Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Have you ever gotten news that made your mouth just drop?

No Other Gospel

6 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.

A question to remember as we walk through this passage: If you had been in the Galatian church, would you have been able to tell what is the true gospel?

This is what we need to remember: The people who were coming to the church here were baptized members of the Christian church.

They had come saying, “ We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savour

The Departure (6-7a)

6 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,

Normally, Paul takes time to give a reason why he is thankful.

But not here.

He gets right into rebuke.

even to the Corinthians, for all their immortality, recieves a praise from Paul.

The Upside-Down Gospel

British term: “Gob-smacked.”

Opens his mouth, claps his hand over it, and lifts his eyebrows in amazement.

He is amazed and astonished.

He’s shocked and outraged.

Parents, or even anyone.

If you see a kid running into the road, wouldn’t you yell, “Hey, there’s a car coming!

Watch out!”

He offers no pious platitudes, only passionate warning.

Wouldn’t you do anything you can do to stop that kid from running across the street.

You can imagine what Paul is doing here.

He reads the report.

Grabs a parchment, slamming an inkwell on the desk, calls in the secretary As he paces back and forth in his room, he dictates his letter in short, angry outburst: “paul…apostle…I’m surprised at you!”

Two reasons for his astonishment of their departure:

Their turning away form the gospel was serious.

Deserting = changing allegiances.

Redskins fan turning sides to a Cowboys fan.

Putting on a different jersey.

That Galatians had come to Christ and put on the robes of righteousness and were now trying to turn back to the trash can to retrieve their old cloths of works-based religion.

An anquantence: No difference between mormon and Christianity.

I was grieved, because that person couldn’t distinguish the difference between the two gospels.

The Turning away from the gospel happened so soon!

How quickly they were running away.

Deserting him who called you the one who called you.

They’ve lost the fact that God is the one who called htem, but grace, not by their works.

The word deserting is good.

Military context for traitors/turncoats.

Paul is calling the Galatians spiritual turncoats.

They were turning away.

“Deserting” is a good translation because the word was first used in a military context for traitors and turncoats.

Later it was used to describe anyone who converted from one religion or philosophy to another.

The Galatians were betraying their allegiance to Jesus Christ and going over to the other side.

The fact that the verb occurs here in the present tense is significant.

It describes something the Galatians were in the process of doing at that very moment.

But they had not done it yet, so there was still a chance to stop them.

It’s a amazing for Paul.

His missions trip to them was a time where God was at work.

Sinners were saved.

Miracles were performed.

Churches were planted.

IT was one of the most success missionary journeys in the history of Christianity, which is why Paul could hardly believe that the Galatians were falling away already.

As soon as he left, the Judiasers came.

In no time at all, the church was giving up the gospel.

Yet, this is a reminder how easy it is to fall unless we are kept safe by God’s grace.

The Gospel, that’s what the Galatians were giving up.

They were abandoning the good news about he cross and the empty tomb.

The good news of God’s grace is his unmerited favour for undeserving sinners.

The gospel proclaims that Jesus died and rose again to save us from sin.

When the Galatians turned away from the gracious gospel, they were not just adopting a new philosophical position.

THey were not simply trading on set of ideas for another.

No, Paul said to them, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel - not that there is another one...” They were deserting God himself.

This put thier betrayal in personal terms.

They could not give up the gospel without giving up God himself.

We do poor service to Christ and his church when we indiscriminately lead men and women to profess faith in Christ but then leave them vulnerable, like the exposed infants of ancient Rome, to the ravenous wolves that seek their destruction

The Turning away from the gospel happened so soon!

It’s a amazing for Paul.

Imagine.

You spent three years reaching out with the gospel to these cities.

Great tribulations.

Traveled over mountains, faced danger, and are left for dead before you see some people coming to Christ and churches forming as a result.

His missions trip to them was a time where God was at work.

Sinners were saved.

Miracles were performed.

Churches were planted.

It was one of the most success missionary journeys in the history of Christianity, which is why Paul could hardly believe that the Galatians were falling away already.

As soon as he left, the Judiasers came.

In no time at all, the church was giving up the gospel.

Yet, this is a reminder how easy it is to fall unless we are kept safe by God’s grace.

In this letter you can hear Paul’s anguish,

The Gospel, that’s what the Galatians were giving up.

They were abandoning the good news about he cross and the empty tomb.

The good news of God’s grace is his unmerited favour for undeserving sinners.

The gospel proclaims that Jesus died and rose again to save us from sin.

When the Galatians turned away from the gracious gospel, they were not just adopting a new philosophical position.

THey were not simply trading on set of ideas for another.

No, Paul said to them, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel - not that there is another one...” They were deserting God himself.

This put thier betrayal in personal terms.

They could not give up the gospel without giving up God himself.

BUT Their turning away was not hopeless

As desperate as this sounds, there is still hope.

The word “deserting” here is continuous present tense verb, which means that they were in the process.

Paul is contending for the gospel, he wants to correct them.