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Good evening to everyone. You 
can turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Galatians. We're going to be doing an occasional 
study through the book of Galatians in the evening worship. Pastor 
Butler will still be preaching through Philippians for the bulk 
of those evenings. But on occasion, we'll look at 
the book of Galatians, working through the entirety of the book. 
And so tonight will be a bit of an introduction to the book, 
but we'll focus in on verses 1 to 5. So I'll read from Galatians 
1, beginning at verse 1 though, through verse 10. So Galatians 
1, beginning at verse 1, this is the Word of God. Paul, an 
apostle, not from man nor through man, but through Jesus Christ 
and God the Father who raised him from the dead, and all the 
brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia, grace 
to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from 
this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, 
to whom be glory forever and ever, amen. I marvel that you 
are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace 
of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another. But there 
are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of 
Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven preach any 
other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let 
him be accursed. As we have said before, so now 
I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than 
what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade 
men or God or do I seek to please men for if I still pleased men? I would not be a bondservant 
of Christ. Amen Well, let us pray Heavenly 
Father. We thank you for this time in 
worship the preaching of your word We pray that you would bless 
us by the presence of your Holy Spirit We pray that we might 
be lifted up to high thoughts of you our triune God And we 
pray that we would be lifted up by that spirit to high thoughts 
of our Christ who came into this world sinners to save. We thank 
you for that precious gospel and we pray that you would help 
us now to worship you are right in spirit and in truth. We pray 
in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. Well, the Book 
of Galatians is a glorious epistle. In the history of the Christian 
Church, perhaps one of those most liberating epistles, if 
you will, especially, not exclusive to, but especially when we look 
at the Protestant Reformation and the recovery of true doctrine 
with regards to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know, 
as we've heard before, You've possibly heard before that Martin 
Luther was liberated by the doctrine that this book holds forth in 
shining glory, the doctrine of justification by faith alone 
in Christ alone. It was a book cherished not only 
by the Reformation but by the church throughout the ages as 
those enemies of the gospel of Christ do seek in every century 
and every decade to throw the people of Christ off course from 
believing the truth. No doubt animated by the devil 
himself, those errorists, those teachers throughout history who 
seek to steal Christians away from the precious doctrine of 
justification by faith alone. in our blessed Savior. And Paul 
immediately gets to the heart of the matter in this particular 
epistle. That we'll look at next Lord's 
Day evening beginning at verse 6. But we want to look at verses 
1 through 5 in a number of moments here just to see how the Apostle 
Paul begins this epistle, and actually with the language he 
uses here, he serves the emphasis of the epistle with the language 
that he uses to introduce it. But just some backdrop before 
we get into the sermon proper. The region of Galatia is named 
after the Gauls. Perhaps any history buffs out 
there might recognize that name. They were a large collection 
of Celtic tribes. in ancient history prior to the 
birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. They had migrated from Europe 
to Asia Minor in around the 3rd century BC. Much like the Vikings, 
in fact, who were commissioned by the Saxons in England to be 
mercenaries in military endeavors against competing kingdoms, the 
Celtics, the Celts, the Gauls in this case, were commissioned 
by Hellenistic kings to carry out militaristic attacks against 
their enemies. And so these Gauls, these Galatians, 
as the Romans and the Greeks would call them, as the Greeks 
would call them, came to the region of Asia Minor in the third 
century BC. And over time, as Rome became 
more prominent, both the northern Galatia region and the southern 
Galatia region essentially become Romanized there were Fading retentions 
of their Celtic religion, but eventually they become Hellenized 
They become Romanized and at the time of the writing of the 
Apostle Paul. They were largely largely Roman 
absorbed into the Roman Empire and the Roman culture of that 
day. The timing of this epistle is 
most likely around 48 or 49 AD, and it follows after, we'll look 
at this in a moment, but it follows immediately after Paul's first 
missionary journey, within a very short amount of time after Paul's 
first missionary journey. So when we look at the verse 
here, to the churches of Galatia, We would want to note then, if 
you'll back up with me to the Book of Acts, who these churches 
are. As you're turning there, there 
are two theories with regards to the recipients, who the recipients 
of this letter are. Who are these churches of Galatia? Are they churches in Northern 
Galatia, which was sort of the first original location of the 
Kingdom of the Gauls, or the Kingdom of Galatia? Or is it 
to the Southern Galatian churches, that we find in the book of Acts, 
specifically beginning in Acts 13. Most likely it is this latter, 
the Southern Galatia theory, as being that which rests upon 
the biblical data, especially as we see it in the book of Acts. 
We don't need to work through the entirety of the discourse 
here, but Acts 13 begins the first missionary journey of the 
Apostle Paul, where he and Barnabas are sent out for gospel proclamation. And we see that initially they 
sail from Antioch in Syria to Cyprus and they they go to pathos 
first and then they go and then they go to Pathos in Pamphylia 
So they sail to the island of Cyprus, they minister there, 
then they travel north to Pamphylia, which is right on the coast, 
and then they immediately go north there into the region of 
Galatia, into the region of southern Galatia. And that's where we 
find the largest part of the missionary journey, Paul ministering 
in and amongst those churches in Galatia. Notice first at 1313, 
the ministry in Antioch in Pisidia or Pisidian Antioch. We have 
that wonderful declaration that the Apostle Paul gives to both 
Jews and Gentiles concerning the conquering Jesus who came 
into this world. Notice, and this is an important 
connection to the book of Galatians, verse 39 of Acts 13. And by him, that is by Christ, 
everyone who believes is justified from all things, which you could 
not be justified by the law of Moses. And so Paul continues 
to preach throughout the region of Galatia as we move into chapter 
14 in the book of Acts. He goes to Iconium, then to Lystra, 
then to Derbe. And so those are the cities that 
constitute the churches of Galatia. Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, 
and Derby. And you'll notice that at the 
end of the account of chapter 14, we have, so what we have 
is the Apostle Paul going out, ministering to Southern Galatian 
churches, and then he comes back through those self-same churches. 
Notice at verse 21 of Acts 14, and when they had preached, the 
gospel to that city, that is, to Derbe, and made many disciples, 
they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, that is, Pisidian 
Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them 
to continue in the faith. And so when Paul is writing to 
the churches in Galatia, he's writing to these churches that 
we just noted, and he's writing very soon after that first missionary 
journey. That's why we can read in that 
first chapter of Galatians, I marvel that you are so soon turning 
away from the gospel of your salvation. Notice as well that 
this, the timing of this letter, if it is 48, 49, then that falls prior to the 
Jerusalem Council in Acts chapter 15. Acts chapter 15 is about 
the very subject matter of the book of Galatians. How are we 
justified before a righteous and a holy God? Notice that verse 
1 of chapter 15, and certain men came down from Judea and 
taught the brethren, unless you are circumcised according to 
the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. Therefore, when Paul 
and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined 
that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to 
Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question. So 
this very same conflict over circumcision, this error being 
propagated that unless you are circumcised according to the 
custom of Moses you cannot be saved, this is the very error 
that was not prevailing but perniciously penetrating the church's in southern 
Galatia. Now notice just very briefly 
regarding the timing of the authorship and why it's most likely the 
case that the Apostle Paul wrote this in 49 AD prior to this council, 
setting aside the fact that Paul never mentions this Important 
counsel to the churches in Galatia when it's about the very subject 
of that letter But notice at verse 28 of Acts 14, so they 
stayed there a long time with the disciples So the Apostle 
Paul has time there in Syrian Antioch to write the epistle 
to the Galatians so finding that finding our way back to that 
epistle and We notice then that these churches of Galatia are, 
as we take up sort of the center of the passage, verses 1 through 
5, the churches of Galatia are those that we see in the first 
missionary journey of the Apostle Paul and Barnabas. as they minister 
the gospel to the churches there. Now, regarding the value of this 
epistle, the majestic and glorious nature of this epistle, Martin 
Luther said this, using his wife as a particular metaphor, the 
epistle to the Galatians is my epistle. To it I am, as it were, 
in wedlock. It is my Catherine, was the name 
of his wife. And the reason that he writes 
that is because it was so precious to him. so precious to his soul. As one who had labored under 
the heavy-handedness of the papacy, as one who had labored under 
the heavy tyranny and under the tentacles of the Roman Catholic 
Church, which says that faith in Christ is not enough, but 
you have to adhere to sacramental theology and the works of the 
law in order to truly be justified, Martin Luther is saved by amazing 
and victorious grace and he is as it were liberated from the 
tyranny of error and the error that we see propagated by those 
who said that the ceremonies of Moses are necessary for salvation. So let's now move to the passage, 
and first off, while moving to the book of Galatians, before 
we look at the passage specifically, I want to do an introduction 
to the subject matter of the book, looking at a few places 
in Galatians to point out three particular things. So in introduction 
to the subject matter of the book, the first thing that we 
want to note is that regarding the error, the pernicious error 
affecting the churches, there is this pernicious error affecting 
the churches, and we see the gravity of it first, not yet 
explicitly stated yet, but the gravity of it stated in verses 
six, verses eight, excuse me, verses six through nine. I marvel 
again that you are turning away so soon from him who called you 
in the grace of Christ to a different gospel which is not another. 
So, right at the outset, we can remark with respect to the gravity 
of the error that is invading, infecting these Galatian churches. It's not simply a small issue, 
a small matter. It's not simply differences on 
which way the grain of the gopher wood and Noah's Ark went, but 
it's with respect to the serious matter of justification by faith 
alone. It's connected to the very heart 
of Christianity, the gospel, of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's 
a different gospel. In fact, it's not a gospel at 
all. But there are some who trouble 
you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. And then we have these 
grave words with respect to the accursed nature connected to 
this error. But even if we or an angel from 
heaven preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached 
to you, let him be accursed." And the Apostle Paul repeats 
that again. A two-fold repetition. Whenever 
the Apostle Paul repeats something twice, we should pay attention. when those invading the churches 
of Galatia are bringing a message, not just a sideline message, 
not just the stuff of ancillary or tertiary Christianity, but 
the very primary topic of Christian liberty, justification by faith 
alone through Christ alone, when these enemies of the gospel are 
opposing the very heart of that gospel, it is right for the Apostle 
Paul to say that such are accursed, and to repeat that, Let them 
be accursed and so we have this pernicious error with regards 
to what the error is We already noted from Acts 15 that it was 
teaching that the Mosaic Ceremonies specifically circumcision and 
no doubt they pressed others But circumcision is at the heart 
of it that the Mosaic ceremonies are required in addition to faith 
in Christ for salvation notice notice that Galatians 3 1 and 
Similar language to, I marvel, but here he uses the language, 
oh foolish Galatians, and he amplifies it by saying, who has 
bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose 
eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from 
you. Did you receive the spirit by 
the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Are you so 
foolish, having begun in the spirit Are you now being made 
perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things 
in vain, if indeed it was in vain?" So, the point of the Apostle 
Paul here is that he's bringing out the error that these Christians 
were being stolen away by the idea that, yes, it's good to 
go so far in the Spirit, Yes, it's good to go so far as having 
professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but in order to be accepted 
by God, you have to finish it with works of the flesh. Notice again the language, having 
begun in the spirit, are you now being made perfect by the 
flesh? And then as well, we see in Galatians 
5, 2-4, again, what the pernicious error is. There we read the following, 
And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that 
he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from 
Christ, you who have attempted to be justified by law. You have 
fallen from grace. For we, through the Spirit, eagerly 
wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus, 
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working 
through love." Now, we ought not to read that rigidly and 
with some sort of wooden literalism. I don't want to get too graphic 
with this, but if there are any circumcised men out there who 
had that because of, you know, birth and health and, you know, 
we'll just say birth reasons when you came into this world, 
It's not a condemnation for anybody who has been circumcised with 
respect to a cultural or a medical act. The idea, of course, in 
view, is the emphasis upon, or the stress, that one needs to 
be circumcised in order to be finally accepted before God. So we have this pernicious error, 
and the language that has been used of these people, as you've 
heard from Pastor Butler over the years, and others as well, 
They're called Judaizers. The etymology or one of the beginnings 
of that word we can find in Galatians 2 at verse 14. Judaizer isn't 
just a word that, you know, the reformers made up or something, 
or that people in the early church just made up and applied to these 
people unjustly. But it's a word that actually 
comes from the Bible itself. Notice in Galatians 2 at verse 
14, But when I saw that they were not straightforward about 
the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, if 
you being a Jew live in the manner of Gentiles and not as Jews, 
why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? That could literally 
read, why do you compel Gentiles to Judaize? And so they are these 
Judaizers who have gone about and sought to destroy and pervert 
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, stealing away disciples 
unto themselves and casting into the dirt the very saving perfection 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we have this pernicious error 
affecting the church. We also have then the reigning 
truth that is to be confessed by the churches. The Apostle 
Paul, as he's dealing with these errorists, as he's dealing with 
these heretics seeking to steal away disciples, he also then, 
on the flip side of that, proclaims the truth that is to be believed. If this error is to be cast off, 
if these people are not to be believed but to be avoided and 
to be called forth as such who are anathema, accursed, damned 
to destruction, then what is it that we are to remember? What 
truth is it that we are to emphasize? What is the very heart of our 
Christian happiness, joy, hope, and peace? Well, Paul brings 
this out in a number of places, but only very briefly. Galatians 
2.16. Remember, we're talking about 
the subject matter of the book. So it's Paul dealing with error, 
by now as we'll see, answering that error with the blessed truth. Notice Galatians 2.16. This comes 
in the context of the Apostle Paul rehearsing his opposition 
to Peter, who had stumbled a little bit in his dealing with Gentiles. 
But notice at verse 16 at Galatians 2, knowing that a man is not 
justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Christ 
Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by 
the works of the law, for by the works of the law no flesh 
shall be justified. What is the theological substance 
of the book of Galatians? It is, in essence, Galatians 
2.16. Paul, in a threefold manner, 
with negations and affirmations upholds what the truth is to 
be in opposition to this error. We are not justified by the works 
of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. As well, the truth is 
amplified as Paul works through Galatians chapter 3 with regards 
to the liberty or the salvation connected to faith in Christ. Notice in Galatians 3 at verse 
7, that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. Now, perhaps in the future we 
can have, with this working through Galatians, we can have an excursus 
on covenant theology and baptism, but for a Reformed Baptist to 
come to Galatians, he is first to come to Galatians like Martin 
Luther, because it is that blessed and glorious majestic epistle 
that speaks to Christian liberty that is specifically justification 
by faith alone in Jesus Christ. But it is also a blessed repository 
for the Reformed, or particular Baptist, as we see the Apostle 
Paul here not upholding Abraham as the model for the covenant 
of grace, but rather Dealing with those who were perverting 
Abraham as a model for their own particular approach to salvation 
highlights who really are the seed of Abraham, those who are 
of faith. There is a blessed and intimate 
connection to the doctrine of salvation to the doctrine of 
baptism. It is only those who are children 
of Abraham, those who are his seed, or those who are connected 
to that SC, Jesus Christ, who are to be baptized. Again, therefore 
know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. So only those who are of faith 
are such as who are to be baptized. But notice the language of 1313. 
As we see the truth set against error by the Apostle Paul, Christ 
has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse 
for us. For it is written, cursed is 
everyone who hangs on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham 
might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might 
receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. You know, as he's 
dealing with these Judaizers, and as he's dealing with an audience 
that may largely be Jews, some have sort of went to either side. Are they entirely Gentiles or 
entirely Jews? It's probably a mix of both, 
but probably largely Jews who had found themselves, not found 
themselves in Galatia, but had in the Diaspora, went to Asia 
Minor and gone to Galatia and were equipped with the knowledge 
of the Old Testament, who had studied the Old Testament, who 
as converted Jews appreciated the reality and the connection 
of the Old Testament to the Lord Jesus Christ, and he can preach 
to them or write to them and speak with regards to Old Covenant 
matters, the blessing of Abraham, and highlight that if you go 
after error, you're not upholding the purity of Abrahamic religion, 
but much rather you are opposing Old Covenant and Abrahamic religion, 
the religion of the triune God, who promised that he would bless 
the Gentiles by virtue of Jesus Christ, that through the promise 
to Abraham, where many nations would come to a knowledge of 
God, Christ Jesus would be the Redeemer of both Jew and Gentile, 
that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 
And then, if you'll just, there are a number of places, but let's 
just turn back for a moment. to Galatians 2. Before we move 
on to the implications of rejecting the truth for the error, because 
that's also what the Apostle Paul deals with, if anything 
is to hit the hard or cut to the quick for these Galatians 
as Paul is writing to them, I believe it's Galatians 2, 20 and 21. 
Imagine you're a converted Jew. You're a Christian. It doesn't necessarily have to 
be a converted Jew, Jew or Gentile. And you're being tempted by these 
Judaizers. You know, they come with this 
measure of authority. They're speaking with this strong 
rhetoric. They're talking about the application 
of the Mosaic law. God gave the Mosaic law. It was 
a good law that he gave to the people of Israel. Perhaps there's 
something to these Judaizers in saying that we must add to 
our faith these particular works in order to be part of the covenant 
people in order to be accepted by God. These converted Christians, if any of the recipients of the 
letter were Christians, the converted Christians who are receiving 
this letter, they get verse 21, and we'd have to imagine that 
that would cut to the quick, in a manner similar to when Jesus 
Christ looks with his eyes upon Peter. after Peter had just denied 
him three times. Notice the language of Galatians 
2.21. What's at stake here? I do not 
set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through 
the law, then Christ died in vain. the very thing that is 
at the heart of the Christian confession, the very thing that 
is the lifeblood of Christianity, that is the cross of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. If these Galatian Christians 
were to lay hold of error and allow this different gospel, 
which is not a gospel at all, to make a foothold in the churches 
of Galatia, they are essentially saying that Christ died in vain. 
So this is why the Apostle Paul, one of the reasons why the Apostle 
Paul, backing up to Galatians 1, moves so quickly into the 
subject matter of the epistle. As Pastor Butler has noted before 
and noted recently, there's zero praise given to the Galatian 
Christians here. In fact, there's something notable, 
as compared, for example, to the letters to the Corinthians. 
When doctrine is at stake, the subject matter of the epistle 
is immediately launched into. There's something interesting 
with regards to the greeting to the churches of Galatia. If 
you have quick hands and quick fingers, you can back up to the 
book of Romans. The Apostle Paul, of course, 
wrote the Book of Romans. Notice Romans, verse 7 of chapter 
1. Notice 1 Corinthians, chapter 
1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 at verse 
2. To the church of God, which is 
at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called 
to be saints with all who in every place call on the name 
of Jesus Christ, our Lord, both theirs and ours. Just two more, 
turn to Ephesians for a moment. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 1. Verse 1b, to the saints who are 
in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus. And then Philippians, 
to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi with the 
bishops and deacons. And so finding our way back to 
the book of Galatians, what do we have there? To the churches 
of Galatia. I don't think that's just because 
he, you know, he just didn't have time or he forgot to include 
to the saints in the churches of Galatia to the churches of 
Galatia and all the saints therein who are faithful in the Lord 
Jesus Christ. I think it's because this letter 
comes with the weight of destroying the error that was so pernicious 
in the church of Galatia. When doctrine is at stake and 
when truth is at stake, Paul cuts to the quick, quickly, in 
order in order to dash away the heresies that affect the church 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice the implications for rejecting 
the truth for the error. We already saw two of those, 
the twofold anathema given in verses 8 and 9, but notice it 
chapter 3 in verse 10. So we have the pernicious error 
affecting the churches, we have the reigning truth that is to 
be confessed by the churches, and we have the implications 
of rejecting the truth for error now notice verse 10 of Galatians 
3 for as many as Are of the works of the law are under its curse 
are under the curse For it is written curse It is everyone 
who does not continue in all things which are written in the 
book of the law to do them so What do we, how does that connect 
to the implications for rejecting the truth for error? Well, if 
you reject justification by faith alone for this error that was 
so pernicious, you are subject to the entirety of the law of 
God to obey every jot and tittle, because you've put yourself Under 
the covenant of works to be obedient to law in order to be accepted 
before God If you are if you put yourself under the covenant 
of works you put yourself under the curse For it is written cursed 
is everyone who does not Continue in all things were which are 
written in the book of the law to do them and then for nine 
notice at four nine the implication for Rejecting the truth for error, 
Galatians 4 at verse 9. But now, after you have known 
God, or rather known by God, how is it that you turn again 
to the weak and beggarly elements to which you desire again to 
be in bondage? So, we have anathemas or pronouncements 
of being accursed, we have the fact that those who reject truth 
for error place themselves under the curse of the law, and then 
we have the fact that those who reject the truth For error are 
such who are in bondage to the law, in bondage to their own 
fleshly lusts, in bondage to their own narcissism, in bondage 
to the devil who promotes the wickedness of rejecting Christ. So let's look then at the stuff 
of Galatians 1. With just our brief remaining 
time, Galatians 1 verses 1 to 5. Understanding that in the 
background we have this pernicious error affecting the churches, 
we have the reigning truth that is to be confessed by these churches 
in opposition to the error, and we have these looming implications 
of rejecting the truth for the error. Notice first, Paul asserts 
his apostolic authority. He asserts his apostolic authority, 
first his office, and then the origin of his office. Notice 
Paul, an apostle, not from man nor through man, but through 
Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead. 
Now this isn't simply an identification of the author. It is that. It 
is an identification of the author. But Paul is also arguing here 
for his authority and the authenticity and purity of his message in 
opposition to the errorist's message. These false apostles, 
these Judaizers who were going about preaching another gospel, 
which is no gospel at all, would have no doubt, not only in addition 
to preaching heretical error and errors that stand under anathema, 
they would have been preaching against the Apostle Paul. they 
would have argued that they themselves are the apostles of God, that 
they themselves are the apostles, the messengers of a proper religion, 
and denigrating the apostle Paul, perhaps saying that they were 
sent by God, but Paul was just sent by men. He wasn't with the 
disciples, the original disciples in Jerusalem, perhaps. He was, 
according to him, converted on the road to Damascus. He was 
not immediately a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ in his 
earthly ministry, and no doubt he is just sent by man. That's why the Apostle Paul highlights 
in this parenthetical statement in our Bibles that he's an apostle 
not from man nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and 
God the Father who raised him from the dead. It's that wonderful 
emphasis on the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
because on that road to Damascus, it was resurrection power that 
converted Paul. Remember, that resurrection power 
is that same power that brought creation into existence from 
nothing, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians. in 2 Corinthians 
chapter 4, that same power in creation and that same power 
in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the self-same 
power that brought the Apostle Paul from darkness to light on 
the road to Damascus, and it's the same power that illuminated 
the Apostle Paul for his apostleship that he might go out and preach 
the truth. He is the one from God. He is 
the one from God our Father who raised the Lord Jesus Christ 
from the dead. He is not from man, nor through 
man, but from Jesus Christ. And this accords with the conversion 
account of the Apostle Paul. Remember, he was not, we see 
later, as we'll get to later portions in the text, that he 
was not the immediate recipient of earthly teachers. He was the 
immediate recipient of the teaching of the risen and exalted Christ. 
He is interrupted on the road to Damascus by our glorious Savior. He's converted and he's commissioned 
by the Lord Jesus Christ for his apostleship. And so he is 
not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ. Conversely, 
these who are preaching this regrettable and horrific error 
that destroys the gospel of Jesus Christ were from men and through 
men. So Paul's identification, and 
then we see here the addition of the brethren who are with 
him. Now that's significant. Notice, Paul an apostle, not 
from men nor through men, but through Jesus Christ and God 
the Father who raised him from the dead, and all the brethren 
who are with me. I don't think that either is 
just something, oh, okay, I'm writing this epistle, and he's 
looking around, oh, okay, I'll add these guys in here. I think 
it's very significant for the weight of the epistle. We have 
the weight of the Apostle Paul coming, the Apostle Paul himself. 
the minister, the apostle to the Gentiles, but we also have 
this weight of a multitude of fellow consenting counselors 
that are with the Apostle Paul. What does this speak to? It speaks 
to doctrinal consent. The Apostle Paul is not alone 
in believing the precious doctrine of justification by faith alone, 
but the brethren that are with me, probably his intimate circle 
of friends and fellows, those that are with him consent to 
this self-same doctrine that you're rejecting. If you, for 
whatever reason, reject my word, don't reject the word of the 
brethren who are with me, the force of their doctrinal consent, 
they likewise affirm the truth and oppose the error. And not 
only do we have Christian consent here with this clause and all 
the brethren who are with me, but we would have Christian concern. 
You know, this is a polemic letter, but it comes with love. It comes 
with love. It doesn't come with a weight 
of hatred. It comes from the heart of a 
pastor who said that what comes upon me daily is this constant 
concern for the churches of Jesus Christ. And so when the churches 
of Jesus Christ are being affected by devilish error and the wickedness 
of men, He comes to preach this weighty doctrine, and the weight 
of the brethren that are with him, the Christian concern that 
comes from the love of not just Paul, from all of these brethren, 
but from all of these brethren, the charges, the reproofs, the 
warnings, the admonitions that can come from these brethren, 
the hope no doubt here is that the weight of this will add to 
the very weight of the truth in order to bring these to repentance 
in order to have them shake their metaphorical heads and obey the 
truth as it is in Jesus Christ our Savior. Lastly, notice we 
have this rehearsing the triumphant and exclusive glory of the gospel 
of God. Close with this observation of 
verses three through five. This again is something that 
serves the weight of the entire letter. It's not a simple general 
reflection upon the gospel. It is a reflection upon the glory 
of the gospel. But it's in order that he might 
set that as a foundation to now launch into this subject matter. 
In order, perhaps, to first fill their hearts with the knowledge 
of the saving gospel, so that they might be all the more ready 
to turn from being confused and stolen away back to the truth 
as it is in Christ. Notice that we have, if you recall 
a number of months ago, we looked at various pieces, anatomies 
of letters. We looked at benedictions, we 
looked at doxologies, we looked at some other things, salutations, 
greetings, that sort of a thing. Well, notice we have a benediction 
and a doxology in a greeting. It's very interesting. In the 
span of these three verses, we have first a benediction, and 
then we have blessed theology closed off with doxology. So 
notice first the benediction, grace to you and peace from God 
the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul very 
often uses this twofold convention. Sometimes there is love that 
is included in there, sometimes the order is reversed, sometimes 
there are more than two particular blessings that are listed, but 
very often we see this, and predominantly we see this, grace to you and 
peace. And the Galatians needed that, 
didn't they? We all need grace and peace, but in a particular 
measure, as opposed to some of the other churches, for example, 
the church in Philippi, which did not have the same weight 
of error, the same immediacy of polemic writing by the Apostle 
Paul, grace and peace was much needed. grace to oppose these 
errorists, grace to not have their hearts stolen away by adherence 
to law in order to be saved, the weight of grace to press 
upon their Christian minds to recall the blessed gospel of 
Jesus Christ, which he opens up next. So they would need this 
grace, and no doubt they would need peace. We all need peace. It is the very thing that Christians 
enjoy with respect to peace is connected to the very doctrine 
that Galatians is all about. The Apostle Paul writes elsewhere, 
therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with 
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. to subject yourself to the teachings 
of these errorists, to subject yourself to the notion that you 
must obey, that you must do these works of the flesh, that you 
must obey Mosaic law in order to be saved. There's no peace 
in that. There's no resting and lasting 
peace in adding your own fleshly works to the works of Christ. That's why Luther can say the 
epistle to the Galatians is my epistle, I'm in wedlock with 
it, it is my wife. Because he knew the rigors of 
a law obedience religion. And make no mistake, the law 
obedience of Roman Catholicism has not gone away. And it's not 
just works added to faith in order to be saved, but if you 
have time and you want to Google it, children, ask your parents 
if you want to watch it, but the madness of the idolatry and 
the error of such religion has mounted to a place where thousands 
of people will tape rocks to their knees and walk around, 
not walk around, but shuffle around statues of Mary in order 
to merit time off in their stint in purgatory. So, error, the 
madness of error, the perniciousness of error infects the Church of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, can enter within its gates, and we need 
to be filled with the grace and with the peace of God our Father 
and the Lord Jesus Christ, that they might impress upon our minds 
by the Spirit the blessing of justification by faith alone." 
Notice the rehearsal of divine redemption. Jesus Christ gave 
himself for our sins, verse 4, that he might deliver us from 
this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father. Again, this isn't simply a general 
reflection upon gospel glory, but it is also specifically designed 
to set the foundation for the entirety of the epistle. Jesus 
Christ gave himself for our sins. The madness, then, for you to 
seek, to add to your faith in Christ, works that are not Christ's, 
but that are your own. The blessed Son of God, the second 
of the blessed triune, came down from heaven, assumed our nature 
without sin, in order that he might redeem many sons to glory. It is understandable that the 
Apostle Paul will then later write that for you to seek to 
be obedient to the law, that is, in essence, to render the 
cross of Christ vanity. Who gave himself for our sins. What a blessed clause, that the 
Son of God gave himself. He gave himself for our sins. 
You know, as Christians, as we sin, is your first motion of 
your heart to find out which Mosaic ceremony you can do? No, 
it's not. It's to reflect with the joy 
of your Christian heart upon so great a salvation that Jesus 
Christ gave himself for our sins. When we sin, is our hope in our 
own flesh? to somehow counterbalance the 
wickedness that we do with our own good deeds? If that's our 
religious vantage point, then Christ has died in vain. then 
we are casting the cross of Christ into the mud of fleshly and beggarly 
elements. He gave himself for our sins. What a blessed thing that the 
creator of all came down that he might give himself for us. 
And not only that he gave himself for our sins, Or we could say 
that the purpose connected to the giving of himself for our 
sins is this next clause, that he might deliver us from this 
present evil age according to the will of our God and Father. 
Now, that has a double force, I think a general and a specific 
one. Specifically, it has to do with that worldly and that 
present evil age connected to the Judaizing elements among 
them. But at large, it has salvificly 
to do with the fact that it's not about so much a change of 
location, but a change of status, or a change of connection to 
a particular kingdom. Remember the language of Paul 
in the book of Colossians, that we have, by virtue of the work 
of Christ, been conveyed from the kingdom of darkness, from 
out of the kingdom of darkness, and into the kingdom of the Son 
of God's love. That is the stuff of this deliverance. Christ gave himself for our sins 
that he might deliver us from this present evil age according 
to the will of our God and Father. Paul emphasizes the sacrificial 
work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the amazing grace of God in bringing 
us from out of darkness into marvelous light, and the very 
sovereign good pleasure and will of God that it would be so. This massive emphasis with the 
character and the glory of God, the blessed exclusive salvation 
in Jesus Christ, and the exclusivity of amazing grace in that salvation 
is brought to bear upon these Galatian churches that they might 
have the weight of truth shatter their inclinations to seek after 
error and to follow after. these Judaizers. And he closes 
with this blessed doxology, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. That isn't routine either. Whenever the apostles close with 
that, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. God is not gloryless or somehow 
lacks in elements of glory, and we have to fill that up by our 
praises and those sorts of things. When we give God glory, when 
we render glory unto God, that simply means that we recognize 
His divine perfections and the glory of His works, and we ascribe 
praise and honor to Him. because he's worthy to be praised 
in the exclusive work of salvation by Jesus Christ in this amazing 
grace deliverance and in his sovereign good pleasure. He is 
to be praised and honored forever and ever. The Christian's job 
in worship is to recognize the glory of our God, to give him 
glory, to recognize his intrinsic perfections, and to recognize 
the blessedness of his extrinsic works in giving Christ for our 
sins, in giving us the preciousness of deliverance. And so as we 
work through this book of Galatians, we'll see the perniciousness 
of error, We'll see the glory and the repetition of the blessed 
truth, and we'll see the Apostle Paul consistently bringing ink 
to paper that he might steal these back from temptations to 
go after madness and to behold the glory of justification by 
faith alone. And if you're here tonight, that's 
wherein your Christian joy and peace resides. It's in justification 
by faith alone. It's in the perfection of the 
work of Jesus Christ. It's in no spot or measure because 
of what you do, because of those things done according to worldly 
standards or by your own flesh, but your joy and peace is intimately 
linked to the finished work of Jesus Christ. And isn't that 
a glorious thing? That our joy and our happiness 
isn't dependent upon or linked to how we perform with regards 
to some religious obedience? That's how our joy and our hope 
and our happiness will never be like that necessarily. Our Christian joy, if we hone 
in our Christian joy, it should never be like that, because it 
isn't linked to us, to the ebb and flow of our own doings and 
thinkings, but it's directly linked to the finished work of 
Jesus Christ and the glory of the God of amazing grace. So, 
Saint, rest upon the King of Peace, Jesus Christ, An unbeliever, 
if you're here this evening, the only hope, the only true 
lasting happiness and joy is in Jesus Christ who gave himself 
for our sins. Let's pray.