Glad to be with you all as we all dig out of snowpocalypse. And we are glad to be together this morning. Now, would you open in your copy of the Scriptures, please, to Galatians 1. In 1991, Mark Knopfler of the great band Dire Straits, All of you Gen Xers will know Dire Straits. Nafla wrote a sneaky classic called The Bug. And it's all about, you know, life, the ups and downs. Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug. And there's a line in it that stands out to me that says, sometimes you're the Louisville slugger, and sometimes you're the ball. This morning, Apostle Paul steps into the batter's box and he's the Louisville slugger. And the Galatian church and us, we're the ball this morning as Paul needs to get through the thick outer shell that tends the way of most of us. This is one of those passages where Paul, this is not the only passage in Galatians, it's kind of a theme in Galatians, always seasoned with grace, always seasoned with his perfect and divine love for us, yet through this book Christ will also occasionally take out the Louisville slugger and he will, spiritually speaking, smack us upside the head. Now, with Paul, we can be sure of this. He never speaks this way because he likes to. He never speaks the way that he speaks in our text and other texts in Galatians because he really enjoys stepping into the ring or he senses some bravado connected to it. Not at all. Rather, he has consequential things on the mind. And that is why he writes the way he writes. And we trust that the Lord has before us as a congregation this text this morning because the Lord has consequential things for each of us. This is Galatians 1 starting in verse 6. I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel, which is really not another gospel. Only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed. For am I now seeking the favor of men or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. It's a pretty edgy passage. It's a tight argument that Paul makes. It's direct. He's got teeth. There's reason for Paul to speak this way. He's the Louisville slugger. Twice he says in this passage, let him be accursed. That's as strong as it gets. He expresses his dismay with them. I can't believe what you're doing. And when he says, let him be accursed, let him be anathema, that's as strong as it gets. That's Paul. He's angry, Paul, and he's got something to say. And he knows that these people need to hear what it is that he has to say. He's going to express his disappointment to them in the strongest possible terms. Everyone loves to please the people that they love or they admire. You got somebody in your life that you admire, maybe a mentor, somebody who you've seen their work in whatever field that you might be in. They're the expert in that field. You admire that person or some other individual, a family member even. You admire them. You want to please them. To read this would have been an extraordinary experience for these Galatians. They admire Paul. He spent time with them. We know from the book of Acts, he spent time with them, deepening their faith. discipling them, helping them along, helping correct some things and pointing them in other directions. He knows the faith. He's more advanced in the faith, if you will, than most of the people there in the Galatian church. He knows that he is something of a mentor to so many of them in these churches, and certainly included in Galatians. So for them to get this letter from Paul would have been an extraordinary experience. If they had the technology then that we have today, they would have texted each other and said, did you hear what Paul said? Because this letter goes around, right? This is a letter that goes to the churches of Galatia. So it's going from this church to that church and the other one, they would have, did you read that first part of it? Why do you think Paul said that? I couldn't believe it. We were shocked on our end. How about you all? That's what's going on when they read this. this letter. As I said, he'll circle back to some of this style, this direct confrontational style at various points in this letter. The old language from previous eras, in some ways we still keep it in our formal communications, but they used to describe the way and the manner of the minister. as grave. He's to be grave. He's to be serious. This is Paul at his gravest, at his most serious. We want to consider this passage, then, under three headings, the first of which is Paul's astonishment, right there in verse 6. It's not hard to find the outline here, is it? Paul's astonished. That's the first couple of verses here. You ever wonder what makes people tick? Maybe there's somebody that you've seen the excellence of their work, and you wonder what makes that person tick, somebody that you admire. Or maybe there's somebody who's had a very strange life. And either way, that's what you wonder. What makes that person go? Or, good self-reflective question, what makes you tick? What are the things that get you going? What do you wake up thinking about aside from coffee? Good coffee. I don't do church coffee. I do good coffee. Wake up thinking about that. What are the things that rev your engine? Well, it's not hard to figure out when reading Galatians what that is for Paul. He wears it on his sleeve. He says there in verse six, I am amazed. Thou mod so, there's your word. I am amazed, it's astonishing to me. And not in a good way, right? Not in a good way. Somebody says to you, you amaze me, right? You puff out her chest, well, well. That's not what Paul's doing here. This is the bad side of that phrase, you amaze me. I'm astonished by you. There's disappointment here. For many children, is there anything worse than your parent saying, you've disappointed me? It's crushing. That's what Paul's doing here. When he says, I'm amazed, it's Thou mod so. I'm very disappointed. And I'm shocked, I'm stunned at what it is that I am seeing in you. It's the strongest possible term. He goes so far as to say, I'm not even sure I can believe it. He struggles to believe how quickly they have deserted Christ himself. That's what's amazing to Paul. He's got this vibrant faith, this vital relationship with Christ, and he's seen that relationship in them. And he's helped to foster and to nourish that relationship with them, and the whole point of his book is to help them get back to that point, but he's heard troubling things. What have they done? They have deserted Christ. That's what he's amazed at. See how personal it is for Paul. It's not that they've deserted a thing, or it's not that they've deserted a place. It's not even so much that they've deserted a profession, as in a profession of faith. It's for Paul, it's Jesus himself that they've deserted. And so Paul knows the need, spiritually speaking, to take out that Louisville slugger and to startle them back because they've gone after another gospel. You see how Paul links together Jesus and the gospel? He links them together. I'm amazed that you have deserted him who has called you, has redeemed you and saved you. You've deserted Christ to do what? To go after another gospel. Paul is linking together the Christ of the gospel and the gospel itself. Why does that matter to us? Because you can't get the gospel right if you have no love for Christ. We are not saved by a formula. Can I go so far as to say that we are not saved by a doctrine? We are saved by a person. We are saved by Christ himself. So that for Paul, at the heart of the Christian gospel, is the Christ of the gospel. So that when they go after this other gospel, Paul says, you're deserting Christ. That's why it matters. You can't be committed to Christ and not love the gospel, and you can't love the gospel without loving Christ. You ever wonder why we don't preach politics at our church? I spent considerable time in the writing of my doctoral project looking at the issues connected to the preaching of politics in the church. The so-called red churches, and the so-called blue churches, and the so-called purple churches. You ever wonder why we don't preach politics at our church, but we preach Christ, that's why. Because our concern is for the spiritual life and health of each one of us. And there is no spiritual life, there is no spiritual health, there is no hope of heaven if Christ is not preached. And this is what's astonishing Paul. Now, Paul doesn't say what gospel they've run after. He does say, whatever it is, it's no gospel at all. You almost see in Paul here in verse 7, almost correct himself. You've gone after this other gospel. Actually, it's really not even another gospel at all. There isn't one. Most people think they were adopting a religion that was a combination of the gospel that they had heard from Paul and the law, observing the law, and the various exercises of doing the law. Law observance, Old Testament law observance mixed with the gospel as a way to secure their place Because it made sense to them. They could do something. They had something to contribute. They could feel good about that. Something to contribute to their own salvation is what I mean by that. And they felt good by that. They liked that. And this was a problem. Paul's heard of this. He's bothered by it. This sort of syncretism. That's the big word. Syncretism. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. A little gospel, a little law, a little Christian faith, a little worldly wisdom. Take two things together, you sync them together to make a third thing. And whatever it is, it's not the gospel. Verse 7, it's not really another gospel at all because there is no other gospel. They are disturbing your faith, Paul is saying to them. and they want to distort the purity of the gospel, disturbing their faith. We should work hard at creating an environment at our church where the faith of our brothers and sisters is not disturbed, but is nourished and strengthened. And we do that by constantly and relentlessly pointing each other to the word of truth. And we do that by coming alongside one another, the way the Holy Spirit comes alongside us and helps us and leads us and guides us. So in a similar way, we come alongside one another, and not in a judgmental way, you're wrong about this, you're wrong about that, but in a loving and kind and gracious way to point one another constantly and relentlessly to the word of truth, even if it's hard. And by following the convictions of the Holy Spirit, any gospel that disturbs the faith, any gospel that distorts the gospel faith, any gospel that mixes together the gospel faith with the latest wisdom of the world is no gospel at all. It is a distorted gospel. A distorted gospel will sell books, and it will pack arenas, and it will get lots of clicks on Twitter, but it is a distortion of the gospel leading men and women to abandon the Christ of the gospel. And Paul says we can't have that, not even a little bit. If I were to take a 12-ounce glass of pure water. I've got this here. I've got this pure water. Deer Creek. Pure water. Wherever it's from. And I put just a drop, just one little drop of poison in it. Would you drink it? Of course you wouldn't. Because it's distorted. It's diminished. It's unhealthy, and it's dangerous. Whatever it is, it would no longer be a pure glass of water. But if we preach Christ and Him crucified, then, and only then, are we preaching a pure gospel that leads to repentance and life. So Paul is astonished, he knows this, that they have left the good and the pure for a poisonous mix. That leads then to what it is that he wants them to recover, Paul's gospel, verses 8 and 9. Notice the extreme measures that Paul takes to advance the purity of the gospel. Verse 8, even if an angel from heaven, this is strong language. You see what Paul is doing? Paul is actually elevating the gospel over the angels themselves. Even if an angel from heaven was to come here and preach to you another gospel, and certainly if we preach to you another gospel, But even if an angel did that, he used to be an anathema, a cursed. That's very strong language. That's the language of, he used to be one who deals with God in his wrath, to be a curse, to be cut off. Verse 9, for good measure, I'll say it again, let him be accursed. Why such a strong reaction? Why not, hey, Paul, take it easy, man. Maybe they're weaker in their faith. Maybe you need to be patient with them. Maybe it's not as big a deal as you think it is, Paul. Maybe you need to be the one that relaxes a little. Go with the flow some, Paul. Well, here's the issue. Paul was motivated by the glory of Christ. That's what motivates him. That's what makes him tick. He's motivated by the glory of Christ. The gospel that Paul so loves, the gospel that we so love, at the center of it is a suffering and afflicted Christ. And Paul will not let that go. That's what we love about Paul. That's what we love about those that we admire in the faith. They won't let go of that. The same Christ who was betrayed by a friend. This is what's on Paul's mind. The same Christ who would go out to the garden, he would sweat blood and he would cry out, Father, if there is any other way, take this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will be done, but your will be done. That same Christ. who only a short time later would not cry out, Father, but cry out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Who hung on the cross and was mocked and beat, spit upon, so battered he'd be unrecognizable. That Christ who died for sinners who would say, into thy hands I commit my spirit, and then breathe his last, and hang his head, and it would droop, who went into the grave, who suffered, died, and was buried according to the Scriptures, and on the third day rose again from the dead, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence he will come again to judge the living and the dead. Paul has all this on the mind. This is the gospel message that he taught and by which he has labored to strengthen these dear saints so that when someone, even if it's an angel from heaven, should preach another gospel that strips Jesus of his redemptive power, and his sanctifying grace and ascribes salvation and forgiveness and sanctification to the works of the law or the flesh. When Paul hears that, he sees a diminished Christ. He sees a false gospel that has no power to save a single soul. Because if you could save yourself If you could contribute to your own salvation, then Jesus came for nothing. Just be better. And that was their message. You want to be saved? Just be better. What does that look like? Well, for them, it meant go get circumcised according to the Jewish custom. Go do the works of the flesh and keep the law of of our fathers, go make yourself better and then come. And Paul knew this was a poison in the glass. That's why Paul so strongly responds. Let them be accursed. And you know why else Paul responds so strongly? It's because he knows how simple it is, even for the most earnest Christian, to begin that drift. And to begin placing their confidence in their good works and in their flesh. And in their routines, and you know. He wants to shake them up. Sometimes you're the Louisville slugger. And in this case, we're the ball. and we need to be shaken up. We need to be re-anchored and let shake off the fetters that chain us to some kind of a third way, some kind of a diminished gospel where it's both me and Jesus. That Paul's saying, no it isn't. Sola Deo Gloria. to God alone be the glory in your salvation. Why? Because solus Christus. Christ alone is the agent of our salvation and not the works of the law to contribute anything. It's a little bit rough, a little graphic. There's a Professor and a theologian that was an acquaintance of ours at my church in California And he would come visit with us every so often usually preach His name was Henry Crobendom And I Remember one time I went to his hotel to pick him up to bring him to church his hotel room door was cracked open a little bit so I just walked in and There he was on his knees, leaning on the bed, praying. His shoes had holes in them. He didn't care about things like that. When he was finished, I said, so what are you going to preach? We had about a five minute drive to church. I said, Dr. Carbondale, what are you going to preach this morning? He said, I don't know yet. And I went, oh. Like, where's your manuscript, man? He said, he says, I don't know. I'll just get to church and pay attention to some things and I'll preach as I see fit. I said, okay, fair enough. And he said in that sermon, and I've heard him say several other occasions, listen friends, the only thing that we contribute to our salvation is excrement. And we all went, oh. A little graphic, a little rough, but not untrue. This is what Paul is correcting. They were beginning to bring their own good works, the works of the flesh, into their doctrine. That's why Paul says, I am utterly amazed how quickly you're doing this. And he corrects them with the purity of his own gospel. The real, pure gospel of Christ. Paul's astonishment, Paul's gospel. And then finally, Paul's chains. He knows that he's been the Louisville slugger to their ball here. So he defends his ministry. It's not the only time. But he needs to help them understand where he's coming from. And he needs to help them understand why he's saying these things. He says, verse 10, am I now seeking the favor of men or of God? Or, as to say, to put that another way, am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. What's built into that? That I am a bondservant of Christ. And I must be. And because I'm a bondservant of Christ, I have certain responsibilities. And I have to say these things to you. That's not, for Paul, throwaway language. When he says, I'm a bondservant of Christ, it's not a platitude. And it's certainly not a get-out-of-jail-free card, like the guy who's so unreasonable that no one can stand to be around him, and then he says, well, I'm just a servant of the Lord. You say, no, you're kind of an annoying person. That's what you are. That's not Paul's get-out-of-jail-free card. As though it gives him license to do or say whatever he wants. He's immune by just saying, well, I'm a servant of God. Rather, for Paul, It's his favorite term for himself. Did you know that seven times in the New Testament, in his letters, Paul refers to himself as a slave of Christ? A doulos, that's the word. A slave. A servant or a bondservant. One who is under the authority and leadership of another to do his will. He views himself as one who is chained as unto Christ. Do you view yourself that way? There's something aspirational about this. There's a reason that Paul says that to the Galatians. It's how I view myself, it's why I say to you the things I must say to you, but also there's something aspirational here. Same to the Galatians, so he says to us, do you view yourself really, I mean really, as a bondservant of Christ? Of course, in public settings we'll all say, well sure I do. But when we go to our prayer closet, we look at things that we love. Are we bringing those things under the Lordship of Christ? Am I a bondservant of Christ? Now this has particular meaning for Paul because he is one who would literally be in chains for the gospel. Imprisoned and put in chains. Ephesians 6 says, I pray on my behalf that utterances may be given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. That in proclaiming it, I may speak boldly as I ought. There are other places where Paul writes as one who was quite literally imprisoned and bound in that jail. in chains for preaching the gospel, but a slave to no man, but Christ alone." You want to talk about a life devoted to Christ. That's what it looks like. So I ask you again, do you view yourself as one? As a bondservant to Christ? Spiritually speaking, we are slaves to Christ. I remind you again of what I quoted last week from the Puritan Ralph Robinson, Christ is not loved at all until Christ is loved above all. That's how it looks to be a slave to him. Yes, we are chained and we are bound to the love of Christ above all things. Now, we've looked at Paul's astonishment. And we've looked at Paul's gospel and his fervor for its purity. And we've seen Paul's chains as one, as a bondservant to Christ. But we need to turn the spotlight on ourselves, don't we? Particularly on that third point, Paul's chains. Because to be a bondservant, to be a doulos, a slave of Christ. It means to be in complete subjection to Him, to consider yourself, to consider your life as bound to and under His. And the truth is we all fail at points in our life on this front, don't we? Each of us fail. Later on, we'll come to the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We could spend 35 to 40 minutes on each one of those, if not more. That's called the fruit of the Spirit. We'll emphasize this when we get there, but it's not the fruits of the Spirit. Rather, this is the fruit of the Spirit. Paul says, here it is, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control against such things there is no law. And we each fail. at each of these things. Sometimes in quiet ways and sometimes spectacularly. And the reason we do that is because the old man of Romans 7 still bangs his ugly drum and runs counter to the call of Jesus in our lives to be in complete and joyful subjection to him. The gospel that Paul so eagerly wants to get right, and wants the Galatians to get right, reminds us that at the cross we can dump our sins. If there was something else that I could do to contribute to my salvation, then there's no place I can go with my sins. I can't go to myself. Paul knows this. And he says, I'm enslaved to this message because I'm enslaved to the Christ of this message. That when we fail, and we all fail, quietly or spectacularly, we go, we dump our sins at the cross, and we do it for Christ and for the sake of his glory because all those sins roll away into the empty tomb, and the burden is gone. It's not just for Paul, and it's not just for the super saints. It is for each of us, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, as born servants of Christ, to adorn our profession of faith with holiness, and when we fall, We find forgiveness at the cross and the resurrection. And by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we rededicate our hearts to the joy of our union with Him. Him who loved us to the uttermost. This is why Paul speaks as he does. Do we have the ears to hear him? Let's pray. Our Father, how grateful we are for your loving kindness and your gentle mercy. As we come into your presence this morning, we would pray that your Holy Spirit would rule and reign over us, that we would learn to be still at the soul level, to listen and to hear your word. We are your servants, O Lord, and as you speak, we would listen. We lean in. We do not come to you seeking first to make ourselves worthy, for no man can do such a thing. But rather, we rejoice in Christ. We rejoice in our Redeemer, who causes our souls to be still before him. Come, Lord Jesus, minister to us, speak to us, and hear us. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving to us a gospel message that when we sin we can find forgiveness and new life. Would you steal our backbones to be resolved as men and women and boys and girls, from youngest to oldest, never to waver off this gospel message? Rather, speak to us in a way, through your word, by the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we would rise each day motivated, moved, thinking about the joy of the gospel, this Christ who loves us in such a way that no man can separate us from the love of Christ. How we thank you and bless you. Come, Lord Jesus, and minister to us, we ask, for our good and for the glory of your Son.