WWUTT 1778 Have I Now Become Your Enemy, Part 2 (Galatians 4:12-20)

The past is for our remembrance, either that we would look back on bad things and know not to repeat those mistakes, or look back on good things and follow good examples that have gone before us. When We Understand the Text.

This is When We Understand the Text, a daily study of God's word, that we may be filled with the knowledge of his will. For questions and comments, send us an email to whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com.

Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe.

Paul’s Rebuke of the Galatians and the Value of Learning from the Past

Thank you, Becky. We're back to our study in Galatians chapter 4, picking up where we left off yesterday. So I'm going to start by reading verses 15 through 20 in the English Standard Bible. This is the word of the Lord.

What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that if possible you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? They make much of you, but for no good purpose.

They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose. And not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.

I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. Picking up where we left off, I'm going to repeat once again the quote that I concluded with yesterday from Warren Wearsby.

Here is part two of the message entitled, Have I then become your enemy? Warren Wearsby, another quote from him, he has said the past is there for us, for our benefit. Not that we would forget the past.

Not that we would try to leave the past, but that we would learn from the past. So many of us try to say things like, I regret nothing. Or I'm trying not to become part of the past, but I'm trying to change things.

That would be learning from the past, certainly, but we don't forget those things as though there's nothing to benefit from the past. Those things teach us. In fact, even when you come to an understanding of what the Bible is supposed to be teaching us, we have Romans 15 .4, that which was written in former days, was written for our instruction.

That through the scriptures, through the encouragement and the hope that we find in scripture, we may have hope. So these things that are past are even for our encouragement, or these things that are past are for our learning, so we will not repeat them.

Repeat those sins that we have done in the past. I think it was Aldous Huxley that said, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And so it is necessary for us to learn from the past.

And in this case, Paul is even saying, you should learn from the past in such a positive way that you go back to what you were doing before. You've left the path of righteousness. You're doing something different.

One of the other things that Paul is going to confront the Galatians with a little later on in this letter is how they've devolved into squabbling and infighting. They're devouring one another, even within this church.

Why is that happening in Galatia? Because they've left the gospel, and false teaching is becoming manifest in even their actions, the things that they're doing. I was very troubled in spirit yesterday after the passing of Rachel Held Evans to see a hashtag that was trending on Twitter that said, because of R-H-E, her initials, and it was people that were saying, because of her, I am now this.

And when you went down that list, it was just sin after sin after sin after sin, and people were celebrating it. Because of Rachel Held Evans, I'm now this, and rejoicing that she had made them into something that God will someday judge.

And I still pray for repentance that people will not continue to be led astray by her false teaching, even in her passing. When we leave sound doctrine, it manifests in us sinful behavior, and we celebrate the sin instead of pursuing the righteousness.

You know why? Because the sin is so much easier to do than the righteousness. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7, broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are going to find it because that's the easy way.

But narrow is the gate, and long is the road that leads to life, and few will find that because that's the difficult road. This is right after Jesus has said, enter through the narrow gate. As Christians, we're supposed to choose the difficult path, but we do not walk that path alone, for we know that our Lord Christ is with us.

The word of Christ guides us. We know what righteousness is because Jesus has told us what righteousness is. God does indeed demand righteousness of us, but the thing he demands of us, he gives to us.

He gives us righteousness. He demands that we be perfect, and he gives us his perfect son who died for us, taking our sins upon himself so that all who believe in him will not perish under the righteous, holy judgment of God.

If God judges anyone, it's because he is good, not because he is a wicked, vindictive God, but because he is doing righteousness. God knows nothing but righteousness. As we read through Moses in the book of Deuteronomy, God is just and all his ways are justice, and this should indeed cause us to fear because as it says in the book of Hebrews, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

We must hate the garment that has been stained by sin. We must put to death what is earthly in us, for it is only in the righteousness of Christ that we will see God and see him with his love and not with his wrath and his justice, for without Christ, there is only death.

Paul warns them that their straying from sound doctrine has even caused change in their behavior, that even the blessedness that they had first shown, Paul, was no longer a mark of Christian virtue within their actions.

What then has become of your blessedness, he says, for I testify that if possible, you for me because of your love and affection that you showed for me when we first came to you and proclaim the gospel.

So now he says in verse 16, have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? Do you hate that I now come to you and tell you to repent? Are you hating me for this? Why? What would be the reason for this animosity that you would have toward me because I told you to repent?

Is it not out of love that we would proclaim the truth to our neighbor? In Ephesians chapter 4, the instruction that we speak the truth in love. Now it is, of course, possible to speak the truth in a very unloving way, but I say you corrupt the message of what it is that you're proclaiming and you don't even understand what it is that you're saying when you do it that way.

When you take the truth and you're beating people over the head for it or you call them idiots because they don't understand it, then you've even lost the foundational understanding of the message that God in his kindness and his mercy has given us the gospel that we might live, has given his own son to die for us that we would have our sins forgiven.

In Romans chapter 2, it says, do you presume on the Lord's kindness and the riches of his mercy, not knowing that his kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? So we must know the kindness of God that he has shown toward every one of us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us so that we would have that same kind of kindness for the lost.

We must be careful in the way that we communicate these things, not delving into squabbling and arguing, but speaking with peace for the gospel is a message of peace. And even when it comes to correcting a brother or sister in the Lord, we don't do so in vindictive ways.

For Paul even gave this instruction to the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 3, do not regard the one who walks in sin among you as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. The purpose is to bring him to repentance, not to get the wicked guy out of your church so that, hey, now we can be holy because that guy is gone.

If ever that kind of discipline has to be done here, may we mourn to have to do it. We do it because the Lord Christ instructs us to do it and he himself did it for us, opposing even Peter, get behind me Satan.

And even in doing this, if we know that God is love, don't we know that when Jesus said to Peter, get behind me Satan, that he said so in love? How would such a comment be received in our midst? If someone had to stand before someone else and say, get behind me Satan, or turn from the path you're on, because if you do not, it leads you to hell.

And we might regard such a statement as being from the mouth of an enemy rather than the warning of a friend. We must speak the truth in love, but we must also understand that the truth is being spoken to us in love, and we must turn from our sin and repent.

Warren Wearsby said, truth without love is brutality, and love without truth is hypocrisy. In Proverbs 27 .6, faithful are the wounds of a friend, profuse are the kisses of an enemy. There are a lot of people would love to tell you flattering things because your affection for them makes them feel good.

They might want something for you, whether it's attention, whether it's a claim, whether it's money, but they'll tell you the things that you want to hear in order to make it everybody happy and feel good.

Not even concerned about the truth, not concerned about the eternal value of your soul, but just concerned with their own prejudices, biases, ideology. Paul says in verse 17, they make much of you, talking about those false teachers that have come to you.

They make much of you, but for no good purpose. One of the things that we can understand from this here is that false teachers, in their heart, they probably do mean the best for you. There's no reason for us to believe that some person is lying through their teeth, but in their heart, they're conniving.

They're going, I'm using this person to get something for myself. That may not actually be the attitude of their heart. They may actually genuinely care for the people that they think they're speaking lovingly to, but if they're speaking lies, it can't possibly be love.

They're deceived and they're deceiving others, leading to more and more lawlessness. But the person who truly loves others, loves the truth and speaks the truth in love. And David said in the Psalms, let a righteous man strike me.

It is a kindness, as Paul is doing for the Galatians here. These false teachers make much of you, but they do it for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. Shut you out of what?

Shut you out of the church, shut you out of the kingdom, so that you are able to make much of them. Make them feel good. Even get them money, if that's what it is that they're after. And we do have false teachers today that do that very thing.

Tell you what it is that you want to hear, so that you'll give them your money. They're making much of you, Paul says, but not for your good, for their good. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose.

So this is Paul saying, if I have to make an example of you, it's so no one will make the same mistakes you're making. It's not because Paul's trying to make much of himself or make them feel bad and him more high and mighty than everybody else.

It's not why Paul does it. He does it for their good and for the good of others, that they may not fall into the same pattern of mistakes that the Galatians have. And my friends, may that be the same with us as well.

We are learning from the Galatians, to whom this letter was written 2 ,000 years ago. We don't know what became of them. We really don't know what the outcome of this church was after this particular letter.

I'm sure some came to repentance and some probably did not. We do have a benefit in some places of like 1 and 2 Corinthians, where Paul issues a rebuke and then in 2 Corinthians, we get to see some people did indeed repent of that rebuke, but there was still more work that needed to be done.

Others that were continuing to reject the words of the apostle, which had been given to him by Christ and needed to be called to repentance. Even people there in the church in Corinth, by that second letter, third letter, but second that we have in canon, who were still going after false apostles and Paul needing to warn them about those false teachers and correct other behaviors that had still been prevalent in the church at that particular time.

And these things were done for their benefit and praise God, they were even done for our benefit today, that we may not fall into the same pattern of behavior. We understand what God demands of us, what righteous living looks like, that there not be any sexual immorality, but instead that we are sanctified by Christ, that there not be any anger or wrath or bitterness, but rather we show kindness and love to one another.

All these instructions that have been given to us in scripture are for our benefit. That we would be made more like Christ. And my friends, if you in your life have begun falling into an attitude that if you were to carefully examine it, you were to look at your attitude and your personality right now and think, I don't think this is indicative of Christian behavior.

I don't think a Christian should be acting like I'm acting right now. Have you fallen into bitterness? Are you complaining all the time? Do you have nothing but anger toward other people? Do you see yourself as right and everybody else wrong?

And so everyone needs to listen to you, and you're looking down on everyone else? You don't get joy out of coming to church anymore? Church is just kind of a thing that happens when it happens, but I don't really try.

I don't labor. I don't try to get there and enjoy worship with the people of God and love to hear the word of God proclaimed and gather together at the Lord's table. These things don't excite you. Instead, you're even trying to find ways that you can have certain sinful things and tiptoe the line, but as long as I'm not crossing it, then maybe I'm not doing anything really wrong.

Is that how you're justifying your behavior? Well, then let me challenge you with this. If that's where your attitude is gone, the possibility is you believe false doctrine, and you have left the joy of the gospel and are believing instead after worldly patterns, and those things in their toxic ways have gotten into your mind and your heart, and that dead person in there, right?

The dead person that we once were that's supposed to be suppressed, that's supposed to be way deep down and gone, and we're not that dead person anymore, but we've been made alive together in Christ. That dead person's become a zombie and is trying to get back out, and it's because you love false doctrine instead of rejoicing in the truth of the gospel.

And what would it take to bring you back to righteousness? What would it take to once again bury that dead man and put on Christ, put on the new self, which is being renewed after the image and the knowledge of our creator?

What would it take? Would a rebuke be offensive to you? And are you so far deep in your fleshly desires that you would scorn such a rebuke if it came? Or is there still enough of a longing of the spirit of God?

And I pray that there is, that if you have to be rebuked for your sinfulness, you will thank the person who has done so and rejoices with David did. Let a righteous man strike me. It is a kindness. Paul does not want the Galatians to be shut out of the kingdom of heaven.

That's why he's writing what he is writing. But those false teachers, they don't have your best interest in mind. They want to shut you out that you may make much of them. It's good to be made much of for a good purpose.

Christ Formed in You Through Loving Correction

And not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone for I am perplexed about you.

Again, Paul says, I don't want to be this guy that's constantly beating you over the head. You know, when I was an older brother and my, I would watch my younger brothers take advantage of my mom and dad.

What I would watch them do is the same stupid stuff I did when I was their age. That's what I'm watching them do. But you know what I wanted to do with my brothers? I wanted to have fun. I wanted to play video games.

I wanted to go out and watch movies together. I wanted to wrestle with each other, get out and get dirty and punch and beat each other up all in love, all in good fun. That's what I wanted to do with my brothers.

I did not want to have to get in their faces and tell them the way that they're acting and the way that they're behaving. And even to tell them, do not make the same mistakes that I'm making. And a lot of times those conversations did not go well.

It wasn't like a kind little, Hey man, straighten up. No, they were digging in their heels and falling into seriously sinful behavior that had to be confronted and confronted harshly. And I did not want that between us.

I wanted, I wanted the goodness, the fun times that we had, the goofiness that we would, that we would do with each other. And those memories still so fond in my mind. That's what I wanted. I didn't want to have to be in a constant state of a correcting spirit.

And that's what I want in this body, not just between me and you, but between you and you and you and each other across the aisles behind you, in front of you, everyone in this room. In harmony with one another, no need for correction, no need for calling out sin, no need for spending our days and talking about what you have been doing wrong and how you need to correct it and come back to Christ.

Because those things are massively distracting from what we need to be doing as a body pursuing Christ and preaching his gospel to our community. The ways that we could be serving one another body and soul and rejoicing to do so get lost when there's a constant need for correction.

And those things need to be dealt with. We can't ignore them just because we want all the good times. So now let's, eh, we'll take care of all this other stuff later. No, our God demands holiness. And there is much joy in holiness, my brothers and sisters.

There's much joy in it. Take it from me who once walked in darkness so dark, I am amazed that God even cared enough about me to pull me out of the valley of the shadow of death I was walking in. But he did not leave me nor forsake me.

His rod and staff, they comforted me. As Becky shared with the kids, I believe it was last week. You know what that rod is? It's a rod of correction. For God, between God and me, it was more like a two by four.

But he got me straightened out. And it's only on this side of this pursuit of holiness that I am in that I'm looking back on where I was, lacking sanctification instead of pursuing sin, that I see in that guy, there was no joy.

You know why I loved my sin? Because my heart was dark. And now in holiness, I hate that sin, that I may never walk in it again. That I would instead be like my Lord Christ. And the fear that I have of God is not a fear of judgment.

It is a reverent fear. Because he is a holy God, and he is good to me, who has delivered me up from my transgressions and given me grace through his Son and forgiveness of sins. That is what my Lord God has done for me, and I want you to know him that intimately as well.

We sang this morning songs that were all related to friendship that we have with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And indeed, he is a friend to us. And my friends, he is a friend to us enough to tell us when we've been stupid.

And we need correction, because he wants to be our friend. He does not want to be our judge. But for the sake of his righteousness, he will be. If it comes to that. Hear what Jesus said to the church at Laodicea in Revelation chapter 3.

I know your works, you are neither cold nor hot, would that you were either cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments, so that you may clothe yourself, and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Let me repeat that again. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me. Fellowship with our Savior. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Closing Announcements and Program Schedule

You've been listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Gabe will be going through a New Testament study. Then on Thursday, we look at an Old Testament book.

On Friday, we take questions from the listeners and viewers. Tomorrow, we'll pick up on an Old Testament study, When We Understand the Text.