Sermon Notes
Sermon: One Gospel by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: June 16, 2019
Key Scripture Passages: Galatians 1:1-2:10
Sermon Notes:
Introduction to Galatians
The New Testament contains several letters written to the early Christians by the Apostle Paul, mostly to churches that he had helped start and continued to mentor through letters and visits. Today, we are beginning a new sermon series on the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, a church that Paul helped to plant. Galatia was an area in Asia Minor in which the Gauls had settled, and by 25 B.C., it was a Roman province. This letter is known as Galatians, so please turn in your Bibles to Galatians 1:1. It is estimated that Paul wrote this letter about 48 A.D., before the Jerusalem Council described in Acts 15.
Though Galatians is one of Paul’s shorter letters, it is considered one of his most influential letters. When it was written the Christians were in the process of separating themselves from Judaism. This letter helped to clarify the differences between Christianity and Judaism. Later on, in history, it played a key role in the Protestant Reformation as they separated from the Catholic church, and Galatians is often referred to as the “Magna Carta of Christian Liberty”. Galatians, similarly to Paul’s letter to the Romans, focuses on the doctrine of justification by faith, and it emphasizes salvation by grace.
Historical Context & Purpose
The primary reason that Paul was writing this letter was because Judiazers had infiltrated the church in Galatia after Paul had left. The Judiazers were people who believed that people had to become Jews first in order to become Christians. For example, the Gentiles had to be circumcised and follow the Law God gave to Moses (Old Testament Law) before becoming a Christian. Judiazers were very legalistic, proclaimed a false gospel and false teachings, and did everything they could to discredit Paul and his authority. Therefore, Paul had to correct the teaching and reassert the true Gospel of Christ. In chapters 1 and 2, Paul corrects the teaching and lays out the evidence of his authority and message. In chapters 3 and 4, Paul once again teaches the Galatians about the doctrine of salvation through grace and justification of faith. In chapters 5 and 6, Paul deters them from the legalistic attitude by encouraging them to live by the power of the Holy Spirit and that when they do, the fruit of the Holy Spirit would be more evident in their lives. Salvation was not achieved by works, but works would be evidence of a life lived by faith.
One Gospel (Galatians 1:1-10)
Paul’s letters always begin with a greeting. However, the greeting found in the letter to the Galatians is not mere small talk, and it skips over the “thanksgiving” section typically found in Paul’s other letters. Rather, Paul does not waste time and jumps right into the crux of the problems occurring within the church in Galatia. Please follow along as I read the greeting found in Galatians 1:1-10.
Galatians 1:1-10 - Greeting1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead-- 2 and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
No Other Gospel6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
The primary problem was that a false Gospel was being taught. Notice in these 10 verses that Paul mentions Christ 5 times, beginning in verse 1. Why does this matter? There are two reasons. First, Paul was trying to turn the attention of the Galatians back to Christ, who He was, what He taught, and what He had done. Second, Paul wanted to demonstrate that both his teachings and authority came from Christ.
Now you have to remember Paul’s background. Paul had been a Pharisee, which were a group of Jews that followed Old Testament Law zealously to the point of legalism, and they held a very strict interpretation of the Law. Therefore, Paul knew firsthand the dangers of legalistic thinking and teachings. He had persecuted Christians for following Christ. Yet, now, Paul was no longer just a man of God, but he was also a believer and follower of Jesus Christ.
In this greeting Paul asserts the following 4 things:
Does any of this remind you of life today? Verse 10 really stood out to me as I reflected on it this week in light of our world today. “If I were still trying to please man, then I would not be a servant of Christ.” Just think about that for a moment. Christianity is not politically correct. Think of times when your Christian beliefs have made you stand out or apart from society, perhaps in an unpopular way. Are we trying to please man or God? Do we serve man or God? Do people try to redefine Christian doctrines and beliefs to support their own agenda or so they can keep living in their sin? Christianity is not ruled by culture, but rather, it can influence culture. In his letter to the Ephesians (Chapter 4, verses 4-6), Paul writes:
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Here in the first chapter of his letter to the Galatians, Paul reminds them that there is ONE GOSPEL.
Today, Christianity is splintered into various denominations which are further splintered into various versions of those denominations. Some of those splits are a result of differences of opinions regarding practices and traditions. Others are a result of differing interpretations. But some are deeper issues rooted in belief of essential doctrines of Christianity. These deeper issues, such as an attack or distortion of the Gospel message itself is what Paul was facing and what we still face in Christianity today. People infiltrate the church, sometimes even at the highest levels of leadership within a denomination, in order to spread a false teaching. These false teachings are called apostacy. Apostacy is not just a mistake in one’s teaching. Its very definition implies motive as well. Apostasy is when someone purposely distorts teaching for their own agenda.
Right now, I think that you could probably think of an example of apostasy, someone using alternative or just plain false interpretations of the Bible as justification for their own agenda. This could be using a verse out of context or as a rationalization to continue in their sin. Remember, this is intentional deception. When this happens, we need to listen to Paul’s words to the Galatians and turn our eyes back to Jesus and His Gospel, what Jesus did and taught. We can use Scripture as a measure in which to test the teachings of others.
Paul’s Authority (Galatians 1:11-2:10)
Paul continues in his letter to assert his authority and to let the Galatians know that Paul knows what he is talking about. Let’s look at Galatians 1:11-24. Paul tells the Galatians that he has been called by God.
Galatians 1:11-24 - Paul Called by God11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.
Now, we have all heard people say things like God has told me or called me to do such and such. I once had someone tell me that God has called them to marry a minister. Now, I treat such claims with skepticism and so should you. However, when Paul claims that he was called by God, and that God Himself gave him the Gospel message, this is not a frivolous self-serving claim. Rather, it is Paul’s testimony.
Acts 9 tells the story. Paul was in the midst of persecuting Christians and was traveling to Damascus. On his journey, God literally knocked Paul to the ground and was like, “Hey, Paul, why are you persecuting me?” Paul asked who was talking, because he was being blinded by a bright light from Heaven. And the voice said, “I am Jesus.” And then, Jesus told Paul to go to the city to get further instructions. Paul was blind for the next 3 days. Now the interesting thing about this story is that Paul was not alone when this happened. The men that were with Paul heard the voice of Jesus talking to Paul, but they could not see the light or anything. So, when Paul says Jesus called me to do this, he is referring to actual conversations that he had with Jesus Christ after Jesus had already ascended into Heaven. Jesus personally assigned Paul his mission to the Gentiles.
Let’s look back at Galatians 1:11-24. How does Paul establish his authority?
Basically, Paul is summing up his conversion to Christianity as this: God did this by grace through Jesus Christ for the sake of others and for God’s glory. As if those credentials weren’t enough, Paul continues on in Galatian 2:1-10 providing evidence of his authority, mission, and message given to him directly from Jesus Christ and not from any man.
Galatians 2:1-10 - Paul Accepted by the Apostles2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery-- 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles),9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
It was not for another 14 years, that Paul returned to Jerusalem and finally met the other apostles. He had been preaching about 17 years before he took counsel with the them. They were not the ones that had taught him. Rather, Paul was guided by Jesus himself. When Paul did go up to the apostles, he privately told them the Gospel that he had been preaching to the Gentiles. Guess what?! It matched the Gospel they had been preaching to the Jews. Why? Because there is only ONE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. Jews or Gentiles, circumcised or uncircumcised…the message of Christ was the same for all. The apostles embraced Paul and Barnabas and, in essence, were unified in fellowship under Jesus Christ. They encouraged Paul and Barnabas to continue in their ministry.
The Gospel Today
There will be people who persecute us for our faith, and there will be people who come with hidden agendas to distort the Gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ. But just like Paul, we have Jesus on our side and the gift of the Holy Spirit guiding us. Just like Paul, we have God’s Word, the Bible, in which we can test all teachings against to make sure they are the Truth.
There is just one Gospel. Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, came to earth to heal, to teach, and to minister to us. Jesus, a completely innocent person, died for every sin of every person that ever existed or will exist, and then he defeated death and came back to Life. Jesus, then ascended into Heaven, entrusting us into the care of the Holy Spirit, whose job it is to transform us into becoming a new creation that is more like Christ every day and to equip and empower us to do God’s will. We are saved by our faith and God’s grace. There is only one Gospel, and it is the same today as it was when Paul taught it.
Sermon: One Gospel by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: June 16, 2019
Key Scripture Passages: Galatians 1:1-2:10
Sermon Notes:
Introduction to Galatians
The New Testament contains several letters written to the early Christians by the Apostle Paul, mostly to churches that he had helped start and continued to mentor through letters and visits. Today, we are beginning a new sermon series on the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, a church that Paul helped to plant. Galatia was an area in Asia Minor in which the Gauls had settled, and by 25 B.C., it was a Roman province. This letter is known as Galatians, so please turn in your Bibles to Galatians 1:1. It is estimated that Paul wrote this letter about 48 A.D., before the Jerusalem Council described in Acts 15.
Though Galatians is one of Paul’s shorter letters, it is considered one of his most influential letters. When it was written the Christians were in the process of separating themselves from Judaism. This letter helped to clarify the differences between Christianity and Judaism. Later on, in history, it played a key role in the Protestant Reformation as they separated from the Catholic church, and Galatians is often referred to as the “Magna Carta of Christian Liberty”. Galatians, similarly to Paul’s letter to the Romans, focuses on the doctrine of justification by faith, and it emphasizes salvation by grace.
Historical Context & Purpose
The primary reason that Paul was writing this letter was because Judiazers had infiltrated the church in Galatia after Paul had left. The Judiazers were people who believed that people had to become Jews first in order to become Christians. For example, the Gentiles had to be circumcised and follow the Law God gave to Moses (Old Testament Law) before becoming a Christian. Judiazers were very legalistic, proclaimed a false gospel and false teachings, and did everything they could to discredit Paul and his authority. Therefore, Paul had to correct the teaching and reassert the true Gospel of Christ. In chapters 1 and 2, Paul corrects the teaching and lays out the evidence of his authority and message. In chapters 3 and 4, Paul once again teaches the Galatians about the doctrine of salvation through grace and justification of faith. In chapters 5 and 6, Paul deters them from the legalistic attitude by encouraging them to live by the power of the Holy Spirit and that when they do, the fruit of the Holy Spirit would be more evident in their lives. Salvation was not achieved by works, but works would be evidence of a life lived by faith.
One Gospel (Galatians 1:1-10)
Paul’s letters always begin with a greeting. However, the greeting found in the letter to the Galatians is not mere small talk, and it skips over the “thanksgiving” section typically found in Paul’s other letters. Rather, Paul does not waste time and jumps right into the crux of the problems occurring within the church in Galatia. Please follow along as I read the greeting found in Galatians 1:1-10.
Galatians 1:1-10 - Greeting1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead-- 2 and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
No Other Gospel6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
The primary problem was that a false Gospel was being taught. Notice in these 10 verses that Paul mentions Christ 5 times, beginning in verse 1. Why does this matter? There are two reasons. First, Paul was trying to turn the attention of the Galatians back to Christ, who He was, what He taught, and what He had done. Second, Paul wanted to demonstrate that both his teachings and authority came from Christ.
Now you have to remember Paul’s background. Paul had been a Pharisee, which were a group of Jews that followed Old Testament Law zealously to the point of legalism, and they held a very strict interpretation of the Law. Therefore, Paul knew firsthand the dangers of legalistic thinking and teachings. He had persecuted Christians for following Christ. Yet, now, Paul was no longer just a man of God, but he was also a believer and follower of Jesus Christ.
In this greeting Paul asserts the following 4 things:
- Paul is an apostle of Jesus Christ and not speaking to them on behalf of other men.
- Paul asserts that Jesus died for all our sins to deliver us from evil according to God’s will, and all glory is for God. That is the Gospel in a nutshell. Paul immediately jumps right in there stating the Gospel.
- Paul chastises the Galatians from turning towards false teachings away from the true Gospel so quickly. He warns them that there are some who are purposely distorting the Gospel.
- Paul tells the Galatians that if anyone, even Paul himself or one of his companions, teaches a gospel different from the Gospel of Christ, then let them be accursed.
Does any of this remind you of life today? Verse 10 really stood out to me as I reflected on it this week in light of our world today. “If I were still trying to please man, then I would not be a servant of Christ.” Just think about that for a moment. Christianity is not politically correct. Think of times when your Christian beliefs have made you stand out or apart from society, perhaps in an unpopular way. Are we trying to please man or God? Do we serve man or God? Do people try to redefine Christian doctrines and beliefs to support their own agenda or so they can keep living in their sin? Christianity is not ruled by culture, but rather, it can influence culture. In his letter to the Ephesians (Chapter 4, verses 4-6), Paul writes:
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Here in the first chapter of his letter to the Galatians, Paul reminds them that there is ONE GOSPEL.
Today, Christianity is splintered into various denominations which are further splintered into various versions of those denominations. Some of those splits are a result of differences of opinions regarding practices and traditions. Others are a result of differing interpretations. But some are deeper issues rooted in belief of essential doctrines of Christianity. These deeper issues, such as an attack or distortion of the Gospel message itself is what Paul was facing and what we still face in Christianity today. People infiltrate the church, sometimes even at the highest levels of leadership within a denomination, in order to spread a false teaching. These false teachings are called apostacy. Apostacy is not just a mistake in one’s teaching. Its very definition implies motive as well. Apostasy is when someone purposely distorts teaching for their own agenda.
Right now, I think that you could probably think of an example of apostasy, someone using alternative or just plain false interpretations of the Bible as justification for their own agenda. This could be using a verse out of context or as a rationalization to continue in their sin. Remember, this is intentional deception. When this happens, we need to listen to Paul’s words to the Galatians and turn our eyes back to Jesus and His Gospel, what Jesus did and taught. We can use Scripture as a measure in which to test the teachings of others.
Paul’s Authority (Galatians 1:11-2:10)
Paul continues in his letter to assert his authority and to let the Galatians know that Paul knows what he is talking about. Let’s look at Galatians 1:11-24. Paul tells the Galatians that he has been called by God.
Galatians 1:11-24 - Paul Called by God11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.
Now, we have all heard people say things like God has told me or called me to do such and such. I once had someone tell me that God has called them to marry a minister. Now, I treat such claims with skepticism and so should you. However, when Paul claims that he was called by God, and that God Himself gave him the Gospel message, this is not a frivolous self-serving claim. Rather, it is Paul’s testimony.
Acts 9 tells the story. Paul was in the midst of persecuting Christians and was traveling to Damascus. On his journey, God literally knocked Paul to the ground and was like, “Hey, Paul, why are you persecuting me?” Paul asked who was talking, because he was being blinded by a bright light from Heaven. And the voice said, “I am Jesus.” And then, Jesus told Paul to go to the city to get further instructions. Paul was blind for the next 3 days. Now the interesting thing about this story is that Paul was not alone when this happened. The men that were with Paul heard the voice of Jesus talking to Paul, but they could not see the light or anything. So, when Paul says Jesus called me to do this, he is referring to actual conversations that he had with Jesus Christ after Jesus had already ascended into Heaven. Jesus personally assigned Paul his mission to the Gentiles.
Let’s look back at Galatians 1:11-24. How does Paul establish his authority?
- Paul asserts that the Gospel that he preaches was not taught to him by any man, but rather Jesus Christ himself.
- Paul refers to his former life and how he had been transformed by God’s grace. He had gone from trying to destroy Christianity to trying to promote it.
- Paul begin his ministry to the Gentiles, preaching the Gospel of Christ, before even going up to Jerusalem and the other apostles.
- Paul preached 3 years before going to see Peter (Cephas). Then, he spent 15 days with Peter and some time with James, the brother of Jesus. This was a personal visit to get to know Peter. There is no mention that Paul was there for theological instruction. However, that does not mean that they did not learn from each other.
- Then, Paul went back out to preach to the Gentiles.
Basically, Paul is summing up his conversion to Christianity as this: God did this by grace through Jesus Christ for the sake of others and for God’s glory. As if those credentials weren’t enough, Paul continues on in Galatian 2:1-10 providing evidence of his authority, mission, and message given to him directly from Jesus Christ and not from any man.
Galatians 2:1-10 - Paul Accepted by the Apostles2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery-- 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles),9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
It was not for another 14 years, that Paul returned to Jerusalem and finally met the other apostles. He had been preaching about 17 years before he took counsel with the them. They were not the ones that had taught him. Rather, Paul was guided by Jesus himself. When Paul did go up to the apostles, he privately told them the Gospel that he had been preaching to the Gentiles. Guess what?! It matched the Gospel they had been preaching to the Jews. Why? Because there is only ONE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. Jews or Gentiles, circumcised or uncircumcised…the message of Christ was the same for all. The apostles embraced Paul and Barnabas and, in essence, were unified in fellowship under Jesus Christ. They encouraged Paul and Barnabas to continue in their ministry.
The Gospel Today
There will be people who persecute us for our faith, and there will be people who come with hidden agendas to distort the Gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ. But just like Paul, we have Jesus on our side and the gift of the Holy Spirit guiding us. Just like Paul, we have God’s Word, the Bible, in which we can test all teachings against to make sure they are the Truth.
There is just one Gospel. Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, came to earth to heal, to teach, and to minister to us. Jesus, a completely innocent person, died for every sin of every person that ever existed or will exist, and then he defeated death and came back to Life. Jesus, then ascended into Heaven, entrusting us into the care of the Holy Spirit, whose job it is to transform us into becoming a new creation that is more like Christ every day and to equip and empower us to do God’s will. We are saved by our faith and God’s grace. There is only one Gospel, and it is the same today as it was when Paul taught it.
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