Don't Leave the Gospel.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Good morning. [0:02] Well, welcome to the Village. [0:04] My name is Steve, one of the pastors here. [0:06] Glad to see you here. [0:08] If you have a Bible, go ahead and turn to Galatians chapter 3. [0:12] That’s where we’re going to spend the entire morning this morning.

[0:15] I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. [0:18] If anything weird happens to me during the service and I just leave, [0:21] it’s because my wife went into labor.

[0:24] It’s weird, because she’s 39 weeks pregnant, [0:26] and it’s reached the stage where any movement she makes, [0:29] I’m just like, huh? [0:31] Are you in labor? [0:32] Because I have no idea what I’m doing. [0:34] But in Galatians chapter 3 this morning,

[0:37] last week we ended chapter 2. [0:41] And the way Paul ends chapter 2, or excuse me, [0:43] the way the people that divided it up into chapters ended chapter 2, [0:47] is really with Paul just simply giving the truth of the Gospel. [0:51] Chapter 2 ends with one of those pivotal verses in Christianity [0:55] where Paul is dealing with the controversy of,

[0:59] do we earn our salvation by our works, [1:01] or is it the work of God alone through His Son Jesus who saves us, [1:06] or do we desperately need God to save us? [1:09] And Paul ends it with saying, [1:11] we desperately need God to save us, [1:13] because without the work of Jesus on the cross

[1:16] and without the resurrection, we’re hopeless. [1:20] That we are condemned, [1:21] because we cannot earn righteousness, [1:24] because we are simply sinners. [1:26] And he ends it, and he says these interesting words, [1:29] he says, I am crucified with Christ.

[1:33] And he basically says that there is a point in our lives [1:37] where we are crucified, where we die.

[1:43] Jesus did not die so that we could live. [1:46] Jesus died so that we could die. [1:49] And then He rose again so that we could live. [1:53] And he uses this amazing metaphor by basically putting us on the cross with Christ, [1:58] telling the people in Galatia, [2:00] there’s nothing more that you need to do,

[2:03] because your sin went to the cross with Jesus. [2:06] That’s what is meant by words like atonement. [2:09] That Jesus took our sins to the cross with Him. [2:12] And then he says, but now I live in the life I live, [2:16] I live through faith in the Son of God, [2:19] who loved me and gave Himself for me.

[2:20] In other words, it’s not us who lives any longer, [2:22] but Jesus who is now living through us. [2:26] And then he makes this transition to chapter 3. [2:29] And the way chapter 3 begins is completely different. [2:33] It’s like, you know, he ends chapter 2, [2:35] and it’s almost like you think he can just end the book of Galatians.

[2:38] He ends it on such an amazing and powerful note [2:42] with the death of sin and the life that we now have in Jesus. [2:46] What else needs to be said? [2:48] But Paul moves on. [2:50] So join me in chapter 3, [2:52] and notice how Paul begins chapter 3.

[2:54] It’s very inspiring. [2:57] He says, oh foolish Galatians, [3:00] in the Greek, if you’re a Greek scholar, which I’m not, [3:04] I just read books by people who are, [3:06] and in the Greek what Paul is basically saying is, [3:10] people of Galatia, you are all morons.

[3:14] You’re stupid. You’re idiots. [3:17] If you’re translating the original Greek, [3:19] you can use any of those words for what Paul is saying here, [3:22] but the translators here who are translating it in English said, [3:25] well, let’s try to pretty it up so it doesn’t sound like [3:27] he’s being so derogatory towards them.

[3:30] He’s being about as derogatory towards their mental capacity [3:33] as he could possibly be at the beginning of chapter 3. [3:36] So he ends with this almost inspiring, [3:40] truly life-changing message of the gospel, [3:42] and then cuts right into it, and he says, [3:44] you group of morons.

[3:47] And then he says some other interesting words. [3:48] He says, who has bewitched you?

[3:54] And the phrasing that he uses there for bewitched, [3:57] he’s using, if we were to put that in modern day English, [3:59] it’s almost like saying, [4:01] there was a magician standing before you, [4:02] where Harry Potter was there with you, [4:04] and he cast a spell on you.

[4:06] Who has cast a spell on your mind? [4:12] Who has brought this confusion into your lives [4:15] so it’s as if you don’t even understand the message that I just gave you? [4:21] Because he’s not starting a new section here. [4:24] He’s playing directly off of verses 20 and 21 of chapter 2. [4:29] He gives the gospel and then says,

[4:31] Jesus, you are so stupid that you don’t even understand what I just said. [4:38] You don’t even understand the message that I just gave you. [4:41] And notice how he ends verse 1. [4:43] He says, it was before your eyes that Jesus was publicly portrayed as crucified. [4:50] Not that they had already seen Jesus crucified. [4:52] Not that they had been in Jerusalem to see the trial and execution of Jesus.

[4:58] But what Paul is saying here, [5:00] I myself stood before you and gave you this very message. [5:05] This is what I just said in chapter 2. [5:07] That was not brand new knowledge for you. [5:12] This is something that you already knew, [5:14] because I myself stood before you and publicly proclaimed that exact same message.

[5:21] But now you are living as if you don’t even know it. [5:24] You are acting foolishly. [5:26] You are being deceived. [5:29] Over the past few weeks, we have covered the first two chapters of Galatians in full. [5:34] So if you’ve been here, you know what we’re talking about. [5:37] We’re talking about the people that have come into the church,

[5:40] who have told them that it’s not just the grace of God alone, [5:43] but rather you also need to be circumcised and become a Jew. [5:47] And what Paul is writing, and the reason he’s writing this, [5:49] and the reason he’s calling them foolish, [5:51] is because a great deal of them bought into it. [5:54] A great deal of them said, that makes a lot of sense.

[5:59] You know, that grace thing, I didn’t really understand it anyway, [6:01] so I’m sure that I also need to earn my salvation. [6:04] I’m sure I also need to become a Jew. [6:07] I’m sure I also need to convert to Judaism. [6:09] That makes perfect sense. [6:11] And Paul doesn’t come with this notion of, oh guys,

[6:17] you know, let me explain this again. [6:20] Paul is not kind, here, at all. [6:23] Paul looks him straight in the face and said, [6:25] oh, you’re buying into what the circumcision party is telling you? [6:27] You’re an idiot.

[6:31] It’s as if a magician has cast a spell on you. [6:33] David Blaine is here, and he’s doing some crazy stuff with cards, [6:36] and you’re buying into it like it’s real. [6:40] Paul is being as mean as he can, [6:42] but there’s a reason that he’s being so cruel. [6:45] He’s being cruel because the gospel is being perverted.

[6:48] Understand that until Paul went to Galatia, [6:52] this was an unreached area. [6:54] No one had ever heard the gospel before. [6:57] It’s like areas in Africa that have never heard the gospel before. [7:00] And Paul goes into it as a missionary with a brand new message, [7:05] much like he did in Corinth.

[7:06] In 1 Corinthians chapter 2, he tells Corinth, [7:09] I did not come with lofty wisdom or great philosophy, [7:13] but I chose to know nothing among you except Christ and Him crucified. [7:17] The way Paul writes Galatians, it’s as if the same thing was true in Galatia. [7:23] He did not come into Galatia and reason with them [7:25] and talk to the intellectual elite and try to give them some brand new philosophy.

[7:30] Rather, he just comes in and preaches the gospel as simple as he possibly can. [7:36] Christ, Him crucified, Him risen from the dead, [7:39] this is salvation, you cannot save yourself. [7:43] You need God. [7:44] That’s the message he brought into Galatia. [7:48] And Paul says, you saw me stand before you,

[7:53] and you believed what I said. [7:56] How is it that you have so quickly departed from the true gospel to a false gospel? [8:04] See, because what Paul had done in Galatia, [8:06] he had come in and he had formed a culture with these people. [8:10] He had formed a culture around the truth of the gospel. [8:13] So that not only did they just mentally agree,

[8:17] they didn’t just simply say, that sounds good, I agree with what you’re saying. [8:21] Rather, it changed the way they lived their lives.

[8:27] Instead of simply agreeing and nodding their heads, [8:30] rather, when they walked away from what Paul was telling them, [8:33] a new culture started to be cultivated. [8:37] New grounds were plowed in their lives, [8:39] and they now were living a gospel-centered culture, [8:44] where every decision that they made,

[8:46] everything that they did on their lives, [8:48] they did it based on the gospel and motivated by the gospel. [8:53] But what Paul is seeing here is that this culture that was being built has now been tainted. [8:59] It has been perverted. [9:01] Because the gospel message has been attacked right at the foundation. [9:05] The foundation of why you do the things that you do,

[9:09] and why you live the life that you live, [9:11] why you make the choices that you make, [9:15] come from the foundation of your lives. [9:18] It answers the question, why do I live? [9:21] Why do I do the things that I do? [9:23] That is your culture.

[9:26] Your culture is based on your foundation. [9:30] And Paul is saying, I brought you a true foundation. [9:34] I preached right before you, [9:36] and I portrayed in vivid enough detail, [9:40] it’s as if you saw the crucifixion. [9:43] And this is what we founded the culture of the church of Galatia on,

[9:46] but Paul is saying, that foundation, [9:49] it’s been perverted. [9:51] Because some of you, if you remember in Galatians chapter 1, [9:54] he says, how have you so quickly left a gospel you just believed in? [9:59] He’s saying their foundation has been perverted. [10:02] Now they are building their culture on a false gospel.

[10:05] Because the fact of the matter is, culture can be built on a false gospel. [10:10] And you can convince yourself very thoroughly, [10:15] that it is not a false gospel.

[10:18] The great evangelist Billy Graham, once estimated, [10:22] and this was not based on research, just the fact that he’s Billy Graham, [10:26] and he has been in so many churches, [10:28] and he has seen so many people, supposedly, come to faith in Christ. [10:32] Thousands have come to his altar calls, [10:34] but he rather said, that of those people that come to his altar calls,

[10:38] and go back into a church setting, [10:40] he estimates 80% of them didn’t really believe the gospel.

[10:47] Because when you come to the gospel, [10:52] the way that you go back, and the way that you leave that moment,

[10:57] the way that you leave that time when you come to Jesus, [11:02] you form a culture. [11:04] You either form a new culture, [11:06] or you return to the culture that you already lived in. [11:11] Or, the gospel is somehow perverted by an outside source,

[11:18] or by the work of the devil in your life,

[11:23] that you form a bad culture on a false gospel, [11:27] that is no gospel at all. [11:29] And if you’ve been tracking with me from chapters 1 to chapter 2, [11:34] to right here, he’s saying that’s no gospel at all. [11:39] And if that’s true of you, then it’s possible that you did not believe the gospel at all, [11:43] and you were not redeemed.

[11:46] I made reference to 1 Corinthians chapter 2, [11:49] where Paul writes that I came into Corinth, [11:52] and I didn’t have any lofty thoughts, [11:54] I didn’t come with you with amazing new philosophy, [11:56] I knew only Jesus and Him crucified. [11:59] He says in the very next chapter,

[12:02] he says, I could not come to you with solid food, [12:05] and I cannot now come to you with solid food. [12:08] Rather, I must come to you with milk, [12:11] because you are not ready to chew solid food. [12:16] He uses the metaphor of a baby, [12:18] because you cannot have a child,

[12:20] when my wife gives birth, I’m not going to take him out for a Big Mac. [12:24] That will be pointless to him. [12:25] He cannot eat solid food. [12:27] It’s silly to even have the notion, [12:29] or if you were to see someone ordering an infant a Big Mac, [12:32] you’d be questioning that.

[12:34] What Paul is saying here is, [12:36] you are such a baby, [12:37] that I cannot come to you with solid food, [12:40] but rather milk. [12:41] And we have taken that, [12:44] to mean,

[12:46] so many times, [12:48] that they were baby Christians, [12:50] and that they were not ready to move on to the next step of discipleship.

[12:57] But that is not what Paul is referring to at all. [13:00] If you read the terminology that he is using, [13:02] he is saying, I can only bring you milk, [13:04] because you haven’t even been born yet. [13:07] I can’t give you solid food, [13:09] because you don’t even know Jesus.

[13:11] You don’t believe the true Gospel.

[13:17] Paul makes it very hard on us, [13:21] to have a very easy, [13:23] feel-good message to give to people.

[13:26] Rather, Paul is constantly looking at people, [13:28] and making them question their own redemption.

[13:33] He uses this terminology, [13:34] and we’ve talked about this before, [13:35] like Philippians 2.12, [13:37] work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

[13:42] In other words, [13:43] you constantly need to be looking at your life, [13:46] looking at the culture that is being set up, [13:48] and saying, is this a Gospel culture, [13:51] that I am cultivating with my life, [13:54] or is it a false Gospel culture,

[13:56] that I am building, [13:58] based on myself, [13:59] and based on my works. [14:03] Because we just finished chapter 2, [14:04] and we noticed that our works don’t save us. [14:08] Our works don’t redeem us.

[14:10] Our works don’t gain us anything from God. [14:13] What Paul is saying right here, [14:15] is you are building a culture, [14:16] based on a false Gospel, [14:18] and your culture is going to condemn you in the end, [14:21] because that’s what the law does.

[14:24] It condemns. [14:25] Join me in verse 2. [14:27] Let’s keep moving.

[14:30] Somebody’s walking on leaves in the background. [14:33] In verse 2 of chapter 3. [14:35] Let me ask you this. [14:37] He’s going to begin doing some Q&A. [14:38] He’s going to ask them 5 questions, [14:40] before he gets to verse 5.

[14:43] He says, let me ask you this. [14:45] Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, [14:49] or by hearing with faith? [14:52] Are you so foolish, [14:55] having begun by the Spirit, [14:58] are you now being perfected by the flesh?

[15:04] To give you the basic point of what he’s saying. [15:06] He’s saying, what God started, [15:08] God will finish. [15:09] Stop trying to take over for God.

[15:14] Stop rewriting the Gospel in your language. [15:18] Allow God to define [15:20] what the Gospel is going to look at in your life.

[15:28] Basically what he’s saying there, [15:29] he takes them back to the moment of their redemption. [15:33] He takes them back, and remember he starts, [15:35] he says, before you that I publicly proclaimed Jesus. [15:38] Then he says, did you come to God, [15:40] or did you get the Holy Spirit?

[15:41] Did God come into your life [15:43] through the works of the law? [15:46] He’s taking them back to the moment of redemption, [15:49] and saying, do you remember how you came to Jesus? [15:54] Do you remember what it was like? [15:57] Because the point he’s trying to make here is,

[15:59] how you come to Christ, [16:01] will often dictate how you follow Christ.

[16:07] And this is something that we do not ask ourselves, [16:09] and churches do not focus on, [16:11] and Bible teachers do not ask people [16:13] to remember very often, [16:15] but we can’t get past it, [16:16] because that’s what Paul’s talking about here.

[16:18] When you go through a whole book of the Bible, [16:19] you can’t skip over the parts [16:21] that you don’t really want to talk about, [16:22] because it can be confusing. [16:24] You have to kind of hit them head on. [16:25] So I’m going to have to hit this head on,

[16:26] so please bear with me here. [16:29] How you come to Christ will dictate [16:31] how you follow Christ in many circumstances. [16:35] In other words, [16:37] why did you, [16:39] in the way that church culture puts it nowadays,

[16:42] why did you get saved?

[16:45] Why did you want to get saved? [16:48] Let me give you a couple of different scenarios. [16:50] Scenario number one. [16:53] This is what happens a lot of times in our churches. [16:55] The statistics says, [16:56] and this is a true statistic,

[16:57] it’s gotten by a group that does this. [16:59] They come to churches and ask you a bunch of questions. [17:01] 86% of people that come to Jesus, [17:04] or that come to faith in Jesus, [17:06] come to Him before the age of 18. [17:09] So that means that,

[17:10] and for some reason I just forgot how to do math, [17:12] that means that 14%, [17:14] only 14% of people that come to Jesus, [17:17] come to Jesus after the age of 18. [17:20] So the question we’ve got to ask ourselves is, [17:22] where are they?

[17:24] Because by and large, [17:26] 90% of people that come to Christ before the age of 18, [17:30] do not continue in churches after the age of 18.

[17:37] Alright, here’s the key. [17:38] Why did they come to Jesus?

[17:41] And a lot of people come to Jesus, [17:43] because they’re really, really afraid of the burning pit.

[17:49] We talked about this a little last week, I think, [17:51] where there’s this thing in our heads, [17:53] where when you’re 12 years old, [17:56] and somebody stands before you, [17:57] and starts talking about a fire, [17:59] I actually, when I was younger, I was in one,

[18:01] I went to a camp. [18:02] And at this camp, this guy had a lighter, [18:05] it was a Zippo lighter, it was really cool, I wanted it. [18:08] For some reason, it gave me this fascination, [18:09] was Zippo lighters, I don’t know. [18:11] And so he held the Zippo lighter,

[18:13] and he lit it up. [18:15] And he called the kid up there, [18:17] and he said, okay, put your hand over that fire. [18:19] And he was like, the kid was of course no. [18:23] Some kids might, but luckily this one didn’t, [18:25] that was a real insurance risk there, probably.

[18:28] But the kid’s like, no, I won’t do that. [18:30] And he’s like, will anybody put their hand over the fire? [18:31] And the kid’s like, no. [18:34] So he says, kids, that’s what hell’s gonna be like. [18:40] Do you want to go there? No. [18:44] The kid’s starting to tear up, I don’t want to burn.

[18:47] [18:48] I’m sure a lot of kids had to call home that night. [18:51] But I’ll tell you, [18:52] when he ended the night, he was like, [18:54] okay, here’s the deal.

[18:57] If you come up here, [18:59] and you accept Jesus, [19:00] and you pray this prayer, [19:02] you won’t go there, and you won’t have to burn. [19:06] How many kids do you think probably went forward? [19:08] I don’t think there was a seat that was empty.

[19:12] Nobody wants to go to hell. [19:15] No one! [19:17] But nowhere in the scriptures can you find a passage [19:21] that says, come to Jesus, so that you can skip hell.

[19:28] It doesn’t say that. [19:31] Nowhere in the New Testament, nowhere in the Old Testament, [19:34] does it say that. [19:35] And here’s the key. [19:36] If you come to Christ in order to avoid hell, [19:41] you will live your life like that post Jesus.

[19:44] You will live life [19:47] afraid of a God who is holding you over a fiery pit, [19:52] who could get mad at you for doing the wrong thing [19:55] at any minute, and just drop you into that fire.

[20:01] The book of Philippians says, [20:03] it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. [20:07] If you come to Christ out of fear of hell, [20:19] you will live the rest of your life out of fear of hell. [20:24] And you will not cultivate a culture in your life

[20:34] where the gospel proclaims out of your life, [20:38] I am crucified with Christ. [20:42] Because it is not about Jesus, [20:45] it’s about you in that scenario. [20:49] There are other scenarios. [20:51] If you come to Christ because somebody proclaims to you,

[20:53] if you come to God, you will be healthy and wealthy.

[20:59] If you come to Christ for health and wealth, [21:03] you’re either A, giving up because you came to Jesus [21:07] and then got the same paycheck the next Friday, [21:10] or B, you came to Jesus and then you continued to have money [21:16] and you continued to be healthy, [21:18] and now you’re worshiping your health and your wealth,

[21:21] and you’re sitting there counting the money, [21:23] saying God’s good to me, [21:25] and if he’s not this good to everybody else, [21:28] then they obviously don’t have Jesus. [21:31] Once again, find that in the Scriptures.

[21:34] In neither of those scenarios do you find a life

[21:40] where it just proclaims, I am crucified with Christ. [21:46] I no longer live. [21:47] Christ lives in me. [21:51] You don’t find it. [21:52] You don’t find it in simply being afraid of hell, [21:55] and you don’t find it because you want to be so healthy

[21:57] and so wealthy that Jesus comes. [22:00] I’ve been following Jesus for about 10 years. [22:02] I get sick and I’ve still got bills.

[22:10] Then there’s another one. [22:11] There are many, but I’m only going to give you one more.

[22:16] There is a group of people, [22:18] and I would say this is the largest group of people [22:21] in the church today,

[22:25] who come to Christ, [22:27] but it’s not out of repentance because they’re sinful, [22:30] but they think that God loves them [22:32] because of how moral that they are [22:34] and how good that they are [22:36] and how much better than others that they are,

[22:39] and they live such a moral lifestyle, [22:42] God is actually pretty lucky to have them on their team, [22:45] and anybody that struggles with morality, [22:48] anyone that struggles in sin, [22:50] well, obviously, they’re not good enough [22:52] to be in God’s grace.

[22:55] Obviously, they haven’t earned God’s grace, [22:58] and you supposedly come to Jesus, [23:01] but really you come to yourself, [23:05] and you earn your salvation, [23:07] and you continue down this road, [23:09] and you think, Jesus equips me,

[23:14] so now I can be even more moral, [23:16] and He equips me so that I can follow the Ten Commandments, [23:21] and so that I can continue down a path [23:23] of keeping my salvation, [23:26] and earning my salvation, [23:28] and I am good,

[23:29] God just makes me a little bit better.

[23:33] That really proclaims my sin died on the cross with Jesus.

[23:39] That does not scream, [23:41] I am crucified with Christ. [23:43] That does not scream, [23:46] I live a life where Jesus and God are now living through me, [23:51] because it’s based on faith in Him.

[23:57] So the question that I ask you this morning is, [23:59] look at those scenarios, [24:00] why did you come to Jesus?

[24:06] What kind of culture then needs to be built?

[24:12] It’s a culture on the Gospel. [24:16] It’s a culture built on the goodness of God, [24:20] built on the beauty of God, [24:23] built on this amazing fact that in spite of our best efforts, [24:28] we are nothing but sinners. [24:31] In spite of everything that I try,

[24:34] like Paul says in Romans chapter 7, [24:36] I try to do good, [24:37] but I find that my sinful self is still good. [24:40] I go close at hand. [24:42] I do that which I do not want, [24:44] but that which I want to do,

[24:46] I don’t do. [24:47] O wretched man that I am, [24:49] is there any hope of salvation for me? [24:54] Then he says, [24:56] thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. [25:01] There is therefore no condemnation

[25:05] for those who are in Christ Jesus.

[25:10] There is this one trend [25:11] that seems to flow throughout those verses, [25:15] throughout the New Testament. [25:16] My efforts, not so good. [25:19] God’s efforts, excellent.

[25:24] What God does, works. [25:27] What I do, perverts everything. [25:31] And this is what is happening in Galatia. [25:33] The Gospel is being perverted, [25:35] because the Judaizers, the circumcision party, [25:38] the people that are telling them,

[25:39] you’ve got Jesus, that’s really good, [25:41] but now you also must have this. [25:44] They’re perverting it. [25:46] Because you know what they’re telling the Galatians?

[25:49] The Gospel is a good place to start. [25:52] It’s a really good place to start. [25:54] But you need to grow past the simplicity of the Gospel [25:57] to something else.

[26:01] And I tell you, this mindset plagues the church today. [26:07] Because there is this thought [26:08] that you need to grow past the Gospel. [26:11] You can never grow past the Gospel. [26:18] You cannot do it. [26:21] All of the reasons that I gave you for coming to Christ,

[26:25] they’re bankrupt. [26:27] They’re bankrupt. [26:28] Because you do not find this treasuring, [26:31] this love, this desire for God. [26:35] You do not find this love, this treasure for Jesus. [26:40] You do not find this awe in the cross,

[26:44] in the fact that God would kill His own Son [26:47] and lay your sin onto His own Son for you. [26:52] You don’t find that.

[26:56] What you find in this type of thinking is the thought, [27:00] well, I’ve come to Jesus and I get the Gospel, [27:03] but there’s got to be something else. [27:06] There’s got to be some new idea. [27:08] There’s got to be some new way. [27:10] There’s got to be some new book I can read.

[27:13] Some new prayer that I can pray. [27:15] So that I can really break through [27:18] to a deeper relationship with God [27:21] than I can get by simply knowing the Gospel. [27:25] Paul did not go into Corinth and say, [27:28] I knew nothing among you except Christ and Him crucified

[27:31] because He thought they were these simpletons. [27:33] He came before them and said, [27:35] I knew nothing before you except for Christ and Him crucified [27:38] because that is all that there is. [27:42] And if that is not enough for you, [27:45] then the Gospel is not enough for you

[27:47] and you don’t really believe the Gospel.

[27:51] If you have the Gospel and think you need something else, [27:53] you really don’t have the Gospel. [27:55] That’s the point. [27:57] And it’s a hard point. [27:59] And it’s hard to preach [28:01] because we build up all these preconceived notions.

[28:03] Because once we come to Jesus, [28:06] then we start asking ourselves [28:07] and we start looking at our life and saying, [28:10] but what do I really have to do now [28:13] to experience fellowship with God? [28:15] All my sins are forgiven from back there,

[28:20] but what do I need here on out? [28:23] Because transformation, [28:25] that means I need to start doing something.

[28:30] You know what you are doing?

[28:33] You are reverting back to living under the law. [28:37] What does Paul say is found in the law? [28:40] Condemnation. [28:41] So maybe you are trying to live the Christian life [28:44] and you are feeling like you are not measuring up

[28:50] because you are trying to live under the law [28:52] and the law condemns. [28:55] That’s what it does. [28:56] That’s what God designed it to do. [28:59] That’s what Scripture cries out. [29:00] Look back to verses 2 and 3.

[29:03] Excuse me, verse 3. [29:05] Are you so foolish, having begun by the Spirit, [29:08] are you now being perfected by the flesh?

[29:14] You got the Gospel, [29:17] but now you need to be obedient [29:18] or God is going to get mad at you [29:20] and God is not going to talk to you anymore.

[29:26] Verse 3 needs to be your fighter verse for this week [29:29] if you have got that mentality [29:31] because he says, are you now trying to perfect [29:35] through the flesh what God perfected already by the Spirit? [29:40] Maybe this will liberate you this morning. [29:42] Jesus did not just die for the sins of your past.

[29:48] He didn’t. [29:49] He died for the sins of your past, [29:51] the sins of your present, [29:53] and the sins of your future.

[29:56] Well, you better be careful, preacher, [29:58] because somebody is going to hear that this morning. [29:59] They are going to go out and they don’t think [30:00] they can just live a life of sin.

[30:04] God wasn’t worried about that because he said it right there.

[30:08] He says you can’t perfect by the flesh [30:11] what God perfected himself.

[30:17] You think you have the Gospel, [30:18] why do you still feel condemned?

[30:23] Let’s go to verse 4.

[30:26] Did you suffer so many things in vain, [30:29] if indeed it was in vain? [30:31] See, there was suffering in the first century. [30:33] There was suffering. [30:34] There was persecution for Christians. [30:37] I mean, we look throughout the book of Acts

[30:39] how many people had to die for their faith in Christ [30:42] in the book of Acts. [30:43] Coming to Jesus wasn’t this accepted phenomenon back then. [30:47] Rather, it was risking your life many times. [30:50] He’s saying you’ve suffered so many things for the faith. [30:52] Did you suffer them in vain?

[30:53] That’s another dig at the health and wealth gospel [30:55] that you hear these guys who preach [30:57] and then drive Rolls Royce’s home. [30:58] That’s another dig. [30:59] You don’t get much closer to Jesus than Paul. [31:03] You don’t get much closer to Jesus

[31:06] than Jesus. [31:09] He died. [31:11] Paul was stoned to death, [31:13] but he lived. [31:15] Paul was beaten with the same lash [31:17] as the cat of nine tails Jesus was.

[31:20] Stephen, stoned, murdered. [31:22] James, murdered. [31:24] Paul, most accounts say he was beheaded. [31:27] The Apostle Peter, crucified upside down. [31:31] According to many of the people [31:32] that you’ll see on these Christian networks,

[31:35] these guys, they weren’t filled with the Holy Spirit. [31:38] That’s all I’m going to say about that [31:39] because that’s bunk. That’s stupid. [31:42] Oh, foolish Galatians. [31:44] I think that’s what Paul would have said right there. [31:47]

[31:47] I don’t know. That was a rabbit trail. Sorry about that. [31:49] Verse four. Did you suffer so many things [31:52] in vain? If indeed it was in vain. [31:53] Verse five. Does he [31:55] who supplies the Spirit to you [31:57] and works miracles among you

[32:00] do so by works of the law [32:03] or by hearing with faith? [32:06] Here’s the key. A lot of people [32:09] will read that and say this is about [32:11] the beginning of salvation. [32:13] This is about step one.

[32:16] But then there’s something [32:17] deeper after this. [32:19] No. [32:21] Notice the verses around it. [32:24] He is talking about [32:25] life post-redemption.

[32:28] When you start the actual work [32:30] of redeeming the many areas of your life. [32:33] Because how did he in chapter two? [32:35] This is a plot. [32:36] This is a play off of chapter two. [32:39] He says, I have

[32:40] been crucified with Christ. [32:43] Have been. [32:45] Past tense.

[32:47] Now I live. [32:49] Present tense. [32:50] Saying I am redeemed. [32:53] Now he is saying [32:54] you have already been [32:56] redeemed. Why are you

[32:58] now doing this? Because [33:00] we really want to hear him say [33:02] because it would be so much easier on us [33:04] and make us okay with all of the guilt [33:07] and the baggage that we carry around [33:09] that is not a transformed

[33:11] lifestyle. We really want to hear [33:12] him say, does he who supplies the spirit [33:15] to you and work miracles among you [33:16] do so by works of the law or by [33:18] hearing of faith? That’s how it [33:20] started. But now you

[33:22] have to move on to something else.

[33:26] What he’s saying here [33:27] is you never move on [33:29] to anything else. [33:30] This is the message of [33:33] the gospel.

[33:35] And the message of the gospel [33:37] is what you need for the [33:39] rest of your life. [33:40] You are saved by the gospel [33:43] and you are kept [33:45] by the gospel.

[33:52] There is this [33:53] amazing mentality that we all [33:55] have that when anything bad comes [33:57] into our lives [33:59] well I must have said a cuss word [34:01] on Thursday.

[34:10] There is this amazing [34:11] mentality throughout Christianity. [34:13] I don’t know where it is. I didn’t spend [34:15] enough time in the bible [34:17] this week. That’s why my life [34:19] is falling apart and the creditors

[34:21] are calling. The creditors are calling [34:23] because you spent too much money. God didn’t do that [34:25] you did.

[34:34] We want to be saved by God [34:39] so that we get heaven. [34:41] But then we are responsible [34:42] for maintaining that salvation. [34:45] We have to do all of the work [34:48] of working out our salvation.

[34:50] That is not what Paul is saying here. [34:52] Paul is saying you are saved by God. [34:55] You are bankrupt. [34:57] So you need him to save you. [34:59] But you also need him to keep you [35:01] saved.

[35:01] [35:01]

[35:03] Here is what I am saying.

[35:06] When you get saved you are redeemed. [35:09] Fully. [35:11] Nothing else is ever needed. [35:13] You are fully saved. [35:14] Does Jesus save you completely [35:17] is the question about salvation.

[35:18] Of course he does. [35:19] The work of the cross was complete. [35:22] He rose from the dead giving us [35:24] new life. [35:25] The work of the resurrection was complete. [35:27] What else is necessary?

[35:30] Nothing. [35:31] Nothing. [35:32] That is what Paul is saying here. [35:34] Nothing is ever necessary again.

[35:38] And all of the people [35:40] who are afraid of sin [35:42] and who are afraid [35:44] of somebody doing something immoral [35:46] and feeling licensed to do it [35:48] by the amazing message

[35:50] of the grace of God in Jesus [35:52] shriek back at that message [35:53] because they say everybody is going to leave [35:55] and they are all going to go into sin. [35:57] That is not what I am saying.

[36:02] Grace does not give you a license to sin. [36:05] What verse did we talk about earlier? [36:08] In the book of Titus [36:08] it says that grace teaches us [36:11] to renounce ungodliness. [36:13] Why?

[36:15] What does it mean for the gospel [36:17] to keep you safe? Are you talking about [36:18] eternal security? No.

[36:23] You are secure [36:24] if you have the gospel. [36:26] But that is not what I am talking about. [36:27] What I am talking about is [36:29] you are not responsible for keeping yourself moral.

[36:35] Morality does not get you any closer to God [36:39] than you are right now. [36:42] Morality does not get you any closer to God [36:45] than you were the moment you got saved.

[36:50] If morality does not save you [36:52] morality does not keep you saved. [36:56] Jesus does.

[36:59] What does that mean that morality does not save me? [37:03] It means that if you are [37:05] obeying what Scripture says [37:08] out of guilt [37:09] if you are obeying what Scripture says [37:13] because you are afraid that God is going to get you

[37:15] if you are obeying what Scripture says [37:19] because you are just so afraid [37:23] that your motivation is wrong. [37:26] That is not a culture [37:29] that is being built on the gospel. [37:33] That is a culture that is being built on works righteousness.

[37:37] When Paul says [37:39] did your salvation come [37:42] by hearing in faith [37:44] in other words you heard the message [37:45] you have faith in the message [37:47] or did it come by works of the law?

[37:49] What Paul is saying there [37:53] is that faith transforms you.

[38:00] Faith saves you. [38:04] Faith brings you the righteousness of Christ. [38:08] Faith keeps you saved. [38:11] Faith transforms you [38:14] because faith brings God into your life. [38:17] If you live motivated by anything

[38:21] but an absolute love [38:25] of Jesus that faith has brought you. [38:29] If you obey out of anything but a motivation [38:32] out of a treasuring of Jesus [38:35] out of an awe in the cross [38:38] not because it is so ugly

[38:40] but because it signifies the death of our sin [38:43] and it is actually so beautiful. [38:45] A songwriter once said [38:46] what looks like failure [38:48] because the cross would look like failure [38:50] looks like success to those who believe in the cross.

[38:54] Because through the cross [38:56] Jesus gave us His righteousness. [39:00] Through the cross [39:01] Jesus began to transform us [39:04] and began to create within us [39:06] a new life that is based on His work.

[39:11] And then he says it is complete.

[39:17] Or it is finished.

[39:21] In other words in Arabic what that means [39:23] is nothing else is ever needed. [39:27] The payment has been completely made.

[39:34] And yet some of you [39:38] are probably living a life [39:42] of absolute guilt [39:43] or you are living a life [39:45] thinking that because you don’t cuss [39:50] because you don’t do those wicked immoral things

[39:52] that you see on MTV [39:55] you are earning a lot of clout with God [39:58] and you are higher on the totem pole [40:00] and I am telling you [40:01] that is not the gospel.

[40:08] The gospel is based on Jesus [40:10] and you know where the obedience [40:11] to scripture comes from?

[40:14] It is because you have so much love in your life [40:17] and so much treasuring in Jesus in your life [40:20] it overflows [40:22] and it says yes God [40:25] Fill me. [40:30] I want you.

[40:32] But here is the key. [40:35] You have them. [40:37] If you believe in the gospel. [40:39] If you are redeemed through Jesus [40:41] you have God [40:44] and you will never get any more of God

[40:49] than you have right now. [40:53] How much salvation does the cross of Jesus give you? [40:58] All of it.

[41:02] Can you get any deeper than the gospel? [41:06] No, because everything but the gospel [41:08] digs a ditch [41:09] that just goes one way.

[41:13] Same level continually [41:15] because it is based on you.

[41:19] But you know what the gospel does? [41:21] You want to know why the gospel [41:24] is this static reality? [41:26] Because it is digging a well.

[41:30] Wells go straight down [41:32] and then at the bottom of that well [41:33] you find water. [41:36] You find nourishment. [41:37] That is what Jesus is talking about [41:39] when he uses these allegories

[41:41] and he says I am the vine [41:42] you are the branches [41:43] anyone who abides in me [41:46] I will abide in him [41:47] and he will bear fruit.

[41:50] Because that tree branch

[41:54] can’t claim any of his obedience [41:56] to be any good on his own. [41:57] You want to know why? [41:58] Because it is all about the tree. [42:00] The tree does all the work. [42:02] The branch is just an offshoot of the tree.

[42:06] Once you come to the gospel [42:07] the righteousness that comes out of your life [42:10] the obedience that comes out of your life

[42:15] it just makes you stand back and say [42:17] God you have done a work in me [42:20] I am desperate for you [42:24] because you can’t claim any of that goodness [42:27] for yourself. [42:29] God wants to claim it for himself.

[42:36] Oh you foolish Galatians. [42:39] Why is Paul reprimanding them? [42:42] Because Paul knows the truth of the gospel [42:46] and he knows that many of them [42:49] did not really believe the gospel.

[42:55] Because the gospel brings with it [42:57] a treasuring of Jesus [42:59] and a culture that is being cultivated [43:03] based on the gospel. [43:06] So I ask you this morning

[43:11] are you motivated by the gospel?

[43:17] Or are you motivated by something else? [43:19] Why do you live the life you live? [43:22] Why do you make the decisions that you make? [43:25] What are you basing it on? [43:27] Because if it is not the gospel

[43:31] then you are cultivating a culture [43:33] on a false gospel. [43:36] That is not a life worth living. [43:41] A God that does not save completely [43:43] is not the true God.

[43:47] Let’s pray. [43:49] Father, we come before you today. [43:55] Oh God you have blessed us so richly.

[44:02] The book of Ephesians says that [44:04] in Jesus you have blessed us [44:07] with every spiritual blessing.

[44:12] God I pray this morning [44:13] that the village would not be a church of people [44:16] who simply go out and live moral lives. [44:21] Anyone can be moral.

[44:25] Rather God I pray that we would be a people [44:29] that live life treasuring your son.

[44:35] Treasuring Jesus. [44:37] Lord I pray that we would do the things [44:39] that no one else in this world can do. [44:43] And that is build a culture based on the gospel. [44:47] Lord that through sickness, [44:49] through health, through poverty,

[44:51] and through riches [44:52] the world would look at our lives and say [44:55] these are people that above everything else [44:58] treasured Jesus because Jesus is the only reason to live. [45:02] And that they would want that. [45:04] And that redemption would spring forth

[45:06] in the lives of everyone here. [45:08] And that through the ministry of the lives here [45:11] redemption would begin to spring forth [45:13] in the lives of everyone around them.

[45:17] In 2 Corinthians 5 God you call us [45:19] your followers, ambassadors [45:22] of reconciliation to this world.

[45:28] Oh God that that would be true of us. [45:31] That our love and passion for you [45:34] would overflow and affect the lives of others.

[45:42] Lord you’ve already blessed us [45:43] with every spiritual blessing.

[45:46] I just praise you for that blessing. [45:49] I thank you so much for your son.

[45:54] God continue to work redemption into our lives.

[45:59] God continue to transform us. [46:03] And Lord please allow us [46:06] to build a culture based on your gospel.