia. It was a physical illness that was rather severe. Paul says in verse 14, it “was a trial to you. You did not despise or loathe me.” And so that illness would have been of such a nature that he became something of a burden, perhaps, to the Galatian people. And his appearance was such, and the situation associated with that illness, it would have been relatively easy, maybe we’d say natural humanly speaking, to be repulsed by him. But that had not been the case and they had responded to the gospel.

But you know I was thinking this past week, that was only one of the problems and obstacles that Paul faced in his ministry in the churches at Galatia. Just back up to Acts chapter 13 for a moment if you would, Acts chapter 13. Paul’s missionary journey began in what we call Antioch of Syria, Syrian Antioch. And he journeyed over to Cyprus and he had a ministry at Cyprus, the island of Cyprus. Then from Cyprus he went over to Perga, which is in Pamphylia. And in Acts chapter 13 verse 13, “Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia.” And then you note the next statement. “But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.” This is the one we know as John Mark because he has two names: John and Mark. So we sometimes call him John Mark to distinguish him from, for example the Apostle John. But here before John ever journeys to Galatia John bails out, turns back, goes home. That had to be a blow to the Apostle Paul. In fact he took it so seriously that he was unwilling to consider taking John with him on his next trip.

Turn over a few pages to Acts chapter 15. After that first missionary journey they returned and then in Acts chapter 15 you have the Council at Jerusalem. And then in verse 36 Paul and Barnabas decide it would be a good idea to take a second trip and revisit the churches they had established and see how they are doing. Verse 37, “Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them. But Paul kept insisting they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.” So you see Paul viewed it as an act of desertion. It impressed my mind here early in the ministry, before he’s even able to get into Galatia, he suffers the loss of one who was to be a close companion in carrying out the ministry. And the division was so strong and Paul’s convictions were so strong on it, he and Barnabas are not able to continue in ministry together. Barnabas takes Mark and goes on his own journey. Paul takes Silas and, uh, takes the trip that he had been anticipating.

Back in Acts chapter 13. We don’t know why John Mark deserted Paul. Somewhere in here Paul develops his physical illness that could make him loathsome, repulsive, a burden and a trial to others. It could have been that this young man looked, and if this illness had developed, began to think there is no future in this. Here I am, traveling on an arduous trip. We’re going to carry the gospel to potentially hostile regions and they will be very hostile. And now Paul is repulsively sick. I just can’t go on.

I don’t know what the details were but whatever, it’s about this time Paul is going to develop his illness because it’s between Pamphylia and by the time he begins his ministry in Galatia that’s what brought him to Galatia. So he’s already had the desertion of a close associate. Then he has this serious physical affliction that makes him a burden to people.

Look down in chapter 13 as he moves in to the different cities of Galatia. Verse 45, we’ll just pick up what took place in some of the cities of Galatia without taking the time to identify them. Verse 45, “But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming.” It’s another obstacle. When Paul went into a new area, it was logical that he would begin his ministry with the Jews because the believed the Old Testament Scriptures. And he was an authority in the Old Testament Scriptures and he could show them from the Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus was their Messiah.

But here at Galatia there is no such open door. The Jews are hostile to him. They begin to contradict him, to blaspheme, to oppose his ministry. And it is so serious at the end of verse 46, Paul and Barnabas say “we will turn to the Gentiles.” So we won’t try to work with the Jews here. We’re going to focus on the Gentiles. So there’s more obstacle from the Jews in the region of Galatia.

Down in chapter 14 verse 5, they move to the various cities. “And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, to mistreat and to stone them,” they move on to other Galatian cities. So what happened here? Now the Jews and the Gentiles along with leaders, and this opposition is not just verbal battle, but physical abuse with an intention to stone Paul and Barnabas.

So the ministry in Galatia was a hard ministry. In fact down in verse 19 when it seemed things are going well. Verse 19, “Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city.” Paul is stoned and left for dead. Now you don’t have to have much of an imagination to picture how painful stoning would be. And it’s just what it sounds like. People gathered around. They all picked up stones and they threw them at you till you died. Well, you know how it hurts if you get hit with a stone. Can you imagine people standing around throwing them hard enough their intention is to shatter your skull, to crush your bones, to kill you? And they’re going to throw them until you’re dead! And Paul was injured enough, he lost consciousness and for all intense and purposes they looked and said, “He’s a dead man. Drag him out of the city.” The grace of God intervened and he supernaturally stands up and is well.

But you get some idea of the trial and turmoil of Paul’s ministry in Galatia: Desertion by one of his close associates; physical illness that could make him repulsive to the people who would see him; opposition from the Jews; opposition from the Jews and the Gentiles together; physical affliction in stoning. You might get to thing by this time Paul is saying, “John Mark was probably right. I wish I had gone with him. Ha! We should have both deserted Barnabas.” No! That’s not Paul’s attitude.

Come down to verse, after he comes up from stoning you know what he does? Goes back through the cities to encourage the disciples. This concept of self-emphasis that we have today would be totally foreign to the Apostle Paul and I don’t need to tell you that I’m sure. But verse 21, “they preached the gospel to that city, made many disciples, returned to Lystra, Iconium, to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, (the end of verse 22) ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.’”

Paul didn’t see this as unusual. This is his first missionary journey but it’s not like it catches him by surprise. He things it’s normal for those who are on the way to the Kingdom that God has prepared for those who love Him to expect there will be many tribulations on the way, not just for Paul but for them as well.

So come back to Galatians chapter 4. Paul has selected out his bodily illness because of the personal impact that had on the Galatians who responded to his message, the gracious way they received him responded and believed his message. They didn’t allow Paul’s physical appearance or repulsive illness to become a barrier. He’s not handsome enough. He’s not appealing enough. He’s not eloquent enough. Buy by God’s grace they responded to the gospel. They recognized that Paul was God’s messenger and the message he brought was a message of life.

Paul says in the middle of verse 15, “If possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.” You note and that would be an expression similar to, “he’ll give you the shirt off his back,” only much more vivid. What they’re saying, Paul says, “You would have done anything for me. You did not allow my physical condition to be repulsive. You were willing to do anything for me.” What? “Where is that sense of blessing you had?” the first part of verse 15. They were so thrilled with the joy and blessing of their salvation that Paul’s physical appearance was a non-issue. Now Paul says, “Where is that blessing, that sense of blessing you had?”

What has brought about the change? He takes them back to those initial days and we noted that’s a good thing to do when you begin to struggle, when you begin to get shaky, when you begin to lose the confidence in those who minister the word of God to you. Let me go back again and get my feet on the ground. And where is that sense of blessing, the joy and satisfaction of my salvation?

Verse 16 asks a very pointed and very painful question. “So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” I came and gave you the gospel that thrilled your soul and brought the blessing of God to your life. You were ready to do anything for me in my need. And now do you view me as an enemy because I brought you the truth, because I’m one who tells you the truth? You see, Paul sees the issue as the truth. They’re turning against him is a turning against the truth because that’s what the Judaizers are attempting to do.

So now he’s going to turn attention to those Judaizers still in this very personal section to show the Galatians what these false teachers are really doing. They are trying to alienate the Galatians from Paul so they will be cut off from Paul’s message and thus brought in submission to the Judaizers. So he says in verse 17, “They eagerly seek you, not commendably (not good).” As is often the case with false teachers they are very zealous.

All of us at one time or another probably looked at some of these representatives of cults and false religions and said, “I have to admire their zeal.” And it seems like that they just give of themselves totally to reach people. Well, that’s what was happening with the Judaizers. They were eagerly seeking. We get the word “zealous” “jealously” from this basic Greek word. They were going after the Galatians and they were zealous for the Galatians and jealous. The word is neutral, the Greek word here. It can be used in a good sense or a bad sense just like our word jealousy. We usually have a negative connotation. But in Scripture God is jealous in that He eagerly and zealously desires His people for Himself the picture. So here, these Judaizers were eagerly seeking the Galatians but not for good, not commendably. They weren’t seeking them to bring them more in line with the truth of God but for selfish motivation. This is what really causes division and strife. There’s division and strife now in the churches at Galatia. It’s not caused by Paul. It’s not caused by the truth. It’s caused by the zeal and enthusiasm of those who are not working for good.

“But they wish to shut you out so you will seek them.” Two-fold purpose: number one shut you out. Number two so you will seek them. They want to shut you out. Basically what he’s saying is they want to close them off from Paul and his teaching. Shut you out, close you off. And in the context he talking about being closed off from them. What the Judaizers are doing is trying to shut the out from Paul. That’s why for the first two chapters of this letter what did Paul do? Defended his apostleship, defended himself, his gospel, his ministry. Why? First thing the false teachers try to do is undermine your confidence in the teacher. They’re trying to undermine the Galatians’ confidence in Paul. You can’t trust him. He’s not reliable.

This happened to Paul invariably wherever he went. Paul had to deal with it repeatedly in the letters to the Corinthians. False teachers come in and what do they do? “You can’t trust him. Uh, he doesn’t do what he says. He’s not really an apostle. His message doesn’t really come from God. He made it up.” They’re trying to close them off from Paul. That’s their first step. Undermine their confidence in Paul as God’s messenger and thus God’s message.

And then, “so that you will seek them.” What’s going to happen after they’re cut off from Paul? They lose confidence in Paul. They’ll turn their attention to the Galatians. I mean you’re the ones that opened our eyes to see that Paul wasn’t trustworthy, that we shouldn’t follow Paul’s leadership. So naturally they’re turned what? To the Judaizers. And what the Judaizers really want is for the Galatians to seek after them so they can become the authority in these people’s lives.

You know, there’s nothing new in the tactics of the devil. Two-steps: turn people’s confidence away from God’s messengers and thus God’s truth and thus God Himself and make them your disciples, have them look to you and seek after you for the message, the leadership and the guidance.

Look in Galatians chapter 1 verse 6. What’s Paul say? “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ for another gospel.” What’s Paul saying? You Galatians are deserting God, the one who called you. So you see what is happening here. This process Paul says, they’re trying to shut you out, close you off from me. But in that process close you off from God, cause you to turn from Him.

Look in chapter 5 of Galatians verse 4. “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” So you see the picture here. Shut them off from Paul really is to turn them from God, to cut them off from the grace of Christ. This is a serious matter. And then what? Have them seek after the Judaizers as their leaders and authority and teachers.

Turn back to the Book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament, the prophet Jeremiah. Along about the middle section of your Bibles, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel are the three Major Prophets there after the Book of Psalms. Jeremiah chapter 2. Jeremiah’s about 500 years before Christ. And note the problem verse 12 of Jeremiah 2, “’Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be very desolate,’ declares the Lord. For my people have committed two evils: (number one) they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, (number two) to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” You see what happens? God’s people turned away from Him and turned to error. Nothing changes. Five hundred years later Paul is dealing with the same kind of problem, false teachers trying to turn God’s people away from God, away from God’s representatives who bring the truth and turn them to error. And here we are twenty-five hundred years after Jeremiah, two thousand years after Paul; the same pattern is followed by the devil.

Come back to Galatians. You know sometimes I’m asked, “Why do people have so many bad things to say about this ministry? Why are there so many rumors about the church about me?” How would your confidence be any greater undermined if you begin to lose confidence in me? Then you begin to lose confidence in the preaching of the truth and the pattern goes on. So you ought not to be surprised if rumors circulate where the truth is taught.

And rumors circulate about that ministry and we’re all affected by it because people say something, take it out of the context of the church, at work. Somebody says something to you about someone else that you probably can’t trust them, they’re not reliable or something like that. You say, “Well, I don’t think that’s true.” But what happens? Now the thought’s been put in your mind, you’re watching that person. Now they do something and normally you wouldn’t have thought anything about it. But now you connect it to what that person told you and you say, “Hmmm. Maybe there is something to that.” And you know we can begin to build a whole scenario in our mind that has no foundation in truth and confidence is lost.

That’s what Paul’s experiencing at the hands of the Judaizers. And Paul is many miles removed from Galatia. So now the Judaizers are there raising doubts about Paul and trying to shut the Galatians off from Paul, lose confidence in him, so they will turn and look to the Judaizers for leadership and teaching.

Back in Galatians chapter 4 verse 18, “But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not only when I am present with you.” The problem is not the zeal. Paul is not saying the only person who can have zeal for you is me. “It is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not only when I am present with you.” Concern for you is good, but it must always be in the context of truth and that, which is good. Paul demonstrated consuming zeal in his ministry. It was always for the good of those he ministered to, to build them up in the faith.

Back up a few pages before Galatians into II Corinthians chapter 11. Paul is dealing with the exact same kind of issue in writing to the Corinthians as he is in writing to the Galatians. And the tactics are the same. The Judaizers at Corinth were first trying to undermine the confidence of the Corinthians in Paul as a person, as an apostle. He wasn’t trustworthy, wasn’t reliable, he wasn’t genuine. Paul says in, uh, II Corinthians chapter 11 verse 2, “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy.” That’s the same basic Greek word translated “eagerly sought” in our passage in Galatians. I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, eagerly looking after you, zealously looking after you with a godly zeal. “For I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.” That zeal was commendable. It was for good. It was to keep them faithful to Christ.

In chapter 10 of II Corinthians, verse 8, “For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave me for building you up, not destroying you.” See Paul’s authority, as an apostle, as a minister of truth, was to build them up. Paul didn’t have authority to do whatever he wanted in the churches. Paul had authority from God to build them up but not destroy them. The Judaizers were coming in destroying because they were contradicting the truth.

Same thing is said in chapter 13 of II Corinthians, verse 10, “For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me, for building up and not tearing down.”

In II Corinthians chapter 11, again, look at verse 3. “But I am afraid, that as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.”

You see the same thing Paul had to say to the Galatians. It is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not just when I’m present with you. I mean you Galatians ought to be sorting things out there. You oughtn’t to be responding to the truth and those teaching the truth just when I’m there. I mean, what this affection for the Judaizers? What’s this response to the Judaizers’ zeal and jealousy? The same problem Paul has in verse 4 of chapter 11 in writing to the Corinthians. You’re receiving a different spirit, a different gospel. You bear this beautifully! It’s good to be eagerly sought for in a commendable manner, not just when I’m present there.

Down in verse 19 of II Corinthians 11, “For you, being so wise, (sarcasm here) tolerate the foolish gladly. For you tolerate it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face.” What do the Judaizers want to do? They want to re-enslave the Galatians. What are the Galatians tolerating that for, responding to that for? Shouldn’t put up with it, should have no tolerance at all for it. So Paul is warning the Galatians and challenging them.

Back in chapter 4. He’s being very personal here but it’s been hard in these verses. Verse 16, “Have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” The desire of the Judaizers is to cut you off from me so you’ll pursue them and zeal and jealousy is only good when it’s in a commendable realm, to build up. And that should be true for you when I’m present and when I’m not present.

Now there’s a softness that is expressed by Paul in his concern, verse 19, when he begins, “My children.” Some would translate it, “My little children.” Uh, he becomes very warm and affectionate here. He really loves them. He’s being torn, if you will, by what is taking place here. It’s a heavy burden. He wrote in, uh, his second letter to the Corinthians. With all his physical problems, on top of this he says he have, I have my concern for the churches. And here you see something of that affectionate concern for the spiritual health and well being of the Galatians.

“My children,” and you see, uh, those who came to Christ through my ministry or at least professed to come to Christ. Uh, and you see that turmoil. Paul’s afraid that maybe they haven’t believed. But he is confident that they did and you’re my children.

Uh, back in I Corinthians chapter 4, I Corinthians chapter 4 verse 15, “For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ,” and there’s that word pedagogue that we saw in Galatians earlier. “Yet you would not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” So the same thing here. He’s got to call the Corinthians back. Yes, you can trust me. I brought you the gospel. You’re my children in the faith is the picture here. So when he calls them “my children” he’s calling their attention back to when he presented the gospel to them and they professed faith in Christ.

Back in Galatians 4:19, “with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you."” Um, a rather striking picture here. For Paul he expected that bringing people to Christ was going to be a painful, hard process. It’s like child labor. A woman being in labor to give birth to a child and the pain and the agony of it. But it’s part of what you go through. Well, Paul uses that picture spiritually here. And he had gone through the labor process and we just touched on some of his suffering and difficulty as he brought the gospel to Galatia. But something’s wrong. He says I’m back in the labor process again. You shouldn’t have to go through labor twice for the same child. But he says I’m in labor all over again. You see something of his pain and agony and love for them.

“I am in labor again until Christ is formed in you.” His concern is two-fold. Number one that their salvation be genuine. Number two that they experience genuine growth in Christ. Something’s wrong. I don’t see Christ being formed in you. Maybe it was a miss-carriage. Something went wrong because if Christ is not formed in you, number one, maybe you weren’t genuinely saved, or number two, the maturing process is not taking place, as it should. But my work won’t be done until Christ is formed in you.

Back up to Galatians chapter 2 verse 20. Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, (note this) but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself up for me.” Christ lives in me and it’s His life that is now being lived through me in this physical body. So we’re talking about Christ formed in you, that initial salvation, yes, and then that ongoing life that is a manifestation of the life of Christ in you.

Turn over to Colossians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. Colossians chapter 1. Paul had the same kind of battle with the Colossian church: Judaizers coming in trying to lure people away from the truth. And he speaks about the revelation that God has given to him. It was a revelation concerning the mystery of the church and God’s work among Gentiles. And pick up at the end of verse 27, “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Christ lives in me. Christ formed in you. “We proclaim Him (Christ), admonishing every man, teaching every man with all wisdom, (note this) so that we may present every man complete in Christ.”

So we bring the gospel that they might experience salvation and Christ might come into their life and they into Christ. Remember in the Gospel of John Jesus said, “You abide in Me and I abide in you.” So complete in Christ, mature in Christ. “For this purpose I also labor,” a word denoting intense toil, hard work, “striving,” we get the English word agonize from this Greek word. “Striving according to His power, which works mightily within me.” What a beautiful picture. Paul’s intense hard work and agony done in the mighty power of God. You think if it’s done in the mighty power of God it would be relatively easy and non-strenuous. Just the opposite! It took every ounce of Paul’s strength. He agonized in toil for the salvation and maturity of these people but it was all in the power of God.

Look in chapter 3 of Colossians verse 10. “You have put on the new self (the new man, note this) who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.” You see that picture: being renewed according to the image of the One who created him. The new person we are in Christ is being conformed to the image of the God who created us, who made us new in Christ, becoming more like him till Christ is formed in you.

Back up just after Galatians to Ephesians chapter 4. Paul says the same thing again. Verse 13. This work in the context of the ministry of the truth and that functioning as the body of Christ with all it’s gifts, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man.” What is a mature man? “To the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” The more like Christ you are, the more mature you are. We are growing to be more and more like Him.

Down in verse 15 of Ephesians 4. “But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ.” We are growing up into Christ. We are becoming more like Christ. That’s what Paul’s saying to the Galatians. I’m in labor all over again till Christ is formed in you, till I see the clear manifestation of the character of Christ in your life, an ongoing process.

One other passage back in II Corinthians, just before Galatians. II Corinthians chapter 3. And what has Paul been talking about in II Corinthians chapter 3? The conflict between the Mosaic Law and the work of the Spirit of God in grace through Christ, the new covenant and the Mosaic covenant. Verse 18 of II Corinthians 3, “But we all, with unveiled face.” He’s already said it’s like a veil over the eyes so that people don’t understand, they don’t see the truth concerning Christ. But when you believe in Christ the veil is lifted. “So we, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord.” And the mirror here is the truth of God, what we have as the New Testament, in particular in this context, the new covenant. It’s like a mirror and you’re beholding in this mirror. You’re looking into the mirror but what you’re seeing is the glory of God reflected. “We are being transformed.”

Remember what Paul said in Galatians 4? I’m in labor all over again till Christ be formed in you, morphe, formed. It denotes external appearance that comes out of your inner nature. There’s another word that denotes just, uh, more of a superficial appearance. This word denotes that which comes out of your inner being. Now here we are undergoing a metamorphosis, a transformation “into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

What’s Paul saying? As believers, those who have the veil lifted from our eyes, now Christ dwells in us. As we study the revelation God has given us, the Spirit of God takes that truth and molds and shapes and forms us into conformity with the image of Christ, maturity in Christ. So Paul’s saying I’m concerned. I’m in the labor process all over with you Galatians again, that Christ be formed in you. I want settled the issue that Christ does live in you because you’ve believed in him. But I also have to see Him there that you are growing in Him. And until that’s taken place I’m confused to whether you’re saved or whether you’re not. Where are you spiritually?

You see the process. You see the . . . how crucial it is. That’s why salvation totally changes a life. You become a new man, a new person. You’re new! Jesus Christ now lives in you and the life, which you now live in the physical body you live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you. It’s that ongoing growth and maturing process as we’re nurtured in the word and the Spirit of God who dwells in us does that work of transforming power. And Christ is seen in us. Paul will get more into this when we get into Galatians chapter 5.

It is crucial. When that is not there, there is doubt about whether you’re saved. The fact that the Galatians were allowing themselves to be deluded by Judaizing false teaching raised questions of whether Christ was really in their life at all. You see how narrow Paul is. If people don’t see the character of Christ in your life, there is no basis to think you belong to Christ. If’ you are one who chases after all the false doctrine that comes down the pike and aren’t able to sort it out, there’s serious question whether you’re really born again, that Christ dwells in you. That’s what Paul’s telling the Galatians.

Come back to Galatians chapter 4. This explains why the church has been so deluded and deceived. We have many, many people who have come in to the evangelical church who do not have Christ living in them. So they do turn to the error, to the false teaching. And if believers don’t have the clarity that we have in the Scripture on truth and the identifying characteristics of Christ being in a life, they think, well, they’re believers. They say the same thing we do. Paul says I’m looking for Christ to be formed in you. And that’s hard work. Don’t think that you can be part of the process of bringing people to Christ and bringing these people to maturity in Christ without it draining every ounce of your strength and energy. It’s kopiao, labor, toil. It’s agonidzo, agony and work. It’s like the labor process. The woman’s having a child and we think we ought to be able to do it light with minimal expenditure of energy and a little bit of inconvenience. Apostle Paul had a great and mighty ministry in the power of God because he gave everything he had all of his strength and all of his energy to see that people came to salvation by faith in Christ. And matured in that relationship to be conformed to the image of Christ.

Verse 20 of Galatians 4, “But I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone.” It’s hard to have to deal with problems in a letter, is it not? It’s hard to communicate your true feelings in a letter. When you’re there you can express yourself. You can cry with a person; you can weep with a person; you can interact. But in a letter there’s something cold about the very nature of that communication. Paul said, oh, I wish I could be with you. He’s at a disadvantage. The Judaizers were there. But Paul’s at a distance. I wish I could be there, speak to you personally. And he’s confident they would respond. They had responded when he had been with them before. He’s confident they would again.

But he’s concerned. Something is wrong. He says, “I am perplexed about you.” It means to be at a loss, to be in doubt, to be uncertain. This is an intensity in the form that’s used here. Perplexed, I don’t know what to think. This ties to what he said in verse 11, “I fear for you, that perhaps I’ve labored over you in vain.” You see what happens? The turning aside from Christ and the sufficiency of Christ and the finality of Christ to other things raises immediate questions. Am I dealing with genuine believers? The church is not called to be gullible. It’s called to be discerning warned about those who would infiltrate the church. Here Paul, himself, had personally been involved in leading the Galatians to salvation by faith in Christ but their willingness to turn aside after false doctrine puts the whole thing now up in the air. In don’t know what to think. I’m not sure whether my labors there accomplished anything. I don’t know what to think about you.

We ought to have that kind of concern for people. Oh, I’m sure they’re saved. I remember, yes, I prayed with them; I read them the gospel; they said they believed it, so. They’re probably confused now. They’re not walking after the Lord now but I’m fully confident they’re saved. Where did you get that kind of confidence? Paul didn’t have it! He never expressed that kind of confidence about his converts. The confidence he had was when they followed Christ and Christ was evident in their life, both in the character of Christ and in commitment to truth. And as soon as that was not there Paul said, “Wait a minute. We have to go back to the basics. I’m perplexed. I’m confused. I don’t know what to think. Maybe you’re not really saved. I’ve got to go through the process all over again with you. I’ve got to endure the labor again till Christ is formed in you. And when He is I will see it.” And there should be an intolerance in genuine believers against error. It’s one of the marks that Christ lives in us.

Let me review with you what we’ve looked at in these verses. Number one: False teachers prey upon believers or professing believers. False teachers prey upon believers. Acts chapter 20 verses 29 and 30 Paul said to the Ephesian elders, “After my departure (what?) Ravenous wolves will come in among you, from among your own selves men will arise speaking perverse things, seeking to draw away the disciples after them.” II Peter chapter 2 verses 1 to 3, what? “There will be false teachers among you, just as there were false prophets in Israel.” We ought not to be walking around with our eyes have shut. The issue is much clearer than that as its presented in Scripture. Praise God! Praise God His salvation is dynamic and powerful and life changing because the Son of God comes and takes up residence in a life. And it’s His life that now dominates that life.

Number two: False teachers want to bring others under their authority. That’s part of the process. Try to undermine confidence in teachers of the truth to lure people away from the ministry of truth to develop followers for themselves.

Number three: Verse 18, biblical zeal is good at all times. Biblical zeal is good at all times! Don’t be tricked by the earnestness, the sincerity, the enthusiasm, the zealousness, the winsomeness of those who come offering their teaching. Oh they’re so concerned for people. They’re so loving and on it goes. Biblical zeal is good at all times.

Number four: We labor that people may become like Christ in verse 19. Nothing less is accepted as genuine. We toil and labor in bringing people the gospel and bringing them to maturity in Christ because Christ must be formed in them. And until He is seen, not that we’re perfect, we won’t be perfect until we see Him, I John 3. But when we see Him we will be like Him for we will see Him as He is. But there ought to be clear manifestation of His presence in us. And if not, we ought to wonder even as Paul wondered.

Number five (and that’s what I was just mentioning): It is difficult to discern where some people are spiritually. If Paul could say about those who were “his converts” I’m perplexed about you. I fear that perhaps I’ve labored over you in vain. Much of what passed is passed off, as eternal security confidence today is rubbish. What I want to know is where is the evidence of Christ in that life? I may say, yes. I remember when I shared the gospel with them when they responded as the Galatians did and were excited about the blessings of their salvation. That doesn’t quit and if I can’s see Christ in their life today then I don’t know what to think about what happened in the past. That’s what Paul’s saying here. I remember my ministry to you. I remembered your eager response to the gospel. I remember the joy and thrill of blessings of your salvation. But now I don’t know what to think.

The worst thing that I could happen is that we are lulled into this security. Oh, yeah, they’re saved. Yeah, I remember when they made a profession of faith. Where do you see Christ in their life? Well, you know, you can’t always see it. You can’t always see Christ there. I mean, you know, we just…. Forget it. Paul says I don’t see it. I’m going through the labor process all over again. We’re back to square one. I don’t know where you are. How do you know where you are? When you’re following error, when your life doesn’t manifest Christ, what makes you think he lives in you? Some kind of sentimental feeling?

For the Galatians to go after the false doctrine of the Judaizers raises red flags all over. That means the evangelical church ought to have lights going off everywhere because we’ve got a lot of doctrine that is not biblical being promoted in the church and followed in the church and undermining the church’s commitment to truth. And yet people are afraid to raise any questions. Wouldn’t want to tell them I’m perplexed whether you’re genuine. Oh, who are you to judge another? Well, I just want to apply what the Judge of all men has said.

We are involved in a process. Praise God! His salvation brings Christ into a life. And Christ now becomes the dominant characteristic of that life. And that is a growing process. And by God’s grace we are not only permitted to experience it personally, but we are permitted and privileged to be involved in that process in other people’s lives to see Christ formed in them. May we accept no substitutes? May we be satisfied with nothing less for ourselves and for others?

Let’s pray together. Thank You, Lord, for Your all powerful grace, a salvation which is Your power that works in a life when a person turns from sin to Christ and believers in Him. Lord, it is an awesome and overwhelming truth to know that Christ lives in me. It is His life now lived out through my flesh. Lord, may we take seriously the concerns that Paul expressed about the Galatians? May we not be satisfied until Christ is formed in us and in those we minister to and with? May we accept no substitutes? May we not willingly be deluded? May we have the passionate zeal that Paul manifested for genuine salvation, for genuine maturity because we desire Christ to be magnified and manifest? We desire to be more like Him. And we pray in His name. Amen.
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