I invite you this morning to
turn back with me now to Galatians chapter 1. I have deliberately
chosen this portion of Scripture because I want there to be no
doubt in anyone's mind that there is just one Gospel set forth
in the Word of God and that this one Gospel is the Gospel that
is being preached to you and I hope embraced by you in your
hearts. That's why Paul wrote this letter. In this epistle to Galatians,
the Apostle Paul makes a statement that ought to shock this religious
world and cause them to reevaluate their standing before God. Listen
to what he says here. Galatians 1, verse 6. He said,
I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called
you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, another
gospel, which is not another. But there be some that trouble
you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we or an
angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that
which we have preached unto you, Let him be accursed. In these
several verses, God's Apostle to the Gentiles declares without
exception that the gospel of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ
the Lord, the gospel of God's sovereign grace, which He preached,
is the only gospel which is blessed of God. Period. Any variations from this gospel
is a perversion of the truth, he said. And neither the preacher
or his message are of God and should be seen that way and counted
that way as accursed of God. That's what he said. Let him
be accursed. He said, I don't care if he's
an angel. I don't know how many times I've had folks tell me,
well, that guy down there is a nice fellow. You just don't
know him. So are angels. Paul said, I don't care if he's
an angel from heaven. If he comes and preaches another
variant, if he varies from the gospel that I preached to you,
let him be a curse. Let him be a curse. Today's religion
would liken these variations to spokes in a wheel, all leading
to the same place, all connected by the same hub, all serving
the same purpose. but not the Apostle Paul. Paul
said God didn't send them. They are not to be respected
or given any consideration of all. Let them be accursed. That's
what he said. And this is a serious accusation
with serious consequences. Was Paul the only one that felt
this way? Is he the only one in the Bible
who made statements like this? Not at all. 1 John 5, verse 19,
listen to what the Apostle John says. He said, and we know that
we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. That's
what he said. Turn with me to Acts chapter
4. This whole idea of God's universal love and Christ's universal atonement
has led men to think that any man who says he's called of God
is. And he must be respected and
honored and considered a servant of God, and therefore his message
must be believed, or at least can be believed, put it that
way. In Acts chapter 4, Peter was called out on the carpet
by the whole Jewish hierarchy. He was called out before the
rulers of Israel, the elders, the scribes, and Annas the high
priest, and all the kindred of the high priest. Everybody that
was anybody stood in judgment. And the Gospel of Jesus Christ
the Lord, it was contrary, totally contrary to their beliefs, contrary
to their concepts of the coming Redeemer, contrary to their traditional
understanding. And they were upset. They were
upset. They looked back like they were
in perfect agreement with Moses. That's how the Jewish hierarchy,
that's their vision. They looked back. And they saw 4,000 years of tradition
on their side. 4,000 years of prophets and elders
and laws and practice and all those things. And they saw all
those things behind them backing them up. And this man is preaching
something totally contrary to that. Totally contrary. Now listen to what Peter says
to the arrogant charges. And they told him. They told
him. They said, don't you preach in this name anymore. Acts chapter
4 verse 11. Peter said, this is the stone
which was set at nought of your builders. Boy, that's a quote
from the Old Testament. And as soon as he quoted that,
they knew exactly what he was talking about. This stone didn't fit into your
temple. He didn't fit into your place
that you've chosen for him. He didn't fit into your understanding. He didn't fit into your concept
of worship and faith. And so you set him at naught.
But God made him the head of the corner. Now listen, verse
12. Neither is there salvation in
any other. Well, He just cut off the hierarchy. He just cut off all their children. He just cut off all their grandchildren,
all their great-grandchildren. He just cut off their great-grandpa
and their great-great-grandpa. He just cut... He just whacked
it off. Neither is there salvation in
any of them. For there is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby you must be saved." There is just one gospel. All
the rest are just cheap imitations. It is something we need to know. God has His preachers and Satan
has his. Oh, but they are so kind and
gentle and they inspire us with their messages. Something good. That fellow that owns that Crystal
Cathedral out there in California. He used to come on just to send
cold chills down. Something good is going to happen
to you today. That's what he told everybody.
Positive thinking. Think positive. And they give you such good things
to do. Can't deny that. They give you
good things to do. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11,
verse 13, such are false apostles. Now listen, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. That's
how they show up, as the apostles of Christ. Verse 14, and no marvel
for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore,
it's no great thing if his ministers, whose ministers? Satan's ministers,
also be transformed as ministers of righteousness whose end shall
be according to the work. God has ministers, and Satan
has some too. Satan has his too. God has his
gospel, but Satan has one too. And it's not another gospel,
it's a perversion of the truth. There is no coalition between
these two powers. You are either of the one or
you are of the other. There is no alliance between
these two governments. You either serve the one or you
serve the other. There is no middle ground. There
is no spiritual bond between these two kingdoms. One is darkness,
the other is light. One is evil, the other is good.
One kills and one makes alive. You see what Paul is saying here?
If any man preach any other gospel unto you other than that which
I preached unto you, let him be accursed. Now this is not
someone like me who is just a preacher. This is an apostle. He established
that at the very outset of this chapter, and he goes on to confirm
it. And they were confirmed with
miracles and signs and wonders. I tell you, you and I get bit.
We got to go get treated, don't we? Paul took that serpent, shook
it off in a fire and kept right on preaching. He had a fellow fell out of the
window, killed himself, broke his neck. He walked over there,
raised him back up to life. They actually laid men down hoping
that just the shadows of these apostles would touch them and
they'd be healed. They were confirmed of God. What
was confirmed? Their message. Their message. Now let me give you a few things
to think about here concerning these things. First of all, what was the gospel
Paul preached? We better get that straight first.
He said, if any man preach any other gospel other than that
which I preached unto you. Well, what did he preach to them?
What did he preach? Well, Paul preached the gospel
of effectual, particular redemption. That's what he preached. He was
clear on it. He was clear on it. Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures. Now, we read that often. That's
in 1 Corinthians 15, I think it's verse 3. He said, I preach
to you what I also received, how that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures. What Scriptures? There was no
New Testament. He wasn't referring to what John
said and what Peter said and what somebody else said. He tells
us here in Galatians chapter 1, he didn't talk to anybody
except Peter. That's the only one he even talked to. He didn't
go down there to get their approval of him being an apostle. Christ
Himself called him. He didn't need their approval.
Christ Himself taught him. He didn't have to be taught by
them. He was an apostle. He was an apostle, and God confirmed
this message that he preached. And here's what he said, I preach
to you that which I also received, how that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures. So he went back with those Old
Testament Scriptures, and he teaches us in his writings in
the New Testament what that priest was, who he represented. When he took that blood into
that holy place, whose names were on it. He didn't go in there
representing the world. He went in there representing
those whose names were written on His breath and written on
His shoulders to bear them up before God. He went in there
to represent those chosen of God, God's elect. And then that sacrifice, that
sacrifice which He offered. We go back and look at that sacrifice
and that sacrifice was a substitutionary sacrifice. That sacrifice was
offered in the place of another. Well, whose place was it offered?
Israel. Israel. They made atonement for
the sins of the children of Israel. That's what he preached. He preached
an effectual redemption, a particular redemption. The Lord Jesus Christ
was the fulfillment of all types and figures given under the ceremonial
law, and having described the Old Testament tabernacle and
the high priest and the sacrifice he offered, Paul writes in Hebrews
9.8, the Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest
of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle
was yet standing, which was a figure for the time then present. And
it stood in meats and drinks and various washings and carnal
ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation. But
Christ, being come a high priest of good things to come, by a
greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hand, neither by
the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us. That's effectual, particular
redemption. That's what Paul preached. Now,
he said if a man comes and he varies from that, and he begins
to make applications toward a universal offering or a universal sacrifice,
let him be accursed. If this man comes and varies
from that in any way, let him be accursed. Those who preach
Christ, they preach the particular effectual atonement of Christ. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 10,
by the which we are worth sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all. When Paul said his gospel was
how the Christ died for our sins according to the scripture, he's
pointing us back to when the foundation of the sacrifice was
laid. And High Priest was the High
Priest of Israel, and he represented them. It wasn't a random universal
offering, but a particular atonement according to the will of God.
Being justified, he wrote to the Romans, freely by His grace,
through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus, whom God set
forth as the propitiation for our sins through faith in His
blood. My friend, if somebody comes
to you preaching a gospel that talks about faith in your faith,
or faith in your commitment, or faith in your experiences,
or faith in your works and will, that's another gospel. That's
another gospel. God's gospel leaves no hope anywhere
else except in the sufficient, effectual, particular redemption
accomplished by the death of Christ on that cursed tree. And there is no sense in which
His blood can be looked upon as universal except as He is
the only propitiation for our sins. There is none other name
under heaven given among men. What men? Any man. Whereby we
must be saved. And then secondly, Paul preached
the gospel of God's eternal election. And boy, he didn't whisper it
either. He didn't whisper it. To deny that God chose a people
in Christ before the foundation of the world is to deny the testimony
of God. Can you imagine, can you imagine
the Lord Himself telling you that He chose a people and loved
them and chose them in Christ before the foundation of the
world? And then you go out ashamed of it and just kind of whisper
it to somebody because you're ashamed for anybody to know what
he told you. No, you wouldn't do that. Well,
that's what he's done in the scriptures. This is God's testimony. God said he chose a people. I
got no reason to whisper about it to you. I have no reason to
hide it or be ashamed of it. This is God. God chose a people. God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation. That is what Paul told those
Thessalonians. First words out of his mouth
to the Ephesians was that God blessed them with all spiritual
blessings and heavenly places in Christ according as He has
chosen you in Him before the foundation of the world. My soul,
it was the first thing he said. And our Lord said this, you have
not chosen me, I chose you. I chose you. Listen to these
words. For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand, it was said unto
her, the elder shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated. You cannot preach the gospel
and not preach God's eternal election of grace. Jesus Christ,
our covenant Head and Redeemer, was given power over all flesh
that He should give eternal life to as many as His Father had
given Him. And our great high priest said
to his father, he said, I pray for them, I pray not for the
world. That's pretty clear, isn't it?
Paul preached the gospel of particular effectual atonement. He preached
the gospel of God's eternal election. And thirdly, he preached the
gospel of God's sovereign grace. By grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. There's
nothing meritorious in man, not his will, not his works, not
his decisions, not his commitments. It's the free and sovereign grace
of God that chose him. God chosen by the grace of God.
Free and sovereign grace that redeemed Him. Free and sovereign
grace that regenerated Him. And free and sovereign grace
that preserves Him unto the end. And then fourthly, Paul preached
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone
that believes in Him. Christ is their righteousness.
And this was a major stumbling block here. in Galatia. This is what really set him off
right here. It's because they wanted to mix
personal righteousness with the righteousness of Christ. They
wanted men to be justified by works and not by grace alone. And Paul said, I do not frustrate
the grace of God. And that's what it is. If you
want to try to mix in your personal righteousness in with His, that's
what it is. It frustrates the grace of God. For if righteousness come by
the law, then Christ is dead and vain. And all gospel preachers
preach the representative righteousness of Christ. And any sort of righteousness
due to something the sinner does is self-righteousness. And it's
an abomination before God. Oh, it pleases men. Men are very
pleased with it. And we ourselves are pleased
with it sometimes. Sure we are. We visit somebody
and all the way home we got this good feeling, I did what I was
supposed to. Huh? My soul. It's an abomination before God.
Listen to how Isaiah says this. He said, but we are all as an
unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Filthy rags. If you read the first five chapters,
and especially chapter 5 of Isaiah, Isaiah is woe and everything
in chapter 5. Woe to the drunkard and woe to
the adulterer. He is just woeing up one side
and down the other. And then in chapter 6, it said,
When King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up,
and His train filled the temple. The cherubims that sat off to
the side, the seraphims, they covered their eyes and cried,
holy, holy, holy. Then he said, I said, woe is
me. Woe is me. And as he gets toward
the end of this chapter, he makes it clear and clear. We are all
as an unclean thing. And all our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags. And then fifthly, Paul preached
the sufficiency, the full and complete sufficiency of Christ
for the salvation of our souls. In Him, He said, dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him. He said to those Ephesian elders
before He departed, He said, you're not going to see Me again.
But He said, I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole
counsel of God. You back up there just a little
bit and you find out what that whole counsel of God was. It
was preaching Christ. He preached Christ to them. Not our pitiful faith that causes
us to overcome our trials and troubles, but he who sits upon
the throne of God. Listen to this. Here's the exhortation
to comfort during trial. Greater is He that's in you than
he that's in the world. It's God that worketh in you
both to will and to do of His good pleasure. God's gospel shuts
the sinner up to Christ. He's got nowhere else to go.
If he believes that gospel, he's got nowhere else to go except
to cry. And this is the gospel Paul preached.
And he said if somebody comes preaching a variation of that,
let him be accursed. He's not of God. And then secondly,
just let this statement sink in. All other gospels and those
who preach them are accursed of God. They are accursed of God. Now
let me tell you something. I don't care what the name is
on the sign. Whether it says grace or it don't say grace.
There's a lot of signs now saying Grace Church and Grace Baptist
Church and Sovereign Grace Baptist Church and all these things.
You go in there and they're in there jumping up and down in
aisles and speaking in tongues and talking about spiritual gifts
and all sorts of of idolatrous kinds of worship. I don't care
what the name is on the sign, those who vary from this gospel
are cursed of God. And in 2 John chapter 11, he
tells us that those who give their approval and their support
and acknowledge them at all as God's messengers are partakers
of their evil deeds. You so much as tell one God's
feet, that is, the Lord bless you." Pat him on the back and
say, well, Lord bless you. You're partaker of his evil deeds. The Scriptures identify these
men. The apostles talked about these
men as dogs, deceitful workers, venomous reptiles, sons of the
devil. They are to be counted for what
they are. That's what Paul said. Now, I'll
be honest with you, I'd rather my children go to a saloon than
the average Baptist church. That's just the truth. Our Lord
said of all those who will not receive his gospel or those who
preach it, he said it will be more tolerable in the judgment
for Sodomites and for those in Sodom and Gomorrah than for these
men. Now that is pretty serious language,
isn't it? That is what our Lord said about
it. There is one true gospel, the gospel of God's particular
effectual redemption, the gospel of divine election, the gospel
of Christ our righteousness, the gospel of God's sovereign
grace, the gospel of the full sufficiency of Christ, and all
other gospels and those who preach them are accursed of God. And
then finally, Paul tells us in Galatians 5, chapter 1, he said,
Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath
made you free. Stand right there. Don't go nowhere
else. Stay right here. Stay right here.
In the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not
entangled again in that yoke of bondage. Don't swallow that
lie. Don't go that direction. The
man who has Christ has it all. All the treasures, Paul said,
of wisdom and knowledge, redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
of sins, the promised inheritance of God, the adoption of sons,
he's got it all. The man who has Christ has it
all. And the only way you can have
him is as God has set him forth in his gospel. And this whole business of accepting
Jesus as your personal Savior, that's not the faith of God's
elect and that's not the gospel. God has His gospel and His preachers
and Satan has his. May God the Holy Spirit teach
us the difference so that we can teach others.