THE PROCESS OF DEPARTURE

 THE PROCESS OF DEPARTURE

“There are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ” Galatians 1:7

Introduction

On November 18, 1978 911 people, mostly Americans, died in a South American jungle. They were members of a cult called “The People’s Temple”. The leader of this cult was a man by the name of James Warren Jones. Jim Jones fed his followers a perverted gospel. It was laced with poison. He also gave them something to drink that was laced with poison! He had convinced his followers that his lies were true. 911 men women children perished along with Jim Jones in Jonestown, Guyana. They drank a substance Americans call “Cool-aid” laced with poison.

In Australia we call cool-aid “cordial”. I’m sure some of you with young children have noticed how cordial sometimes effects your kid’s behaviour? It makes some kids hyper-active to the point where they are able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Faster than a speeding locomotive and all of that! It gives some kids headaches. It brings on migraines. So, what is it in cordial and other soft drinks that does this? It’s all the additives, sweeteners etc. isn’t it?

The general gist of what we’re looking at in the following is: Only a Gospel without additives will keep the Christian free of headaches!

Still Waters

The Apostle Paul is amazed the Galatians are turning away from the true Gospel. There is confusion in the ranks of the Lord’s flock at Galatia. The Galatians are exhibiting strange behaviour like a kid on cordial. They’re in the process of departing from the grace of Christ.

The “wolf in sheep’s clothing” has moved in. Instead of lying down in pastures green, they’re rising to their feet and walking. They’re being led away from beside still waters into the hustle and bustle of a troubled world. Even their very souls are troubled as they begin to turn away from the tree-lined paths of righteousness onto a dry and dusty road.

The Galatians had been happily dwelling beside still waters as it were. But some people had it in mind to disrupt their happy home. Who were these people who would lure the Lord’s flock from beside still waters, from beside the cool, clear, crystal fountain of the Gospel, the water of life? They are called Judaizers.

The Judaizers have been causing the Galatians all kinds of headaches. They’ve been disturbing the peace. The Judaizers are like the Pharisees in that they think a person can contribute to their own salvation. The Pharisees, as you know, were in a straitjacket made up of all these rules and regulations. The Pharisees had distorted Scripture to the point where they thought they were making themselves righteous by keeping commandments. They believed in a works righteousness, which is the same as saying they believed they could work their way into heaven.

The Judaizers believed the same philosophy as the Pharisees. The trouble is that you won’t find that philosophy pertaining to fallen man in the Bible. It’s the philosophy of the world imported into the Church. The Judaizers were attempting to import that same philosophy into the Lord’s church at Galatia.  However, the Galatians already new the way of salvation as it is revealed in Scripture. They Knew it wasn’t salvation by works but by grace, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

They knew the truth that the Gospel “is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” They’d seen that power at work in their own lives. They’d seen in the Gospel how Christ has rescued them. How Christ had brought them out of the darkness of paganism into His glorious kingdom of light. Paul had presented the Gospel to them clearly. They were repenting of their sins and they were believing in the gospel. That’s the sign of a healthy congregation, i.e., a congregation that keeps on repenting and keeps on believing the gospel, So then, up till the point where the Judaizers had moved in, the Church at Galatia had it all. Then came the headache!

The Judaizers tried to convince them that they needed more. Like that advert that used to be on the telly years ago, the Judaizers were saying, “Wait! There’s more!” It’s always a headache when somebody shows up in your church with a false doctrine. All the Creeds of the Church down through the centuries will testify to that. The Judaizers were denying that the Gospel is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. They were attacking the Gospel, the very means of salvation.

God had been saving His people down through the ages by His Gospel. Those in Old Testament times heard of the Christ who was to come, and those in New Testament times heard of the Christ who has come. The way of salvation has always been the same since the Fall. By grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

The Judaizers were troubling the Galatians. They were throwing them into confusion because they were proclaiming a confused Gospel. The Gospel of the Judaizers was a non-gospel, a pollution of the real gospel. Yet the Galatian were beginning to abandon the true gospel and go after it. They had been lending an ear to the Judaizers, instead of telling them to get on their bikes. It’s like when the Mormons come to your door. You should always nicely explain the Gospel to them before you tell them to get on their bikes!

The process of departure then, is when you start believing that which contradicts the Word of God. The Judaizers were attacking God’s means of saving His people. They were attacking the actual message of salvation, the very Gospel itself. So, Paul is warning the Galatians about those who are troubling them. He tells them plainly that these men are perverting the Gospel.

The Galatians had responded to the true Gospel. They had the peace that transcends all understanding in their hearts. What was it like to be one of these Galatians? We might as well ask, what is it like to be a Christian? Psalm 1 says, “He shall be like tree planted by the rivers of water.” David in Psalm 23 says the Lord like a Shepherd leads you beside “still waters”. Isaiah says, “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” Again, Jesus says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures have said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

The Christian then is one whom the Lord has led and planted like a tree beside still waters. The Lord has invited, and the Christian is drinking deep of the wells of salvation. The Lord causes rivers of living waters to flow from the Christian’s heart. The Christian’s heart has been refreshed by the waters of life. Revelation 7:17 says that Jesus, “the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.”

The Christians heart reflects the throne of God in heaven. The Apostle John in his vision of heaven says in Revelation 22:1, “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” The Christian, then, is the one who has the Lamb of God enthroned in his heart. Therefore, the Christian bubbles forth the cool, clear crystal waters of life. The Christian is the one who is led by the Good Shepherd. The Christian is the one who dwells beside still waters.

The Lord had led the Galatians besides still waters. The Apostle Paul had presented the Gospel to them in such a clear manner, that they could see their faces in it. The Gospel Paul presented them had shown them up for the sinners they were. He had presented Christ crucified to them. They had seen that it was because of their sin that Christ had to die, to satisfy divine justice. Paul presented the crucified Christ so clearly that the Galatians could see their grubby fingerprints on the nails that pinned Him to the cross. But now that picture of Christ was beginning to fade a bit from their minds.

A wind was beginning to blow over the still waters. They used to be able to see a city of gold, the walls of which were adorned with all sorts of precious stones, jasper, sapphire, emerald, sardius, beryl, topaz and the likes. They saw this city, like clear glass, as they gazed into the still waters. There was no junk on the bottom. There are no rusty old beds, old bikes, old tires, dead cats and dogs in the water of life. However, the devil had been huffing and puffing like the big, bad wolf. His desire is to make the world formless and void. His hot and putrid breath had been drying out the eyes of the Galatians as he blew over the still waters of the Gospel.

The Galatians were taking their eyes off were they should be. Their eyes should have been on Christ as He is presented in the glorious Gospel of grace. Now they were becoming troubled in their hearts.

Troubled Waters

“There are some who trouble you.” The Galatians are becoming troubled in their souls. They are being unsettled, perplexed, agitated.

One time we were out at the gem-fields. We bought a bucket of dirt for four bucks. There were supposed to be little gems in among the dirt. To get at the gems you poured the dirt into a sieve Then you take the sieve full of dirt to a barrel of water. You hook the sieve full of dirt onto this lever thing and lower it into the barrel of water. Then you kind of bounce the sieve full of dirt in the water. The idea is that you wash the dirt away and expose the gems. The gems gravitate to the centre as the dirt is washed away by the action of the water. O you’re left with a pile of worthless little stones, some of them even resemble gems. I wasn’t much good at spotting the gems. But the lady who ran the place could spot them from fifty-paces. She had an eye for these things.

Have you ever noticed that Christians stand out like gems among the dross during times of trials? You would think God permitted His Church to become agitated in order for His gems to move back to the centre where they should be. “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” Acts 14:22 “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” 2 Timothy 3:12. “You have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found   to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ...” 1 Peter 1:7. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as to a living stone, reject indeed by men, but chosen by God & precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 2:2-5.

So, it’s clear then that the troubles we suffer as Christians are to clear away the muck and dross that clings to us and stifles our witness. We are precious gems in the keen eye of God. He wants to bring us into the centre, like the gems in the sieve, and separate us from the worthless pebbles. He does it by stirring up the still waters from time to time. Does Scripture not say that Christ gave Himself for His Church, “That He might sanctify [i.e., set apart] and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” Ephesians 5:26. That’s what is happening to the Galatians. The Lord is testing their faith to see if they truly believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He’s looking for the gems in among the dirt & rubble of sinful humanity. He’s going to set these gems in His Son’s crown!

We are precious gems in the eyes of the Lord. But the Lord likes to polish His precious little living stones. You see this throughout Scripture, how the children of God had their rough edges smoothed off. How they had their faith tested. Perhaps the most famous is Job. James in his Epistle says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” James 1:2-3. The Lord led the Galatians beside still waters. The grace of Christ had brought peace to their hearts. But now God had permitted that peace to be disturbed. It’s all part of the process of sanctification, whereby the Lord separates His precious stones from the rubble “Where is your heart, you Galatians? Is it with Me in heaven? Or is it still clinging to the things of this world?”

“Test all things, hold fast what is good” 1 Thessalonians 5:21. The Galatians weren’t doing a very good job of holding fast what is good, were they? They were losing sight of the simplicity of the Gospel, the “by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone” aspect.

The Gospel is God’s grace to sinners. Yet the Galatians were beginning to believe in a works righteous. They were beginning to believe that a man could somehow contribute to God’s free gift of grace. They were believing the Judaizers who were saying you need to be circumcised before you can be saved.

O these Judaizers must have been smooth talkers. They had these Galatians in the process of departure from the gospel of grace. They had them in a state of confusion. The wells of salvation had gone from being still waters to troubled waters.

Muddy Waters

How do you get rid of muddy waters? I was watching TV one day about this new invention in Australia. The new invention was a “syphonic toilet”! I went to Technical College in Scotland decades ago. We learned all about “syphonic toilets” and how they worked. I even installed some in Scotland. When I moved to Canada, I installed them there. Just about all the toilets in Canada are syphonic! So what? Well, so much for a new invention in Australia!

But be that as it may, the difference between a syphonic toilet and an ordinary one is that the one works on the strength of the flush while the other, i.e., the syphonic, creates a vacuum which causes suction. Hence symphonic. However, they have one thing in common. They both need clean water to operate. Why am I telling you all this? Well, I want you to see that if you want to get rid of muddy waters from somewhere you flush it out with clean pure water. That’s exactly what Paul’s doing.

Paul is delivering the Galatians the Gospel all over again. But notice that he’s applying the water of the Word to a particular point. He’s applying it to their present situation. In other words, you need to know where to direct the flow of the Gospel.

The Epistle to the Galatians is a defence, an apologetic, against the philosophy of the world creeping into the church.

The Church doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Neither does the Gospel. The Church must always conform to the Gospel in every situation and age. And the Gospel must be applied to the Church in its present situation and age. The Church in turn, that’s you and me, i.e., all believers, must apply the Gospel to our present situation and age.

I’ve great respect for those Creation Science and Creation Research people. We live in an age of Uniformitarianism, where the Theory of Evolution is accepted as fact. We’ve seen in our day these philosophies creep into the church. We must flush out the effluence of the world by the pure water of the Word of God.

There were people wanting to pervert the Gospel in the days of the Galatians. Certain people have been wanting to pervert the Gospel ever since. It’s still happening today!

The process of departure is always the same for the Christian. It’s always because of some distortion to the Gospel. Such as those who say you can’t be saved unless you’re baptised first baptized. Or those who say you’re not saved unless you speak in what they call “tongues”. There are many other distortions of the pure Gospel floating around nowadays. “The Doctrine of the Second Blessing” is another. We can look at some of these things another time. For the moment I want you to ask yourself, Where do most of these additions to the Gospel come from?

Who is it that makes the water so muddy? It comes from people inside the Church -- doesn’t it? It’s Christians shooting themselves in the foot, isn’t it?

I’ve been referring to these Judaizers as “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. But really it’s the exact opposite. These are sheep in wolves clothing. That’s why the water is so muddy. The Judaizers are most probably Christians with a warped view of the Gospel. You’ve got the poor little Christian sitting in the pew thinking, “Who’s right in all of this? All these people who should know better are arguing about things I don’t really know about, and I’m not sure if I really care about them either!” So then, it’s primarily Christians themselves who muddy the water! How are we to explain this to anyone who asks?

A common question I hear from non-Christians is, “Why are there so many Christian denominations?” Should I show them the “muddy waters and say, “Gaze into this, then tell me what you see”? Or should I show them the cool clear crystal fountain of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invite them to drink? Look, you can see your face in it! Your face looks like it could do with a wash! Look there’s Jesus Christ. What’s He saying? ‘Let Him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.’”

The cure for the thirsty sinner is always the same, isn’t it? You must lead him or her beside still waters, not troubled waters, not muddy waters. But to do so, you yourself must know where those still waters are. They’re found only in the pure unpolluted wells of salvation, the Gospel. If you’ve been sitting in church with a troubled mind, if you’ve been sitting there looking at a muddy Gospel for years, then remember the theme of my message: “Only a Gospel without additives will keep the Christian free of headaches!”

Get back to the basics. The Gospel is that you are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

God began to flush the water of life to clear the muddy waters in His Church over five hundred years ago. The Gospel that had been obscured by centuries of slime and grime, began to bring life to the Church in a big way. We speak of this period as the Reformation. It was the time when the Church that had become Deformed was Reformed. The Reformation came about with the rediscovery of the doctrine salvation by grace, not works!

When I look around, I see blue-green algae in full bloom in the Lord’s Church. There’s a ring around the bathtub of the Church. But praise the Lord, I also see some gems. If you would be a gem fit for the Lord’s diadem, then seek to rediscover the pure Gospel. Then pour it forth with all your heart soul strength and might till your dying breath. Then people will see rivers of living water come from you. Then the Lord’s Church will be cured of her migraine.

Avoid those who want to pervert the Gospel. Better still, show them the pure Gospel, the one that proclaims that Jesus died for sinners. He died to cleanse them of their sin.

Conclusion

Dr. J. Gresham Machen, a gem in the Lord’s crown at the beginning of this century, said,

“Christian evangelism does not consist merely in a man going about the world saying, ‘Look at me what a wonderful experience I have, how happy I am, what wonderful Christian virtues I exhibit; you can all be as good and happy as I am if you will just make a complete surrender of your wills in obedience to what I say.’ ... Men are not saved by the exhibition of our glorious Christian virtues; they are not saved by the contagion of our experiences ... Nay, we must preach to them the Lord Jesus Christ; for it is only through the gospel which sets Him forth that they can be saved. If you want health for your souls, and if you want to be instruments of bringing health to others, do not turn your gaze forever within, as though you could find Christ there. Nay, turn your gaze away from your own miserable experiences, away from your own sin, to the Lord Jesus Christ as He is offered to us in the gospel.”