Galatians 1:10. The false gospel of pleasing man. Who gets the praise.
Notes
Transcript
Galatians 1:10. The false gospel of pleasing man. Who gets the praise.
Intro: Recap. Who is Paul, and why he writing the Galatians. PPTS
Paul rebuking/encouraging the Galatians, to stop following a different gospel and rejecting God, and ending in verse 9, called for the condemnation, the people that lead others astray should be cursed by God, devoted to destruction and rejected by the believers.
This sermon might be hard for some of you, important note on all sermons, they are to lead you to the glory of God, in the gospel of Jesus Christ, - to see that beauty, that we will run to him, as the Holy Spirt leads us. Repentance in an invitation to deeper relationship with God. (Condemnation is form Satan, vauge or like your worthless, a failure no one likes you etc.) conviction is from the Holy Spirt, an invitation to life, deeper life with Jesus.
PPT Text 1:10.
Paul asks 2 questions and comes with a sobering chilling conclusion.
I am seeking the approval of man or God? (In my life, the way I live my life who am I trying to live for other translations – persuade). 1.
Or am I trying to pleas man? (People pleasing). 2.
If I was still trying to pleas man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (BOOM)
(A rejection of the only true gospel can lead to pleasing men, enslavement to others)
As one wrote this is rhetorical question’s, Paul is not trying to pleas men, as we read in verse 9. And not only is he not trying to pleas men, like Jesus Paul will say it is not even possible, to pleas men, and be a servant of Christ. (That means pleasing men is a false gospel that leads us away form Jesus).
(Note on servant – a willing slave of Christ).
Paul is clear. But what might come up in us now?
Objections:
But I just want others to like me, or not hate, me or say I am good enough, make me feel better about being me. I mean I do like to help, and encourage others, but I am also afraid if people don’t like me, could it be it is because I am not good enough, that I am wrong, that I am no good, I don’t have a place. Or well everyone must like me I am so great, what does it mean if they don’t?
The need of all people is to know they are loved as they are… All hearts seem to creave that, from young to old, I am I still needed?
But the praise of man is sinking sand, vain, fleeting, shifting from one day to the next, finding worth in other people’s opinions, will make us a slave to other people and what we think they think we should be like.
The only true awnser is what is has always been, created in the image of God, by the creator of the universe, made by and for Jesus Christ.
That God, planed to redeem people from rebellion against him, and choosing sin, Jesus came, the gospel the only true gospel, as Paul is defending. God, in Jesus Christ, shows his love for people that he gives his only son, for sins, for freedom, reconciliation, adoption in to Gods family, - that is true Identity. What we all seek and need.
When we seek mans praise, we shift from the gospel of Jesus Christ, we desert the God who made us to seek the creature’s approval, (but they are just made by God).
God provition of Jesus to recreate us to a new creation, in Christ, our worth is given, not made by our self, and can’t be given by other creations, it will make us slaves, and destroy them as they are not God.
What does it mean practically?
But in job, but I have to preforms for my boss, no you don’t, you work for Jesus Christ, he is also a better boss: It might have the same outcome, but way better to hear well done good and faithful servant from God, that from your boss. I dose mean you don’t compromise your walk with Jesus as you do your work. (That does not mean you do a bad job at work, not it means you do a good job at work for God’s glory, not for yours).
Family. Sadly not all are wanted, by even the closes relatives, they seem left with no hope, but what if the gospel is true, that they are wanted loved, and God made a way to be adopted into Gods family,
I love my family, they give me value worth, they are more important that Jesus. – No, that is idol worship, your family does not give you worth and value, that is only found in who Jesus Christ is, - also your family will die, will you then have no value? – A gospel that leads to despair.
Well, my job in life to please my family. No, it is not. It is to serve God in Jesus Christ.
But then I need to seek my children’s approval serve them so they will approve of me, NO…. They are children your got from God and you are to steward them well and point them to Jesus Christ, not rely on them for your value. And don’t seek to please them, that will go crazy wrong, your are an adult and they are not… 1-3 year old’s should not run a household or the world. Jesus does and should.
I will seek the approval of my Pastor or people in the church, pleas don’t, you will turn in to a religious person, with a spilt personality, that say and do things different when you are in the church building, No, instead seek to pleas Jesus Christ, not people.
Why seek praise?
I know the feeling, wanting people to like what I do, I feel it creeping in I hope they like it, or me, I am not immune. I think there is a way to see if we are starting to shift away from Jesus, and this is: Why am I now seeking this? If someone say that was a great sermon, will I give glory to God? Or give it to myself? If my wife say you’re a good dad. Will I run to Facebook, and poste it and make a t-shirt, or will I look confused and say: I am not really. I was saved by Jesus, and sometimes he does a good work by me. I think we have to be aware when we hope people will praise us, so we can feel better about our self. It might be a sign we need to hear the gospel of Jesus again. And run to Jesus for the needs we have.
It also works the other way, when we fail, we look to Jesus, to help us not to despair, for his forgiveness, that the people are saying bad things about us, we can look to Jesus for his words.
When you get praised, do you keep it? Or do you go to your knees, and give it to God that made you, the only one that is worthy of praise. Or do you take it? And try to keep it as it slips between your fingers, and you need more, to keep you going. Enslavement has begun. Or does it inflate your ego, and makes you trust yourself to much, you rely on yourself and not Jesus Christ. Same result.
It is important to be relevant and approved by the society around us… really? At what cost? That we deny the only gospel in Jesus Christ. No… (It seems that is when we compromise – go liberal in gaining understanding and status).
Well, if I stand in Jesus Christ gospel I will get in trouble. Yes, and that is what Jesus promised his disciples, but why fear? Jesus said you are blessed when you are slandered and suffer for his name’s sake. With great joy, the disciples praised God that they were counted worthy to be beating for Jesus’s name. Is it better to not get in trouble and forsake and desert God? And loose the only true good news, for the praise of man.
Jesus also says it you can’t love the world and God. You have to choose. PPT
I wonder when we seek approval from men or start people pleasing, is it because we think God is to fare away from us? (We seek initiate affirmation – from what is created). How and why are we lead away from seeking God, (prayer, worship, seeing Jesus rightly, understanding the gospel better), we forfeit that for the praise of men? When I say it like this is sounds so simple, and I guess it is, but it also comes down to do we really believe the Gospel, that God is drawing us near, that we can talk to God, we can worship God that god can lead us every step of everyday by The Holy Spirt… It this real all the time, every second in my day? If not, we are prone to seek it somewhere ells. But praise of man will work as well as , peeing your pants to get warm, it is a nice and warm feeling, until you get cold, and find out you have wet clothe. That is what sin is like, it lures in with promises, and they seem to come true, till you find out your emptier than before. And you need to pleas people even more… to fill the hole, and more and more and more… you end up as a slavery to other people. And we can’t be a servant of Jesus Christ at the same time. We can only have one master. (And Jesus is the much better master, that you, and hunting praise form people).
Okay, okay, I hear you, but I am not forsaking Jesus Christ and his gospel I just want people to say I am good, enough I just like when people like me. Why? Well, then who do you serve? Them, you?
Paul and Jesus are clear, you/we are not serving Christ.
Paul is not running a popularity contest, if he was, he would not have written this letter. That confronts the false teaching of departing to a different gospel, Paul knows that he could have just accepted the false teaching, and he would have had less problems, but Paul is not willing to do that. Why? Because He loves Jesus and he loves the people in Galatia, he does not what them to be slaves in a religious system, that is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul in the letter it not seeking to pleas man, or seek others approvel Paul is proving in the letter that he is still serving the Lord Jesus Christ as he calls for others to do the same instead of false teaching. That will lead to death, pride, suffering for no reason, worship of gods creations people, they had come out of that to the true God and Paul will contend they should keep walking with Jesus trusting in him and not people.
The more satisfied we are in our identity in Jesus Christ the, les we will have a tendency to want to pleas people, like the whole letter has been saying, understanding the good news about God’s plan in Jesus Christ, is key to live in and with Jesus as lord God and king, and we don’t need to seek any other approval or please others. But do we believe what God said? Loved, adopted, created in God image, restored in Christ to God, now living by God the Holy Spirt. (Is that not more that we need?).
As I said in the beginning, if you hear words of condemnation, reject them, instead listen to the words of invitation, from Jesus to come trust in Him as Christ. To freedom of slavery of people pleasing. Come to the Good news, be set free to do good from Christ to people, not to pleas people but to serve Jesus Christ. That will be for the glory of Good and good of others.
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