The Heartbeat of Galatians (Galatians 4:12-20)
The Heartbeat of Galatians
Galatians 4:12-20
June 1, 2014
You have probably recognized by now that the letter Paul wrote to the Galatians was not only fiery, but extremely heavy.
It was loaded with reproach and loaded with doctrine.
Not only did Paul call them foolish and express his frustration,
But he has left no stone unturned as he sought to shed light
On the doctrine of justification by faith apart from the Law.
These realities no doubt make the first 3 ½ chapters
Of the book of Galatians one of the toughest to read.
It is theological, it is direct, it is confrontational, it almost feels cold.
However, do not assume that it is coming from a cold or calloused heart.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The fact is that the reason Paul was so fiery and so direct
Was not because he did not care, but because he cared so much.
1 Corinthians 13:6 “[Love] does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;”
This was the type of love Paul had.
It was far greater than the sloppy sentimental emotion
That is often confused as love today.
Today it is not actually love for others that drives most people,
But rather love for themselves.
• People say nice things simply because they desire for you to love them.
• People refrain from rebuke or correction or confrontation, not because they
agree, but because they do not want to be thought ill of by others.
In short, they would let you fall all the way to destruction
So long as they can keep their popularity and the love of everyone else.
What we see today does not at all resemble the love of the Bible.
God’s love is genuine, unselfish, uncompromising, and unfailing.
It loves the sinner, sacrifices self, endures hardship,
And exposes that which is dangerous no matter the consequences.
This is precisely the type of love Paul had.
He would risk his own popularity
So long as he might save the Galatians from destruction.
He would rather lose them as friends than lose them as brothers in Christ.
That is love.
And the harshness of his letter must be seen as that
Which was necessary to turn the Galatians from their sin.
Titus 1:7-11 “For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”
2 Timothy 4:1-2 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
It is absolutely essential that our love be genuine enough
To turn a sinner from his sin,
Even though risking our popularity in the process.
James 5:19-20 “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
Those who will not confront your sin
Or tell you when you are failing do not love you.
They only love themselves and value what they get from you
More than your own wellbeing.
Well, Paul was no selfish person.
He loved the Galatians.
And if the harshness of this letter has caused you to question that,
Then it is imperative that you understand this portion of the letter.
For in these 9 verses Paul bears his heart in a way
That is unequaled in any of his other letters.
• For just a moment the theology is laid aside…
• For just a moment the doctrine is pushed back…
• For just a moment the confrontation is stilled…
And Paul just addresses them with the heart of a man who loves them.
AND NEVER FORGET HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS.
As believers there must be a compromise of both attributes in our lives.
There must be a commitment to expose sin and confront error and teach truth and this must all be done with love and compassion.
Ephesians 4:15 “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,”
As followers of Christ we must be those who proclaim the truth and rightly expose sinful realities.
• After all did Jesus not tell woman at the well about her promiscuous past?
• Did Jesus not tell the woman caught in adultery to “go and sin no more”?
• Did Jesus not tell the cripple at the Bethesda pool, “do not sin any more”?
• Did Jesus not tell the Rich Young Ruler to leave his idolatrous love of money?
• But Jesus also offered the woman at the well living water and talked to her
when no one else would.
• Jesus also refused to condemn the woman caught in adultery.
• Jesus also healed the cripple at the Bethesda pool.
• And Luke says Jesus felt a love for the Rich Young Ruler.
The point is that in order to be like Christ, both are required.
We must be stern, and yet we must be compassionate.
One of the best passages in regard to church discipline
That I think is often overlooked is:
1 Timothy 5:1-2 “Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.”
Paul did not say not to rebuke people.
• When you rebuke an older man treat him with respect like your father.
• When you rebuke an older woman treat her with dignity like your mother.
• When you rebuke a younger man treat him with equality like a brother.
• And when you rebuke a younger woman treat her with purity like a sister.
In your desire to stomp out sin and confront error
There must always be compassion.
It is that compassion that Paul puts on display here.
He is angry, he is frustrated, in this very passage he says he is “perplexed”, but don’t let that cause you to assume he doesn’t care.
Four things I want you to see
#1 HIS PLEA AS TO A BROTHER
Galatians 4:12a
If there was any thought that Paul had grown cold and rigid
This verse lays that idea to rest.
“I beg of you, brethren…”
Paul was angry and disillusioned, but don’t think for one second
That he was done with the Galatians.
He still viewed them as “brethren”
And here in the midst of one the harshest letters in Scripture
We actually find Paul down on one knee pleading with them.
“I beg of you”
The language could not be more compassionate.
What does he desire?
“become as I am, for I also have become as you are.”
What does Paul mean?
• Well, Paul was a Jew
• He was under the Law
• He was committed to legalism
• He was religious man in every sense of the word.
Philippians 3:5-6 “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”
Paul understood legalism better than most people, he used to live in it.
But he left that and became like a Gentile.
“I also have become as you are.”
Philippians 3:7-11 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Paul had been under the Law, but purposely came out from under it.
He was born a Jew and for all practical purposes became a Gentile.
And now Paul is faced with the reality that his new Gentile brothers
Are actually trying to become Jews.
And so Paul begs them not to.
“I beg of you, brethren, become as I am, for I also have become as you are.”
Paul speaks like a recovering alcoholic
Trying to beg his brother not to start drinking.
It is an appeal that is reminiscent of the rich man in hell,
As he begged Abraham to send Lazarus to his family:
Luke 16:27-28 “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house — for I have five brothers — in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’”
That is the same passion and heart that is fueling Paul’s letter.
• Is it stern? Yes
• Is it weighty? Yes
But don’t confuse that for being uncompassionate.
• Just as an alcoholic would give every gory detail about the cruelties of
alcoholism if it would save his brother from drinking…
• Just as a man in hell would give every gruesome detail about the
agonies of hell if it would save his brother from going there…
Paul has, in the same way, covered every possible doctrine
About the truths of legalism
If it might persuade his brothers to leave it alone.
Paul is begging with the brothers he loves.
This is how we must approach our brothers in Christ as well.
Be stern, be direct, don’t sugar coat the dangers
BUT DO IT FROM THE PROPER MOTIVE OF LOVE
Paul’s Plea as to a brother
#2 HIS OBSERVATION AS TO A FRIEND
Galatians 4:12b-16
Again Paul is very quick to point out that this letter
Is not a retaliatory letter to some perceived wrong they have done to him.
“You have done me no wrong;”
Many times when you confront someone for any reason,
And especially if it is a strong confrontation, you may hear the words, “What did I do to you?”
I’m sure as the Galatians opened this letter and began to read it
That thought must have crossed their mind.
How did we wrong Paul to make him so mad?
Sure he doesn’t like our decision to get circumcised, but how does that hurt him?
Well rest assured Paul’s passion and fire
Is not a result of something wronging him.
His motive is purely for his friend.
“You have done me no wrong”
(This isn’t about me)
And Paul even expounds on that:
(13-14) “but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time; and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.”
Far from them wronging him, Paul says he is actually indebted to them.
Many of his missionary voyages were intentional,
But the trip to Galatia was actually a necessary one.
He went there “because of a bodily illness”
(No, we don’t know what it was because it doesn’t matter)
The point was that even thought a stranger, and a sick one at that,
The Galatians still accepted him, loved him, and helped him.
In fact Paul says you did it for me
“as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself”
You couldn’t have treated Jesus any better than you treated me.
I have no complaints toward you.
• You owe me nothing.
• This letter is not about some grudge or previous wrong.
Boy and there is a good point.
If our present confrontation is rooted in a personal wrong
We had better check our motives.
If you are only eager to expose your brother’s current sin
Because of a previous offense, you may not be acting in love.
Paul had nothing against the Galatians, he purely cared for them.
They had helped him immensely.
You are my friends.
But here is the observation he makes of his friends.
(15-16) “Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?”
In short – WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR FRIENDSHIP?
• All of a sudden you don’t want to hear what I have to say, what happened?
• All of a sudden you regard me as an enemy, why?
Paul came to Galatia and they loved him in spite of his infirmity,
And now after he is gone they begin to treat him like an enemy.
Those are not the words of an unloving man.
• Paul loved the Galatians
• Paul valued their friendship
• The grief he has is over a brother tripping into sin
• The grief he has is over a friend now out of fellowship
You can see Paul’s love
Paul’s Plea as to a Brother
Paul’s Observation as to a Friend
#3 PAUL’S WARNING AS TO A SISTER
Galatians 4:17-18
We read the passage earlier about confronting younger women as sisters.
The idea there is that of purity.
You would never want to discipline a young lady
In any way which threatens her purity or innocence.
Just as a brother seeks to protect the purity and innocence of his sister,
That is how Paul said discipline should be done.
And that is how he speaks here.
He comes to the Galatians as a sister
Who is being seduced by a dangerous fellow.
In fact the word “eagerly seek”
Was a word often used of a man courting a woman.
And Paul said that is what they are doing to you.
“They eagerly seek you”
The problem is that it is “not commendably”
In other words they want you but they don’t have the best intentions.
Any man who has a sister, or any father with a daughter
Has learned to be on the lookout for that guy.
He’s the guy who wants your daughter or wants your sister
For the wrong reasons.
That is what Paul is saying here about the Judaizers.
They want you, but it isn’t commendable.
“but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them.”
In other words they want to alienate you from the church
So that they are all you have left.
They don’t want you,
They want the glory that comes from you wanting them.
It is like the warning Paul gave to the Ephesians:
Acts 20:25-30 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. “Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
It is like the Pharisees, whom Jesus said:
Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
• These guys won’t cherish you
• These guys won’t love you
• These guys don’t have our best interest in mind
• They are parasites who want to use you for their own personal gratification.
And Paul, like a concerned older brother, is warning them.
Forgive him if he is a little passionate,
But he knows what those guys want
And he is refusing to let them have it with his sister.
Now, you will notice he does soften even that blow
(18) “But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not only when I am present with you.”
Now dads that is a good talk to have with your daughters.
Watch out for the wrong guy that guy who is selfishly pursuing you.
But, that doesn’t mean being “eagerly sought” is a bad thing.
It’s good to be sought by the right kind of guy.
Everyone wants to be loved, it’s part of the desire.
Just make sure you aren’t so quick to want it that you take it from the wrong guy.
Paul says, it is good that you are sought – that is a good thing.
And he says, “not only when I am present”
In other words, it is even a good thing
That someone other than me seeks you.
Paul wasn’t selfish in this.
He wasn’t trying to keep them all to himself.
He understood the value in being wanted and sought and pursued.
He just wanted to make sure that his sister understood
That not everyone who pursues you is on the up and up.
There is nothing selfish or mean spirited about this letter.
• It is written with the love a brother
• It is written with the adoration of a friend
• It is written with the protection as over a sister
He loves these people.
Make sure when you have to confront your brother or sister in Christ
It carries the same compassion.
His Plea as to a brother
His Observation as to a friend
His Warning as to a sister
#4 HIS FRUSTRATION AS TO A CHILD
Galatians 4:19-20
And now we are pulling back into the fury of the letter a little bit.
Paul calls them “My children”
And you understand then that Paul is writing these two verses
As that of a father who knows what is best
And who will do what is best to protect and guide his children.
And I love the imagery…
“My children, with whom I am again in labor…”
How many of you women remember the joys of going through labor?
Now Scripture says that labor is just about as bad as it gets,
But that the pain of labor is forgotten with the joy of having the baby.
But Paul says, forget that joy, I feel like I’m in labor again.
I feel like a woman who has to deliver the same baby twice.
You have so digressed and so stumbled
That it’s like we have to start over at the beginning again.
In short as children
They were totally missing the point of what Paul desired for them.
What was the goal?
“until Christ is formed in you”
The goal was for them to be like Christ,
(sons, heirs)
And yet they are running in the opposite direction.
And because of that, Paul is frustrated.
This explains the brutality of his letter
This explains the fury of his confrontation
• He sees them like a brother about to fall into a trap he’s already gotten out of
• He sees them like a friend who has decided to ignore him
• He sees them like a sister who is being seduced by a charlatan
• He sees them like a child who won’t grow up
And that leads to the final statement here:
(20) “but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.”
His point of frustration is boiling over.
He has thrown up his hands in defeat.
I don’t know what to do with you
Now tell the truth parents, you’ve had days like that with your kids.
• You just reach your wits end
• Parenting skills are lost to you at the moment
• You don’t know what else to do
• It is time for our kids to go to youth camp for a week
That is Paul
He is frustrated
So if you read this letter and see the fire and the passion and assume
• It is because he doesn’t like the Galatians
• Or because he is bitter about some past wrong,
• Or that he is jealous wanting to be the only one who gets their attention,
• Or that he just doesn’t like the struggle that it takes to lead them.
Then you are misreading the letter.
Paul loves them like brothers
Paul loves them like friends
Paul loves them like sisters
Paul loves them like his children
And that is why he is so fired up.
In fact, if he wasn’t this fired up
We would actually wonder if he loved them at all.
• If you can see your brother headed to destruction and it doesn’t prompt you to confront him, then you don’t have much love for your brother.
• If you can see your friend falling into deception and you don’t feel the need to correct him, then you don’t have much love for your friend.
• If you can see your sister about to be taken advantage of by some thug, and you don’t warn her, then you don’t have much love for your sister.
• If you can see your children digressing in their maturity, and you don’t try to straighten them out, then you don’t have much love for your children.
Hebrews 12:7-8 “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”
Those parents who don’t discipline their kids and just let them run wild –
They don’t do it because they love their kids.
They let them run wild because they love the affection they get from their kids and they know if they discipline them, then their kids might get mad at them.
Love confronts, but it confronts out of love
And that is the heart beat of this letter to the Galatians.
It is also a wonderful example for us to follow
As we stand for truth and seek to encourage one another
To be all Christ intended for us to be.
