Culver Community Church

Pastor Chris Sweeney

Sermon Notes

September 22, 2019

Galatians 4:8-20 – Free Like Me!

{vs 8-9} In today’s section, Paul speaks more specifically to the believers of the churches in Galatia.  We have seen him describe in depth the enslavement to the Law – from a Jewish perspective (even though all men were slaves to sin, the Law and death).  Here we see Paul turn to the gentile believers and describe their previous state – they were Godless (without the one true God) and serving various false gods.  These were gods of their own creation, gods of their peoples and gods that represented the sin that lives within their hearts and enslaved them.  The Jewish people may not have had little statues sitting around on the shelves but they worshipped the Law itself, Abraham, Moses, gods of greed, selfishness and works.  The gentiles on the other hand personified their idols – it’s easier to worship what you can see!

God created mankind to worship – it’s in our nature.  Satan came along and said to himself ‘Let’s see if we can unseat God and insert myself’ – that’s what happened at the Fall, when Adam and Eve decided to trust him instead of what God has said!  Don’t be fooled however, Satan is just as happy when anything else is worshipped – just as long as it’s not the one true God!  Each of us puts something on the throne of our hearts – whatever is most important to us.  We devote our time, our money to it and are willing to give up anything for it!  We are willing to work for it, sacrifice for it and yes, even die for it. - - - A man, shot and dying reached out for his family, but when he opened his hand, he showed the world what was most important to him – a gold watch that he still clung to!  He traded his life for that hunk of gold and gears! - - - What is trying to or what has taken that place in the center of your heart?  These things will not bring true satisfaction, maybe momentary pleasure but we were meant to worship God and only He can satisfy!  Those things can’t save us from our own miserable condition – they are themselves weak and miserable substitutes!  Knowing this and knowing that the Galatians have seen the real true God Paul asks, “how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” 

Do you wish to go back to serving/slavery?  To trying to fill the hole in your heart with useless things?  They may have been trading gods of gold for a god of ritual, performance and works - - - but one idol is just as bad as any other!  The one may seem more respectable because they were trying to serve (in man’s own twisted, perverted way) the God-given Law and Jewish traditions but it still boils down to ignoring God for something else!

{vs 10} I think this is obvious but Paul is not saying that you are watching days, months and seasons go by!  No this is observing in the sense that religious rites are kept scrupulously – nothing is being neglected concerning the religious observances.  To us, that sounds high and lofty – they are very religious, until you remember all of the ungodly things done in the name of religion (and I’m not just talking pagan religion – those who claim to know God too!)  The inquisition was given to us by the religious, genocides have been committed by the religious, Hitler had his priests and pastors in Germany’s pulpits and closer to home - - - Paul (formerly known as the religionist Saul) raged against the early church!  God does not want religionists!  He never has!  God wants relationships – those who fellowship with and follow Him - - - not those who will follow a set of rules however meticulously they try!

This is the language of the observant Jew.  We can translate special days as Sabbaths; months speaks of the New Moon festivals; seasons would be the festivals (Passover, Feast of Tabernacles, etc.) and finally years would be Sabbath Year (no planting) and Year of Jubilee (forgive all debt and set slaves free).  These are some examples of the trappings of the Jewish system which the Judaizers were trying to pull them into.  I would love to tell you that those arguments have been put to rest but there are those who claim to follow Christ who still argue over them today! 

· One fairly common denomination holds that anyone who doesn’t worship on Saturday (Sabbath) is going to hell!  Someone had better tell them that the first church gave up Sabbath for celebrating on The Lord’s Day (Sunday, the first day of the week – the day He rose from the grave).  According to their beliefs – they’ll be in Heaven without the likes of Peter, James and John - not to mention all of us!

· One of our favorite restaurant chains is closed on the Lord’s day every week – some consider this foolish, others a required keeping of the Sabbath principle.  Is this wrong?  It depends – if it is a way to honor God then NO!  However, if it is religious observance (a way to connect with God) then YES because Jesus is the only Way to God!  “Jesus answered, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6 NIV)

· Some believers collect Sundays, like they are back in Sunday School getting gold stars.  I want you to know that God does not take attendance (I do! – just kidding).  God always knows where you are – He is with you!  Does God want to see you gathering together with other believers regularly – YES! (See Hebrews 10:25)  It is important for you and others – to build us up individually and for the edification of the Body. 

· Some Jewish believers (Completed Jews or Messianic Jews) continue celebrating the festivals today.  God abolished the sacrifices and allowed the temple to be destroyed – why?  Because He has come and made an end to sacrifice and observance!  One day, the temple will be rebuilt and sacrifice will resume – but that is so God can continue a work He started long ago with the Jewish nation (not individual salvation).

· There are believers (wild, wooly, wonky ones) who are trying to count the years to find when the next Jubilee will come.  Good luck with that!  The Jews lost track sometime before the Babylonian exile and the many calendars and adjustments to days, months and years make that a herculean task!  However, that’s not why it’s wrong to attempt it - they are wrong because they are trying to set the time of Christ’s return or find new freedom from debts etc. etc. – putting their reliance on it instead of Christ!

Don’t get me wrong – these are not bad in and of themselves, just as the Law is not bad.  God instituted all of them to teach spiritual truths, to foreshadow Christ – “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.  These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17 NIV)

Shadows however, are not clear!  For example, we know Jesus is our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) God’s perfect Lamb that takes away the sins of the World (John 1:29). Passover gives us a vague idea of God’s plan but not a clear picture!  Moses would never have dreamed that God would take on flesh and come to be a sacrifice for us that first Passover!  Paul tells us that Christ is our Sabbath rest and we should enter in (Hebrews 4) - - -  Could you have gotten that message from celebrating a day of rest? (Without hindsight and the Holy Spirit’s illumination)  Shadow is a good word, a good illustration.  If we go outside into the Sun and take a look at the shadow we cast – it is a pale representation of us, with only one dimension, one color and very little definition!  If we were awaiting the one we love and we saw such a shadow (poor representation) – we would be excited, knowing they are coming.  However, once we get a glimpse of the real thing (once, we see their face) - - - there is no way that we would go back to the shadow!  That is what Paul is saying – ‘you’ve seen the real God, Christ has come, He is here! - why are you going back to rules and rituals?!?’

{vs 11} Paul’s fear is that the time, love and effort spent on them might have been in vain – producing no lasting fruit.  The gospel is never given in vain – God is responsible for the increase (results) but we need to understand that sometimes it leads to conviction unto salvation, sometimes it’s planting seeds for later and sadly, sometimes God in His grace gives multiple opportunities to those who will not repent (sealing their fate in their refusal to head the message).  That being said – we can understand Paul’s fear or concern over these spiritual children.

{vs 12} Become like me – that is Paul’s desire, he was free of the legalism and free of idolatry.  While he was with them, Paul lived the lifestyle of a gentile – not observing days or the requirements of the Law because in Christ he has been set free!  “Christ is the culmination [the fulfillment and end] of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:4 NIV)  There is no more Law for believers – no reliance on the Law for righteousness because we are made right by Christ’s sacrifice!  ‘And I’m not hurt or saying all this because you’ve hurt me!”

{vs 13-16} God used an illness (perhaps epilepsy or malaria, we cannot know) – whatever it was, it caused the missionary to change course.  However, they received him and the gospel ‘as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus Himself.’  Many believe Paul’s reference to his eyes are part of the infirmity (he later mentions writing with such large letters as if having bad vision) – but they loved so well that he believed they would have traded their own sight for his!  So the question is – ‘What happened?’  Paul wants to know where did the love and the trust go?

{vs 17-18} These false teachers are full of passion – but it’s not sincere, it’s not godly.  They only want to take you from God, from me and keep you as personal converts (notches on their belts).

{vs 19} Paul remembers their conversion, like a woman giving birth.  He longs for them to be born again (delivered into Christ) and for the anticipation and suffering (not physical) to stop – for their delivery.  He is so anxious for them!

{vs 20} If only I could be there to speak to you directly, to fix this!  I just don’t understand you!

We see that Paul and God’s desire is true worship, true relationship – not legalism which is just another form of idolatry.  Let us be like Paul – free from condemnation of the Law, free from rituals that bind us and free from anything else in this world that could try to take God’s place – the throne of our heart!