Ishmael vs. Isaac, Part 1

Be careful whose opinion you listen to ideas you pay attention to. Be careful whose philosophy you buy into because not all the people come your way, are sent by the Lord Somerset by themselves.

First John chapter 4 verse one do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God hello and thanks for being here for today's destined for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard always glad to have you with us. God gives us warnings like this throughout his word, cautioning us to be careful whose opinions we value would we allow to help shape our own opinions as pastor Paul continues his in-depth study of Galatians today brings up a few key questions worth pondering are we listening to how can we tell for the right voices stay right here or visit pastor Paul.net to listen on demand pastor Paul.net you can also listen and download the program at Apple podcast or wherever you get yours is pastor Paul, today's destined for victory message Ishmael versus Isaac Galatians the fourth chapter and will begin at verse 12 Paul says I plead with you, brothers, become like me because I became like you. You have done me no wrong. As you know it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. Even though my illness was a trial to you. You did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God as if I were Christ Jesus himself. What has happened to all your joy. I can testify that if you could have done so, you would've torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth. Those people are zealous to win you over. But for no good what they want is to alienate you from us so that you may be zealous for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good and to be so always and not just when I am with you, my dear children for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.

How I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you tell me you want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says, for it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way, but his son by the free woman was born as a result of a promise in our last message in the series.

We saw all that, according to what Paul said at the end of Galatians chapter 3, we are sons of God, and we made the note that that is not a gender oriented statement, but that concept of some ship applies to both male and female, and what it has to do with is entitlement is inheritance is having passed on that which came from our predecessor and we noted that we are all so God God has made us his own children, and we have certain rights and privileges because we are the children of God, and we noted specifically that ask the sons of God. We are legitimate we are also liberated and we are in love by God and we expounded those three points now as we continue to move through this study, I want you to note the fact that there is a section here in the middle of chapter 4 where Paul expresses some personal concern about his relationship with the Galatians and perhaps as you read this book you say. Well, those are just sort of personal comments that had to do with his relationship with them doesn't really apply to me, but I want to suggest that there are principles and there are lessons to be learned in all portions of Scripture, even where such comments are being made now look closely at it and we just read through that passage and you will note that Paul is expressing the fact that he had quite a sense of intimacy and connectedness with these people. They were his spiritual children and he felt very, very closely connected with them and he talks about the history of their relationship. He said when I first came to you, I came at a time when I was ill when you embraced me and you loved me you did not treat me with scorn or contempt you took real good care of me. In fact he said if you could have you would've plucked out your eyes and given them to me.

Many scholars believe as a result of that comment that we illness that Paul had reference to was some sort of eye disease or high problem that he was afflicted with at that time in his life. They say that that comment about them plucking out their eyes simply points us to what his problem was. Perhaps that is true we can speak with any real certainty because we don't have more information about it than that. But Paul's point is very clear. He's saying that you all took really good care of me as your spiritual father.

We have such a great relationship and you can tell them those comments that what he is saying is something have gone wrong and what is going wrong is the Judaizers. We've been talking about throughout this letter have come in and infiltrated the congregation and let the people know that Paul is really illegitimate and he's teaching false doctrine because they said you gotta become Jews you Gentiles who have accepted Christ as your Savior that find that Christ has extended the offer of salvation to you as well as to us Jews.

They said but if you're going to truly be accepted of God, you have to become Jews, so the Judaizers came in and insisted that all the Gentiles had to be circumcised and that they had to begin to follow Jewish law to the T in order to be saved that the legalism and that's the law orientation that Paul is addressing throughout this letter, and he is saying.

As a result of the influence of these people your attitude toward me has changed.

We used to be tight. We used to be close to you all would do anything and everything for me and now I get the clear impression that something is radically wrong that you had that happen in relationships with you where you had a great flowing, easy flowing relationship with somebody and then the next time you run into him. There's a chilly breeze, even if it's the summer never had that happen. Just all of a sudden somebody you used to be tight with somebody you have a free-flowing conversation and your would hang in there was laughter and all of that and now when they look at you. There was something stiff and there's something distant you run into an invisible wall and you write them in the wild happen happen. You have that happen when something changed is when you have no doubt. Why are you different toward me now, and Paul summarizes that it is because you have allowed yourselves to be influenced by these Judaizers, who he says have no good intentions in your life. So before I moved through that section and get on and talk about the rest of the chapter. I want us to pause and note that there is a lesson and therefore all about switching to be careful who you allow the speak into your life.

Be careful who you allow to influence you because they will change you, and not always for the better. You can just let any old raggedy person come up in your life and have impact and have influence because there are some people who have a personal agenda and do not have God's plan and purpose for your life and mine and they commonly are like the influence you to make you like them to cause you to get on board with their program. There are some people listen.

Don't fool yourself that some leaders who don't have a title but anybody will you will not influence you is a leader in your life.

And Paul was saying, I am a legitimate leader the one who came through that area of Galatia and established the church is that I'm writing to. Now I am your spiritual father came preaching the good news that salvation was available to both you and James are the one who stayed and prayed and got Charles Sabin and got you out of sin and began to teach you the word of God when my spiritual father ship and your life and I want you to understand that God ordained role in your life. But these people have inserted themselves as leaders because you allow them to have influence over you so you don't have to have a title to be a leader. There a lot of people who were leaders don't have titles. Every church there. In every group every organization in every club every committee. All that fine folk who have a title and then you have other folk were leaders. Hopefully you have a title and leadership, but don't yourself there a lot of people who are leaders who don't worry about title because they've understood the clear truth that leadership is not about titles. Leadership is about influence. Do you think the leaves and has no one following is merely taking a walk leave many plays anybody and no one is with you and there are plenty of folk were leaders. God is not ordained them.

But you've allowed them to have influence in your life lesson to be learned here is be careful who you allow the speak into your life. The second half of Pastor Paul Shepard's message is coming right up.

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Consider the people in your life and ask God bring them or did I bring them myself is Pastor Paul with the rest of today's Destin for victory message dish meal versus icing. Be careful whose opinion you listen to be careful whose ideas you pay attention to. Be careful whose philosophy you buy into because not all of the people will come your way are saved by the Lord. Some of them are said by themselves see some people were sent and others just went and some people just came into your life, ordained themselves to speak into your life and if you allow them they will gain influence over you and they will begin to shape and form how you think and what you do and you can tell when an ungodly or a flash oriented relationship has taken control and had influence over you because they will begin to change your orientation toward people that God himself has sin in your life. Paul said I'm a legitimate leader in your life. God made me a leader in your life. The Bible is clear that when we identify those persons that God has brought into our lives. God is the one who raises up spiritual leaders to help us it is God. Listen you got understand the reason why you want to be a helping sinner charge led by godly people is because God has ordained him to speak into your life. God said way back in the Old Testament to the prophet Jeremiah will give you shepherds after my own heart, and they will lead you and they will guide you. They will teach you the word of God. They will shepherd you in the path of righteousness.

God said that's not doing don't despise godly leadership. We live in days when I want everything to be flat left flat organization like everybody to be equal. We are all equal in significance before God, but we have different roles that God has given us your brother in Christ, and we all have rights that it would God but God has made me a pastor. God has made me a teacher to speak the word of God in your life is God ordained so I have a right to speak into your life. You have a right to see that I do so in a Bible oriented way you want to follow anyone blindly. If someone begins to speak in its inconsistent or contradicts the word of God. You've got to realize not all that is not true I can follow to Paul said follow me as I follow Christ stay in the word and lead you, according to the word you're supposed to follow. That's God's plan for your life and it will result in maturity, it will result in growth that will result in blessing when God wants to bless us. One of the ways he does. It is, he puts us leadership so that you can grazing green pastors and be led beside still waters and have your soul stored that's God's plan and purpose got a learn to respect and appreciate leadership God brings into our lives and you got also learn to respect and appreciate the people who come in your life, not as a pastor or teacher at the people who come in your life as their spiritual brothers and sisters that you can walk in accountability and fellowship with God brings us together in the fellowship.

Remember Christianity doesn't come in a do-it-yourself kit were supposed to be connected to one another. Our job is to help each other get to heaven to sharpen one another.

We are to encourage one another at times we have to review one another.

At times we had to say. Listen, I love you but you are dead wrong on that we need to have a talk I need to put out my Bible and show you something.

That's all part of the process of being connected in the body of Christ because without that kind of connection you can go astray.

You know why the Bible calls us sheep. One of the most common analogies for believers for followers is sheep and this might hurt your feelings but understand that God was intentional by: Nancy sheep are particularly bright.

They made good leadership in the Bible calls all of us, me included Sherry people also have a job to be an under shepherd under the great Shepherd so I believe that group of God's people, myself, she will all see in the Lord's pastor and we need help. We help one another.

If you leave a sheep to think about him or herself elbow wandering off all the green pastors right over here by hanging out over here she's on notice he was going on over here.

That's why when you read Psalm 23, it's David who spent his early years as a shepherd showing up spiritual lessons he learned. He said the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastors.

He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul he leads me in the path of righteousness for his namesake's I learned that I need to follow him because of the sheep get caught up over here, but wandered over here. Next thing I know I'm caught in the thicket boatbuilding agreement after everybody else I'm over here and caught in the thicket and out of Thornton's to get me and every time I move on being stuck in Gaza. That's why you need people to help you to keep you from going over there.

Next thing you know you'll get a bad bad you had some bad moments in your life go to even try. I know you got so big Bible but you had some bad moments in your life. Every last one of us, including the dude talking to you. We had some bad moments over somewhere have no business open green.

You always hear but thank God we have a shepherd who leads us and guides us and when he finds a the Bible says. The other lot in a staff component and get all crazy. She is cool you out danger with the rest of the God shepherds us in the right of the people to shepherd us and then we can help encourage and strengthen one another stay somewhere by yourself, stay with those people God has ordained for your life. Their safety bear protection bear and that's a God ordained thing. But you gotta watch them because some people will insert themselves in your life and they're not God ordained and one of the signs is no change your attitude toward the people who are God ordained you don't let people speak negatively into your life. That's not God's will. You've got to learn to discern those people will come in your life for a personal agenda and Paul said this was going on and you will a change attitude used to embrace me and loving to be a big smile and I just looking at Manderson. Don't let people change up when someone is proven faithful in your life that God is using them and speak into your life.

Do not let someone come between you with a personal agenda in the context of a chart salad person sour you want to charge because they had a bad experience with somebody. First of all you don't know what really happened was I know everything would have a wonderful harmony and stuff like that long enough to know that you prepare for war.

In the time of peace.

So in case the devil is trying to start some junk limit was some word and you don't let people sour you when God is moving and God is showing himself in our midst. He is blessing he is saving you, strengthening the church is being encouraged and moving on. When you see signs of the activity about the spirit somebody coming again but you don't know tell you something missing whatever you hear person talking to you. Try to sell you on somebody else or church or whatever it might be realize that your only hearing a perspective not necessarily hearing the truth.

You will hear the truth of one person talked to find out what the issue is, and talked all side so that you can gain a real perspective of what's going on and a lot of salad.

People love that's their job. Their self-appointed job to go around souring other people and so you have to learn on all got about these folks in my life.

Don't go around looking for perfect church because there is no perfect church. Everybody is on the same journey becoming more like Christ. But you can be imperfect yet healthy you want to look for signs of health perfection.

There is no perfect church follow more you found the perfect church and you joined can we talk you're looking for a church that suits you just write the perfect time down anything will wait till they meet Joe. They don't have some to choose now the witches on the point is not to be looking for help in looking for the sign of what God is doing in your life.

God is moving us on from glory to glory your to be progressing on your journey of becoming more like Christ. And don't let anybody come along like these Judaizers did the churches in Galatia and sour you on God ordained people in your life because they are not bringing the word of the Lord with them.

They are not fair for any good purpose. Paul said they are trying to alienate you from us. See that's what people do what they want to gain control over your life will find a God ordained influences alienate you from them, and now your distance from them and then they insert themselves between them and they begin to speak into your life so you have to be careful pastor Paul shepherd wants to encourage you today test everything you hear against the infallible word of God and surround yourself with true believers in Christ who can help you when you have questions as King Solomon said in an abundance of counselors there is wisdom. Thanks for stopping by for today's message Ishmael versus Isaac to hear any of Pastor Paul's recent messages on demand while going to pastor Paul.net that's pastor Paul.net while Satan is always fighting against the people who are trying to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. He seeks to kill, steal and destroy. That's why spend so important.

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You will never be able to access the grace of God that will allow you to live in the freedom God is ordained for your life. That's tomorrow in Pastor Paul Shepard's message Ishmael versus Isaac. Until then, remember he who began a good working you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory