Well, I invite you to turn to Galatians chapter 5 today, Galatians chapter 5. We want to read the opening 14 verses of this chapter here, Galatians in the chapter number 5. So let's read the word as it is before us here. Galatians chapter 5, beginning at the opening verse, the verse 1 of the fifth chapter of the book of Galatians. The Word of God says, Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherein Christ hath made us free. Be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become. No effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor on circumcision, but faith which worketh by love. Ye did run well. Who did hinder you? Ye should not obey the truth. This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump of confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded. But he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offense of the cross ceased. I would that they were even cut off, which trouble you. For brethren, ye have been called on to liberty. Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Amen, and we'll end our reading at the verse 14. And with the word before you open, let me encourage you to keep it open. Let's just unite briefly in a word of prayer together. Our Father in heaven, here we are assembled before thee to hear thy word. We rejoice, Lord, that the pulpit in this house is not pushed to the side. It's not some kind of lectern that can be picked up and put away and pushed away. But we thank you that it's fixed, the very center of this congregation. Lord, it is fixed for the purpose of the Word of God being preached from it. For we recognize, dear God, that many would have the Word pushed to the side or have some other thing in its place. But we rejoice, Lord, that we're here. in the house of God to hear the word preached. And Lord, give us therefore a heart to hear thy word and ears to hear thy word. Our ears have been filled with many a thing and many a voice in a week that has passed. Hush every other voice and may the voice of the great shepherd be heard. Grant, Lord, help to the preacher. Lord, I need the infilling of thy spirit. Give me power and give me love. I cry, These my petitions unto thee and through the name of Christ the Savior. Amen and amen. Lapsing into a backslidden state is something that all who savingly know Christ as Savior need to be wary of. If Bible characters such as Abraham, Samson, David, and Peter could see their love for Christ grow cold, we, who are men and women of like passions as they were, we ourselves can easily find ourselves in a similar spiritual state. if we do not guard our walk with the Lord. Now it's obvious from the words of the Apostle Paul here in this chapter that there were believers associated with the Galatian churches who were presently in a backslidden state. It was a state that was not pleasing to God. And it certainly was not pleasing to God's servant, the apostle Paul. Having entered the Christian race by the new birth, and for a time had run well in that race, these believers were no longer pressing toward the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. But rather instead, they were drifting backwards in their spiritual lives. Paul had become aware of that. And wanting to arrest the spiritual drift within the congregation, he decided by the inspiration of God to pen words in the verse number 7 of Galatians chapter 5 that he hoped would startle, would startle those who were in the congregation the day that the letter was read. Ye did run well. Who did hinder you? that ye should not obey the truth. It wasn't that they didn't know the truth. Paul and others had faithfully presented the truth of God's Word, and so this drifting from God and this coldness was not the fault of the preacher. But rather, they had decided not to obey the truth that they had heard. And so Paul writes, ye did run well. Ye did run well, who did hinder you? Sadly, there can be in every Christian fellowship people over whose lives the words of the Apostle Paul could be written. Any minister who loves his people, deeply loves them, desires that each person who sits under his ministry would run well the race and win the prize and win the well-done of God. No minister wants to see anyone in his congregation becoming a spiritual shipwreck. However, despite the warnings from the pulpit and despite the personal prayers of God's servant, there are some, even among us today, who once ran well for God. now no longer. Young people who showed immense, immense potential when I first became the minister of this congregation. But now today, you're hankering after the world instead of hungering after God. Older individuals who nine years ago never missed a meeting, but sadly there has been a markable change with regard to your commitment to the work of Jesus Christ. Others have simply allowed the world to captivate your heart so that spiritual matters and eternal matters come far down the list of your priorities. If I have just described you today, The purpose of this message, and God knowing my heart, is not to drive you into further despair, but rather it is simply to draw you back from the by-path meadow that you're walking and see you back at your best for God. And so taking the words of Galatians 5, verse 7 as my text, I want to preach a message that I've entitled, For Those who once ran well for God, for those who once ran well for God. From our text here in the verse 7, the first matter that I want to pass a number of comments upon is the people who are identified, the people who are identified within our text. Now the Apostle Paul doesn't take, as it were, the metaphorical paintbrush and with Large broad strokes paint broadly when he comes to address those who once ran well for God. Without identifying the people specifically by name, Paul nevertheless is still pointed in his remarks when he says, ye, ye did run well. It seems to be that Paul is astounded at it. This very thought that the people that he's now writing to were people who once ran well for God. It isn't the first time that he, as it were, draws their attention to this very fact, because if you turn back to the chapter number one of this same epistle, you'll find in the verse number six these words, I marvel. In other words, I am astounded. I am amazed, is what the Apostle Paul says, that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. in verse number 6 of chapter 1, and the verse number 7 of Galatians chapter 5, obviously refers to those that Paul was writing to in this letter. You'll recall that the Apostle Paul and his missionary journeys and endeavors had gone into the region of Galatia, and as a result, preaching the gospel in a number of those cities, Many had come to trust in Jesus Christ. They had received, they had believed the gospel, and for a period of time, they had run well for God. However, when Paul pens now this letter, things are different. It's very clear that those who were once zealous converts had ceased running the Christian race. And that's an amazing turn of events, especially whenever you think about what the Apostle Paul has to say about these people throughout the letter. He's very gracious in his dealings with the people when he speaks about them within this particular letter. This is their present state. They are those who once ran well for God, but now no longer, and yet Paul has much to say about these individuals. What does he say about them in this letter? Well, let me give you a little brief outline. To write the letter, Paul refers to them as brethren. In actual fact, he does it 11 times. Not just once or twice, but 11 times he refers to these people as being brethren. These are those who belong to the household of faith. They once ran well for God. In Galatians chapter 1 and the verse number 6, the apostle writes that they were called. into the grace of Christ. They had known the call of God, the effectual call, calling out of sin and on to God. In chapter number 3 and the verse 13, Paul states that Christ had redeemed us, and he includes himself, but including himself in that little word us, he also includes the recipients of the letter, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. They belong to God's family. They've been called by the Spirit, the effectual call. They have been redeemed by precious blood. Look there in the verse number 14 of chapter 3, Paul writes that these people had received the promise of the Spirit through faith. They had now become those who were indwelt by the Spirit of God. In the verse 28 of the same chapter, Paul reminds his readership that you're all one in Christ Jesus. He speaks of their union with Jesus Christ, and then he concludes that same chapter by reminding them that if you be Christ, then you're Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. He goes on in chapter 4 to make it clear that these people were no longer servants, but they were now sons. They'd been adopted into God's family, and they'd been made heirs of God through Christ. In the verse number 9 of Galatians chapter 4, he states that they not only knew God, but God knew them. And then in the opening verse of this chapter, he speaks of them standing fast in the liberty wherein Christ had made them free, and yet despite Despite being the recipients of these high and holy privileges, it is now to these people, it is now to these people that Paul has to write these words, ye did run well, ye did run well. He writes it in the past tense, with heavy heart, as he looks at their lives, But he says, he did run well. Could it be that there is someone here today, someone maybe listening to this message, this recording, and the same could be said of you? No doubt in your mind that you're saved, that you were called by the Spirit of God onto salvation, you were redeemed, You were adopted into God's family. No doubt in your mind that you belong to the family of God, that you're a child of God. No doubt in your mind that there was a time in your life when you were delivered from sin's bondage and you experienced the liberty that there is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And yet today, not only have you stalled in your Christian life, but you've slipped back. You slip backwards to the point that to the discerning onlooker, they question by your present conduct whether or not you were ever truly saved. There is a great dishonor brought on Christ when we do not run the race. There is a great dishonor brought to Christ, one who suffered and bled and died, if we do not live up to the privileges that Christ purchased for us by his death. As we think about these people who once ran for God, well for God, I say it sends a warning shot across the bow of this preacher. And across the bow of every Christian's life, reminding us that we ourselves could find ourselves in a similar spiritual state if we do not live circumspectly. There could come a time when it could be said of us, ye did run well. But it'll all be in the past. We must take heed to ourselves lest we fall, and for those who have fallen to pray for such. Ye did run well. It amazes Paul. Ye who were so privileged, ye who were the recipients of grace in the gospel, ye once ran well, but now no more. Not only do we see in our text the people that are identified, I want you to note the picture that is employed. When the Apostle Paul writes his letters, his epistles, you'll find him from time to time that he turns to this picture, this illustration of running a race to describe what it is to be a Christian, what it is to, as it were, walk with God and then run for God. A couple of examples, just to give you 1 Corinthians 9.24, Paul writes, The other reference is over there in Hebrews 12 verse 1, many believe that Paul was the author of the book of Hebrews and he says there, wherefore seeing we are also compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. And so this picture here in Galatians chapter 5 is easy for us all to understand. It is of a runner that is engaged in running the race. They're not dandering. They're not dawdling. They're not walking. No, all energy, all effort is put into running the race. Running the race. Whenever we trust in Christ for salvation, we all begin running the race of faith. Now, the goal in running the Christian race, and this may surprise you, but I trust that it will help you, the goal in running the Christian race is not to outrun others in the Christian race. That's not the goal. The goal is not for me to beat you and for you to beat me. That is not the goal. The goal is Christ. Christ. It is not for you to outrun others who are participating in the race. The goal is for us to finish the race and to win Christ. Paul said that I might win Christ. It is for us to finish the course, not to stop halfway through, not to quit, but to finish, and to finish it with joy. These people had progressed to a point in their Christian lives where they were not only walking with God, but they had ranted up, we would say. They were now running for God. Walking with God was not enough for them. They wanted to run after God. They were going a little bit further. They were going, as it were, the second mile. Walking with God was good, yes, but now they wanted to run for God. Where are God's people who are running for God? Thank God we saw some last week. People running from their work to come to a meeting. Running for God. Did you run for God last week? Did you? Running for God? Now maybe there was a time in your life that you ran for God. A time when you were zealous in your witnessing for God. A time when you were hungry for the Word of God. A time when the meetings in the church couldn't come round quick enough. to have to wait till Wednesday night to come to the time of prayer. You couldn't get to the meetings quick enough. Was there a time in your life when you gave yourself to serve the Lord in some way, a time when you delighted in prayer and you desired to do the will of God in your life? But how is it with you now, today, the last Lord's Day of August 2022? Young man, how is it with you today? Brethren, sisters, I am giving you my heart today in the heart of God. How is it with you today? Are you still running after Christ? Are you still striving to win the prize? Are you still in the race? Are you still in the race? Or has your love for Christ waned? Have your times of prayer and reading the Word become sporadic? Have you withdrawn from the service of Christ? Are you a long-term absentee from the place of prayer? Has your passion for the lost, has it dried up? I tell you these are concerning traits, and they may indicate that something is not right with you spiritually. May God search our hearts with this probing question. Every individual, I'm not asking about your mother or father. I'm not asking you about your friends. I'm not asking about the person that's sitting beside you. I'm asking you to ask yourself the question and allow the Spirit of God to ask the question, am I running the race? Am I running the race? Maybe you would say to me, Preacher, I've never even entered the Christian race. Well, begin today. I tell you, the prize is worth it. Christ is the prize. He's worth it. He's worth entering the race, and He's also worth persevering in the race. Now quickly, a third point from our text. Note the progress that was accomplished or the progress that was achieved. Paul testifies that there was a time in their lives that these believers ran well for God. Ye did run well. Mark the word well. He did not come down upon them like a ton of bricks. I trust you do not feel that today. He commended them and said, you did run well. The word well, it means finally, or excellently, or nobly, or commendably. The word Paul employs here indicates that there was nothing to suggest that these believers had not run a good race for God in the past. No, no, great were the strides that they had made. Much progress had been made. Their journey, as it were, from the wastelands of sin into the green pastures of righteousness had been apparent. No question, no question, these people were a people who had ran well for God. And there is no question in my mind that I'm looking at people today in this congregation, and I'm not pointing in any specific way, or people listening online, or in the church hall. They're individuals, and I have no doubt that you once ran well for God. No doubt in my mind about it. Much ground was taken off the devil. Much progress was made in the realm of personal holiness. Many contacts were made through personal evangelistic efforts on your part. The Word of God at a time was devoured in your life. Your service for God was unstinted. There was great progress. But brethren and sisters, beloved, for you today, It's all in the past. Ye did run well. I'm here to inform you today that it doesn't need to be that way. The progress that you once made for God can be made again, regardless of the lies that the devil would want you to believe. To many of God's people, of Christian lives that reside in the past. We all have to bemoan that at times within our own personal experience. There is a lack of an up-to-date walk with God. We have to revert back. Well, five years I used to go. Ten years I used to be involved. I'm not speaking about people who who are long-term ill and are aged now. I'm not speaking about people like that. I'm just speaking about God's people who once ran for God. It would be better, brethren and sisters, for it to be said of us, ye are running well instead of ye did run well. That's what I want my testimony to be. You're running well. you're running well. I want you to see, fourthly, the problem that had materialized. Although there was a time that these believers had, in Galatia, had ran a faithful, a focused, a fruitful race for God, as we've said, now no longer they are. And Paul, he identifies the cause for this failure on their part when he asks the question, who did hinder you? ye did run well, who did hinder you?" Notice that the Apostle Paul, he doesn't ask the question, what did hinder you? No, he rather asked the question, who? Who did hinder you? You see, the hindrance in their Christian lives is put down to a somebody, not a something. And I want to give you a number of suggestions as to the identity, because we're not given the identity. Although I believe that we can, from the passage here, we can glean that there were those who had come into the Galatian church, heretical teachers, and they were teaching that salvation, salvation had to be accompanied with circumcision. And as a result, these people had fallen from the, as it were, the free grace of Christ, and they were now thinking that they needed to add work. They needed to add works to their faith. And so, Paul, I believe, identifies these heretical teachers. These are the ones who were hindering God's people, because that happens. At times, there are those that come into the flock of God. and they try to hinder the work of God. But let me give you a few other suggestions as to who these individuals could have been as well. Individuals that hinder them and individuals and people who hinder us in running well for God. In the first place, could the hinderer be, who did hinder you? Could it be yourself? Yourself. We live in a society where nobody wants to take responsibility for anything. Blame is passed up the chain of command, and whenever it reaches the top, it then passes down the chain of command, and it's nothing but a vicious circle. You never actually get to who it is that is the cause of the problem. Because we live in a society where nobody wants to take responsibility for anything. And that mindset spills over into our lives whenever we don't want to take responsibilities for the mistakes that we made as a Christian. Backslider, as kindly as I can put it, you need to take responsibility for your actions. You chose to walk away from God. You stopped coming to the house of God. You started drinking. You started to be unfaithful in your marriage. You stopped praying. You stopped reading the Bible. And your choices have led you to where you are today. But beloved, you can make a different choice And you can know the forgiveness of the sin of backsliding. Will you make that choice? Will you return to your first love? Will you repent of your sin? The blame for you not running may be laid at your door. Could the hinderer be, in the second place, the devil? Writing to the Thessalonian believers, Paul testifies, if you want to turn there, just a couple of books over there, 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 18. Paul testified how Satan hindered him and others. 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 18. The devil loves to stifle, even stop the progress of the child of God. Do you believe that the devil wants us to run well for God? If you do, you're much deluded. He will not cheer us on from the sidelines of the race. Rather, he will place snares, traps, falls, into which he hopes that we will stumble, fall, and quit the race altogether. He is the great hinderer. He is the great accuser, the devil, and he wants to hinder us in our Christian lives. I wonder if you allowed the devil to hinder you. You know, maybe you failed the Lord and the devil has latched on to that failure and suggested to you that you could never, you could never be what you were once for God. Or maybe the wicked one has gotten you snared into some besetting sin that he makes sure that he lays the bait before you every day that you cannot resist. Or maybe Satan has stirred up so much opposition in your home or in your school or in your place of employment that you've just said to yourself, what's the point in running the race? Don't stop running. Don't stop running. Satan is a hinderer, but thank God, greater is our helper. Our help is in the Lord. Maybe it wasn't yourself, maybe it wasn't Satan who hindered you, maybe it was your minister. Did I hinder you? Did you look on my deficiencies? Were you a witness of my hypocritical life? In your estimation, was my counsel too pointed? Were my entreaties too lacking in love? Was my preaching too harsh, too long? Did the practice of my life not match up to my preaching? Did I fail to keep my word to you and to your family? And did you come to the conclusion that if that's Christian living and that's my minister, I want nothing to do with that? I pray that I haven't hindered you. And if I have, I have no problem in apologizing to you. That was never my intention. My desire has always been that my life and my example, as pitiful as it is, would help you on to God rather than hinder you. And can I say this? If I ever quit, never you quit. Never you quit. If I end up a spiritual shipwreck, never you end up a spiritual shipwreck. Maybe it was some hypocritical Christian who hindered you. Maybe it was somebody in your home Maybe it was somebody in this church. Maybe it was someone in your work, and you watched their lives, and you saw very little evidence of the fruit of the Spirit. And you said to yourself, well, what incentive is that for me to live the Christian life? Now, while that is a sad state of affairs, it is still no reason for you to stop running the Christian race, is it? It was for you to keep your eyes on Christ. That was what you were supposed to do. You were to keep your eyes on Christ. It wasn't to be focusing on any other person who was running the race, whether they were running it good or bad, whether they were running it well or badly. That wasn't what you were to be doing. You were to be keeping your eyes on Christ. Maybe it was some friend who hindered you. You know, whenever Peter denied the Lord, he got himself into sort of a spiritual state that nobody wants to get into. It was a very downcast, depressed kind of state. And, brethren and sisters, whenever you're in that state of mind, a little bit of advice, don't be making decisions whenever you're in that state of mind because you always make the wrong decisions. Always make decisions whenever you've got a clear head. Peter had denied his Lord, and so he decided, with regard to the preaching, no more. He says, I go a fishing. Whenever Peter said that, six other people decided to join him. Six other men. called of God decided to jump onto the ship that Peter was captaining that day, and they caught nothing because it was their own choice. And Peter had an influence on others. And maybe there was someone in your life, a friend, and they have influenced you. You see, moving on from school, primary school into secondary school, some of you are doing that. Moving from school into college, some of you have done that. Moving from college into a workplace, some of you have done that. That move into the workplace, into education, some other form of education, saw a change with regard to the cohort of your friends. whereas before your friends went to church, whereas before they attended the youth fellowship, whereas before they came from God-fearing homes, your new friends have no time for spiritual things. Their language is filthy, their morality is questionable, their worldview is atheistic, their practices are sinful, and frankly, their company and their example has led to your spiritual life taking a nosedive. Peter again got into the wrong company. The night when Christ was betrayed, arrested, and tried, Instead of withdrawing from that company, he just lingered on. And Peter, as he lingered, soon found himself employing the foul language of the ungodly to deny his association with the Lord Jesus Christ. I say this with all the love of a pastor. Friendships that take you away from God's house Friendships that encourage spiritual declension in your life. Friendships that lead you to becoming more worldly and less spiritual. Or friendships that you need to renounce. Not only for your own sake, but for the sake of those lives that you're influencing. You do not want to be the cause of your spouses, your children, your brother, or your sister becoming a backslider. Better you return to the Lord as a result of this message. Better you return before others follow you into the far country. And I say it for this reason. There may be a time in the providence and the mercy of God that you return to God, but they may never come back from the far country. Have you ever thought about that? because you need to. You may come back, but they may never come back from the far country. Let me conclude with a final brief thought. The panacea that is required, or the remedy. I don't think it's a great word, but I'll use it anyway. They've all been pees, so. The panacea that is required. Paul identifies the problem. They were believers. They had once ran well for God. They had been hindered by others. It doesn't take a genius. It doesn't take someone with a university degree to understand what the remedy is. The remedy is very simple. It is, first of all, acknowledge your present state. Turn from it and seek forgiveness and reenter the race at the earliest opportunity possible. You see, all failure in the Christian life finds its remedy at the cross of Jesus Christ. Sin, in whatever form it takes, finds cleansing in the blood of God's dear Son. He is our Father. And the picture of him as a father is so vividly displayed in the parable of the prodigal son. The father was waiting for the returning boy. Maybe I address you here today and you ran well for God but no longer. Once you were bright for the master, but now no longer. Once there was a time in your Christian life where you accomplished things for God, but now no more. Whatever's been the cause of your failure, a new beginning can be yours today if you'd only but return to your first love. If God wills, for many of us, Not all of us, but for many of us, there's still many a lap still to run in this race. There's still many a lap. And thank God you can begin again. You want to be running your best for God, don't you? Of course you do. What have you found in the world vanity. You want to be running your best for God. I watched in recent weeks the Commonwealth Games, a little bit of the European Championships, and I marveled at some of those shorter races, 100 meters races like that, and I saw men, and they literally threw themselves over the line to win a little piece of metal and a piece of material, a piece of silk. And for the fame of for how long? A couple of months. Someone else will beat the record. Someone else will become the champion, but they threw themselves to the line. You want to throw yourself at the line, brother. You want to throw yourself at the line, sister. You want to finish the race well. And so as I close, Is it the case that you were once running well for God? What has impeded your onward course? What stumbling block has fallen your way? Who is it that has hindered you? Well, whoever it is and whatever it is, have done with it and return to your God. There's nothing that encourages God's people more than seeing others run for God. And so for those who once ran for him, my counsel is simple. Turn from your sin. Re-enter the race. And brother, sister, let's run the race together. Let's win the prize. Let's win the well done of God. Let it never be said of us ye did run well. May it be said of us, they ran well. They ran well to the final day. May God search out every heart. For Christ's sake, amen. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Now there is a decision for you all to make. There is a decision for this preacher to make. There is a decision for you to make with regard to the Word that has been brought today. Is it the case that we're not running as we once ran for God? Is it the case? I'm not here to publicly embarrass anyone. I'm not here to ask you to put up a hand or anything like that, but did you once run for God and you found yourself Not running as you once did. Well, God has sent this word to you, and I want you to understand this is the heart of God. God is a loving heart. He doesn't want you to remain in your state. It's time to start running for God. We're in the cusp of a gospel mission, but brother, sister, if we weren't even in the cusp of a gospel mission, it wouldn't matter. We just need to be running for God in these days. So you just take these time and these moments as I close in prayer, you ask God to forgive you. And you say, God, I want to start running for God. And from this day, and from tonight, and from this moment, I'm going to run for God. I'm not going to leave it to Wednesday night. I'm going to start running for God again. May God give you the grace and the help, and may God give me the grace and help. I'm gonna go to the gate, but please drive on. It is an open-air service today, so just acknowledge and then please go on. Be careful as you make your way out of the car park, and let's just seek the Lord. If I can help you in any way, you know where I live, you know my phone number, you know that I'm here. I'm here to help you. May God help you. Our loving Father, we come before thee. Lord, thou dost know the heart of this preacher today, but it matters not about the heart of the preacher. It doesn't matter about the preacher. Really, Lord, we are before thy word and before thy heart today. And we know that whenever Paul wrote these words, it was his desire that such would be The impact of reading these words that the people would assess where they were and they would start running for God again. Lord, surely that's what we want to see. We just want to see ourselves running at our best for God. Help us to run the race. We do not know when the finish line is coming. For some, it may be today. or others this week. For some people, it may not be for decades, but the finish line is coming. May we throw ourselves over the line and finish at our best for God. And so answer prayer and part us with thy blessing. And may God, the Holy Spirit, use the word to challenge hearts. We pray this in our Savior's holy name. Amen.