Hindered: Where did Hindered: Where did you go wrong?you go wrong?

Gal. 5:7

Ye did run well, who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?

They turned away, backslide, become lukewarm, leave their first love. Luke 9:62

The NIV has it: “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?”

The New Living Translation renders it: “You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?”

Phillips “You were making splendid progress; who put you off the course you had set for the truth?”

Weymouth : “Who has got in the way of your obeying the truth?”

Much of the first five chapters of this epistle is Paul instructing the Galatians to not turn back toward the law.

Some of the traditional Jews had influenced them to divert back to following the law for their justification.

He is attempting to get them to see their error.

So soon removed…

Ga 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon are so soon

removedremoved from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: (KJV)

That sounds like today.

You are So foolish….

Ga 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath

bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? (KJV)

Entangled again

Ga 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty

wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (KJV)

Remember 2 Pet. 2:20-22

Why did they quit running??

Something happened that caused them to not run well, or to quit running.

Honor Self…and Honor God…by running the race well..

We must all run with the one goal in mind and that is to finish the course well.

You have to run well if you

Finish well!!!Finish well!!!

There are some rules that wemust follow if we run well

#1 You Must Run On TheRight Road

…Matt. 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction,and many there

Be which go in thereat:

No one can run on 2 roads at the same time.

There are lots of roads that a person may run on…

But they will not get you where they want to go!

…The road of “Good Intentions”The road of “Good Intentions” …. You may mean well..some intend to do certain

things for God—but—they never get around to it. Someone has said: “the road to hell is paved

with ‘good intentions” This road will not get you to Heaven!

The road of ‘religion’

James 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious , and bridleth not his tonuge, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Absolutely no

Good…It is Useless v.27 Pure religion and

C. The Road Of Good Works.

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (KJV)

What about the “good road?”

The Road To The Cross. Have you traveled that road? 1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (KJV)

The Road Of The Blood Of Christ. Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (KJV)

. The Road Of Obedience.If you are saved you must be running on this road or you will not be pleasing God.

II. MUST RUN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

Pr 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (KJV)

There is more to running the race than just being on the right road. One must run in the right direction.

The football player that recovered a fumble and then ran the wrong direction to the end-zone and scored for the opposing team.

It seemed right to him. He thought he was right. Had he run the other direction he would have scored a

touchdown for his team. He was running but in the wrong direction.

To Run The Wrong Way Is To Pronounce One’s Defeat.

We hear religious leaders say that the direction doesn’t matter, as long as we are running.The Bible says that if you run the wrong way it will bring death – spiritual death. There is a right gate – there is a right road – there is a right way.

There is a way that seems right Prov. 16:25, and Then there is a Way That Is Right!

John 8:32 John 17:17 John 14:6

1. God says, “Ye must be born again.” Jno. 3:5 There is a way that rejects the new birth.2. God says, “Repent or perish.” Luke 13:3There is a way that rejects repentance.3. God says, “Salvation or Damnation.” Mark 16:15-16 There is a way that rejects salvation. 4. Jesus says, “I am the way”. John 14:6 There are many ways that rejects the blessed Son of God.

I have known hundreds of people who thought they were on the right road but, actually they were on the road to hell.

The right road or the right way always begins at the cross. Have you been to the cross? Did your journey start at the cross?

I wonder how many Christians that have started off well. They had run a good race for a while and then someone came to them and begin to influence them that they didn’t have to attend church every Sunday, and that they didn’t need to give , or to be faithful in reading the Bible, and the first thing they knew they had been hindered and had quit the race

III. MUST RUN WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

Ec 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. (KJV)

. When we run to show God that we love Him and want to live for Him then that is the right attitude.

What about Sunday AM – do you say, “We have to go to Worship again today” Or do you say, “We get to go to Worship again.” My sister, 88 years old, said yesterday, I just

Hope we can go to worship God tomorrow!

IV. MUST RUN WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Paul warns the Galatian people to be careful who they run with.

Paul speaks of the “persuasion” in Vs. 8. He is saying that the pressure to drop out of the race; to quit running; didn’t come from the Lord, but from someone else. That pressure, that persuasion will cause you to drop out of the race. The pressure to turn back to the law instead of grace was because of who they listened to. If you don’t choose your friends well they will persuade you to slack off the race and then you will find yourself not even in the race at all, but setting in a cold backslidden place out of the will of God.

Too many Christians attempt to do a work for God while running with the world, and the world’s crowd. I Cor. 15:33

No one will ever accomplish much for God with the smell of the world hanging on them.

The world’s crowd will drag you down and you will quit the race. I John 2:15-17

Your old friends, the lost friends, must go. 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (KJV)

V. MUST RUN WITH THE RIGHT PURPOSE

Why do you do what you do? ..to be seen of men, Mt.6:1-

8 a)alms b)Praying c)Fasting

1Co 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. (KJV)

I heard a story once of a runner in an Olympic race won the race and when he was given his victory trophy he left the victory stand and ran to the place where the queen of his country was setting and placed his trophy at her feet.

That is why you and I are running today. Will you win a trophy?

Will you have something to lay at the feet of the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings?

We are not running the race that we might receive honor, but that the honor and glory will go to the Lord Jesus Christ. I Pet. 4:11

The prize is not for me.The prize is not for my glory or attention.The prize is for the One who saved my soul.

I Cor. 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered And God gave the increase!

Gal. 5:7 Ye did run well, who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth

Where did you go wrong?

1. We must run on the right road…have you been running on the wrong road?

2. We must run in the right direction—have you been going in the wrong way?

3. We must run with the right attitude—have you failed to have the right attitude?

4. We must run with the right people—have you been mixed up with the wrong people?

5. We must run with the right purpose—have you not had the right purpose in running?

You can do something about that today!

Matt. 11:28-30

Have you started…and then quit!

Turn your life around…Repent, Confess and pray.

Have you never begun serving the Lord? What doth hinder you from being baptized today?

Acts 22:16 Believe in Jesus > John 8:32 Repent.Acts 17:30,31; Confess Christ. Mtt. 10:32,33 Be baptized now. I Pet. 3;21