Christ Formation
Galatians 4:12-20; 8/30/2026; Brother Mike Lei
Peace brothers and sisters. My message today is “Christ Formation”. We will be look at Galatians 4:12-20. Let’s read Galatians 4:19 together, the verse where today’s message title came from: 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!
Let’s pray before we begin.
Today we will be looking at how Christ is formed in us. First of all, as Christians, why do we want Christ to be formed in us? Is it to earn God’s favor? No, because we know we are already loved and favored by God in Christ. Is it to earn salvation? No, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We want Christ to be formed in us because Jesus Christ is our model. He is our Lord, our teacher master . We are His disciples. The purpose of the disciple is to learn to be like his 師父. This is also the will of God for His children. To make us become more and more like His Son- the Perfect Man. And this is the work of God, the Holy Spirit in us. As 2 Corinthians 3:18 says: “18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” By trusting and obeying Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are being transformed into the same image of the Lord Jesus, from one degree of glory to another. We will know the glory of God. It is the Holy Spirit, Who works in us to accomplish this. Today, I will be talking about Christ formation through 3 points from the verses:
1) Formed through weakness
2) Formed through sacrificial love
3) Formed through painful suffering.
Formed through weakness
4:12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.
Paul is urging and pleading with the Galatians to become as he is – a true follower of Christ, to live by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. He told them that he has become like them, because he has laid aside the social and dietary rules of being a Jew to eat with the Gentles. He lived with the Gentiles, and lived like the Gentiles, so he can proclaim the Good news to the Gentiles. This reminds me of Hudson Taylor. When he went to China as a foreign missionary, he did not want people to focus on his Western foreign dress and manners. So, he adopted Chinese dress and culture. He tried to have black hair and pigtail like the Chinese at the time. In his first attempt to dye his hair, the top blew off the ammonia bottle and burned his skin, nearly blinding him. Wow, almost blinded because he wants to look Chinese! Why would he do this? It is because of how great Hudson Taylor’s God is, that he is willing to dye his hair, have his head shaved with a pony tail, so he can be like the people he wants to love and reach for Christ. Amen? Paul in vs. 13 says that it was due to some kind of sickness that he ended up preaching the gospel to the Galatians. God is faithful to accomplish his will whether we do it with full health or with sickness. God loved the Galatians so much that he allowed Paul to have this “bodily ailment” in order that they may hear the gospel and be saved. So, brothers and sisters in your physical weakness, do not be discouraged. God has His plan. Nothing is a surprise to Him. Christ is being formed in and through Paul’s bodily ailment. Paul experienced the love and care of the Galatians and see them being saved through his message. How wonderful this is, even though it was a trial to the Galatians to take care of Paul, not to mention a trial to Paul who is the one who was sick. Because of Paul’s sickness, he also had the blessing to see how caring and hospitable the Galatians were, as he says: “you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.”
Christ is also formed when we are willing to appear weak in the eyes of the world.
So, next time you feel you have been wronged, think of it as an opportunity to let Christ, the Son of God manifest in you, for God to be glorified in you. Be amazed when you see the sweetness of the Lord Jesus revealed in you!
Brothers and sisters, do you want Christ to be formed in you? Don’t despise your trials, whether weakness or sickness, but entrust yourself to God and submit to His plan. And be willing to be humble and gentle like our Lord.
Formed through sacrificial love
4:15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, (ESV)
We see the sacrificial love of the Galatians by the way they were willing to sacrifice so much for Paul. Paul says they were so sacrificial that they “would have gouged out” their eyes and given them to him This is truly the mark of being born spiritually. We have this love from God that caused us to love others sacrificially. Sometimes we can’t even explain why we do what we do as Christians. To others, it seems so foolish what we do. Think about the sacrifices people make to go on a mission trip. Why would you spend so much time, money, and efforts, and risking so much of your health and even your life, so that someone you don’t know can hear the gospel? Is it worth all the sacrifices? Yet, this is the life Jesus called us to live, and the result of Him being formed in us, for His glory. Jesus set the example for us by laying down His life for us. As he said in John 15:13 “13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (ESV)
I remember when I went to Mexico for a mission trip, when we cross the border of Texas, it’s truly like we entered another world. The buildings are different and roads are different. It was so hot there that my brain was not able to function when I first got there. I was supposed to be a leader on the trip, but I couldn’t even think because of the heat. One time, we stayed in a house with only 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom. Since there is only 1 bathroom, so the youth guys wore their swimming trunks and used the water hose to rinse each other off to take a shower outside. How much we are willing to endure for the sake of the gospel? However, Christ is being formed in us when we offer ourselves to do His work, when we love others sacrificially to proclaim the gospel, and God is glorified. Amen?
The Galatians are very caring and sacrificial people. That’s good. But as Paul points out they need to do it for the right reasons. These false teachers want to win over the Galatians, maybe because they see these people have great potential if they become their own converts. Therefore, we need to be discerning people, especially when we have a soft heart. Don’t sacrifice yourself to the world. Don’t sacrifice your time, energy, money to be tempted by the world. These false teachers used worldly methods to pursue the Galatians. Paul says in vs. 17 “They make much of you, but for no good purpose.” The NET translation says, “They court you eagerly, but for no good purpose”. The term Paul used here is in relational contexts of men courting women. Paul is saying these false teachers were trying to win the affections of the Galatians, so they will cut off their ties with Paul and his message of the gospel. Paul is saying they are only doing this so the Galatians will follow them and their false gospel. Therefore, we need to be careful when serving that we point people to Christ, not to ourselves. Are we teaching people to follow God, or to follow us? Paul is using an ancient aphorism: It is always good to be courted when the purpose for that courtship is good. In other words, it’s always good to be courted by a good man for the lady. These Judaizer false teachers were courting the Galatians “for no good” (for no good purpose), not from a good motive.
Speaking of courtship, do our young people date too early and then delay getting married? This will just give them more temptations to sin before marriage. Do they date for the purpose of getting married? If they are not ready for marriage, what is the purpose of dating? It is sad to break up in dating. Is it worth the investment if it is not for the purpose of getting married?
What is the sacrifice God wants? God wants the sacrifice of a contrite heart – a heart which listens to God’s word and repents of sins. The Galatians were so willing to sacrifice for Paul for the right reason because they want to know the word of God and repent of their sins, and they cared for the servant of God, who is bringing to them the word from the Lord. By doing this, Christ is being formed in them. The sacrifice God wants from us is to let Christ be exalted in our life, instead of exalting ourselves or others for the wrong reasons. Remember, we are here to live God-centered lives, not self-centered or man-centered lives.
Formed through painful suffering
4:19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
Paul describes his experience of trying to disciple the Galatian believers, like the mother going through the pains of child-birth. It can be frustrating and perplexing when he sees the Galatians not growing in the Lord, but instead are in danger of falling away. Maybe that is why we may not be as excited to disciple new believers. We may feel it’s too much trouble, too much effort. But, let’s not forget that Christ is formed through suffering, even painful suffering. I remember early in my Christian life, I heard a famous preacher on the radio say that as Christians we will go through painful sufferings. I remember thinking to myself, “What painful suffering”? Ever since I became a Christian, things went so well, I see God blessing me and my family so much. I can’t relate to what he was saying. However, later on when I experienced painful suffering, I remember what he said and then know it’s true.
I like to quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book, The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer was one of the German pastors during the time of Hitler who tried to oppose what Hitler was doing. It costed him his life. He said, “Suffering and rejection are laid upon Jesus as a divine necessity, and every attempt to prevent it is the work of the devil, especially when it comes from his own disciples; for it is in fact an attempt to prevent Christ from being Christ… Jesus must therefore make it clear beyond all doubt that the “must” of suffering applies to his disciples no less than to himself. Jesus as Christ is Christ only in virtue of his suffering and rejection, so the disciple is a disciple only in so far as he shares his Lord’s suffering and rejection and crucifixion.” P. 87
Let us look at 3 verses from 1 Peter to be encouraged, to see suffering as the way we experience Christ being formed in us.
1 Peter 4:1 4 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
This is what Bonhoeffer is saying – we suffer in keeping with the footsteps of our Lord. We need to die to our old self and our worldly desires.
1 Peter 4:13 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
This is the hope we have, that we will see the glory of God. This is what keeps us rejoicing even in the midst of our sufferings. This is what gives us the strength to praise the Lord even in the midst of sufferings.
1 Peter 5:10 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Let us remember that we are only suffering for “a little while”. No matter how long it feels, it’s is just “a little while” to God. And God wants you to see it as “a little while”. Most importantly, remember God will never leave you or forsake you, but He has called you to his eternal glory in Christ. He will personally come to restore you, to confirm you, to strengthen you, and to establish you, after you have suffered according to His will. Brothers and sisters, let us be willing and ready for Christ to be formed in us through whatever process God like us to go through.
Let me leave you with this quote from Bonhoeffer: “To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us. Once more, all that self-denial can say is: “He leads the way, keep close to him.” P. 88. Will you let Christ lead the way and keep close to Him, to know the glory of God? Let’s pray.
