Sermon Text: Galatians 5:7-12
Theme: The teachings of those who deny the offense of the cross undermine the faith and purity of those who have trust in Christ alone, but God will preserve all who belong to Jesus and bring judgment on those who trouble His Church.
Structure/points: As concerned as Paul was with the Galatians’ obsession with circumcision, he knew that it had begun because false Christians had infiltrated true churches. These teachers apparently claimed to be correcting Paul’s deficient gospel and drove a wedge between the Galatians and Christ’s faithful apostle. Paul continues applying the true gospel, this time in relation to the false teachers. He says some very fierce things against the Judaizing heretics, but not out of a personal vendetta or to bolster his own status. Paul always had one concern: the glory of God and of Jesus Christ. The Judaizers sought to steal the glory from the Lord, but the Lord had noticed. And the Lord would deal sternly with them!
- Paul’s warning
- Paul’s confidence
- Paul’s anger