Tommy Walls' sermon, based on Galatians 1:6-16, addresses the theme of "A Different Gospel." He emphasizes the dangers of deviating from the true gospel of Christ, warning against both blatant and subtle distortions. Walls reflects on his own past as a preacher of a tainted gospel, realizing he had not truly understood the gospel despite years of preaching. He stresses that any alteration to the gospel is a perversion and asserts that the gospel belongs to God, not to humans or angels.
Walls points out that moving away from the gospel is equivalent to deserting Christ himself. He highlights the singularity of the gospel – there is only one true gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ and His finished work. He cautions against sources that do not align with the Word of God and emphasizes the importance of scripture as the ultimate authority.
In his personal testimony, Walls recounts how his understanding of the gospel shifted from a man-centered approach to a God-centered one, influenced by sermons like Paris Reidhead's "Ten Shekels and a Shirt." He critiques the humanistic infiltration into gospel preaching, which prioritizes human happiness over God's glory.
Walls concludes by urging the audience to examine the underlying motives of their belief in the gospel. He stresses that the chief end of the gospel is the glory of God, not merely the salvation of man. Salvation should lead to glorifying God, not simply escaping hell or improving one's life. Walls calls for a reorientation of the gospel message towards God's glory, challenging traditional evangelistic approaches that focus more on human benefit than on divine glorification.
