On Living to Please God Galatians 1:10

Well, good morning. Well, we're on time we're not always on time here with doing the videotaping thing and so on but For those of you that are home. We're always on time, right? So Anyway, I want to welcome everybody that's here this morning.

Glad you're here to worship with us and Lord willing will just be a blessing to you and. And we're looking forward to pastor John and his message and singing and raising our voices to the praise of our Lord.

Announcement wise. As you know, we had our business meeting last week and there are notes if some of you didn't get those you can Contact Victor and he will get those to you and we had a good time there of being together as a body and.

And just continue to see what the Lord is going to do with us and through us so we just need to continue to be patient and prayerful. And that's the best and the most important thing that all of us can do.

So, why don't you join with me in prayer? Lord God, we thank you that you have brought us this morning Father to to gather as believers as fellow worshipers of you father. Lord I pray that our hearts would Just resound in the truth of your word that we would be encouraged that we would be looking forward To what you're going to do in our own personal lives in the life of this church Father in the life of this country Lord.

There's there's so many needs in our in our world in our country in our state. But father, we know that you are the Lord of overall and Lord. We must be patient and waiting on you and trusting you and not to worry Lord as pastor John shared last week and times past that we need to Give our lives to you and to be focused on the truth of the gospel and not the truths of man.

Because they are all fallible. So Lord, we thank you this morning. May we honor you Lord? Maybe we just be a blessing to each other father and you would go before us and That the Saints would be edified we pray in Jesus name.

Amen. So this I was looking I was preparing for this morning and the words were worship and praise. Appear over a thousand times in the scriptures and there's some relevance to that when when two words appear that many times.

You know, there's something behind them and and praise is really oftentimes just something that's outward that we're going to do this morning. With our singing and our songs and and we can praise family members.

We can praise people for doing different things, but when it comes to worship There's only one thing that we worship and that's our Lord Jesus Christ. And that's really some of the praises some of the things that happen on the outside.

It can happen inside but worship comes from our heart and let's remember that that that's what we're doing. This morning is we're gonna worship the Lord from our heart. This is not an external exercise.

This is not something we just want to do because we do it every week. We're gonna do this. We want to do this because that's what the Lord would have us to do and that's how we can honor him. So let's stand together.

I Want to read a few verses as you stand give to the Lord. This is from Psalm 97 96. Give to the Lord. Oh families of the people give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory. Do his name.

Bring an offering and come into his courts. Oh worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Tremble before him all the earth. That's a great picture for us as we approach the throne of God. That we would tremble before him because of his majesty and his greatness.

Come now fount.

To sing my grace streams of mercy never-ceasing comfort songs of loudest praise. Teach me some Melodious on it sung by flaming tongues of Praise his name on fixed up on it name of God's redeeming. Hither to thy love has blessed me to this place Safely home by thy good grace.

Teach me and a stranger Rescue me from danger find me with precious flies. Great a debtor daily, I'm Constrained to be to thee Prone to wonder. Lord, I feel it prone to leave. Here's my heart can seal it seal it for the courts above.

Let's now sing praise to the Lord the Almighty.

Praise you Oh God Oh God our Redeemer. You carried me through that one nicely. The Timing's a little different on that. The church is one foundation. Well praise the Lord and good morning.

Wasn't it a blessing having so many people in church last week. Wow. Praise God good to see you. Good to be here. Thank you Barb so much. She got a lot of notice to play. What was it Friday morning Victor?

I Can't remember. So thanks very much. So if you have your Bibles turn with me to Matthew chapter 7, I don't know about you guys, but Not only am I a slow learner. But sometimes man, it just takes like a two by four up the side of the head.

Can anybody relate to that? I Mean, I don't think it's like we're bad people. I mean if we're really Christians, I Don't think it's like we're bad and we wake up and say, you know, how can I be stubborn today?

You know, I I really want to take 40 years to learn this lesson about life right, I Don't think any of us are like this. But you might recall that we've been on a series of messages on the gospel of Jesus Christ, right?

What what is the gospel? What is the true biblical gospel? And I hope that I convinced you that That a false gospel there were false gospels in the early church and there's false gospels today. I mean, they're on TV all the time.

They're in churches all over the place. You know, if you if you walk an aisle and pray a prayer, you're you're born again. You're saved not necessarily. Can you get saved that way? Yes, right when that TV preacher looks in the screen and says, you know Just pray this prayer.

Is it possible to get saved? Yes, absolutely. But that's not the biblical gospel that Jesus Christ preached and died for so I spent about four or five weeks Kind of laying a foundation. From here in Galatians, which we'll go to in a minute on what is making sure we understand.

What is the biblical gospel as we move forward as a church right as we're praying and seeking a pastor? And again, you know, I wish we could but we can't. We love you guys and it's a blessing and a privilege to our family to be here and to be able to come alongside men like Victor and Harold and All of you and encourage you so I wanted to be sure that we were clear on the gospel and secondly Simple question.

Can there be anything in life more important than knowing for sure? Where you will spend eternity? Can anything in life be more important? Anything there's two choices. Will it be eternal joy in? In heaven or will be eternal judgment in hell with the devil and all his angels, right?

That's it notice what Jesus says here in Matthew chapter 7 beginning at verse 21. Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord Shall enter the kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of my father in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in your name cast out demons in your name and Done many wonders in your name. Now understand verse 22 in the language of that day. If you spun forward to 2021 They will be saying now this is what they would have been saying had they lived in the first century.

What would they say today Lord Lord? Have we not gone to church? Have we not sung those hymns that sometimes are hard to sing. Have we not given money to the church? Have we not given money to the homeless guy on the corner?

And And really we've never murdered anybody. We've been faithful to our spouse that's the language and Jesus says then I will declare to them. I Never knew you depart from me you who practice Lawlessness.

So it doesn't have to be murder to be sin, right? You understand right. Jesus didn't just die for the murderer and the adulterer. He died for the liar. He died for the guy that stealed pencils from his office.

He died for all sin. Big and little. This is serious serious stuff. There will many there will be many people who go through their whole life thinking they're a Christian. And they're truly not and do you notice?

Do you catch verse 22? It's many will say not few. What's many mean? Majority undefined number. Now over in 2nd Corinthians 13 5 look at this 2nd Corinthians 13 5. Okay, we got phones. Let's put those cell phones on stun 2nd Corinthians 13 5.

Examine yourselves as To whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you are disqualified so the point is it's biblical and proper for people that go to church to examine themselves and To ask the hard questions and to make sure that they know they're saved over in 1st Corinthians chapter 11.

There's many historians that suggest the early church practice communion the Lord's table every day when they met and notice it says in 1st Corinthians 11 verse 28, but let a man examine himself and So let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself not discerning the Lord's body. So it's biblical and it's proper for people that go to church To examine themselves and ask those hard questions and it's not something that we're to do every day.

It doesn't say weekly. It doesn't say yearly, but there are times in the Christian life I remember as a young Christian for many years once in a while. I would wonder am I really born again? Am I really saved?

But there are times in in our life. You know God may prompt you even this morning To do deep soul-searching. Heaven is a real place and so is hell and therefore all eternity. Now go to Galatians chapter 1 because what I want to do today is big is to pick up in Galatians where we left off.

And I just want to. I don't know we might do just a couple of more Sections, we're only going to cover one verse this morning. Because I want to Take us to some verses that are so helpful when it comes to living out the Christian life and one of them is this very simple verse verse 10.

Galatians chapter 1. Galatians chapter 1. For do I now persuade men or God or do I seek to please men? For if I still please men would I not be a bondservant of Christ. Now hold your place there real quick and just go a book over or two to Colossians.

You got Galatians. Ephesians. Philippians. Colossians. Okay, general electric power company. I mean for years as a young Christian, I could never find Colossians. I would and then Philippians. I'd always get them mixed up and then the senior saint at our church said hey John Galatians.

I mean, yeah general electric power company. Can you remember that and I never forgot it. Look at Colossians 1 10. That you may walk worthy of a Lord fully pleasing him. Being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Now go over just a few more pages to 1st Thessalonians. If I can remember we're in 1st Thessalonians. Maybe it's second sess. Well, I Didn't plan to have you turn there. Go to 2nd Timothy that's called digging yourself out of a hole.

2nd Timothy 2 for Paul is comparing a Christian living with that of a soldier. Right. He says you therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. If you want to know anything about that talk to Richard.

Talk to anybody that served in the military. Dave. Right being a soldier is a totally different world. You must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ and here's the verse no one engaged in warfare Entangles himself with the affairs of this life.

Why? That he may please him. Who enlisted? Him as a soldier. Now go back to Galatians and look again at what Paul says in verse 10 see The goal of a believer's life the focus God's will for a believer's life is To live in such a way that we please him.

Now this may sound counterintuitive when you think it through. Because in John Jesus says I came that they may have life and have it abundantly and he says when the Sun sets you Free you are free indeed.

But then Paul says in verse 10 if I still pleased men I Would not be a bondservant of Christ and actually the word in the Greek which I will get to in just a moment after we pray is the word doulos doulos, which Translated is our word Slave not bondservant.

So the message titled today if you have notes is on living to please The Lord, let's pray God, I thank you for this day so much for this powerful text for the ministry the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Pray father God that our hearts are open to receive your word today God, especially that the seed of the word would be implanted in our hearts God that we might Father see the fruit of your word born out in our lives.

As a result of being together today We ask in Jesus name. Amen. So we understand that the one true gospel sets a Christian free. But at the same time the gospel teaches us that Christians are in bondage.

In fact many times the Bible Compares the Christian life with that of being a slave. Now I want to reacquaint you with this chapter. So follow along I want to start reading at verse 1 and get us into the flow of Paul's thought here and His line of thinking there's a big transition verse 10 is a linguistic grammatical bridge between verses 1 through 9 and then verse 12 to the all the way into chapter 2 because Paul is going to present a Defense of his apostleship remember Judaizers had come into the Galatian churches.

They come into churches today. Understand that Judaizers false teachers come into churches today. They came into churches then there's nothing new under the Sun and They come in different shapes and sizes.

So Paul is going to defend his apostleship his authority the Galatians were already shaken up by these guys and he's going to first come back to his authority as an apostle and Verse 10 is the bridge between the introduction his rebuke and his solidification of the gospel.

It is it is a bridge between that and now his defense of his apostleship. Okay now look at Where we are when we get to verse 10 verse 1 Paul an apostle. Not from men nor through man. So that's very key in this letter.

If you can try to read Galatians, okay and plug what we're going to cover today into the rest of the letter. It'll be very helpful. Paul an apostle not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead first gospel reference right and All the brethren who are with me.

To the churches of Galatia four or five of them Located in the modern country of Turkey, by the way, there is no church in that area today. Did you hear me church? Yeah. Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country and when my mother worked there She served in the Foreign Service and she worked at the embassy in Ankara the capital of Turkey and I tried to find a church.

There I met one missionary online talked to him and they were very nervous about telling anybody where they met. So when you go to this region of Turkey today, you will not find a gospel preaching church.

Lesson learned. Be right on the gospel. Grace to you in peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins. That he might deliver us from this present evil age. According to the will of our God and Father to whom be glory forever and ever.

Amen. I Marvel that you are turning away so soon. From him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel. Which is not another. In other words what there's only one gospel, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

What one gospel. But even if we are an angel from heaven. Preach any other gospel to you than that which we preached to you. Let him be accursed. Anathema. That's the word that refers to being under God's cursed.

It's not a general curse. It's God's curse as We have said before so now I say again if anyone preaches any other gospel to you Than what you have received let him be accursed. How important is it to be solid on the gospel?

Very, thank you. Who said that? Thank you. Very and here it is. For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For I if I still pleased men. I Would not be a bondservant a doulos of Christ.

What is Paul saying look carefully at verse 10? With two rhetorical questions. Now the reason they're rhetorical is because the answers to these questions would have been obvious to the Galatians. Paul was in those areas for about a year and a half.

No doubt because of the way that he did ministry. No doubt he was moving. They would have been relatively close together. If you look at a map sometime look at the back of your Bible. Colossae Laodicea Hierapolis were all within a short walking distance of each other.

Most likely these churches in Galatia would have been fairly close. We don't know what cities they were in they were in that region. So you would know this right? He's saying that as a bondservant and this word Like I said, we'd be more accurately translated slave that as a slave of Christ.

His life and ministry had nothing whatsoever to do with pleasing men, but rather with pleasing God and as I said Verse 10 is the bridge over to verse 11. But I make known to you brethren that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.

For I neither received it from man nor was I taught it but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. And then he moves into his testimony, okay. The conjunction for at the beginning of verse 10.

Is that? Link to verses 6 through 9 and what it's doing is it's tying together the exclusivity and the divine origin of the gospel that he preached and then the defense of his apostleship and the nature and the origin of the gospel that he preached when he was there and Here is what is so important to get a cornerstone.

The cornerstone of his defense right is That he lived as a slave of Christ and to please him. Listen, or He would not be a true Christian ergo the Judaizers. You with me? Who were living to please men?

So Paul's first rhetorical question. For I do I now? Persuade men or God. So there's three truths in the in this one verse the first one is in Order to live a life that is pleasing to God in Order to live a life that is pleasing to God.

We have to understand That we are here to please God. Paul the idea in the first question for do I now persuade men or God or do I seek to please men? The idea here is am I now as a Christian? Persuading or living in such a way that by God's grace.

I'm living in such a way that I am seeking daily hourly Monthly yearly. Am I seeking to live in such a way that I am pleasing God? Truth number one truth number two in Order to live a life that is pleasing to God.

We must guard against seeking to please men. Do I now seek the favor of or persuade men or God or. Second do I seek to please men. Paul's asking do I Paul, you know me I was with you for a year and a half.

Do I seek to please men and the clear answer that the Galatians would have understood is no. Pleasing men was not what Paul was about now you say well John, how does that apply to me? You want a quick one?

By the way, can I apologize in advance if I step on anybody's toes this morning? We get mad at Paul not me please. Okay. Can I can I ask you a question simple? That dirty joke at the office. Do we laugh?

To please men. Even though we're uncomfortable and then we come to the last part of verse 10. That's the focus. This morning the third truth about living a life that is pleasing to God. Which is we must live in the light of the truth.

That a Christian is to consider themselves as a bondservant as a doulos as a slave of Christ. Friends living a life that is pleasing to God. Requires believers to consider themselves as slaves. And I want to break this truth about the Christian life down a little because on the face of it at least It doesn't make sense.

It sounds counterintuitive. Wait a minute. I thought the Sun set me free now you want me to be a slave? So what I want to do a very simple two-point message. Number one. I want you to consider with me the meaning of this word doulos because we have an American understanding History with this word.

Okay. It is very specific. It is very key. It has a very specific meaning. It has very specific application to the living the Christian life. And if we pass over the word and we don't see and understand what it means.

What he's saying it's kind of like. It's kind of like going to Disneyland and missing the exit. We're not going to get there, right? It's kind of like going out to dinner and forgetting your wallet. Are you gonna be able to pay for dinner?

Not anymore? You run into that. We don't accept cash you run into that. Yeah, some businesses are no longer accepting cash. You might get kovat from this. So we want to make sure we understand this the word bond servant in some translations is The word doulos it's found over 120 times in the New Testament and it means slave.

Now go to Webster's. What's what's the word slave, but we're gonna develop this a little bit further. It's someone who is an indentured servant that has no rights or One who is completely subservient to a dominating influence so roughly a hundred out of the hundred and twenty seven times depending on the English translation the word doulos is translated bond servant or servant.

Not slave. So in other words, the word doulos has one meaning, right? But when you see it as bond servant or as servant, right? You don't go to slave but the word behind it is doulos. That's slave. So that's number one just the basic understanding now secondly.

Once we have this understanding at least basically of what the word means now What does it mean to live as a slave of Christ. See a slave is someone who is an indentured servant. They have no rights. They are someone that must be completely subservient to a dominating influence.

Now, what does that mean practically when it comes to living out the Christian life number one? The very definition of the word doulos is A person who is held in servitude as the chattel. Which means they are the tangible property of another.

A doulos is a person That is held in chattel. They are the tangible property of another and here is Paul saying I Am the property what of Christ? With no rights. I Am one who is completely subservient to this outside dominating influence.

So the idea of being a doulos listen. This gets hard. That's why I said I asked you in ahead of time, right? If I step on any toes, you're gonna get mad at Paul or you can get mad at Galatians, I guess see a Doulos provides service and they don't have a choice in it.

Doulos has to perform whether he likes it or not. Because they are subject as a slave to someone else's will not their own the will of their owner. Why do you think in the Lord's Prayer? He says not my will but what?

Thy will be done. In truth a slave's will is in total bondage to the owner's will. So the idea of being a slave in the Greek was being this is so hard. Especially when you spill your milk in the morning or when that guy cuts you off when you're driving down the road, right?

Or when that person is mean or when your wife or your husband? Does something horrible like forgets the half and half? The idea of being slave in the Greek was being in the complete control of someone else.

Completely controlled by someone or something and the property of someone else and being completely Subservient to the dominating influence of another person. So the understanding here see is Americans especially in our age.

In all I mean throughout the history of our country really since the Civil War is. We don't understand how slavery operated in the first century. It's not how we define slavery in our country. It is estimated that at the time of Jesus Christ.

So first century Middle East in the Roman Empire over one-fifth of the population were slaves. Douloses, okay one-fifth. Now what we're talking about is 12 million people if you take the population of the Roman Empire in the early first century one-fifth.

So the they estimate the population of the Roman Empire 60 to 70. Could be 90 just depends on who you read. Another reason we miss the incredible significance of being a slave of Christ is because of the general history the horrible history of slavery in our country and not just our country, but many countries of the world a Number of scholars believe that is it is because of this very negative history horrific history horrific history of slavery.

That translators of the English Bibles very often listen instead of translating doulos slave. They translate the word bondservant. So they were even practicing political correctness in the Word of God.

But regardless of these kinds of problems We need to settle in our mind that the New Testament makes it clear that Christians are to consider themselves slaves of Christ and the scripture is not talking about being a slave like the ones that were so horribly treated by plantation owners in our country and other countries not.

Slave like those that were kidnapped and ripped from their homeland in Africa. John Newton was a slave trader who wrote amazing grace and fought. Fought strenuously to have it outlawed, but nonetheless listen a slave.

With no rights. Whose master is the Lord Jesus Christ. That's one thing being a slave of Jesus Christ means secondly in terms of understanding what it means to be a slave of Christ. Jesus taught that he requires his slaves to be servants.

Okay, this is where it gets a little dicey it gets hard. Jesus taught that his slaves were to be servants. See one of the core principles that Jesus taught About life in the kingdom of God and being one of his slaves was the requirement to serve others.

See if we want to live in such a way that our lives are pleasing to God. Then we must learn what it is to be a slave and we must learn to serve. See if you think about it and You can read some books on this there's some fantastic books on this slaves.

Service was hardwired Into the life purpose and duty of a slave because it was their life those many Roman masters Treated their slaves like employees like members of the family. Okay. Yeah, there were some cruel ones.

There's cruel people and everything right but very often. I mean the the there's a whole. You could a whole study on this a pierced ear club. They call it where the slave would would take a dowel and or a not a dowel.

That thing and you poke poke your ear on the doorpost of the master's house. And then you basically give him your life because he treated you so well and so fairly but basically Service was hardwired into the life purpose in the duty of slave.

They lived in the complete control and they live solely to serve their master and they were at their master's beckon call. Now Mark your place here and go to the gospel of Mark. Go to the gospel of Mark.

And I want to go to Mark chapter 9 verse 33 because we learn a few things about what it means to be a slave when you come to Mark chapter 9 you come to the tail end of Jesus's ministry in Galilee and They're they're working up in Galilee and they work their way down to Capernaum and when they arrive in Capernaum They come into a house and if you look at verse 33, you can see kind of the setting.

Because Jesus begins to question the disciples about what they were talking about as they walked Towards Capernaum down from Galilee. Take a look at this verse 33. Then he came to Capernaum Jesus and when he was in the house, he asked him.

What was it that you disputed among yourselves on the road? Now look at this. But they kept silent. Oops. Remember Jesus is God so he knows exactly what they were talking about, right? Don't you love that?

Especially like in the garden when Adam and Eve sin Adam, where are you like he didn't know where he was. Right, don't you love this stuff? I mean, I love this stuff. I mean, I really I get goose pimples with this kind of stuff.

I mean here we have a proof of the deity of Christ. Because he knew exactly what they were talking about. They were so embarrassed. Look at this. They kept silent. Why? For on the road. They had been disputing among themselves.

Who would be greatest right? So Jesus sits down and he says, okay. I got something to share with you. Look what he says. Okay, listen to me guys. If anyone desires to be first He shall be last of all.

And what? Oh Whoops. Different word, by the way, not doulos. The word there the word there is actually serving serve. Now, what's the difference? Please listen. This is so important. The slave has no choices, right?

The slave is a property of. Servants were hired. They could quit. They had a choice. But see Jesus isn't done. The disciples and really the Apostles are having this discussion on the way to Capernaum.

Jesus talks with them now a few weeks later the Lord and his disciples are about to enter into Jerusalem for the last week of his life the Passion Week and He's going to address this subject of who will be first again.

And by the way, it's not the last time but go to chapter 10. So there's three times that this whole issue of who will be first and Jesus addresses it three times. But pick it up with me at verse 35 and look at how this thing circles back to this whole discussion beginning in verse 35.

Okay, chapter 10 verse 35 then James and John the sons of Zebedee came to him saying Teacher we want you to do for us. Whatever we ask. Now I actually have heard a false gospel preacher use this text to pray for riches.

Come on they asked Jesus. Why can't we? Well, he forgets the next verses has nothing to do with money. And he said to them. What do you want me to do for you? They said to him grant us that we may sit one on your right hand on the other on the left in your glory.

But Jesus said to them you don't know what you're asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptized? Baptism that I am baptized with and they said we're able. So Jesus said to them, okay.

You will indeed drink the cup that I drink and with the Baptist baptism I am baptized you will be baptized by the way speaking of a martyr's death. But to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give.

But it is for those for whom it is prepared. Verse 41. And When the ten heard it they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to himself and said to them. You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them.

Yet it shall not be so among you but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And Whoever of you desires to be first Shall be slave dolos of all. Here it is for even the Son of Man Did not come to be served But to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.

What does it mean to be a slave? One scholar called verse 45. One of the great verses in all of Scripture. For even the Son of Man even Jesus Christ Did not come to be served but to serve and To give his life a ransom for many now.

This passage is dealing with the greatness of humility. I don't have time to take it all with you. But the incredible example of our Lord in coming not to be served but to serve the God of the universe God incarnate Humbling himself.

Washing the disciples feet Laying down his life. Whoever of you desires to be first Shall be a dolos of all. So when Paul refers to himself as a slave in Galatians 1 10 and many other verses in other letters He uses the same word and it's correctly translated here.

At least in the New King James as slave. What does it mean to be a slave? Jesus taught that he requires his slaves to be what? Servants. Slaves who are servants to others. And this brings us to a third point about what it means to be a slave of Jesus Christ and what it means to be Living a life that is pleasing to the Lord and it and that is that being a slave of Christ means we are to be servants of all.