Zealous in Christ - Pastor Tom Loghry
In Galatians 4:8-5:1, we see Paul rebuking the Galatians once again for turning away from the gospel that was preached to them and explains the freedom that is found through belief in Christ.
Transcript:
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 that you are known by God - 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? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. A reading from the book of Galatians 4:8-11.
Imagine with me that the year is 1789. You are in New York City sitting at a desk, stacks of papers beside you. You glance at the mirror across the room and are able to confirm that you are indeed, if I can get my slide going, is it working back there, guys. And the next one, you are indeed George Washington. I know it's a surprise, especially for some of you ladies in the room. You led the Continental Army, persevered through dismal conditions, desertion, and early losses. You defeated the British Army, and your countrymen elected you to be their president. You did all of this for the sake of independence, breaking the chains of British tyranny so that you and your children might know freedom. But now imagine as you're sitting at your desk, you strangely become sentimental about old King George. even thinking fondly of his former rule over you and your countrymen. John Adams, your vice president, strolls into the room catching you in this strange daze. He asks you what's on your mind, and you spill the beans. Can't you imagine Mr. Adams being struck with horror and giving you a good tongue lashing? How could you ever think of returning to British rule after everything you've been through?
The apostle Paul scolds the Galatian Christians in just this kind of way. They have known freedom in Christ, but now they are flirting with Jewish law, living under the demands of circumcision, not eating certain foods, having to follow specific Sabbath regulations, regulations of feasts and fasts. Paul emphatically urges them to avoid such foolishness. We begin in verse 8 of chapter 4. He starts off by really focusing his attention here now to those Christians in Galatia who are coming from a Gentile background. It says, formerly when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who are by nature not gods. You see, before the Gentile Galatians had heard of the Gospel, they were like everyone else around them. They were worshipping pagan gods, a pantheon of gods, whatever one might do the trick for their needs. They did not believe in only one true God like the Jewish people did. And so the words that the Apostle Paul says to the Ephesians, even while it can apply to all human beings, would especially apply to the Galatians as well, because like the Ephesians, they are Gentiles. And he says this there to the Ephesians. He says, as for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
It's important for us that we truly, I think, appreciate how radically different things are when you come to Jesus Christ. It's easy for us to forget this, I think, because we live, even while we call it a post-Christian culture, it's a culture that's nonetheless influenced by Christianity, by Judeo-Christianity. And so we've seen some of the rough edges of humanity maybe softened a little bit. There was a stark contrast at this time in the ancient world between those who were pagan and those who were Jewish. And so as those who were completely devoid of the law of God, they were just utterly captive to sin. They were utterly separated from God. They were outsiders from the household of faith. Later on in Ephesians 2, Paul tells the Ephesians that they should remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. This is the same situation for the Galatians. You could say the very same thing to them. They were without God, and instead they were enslaved to those who were not gods. Now, what Paul is meaning here is that the gods that they worship aren't really gods. And as we see across scripture, we can see various testimony to this reality. You guys can pull up the next slide for that. and Isaiah. speaking about the Syrian conquest and how they overcame many nations. Every nation had their own god. And it testifies to the reason why it was that they were so successful. It says, they have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone fashioned by human hands. And Jeremiah 16:20 says, do people make their own gods? Yes. but they are not gods. Now if there is any spiritual reality behind idols, and we still see idols around us today. The reality behind them, Paul says, is demonic in origin. In 1 Corinthians 10 verses 19 through 20 he says, Do I mean then that food sacrifice to idol is anything? Or that an idol is anything? No. But the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.
So in Paul's writing to the Corinthians, he was trying to assure them that on one hand, you can eat meat in a market that's been sacrificed to idols because an idol is nothing. But he wants them to be careful about participating in the idol feasts because in so doing, they're really kind of locking arms with forces that are demonic in nature. And this is why we should not be glib about spirituality that is outside the Christian frame, whether it be Buddhism, Hinduism, any kind of new age spirituality, crystals. There's a yearning in the human heart for something that our material secular world is not offering them. And so many people are reaching for these spiritual forces, but they are dark forces. They shouldn't be messed with. And all the more, they are not God. They cannot save us. They cannot restore us. They cannot heal and help us. But, in the case of the Galatians, things had changed for them. They had been enslaved to those that were not gods, but now they had come to know the true God. And what's more, not just know the true God, but Paul says, rather, in verse 9, known by God. I think his emphasizing that is important because the fact is that God knows us completely. And that's really what is critical. That as we stand before God that he recognizes us and accepts us as his children. There's many people who claim that they know God. And Jesus says in Matthew 7, there's going to be people who say, Lord, didn't I do this, that, and the other? And he's going to tell them, I never knew you. What's critical is that we are known by God. And it is God who draws people to Himself. Again, we're captive to sin. And so if we come and turn to God, it's because of the work of grace that God has been pouring out upon our hearts.
In John 6:44, Jesus says, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them. And I'll raise them up at the last day. Now, what has left Paul so astounded here, in the case of the Galatians, is that they've known this freedom from these dark forces, these empty powers. And now, instead of embracing the freedom that they have, the new life that they have in Christ, he's saying they're now turning back to those forces. Now, they're not turning back to the false gods, the idols. They're turning back to the law. Now, that's an astounding comparison. It would have shocked anyone who was a non-Christian Jew, to put pagan gods and the law in the same ball field and talking about the forces of this world. But they share this in common. Both false gods and the law do not have the capacity to save us. They both ultimately only result in our condemnation. Remember what Paul says in Galatians 2:16. By the works of the law, no one will be justified. And we have an indication here that this is exactly what the Galatians have done. Because Paul makes reference to this fact that they are observing special days and months and seasons and years. And so it seems that they have begun adhering to the Judaic calendar. Now Paul has nothing against people recognizing certain feasts or fasts. He wouldn't prohibit someone from being circumcised. He circumcised Timothy. The point of contention though is that those who have crept in among the Galatian Christians are saying you have to do these things. And if you don't do these things then you're not truly part of the people of God. And that's not in keeping with the Gospel.
Paul in learning and hearing about this is fearful that he's wasted his everything, his time, his energy that he's poured into them in leading them to Christ. And so this leads him to plead with them. In verse 12, continuing, he says, I plead with you. brothers and sisters become like me for I became like you. You did me no wrong. As you know it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. And 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. Where then is your blessing of me now? 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? So in verse 12, when Paul says that he's become like the Gentiles, what he means is that he's become like them insofar as they were not subject to the law. And Paul, because he is in Christ, is no longer subject to the law as well. This is why he would be calling them to be like him again and not be turning back to the law. He recounts his first initial visit to them, and it's under interesting conditions. Paul was sick. Now, we don't know what he was sick with, but it was enough where he was a bit of a burden to them. Probably wasn't all that much of an impressive figure. And yet, they embraced him. with love and accepted him as a messenger from God. And their love for him was so great that he says that they would have been willing to tear their eyes out for him to give their eyes to him. Now that seems like kind of a weird thing to say. But that was kind of a common way of expressing in the first century a way of deep friendship. kind of like I'd give you the shirt off my back, or I'd give you my right arm. They were so, they were filled with such love for Paul that they would take their very eyes out and give it to him. And yet, despite this deep relationship, this deep affection that they share for one another, things have seemed to change because in trying to tell them the truth that they no longer have to adhere to our word superficial forms of the law, the Galatians have come to see Paul as an enemy. And Paul says, am I an enemy to you by just telling you the truth? Paul's telling them the truth because of his love for them.
There's something here in Paul's experience that I think is universal to many of us as Christians. Where, if you try to, if you love someone and you try to tell them the truth, that doesn't mean they're going to embrace you for telling the truth. Sometimes they'll hate you, even though you're telling them what is true. Even when what you're telling them is said with the desire for their salvation, for their well-being. So Paul shares in that experience that we too experience. It's telling someone what they need to hear, but not being well received. Now tone does matter here, and sometimes we don't always take the best tone in things. And Paul's going to mention that in the next set of verses. But first he's going to kind of address the presence of zeal in the midst of all these considerations. Going on to verse 17. It says, 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 have zeal for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, 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.
So these people that have come alongside the Galatian Christians to try to persuade them that they need to adhere to the law have been very zealous in making their appeal to them. And sometimes when you encounter someone that's full of zeal, you can kind of fall under the impression, well, maybe they're right. I mean, they seem pretty energetic about this. And Paul here says that zeal can be good, but whether zeal is good or not depends upon the end for which it is working. And in the case of those who have come into the midst of the Galatians, their zeal is not for any good. It's counter to the Gospel. They want to enslave the Galatian Christians again. The sort of zeal that they ought to have is for Christ in the Gospel. And that's the sort of zeal that we have. We ought to be a people that are zealous for the gospel, that are zealous for Jesus Christ. We live in an age of great zeal. You look into the political arena and literally on all sides you find people who are of great zeal. I can say that on all sides you find people of great zeal that are working for no good. What are you zealous about? Are you zealous for the gospel? Are you zealous for Christ? Paul's not calling for us to be boring here. And just kinda like, yeah, I believe in Jesus. He's saying, if you're gonna be zealous, be zealous for the right things. What are you passionate about? Be passionate about Christ.
And we see here in verse 19, Paul's heart for the Galatians. We've already heard about the heart of the Galatians for Paul and how they were willing to tear their eyes out for him. But in verse 19, we begin to see Paul's own heart. He says, my dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, I wish I could be with you now and change my tone. because I am perplexed about you. See, Paul, I think all of us observe texting people isn’t the best way to communicate emotions. Like, this is an old problem. Paul says, I wish I could just be with you in person, because I know what I'm saying is probably painful to you, but I'm coming to you with the love of a father. And Paul, very often, this is how he views those that he's led to Christ. He views himself as their spiritual father. In his letter to the Corinthians, in 1 Corinthians 4:15, he says, Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. And we see clearly here in Galatians that he has the same viewpoint with the Galatians, this sort of parenting relationship to the extent that it feels like he's in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed. And I have to say, when I read this verse, it struck me to the heart. Because it immediately produces this prompt, this point of reflection to consider, do I have that sort of passion for all of you? And as you read this passage, you should consider, do I have that sort of passion and desire for each other? And it hit me personally all the more because, you know, we've shared quite openly our desire to have more children and our struggle in that. I know how great that desire is. But do I desire to see Christ formed in you even more? This isn't an either or thing, to be clear. It has a parallel with hunger. It is good and necessary that we hunger for food. You love a good hamburger. But do you hunger even more for righteousness? Jesus talks about that in his sermon on the mount, those who hunger for righteousness. I have this desire for children. You have desire for family. You desire all these good things, but you desire all the more each other's growth, each other's formation in Jesus Christ. We need to be passionate, zealous about that, so that we're almost at pains in desiring that.
Honestly, as I think about having that sort of desire in my own heart, it seems like it's too much. It's too much for me to handle. But once again, I think it's important for us to remember that this is not by the power of the flesh. And sometimes when we read the scriptures, we think, how could I possibly do those sorts of things? How could I possibly feel that way about other people? Well, it's not natural. You don't naturally feel that way. It's something that only comes by the work of the Holy Spirit. If you call upon God, he will produce those desires in your heart. Come to him and just say, I can't do this. I know you can. That's how it's possible. And that's thematic with everything that Paul is saying here. No longer depending on the flesh, but instead living by the spirit. And yet, the Galatians are clamoring for the law. They want to go back to the ways of the flesh. But inasmuch as they're going back to the law, Paul wants to point out to them that, you know, you're going back to the law, but you're kind of missing something that's standing right in front of you, especially in light of what we've seen with Jesus Christ. So he continues in verse 21. He says, tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise. These things are being taken figuratively. The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves. This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem because she is in slavery with her children.
So Paul tells the Galatians, oh, you're all about the law. Well, let's look at the law. And very often when we think about the law, we think about commands, where we should understand that the law also includes a narrative. And so it includes the book of Genesis. It includes the story of Abraham, which we covered pretty recently. And he sets before them, the two figures of Hagar and Sarah. He ends up naming Hagar. He doesn't name Sarah explicitly here. But we understand that's who he's talking about. And if you aren't familiar with their stories, it's helpful to know that Abraham and Sarah were without children, very old. Sarah only ultimately gives birth at the age of 90, at a time that no one would figure that would actually be possible. Everyone laughed about it. And they named their son Isaac, which means he laughs, they laugh. And that son came by a promise. But before he was born, Abraham and Sarah had desired a child. And they kept getting disappointed again and again. And so they decided, well, let's use Hagar, Sarah's servant, to bring forth a son for Abraham. Very strange practice seemingly to us today, but that was a common practice at that time. Doesn't make it right, and it was wrong because they weren't trusting in God's timing for things. But Paul is using these two figures here, Hagar and Sarah, in an allegorical sort of way, in a figurative sort of way, to explain the difference between those who live by promise and those who live by law. And so he's using Hagar and Sarah, and he's using the two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, the one born of the flesh, the other born of promise. And he says that the two women represent two covenants, one being from Mount Sinai, talking about Hagar, and that's pointing back to the Ten Commandments because God gave them the law at Mount Sinai. He says that woman gives birth to children who are to be slaves. Now what's really interesting here though, is that he says that she corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem because she is in slavery with her children. Now you have to understand that this would have been incomprehensible to anyone from a Jewish background. thinking that Hagar would be identified with Jerusalem. But the reason is that they are subject to these forces. They are subject to the condemnation of the law, the efforts of their own flesh. And so they are enslaved.
Sarah, on the other hand, the child who would be born of promise, is not of that Jerusalem. Now again, Sarah goes unnamed here, and it's because in her place is going to be inserted the heavenly Jerusalem. Which is looking forward to the people of God. Revelation talks about the new city, heavenly Jerusalem descending down to earth. That's what we're looking forward to, heaven coming to earth in the end when Christ returns. But Paul says, in verse 26, but the Jerusalem that is above is free and she is our mother. For it is written, be glad barren woman, you who never bore a child, shout for joy and cry out loud, you who are never in labor, because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband. Now we ask, how so? How is it that this desolate woman, this barren woman, would have more to celebrate than the woman who has children by the flesh? Well, it's because the children that she brings forth are those who are children by faith, not by mere blood. Now there's a crossover here when we talk about the Jewish people. There are those who are children of Abraham by blood and by faith. But what is primary and what is only significant to God is whether we are children of God, children of Abraham by faith because we share in the faith of Abraham. And so Paul applies Isaiah 54 in talking about this barren woman who never bore a child, was shouting for joy and crying aloud because she has more children, this abundance of children. So continuing on in verse 28. Paul says to the Galatians, he says, now you, brothers and sisters like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time, the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does the scripture say? Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son. Paul is telling them because you've become part of the people of God through faith in Jesus Christ, you are children of promise. You are not children of the flesh. It's not by your adherence to the law that you're made the children of God. Because that means only ends up in condemnation and slavery. And he even picks up on this tension that's between Ishmael and Isaac. And how there was Sarah picked up on some, seemed like some growing probably animosity from Ishmael towards Isaac because Isaac was this promised son that came through Sarah. And so she compelled Abraham in accordance with God's will that Hagar and Ishmael should leave their household.
And what Paul is indicating here in referencing that episode is one, you can expect there to be some animosity between those who insist upon the law and those who have become children of promise in Jesus Christ. So that kind of explains, okay, you have these people that have come into your midst, they're insisting that you come and adhere to the law. Well, that makes sense. This is tracing back to this tension that has always been present. What's more, he's indicating that you cannot mix law and gospel. Now, as I said earlier, Paul does not forbid circumcision, observing certain fasts or feasts or Sabbath practices, none of that. But what he is insistent on is that you must not say that you must do those things in order to be accepted by God. So that's the real point here. Paul's not trying to make a point about slavery or anything like that. This is a figurative example that he's using to make a point about the differences between those who are children of the law and those who are children of the gospel. And they don't mix. And so he concludes in verse 31 and we go into the first verse of chapter 5. says, Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." That's the whole point. If you want to understand that, if you didn't understand anything up to this point, that's the point that Paul is trying to make here. Is that we are children of freedom, children who are born free in Jesus Christ, no longer burdened by the yoke of slavery.
Now, in saying that we are free from the law, Paul's not trying to say that we're free to sin, that we're free to just toss out all God's demands and live however we please. Instead, it's a different idea of freedom. The American idea of freedom is this idea of you can just do whatever you want to do. The more ancient understanding of freedom and liberty is that of being free to be able to do something. It's kind of, I think I've used this example before. It's not original to me, but it's like the piano. The American idea of freedom is I can go and I can hit any key on the piano. Well, that's great. But I'm not free to play any symphonies of Bach on the piano because I don't know how to play the piano. And that's the condition of humanity is like none of us can play Bach's symphonies. So we're freed from being subject to these external regulations of the law, and we're freed from the power of sin. And Jesus makes this clear in John 8. And this kind of ties into some of what Paul was saying about being freed from slavery and a slave having no permanent place in the household, and this idea of us being the ones who receive the inheritance. John 8:31, he says, to the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples, then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. They answered him, we are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free? Jesus replied, very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Now in so many words, what Jesus is kind of saying here to his audience is that while you are descendants of Abraham, and would consider yourselves not to be slaves, you are in fact slaves, if you're sinning. And if we actually look honestly at the law and compare our lives against it, we all see that we come up short of it, and so we are all slaves to sin. And so we need to be set free, we need to be liberated from sin's power. And when that occurs, when we walk no longer by the flesh but by the spirit, then the old trappings of the law, in terms of all the regulations and circumcision and all those things, they fall away. because they were only a shadow of what we have now received in Jesus Christ through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus offers freedom that the law cannot give us. The law reveals God's holiness, it exposes our sinfulness, and it demonstrates that all people stand condemned. But circumcision can't save you. Sabbath and refraining from certain foods cannot save you. And even if you focused on the rest of the law, the good you do, it's just what you're supposed to do. It makes up for nothing that you've done. Our hearts spoil even the good things that we do. Spoils it with pride. Oh, I did some good things. I'm feeling pretty good about myself. I'm gonna do something else so other people think I'm a pretty awesome guy. We spoil our good deeds with all kind of underlying motives. Our hearts pump out heaps of sinful deeds without end. It's a horrible mess. It's hopeless.
Except this, our hope is not found in ourselves. It is found in the promise of God. The promise given to Abraham and Sarah. The promise revealed in Jesus Christ. Jesus offers us a new birth in the Spirit, fulfilling to the fullest God's promise to make Abraham's children countless. And his seed, which has appeared in the person of the Son Jesus Christ, a blessing to the world. Jesus is our atonement. He is the one who makes things right. And he is the one in whom and through whom we are adopted as children of the promise. We are free from sin's power. We are free from the compulsion of the law. We are liberated to run in fields of righteousness, because our hearts now belong. So praise God, because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband. Let us shout forth with joy and burst forth in song. Let's pray.
Dear Father, We thank you for this awesome reminder that we've received from the Apostle Paul and his words to the Galatians. This reminder of the great liberty that we've received in Jesus Christ. It's great freedom that we enjoy, that we no longer must maintain. outer signs of the law father. because Jesus Christ has fulfilled it all. Father, thank you that we become your children, not by the flesh, but by your promise and receiving Jesus Christ by faith. We thank you, Father, that Jesus has accomplished what we ourselves could never accomplish. He has justified us before you. and he is presently sanctifying us through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Father, we thank you that we live by the strength of the Spirit rather than by our own strength. Fill us with zeal, Father, for Jesus Christ, for the Gospel. Put within us a great desire, the desire of Paul, for one another. So you see Christ formed in each of us. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Hey there, Pastor Tom here. I hope you enjoyed this sermon I offered to Rockland Community Church. Rockland Community Church is located at 212 Rockland Road in North Scituate, Rhode Island, just around the bend from the Scituate Public High School. We invite you to join us in person or virtually this Sunday as we continue our series through the Letter to the Galatians. It's our joy to welcome you into our community.
Intro/Outro Song
Title: River Meditation
Artist: Jason Shaw
Source:http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/RIVER_MEDITATION___________2-58
License:(CC BY 3.0 US)