The Fake Gospel #8

?

Something happened

to Jews and Gentiles

in Galatia

SOME JEWISH PREACHERS SHOWED UP

AND PREACHED ABOUT JESUS CHRIST

Through the experience of

forgiveness they were delivered

from the power of the “present age”

This Jesus is the one who gave himself up for our sins so that we could be delivered from the present evil age. This happened because it was the will of God who is our Father.”

1:4



They experienced such a deep desire to please God that

it was as if their old life had ceased and a new life had

begun.

In fact my old way of life has been crucified with Christ. That way of life has ceased to exist. The life I am now living is an expression of faith in Christ….

2:17ff



They started following Jesus in

the midst of a number of

supernatural Holy Spirit experiences

All of you saw Jesus Christ being nailed to the cross….experienced the Holy Spirit coming upon you…started following Christ….suffer so much persecution….works miracles among you

2:17ff

THENsomething

else happened

SOME OTHER JEWISH PREACHERS

SHOWED UP

WITH A DIFFERENT MESSAGE

SOME OTHER JEWISH PREACHERS SHOWED UP


They set aside

the original message and lifestyle

and took up

a new way

of following Jesus.

I am totally amazed the you could so quickly desert the one who called you into the grace of Christ and turn to a different gospel

1:6



Certain people came to talk with them with the intention

of changing the way the Galatian

believers followed Christ.

Certain people have been causing trouble among you because their aim is to pervert the gospel of Christ.

1:6



People with the same intention had

been part of a scheme at a

meeting Paul and Barnabas were at in Jerusalem with the church leaders

there.

At that meeting some false brothers had been secretly brought in. They were there to spy out the liberty we have in Christ and they wanted to bring us into bondage all over again.

2:4



People with the same intention had come

to Antioch and caused trouble there

so that even Peter and all the Jewish believers were led

astray from a genuine gospel

lifestyle.

When Peter came to visit Antioch I had to confront him….certain people came from James…..he was afraid of what the circumcision group would think….I saw they were not living in a way that was consistent with the gospel

2:11ff

The Galatian letter became part of the way God wants to speak to believers from

every nation and every generation

An “it is possible” summary

1. Its possible that we have adopted a fake gospel (1:6)2. It is possible that we have allowed the gospel to be

shaped by contemporary cultural values until it has become fake. (1:7ff)

3. It is possible that the reason why our gospel has little impact (i.e. the power to transform lives) is because it is a fake. (1:11ff)

4. It is possible that our gospel message and lifestyle is a product of our own culture but is not backed up by by Scripture (i.e. apostolic testimony) (2:1ff)

5. It is possible that the loss of supernatural dimension of the gospel is because it is fake. (3:1ff)

GALATIANS 3:6-14

6 It is the same now as it was for Abraham. He believed what God told him and on that basis God imparted righteousness to him. 7 So we know that everyone who has faith like Abraham is a genuine child of Abraham

8The Bible foreshadowed God’s intention to impart righteousness to the gentiles when he proclaimed the good news to Abraham: “Through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” 9 So people anywhere who believe what God has said are blessed the same way and on the same basis as Abraham.

10By contrast, people who try to become righteous by keeping religious rules are still living under a curse. The Bible says, “Cursed is everyone who does not keep doing everything that is written in the book of the law.

11The Bible also says that no one becomes righteous in God’s eyes by keeping rules when it says, “The righteous live out of faith.”

12Keeping rules is not the same as exercising faith. The legalistic method works on the basis that “you are righteous as long as you always keep every single rule.”

13Jesus Christ has set us free from the curse that is on us for not perfectly obeying every one of the laws. He did so by taking the judgment of that curse upon himself. The Bible talks about this when it says, “Every body left hanging on a tree is cursed.”

14This happened so that the blessing of the nations that God spoke to Abraham about could come in Christ Jesus and so that we could receive the promised Holy Spirit by believing what God had said.

SUMMARY STATEMENTS

1. We receive righteousness from God the same way as Abraham did – by believing what God says.

2. God talked about all people everywhere receiving new life from heaven when he first spoke to Abraham.

3. To reduce the gospel to observing religious customs is to place ourselves under a curse.

4. The life that pleases God only comes as a gift in response to our willingness to believe what God has said.

5. If you try to please God by doing everything God wants through your own effort you need to do it perfectly.

6. Jesus took the curse that we were under upon himself.7. He did this so that the blessing of God could come to

everyone regardless of their cultural background

SUMMARY STATEMENTSas UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES

1. The blessing of God can only be received by believing what he has said – no matter when or where or to whom.

2. It was God’s desire for all kinds of people to be able to receive his blessing and experience their God ordained destiny.

3. If you try to do it on your own with your own cultural preferences you will never receive what God wants to give you.

4. You can only receive that by believing what God has said.5. If you try to please God by doing everything he has said you need

to do all of it all the time (only Jesus has done that)6. Jesus took the curse that we were under upon himself.7. Jesus has died on the cross so that every person will be eligible to

receive the full blessing and destiny of God.

BELIEVING WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD FROM GOD

1. Have you believed what God has said?2. Do you accept that you qualify for God to give you a new

life?3. Do you realize that if you try to pick your own track on the

basis of your own ability you will never receive what God wants to give you.

4. Will you receive what God wants to give you today?5. If you refuse to receive what God wants to give it means

that Jesus gave his life for nothing as far as you are concerned.

6. Jesus took the rap so that you could receive the gift.7. Jesus has died on the cross so that you could receive all

God wants to give you - a brand new life.

Are you going to GO IT ALONE

and miss what God has planned for

you?

OR

Believe what God has said?

and receive God’s plan and

provision for your life.

Are you going to GO IT ALONE

and miss what God has planned for

you?

OR

Believe what God has said?

and receive God’s plan and

provision for your life.

Spiritual

The Fake Gospel #8