JANUARY 30TH,
2004
I.
The Apostle Paul refers to
these people in
A.
These brethren were taking
detours away from the truth.
-
They had quickly believed
some of the false teachers and preachers.
B.
These brethren had acted
foolishly (3:1), and they should have known better.
1.
Notice the Apostle Paul did
not write them off as apostates.
2.
Paul refers to them brethren
– foolish and unstable brethren.
C.
All of us are likely to have
moments of foolishness in instability.
1.
Christians need to be
corrected, not written off.
2.
Paul gives us an example of
how Christian leaders should deal with unstable Christians – firmly, while
acknowledging the family tie that we have in Christ.
II.
Paul “certifies” that he is
not the originator of the Gospel, nor is any other man (11).
A.
The word “certify” means to
make an official declaration.
1.
It is a word used by someone
with authority, or representing authority.
2.
This is an indirect
reference to Paul’s Apostleship.
B.
The Gospel is something for
which man cannot take credit (11).
1.
It did not come after man;
meaning, man did not plan it, invent it, or in any way cause it.
2.
Wherever the Gospel came
from, Paul is saying, man will have had no part in it.
III.
Paul’s explanation about the
source of the Gospel (12).
A.
The Apostle Paul did not
receive the Gospel from men before him.
1.
The Gospel was not a
man-made tradition that eventually found its way to Paul.
2.
The Gospel was not an
academic topic that he was taught in a classroom somewhere.
3.
Paul received the Gospel –
but he is making it clear that the source of its revelation is not found inside
of the human population.
B.
Where did Paul receive the
Gospel?
-
Answer: “….but by the
revelation of Jesus Christ” (12).
1.
Paul received the Gospel
directly from a literal, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts
26:12-19).
2.
This one moment in Paul’s
life changed everything for him and us.
-
He became the Apostle to the
Gentiles, and had the right to say: “I certify you, brethren…..”
IV.
We must never lose sight of
the fact that the Gospel is a supernatural message that transforms man
supernaturally.
A.
Man cannot claim any credit
for his own salvation because man cannot claim any credit for the Gospel.
1.
The Apostle Paul makes it
clear that he “received” the Gospel, and did not construct it (12).
2.
We do not contribute to the
Gospel – we receive it.
3.
If you claim that your works
are apart of the Gospel, then you claim more than Paul claimed for himself.
B.
The problem with these Galatian
Christians is a problems that still plagues us today:
we like to plan things for ourselves, when God has already made a plan for us.
1.
When we follow our own plans
apart from God’s plan, we derail.
2.
The Galatian Christians were
unstable Christians because they began following the plan of man instead of the
plan of God.
3.
The Apostle Paul is using
all of his credibility, credentials, and Apostolic
authority to get them back on track.
Conclusion: Are you following a master
plan, or THE MASTER’S PLAN?