Urgent! Huge Deception Poisoning the Church Right Now...
In this extended sermon, David Hernandez warns that the most dangerous deception infiltrating the modern church is the "gospel of works"—a legalistic, self‑righteous mindset that masquerades as Christianity. He grounds his warning in Paul’s letters, especially Galatians, where Paul condemns any teaching that adds works to the gospel. Hernandez defines legalism as attempting to earn salvation or spiritual standing by human effort, describing its subtle spread like yeast that contaminates the whole batch of believers. He contrasts this with the true gospel of grace, emphasizing that grace is not a license to sin but the power that enables holiness. The sermon outlines how legalism manifests in church culture: harsh preaching equated with truth, the belief that misery equals holiness, and self‑sacrificial behavior that is not God‑directed. Using analogies of trees, doors, and a long hallway, he explains the biblical framework of justification (position before God), sanctification (the lifelong process of becoming like Christ), and glorification (final freedom from sin). He shows how legalism distorts prayer, worship, and self‑identity, leading to fear, doubt, and spiritual exhaustion, while embracing grace brings joy, peace, and assurance of salvation. The message culminates in a call to trust and obey God, break the power of legalism, and support the ministry financially.
Chapters
I want to address what I believe to be the greatest deception in the church today. This deception keeps Christians living in fear. This deception keeps Christians living in cycles of shame and sin that they can't seem to escape. This deception leaves Christians confused about their identity in Christ and it leaves them confused about what God thinks of them. Now, Paul the Apostle wrote about this deception, and when he did, he warned of the preaching of another gospel. Go to Galatians chapter 1, and I'm gonna begin reading at verse number 6. Paul writes, I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the good news, but it is not good news at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. Now look up at me for a second. In verse 8, we're going to see the severity with which Paul the Apostle is giving this warning. And I want you to not only notice the severity, but the emphasis of the severity in the following verse. So let's begin here at verse 8. Paul writes, let God's curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of gospel than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before, and here's the emphasis. If anyone preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, Let that person be cursed. Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant. Now, with such a severe warning, I think it's important that we know what Paul the Apostle is writing about, because there are many deceptions in the world today. There are many lies that the enemy will tell us. But not all of these lies and deceptions can fall under what we would call a false gospel. He defines this false gospel for us, and it's my belief that this false gospel is something about which we should still be aware today, because as I said a moment ago, I think it is the greatest deception in the church today. And many Christians are believing this false gospel, not even realizing it, and it's manifesting in their lives in ways that are torturous, in ways that are deceptive, in ways that are destructive. So let's go now and see Paul define it. Galatians chapter 3, please. In verse 1, he writes, O foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? Or who has bewitched you? Or who has deceived you? For the meaning of Christ's death was made clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. Let me ask you this question. Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not. You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. Verse 3 says, how foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not. It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.
Amen.
In the same way, key verse here, Abraham believed God and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. This false gospel is the gospel of works. It's the gospel of legalism. What is legalism? What is being religious?
Being good.
Because maybe you've heard the insult being thrown around. Maybe when Christians get into an argument with one another, one Christian will accuse the other Christian, you're just religious. Maybe you've seen people complain on Facebook about a church or a ministry or an organization, they're just religious. But that word actually means something. It's not just an insult that we throw at people when we disagree. To be religious, to be legalistic, is to attempt to do in your strength what can only be accomplished in God's power.
That's the law.
That is the gospel of works. Now you've heard it said, a little leaven spoils the whole batch, or a little bit of yeast destroys all of the dough. Did you know that when Paul wrote that, he was talking about the gospel of works?
Yep.
He was talking about legalism. Legalism has that effect, even just a little bit, and it begins to spread to the whole batch. Galatians 5, please, beginning at verse number 6 now. For when we place our faith in Christ, there is no benefit in being circumcised or uncircumcised. This is speaking to adherence to the law. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? Now we'll go to verse 8 in just a moment, but you must recognize this about legalism is it's not just dealt with once and then forever finished. Because of human nature, legalism seems to seeks to come back and take root in the mind again.
That's good.
And if you're not aware of the root of legalism, then legalism, even after you've dealt with it, will begin to creep back into your life and it will choke out your joy and peace. Verse 8, it certainly isn't God, for he was the one who called you to freedom. This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough. I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you. Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised, as some say I do, why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended. Now, notice here that Paul says that if he weren't preaching the cross of Christ, he wouldn't be persecuted. Why is that? If you follow the message of grace all throughout history, and you look at that historical timeline, you'll recognize a pattern. All throughout history, the religious system has persecuted The one who preaches the gospel of grace. Now, it's here that I have to interject an important note. When I talk about the gospel of grace, I'm not talking about a sin-permitting gospel. Some would call it extreme grace. I wouldn't, because godly grace by its own nature is extreme. Rather, I would call it a perversion of grace, a distortion of grace, because grace does not permit you to sin. Grace empowers you unto holiness.
Amen.
Grace is the power to live as you ought. Grace is the power to recognize your new identity. Grace is the power to be in the position where Christ wants you to be. So when I talk about the gospel of grace, I am not talking about the sin-permitting gospel. And this is where it gets very nuanced, very subtle, because this is how the lie of the enemy works. The moment you begin to embrace the gospel of grace, people will accuse you of excusing sin. People will accuse you of being compromised.
Right.
People will accuse you of being lukewarm. Why? Because they're offended by the preaching of the cross. The self-righteous are offended by the message of the cross because the cross reveals that every man is just as helpless to save himself as the next.
That's right.
The self-righteous want to take credit for their good works. The self-righteous want to earn points. The self-righteous, on some level, believe that they can actually earn their salvation. And because of this, when you begin to preach grace, it strikes at the heart of the ego of the religious mind.
That's good.
And so they begin to persecute, they begin to speak against. Now, this gospel of works is subtle and it spreads fast. Here's some of the ways you can see it manifesting. One way we see the gospel of works manifesting is that we like mean preaching. He's not telling the truth unless he's making me feel bad. He's not telling the truth unless he's being real harsh about it. And what we've done is we've equated harshness with truthfulness.
Wow.
And we celebrate it saying, they're telling it like it is. They don't hold back. They're not lukewarm. They don't compromise. They don't sugarcoat it. And we celebrate mean-spirited preaching. Now I understand that sometimes you need to preach boldly. And no, we mustn't excuse sin. I think I've already covered that. But that doesn't mean that we should equate rudeness with truthfulness.
Amen.
Or that if the preacher isn't mean about it, that he's not telling the truth. That's just not the truth. Another way we've seen the gospel of works sneak into the church Is that the people of God think that misery is holiness. You don't wanna enjoy your life too much because then you're not carrying your cross.
Come on, preach it.
Do you know what it means to carry the cross? It means to do God's will despite what you want to do.
Carry your cross.
That's it. To carry your cross doesn't mean you're intentionally miserable all of the time. And I've seen many people fall for this trap. Even young men I've watched give up on godly relationships because they were too happy in the relationship and they wanted to show that they're willing to sacrifice it for God. Well, if God requires it from you, yes. If he doesn't, it's just sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice, where we crucify something God didn't tell us to put on the cross. Or if you get a well-paying job, suddenly your bills are covered, things are going well, and it's going so well that you feel guilty for it.
That's good.
And you say, well, that's too good, so I need to give this up to show God is first. Now, if he asked you for it, yes. When God requires these things from us and we give them to him, it's godly sacrifice. But if God doesn't ask you for them and you give them up just to be miserable, it's Foolishness.
Foolishness.
You're giving yourself those emotional lashings, if you will. And in a subtle way, this is yourself punishing yourself, and you think now that that punishment justifies the wrongdoing. Self-righteousness. Or self-hatred. We call that humility. Oh, I'm just a worm in the ground. I don't even deserve to exist. And I understand that, on one hand, we understand there's sin and the severity of that sin and the way that that sin has violated the holiness of God and the way that that sin destroys our lives. Yes, we get that. But when Paul writes to the church about sin, Or being sinners, he writes, such were some of you. Self-hatred isn't humility. It's an attempt at saving yourself. Who are you? You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
Amen.
Who are you? You are one seated in heavenly places with Christ. Who are you? Paul writes, you're children of light, filled with the Holy Spirit, having union with God. Who are you? You're God's beloved.
Yeah.
You're his child. And so, that's another way that legalism sneaks in. In Galatians 5:4-5, we read, Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law. You are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. Watch this now. Go to Ephesians, please. There in Galatians 5, we just read that those who trust in their works or trust in the law, that Christ has become of no effect to them. Watch this. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 8 and 9. God saved you by his grace when you believed, and you can't take credit for this. It is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Romans 10:9-11.
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scripture tells us, anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced. It is the assurance of salvation, not the guesswork of salvation. In fact, and we'll look at this a little bit later too, in Ephesians 3:18, notice that it takes the power of God to even understand his love. Look at this. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
Amen.
You can't even understand the love of God without the power of God.
That's what I said.
That's how great his love is, that it is a supernatural reality that must be understood supernaturally. Now, this matters because it's not just a matter of theory or philosophy or doctrinal debate. This false gospel can affect every aspect of your Christian life.
Think about it.
This is how most Christians think their faith works. Monday morning, I woke up, I prayed, I read my Bible, I went to work, I was a good Christian testimony. For the most part, I behaved.
Amen.
So if I die today, I'm gonna go to heaven. Tuesday. I didn't sleep so well the night before, so I didn't pray as much today. Had a little trouble understanding the word, and I think I thought a couple things I shouldn't have thought. If I were to die today, 50/50, maybe I make it, maybe I don't. Wednesday, I didn't set my alarm properly, so I had to rush out of the house without praying, rush out of the house without reading the Word, and I made a mistake, compromised a little. If I die today, I'm done. Do you realize that many Christians don't trust the cross, they trust the good timing of their good deeds?
Oh, yes.
So, not only does legalism affect the way you approach prayer, the Word, and worship, but legalism also affects the way you think God sees you. Legalism causes you to think that God is angry with you all of the time and it causes you to constantly second-guess your position in him. Maybe you have read, for example, in Matthew chapter 7, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? And you say, well, I don't want to be one of them. And it's like an equivalent of a— but a scary story for Christians. Don't be one of them. But think about what we see in Matthew chapter 7, that these individuals, when confronted by the Lord, give the excuse that they think will save them. Do they say, Lord, Lord, but I believed on the name of Jesus?
No.
Or, Lord, Lord, but I put my faith in you. Now, what did they say? Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name? Didn't we cast out devils in your name? Didn't we do mighty works in your name? You see, they were trusting in their works to save them. And he says, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. They were judged by the law. Which means they were not under grace.
Amen.
And so the enemy can warp this. Your church attendance, your evangelism, it all becomes a burden rather than an expression of worship. And we as believers need to correct the way we see this because if we don't believe in God's grace, we're gonna be miserable the rest of our lives here on the earth.
That's right.
When God called us to live in joy. Think about a tree. Now, here's how most Christians will picture the tree. Big tree, the roots go deep. They think that the roots are good works and that ultimately those good works produce the fruit of salvation. It's not the way it works. The roots of salvation, that's faith. And faith produces the tree of salvation, which brings forth the fruit of good works. Therefore, works are the fruit of salvation, not the root of it.
Right.
You don't do good works to be saved. You don't even do good works to continue to be saved. You do good works because you are saved and that's your thanks back to God. You're walking in that calling. Another analogy to help you, picture this: a door, a very long hallway, and I'll tell you why it's a very long hallway in a moment. And then another door.
Got it?
Got it. This first door is justification. Justification is your position. It's a legal term. And that is your freedom from the penalty of sin. This long hallway is sanctification, the process by which you become like Jesus. That's why it's very long. This is your process in which you are being free from the power of sin.
Yes.
Glorification, this is the final promise. And that is where you're forever free from the presence of sin. Now, once you are through this door, justified. And as you walk that hallway, you take steps forward, becoming more and more like Jesus. Sometimes you walk briskly through the hallway, and other days it's like these little steps because maybe we're resisting, we're a little stubborn, God's working on us. But either way, we're still in the process. On some days, you may go a little forward and maybe even take a step backward. But as long as you are in the hallway, you are past the door, justified in the process of becoming like Jesus. And one day we'll be just like him. Now watch this. I referenced Ephesians 3:18 a moment ago. We'll read it again and then look at the result of embracing what God has done. Look at the result of believing. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. We read that. You need the power of God to understand his love. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to fully understand. Then you'll be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able through his mighty power at work within us To accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, forever and ever. Amen. So there we see Paul is writing about that position we have in him, the love he gives us. At this point, we've already read about the sealing of the Holy Spirit, being saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves. It's not by our works. It's God's doing. Once you've embraced all this, watch this now, you can do this. Ephesians now 4:1, therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Now wait a minute. Notice it doesn't say, lead a life worthy of your calling so you can be called by God.
Come on.
It says, because he's called you, here's how you should walk. And that is true freedom. When you live under legalism, you live under despair. You live under doubt. You live under fear and tension. But when you fully embrace the reality that you are forgiven, accepted, united with God, assured of that salvation, guaranteed a place in heaven, This does something in you. It frees you to have joy and peace and clarity of mind. And that is what breaks the power of sin. That is what gives you the ability to walk in grace. That is what gives you the ability to walk worthy of your calling.
Yes.
When you know the truth. Philippians 1:6. Pay attention here to who started the work. And who's going to finish it? And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Romans chapter 8, go to verse 31, please. Romans 8:31. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one, for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one! For Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity or are persecuted or hungry or destitute or in danger or threatened with death?
Verse 37.
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love— neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow. Not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below— indeed, nothing in all creation— will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Somebody say, thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus.
And so today, may the power of legalism be broken. May the power of religious thinking be broken. Trust and obey. That's what it comes down to. The simplicity of trusting and obeying God and leave the rest to him.
Well, I pray that now that you've received the truth, that fear, torment, doubt, confusion are all broken. May the power of the religious stronghold never gain ground in your life again, by grace, through faith, in the work of the cross. Now, I want to encourage you, if you've been blessed by this ministry or helped by this ministry in any way, sow where you grow. You can make it possible for others to hear truth that they desperately need. Become a monthly ministry supporter right now by going to davidhernandezministries.com/partner. There you can sign up for a monthly gift. Just open the webpage and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. You can also support by giving a single gift.
To do that, you can go to davidhernandezministries.com/donate.
All of your support, large or small, single or monthly, all of it helps us to win in this fight for the soul of a generation. So that others might hear the gospel, so that others might receive the truth. It's time to expand the kingdom.
Get on board with what God is doing.
Again, do your part, pay it forward. One more time, davidhernandezministries.com/partner for monthly gifts, /donate to give a single gift. And now I want to encourage you to check out this teaching that I did along with prayers, 7 Prayers You Need to Start Praying Over Your Loved Ones Right Now.
