Series: Galatians
Title: Servants or Men-pleasers?
Text: Gal 1: 10
Date: Oct 1, 2020
Place: SGBC, NJ
Subject: Servants or Men-Pleasers?
Galatians 1: 10: For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to
please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
There are only two kinds of preachers in the
world— men-pleasers and servants of Christ.
Proposition: Preachers who are men-pleasers are not the servants of
Christ and preachers who are the servants of Christ are not men-pleasers.
The message a man preaches publicly is the
message a man believes. Privately, some claim
to believe the doctrine of grace. But publicly,
they won’t preach grace.
Isaiah 8:20: To the
law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because
there is no light in them.
The test is does God get the glory or do men? Is the doctrine to please men: giving man a
part? Taking the offense out? If so man
gets glory. Or is it according to the scriptures?
Does it declare salvation is of the Lord?
If so God’s get the glory!
Isaiah 42: 8: I am
the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another,
neither my praise to graven images.
Divisions: I want to take a brief look at some doctrine
to compare what the servant of Christ preaches and what men-pleasers preach.
Christ’s servant
preaches election—not occasionally but every time he preaches. He gives God our Father all the glory—"Of
God are ye in Christ Jesus…”
Election is UNTO
SALVATION. Some men-pleasers say if God
elected a man then he is saved even if he dies unregenerate in unbelief. Christ’s servant declares that those God
elected in eternity, God calls in time.
God gets all the glory for…
2 Thessalonians 2: 13:…God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14:
Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Election is by God’s SOVEREIGN,
UNCONDITIONAL GRACE. Men-pleasers say God
saw something in his people so he chose them.
But that pleases men. Christ’s
servant declares that any condition in man makes election to cease being by grace
(Rom. 11:6). The scriptures declare the
purpose of God’s election is to give God all the glory for calling his people. It is God’s sovereign right, his sovereign
will, his unconditional grace by which he chooses some and passes by others.
Romans 9: 11: (For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according
to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12: It was
said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. 14: What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?
God forbid. 15: he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16: So then it is
not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Election took place
in ETERNITY one time. Some men-pleasers say
of a new believer, “There is a new name written in glory.” Oh, that pleases men! Christ’s servant declares God wrote his elect’s
names in the Lamb’s book before the world began. There will never be a new name in that book
and never a name blotted out!
Ephesians 1:3: Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4: According
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love: 5: Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will, 6: To the praise of the glory of his grace,
wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
The cause of election
is God's EVERLASTING LOVE IN CHRIST. Men-pleasers
say our love is the cause of his love toward us. How pleasing to glory stealing men! Christ’s servant declares (Jer. 31:3; 1 Jn.
4:19)—“we love him because he first loved us.”
SIN
Romans 5:12: by one man sin entered into the
world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have
sinned:
All became guilty by Adam’s one original sin. All became depraved in heart by our first conception. But men-pleasers do not talk much about sin today. If so, they say men have some good in us;
some are not as bad as others. Christ’s
servants declare—
Romans 3:9: What
then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both
Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; 10: As it is written, There is none
righteous, no, not one: 11: There is none that understandeth, there is none that
seeketh after God. 12: They are all gone out of the way, they are together
become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Romans 3:23: For all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Jeremiah 13:23: Can the Ethiopian change his
skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed
to do evil.
Christ’s servant declares this even of himself and others as believers. David, as a born-again child of God, said,
Psalm 38:7: For my
loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my
flesh.
The apostle Paul, after being regenerated so that he had a new nature
and an old sinful nature of flesh said,
Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,)
dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that
which is good I find not….24: O wretched man that I am!
We always have sinful flesh whether we are unregenerate and
regenerate. Therefore,
Psalm 39: 5…verily
every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
The only thing our sinful flesh contributes to salvation is sin; man
sins, God saves!
REDEMPTION
For whom did Christ die? Men-pleasers say Christ died for all sinners without
exception. Others say, “There is some
sense in which Christ died for all men.”
Christ’s servant speaks the word of our Redeemer,
John 10:11: I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life
for the sheep…15:…I lay down my life for the sheep…26:…ye are not of my sheep…
Be sure to get that! Christ said I lay down my life for the sheep. But to some, he said, “Ye are not of my sheep.” There is “no sense” in which he laid
down his life for those who were not his sheep!
“But John Calvin said!” Yeah, but GOD THE SON, THE LORD JESUS SAID, “I
lay down my life for the sheep. And ye
are not my sheep.” Let God be true and
every man a liar! Or please men and call
God a liar? But Paul said, “If I please
men then I am not the servant of Christ.”
What did Christ accomplish? This is why it is so important that Christ’s
servant declares that Christ laid down his life for his particular people alone. Men-pleasers say he made redemption possible
for all men. Those who say there
is some sense in which he died for all men are saying the same thing. Both are giving a sinner—some sense—in which
to glory in making Christ’s blood effectual.
Christ’s servant declares there is no sense in which Christ failed! God our Father said, “He shall not fail!” Christ declared he did not fail, “It is
finished!” The Spirit of God declares he
did not fail, saying,
Hebrews 1: 3…when he
had by himself purged our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high
Isaiah 53: 11: He
shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Daniel 9:24: Seventy weeks are determined upon
thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an
end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most
Holy
In every sense Christ eternally
redeemed, justified, put away the sin of each one for whom he died by his one
offering! If someone objects, what are
you pleading for? Pleading that Christ not receive all the glory? Pleading not to
offend sinners? What does that make you? Christ’s servant wants God’s Son to get all
the glory for the “death he accomplished” for his elect, Jew and Gentile!
REGENERATION
John 3: 5: Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6: That which is born of the flesh is
flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7: Marvel not that I
said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8: The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and
whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Listen to Christ, “that which is born of
flesh is flesh; that which is born of God the Holy Spirit is spirit.” We must be born of the Spirit in order to
have a new spirit. No sinner can do it
or stop it. But men-pleasers tell poor, spiritually
dead sinners that they have a free-will to accept or reject jesus. Of course they are speaking of the jesus who only
made salvation possible, the jesus who can do nothing unless they let him. A sinner not only CAN reject that jesus HE
SHOULD! Christ’s servant declares
that no part of the new birth is of the sinner BUT of the Holy Spirit of God. He is unstoppable as wind. He gives a new spirit, faith, repentance, and
draw us.
Psalms 65:4: Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy
courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of
thy holy temple.
SANCTIFICATION
Sanctification is to be a holy, pure new creation. A new spirit is created within a dead sinner. A new
holy man is created within this old man of sin.
Sanctification is to be washed, cleansed, sanctified, purified in the
name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1Co_6:11)
Some men-pleasers describe it as a co-effort
between the believer and God. Other men-pleasers claim it is all of God but they
compel/constrain professing believers to do or they cannot be holy and
saved. They say that except ye keep the ten
commandments and/or except you obey
man-made commandments and traditions then
you are not holy and shall not be saved.
The apostle Paul said,
Galatians 6: 12: As
many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be
circumcised, only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.
13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have
you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh.
Most men-pleasers teach that the more outward
sin you put away and the more good works you do, the holier you are becoming. Some say you completely put away your sin and
become perfectly holy. Others say you never
put it away but you do reach a degree of holiness that makes you ripe for
heaven. What if a believer becomes
paralyzed? Would he never achieve the
degree of holiness he needs to enter glory?
Christ servants declare sanctification is of God
entirely: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God our Father is the “God of peace” who "sanctifies his people
wholly”, preserving your “whole spirit and soul and body blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Th_5:23; Jud1:1) God the Son sanctified us by his
will when he perfected forever his people by one offering (Heb 10). He gave
himself for his church that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing
of water by the word (Eph_5:23). The
Spirit of God creates a new spirit, the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness (Eph 4: 24). Christ formed in you in union with
the new man is the righteousness and true Holiness of the new man created
within. That is "when of God, Christ
is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption,
that he that glorieth may glory in the Lord." (1Co_1:30-31). Christ is inseparably united with our new man like
a vine and its branches.
Hebrews 2:11: For both
he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause
he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
When Christ our Holiness is in a sinner, our
new man/new spirit is fit or meet to partake of the inheritance of the saints. Scripture speaks of nothing that remains to
be done to our spirit to enter glory—"to be absent from the body is to
be present with the Lord.” Our fitness
is Christ.
Colossians 1: 12: Giving
thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints, in Light: 13: Who hath delivered us from the power
of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Scripture says nothing enters his kingdom that defileth or maketh a lie?
1 Corinthians 6: 9: Know
ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not
deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate,
nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11: And such were some of you:
but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
He“hath made us meet to partake of the inheritance of the saints.” Saints are sanctified ones. “And hath translated us into the kingdom of
his dear Son.” You are in the Spirit of
so be the Spirit of Christ dwells in you.
And the Light we are in is Christ with Christ in you. The glory [the light] of the mystery is
Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1: 27).
What about growth? Indeed, we grow in grace and knowledge of
our Lord Jesus but we do not grow more holy than we are when united with Christ. Ye are children of light, walk as
children of light. Ye are holy,
now be ye holy. But we do not
become more light or more holy we simply walk in the Light and Holiness of
Christ.
So what does scripture mean when it says, "The
path of the just is as a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the
perfect day" (Pro_4:18). Christ
is the Light that shines more and more. More
and more we find he alone is our Holiness.
For example, by the constraint of his love, Christ
gives a new will set on pleasing God. He
gives new affection set on Christ at God’s right hand where our life is hid. By the Spirit renewing the new man “in
knowledge after the image of him that created him”, he makes us put away some outward
act of sin. But very soon he lets us become
so proud in our flesh that we put it away.
Then his Light shines more and more, showing us
our sin-nature is as wicked as ever: full of pride, self-righteousness and
covetousness. We learn that putting away
outward acts of sin, did not make us more holy.
Natural men do the same as they grow older yet they are not growing
holier. We even learn that growing in
the fruit of the Spirit such as love, mercy, longsuffering, temperance does not
make us more holy.
Christ’s Light makes us know our Holiness is
a Person the same as our Righteousness is a person—Christ Jesus! YE ARE COMPLETE IN HIM! That is Paul’s point in Colossians 1-3. Growth in grace and knowledge IS OF HIM—from
him, through him and to him. It is seeing
him as our only Holiness more and more.
Fruit of the Spirit is produced by beholding HIM. “Newness of spirit” (Rom. 7:9) is not
constrained by rigors of law nor compelled by men. It is the sweetness of Christ’s love. Newness of spirit is faith which works by
love.
RESURRECTION AND GLORIFICATION
Is there some man-pleaser that will take
credit for resurrection and glorification?
Will men-pleasers also lie to sinners that they have a part to play in
raising themselves from the dead and giving themselves a new glorified
body? It is just as absurd to lie to
sinners that they have any other part in salvation when salvation is of the
Lord!
Finally, fully, and forever Christ shall present
his church to himself "a glorious church not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing, but holy and without blemish." Oh, the unspeakable joy of being with Christ!
He shall make us perfectly conformed to
his image. We shall be with all his holy
people. There will be no men-pleasers, only
servants of Christ. And we all will give
all the glory to our all-glorious Savior forever for every part of our salvation!
Amen!