Slaves to Sin (Again)?
Travels with Paul • Sermon • Submitted
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· 11 viewsChrist has redeemed us and our salvation has been informed by faithful teachers and preachers. We have been freed from the bondage and death brought about by sin. Do we really want to go back into bondage? Do we really want to return to the state we were in before Christ?
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome back!
This morning if you will, turn back in your Bibles to Galatians 4.
We are going to pick up where we left off last Sunday morning and push the conversation forward just a bit.
And as a reminder, last week we talked about how we are all “one in Christ,” meaning that when we are in Christ we are one family.
There is nothing that separates us and we are all special to God.
And it was important for the people that Paul was writing to here in Galatia, and us as well, to hear that because society and those in society are constantly trying to pull us apart and separate us.
We are constantly setting up blocks and barriers, reasons to not associate with this person or that person.
Reasons to be biased toward someone or honestly racist toward others who are different.
And it does not matter what the difference is.
If someone is not just like us, we try to see how they “measure up” or if they meet our standards.
And unfortunately that attitude has also spilled over into the Church world as well.
Both in how people look and behave and also in how we worship God.
We have a set idea in our heads of how worship and “church” should go and if someone doesn’t fit the mold, then we tend to rail against them and do as the Jewish converts that Paul is writing about here by making things as hard as possible as we can on people.
Which either leads to them being oppressed and discouraged but ultimately getting “in line,” or on the flip slide it leads to them getting discouraged and giving up all together which is really what the Jewish legalists were wanting.
Either get in line our get out.
And we have seen that same thing take place in the Church today.
And Paul, sick of it, slows them down and makes the consider exactly what is going on and how wrong it actually is.
Which brings us up to where we start today in verse 8.
Paul writes this . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong. As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
Slaves Again (vs 8-11)
Slaves Again (vs 8-11)
Now, what we are seeing here is really Paul finishing out the thought that we started looking at last week.
Last week Paul pushed really hard and went after the Jewish Legalist and those that were trying to oppress the people.
This week however, he is wrapping it back around to the congregation themselves and their responsibility in all of this.
And what he is doing is not giving them the excuse to take on this “woe is us” victim mentality.
And the reason is not because Paul does not have concern for them.
No, the reason is because they know better and they have been taught better.
They have been taught the truth but as he has already said, they were abandoning the truth.
Which he reiterates here, starting in verse 8 . . .
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
And what he is talking about her is sin and death.
Before we are saved, we are actually slaves to death, hell, and the grave.
Death has a hold on us and we cannot escape it.
No matter what we do or what we try, we cannot save ourselves.
Only God can do that.
And those who “by nature are not gods” that he is referring to is our own flesh, our sin nature, and the devil himself.
Those are not gods but we submit to them.
Whether it is self-directed from within ourselves or if someone else is pulling the strings, we submit ourselves to things and people that are not God.
And thus we are slaves to them.
However . . .
But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
And Paul is making no bones about it here.
These people he has been writing this letter to and addressing have received the teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
They have accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
They have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.
They know God—AND God knows them.
But they are turning their back on what they know to be true, what their soul is telling them is true.
And returning to those weak and miserable principles.
Those things that oppressed them and had them so wrapped up in the world and in wordly ways.
They are abandoning their freedom in Christ to return to bondage to sin and death.
They were just like the Israelites that moaned and groaned to Moses after they had been delivered from the Egyptians.
The road got a little tough on them and they wanted to give up and abandon their journey to the Promised Land and go back to Egypt.
They approached Moses moaning and groaning, talking about how they had this type of food and that type of food, but out in the desert all they had was manna.
They didn’t want to remember the bondage, slavery, beatings, and oppression though.
And Moses called them out on it.
And Paul is doing the same thing.
How great life was, when someone else was telling you everything you needed to do.
Easy salvation with a checkbox.
Just check in with the holiness committee every week to make sure you are on track.
But those are weak and miserable principles that place us in bondage under other people and we become manipulated by those principles and not informed by the Holy Spirit.
But we see it happen every single day.
And we have to be very careful NOT to fall victim to those kinds of things.
And Paul goes on . . .
You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!
And to us this may be a bit strange that Paul is bringing this up, but we have to keep it into context.
The problem was not that they were observing special times of the year.
After all, we observe Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Lent, etc.... And there’s nothing wrong with that.
The point that Paul is making here is that they are making those special times and observances a necessity of their salvation.
Things like Passover or Pentecost.
If the people did not observe those things, just like they did in the Jewish tradition, then God was not pleased with them and their salvation was not valid.
And we say, “well, we don’t do that.”
Are we so sure?
What about Easter?
Easter is a special time, but what if we just said, “you know what, people need to spend today with their family, we are going cancel Easter Services.”
Or, what if we said the same thing about Christmas?
People would throw a fit, and why would they throw a fit?
Is it because they really want to celebrate Easter and Christmas with their Church Family, or is it because they feel it is a Christian obligation to observe those special days?
Let’s break it down a bit further.
We went from March until late June without having an in-person church service and so did just about every other church.
And we’ve cancelled a few times since then.
And some railed against this, and some may still be upset by it.
But why?
Why are we so upset?
And I hear “well we are supposed to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy.”
True, but where in that does it say observing the Sabbath means coming and sitting in a Church pew?
Why do we get so upset about Church services and cancelling church services?
Is it because we really, really want to be in fellowship with each other—and I hope this is it.
Or is it because we feel that we have to have so many church services under our belt to be a Christian?
And don’t misunderstand what I am saying, I love coming to Church and think it is VITAL to a healthy relationship with God.
It is necessary, but we we reach the place where we come because we feel obligated and not because we want more of how we can grow when we are here, then our priorities are mixed up.
And we are doing no different than these people in “observing special days and months and seasons.”
It really has nothing to do with the day, but rather our motivation in the observation of the day.
And we can see Paul’s frustration here . . .
I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
Become Like Paul (vs 12-16)
Become Like Paul (vs 12-16)
And from what I can tell from this passage, Paul isn’t telling them this to shame them or to be a smart-Alec.
He is genuinely saddened by their behavior and concerned over their overall well-being.
Because he goes on in verse 12 to tell them . . .
I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong.
And he is wanting them to understand his motivation and for them to adopt the same motivation.
He wants to them to NOT listen to the people trying to manipulate them and hold them down but rather give room for the Holy Spirit to talk to them and hear what the Spirit is telling them.
To be able to discern what is true and what is not true.
And he goes on to actually brag on their spirit when he first encountered them . . .
As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.
And what is going on here is that when Paul first encountered these people he was suffering from whatever illness he had, that they believed impacted his vision.
And instead of casting him aside or just tolerating him until he left, they showed great kindness and compassion on Paul.
They truly loved their neighbor as themselves with regard to Paul.
They treated him with respect and also accepted his teaching as if it were from Christ Himself.
They really got what Paul was preaching and he had very high hopes for them.
But as the Jewish Legalists began to sap the energy from them, Paul is discouraged by what he is seeing.
He asks them . . .
What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
And we shouldn’t get lost on the point Paul is making here.
Think back to when you first accepted Jesus Christ.
How much joy and happiness did you feel?
It was great and all was right in the world.
But what has happened since then?
Life has happened.
There have been hard times and heartache.
There have been struggles, battles, and sin.
We need to ask ourselves, do we still have that same joy?
Probably not, why?
Who or what has influenced us and sucked the joy out of us?
That’s what Paul is talking about here.
Altar/Challenge
Altar/Challenge
Look at how he finishes up . . .
Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
See, the world is zealous over us all.
The world wants us all to adopt it’s ways.
That would make things much easier.
If we would just get in line with the rest of the world it would take so much pressure off them.
Because in their mind it would make their sin okay.
That is the whole reason we have so many laws and debates over social issues in our country.
It is nothing more than the world wanting to justify and legitimize their sin.
And the truth is, if we just followed God we wouldn’t have to worry about any of it.
But there are so many different competing forces in our world today.
Which one are you listening to?
That’s the question this morning.
Let’s pray . . .