Galatians 2:20.

Steve Gentry

[0:05] All right, go ahead and have a seat. [0:07] Welcome to Village Church. [0:08] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve, I’m one of the pastors here at Village [0:11] Church, and as always, I am thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:16] If you have your Bibles this morning, go ahead and open them to Galatians chapter 2. [0:20] We’re going to be in verse 20 this morning of Galatians chapter 2.

[0:25] So we are five weeks into our series on anchor verses in the Bible, and these are specific [0:31] verses that aid us in basically keeping our faith anchored to our faith in Jesus Christ. [0:39] Now this is true whether these are texts that have kind of been great reminders for you, [0:45] or they have been helpful texts in difficult times, or whether they have been texts that [0:49] God has used to change our lives. [0:51] These have been verses that have made an impact in the lives of all of the people that have

[0:58] shared thus far. [0:59] And so on week five, I figured I’d had enough time off, so I said, I guess I’ll take that [1:03] one. [1:04] So I’m up here this morning to preach on Galatians chapter 2 verse 20. [1:09] Now this is a text that God has been using in my life to really anchor my faith for about [1:15] two decades now.

[1:17] And so almost 20 years ago, God used this text to change my life forever. [1:23] And so this was while I was in college, and God had begun to do a great work in my life. [1:28] And as I was going through the New Testament, I had heard a sermon in a chapel service [1:33] at my college that led me to go through the book of Galatians, and this text hit me like [1:39] a pile of bricks. [1:40] And so this was a period in my life that I was awoken to the work of the gospel of Jesus

[1:46] in my life and for my life and through my life, and really a way that had never really [1:51] happened to me before. [1:53] And so this specific text was used by God to really tell me this is the gospel for [2:00] the Christian life. [2:02] And so this is what it means to live for Jesus. [2:06] And so because of this text, I seek to live for Jesus.

[2:10] Because of this text, I seek to repent of my sin. [2:14] And quite frankly, I’ll tell you, because of this text, I am a pastor. [2:19] And so today, as we go through Galatians chapter 220, I want to go through it phrase by phrase [2:24] with you to share why it is an important anchor in my life that the Holy Spirit constantly [2:30] uses in my life. [2:32] So much so that there is not a day that goes by where I do not recite this text.

[2:38] And quite frankly, most days, I recite this text multiple times. [2:44] To give you a little background, the apostle Paul wrote the book of Galatians to the church [2:48] in Galatia as a defense of the gospel. [2:52] He’s defending the gospel to the church at Galatia against false teachers. [2:56] Specifically, there was a group of people going into places where he had planted churches [3:01] and sharing that Jesus’ work was not sufficient for their salvation.

[3:07] And so the church at Galatia was beginning to be deceived to believe that they needed [3:12] to convert to follow a form of the Mosaic law and ceremony and all of its trappings [3:18] and other things in order to be saved. [3:21] And therefore, they were beginning to believe that it was their own righteousness that would [3:25] save them and not the righteousness of Jesus Christ. [3:29] And in Galatians chapter 1 verses 6 through 9, Paul begins this book by sharing his shock

[3:36] that they would abandon the gospel so quickly. [3:40] And he uses the strongest terms to condemn the false teachers and what it means to believe [3:46] them. [3:47] He’s telling them, if anyone teaches a gospel that is contrary to what Paul has preached [3:52] to them under the power of the Holy Spirit, that they should be condemned forever and [3:58] they will be condemned forever.

[4:00] They are damned for their lies. [4:03] And this is the theme of the book of Galatians. [4:07] Paul is defending the gospel of Jesus Christ against error and he is defending the gospel [4:13] of Jesus Christ against false gospels which are no gospel at all. [4:19] And here in Galatians chapter 2 verse 20, here is what we read.

[4:25] He says, I have been crucified with Christ. [4:29] It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. [4:35] And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and [4:42] gave himself for me. [4:45] Pray with me. [4:47] Father, you are a good God.

[4:52] Lord, you have done everything in heaven and on earth that ever needs to be done to [4:58] save me. [4:59] Lord, and I thank you and I praise you for your power to save. [5:05] I trust you for your power to restore and I will follow you to your kingdom. [5:12] Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. [5:13] Preach your word through me.

[5:15] In the name of Jesus, I pray. [5:18] Amen. [5:19] Number one this morning, this first phrase, I have been crucified with Christ. [5:24] It carries with it a theme for me that the gospel is for me. [5:31] This text came along as an objective comfort that anchored my life. [5:36] You know, for me, Jesus has never been a foreign subject.

[5:41] I have spent the better part of my life knowing who he is and quite frankly, most of the [5:46] information about Jesus Christ has been something that I’ve been very familiar with since I [5:51] was a very young child since I can even have memories. [5:54] I’ve always known who Jesus is. [5:56] I’ve always known of the cross of Jesus Christ and I’ve always known that Jesus loves me. [6:02] Why?

[6:03] Because the Bible tells me so. [6:06] That’s why. [6:07] I sang that song now for probably 37 years. [6:11] That’s one of the greatest theological truths that you will ever have in your life and I’m [6:15] so thankful for that. [6:16] But there was a period in my life where I could say I know all of the information of

[6:21] the gospel. [6:22] I would even say I trusted the gospel of Jesus Christ. [6:26] So it wasn’t that I was questioning my salvation. [6:30] But when this text came along at a specific point in my life, it changed my life because [6:36] it invigorated a passion in me for the gospel that I hadn’t really known. [6:42] It invigorated an affection for Jesus that I would say I hadn’t really known.

[6:50] Author Jared Wilson calls this gospel wakefulness. [6:55] And I would say that is something that took place in my life where I had almost been [6:59] napping where Jesus was concerned, thankful that I was napping where he was, but not really [7:06] walking in his steps, not really seeking to follow him with all of my passion. [7:11] Yeah, I was trying to obey him because I was scared to death of him. [7:15] But I wouldn’t say I was affectionate in the way that I was following Jesus.

[7:21] And so when I was in college, a preacher that I can’t even remember what his name was brought [7:26] a sermon from this text. [7:28] And God used these words to change my life. [7:33] Because it was these words that made the gospel of Jesus Christ very personal to me. [7:39] I believe that Galatians 2.20 is the hinge upon which the entire book of Galatians swings. [7:46] The entire letter is geared towards anchoring your life in the true gospel and living in

[7:52] light of that truth. [7:54] And I have never ceased to need that message. [7:59] If you look through this specific verse, there are seven first-person pronouns, whether it [8:04] is I or me in this text. [8:06] The text never deals in the plural. [8:10] Here, Paul is putting the gospel of Jesus at the most personal level that he can.

[8:15] He is quite literally saying, the gospel is for me. [8:21] This is not about what Paul could do. [8:24] This is not about what Paul had done. [8:27] The gospel is about what Jesus has done and what Jesus will do through the life of those [8:33] who believe. [8:34] So in a very important way, the gospel of Jesus is objective truth to anchor your life

[8:41] to and with. [8:43] There is a dangerous movement that I see popping up amongst those that are probably younger [8:49] than me. [8:49] That the gospel is something that you need to feel before you can trust. [8:55] That the gospel is something that you must be emotionally whelmed by, or else you can’t [9:01] really worship Jesus Christ.

[9:03] I would say that if that is true, I am at a great deficit because if you know me very [9:08] personally, I am not emotionally whelmed by much. [9:11] I’m fairly even in my emotions. [9:15] And so for me, Galatians 2.20 came as this beacon that it wasn’t about me at all. [9:21] It wasn’t about my personality at all. [9:23] It wasn’t about my emotions.

[9:24] It’s not about what I feel. [9:26] It’s not about anything about me. [9:28] It is simply about who Jesus is and what Jesus Christ has done. [9:36] And it will never be about anything other than that. [9:41] You see, friend, you do not need simple inspirational platitudes to help you feel better about [9:48] yourself.

[9:49] What you need is the rock solid truth of Jesus Christ. [9:55] When Paul says, I have been crucified with Christ, he is summarizing the entire theology [10:03] of the New Testament. [10:05] This speaks of our need as well as the solution of our need. [10:10] Steve Gentry must reckon himself dead to sin through the cross of Jesus Christ. [10:17] A few verses earlier in Galatians 2.16, Paul explained that we will live much of our lives

[10:24] attempting to justify ourselves. [10:28] Paul writes, he says, these false teachers have come in and they have duped you into [10:33] believing that there is something that you need to do in order to better yourself and [10:38] your salvation. [10:38] But he says, we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but he’s only [10:43] justified through faith in Jesus Christ.

[10:46] So we also have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ [10:52] and not by works of the law. [10:54] Because by works of the law, no one will be justified. [11:01] Friend, I tell you, one or two things are going to happen in your life. [11:05] We will either seek to clean ourselves up for God or we will seek to excuse why the [11:11] actions of our lives and default patterns of self-centeredness are righteous.

[11:17] Either way, you are seeking to be justified by the works of the law. [11:25] But I tell you, there is no justification apart from the truth of Galatians 2.20. [11:30] The past tense of the death of sin is vital. [11:35] The crucifixion of Christ is concrete. [11:38] I have been crucified speaks of the substitution that Jesus made. [11:44] Paul notes, he says, I was broken.

[11:46] I was in need. [11:47] I needed redemption. [11:48] I needed to be saved and in Christ.

[11:53] I’m crucified to the sin that has left me dead and separated me from the hope of God. [12:00] There is nothing more that I can do and there is nothing more that I need to do. [12:05] I need to look to Christ and trust that he has done enough. [12:12] Because you see, friend, when I consider the cross and when I look to Christ, when I consider [12:17] and I think about Jesus Christ on that cross, it is not enough to think, what a nice thing [12:23] that he has done.

[12:24] It is not enough to think. [12:26] What a great example he has set. [12:29] No, I must look to the cross and I must say, number one, he did that because of my sin. [12:36] The gospel is personal. [12:39] Number two, he did that in my place. [12:43] Number three, he did that to kill my sin.

[12:48] And number four, my sin is dead. [12:56] I have been crucified with Christ. [13:00] But number two this morning, dying to sin means living for Jesus. [13:05] Dying to sin means living for Jesus. [13:08] See, his next phrase in the text is, it is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives [13:14] in me.

[13:15] See, the death of sin is not enough. [13:19] There needs to be more. [13:21] For so long I looked at my life as though God had removed something and then just left [13:25] me to figure the next steps out. [13:28] Don’t get me wrong, I was grateful for forgiveness, but I was confused on how or why to move [13:35] forward.

[13:36] But you see, the power of this verse is in the life that it breathes in. [13:40] Not I, but Christ. [13:44] You see, I was born into sin, but through Christ, that man is dead. [13:52] And see, the first step is on the cross. [13:54] You see, many of you have not reckoned yourselves dead.

[14:00] You are seeking to live out a duality between a relationship with Christ and a life for [14:07] this world that you want to live. [14:10] You see, that is not the Christian life. [14:13] How do I know that? [14:15] It is no longer I who lives. [14:21] That means I get no vote.

[14:25] That means it’s not up to me. [14:28] That means that when I’m at a crossroads in my life and I say, Christ or myself, if I [14:35] am to follow Christ, I must reckon myself dead. [14:41] See, too many of you trust yourselves.

[14:45] Stop trusting someone that’s supposed to be dead. [14:48] I don’t trust what dead men say because dead men don’t say much.

[14:54] You see, friends, you’re seeking to live this life out, but it is not the Christian [14:58] life. [14:59] You see, this means that you are to reckon the old man dead. [15:03] You need to stop sitting in sin and trust the risen Savior to give you a life worth [15:09] living. [15:10] So what do I do?

[15:11] You see, I must reckon that it is Christ who lives in me. [15:15] He has saved me. [15:17] And two questions are extremely helpful there. [15:20] What has Jesus done for me? [15:24] Well, he saved me. [15:26] He put to death the corrupt sinful man that is in me, more though he has made me alive

[15:32] in his spirit. [15:34] But Christ who lives in me is a powerful phrase. [15:40] You are to live. [15:41] You’re not just to die. [15:42] You see, the second question is also vital, and it’s a cliche question. [15:48] What would Jesus do?

[15:52] Somebody just got a sports update.

[15:55] Christianity is not a religion of death. [15:58] It is a religion of resurrection. [16:01] See, it is vital to say, what has Christ done? [16:06] But then the second step is just as vital. [16:09] What would Jesus do? [16:11] If you are dead, you would just stay there.

[16:14] But friend, Christ isn’t dead, is he? [16:18] Now there are things that must be done. [16:19] There is a life that must be lived. [16:21] There are steps that must be made. [16:22] There is a Jesus who calls you to follow him. [16:26] You need to form an identity of belonging to the Lord.

[16:30] Christianity is not a religion of death. [16:33] It is a religion of resurrection. [16:35] Galatians 1, 4 explains the context. [16:38] Jesus gave himself to deliver us from death over to God’s will. [16:43] And then in verse 5, over into God’s glory forever and ever. [16:47] What? Amen.

[16:48] Let it be. [16:50] He did this by refusing to remain dead. [16:53] He rose from the dead to new life. [16:56] And just as he has died for me, he has risen for me. [17:02] He has given me a new life of power in which I don’t just die to sin. [17:08] I live to and for Christ.

[17:11] You are so confused so often. [17:15] How do I put this sin that so easily tempts me to death? [17:21] How do I move on from this sin that I find so satisfying? [17:26] How do I die to sin? [17:29] And I tell you, the reason that you continue to put that temptation in front of your face, [17:33] the reason that you cannot move on is because you are not looking to life.

[17:37] You are continuously staring down the barrel of death.

[17:42] Friend, when you reckon yourself dead to sin, [17:45] it is not a clarion called to stand there at the casket glaring inside. [17:51] It is a calling to walk out of the graveyard into the world to live a life. [17:56] You don’t look to a dead savior on the cross. [17:59] You look to an empty tomb from which Jesus rose from. [18:03] And you say, I will live.

[18:07] In Galatians 6, 14, the apostle Paul goes further and he says that he boasts in the cross of Christ. [18:14] And he says, I will boast in nothing other than the cross of Christ, [18:18] by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. [18:21] Why? Because the world has been crucified to him. [18:24] But where is the life in that text, friend? [18:26] You must understand that you boast in the crucifixion because of its victory.

[18:32] You wouldn’t boast in something if Jesus was still dead in it, would you? [18:35] No, you would mourn it. [18:38] Paul is saying, I boast in the crucified savior because Jesus is not dead. [18:43] See, he boasts because there is a new life on the other side of the resurrection [18:47] and not to the world. [18:50] It is to Christ.

[18:53] Friend, if you are going to die to your sin, you must live for Jesus. [19:00] And we must not make excuses as to why we cannot do that. [19:05] We must not put up hindrances to our life in Christ. [19:08] Why? Because those hindrances are dead. [19:10] How are they dead? [19:12] The cross.

[19:13] To believe otherwise is anti-Christian. [19:17] Number three, this morning, my faith is in Jesus and not my effort. [19:22] My faith is in Jesus and not my effort. [19:26] And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God. [19:33] You see, friend, when you seek to live for Christ, there is a temptation [19:37] to move past the gospel to your own effort.

[19:41] See, if we don’t get to that stanza, we will get to a place. [19:44] Okay, Jesus has risen from the dead. [19:47] I’m to go to him for life. [19:50] And I’m going to live that life. [19:51] I’m going to pick myself up by my bootstraps. [19:53] I’ll be obedient.

[19:54] I’m going to be the best Christian that you’ve ever seen. [19:57] Look at how good I am. [19:59] That happens very quickly to us, doesn’t it? [20:02] We play that comparison game. [20:05] Well, I’m more obedient than this guy over here. [20:08] So I’m doing all right, am I not?

[20:10] Oh, friend, don’t be deceived into that as many have and as we will always be tempted to be. [20:18] There’s a subconscious reality to that. [20:21] You say, okay, Christ has done his part, but now I must live and obey and keep myself holy. [20:31] Friend, I believe that that is a well-intentioned, terrible idea. [20:36] Because what you are supposing there is that you need to grow past the gospel. [20:41] Friend, you never grow past the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[20:44] You see, that which you will be tempted in your maturation process of being a Christian [20:50] to move past, that which you will be tempted to see as elementary

[20:58] is what I always find my life in and will always find my life in. [21:05] Friend, do not seek to live for Christ under the power of the flesh. [21:11] You see, in Christianity, the flesh is that sinful aspect of me that I always struggle with. [21:18] Typically, though, we think it only surfaces when we have an immoral temptation. [21:24] And that much is true, but there is a religious sinful flesh that we will seek to live for

[21:32] under your own power rather than the power of Christ. [21:37] Friend, the crucifixion is not yours.

[21:43] The resurrection is not yours. [21:47] The life in Christ is not yours. [21:51] It is Christ’s. [21:54] You see, the Galatians were forsaking the gospel. [21:57] They were doing this by seeking to attain and retain salvation under their own power. [22:04] But I tell you, you did not save yourself.

[22:08] And because you did not save yourself, you cannot keep yourself saved either. [22:13] It is by faith that we receive the power of God for life. [22:18] It is not by our own strength that we receive the power of God. [22:21] And of course, there is a tension here. [22:24] But Paul explains the context a few verses down in Galatians 3 verses 2 through 3. [22:30] Here’s what he writes.

[22:31] He says, Let me ask you only this. [22:33] Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? [22:39] Are you so foolish? [22:41] Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? [22:48] Friend, you did not begin by works, so you will never be perfected by your works. [22:55] Then in verse 10, he says, if you rely on your works, you’re cursed.

[23:02] You’re cursed.

[23:07] Many of you will find yourself in one of two categories. [23:11] Your affection for Christ will be dictated by how well [23:14] or how unwell you think you are doing in the faith.

[23:20] Or your affection for Christ will be steered by how well or not well you are not doing in the faith. [23:28] And what I mean by that is, is there are some of you that will have religious temptation. [23:32] And I know many of you struggle with this. [23:35] But you believe that your relationship with Christ is dictated on whether or not you had your quiet time this morning.

[23:42] If you believe that your quiet time buys you anything with God, well, you don’t understand the gospel. [23:46] If that is why you’re going to your time with the Lord, then you don’t get the gospel.

[23:55] But there are also some of you who are seeking that justification apart from Christ. [24:01] So you’re claiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, but your righteousness is found in your efforts to build success in this world. [24:07] Your righteousness is built by that which gives you favor in this world, by that which builds your bank account in this world, [24:13] by that which gets your kids the nicest clothes, that which gets you the nicest car, that which gets you the most power, that which gets you the biggest promotions. [24:22] And you say, well, of course I’m doing well with Christ. Of course I’m dead to my sin and alive to Christ. [24:28] Look at the life that I have. And then if someone challenges you,

[24:33] someone says, but isn’t there more to die to and live for than what you have? [24:39] Look at all the stuff I’m doing. You want more from me?

[24:45] Oh, how quickly we seek to justify ourselves either by God’s law or a law of our own making.

[24:53] There was a time in my life where there was a great struggle. [24:57] It wasn’t that I questioned whether Jesus had forgiven me. [25:00] It was that I questioned whether Jesus was going to continue to forgive me and I didn’t know how to justify myself. [25:07] And those words, [25:09] the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God came over me

[25:19] like a cup of cold water on a hot day. We’ve had a few of those, have we not?

[25:25] And in that moment I said, [25:27] my goodness, it’s never been about anything that I’ve done and it’s never going to be about anything that I’ll ever do. [25:34] I must simply trust that Jesus is enough.

[25:40] You see, in the day that I realized that my time in the Word ceased to be [25:45] quite frankly a struggle to which I was trying to measure my faithfulness to Jesus Christ by. [25:50] My attendance in church, my service in the church, my volunteering in the church, [25:54] my being on staff at a church, my pastoring at a church ceased to be that which I proved my justification by. [26:04] And it all just became, why wouldn’t I do this? I’m so in love with the Jesus that I have faith in. [26:10] That’s what drives me to his Word. That’s what drives me to prayer.

[26:15] You see friends, seeking to live for Christ under your own power is why you feel burned out.

[26:22] Very quickly I struggled with that idea. [26:25] I figured out what I wanted to do pretty early in life. [26:28] So I started serving in the local church very quickly, very early in my life. [26:32] Most people are still trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. [26:36] And as long as I did it under my power, I continued to feel burned out by it. [26:41] You see friend, but it’s also why you get so defensive about your life when someone calls

[26:45] you to serving more, when someone calls you to sacrifice more, when someone calls you to give [26:50] more of your time to the cause of Jesus Christ. It is a particularly powerful reason why many of you [26:56] struggle to find joy in following Jesus.

[27:01] You see friend, if the life that I live in the flesh is by faith in Jesus, then my focus will [27:06] be on him. My power will be from his Spirit in every moment. I’m not seeking my own way. [27:15] I’m seeking to bring him glory in all that I do. I see life through a different lens when the optics [27:23] are of faith in him. Do I have desires? Oh you bet I have desires, but I simply funnel them [27:32] through the one who loved me and gave himself for me. You see the glory of the power of faith to [27:41] follow Jesus changed everything for me. I stopped keeping score on how I was doing or how I was

[27:49] doing against someone else. I ceased to compare my obedience to other people. [27:56] I simply look now to Jesus and say, here I am Lord, use me. Wherever you go, I will follow. [28:07] Not I, but Christ. Fourthly this morning, Jesus has secured the love of God for the Christian. [28:19] Jesus has secured the love of God for the Christian. See when he pins that final stanza, [28:29] who loved me and gave himself for me, he’s giving you rest. He’s giving you peace. You see, [28:39] Paul’s letters are full of gospel declarations as well as gospel implications. His letters are full

[28:48] of what Jesus has done and what I am to do in light of what Jesus has done. He typically bookings [28:58] everything with declarations of what Jesus has done. That’s what he does in Galatians 2.20. [29:05] He speaks of the work of Jesus in his crucifixion to begin this verse, then gives the implications [29:11] of the gospel in our lives and then finishes with the love of God through the work of Jesus [29:18] for us. See, he’s seeking to anchor our lives into Jesus, to show us the life that we will have [29:26] through Jesus. You see, for the Christian, the love of God is not in the future tense.

[29:34] It is secured in the past and it is lived out in the presence. So why follow Jesus? [29:44] You see, because of his promises that emerge from his love. His love is secure. His love is [29:52] unchanging. Jesus Christ has earned for me the unchanging and unwavering love of God. [30:03] So many of you struggle to apply this next thing to your lives. God will never love me more than [30:09] he loves me right now. And he will never love me less than he loves me right now. And that [30:18] is where the rest of the gospel is found. Stop measuring your life by how much you think God

[30:26] loves you in any particular moment and look to the cross and say, that is a love that has never been [30:36] greater. God the Son lowered himself into the deepest depths of physical, emotional, [30:47] and spiritual suffering for you. How could he love you more than that? [30:56] How could it be any greater than that? How could on a Tuesday, because you get angry, [31:04] you start thinking, oh my goodness, if I don’t stop that, God’s not going to love me as much [31:08] and he’s not going to bless my life. That’s not the gospel, friend. That’s not the gospel of Jesus

[31:14] Christ. You see, the day that Jesus Christ died on the cross, God was making a point, an eternal [31:21] point, a point that he loves you. A point that when you trust in what his Son has already done [31:29] in the past, you have all of his love. You have every ounce of it. But it is to be trusted [31:40] right here and right now in the life that I live because Jesus loves me. You see, Jesus has gifted [31:50] the love of the Father for me. The Father is pleased in me because he’s pleased in Jesus. [32:00] It’s not about me, not I, but Christ. God loves me because he loves his Son.

[32:08] And this is the greatest rest that you can ever know. You see, for many, following Jesus is for [32:15] some reason stressful. It shouldn’t be that way. It should be the greatest peace that you have ever [32:21] had because it is the surest thing that you can ever know. Stop defining God’s ability to love [32:28] by your ability to love. God isn’t like you. And be thankful for that. I know I am. God’s love is [32:39] greater than my love. God’s love is unmatched. God’s love is anchored in the finished work of [32:46] Jesus Christ. If you want peace in your life, that is where you will find it. And nothing else

[32:53] compares. There is no greater peace than the peace of knowing that God loves me.

[33:01] It is nowhere else to be found in this life.

[33:06] So what am I going to do with my life in light of this great truth? [33:11] That’s the question I always ask myself when I’m reading the scriptures. [33:15] What am I going to do with my life in light of this great truth?

[33:20] I’m going to follow Jesus.

[33:26] That’s the decision that I came to 20 years ago. That’s the application of all of this. [33:33] That is where I have settled. That is where I am anchored. That is what I cling to. And that is [33:39] my battle cry. I have no other purpose in this life because I need no other purpose in this life. [33:52] There is nothing else that can give me the joy, the love, the hope, the peace, the rest, [34:00] the satisfaction, and goodness that the reality of following Jesus can give me. [34:08] My life is His. I will follow Jesus. And that is what you must do.

[34:19] As the band comes forward, [34:21] I will follow Jesus. 20 years it’s never gotten old. [34:30] In 20 years it hasn’t ceased to affect me still. And that’s the power of the Holy Spirit [34:37] in four phrases. That’s the power of God in four phrases magnifying the finished work of Jesus [34:46] the cross and through the resurrection. I believe that there are many of you in here that you are [34:52] struggling with how to be affectionate about Jesus Christ. You are struggling how to follow Jesus

[34:57] and not be overwhelmingly consumed by guilt, overwhelmingly consumed by stress, overwhelmingly [35:04] consumed by the anxiety of does God love me in each and every moment? [35:11] You see, if you’re in here and you’ve never trusted in Jesus Christ and you’re thinking I’ve [35:15] never known the love of God, I tell you God loves you and Jesus proves it. If you will trust in the [35:22] finished work of Jesus Christ through His cross and through His resurrection, God will save you [35:29] forever. His love is for you, friend. But there are some of you in here, you trust Jesus, you know

[35:37] all about Jesus, you’ve got all the information. So much so that you say yes I believe that it is [35:42] true but there’s no passion. There’s no affection because you’re overwhelmed by this world. [35:50] You’re overwhelmed by the cares of this world. You’re overwhelmed by the anxieties of this world. [35:55] You are overwhelmed by Monday through Friday. You’re overwhelmed by the family on the weekends. [36:01] You’re overwhelmed by the stress of not giving enough time for your family but needing to make [36:05] more money all the time. You’re overwhelmed by everything that this world says you must do

[36:12] to be righteous.

[36:17] Friend, you’ll never find it apart from resting in the grace of Jesus Christ.

[36:26] Let Jesus justify you. Let Him be your justification and then follow Christ. [36:34] If you are a believer, I want to call you to reflect on the Lord’s Supper today. [36:41] You see the bread represents the broken body, the cup represents His shed blood. [36:45] And if you’re a follower of Jesus, your response today is to come to reflect on His cross, [36:52] to remember His resurrection and to proclaim your belief in it by eating and drinking. [36:58] And then walk out these doors and say, not I, but Christ. When you’re ready, come.