Spirit Walkers: Following a Unique Gospel

January 15, 2018                                     NOTES NOT EDITED
Spirit Walkers—The Book of Galatians
Following a Unique Gospel

Galatians 1:1-9

Sermon-in-a-Sentence:  The Christian “gospel” (good news about salvation through Jesus Christ) is unique among all the religions of the world.

One of the most memorable pictures of me is with my older and younger brother at my Dad’s mother’s house at Christmas.  It was 1964; I must have been about eight years old. My Grandmother gave us three boys the same gift:  transistor radios.  Portable transistor radios were a rage in the 60’s and early 70’s.  By the mid sixties, the good ones were both AM and FM.  These are two distinct ways to receive radio broadcasts.  An AM radio cannot receive FM signals and vice versa.  You had to move a switch to change back and forth.  Then, you had to carefully turn a dial to just the right place to receive a signal.  I might add, these were Mickey Mouse radios—when Mickey Mouse was every child’s hero.

Humans are like transistor radios.  The switch determines what “life signals” we receive.  AM stands for “Adam Man.”  When Adam disobeyed God and ate the apple in the garden, he brought the nature of sin to every child that will ever be born.  When we are in the AM mode, we only receive signals of sin through our flesh.  When we switch to FM, that stands for “Forgiven Man.”  In the FM mode we receive our signals not through our flesh, but through our Spirit.  “Spirit Walkers” are tuned into God through the Holy Spirit.  Paul says it like this in the Book of Romans (5:17).

¹⁷ Since by the one man’s trespass [Adam], death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life  through the one man, Jesus Christ.

All of eternity depends upon whether you are tuned into the Devil through the “flesh”—an Adam Man—or, whether you are tuned into God through grace—a Forgiven Man.  That’s the essence of the gospel.

Every event, activity, or circumstance in life must be measured by eternity.  Whether you miss heaven by an inch or by a mile, you miss it altogether—and forever.  Because eternity awaits every man and woman, and because eternity will be spent in eternal torment or eternal bliss depending upon your relationship to God, nothing is more important that tuning into God’s direction for our lives and “Walking in the Spirit.”

Easily, providing background for a study of Galatians could take several sermons.  It is such a rich and unique book.  It is special if for no other reason than being one of the earliest epistles written by Paul.

Here is a very brief summary of the background to Galatians.

The problem Paul was addressing is referred to as “Judaizers.”  These were Jewish converts to Christianity who felt that keeping the law, particularly circumcision, ceremonies, and calendar events, was essential to “being a Christian.”  It was a matter of adding Jewish law to a Christian experience.  Paul shows that this actually is a matter of “subtracting by adding.”  By adding “to” the gospel of salvation by grace through Christ alone, they in fact had created a different “gospel” which is no gospel whatsoever—it is a curse, an anathema, or right from the pit of hell.  It is either salvation by keeping the law, or salvation by grace—but it cannot be any mixture of the two. 

Galatians is a book of contrasts.  It contrasts the Spirit with the flesh.  It contrasts the grace with Law.  It contrasts freedom with bondage.  It contrasts Moses with Jesus.  In summary, Galatians contrast “Worldly Walkers” with “Spirit Walkers.”

One further note of introduction to these lessons from Galatians.  These are “sermons.”  It is not my intent to simply convey to you the information available in commentaries.  You can read them for yourself.  In the next 13 weeks or so, I will communicate just under 10 hours of information.  It will represent hundreds of hours of reading, praying, and study.  When I am done, I will still have only scratched the surface of what Galatians has to say.  My goal is to give you enough information, inspiration, and motivation to pursue life as a “Spirit Walker.”  This sermon series is a diving board.  Galatians (and the Bible in general) is the ocean.  Let’s dive in.

In his instruction for Spirit Walkers, Paul addresses Issues in regard to the UNIQUENESS of the Gospel: unique authority, unique product, unique purpose, uniqueness in exclusivity.

1.  Unique AUTHORITY (1-2)

1  Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead),

2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

Authority is a key issue in any religion.  Who, or what is the final arbiter of what is true or false, good or evil, etc.?  For example, the authority in the Mormon Church is the President.  He speaks for the church and when he so indicates, his words are taken as authoritative.  In regard to there written authorities, they have several.  The Bible is included, but not with any real authority.  According to Mormonism, “The Bible is inspired only as it is translated correctly,” meaning in large part, according to the Book of Mormon.  Similarly, in the Catholic Church, the Pope is the ultimate authority.

In Christianity, God is the Ultimate Authority, and the Bible is the complete and inspired record of His decrees to man.  No man or woman is “inspired” in Christianity in the way that Mormons, Catholics or others regard some men or women to be inspired.  Any authority any man or woman might claim can only come as a man or woman acts directly on behalf of God.

That’s the essence of the second word in the Book of Galatians.  Paul declares that he is an “apostle” (ἀπόστολος).  This word has a very defined meaning in Scripture.  The Greek word, “apostolos” parallels the Hebrew word in the O.T., “shaliach.”  The basic, biblical understanding describes, “a messenger sent with a message.”  Originally, the word apostolos conveyed no idea of a transfer of authority.  It was a simple messenger.  The word in Classical Greek was used of a ship’s crew sent on a mission.  It was in later developments of the Greek language that apostle came to refer to “divine authority” (Stoics, katascopos, or literally, a spy).  This development influenced the N.T. use of the word.  The N.T use combines the Classical ideas being informed by the Hebrew idea of a “messenger sent with a message—and a message with divine authority.”

Paul will have much more to say about his apostleship, but the key issue in regard to Paul’s defense of the gospel is that he has “divine authority.”  Any other so-called gospel, is a fraud.  Paul very strongly asserts that as an apostle, or “sent one,” he is sent from God and not any “agency of man but through the agency of Jesus Christ and God the Father.”  The gospel is a “divine message” and apostles are “divine messengers” with “divine authority.”

Verse 2 adds the words, “and all the brethren (adelphoi, brothers and sisters).”  The gospel message does not exist in some philosophical vacuum.  The gospel message is “communal.”  The gospel not only infuses individuals with “spiritual life,” but also imbues individuals with spiritual power to live out that life in and with a community of other “Spirit Walkers.”

The power of the Church (verse 2, “churches”) derives from the gospel—good news about salvation through Christ—and the power of the gospel comes directly from the very throne of God, Himself.  To highlight the awesome power coming from the divine source of the gospel, Paul says in verse 2, that the God Who is the source of the gospel is the One who, “raised [Jesus] from the dead!”  That’s powerful.  Death is our greatest enemy, through the gospel’s power, death is annihilated for those who believe. 

Divine Authority is a major factor in the uniqueness of the gospel.

Today, if the news coverage is any indication, just about anybody can be an authority on just about anything.  We as a society seem to worship at that alter of celebrity, and so style has become synonymous with substance—monetary success has become the standard of expertise on nearly anything.  A case in point is the recent vitriolic speech against the President of the United States by actor Robert DeNiro.  He is just one of many Hollywood celebrities that also work as expert political commentators in their spare time.  Even Oprah Winfree seems to be throwing her hat in a ring for a run at the presidency in 2020.  Society worships celebrity and we easily and often confuse “fame” with “authority.”

The only source for authority for any message: political, spiritual, or otherwise is God, through the message of His apostles and prophets.

2.  Unique PRODUCT (1:3)

3            Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

The word, “grace,” begins and ends every one of Paul’s letters.  Grace (charis, χάρις) would take a small book to completely define but can be summed up as, “the undeserved favor of God toward those who had forfeited any claim on it by becoming enemies of God.”  Grace is not merely favor toward those who have done nothing wrong, it is favor toward those who have done “everything wrong” and continue to do wrong.  Grace produces “Spirit Walkers.”  Grace not only initiates one’s walk with God, but grace also produces the power to continue to walk with God.  My Scripture Memory Verse a couple months ago describes how grace produces both “new birth” and “new life” toward the end of a “new eternity.”

6 Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, [that is, by grace] walk in Him, [by grace] ⁷ rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude.

Grace produces people who are full of “peace” and “overflowing with gratitude,” among other fruits we will examine later on in Galatians.  God’s grace is the very transforming power of God operating in and through our lives that at first, births us into the Spiritual life, and thereafter, empowers us as Spirit Walkers.  The gospel of grace produces a unique and peculiar people.  Peter said,

2:9         But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Ephesians 2:8-10 teaches that Spirit Walkers following the gospel of grace are on a path to becoming a “marvelous work of God.”

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  9        not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10              For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Years ago, a great travelling preacher by the name of Vance Havner, recounted an event that took place in his country church.  Havner tells of a little boy who attended Sunday School and was an absolute terror.  Nobody knew what to do with him.  Finally, he just stopped coming.  Even this beloved evangelist confessed, “I am ashamed to say it, but I think we were all glad of it.”  A few months went by, perhaps nearly a year.  One day, the church was having a series of revival meetings.  Through the door burst this little boy, running down the aisle with a small instrument case tucked under his arm.  The little boy’s smile wrapped nearly all the way around his head.  “Dr. Turner (the pastor),” the little boy squeaked with excitement, “they gave me this fiddle for being good.”  Apparently, the little boy had found a new Sunday School.  Dr. Turner remarked to Vance Havner, “In the first place, I couldn’t imagine anyone giving this boy a fiddle; and, in the second place, certainly not for being good!”  The little boy continued his story, “You see Dr. Turner.  I am gooder than I used to be.”  As the little boy scampered down the hallway to the children’s area, Dr. Turner thought, “Yes, thank God, by the grace of God, a lot of us are ‘gooder’ than we used to be.”

Grace, the essence of the gospel, produces Spirit Walkers who are becoming “gooder” than we used to be.

3.  Spirit Walkers Follow a gospel with a Unique PURPOSE (4-5)

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.

The gospel Spirit Walkers follow is a “simple” gospel, and a “sovereign” gospel.

The true gospel is not complicated.  It has one simple, central purpose.  It may accomplish a multitude of things, but it is decreed by God to accomplish one “main” thing.  Look again a verse 4:  “so that He might rescue us from this present evil age.”  Now, if you listen to the preaching commonly heard in the vast majority of pulpits, you might think that God sent Jesus Christ to “make us happy.”  I’ve even heard one person describe the Plan of Salvation as, “Five Happy Hops to Heaven!”  In other pulpits, you might think that God decreed the gospel as a “How To” book on life.  Certainly, the Bible contains much helpful information about how to live, but it is not primarily a “how to” book, but a “Survival Manual.”  It is like that laminated folder on a plane that gives you all the “rescue tips” on how to survive a plane crash—you know, that folder nobody every reads!

The purpose of the gospel is a “rescue” manual, not a “how to” manual.  The word, “rescue” necessarily implies that we are in a desperate situation.  We are always a moment away from some disaster in life.  We are never more than a heartbeat away from death.  When disaster strikes, we need a “Rescuer.”  The True Gospel tells us that we have a “Rescuer, a Deliverer, or a Savior,” Who is Christ, the Lord.

I think most people fail to realize just how “desperate” they really are.  It is hard to feel desperate when we don’t have to wonder where our next meal is coming from.  It is hard to feel desperate when we drive a nice car while some people live in a cardboard box.  It is hard to feel desperation when our biggest concern is how to lower the taxes on the money we make, rather than worry how we can make enough money to feed our family and pay or bills.  Prosperity has a way of masking our desperate condition; but, we are desperate nonetheless. 

No, we don’t     FEEL “desperate or in need of a rescue,” but we are.  Notice in verse 4 that our desperation doesn’t come from needing more money, better health, or greater status.  We aren’t desperate because we need “rescued” from bad finances, bad health, or even bad thinking—though we may experience one or all of these circumstances and more.  We are desperate and need rescue, “from this present EVIL age!” (v4).  This recalls to my mind how Jesus taught us to pray (Mt. 6:13)

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver [or rescue] us from evil.

If you check the footnotes in many of your Bibles, you will see that they give the literal translation as, “evil one,” not just “evil.”  This verse could read, “Rescue us from the Devil!”

You may not feel like you need to be “rescued” but you most certainly do.  You don’t need God to make you rich.  Many evil men and women have lots and lots of money.  You don’t need God to make you famous.  Just go look at the name of famous reprobates that have a Star on the Hollywood walk of fame.  It is an unmistakable fact of life that “good things happen for bad people.”  This is why the Psalmist cried out: 

^73:3For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

But do not be mistaken by appearances.  The only real problem any person has is, “sin”—that is, living as a “Flesh Walker,” a spiritual zombie.  You look alive—sort of—but you are nothing but a rotting bag of sin without God.  And, there is only one solution to your desperate situation—the gospel of grace through the Lord Jesus Christ.  The simple purpose of the gospel is “to rescue us from eternal damnation.”

Paul adds something else important to the purpose of the gospel.  Not only is it simple, but it is sovereign.  You could miss this if you don’t read carefully.  Look at verse 5 again,

our God and Father,  5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

Circle the word, “Amen.”  Most people think that the word, “Amen,” means, “and now we can eat!”  In fact it means, “truly, or this is true, or absolutely.”  It affirms the absolute credibility and reliability of what has been stated.  The authority, as we learned earlier, of the gospel comes from its Divine Origin with Almighty God.  God is absolutely “sovereign” and nothing can—and therefore nothing will—prevent the gospel from accomplishing its purpose to “rescue those God choose to rescue!”

The gospel has a purpose that is simple and sovereign:  rescue from the evil control and damning activity of the Devil, those who put their trust in Jesus.

This brings us to a very important aspect of the gospel that Spirit Walkers follow.  It is a gospel

4.  Unique in its EXCLUSIVITY (1:6-9)

6         I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;

7         which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

8         But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!

9         As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

One of the characteristics of Galatians that many scholars note, is the strong tone that Paul uses right off the bat.  Essentially, he is beginning this sermon by saying, “I’m shocked at your behavior!”

Could you imagine how a congregation would feel if a preacher started the sermon that way?

And, think how Paul ends this introduction to Galatians.  Basically, he says bluntly, “and let me repeat myself, if you believe anything different from what I have just preached, then you can go straight to hell!”

This is strong language.  Certainly, you don’t hear this language much in pulpits today.  It is a surefire way to reactivate a dormant “Pastor Search Committee.”  Most preachers are more like Rodney King than the Apostle Paul.

Some of you young folk may not know about Rodney King.  He was the center of a police brutality case in 1991.  He was driving while drunk and tried to outrun the police.  They caught him and a confrontation ensued.  He won his police brutality case, but it sparked a bloody, violent riot in L.A.  Later, in an interview his, now proverbial statement, was, “Can’t we all just get along?”  While this sentiment can be praised for its call to accept others and live with them in peace, it is a horrible sentiment to apply to the gospel.

No, we cannot “just get along” with Muslims.  No, we cannot just “get along” with Mormons.  No, we cannot live in peace with abortionists.  No, we cannot just “get along” with homosexuality.  The gospel is an exclusive message that makes an absolute and all-encompassing call upon the life of those that declare to be saved.  We cannot get along with error.  We cannot get along with sin.  Paul said such an attempt to “just get along with error” was, “anathema,” that is, worthy of nothing but the fires of hell itself.  That’s tough talk!

What is at stake in regard to the gospel?  Eternity.  Eternity will either be defined as forever punishment or forever bliss.  Following the “true” gospel determines whether one will be “blessed” or whether one will be “accursed;” whether one spends eternity WITH God, or WithOUT Him.

Paul begs the Galatians, and through them, everyone of us:  “Don’t follow the wrong gospel!  If you do, you will end up “anathema!”

I know it is politically incorrect to state that “Jesus is the ONLY Way, and that Jesus is the ONLY Truth, and Jesus is the ONLY Life,” but that’s what the Bible clearly teaches from Genesis to Revelation.

The True Gospel requires the True Jesus—and only Jesus.  The Jehovah Witnesses have a Jesus, but he is “a” god, not Almighty God, God the Son and the Son of God, or the Second Person of the Godhead.  Mormons have a Jesus, but he is not the Jesus of the Bible.  The Mormon Jesus was a polygamist secretly married to Mary and Martha. The Catholics have a Jesus; but, He is not an All-Sufficient Savior “once for all crucified for our sin” (Heb. 7:27), but must be crucified at mass again and again.  Furthermore, the work of the Catholic Jesus is incomplete and must be supplemented by hundreds of church rituals added over the years.  Jews have a Jesus—well, they have one but just don’t know and prefer endless ceremonies and cultural events to a Messiah.  Even the Muslims have a Jesus, but their Jesus not only is NOT Almighty God as in the Bible, but the Muslim Jesus even comes in “second” as a prophet!

In verse 6, the True Gospel is identified as the “gospel of grace.”  In verse 7, the True Gospel is called the “gospel of Christ.”  Any gospel that adds anything to “grace”—such as Jewish rituals, Catholic rituals, or even Baptist rituals; and yes, Baptists have their sacred rituals they often incorrectly try to add to the grace of God—that is, any different gospel that requires more than grace, or grace plus anything else is a “false gospel.”  Likewise, any different gospel that takes away from the centrality of Jesus to the gospel, or subtracts the full claim of deity from Jesus, is a different gospel Paul says, “is really no gospel at all” (verse 7). 

It may make us uncomfortable, or it may be political incorrect, but there is only ONE TRUE GOSPEL and it declares that salvation is “exclusively” through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God the Son.  Nothing added. Nothing subtracted.  Exclusively through Jesus.

Recall the Mickey Mouse transistor radios I told you my Grandmother bought for my brothers and I one Christmas.  These were special gifts that receive all kinds of programs if you were “tuned into the right channel.”  There were AM channels, and FM channels.  You could not get FM channels if you were “tuned into” AM.  I said AM could be thought of as Adam Man channels.  When tuned into AM, we follow the ways of Adam, who brought sin into the world.  Tuned into Adam’s way we become Fleshly Walkers, only seeking to gratify our own wants and needs with no thought of bringing glory to God.  On the other hand, if we switch to FM, or the Forgiven Man channels, then we tune into God’s way through faith in Jesus Christ.  We then become Spirit Walkers, walking in the way of the One True Gospel.

That One True Gospel is unique in authority, unique in its product, unique in its purpose, and is unique according to its exclusivity.

Everything in the Bible is black and white (except for the words of Jesus that are sometimes in red).  The Bible only speaks of blessing or cursing, of grace or of law, of a narrow road or a wide road, of light or of dark, of a true gospel or a false gospel.

Spirit Walkers follow the True Gospel.