Sermon: Am I Now Your Enemy? Galatians 4:8-20

Truth Taught- False teachers are out to gain a following for themselves at the expense of Gospel truth

Introduction

In this section we see the Apostle Paul showing us the issue that was taking place in Galatia between the new Church and the Judaizers who had infiltrated the church has a greater scope than one might realize at first.  This battle was focused on the very heart of what Christianity is.  Is Christianity centered on the work of Christ and His merit for us or is it based on human works and human merit?  In other words, is it based on human works or free grace?

He has taught us so much already through the Book of Galatians.

Paul has taught that the work of Jesus is so powerful and effectual that it has stretched out its arms to also include not only believing Jews but also believing Gentiles into God’s family.  These Galatians had entered into the household of God and are they going to return to where they were before? 

The place they were before, he’ll tell us was slavery to false gods, idols.  Would they leave the true God after receiving so much from Him, to worship idols again?

That is where the false teachers were leading them.  Paul is out to show them what will happen if they listen to these false teachers much longer.

So, he’s out to rescue the Galatians from apostacy and he’s out to rescue Christianity from becoming just another pagan religion of works.

Galatians 4:8–20 (ESV)

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

¹² Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. ¹³ You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? ¹⁷ They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, ¹⁹ my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

1.  Former Slaves Set Free by Christ Were About to Return to Slavery (4:8-11)

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

A)  Where they began

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.

All humans before they know Jesus as Lord and Savior are entangled or as Paul puts it, enslaved by idols.  Before Jesus we are all idolaters.  We have set up certain false deities and whether we like to admit it or not, we pay them homage; we bow down to them.

The Galatians were idolaters.  They served their false deities.  They were enslaved to them.  What’s strange is that a lifeless thing can enslave us.  Something that does not even move can chain us.  In our sinful fallen nature, there is no telling where our desire to worship something will take us.  This innate longing for God is twisted by sin into longing for anything and everything but God.  As lost sinners, humans worship everything but God because to worship God requires repentance and faith and lost people on their own will never admit they are sinners.  We are created as worshippers.  The question is who or what do we worship?

We have fallen desires, affections, imaginations and longings.  We are born into sin.  We covet what others have.  We didn’t really want the new car until our neighbors bought one.  We long to fit in and be a part of a group.  We want everyone to like us and often do things to make that a reality.  If the group sins we sin right along with them in order to be part of the group.  What we see on TV influences us.  We see fashion, current trends, someone famous dressed a certain way then next thing you know everyone wants to dress that way.  This goes all the way down to children.  I remember that after I saw the Evil Knievel motorcycle toy on TV, that’s all I could think about until I got one.  This is how we are.

What fuels this is our sinful nature, our desire to sin and our suppression of the truth.

Romans 1:18–23 (ESV)

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

This is how we all begin; we are enslaved by things that are not God.  The thing kills us is before Christ awakens us, we don’t even know it.  It’s like the Matrix Movies.  We are in a dream and don’t know it.  That’s how everyone is until God wakes us from the dead.

B)  Where they are now

⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God

Here’s the thing, the Galatians can’t go back.  They know too much.  They have been brought from death to life and have experienced the true God in salvation by faith.

This is why we know that the Galatians would remain in the faith.  It is taking the Apostle Paul to counter the false teaching Judaizers with truth.  The truth will help them return to the pure Gospel and flee the mixture of Gospel and works.

They now know God and what’s more, God knows them.

Being known by God is a frequent theme in Paul’s epistles.  This phrase means they were known by God (election) and they are currently known by God (their sanctification) and they will forever be known by God (their glorification).  They belong to God and He knows them.

In this context, Paul is contrasting the fact that God knows them while their former idols do not know them and in fact know nothing.  His logic flows like this…

You mean that you are leaving the true God who has loved you before the foundation of the earth.  Has called you to Himself.  Has given His only Son, Jesus to die for you.  Who has saved you from your slavery to false gods and to sin.  Has adopted you into His family and will keep you as His very own.  You’re thinking of giving all that up to return to where you began and worship a piece of wood?

C). Where they will be

how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

Here, he calls their former lust for idols and false gods the weak and worthless elementary principles.  He used this same phrase in the previous text to depict the elementary principles of slavery under the Law.  Here, he uses it to show the Galatians the miserable principles of slavery to false gods and their works righteousness.

It’s really the same thing.  If you’re a Jew stuck in a works righteousness of seeking to keep the Law in order to be saved by your merits or if you’re a pagan worshipping false gods seeking to be saved by your devout adherence to the demonic standards humans have placed in other false religions.  The bottom line is across the board, all religions are works oriented.

If they’re not careful they are going to be enslaved by sin all over again.

The Judaizers had convinced them to take their Christianity and mesh it with Judaism.

¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

The Galatians had begun to observe the Jewish holy days.  The Judaizers had convinced them to adhere to the Jewish calendar.  The Galatians were not even Jewish!

This was not a manner of custom but a manner of adding to the Gospel their works.

One classic commentator tells us…

In this manner of reckoning Paul intends to say that the Galatians had taken over the entire Jewish system of religious observances.  And this as an obligation imposed by the Law, and not simply a manner of custom—was a form of subservience to the stoicheia which could neither save nor justify its adherents but only cast them into bondage. –Fung

There are groups today who believe that Christianity must adhere to Jewish law.  They entrap their people into the sin of works righteousness and place them into bondage while freedom is available.

2.  Paul’s Example of Leaving the Slavery of Judaism to Freedom in Christ (4:12)

¹² Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong.

Now the Apostle reminds the Galatians that he gave up Judaism when he came to Christ.  He had been brought up in Judaism and was advancing in his status a Pharisee.  Now he pleads with them to give up this new slavery.

Galatians 2:15–16 (ESV)

¹⁵ We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; ¹⁶ yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Basically, Paul tells them that he gave up his former life to become just a Christian.  You can’t have both.  You cannot be justified by faith and works. 

Now, what used to be a good relationship between he and the Galatians seems to be struggling…

3.  Why Has Truth Made Us Enemies? (4:13-16)

¹³ You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Here, Paul speaks of an occasion (no one really knows the details) when in his travels he became ill.  So sick was the Apostle that he had to stop in the region of Galatia to recover.   While he was recovering the Galatians treated him very kindly and even helped nurse him back to health.  He mentions that he was a burden to them and that his sickness was a trial for them.

He recalls how good he was treated and how they loved him and cared for him.  While Paul was recovering, guess what he did?  He preached the Gospel to them and many were saved.

Side note here…Can God make us sick?  Here, He had a divine purpose in Paul’s illness.

No one knows for sure but probably this illness was so severe that it damaged Paul’s eyesight.  That may be why he writes, For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.

So, we see this amazing strong love they had for Paul and the love he had for them.  Then something happened.  When they began to be led astray by the false teachers and Paul steps in to show more love and bring them back, they get angry at Paul…

¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?

This is the Pastoral dilemma.  Those whom you have labored over and cared for can soon turn on you in anger.  When you have to tell the truth to folks they often do not like it.  This was the occasion here.  In love Paul was telling them the hard truth and they, for a time, turned against him.

What has happened to your joy Paul asked.  Why the anger where there used to be love and joy?  Something was taking place…the Judaizers were taking their focus from Christ to the Law.  Legalism robs your joy.  Slavery steals your blessedness.  And sin highjacks your assurance.

4.  The Evil Nature of False Teaching (4:17-18)

¹⁷ They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you,

False teachers make you feel good about yourself so they can profit from you

¹⁷ They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you,

We see this all around us, don’t we?  False teachers use you for their own gain.  In order to pull you into their scheme they tell you all about your favorite subject…you.  They make much of you.  Rather than making much of Christ, they make much of you.

Realize they only make much of you as long as it pays off for them.  As soon as you’re not a profit for them they are through with you.

Watch out because our sinful nature loves it when people tell us how good we are.

This is a cult.  This is how they work.  The cult seeks to alienate you from those who love you.  The cult seeks to isolate you from your family, friends, church to pull you into their group.  This is what the Judaizers were doing.

They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.

5.  Paul’s Ongoing Anguish for the Galatians (4:19-20)

¹⁹ my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

They were his children in the faith.  He was the one who preached the Gospel and they believed.  He was their parent.  Their spiritual father.  His heart is breaking as they are considering turning back to their former way of life.

Paul will experience this turmoil and perplexity until Christ is fully formed within them.  Until they are mature believers, he will feel this pain for them.

Conclusion

Are there Judaizers today?

Here’s what Law Focused Christians want to tell you…

The Gospel of free grace leads to us having a license to sin.  They are so used to being slaves to human merit that they cannot believe that we can’t help God out.  They say that because of Jesus now we are in a neutral position…God votes for you and Satan votes against you now you cast the final vote.

They are so used to being slaves that freedom scares them.

Judaizers, want you enslaved like they are.  They have no real joy so they don’t want you to have any either.

They also want to steal your assurance.  If salvation is by works then are you ever really doing enough?  Are you really saved?

We must be careful who we listen to because like the Galatians, we too can be led astray.  The main reason is if the truth be told, we have a little Judaizer with us.    

Galatians 2:20–21 (ESV)

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Resources Used:

What has Happened to All Your Joy? by Kim Riddlebarger

Galatians by Albert Barnes

Galatians by Fung

Galatians by William Hendriksen