Faith is Pursuing Christ

On the way up here, in my mind, I switched up my whole outline. So this is going to be really exciting to see how this goes. I hope tonight we continue in the theme of this morning's message, where we hopefully saw through song and prayer and preaching this morning that we serve and love a God who is faithful in his promises. And I think the passage that we're talking about tonight, which you can find in Galatians four, is is evident is evidence of God fulfilling not only his promises, but also being faithful to his children. I think there are many circumstances in a Christian's life where we are set up on a pedestal and we have to react to what we really think faith is. I can remember on. Well, actually, in high school, people asking me, what is faith? And I remember asking people, what is your faith? For those who don't know, I grew up in a big suburb, went to a big high school. Two fastest growing religions were Mormonism and Islam. So, I mean, there's nothing like sitting in a white suburb and seeing things happening to where it is a progressive conversation of what is faith going on. And I think tonight we can see and we can be encouraged through Paul's letter to Galatia of what faith really is. I hope that the answer to that, and hopefully I won't mess up the answer to that, but faith is pursuing Christ and being confident in his hope. So I'll just go ahead and read the two verses in Galatians 4. We're going to look at verses 8 through 9. Paul writes, the Church of Galatia formally, when you do not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. Verse nine, he says, but now that you have come to know God or rather to be known by God, how can you turn your back against the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world whose slaves you want to be once more? When I was thinking through how I would learn about this and how I was trying to learn about God through learning about this, I realized that as I'm about to talk to you, it's probably going to be introspective because I need to learn these lessons more than anyone that I know. It is easy for me in the situations that I've grown up in and was raised in. I'm against a lot of things within Christianity. So I'm against false faith. I'm against false gods. Being in Oklahoma, I'm against inadequate faith healing that is calling upon something that isn't real to somehow satisfy something that you think is also not real. But what I think this is supposed to reveal to us is that the true God who loves us that we see through the Old Testament and we see through the end of the New Testament, the true God that loves us never gives up in the true God who loves us is always sending word and people to encourage us and to bring us back. One story, just to give you kind of an illustration. Two days after I moved here in Charlottesville, I still had a U-Haul trailer and it was hooked up to the back of my truck, but it was parked at Keith's house. And when I kind of unloaded, the U-Haul trailer took it off the hitch, it started rolling off the hill. And so a thousand images were going through my mind of like, I'm about to take out one of Keith's trees with this 2,000 pound trailer. Lisa's going to kill me because I'm going to ruin her yard. No one here knows me and this is the worst way to introduce yourself. And so I was just trying with all of my might to hold on to this trailer and calling for Keith to come and help of like, hey, help anchor this. And so, I mean, luckily he did just to ruin the climax. The trailer didn't roll anywhere. But I but I think this is what Paul is doing in this part of Galatians. I think he is trying to retain what what he saw faithful men doing originally, and they were falling away from that. In this letter of Galatia, they are encountering not only false teachers and false gospels, but they are reverting back to the Judaism which they were supposed to leave. And so they're adding faith of what they thought to actual faith. So we as Protestants believe that it's by Christ alone. It's not Christ plus anything, but it's Christ alone. And here we see in Galatia that they were adding to the faith and Paul was reminding them Do you not know better? Like, are you not remind remind yourself of what the gospel is because you're just adding to it, which makes it nothing. I mean, Christ plus something equals nothing and Christ plus nothing equals everything. And so just in the. The form of this first verse, I think it's a good reminder when Paul used the word enslave, I think it is a good image. that without God, we were in total bondage to the world around us, which is a slippery slope of a total bondage to hell and damnation. And on top of that, I don't think it's entirely healthy to just focus on that bondage, but also to really focus on the rescue of what God did. So in reminding yourself of what the gospel is, don't just focus on the sin that you have in your heart. I mean, I can sit here today. all day long and just go, I did this wrong, I did this wrong, I did this wrong and add up. And there are so many things that I would forget at the same time. But rather, in your faith, you are supposed to be focusing on what Christ did for you and what Christ will do for you. We were given a promise in Genesis 15 where God was given a covenant to Abraham and saying all these things are going to happen. And we see so many things, even at this time in Galatia, where so many things had already happened. I think just in the time, a couple of verses above. It said at the fullness of time, when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son born of a woman. So it's another continual promise being fulfilled. And so within our faith, if we are focusing continually on our sinfulness, we're kind of devaluing what Christ did totally. And I think that's going to be played out more in verse nine. So Paul, I think at this church, wants his church at Galatia to return to the worshiping worshipping God rather than being duped by false teachers, idols and overzealous religious temptations. And so when I thought through all of that, I see myself doing that actually. And so I think one of the application points that you could take away from tonight is I would I would encourage you to be real with yourself on your idols. I mean, I try to avoid idols all the time in a very materialistic way. So if I have, you know, it is easy for me to be tempted by technology. So I want to be on my iPad or my laptop or I want to be in front of a TV or I love watching movies or that kind of thing. And it's easy to kind of go, OK, I want to shut those idols out because of the materialistic things. But the gospel is continually attacking the heart at its at its true issues and trying to convert those to what God wants. And that is a clear and pure heart. And so I think this is what Paul is trying to do within this part of Galatia is not necessarily saying what you're doing is physically wrong, but your heart is pursuing the wrong thing. You're replacing what God replaced on the cross. We in our sinfulness, we replace God like in Genesis three, Adam and Eve. They replace God's goodness with the pursuing of their own heart. And then Christ on the cross replaced the wrath that we deserve with himself so that we can live forever with him in total hope. But in our idleness, in our destructive ways, or even in our things that we try to do well, but are still sinful, we are actually replacing God with something that He is not calling us to do. So we are being enslaved to the world with us pursuing things that are not by nature God's. I think it's funny when Calvin wrote about this in his commentary, he was saying that They should be totally rebuked because they're pursuing things that are not true. They're not real. And so if anything, he used the term idiotic. They look like idiots because they're pursuing things that are not real. How could they not see what was going on? Because this letter was written at a time where these are true witnesses of what God is doing. And these were true witnesses of Jesus dying on the cross. An actual testimony was being laid down in front of them. And yet they're still pursuing other things. But on top of that, notice the word formally in verse eight said formally, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not God's. This is the encouraging part of this verse, I think, because it's Paul not totally rebuking them, but reminding them through rebuke of, hey, you know better. I mean, get get back up on the horse, look back at the narrow path, stop being distracted. So formally, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. He continues down in verse nine, 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? This is an incredibly encouraging verse. There's so much doctrine that can be played out in these verses, but just simply. The idea that we are known by God is an amazing feature of Christianity. I mean, it's an amazing. Placement in our lives of the knowledge that not only do we know who God is and in ways around us or within relationships, but we know that God knows us personally, the same God that made mountains and stars and number the pebbles on the sand knows who we are. And He not only knows who we are, but He knows who we are in light of our sinfulness. And that by trying to cover up who we are is actually taking away from His love. I mean, we've all been kids at one point where we are seeking attention, whether it be from a girl or whether it be from a teacher or whether it be from a parent. We just want them to see what we're doing. Like, did you see that I got an A on a test? Or, hey, I threw the football really far. Like, did you see it? Or mom, I built this fort thing that's actually just a stack of wood. But did you see what I just did? And here it says, yeah, we were known by God, not just are we being known by God, but we were known by God from the beginning. There's a story about a Hall of Fame baseball player, and I don't remember his name, Hall of Fame baseball player whose son was just starting 10 and under baseball, which at that point is where pitchers actually throw in. It's not machine pitch anymore. And so this is really exciting because this guy's in the Hall of Fame for hitting and his offspring is about to go show what his last name can do. So, you know, everybody's buzzing around like they're so-and-so's kid. He's batting three hole. He's probably going to hit it out of the park. Well, the first time he does. gets up there and just knocks it clear out of the park. I mean, how cool if you're a parent going, yeah, that's mine. Like, that's my son. And if you're a son, you don't have to seek attention from that because everybody's already looking at you. They're already looking at you because of whose son you are. And then you just really showed your stuff. And so the game was played on, and I think he got on base another time, and then he struck out another time, and that kind of deal. And on the way home, the kid goes, Dad, remember when I hit that home run? It's like, well, no kidding. That's what I came for. But do you remember when I hit that home run? And the dad goes, yeah, but the thing is, I wish you would have struck out every time. I mean, talk about a twist in the story. I wish you would have struck at every time. And the kid's like, well, that'd be bad. Why? I mean, I've seen you play. I'm not dumb. And that's bad because I wish you would have struck at every time so that when I say I love you, it's not because you think it's on what you did, but it's on who you are. I love you because you're my son. I love you because in spite of what you've done wrong, I love you. And what a powerful image of of Paul writing to these people in Galatia who need Jesus desperately, not only once, but forever. We need a continuation of the gospel. We need a continuation of God's grace. But here Paul is saying. But now that you have come to know God or to be known by God, what are you doing? You're living a life that is kind of diverting from what the gospel is. Some of you are adding on to the gospel. Some of you are trying to take away from it. What are you doing? You know better. Not only do you know better, but God knows you and loves you. What are you doing with your time? He later says on down in the verses 20, Chapter four, verse 20. I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone for I'm perplexed about you. What a daunting thing an apostle like I'm trying to put my I know this is man centered to say, but I'm trying to put myself in their shoes and going, OK, if the apostle Paul wrote me a letter and said, you're doing this wrong, this wrong, this wrong. Hey, remember the gospel? Frankly, I'm perplexed about what you're doing. I'd freak out, get really scared, probably run away. But probably reread what he says, and I would continually be asking, well, OK, fix it, fix it. I think Paul gives a excellent answer. Well, I think he gives an encouraging answer to sinners like me and how to fix that problem. Because we see here in this book that they are weaving away from the faith. They are weak. They're doing and pursuing weak and worthless things in the world. And Paul says, I'm perplexed about you because you know better. So naturally, I think, well, what's the answer for that? And in chapter five, verse one, if you just continue on down, Paul says, for freedom, Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. I mean, he's just basically he's trying to bring them back to the center of that narrow path. He's saying stand firm. And I think it's very helpful to understand that when he says stand firm, it's just like when he says in First Corinthians 16, 13, stand firm in the faith. So it's not just that you're standing firm and holding steel, it's that you're pursuing something, but you're standing firm in what has already been grounded in your nature. It's already been grafted in to your soul that the Holy Spirit has engraved in you as an image bearer of God, a new sonship. You're an heir. So stand firm in that, stand firm in the faith and pursue Christ. Very encouraging, not only from a physical standpoint of like, OK, now I kind of know what to do, but also if you kind of take away the moralistic implications, but also to remind yourself that this is being done out of God's love for us. It's not just that he wants us soldiers in his army, but it's rather he wants us sons and heirs in his family. Paul's letters, I think, especially in Galatians are A remarkable reminder of God's continual love being played out in his faithfulness to his children. It was encouraging to hear that Keith talking about this morning in Galatians 15 of how we should send our burdens to God through prayer. We should be honest with ourselves in such a way that we cry on the Lord as they did in Psalms. I don't know if any of you have ever been to a point of absolute brokenness to where you may be on the floor, you may be alone in a parking lot somewhere in your car, and you just kind of break down and say, God, I need you. I need you in so many ways. I need you in like a thousand ways here and a thousand ways there. But honestly, I just need you to fix me. And that is a hard thing to think about because it's a long journey of him fixing you. But we know that we have a faithful God who is continually bringing us back to what he wants us to pursue in righteousness. A great example, the guy who basically discipled me all throughout college told me I was very rough around the edges. And I said, well, that's not good. And he said, well, that means that that God is going to do great work on you, because if you're rough around the edges, God's sanctifying work in our life is like sandpaper grafting against a hard piece of wood. He's not done shaping us yet. Yes, we are. We are made of good things and our image is a image bearer of him. And we are a good piece of wood. But he is he is continually working on us like sandpaper on wood, grafting us down to an image that he will be proud of. And an image that will be glorified in its final state in heaven when God will look on us and go, who are you? And the son will look at the God and go. He's with me. It's a beautiful image of of God's continual work on your life, and I was I was greatly encouraged when reading through this, so a couple of application points that I want to bring out. Is does this knowledge? Of God. Knowing you cause you to want to love him more and it's probably it's probably confusing sentence But knowing that God loves you and knows you Does that cause you want to serve him more and love him more? I mean, I'm about to, I'm probably going over time, but I have to tell this story because I think it puts it, put it so well in perspective for me. There's a slave that's being sold at a very high price and someone keeps bidding on him. He's at the center square and someone keeps bidding on him again and again. And other people start bidding on him because they think, hey, that guy's pretty good if one guy's bidding on him. So they keep bidding on him higher and higher and higher and an exceptional level of monetary value. I mean, no slave is actually worth this. A slave can't make this many products. He can't tend to this many fields for what this guy is about to pay for him. So the price goes higher and higher and higher. He's finally sold to this guy who keeps bidding on him. So as a slave is walking down to the block where they are going to give him to the man, the man goes up to another block and says, now, how much do I have to pay to set the guy free? Well, yeah, I mean, we've all studied American slavery and other forms of slavery. That's just not how things are done. You buy a slave to use a slave. And this guy's wanting to buy the slave to set him free. And so he pays that debt not only to buy the slave, but he also pays the debt to set the slave free. And so the slave, so then everyone turns their attention toward the slave and go, hey, what are you going to do now? That guy, you were five minutes ago, one of the most marketable slaves of all time. Like everyone wanted you. And now what are you going to do? You have absolute freedom. And the guy said, I'm going to go wherever that guy's going, because anyone that would love me so much is where I'm going to follow. Now, that's that's a corny Christian story. I don't know if that's actually true. But the idea of two parties bidding at us ruthlessly is a very biblical principle. I mean, you've got the the serpent crawling after you, wanting to use you to destruct the glory of the father. And the father raising the value of you so much that he buys you and then sets you free. And then how can we not want to serve and love him more? So does the awareness of God knowing you want to make you love the father and serve him more? Another question I would ask is, do you believe that Christ's death on the cross and resurrection from the grave is sufficient? I think we, I deal with this in my own individual sins as I pursue my own idols, as I pursue my own elementary principles of the world. I have to be honest with myself and go, did Christ die for this? Can it really be conquered? So we take, for example, pornography. And I know that you guys wonder why I talk about pornography so much, but 70% of 12-year-olds have already been seen pornography. So it's a real pattern. So we take pornography. Well, pornography is a pursuit of what's not there, and it's also a desire for self-satisfaction. So that is basically replacing the joy that we are supposed to have in Christ. So if you are replacing the joy that you're supposed to have in Christ, whether it's through money, pornography, materialistic items, chasing women, wanting another job, whatever, if you're replacing Christ with something that will satisfy you, you have to ask yourself, was Christ's death on the cross really sufficient for you? Do you really believe that Christ died for you and died to break that bondage from your sins? Next thing, do you see your idols and false gods as an open rebuke against Jesus? This was I was writing this down last night, very hard for me because my answer was was no. If I could just be that transparent, if I think about the ways that I replace Jesus with my worldly pursuits, do I see those worldly pursuits? We'll call them sins. Do I see those as a rebuke against Jesus? And if I did, I would I would stop pursuing them. And so there needs to be a constant reminder of my life of if Jesus is so high exalted, if if Jesus is so good, if Jesus paid my debt so that I can live for him, if he got me out of slavery and sets me free. What am I doing chasing weak and worthless elementary principles of the world? And so my prayer for myself, as I told you, I'm preaching to myself, my prayer for myself is God stir my heart that I may stand firm in your faith and pursue you passionately. I know it's easier said than done. And I know you might be thinking of sins in your life or idols in your life. And it's like, well, I mean, I can't just throw that out with the trash. Hey, you're not dead yet. Work on it. Call on Christ to indwell your spirit so much that you hate your sin. John Owen said, if you don't hate your sin, you don't love Jesus. Hate your sin. Cause it to look like an image that is despairing, cause it to look the exact opposite of what Jesus is dying for you on the cross. He's a real person. He's a real savior. He really knows you love him. Pursue him. I'm saying that to myself as well. And the last thing, I hope this encourages you to evangelize. That may sound like a shot in the dark, kind of a shotgun blast of like, well, where's evangelism coming? Paul here is talking to Christians in Galatians 4. Paul here says words like formally and but now. Basically, you knew better and you do know better. So Paul is dealing with Christians here. And Christians only come to be through the preaching of his word. I mean, yes, it is a spirit doing his doing his work. I think it was great what Dan said this morning. I wish I had memorized that sentence where he said, I know that it is a spirit moving through people that shaped my life, brought me to an understanding of the gospel, put me in a position so that when I knew God for the first time, I knew him in a gratefulness of who he was. So what we're talking about here is Christians falling away, but we're talking about Christians as we this is this. These verses right here is not necessarily good news for you if you're not a Christian because you're not going to get back on that path. You're wandering way off in the forest. You are so far away removed from where Christ is and you have to submit to Christ as your savior. to get back on that path. So I hope this encourages you in your faith in such a way that you are evangelizing to others, because what we're dealing with on a normal basis week to week is literally something that keeps people from hell. The gospel that we preach keeps people from burning in eternity. And all Paul here is doing is trying to get you back on the wagon wheel and saying, get up, you know better. God loves you. Get up, you know better. And so take that message to other people so that if they fall wayward, you can say, get up, you know better, but bring them a message that they will hopefully know and pray that the spirit will move the heart. Pray that we as a church will be the kind of people that will take this message to those who don't know and who don't know better. I think this ought to give us some kind of encouragement to comfort people who don't know better and also to comfort people who do know better. We live in a college town and frankly, There are going to be so many people that are not going to come to church when they're in college and they may claim to be a Christian. I don't think it's good to belittle them. I think what we ought to be doing as a church is encouraging them to go to church, encourage them to come back in the faith. There's like 20,000 students a mile away and they either don't know the gospel or they are and they're obeying it and they're coming to church. Maybe they know the gospel and they're just not coming to church. Act like Paul here and put him back on the path. Seek their hearts so that you together can seek the Lord. Let's pray together. Father, thank you that you are faithful in pursuing us. Thank you that you are aggressive when you pursue us and that you are not a weak image But rather, you are a forceful God who is so passionate in your love that you first come for sinners like us, but then you secure us and keep us close to you because you love us. Thank you because you love us. Thank you for loving us. In your name we pray. Amen.