Galatians chapter 3. I titled this lesson, Who Has
Bewitched You? That has a meaning of who put
a spell on you. Paul does not believe in these
spells being put on someone, but he knows where they came
from, their background. Their Greek background, he knows
it, so he's using something they can relate to. I know this. I know the life of
a believer as well as the life of the church locally and even
throughout the world. is always under attack by Satan. There's never a time she's not
under attack when we are not under attack. And Satan's greatest
attack and his most subtle comes from within. You know, the hardest
enemy I have to deal with is within. I know how to deal with
somebody standing in front of my face. But boy, those thoughts,
Those suggestive thoughts, they are my worst troubles. They're
like the buzzards that came down on the sacrifice of Abraham.
You got to shoo them away. It's those doubts that rise up. Those are enemies. And we need
to look at them as enemies. Don't look at them as, well,
I shouldn't think like that, even though I shouldn't, but
they're enemies. And Satan suggests a lot of things to us. and we're
always under attack from within, and that's the most subtle attack.
Satan knows this, corrupt her doctrine, the church, corrupt
her doctrine ever so slightly, ever so slightly, and she doesn't
have the gospel no more, and she has no power. She has no
power. You know the power of the church
is the gospel. It's the dynamite of God. It's
the dunamis of God. Paul says that in Romans 1. You destroy the gospel. You put
a slight change on the gospel and you can write Ichabod over
the door. The glory has departed. The glory we have here is the
Lord Jesus Christ, His gospel. He is the gospel. When we say
that we have the gospel, we have him. And having him, we have
the gospel. But if it's gone, if it's diluted,
you can write Ichabod over the door. And that's why we are told
throughout the epistles to watch and pray. Don't let your guard
down is what he's saying. Don't let your guard down. Redeeming
the time. I was telling someone this the
other day, redeeming the time, making the best use of your time
for spiritual growth. For the days are evil. The days
we live in are evil and they will never be better days. They're
evil days. I read this somewhere and I wrote
it down here. It said, let us not forget that
tolerance It's tolerance of error, even if it's ever so slightly,
can become poison in the pottage. It can become poison. Now Paul,
here in chapter 3, verse 1, Paul calls the Galatians foolish,
unintelligent, spiritually unintelligent. It's the way they were acting,
what they were doing. He said, you're acting spiritually unintelligent. It's the way you're acting. And
here's why Paul calls them foolish. Leaving Christ for Moses is very
foolish for the law. If they would even stop and consider
that even Moses was not able to deliver the children of Israel
into the Promised Land, He wasn't able because he represented the
law. And he was not allowed to deliver the children of Israel
into the promised land because Moses represented the law. And
then they are foolish, Paul calls them foolish, because to leave
liberty, to leave the liberty we have in Jesus Christ and go
back under the bondage of the law, that's like going back to
jail after you've been set free. You know, I look at some of those
Judaizers as people who've been institutionalized. They can't
make it in the free world, so what do they do? They commit
a crime and go back in. Because they can't live out here in the
free world. And some of those old Judaizers, they were just
institutionalized. They couldn't live without the
law. They had to have tell me what to do. Don't we find that
in us by nature? Seriously. Don't we find it in
us by nature Tell us what to do. Give us some rules and regulations.
How far can I go? Where's the line at? That's in
us by nature. We have in us by nature a legalistic
spirit. And it starts at birth. How do we teach our children?
Do good and you get rewarded. Do bad, you're going to get whipped.
You're going to get a whipping. And we grow up with that. And
we carry that in through our whole life. You can't carry that
into your spiritual life. Because what we have, we have
in Christ and we have it freely. I don't have it because I'm good. I have it because He's good. He's good. And that's why we,
I have, we, you and I have what we have. And then it's foolish
to leave the truth, to leave the truth for a lie. Judaizers came along saying,
this is how you have life. Well, that's a lie. Christ is
the truth and it's in Christ we have life. In Him we have
life and we have it more abundantly. And to leave truth for a lie
is absolute foolishness. And to leave life for death?
That's very unintelligent. That's just pure ignorance. Now
I want you to imagine, I want you to have this image in your
mind. This really helped me this week. And when I read, I try
to have I try to imagine myself in that situation. I try to have
an image in my mind of what I'm reading. To really enter into
it. It helps me to really enter into
it. Like one time I was reading a book to Cole. It was a children's
book. He couldn't have been more than Oh, three years old, maybe, maybe
three or four. And as I was reading it, I said,
let's just, let's just act like we're in the book. Let's just
get in the book. And so I act like I dived into the book. And
then he got beside him and he acted like he dived into the
book. And then I would start, as I read it, I would look around
like I was looking at the trees and stuff. And it just came alive
for him. It came alive for him. So let
me give you this image and see if it helps it to come alive
for you. I want you to imagine a high hill, a very high hill. And at the bottom of one side
of the hill is legalism. And at the bottom of the hill
on the other side is works of the flesh. And on the top of
this high hill is a very narrow path. I mean very narrow. Straight
and narrow way. Straight and narrow path. which
is Christ crucified. Now, if you step off on one side
or the other, it ends in death and destruction. That's how it
ends. Both sides are slippery slopes.
I mean, they are slippery. And once you step off that narrow
way, that narrow path onto that side of that slope, you slide
to the bottom. Now, you're either in legalism, which is jail. Picture
yourself in jail, in a cage. You're in a cage in legalism.
But you slip off to the other side, then you're living after
the flesh. It doesn't matter what I do.
I'm all right. Jesus Christ put away my sins.
Well, yes, he did. But your life will be evidence
of that fact. It'll be evidence of it. So only on the straight and narrow
way, which leads to life, you stay on that path, And our Lord said, few there
be that find it. But that helped me when I started studying this
chapter. I pictured myself on this real
narrow path, walking along this mountain. And on one side is
the bottom of it's legalism, and the other side is works of
the flesh, and either side of that is death. Only life is on
this straight and narrow way, Christ and Him crucified. Now
with that image in mind, let's look at this. Now, Paul gives
five interrogating questions to the Galatians. He makes them
think. And you know, that's what we
ought to do. When you hear a message, you ought to start thinking.
I told Joe Terrell this one time. Joe Terrell, he was in the preacher
school with me, he was here once. Joe is an intelligent man, and
he comes at things at different angles. And I told Joe this one
time, I said, Joe, the one thing I can say about your preaching,
it makes me think. I said, it makes me think. So
Paul here, he makes them think about what has happened and what
will be the consequences. This is what's happened and this
is the consequences. Now he says here in verse 1,
Who has bewitched you? And this word bewitched here,
this statement here, it means this. Who has envied you so as
to bewitch you? They envied you. The word bewitched
means to envy. The Judaizers, they envied them.
They are saved without keeping the law. They are free from the
law, they are free from the ceremony, free from circumcision, and they're
free from all... they envy them so as to bewitch
them. Who has enchanted you, deceived
you? Paul lets them know by this statement
that what's going on is satanic, it's not of God. You are distracted
from the truth. These men, these false teachers
have come along and distracted you from the truth. But now here's something interesting. There was one commentary I read,
and the translator translated it like this. He gave this story.
He translates bewitched as put the evil eye on you. I never
knew this is where the evil eye came from. The ancient Greeks
were accustomed to and afraid of the idea that a spell could
be cast upon them by an evil eye. You ever hear someone say,
boy, they got the evil eye. They gave me the evil eye. Well,
that's where it came from. The evil eye was thought to work
in the way a serpent could hypnotize its prey with its eyes. Once
the victim looked into the evil eye, a spell could be cast. Therefore,
the way to overcome the evil eye was simply not to look at
it. In using this phrase and using the word picture of bewitched,
Paul is encouraging the Galatians to keep their eyes always steadfastly
upon Jesus Christ. Paul didn't believe that the
spell was cast upon them, but he knew their background. He
knew their superstition. And so he's using this word bewitched
as the evil eye. Someone has given you the evil
eye. And you've looked into it, and you've been bewitched. A
spell cast on you. I thought that was interesting.
But that's what he's talking about. Who hath bewitched you?
And here's the seriousness of what they're doing, that you
should not obey the truth. You're walking contrary to the
truth. I preach the truth to you, and you have left the truth. To follow a lie is not to obey
the truth. You've left the gospel by which
you are saved. You've left it. You've stepped
aside. Then Paul points out that Jesus Christ was set forth before
their eyes. He says, before whose eyes Jesus
Christ has been evidently, clearly, without question, without question,
Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you.
God so powerfully attended the preaching of Paul that it was
as if Jesus Christ was crucified right in front of them. They
saw it that clearly. They didn't have the New Testament.
What they had was the apostle Paul, and God attended his ministry
with the power of the Holy Spirit and miracles and signs and these
things. And he said, Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth
before you. And here's what he's saying.
Paul is saying that Jesus Christ was placarded before you. He was placarded. Now, what that
means is this. You see people that are in a
protest, they have their signs up, and they got stuff written
on the signs, or a billboard, you drive down the road and you
see a billboard, he's saying, Jesus Christ was that plainly
set before you, like on a billboard, play-carded. Paul so powerfully and vividly
preached Christ to them, that there was just no question as
to Christ and Him crucified and how we are saved and how we are
justified. Now he says in verse 2, secondly,
here's a second interrogating question. This only would I learn
of you, in other words, answer this question. Receive you the
Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? When
God saved you and you received the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit,
what was going on? Was the law being read? Was the
law being preached? Or was Christ being preached?
What was going on when God saved you? When you receive the Spirit,
I tell you what was going on, because Paul was the one preaching
to them. Christ crucified was being preached.
The law wasn't being preached at all. It was free grace, free
grace. It was salvation in Jesus Christ
alone. The law wasn't even mentioned. Unless it was mentioned as a
way of condemning, but not in saving. Not in saving. To answer
the question, now if you answer this question properly, you will
clear up this whole matter. It'll clear this matter up. If
you just answer the question I ask you. Here's the third interrogating
question. Are you so foolish, are you so
unintelligent, having begun in the Spirit, are you now made
perfect by the flesh? Do we start in Jesus Christ?
Does salvation start in Christ? And then is it perfected, brought
to climax, brought to perfection by my obedience to law? Did you start in Christ and we
end up by obeying the law? Do you know the answer to that
is no. It's absolutely not. The answer
is no. And then here's the fourth interrogating
question. Have you suffered or experienced,
that's what that word means, experienced so many things in
vain, if it be yet in vain, they suffered for the gospel. If you believe the gospel, you
will suffer for it. You'll suffer the loss of friendship. And in many families, you suffer
the loss of the fellowship with the family. You suffer in your
community. They don't want to be around
you. They don't call you to come over
to our house anymore. You suffer for the gospel, and
you know how they had to suffer because they were in idolatry,
and you know their friends and family said, let's go to the
temple, and they're like, no. They're like, really, why not? And you tell them, and it's like,
there's a wall now. There's a wall. But they suffered for the gospel,
and they had experienced many blessings of the gospel, of the
Spirit of God. Now if they change and they follow
the law, Paul's making this point. If you change and follow the
law, your sufferings, the things you have experienced, has all
been in vain. Whether it be suffering for Christ's
sake, whether it be blessings, it's all been in vain. It means
nothing. It means nothing. And if you
continue in that direction, it will continue to mean nothing.
Your experience is void, is vain. And here's the fifth interrogating
question. He therefore, and in verse 5, He therefore that ministers
to you the Spirit, that continually gives unto you the Spirit, and
works miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the
law? Does he do it by the works of the law or by the hearing
of faith? When God saves sinners, which
is a miracle, it's a work of God, it's a miracle of God, a
sinner from the dead. When that really happens, what's
going on? What's the message? What's the
message being preached? Now listen here, the one who
ministers the Spirit continually and works miracles here among
you is God. It's God. It's Almighty God. Now, is the law being preached
when God ministers the Spirit among you in these miracles of
salvation, these miracles of life? Is the law of Moses being
read, or is the gospel of Jesus Christ being preached? When God
is at work, what is being said? What's the message? It's Christ. It's Christ and Him crucified.
There's no law in it whatsoever other than the law of condemnation.
If I mention the law, if I talk about the law... You know when
back here earlier Paul called it the ministration of death? It just condemns. The law condemns. It's the ministry of condemnation.
Because you and I are guilty. But the preaching of the gospel
is good news because it's the ministration of life. It's the
ministry of life. Now, Paul does something here,
and I tell you, this man was... God educated this man. God educated
this man at the feet of Gamaliel, and then he saved him, and then
Christ, through his light, gave him all this understanding. He was able, by the grace of
God, by the power of God, he was able to put it all together.
And I tell you, this man could really argue the gospel. Point
by point. This is not a man you'd want
to face in court, unless he was on your side. But
look what he does in verse 6, Paul uses Abraham, an example
of those justified in walking by faith. He reaches back to
Abraham, the ones that all those Jews claim to be their father,
And they made such a big deal of, we're the children of Abraham. Well, how was Abraham justified?
Boy, I mean, this is like a burst of light, especially if you're
a Jew. Especially if you're a Jew and
you understand what Paul just said when he turns to Abraham. Even Abraham believed God. And
it was accounted to him for righteousness, right standing with God. This
is his justification. He's talking about his right
standing with God. Abraham believed God. And here's what Paul's doing. Seeing that those who troubled
the Galatians were Jewish believers, they were those Judaizers who
claimed to believe but tried to hold to the law, Paul so wisely
used Abraham to set forth justification by faith. Abraham was declared
righteous before the law was given. I mean, there's like, hello?
Abraham was justified before the law was given. He stood right
before God, before circumcision was given. Neither one of these
were given when he was justified. I mean, that to me is like a
burst of light to them. You can see that in Genesis 15,
6, where he's counted righteous.
And you can see it in Genesis 17, 11, that's when he was circumcised,
and God gave that seal of the covenant, circumcision. But he
was justified before any of that by faith, by faith. He didn't
do one thing. Abraham did not do one thing
to be right with God. He believed God, and it was puted
to him for righteousness. Now in verse 7, "...know ye therefore
that they which are of faith," those which believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, they are of the household of faith, "...the same
ones are the children of Abraham." It's not the children of the
flesh. It's not all the Jews. If we are the children of Abraham,
no, you're not. Not according to the promise.
You may be fleshly descendants, but if that's all you are, you're
going to hell. Know ye therefore that they which
are of the household of faith, the same, the same are the children
of Abraham. These are Abraham's children,
the one who believed God just like he did. They are justified
by faith just like he was. The children of Abraham are evidenced
by faith, not by works, not by works of the law. They are evidenced
by believing God. Man, you see how powerful this
is? This is a powerful argument. In verse seven, and the scripture
foreseeing, that has a meaning like this. The scriptures preached
as if they were a person. The Scriptures preached as if
they were a person. And the Scripture foreseeing
that God would justify the heathen, the Gentiles, through faith. The Scriptures way back there
in Genesis foretelling preaching. that God would justify Gentiles,
just as He did Abraham, priests before the gospel unto Abraham.
The gospel was preached to Abraham in this, saying, In thee shall
all nations be blessed. In thee, in thy seed. Remember,
He speaks of thy seed. In thy seed shall all nations
be blessed. That seed is Christ. That seed is Christ. All nations
are not blessed by that group of Israelites over there that
hate God. We are blessed by that one seed,
Jesus Christ. All the Gentiles that are saved
throughout all the world are blessed with Abraham. They are the children of Abraham,
whether they be Jew or Gentile by birth. They are the children
of Abraham by faith, and they are justified, cleared of all
charges. They stand before God perfect
through faith, through believing, trusting. You know, believing
is that. Believing is more than just Just believe in the story
that I tell you. You know, I believe some stories
I've been told in school about history. I don't know, I wasn't
there. I believe what the teacher told me. Well, that's included,
but here's what true belief, faith is, trusting. Trusting. You believe that Pew will hold
you. I can say, I believe that Pew
will hold you, hold me. I believe that Pew will hold
me. But the evidence of it is when
I sit down on it and rest. That's what true faith is. When
you rest and you trust Jesus Christ completely, from Alpha
to Omega, to save you and present you before God faultless, that's
faith. And that's the faith of Abraham.
Abraham believed God. Even when he was an old man and
God said, you're going to have a son. You know, it says that
he believed over in Romans. He believed it. He believed it. 100 years old. Sarah, 90 years
old. He believed it. How's that going
to happen? That's not my business. That's
God's business. I just believe what he told me. As Paul said
on that ship, sirs, I believe God. It shall be just as he told
me. I believe God. I believe God. Now Paul, and I'm going to end
in verse 9, Paul draws this conclusion. So then, that being so, Abraham justified
by faith, we are justified by that same faith, Abraham was
justified believing God. So then, they which be of faith,
those which are of faith, are blessed with faithful Abraham. Blessed in what way? Blessed
in being justified. Blessed in being the children
of God. Now are you the sons of God. Now. This is one of the
heavyweights, responsibilities of me preaching and pastoring
here. I'm preaching to God's children.
I'm not preaching to just a group of men and women. I'm preaching
to God's children, for whom the Lord God Almighty became incarnate,
died under the penalty of His own law, rose again, ascended
on high, and there He is interceding for us, there He is blessing
us, there He is saving us. have the privilege but the great
responsibility to stand here week after week and tell you
about him. I'm glad to do so. But that's, we'll pick up on
verse 10. He calls him old foolish Galatians,
unintelligent, don't you know what's going on? You're the real,
true seed of Abraham. Abraham justified by faith, not
by works. He was justified before the law
was given. That was a real eye-opener to
some of those Jews. It had to be. All right.