2025-07-27 Sermon Notes - Daniel Lyons' Notes

type:
  - "[[Sermon Notes|Sermon Notes]]"
speaker: "[[Archibald Allison]]"
date: 2025-07-27
location: "[[Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church]]"
passage: Galatians 1:10
sermon series: "[[Allison on Galatians]]"
sermon link:
subjects:
  - "[[serving]]"
title: Serve Christ, Not Men
takeaways:
publish: true

Series	Location	Subjects	Takeaways	Sermon Link
Allison on Galatians	Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church	serving	-	-

💡Big Idea

Takeaways and Next Steps

📖Bible Passage

Galatians 1.10

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn't be a servant of Christ.

Points

sola Christus is the message of the Gospel.
Paul was attacked by the Judaizers.
- He was accused of being a people pleaser
  - He was accused of being inconsistent.
    - He supported circumcision when around the jews
    - He supported non-circumcision around gentiles.
- Paul directly refutes that he is a people pleaser:
  - Galatians 1.10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn't be a servant of Christ.
- The only reason why Paul defended himself was not to protect his reputation, but to defend the reputation of Christ and the Gospel.

We must be God-pleasers not people pleasers

Before his conversion Paul was indeed a people pleaser

Before conversion, Paul's works were zealous for God
- Philippians 3.6 concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.
- Galatians 1:13-14 For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God and ravaged it. I advanced in the Jews' religion beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
- Why did Paul do these things? It was because he was trying to earn favor from God.
  - It was misplaced zeal for God.
- Acts 26.9 "I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- Matthew 23:23-24 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!
God's people also sought to please God by actions and yet neglected mercy and justice.
- Micah 6:6-8 How shall I come before Yahweh, and bow myself before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams? With tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience? The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

After his conversion Paul was tempted to be a people pleaser

Galatians 2:11-13 But when Peter came to Antioch, I resisted him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before some people came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
- The Judaizers were teaching that if you're not a jew then you are not a real Christian. They taught that to receive the Gospel you must become a jew and follow the law.
- Peter fell into this temptation and became a man-pleaser
  - Do not think that you or I are immune to this temptation.
  - Every preacher is tempted to trim the message and tell people only what they want to hear.
It is also a temptation to the believer in every part of life. In the workplace, in public conversation, in the family.
- ❓: Will I compromise or will I stand up to what is right and true?
- Every day we are tempted to compromise. We need continual help from God to fight this temptation.
- Our works will be tested by God on judgment day.
  - 1 Corinthians 3.13 each man's work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man's work is.
  - ⭐: There is only one thing that truly matters: that which lasts.

How can we resist this great temptation to compromise the truth

1. We must pray
- It is foolish to think that we can overcome this trial without the power of God.
1. Remember your personal accountability to Christ.
- Each one of God's people is accountable to Christ.
- Whatever your circumstances you are called to be light in this dark world
  - Philippians 2.15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,
1. Remember there is a day of judgment
1. Remember that God always sees you
- He sees every thought, desire and action
1. Remember that there is a blessing in doing what is right.
- 1 Chronicles 16.9 Sing to him. Sing praises to him. Tell of all his marvelous works.
- 1 Samuel 2.30 "Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'I said indeed that your house and the house of your father should walk before me forever.' But now Yahweh says, 'Far be it from me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me will be cursed.

Application

Further Study

💬Discussion Questions

2025-07-27 Sermon Notes

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