Sermon Summary

Message 3 ~ Authentic or Counterfeit Christianity 

This week Pastor Chris continued our sermon series in Galatians with a message entitled, Authentic or Counterfeit Christianity. The Judaizers of the day were invading the church with a false gospel and Paul’s exhortation the Galatian is to serve the one trueJesus. The church today deals with this very same issue of picking a counterfeit Jesus over the authentic Jesus. Which Jesus do you serve?

  • Authentic ~ of undisputed origin; genuine. 
  • Counterfeit ~ made in exact imitation of something valuable with the intention to deceive. 
  1. There is only one Jesus. 

Galatians 2:1–2 (ESV)

1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.

Are you following the one true Jesus of the Bible? 

2. There is only one gospel that liberates. 

Galatians 2:3-4 (ESV)

3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery

Galatians 2:4-5 (ESV)

4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

  1. Legalism: the law of God without relationship with God.
  2. Legalism loves external obedience at the expense of internal relationship.
  3. Legalism adds its own rules to God’s law and treats them as divine. 

3. Only through the grace of God and trust in Jesus. 

Galatians 2:6–10 (ESV)

6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Biblical Salvation:

  1. Knowledge (Facts)
  2. Assent (Agreement)
  3. Commitment (Will)

What Jesus do you worship? 

  • John Lennon Jesus
  • Zig Ziglar Jesus
  • Mr. Rogers Jesus
  • Cool Dad Jesus
  • Genie Jesus

Or…

  • The Christ.
  • The Lord of Glory.
  • The Son of God.
  • The Lord of All.
  • The Redeemer.
  • The Light of the World.
  • The Savior of the World.
  • The Lamb of God,
  • The King of Kings.
  • The Good Shepherd.
  • The Lord of Lords.
  • The Great High Priest.
  • The Righteous Judge.
  • The Great I Am.
  • The Alpha and the Omega.
  • The Way, the Truth, and the Life.
  • The First and the Last.
  • The Power and Wisdom of God,
  • The Beginning and the End. The Holy and Righteous One.
  • The Bread of Life.
  • The Word of God made Flesh.
  • The Resurrection and the Life.
  • The Ruler over Everything.
  • The Judge of the living and the dead.
  • The True, Mighty, Everlasting God
  • Who Was, and Is, and Is To Come.

___________

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever fell into legalism and treated its rules as divine?
  2. How do you know something is authentic vs counterfeit? What is your test or proof of what is really real? 
  3. Have you ever followed a Jesus and _______ or Jesus + _______ gospel? What pulled you into the true gospel? What was your divine revelation about Jesus?
  4. Are you following a cultural Jesus or the real Jesus?

Application:

Reflect on which Jesus you are or were worshipping. Spend some time praying and thanking God for who he is. Declare out loud who Jesus is.