KJ Washington
[0:00] Good morning. My name is KJ Washington. I have the privilege of several staff here at Village Church [0:05] I’m looking forward to our time together just to be able to dive into God’s words and [0:09] Hopes just to be faithful to him in the mission that he has given us [0:14] I’m just followers of him and so the text we’re gonna be in this morning is Galatians chapter 1 verses 6 through 10 [0:20] So if you have your Bible’s turn there with me, we’re gonna dive into that text shortly [0:24] And so for the duration of our time this morning
[0:27] I believe that we will see the immense relevancy of this portion of scripture to the global church [0:33] But as well as America as a whole see if you think back with me to the pilgrims and them settling in Plymouth, Massachusetts in [0:42] 1620 you understand that part of their reason for settling in America was their want to separate from the Church of England [0:49] And to continue to grow and gospel centrality [0:52] So that’s why they came here because they want you to push away from them because they wanted the gospel to be at the [0:58] Center of who they are what they did and what they lived for and so they came here
[1:04] and so the the impacts of that the effects of that is that we came into a
[1:11] Americanized culture that was deeply impacted by Christianity [1:14] So many settlements came over but that didn’t mean that all the settlements were of those that were Christian believers [1:21] And so the struggle here was is that there was a gospel [1:26] undertone that was developed amongst Americans because there were planted [1:32] settlements of people that wanted to be a part of gospel centrality [1:36] This led to the development of cultural Christianity being established because there was a grid work there that was settled
[1:43] based on the heart [1:45] intent of the people of those colonies
[1:50] Think that was good rightfully so I’m happy that they did that to some extent that they helped set this gospel [1:56] perspective at the heart of American civilization [2:00] See God uses his church to be God’s presence and witness of the gospel faithfulness in a nation [2:05] But the moment that people the culture attempt to dilute that gospel issues will soon follow [2:10] And so they had this gospel presence in the culture [2:13] But people started to come inside of this church and these churches and then started to dilute the gospel
[2:21] Because they brought the culture into it [2:24] So as all these other settlements were springing up and as people groups were leaving different churches [2:29] The gospel sin and soon then was diluted in certain ways in certain churches [2:35] So as the nation grew and developed there are people that were Christians and people that thought they were Christians [2:41] So there are people that were moralistically living as Christians, but lacked gospel reconciliation [2:45] Transformation and motivation while cultural Christianity was running rapid and progressing over time
[2:51] People were joining churches and getting baptized while eventually blurring the lives of who was or was against [2:58] the gospel [3:00] Because everyone would acknowledge the same basic tenets of the faith [3:05] But we have different implications and definitions for the Christian tense [3:10] This is based on how they lived and what they proclaimed [3:13] So how did this happen see this happened when non-believers came to church and started joining them and being baptized that though that then
[3:20] dilutes the perspective of the gospel [3:23] See because the culture has shaped the way that those people had seen Jesus
[3:29] Started going inside the churches and infiltrating the perspectives of the people inside of the church [3:34] So if you look back with me throughout church history, you would then realize that’s what happened that people came inside these churches [3:42] Neglecting the gospel and faithfulness to the gospel and [3:46] Deluded the gospel perspective in these churches and then went on and started other churches [3:53] That weren’t faithful to the gospel [3:56] If you look at America today
[3:58] You see the effects of that [4:00] The churches all around that aren’t faithful to the gospel but people came in became divisive infiltrated the gospel presence that was there [4:09] And created their own gospels
[4:13] So how then do we go from having churches that were centered on the gospel to having a plethora of churches without a gospel presence [4:21] See people came to these churches created their own gospel that fit their cultural wants and desires [4:28] And called it good [4:30] So they didn’t believe that Jesus was enough. They want to add to Jesus and say hey, I like Jesus [4:35] I like what he has to offer to some extent I get the Christian tenets [4:39] It makes sense to me, but I want happiness
[4:42] I want wealth in the same way that everybody else wants it [4:47] They want to add on to it [4:50] They didn’t believe that the gospel was enough [4:54] And see Paul addresses a very similar issue [4:57] to Church of Galatia [4:58] Because he saw this church starting to drift away from the gospel to another gospel
[5:05] He makes sure that they understand that there isn’t another gospel because there’s only one [5:12] And that’s what we’re going to see in Galatians chapter 1 verse 6 through 10 this morning [5:17] So Paul is calling us to refocus on the gospel in the same way he called them to [5:22] So our hope is that we’re going to refocus on the gospel [5:26] In hopes that other people would focus on the gospel as well [5:30] Galatians chapter 1 verse 6 through 10 read it with me
[5:34] I am astonished that you are so quickly [5:37] Deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel [5:42] Not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ [5:48] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preach to you [5:55] Let him be accursed as we have said before so now I say again [6:00] If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received
[6:04] Let him be accursed [6:06] For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? [6:11] Or am I trying to please man if I were still trying to please man. I would not be a servant of [6:18] Christ this leads us to point number one this morning. There’s only one gospel and it will never change [6:25] One gospel and it will never change [6:28] See traditionally in Paul’s letters to these churches
[6:31] He greets the congregations and then moves forward into his points of gratitude [6:35] So if you look at the rest of Paul’s letters, he goes on he says hey, I’m thankful for what you’re doing [6:40] I’m thankful where God has brought you and the work that you’ve done in this city [6:44] But Paul takes a different turn with this letter [6:48] See the the Paul’s letter to the glaciers is unique because he transitioned swiftly into a much needed [6:53] Correction by discussing the lack of gospel centrality in this local assembly
[6:58] See he didn’t waste time and confronting the issue that was presented to him [7:03] See prior to this letter being written Paul was a part of this gospel movement in Galatia and [7:08] Witnessed them could being confronted by the gospel and being saved by the gospel. So Paul’s astonished here [7:15] This is why he’s in shock. I can’t get it. It doesn’t make sense to me [7:19] I don’t understand how you said you trusted the gospel that you found rest in the gospel are now drifting away to something else [7:25] He’s like what?
[7:28] It doesn’t make sense
[7:32] What’s going on [7:34] How could this happen this left him in shock because the tides had turned so quickly [7:39] He couldn’t fathom why these people were abandoning the gospel [7:43] See scholars differ on the amount of time that had elapsed between the initial gospel [7:47] Proclamation and the growth of the false gospel in this area [7:51] See the gospel that that this church was established on was the one that Jesus Christ came to earth
[7:56] He died. He was buried. He was rose again from the grave [7:59] This was in cornice to the scriptures in fulfillment of God’s plan of redemption for mankind [8:04] It is through his grace alone that anyone can be saved through the atonement of Christ [8:10] See Paul preached to them that their need for the Savior and [8:15] That Savior was Jesus that’s the Savior they need they didn’t need to add to this Jesus [8:19] They just need Jesus and him alone. See that’s the gospel that Paul was preaching to them
[8:24] See Paul preached them before that they could be reconciled to God and have a relationship with the Father [8:29] It wasn’t about the Galatians. It was about their need for Jesus
[8:34] See Paul’s astonished because he couldn’t believe that these people would leave the riches of the gospel and submit themselves to another gospel [8:40] They just heard about the risen Savior, but then decided to dishonor the power of the resurrection [8:46] So anytime that we start moving to a false gospel what you’re saying is that the power behind the cross the resurrecting power isn’t enough for you [8:55] That you need to add something else to it [9:00] So Paul’s astonished like why it doesn’t make sense [9:05] It’s because the insiders who encouraged them to conform to another gospel had infiltrated their church
[9:12] And they were trying to sway the gospel foundation of the Galatians
[9:18] And sought to pervert the gospel for their own good [9:21] See a Paul addresses this by saying why are you seeking to desert the the God [9:27] Who came and who’s called you in his gospel? Why are you leaving him and trying to conform to another gospel? [9:35] So you can’t really submit to a false gospel and the gospel at the same time [9:39] See it’s necessary to understand that the Galatians did not submit to this other gospel yet [9:44] But that’s why Paul’s rebuke was so urgent
[9:47] There was hope because God was the one who was calling them into his grace and not their own works [9:52] So what we see here in this text is that Paul saying hey look hey, you’ve had this gospel foundation [9:57] You’re young in your faith. You don’t get this yet, but people are trying to pull you away from me [10:02] But guess what God is still pulling you God is still calling you even though you have deserted him or trying to desert him [10:08] God is still calling you. He’s still wooing you
[10:12] Friends I’m hopeful because of that because every day of our lives we’ll try to confront our own lives with another gospel [10:19] But God’s still wooing you. He’s still calling you in his grace
[10:26] That should make us hopeful [10:28] Because that’s our inward struggle that we have and [10:32] Paul is reminding them that God’s grace is enough [10:36] See Paul shows intentionality in this confrontation and it’s astounding to me because [10:41] He’s correcting their theological inaccuracies of this false gospel by showing them their need for the gospel [10:47] Paul is clear here and sharing with them that there is only one gospel, but he notes what they were turning to
[10:53] Wasn’t really a gospel at all [10:55] Just because the word gospel was used doesn’t mean it’s the same good news that scripture portrays [11:01] The people in Galatia were struggling with deciphering the difference between the false gospel in the city and the real gospel [11:08] Why? [11:09] Because they weren’t filtering everything through their gospel grid work [11:13] They weren’t filtering it through the foundation that they had in Jesus
[11:18] Through the atonement of Christ [11:21] So what was this gospel that was causing trouble in this church? [11:24] Many commentators made the connection to Judy Azars in their movement in Galatia [11:28] See Judy Azars were members of the church at Galatia who insisted on Christian conformity to Jewish custom and the law [11:36] Ultimately this group wanted to add to the gospel by implementing the law on top of the gospel [11:42] So they wanted to try to validate the work of Jesus, but at the same time attempt to push everyone to live according to the Jewish customs and the law
[11:51] They believed the Jesus plus gospel [11:54] Their plus just happened to be the law [11:57] What are you adding to the gospel?
[12:01] Is your want for perfection? [12:05] Your want to maintain the American dream?
[12:08] Your want for prosperity?
[12:13] Your want for selfishness? [12:15] Your want for envy? [12:16] What are you adding to the gospel that you think that you inherently deserve?
[12:22] See anytime you add something to the gospel what you’re saying is that the gospel isn’t enough and I need to add something to it because I deserve more [12:30] And Paul’s confronting them because he’s saying look the gospel is all you need
[12:37] How can you so quickly leave this and go on to something else?
[12:49] We must be cautious here because [12:51] Paul’s addressing a group of young believers that were easily persuaded because they heard the word gospel and speeches from false teachers
[13:01] They were young in the faith and the false teachers tried to use the gospel as a means to persuade them to submit to these other ways [13:12] So anytime people come into a church, an institution, an establishment and try to cause dissension [13:18] It’s going to cause trouble for the rest of the people in that building or in that church, right?
[13:25] See people had came into this body that weren’t for the same gospel [13:31] They might have used the same wording but they weren’t for the same gospel [13:35] And caused dissension here [13:37] I like what JR Scott says, he says this
[14:00] See we must always be aware of what we are digesting when it comes to the gospel [14:04] See God has called his church to be a faithful steward of the gospel [14:08] It is necessary for us to always have a gospel filter for everything [14:12] And what should be that gospel filter? The scriptures [14:15] Because the scriptures attest to who Jesus is [14:18] See social media doesn’t attest to who Jesus is
[14:20] American society doesn’t attest to who Jesus is [14:22] The GOP does not attest to who Jesus is [14:25] But it’s God alone and his holy word [14:27] This is all we have to know who Jesus is and this is God’s revelation to us [14:32] But do we trust it enough? [14:34] Or do we want to be persuaded by the world and their standards of the gospel
[14:38] And who they believe Jesus is? [14:42] See the people that want to tamper with the gospel, they don’t trust this [14:47] They don’t believe it’s enough [14:49] They believe God has more for them [14:52] But friends, Jesus is enough
[14:57] This makes it really easy for somebody to suffer from gospel drift [15:00] This happens when somebody has a foundation in the gospel [15:03] But slowly starts moving towards a false gospel [15:05] See the Galatians were struggling with gospel drift [15:09] And Paul was calling them back into the grace that’s found in Christ alone [15:13] So today there are many churches in America that have changed the gospel to say whatever they wanted to say
[15:18] This is driven by our fleshly want to determine what is good and what isn’t good [15:22] See we see many people in our society that are trying to define the gospel by love [15:26] But they don’t even understand what the word love means in light of the gospel
[15:32] And that’s not God’s perspective of love
[15:37] That puts us in a tough situation because they’re trying to confront the gospel that you are trying to be faithful to [15:43] But will you conform to their standards?
[15:47] And then slowly be pulled into a false gospel
[15:53] When people have a tainted perspective of the gospel and you say, oh man, the gospel is just love and that’s it [15:58] Yes, the gospel is love, but God’s love [16:01] Not your perspective of love, but God’s perspective of love [16:06] We must always be cautious and alert to what is happening [16:13] See, definitions really matter [16:16] See, if we were to walk into a grocery store right now and go talk to people
[16:20] Currently 70% of people in America ascribe to being Christians [16:24] So if we walk into a grocery store we can probably meet a few people that they would say that they’re Christian [16:30] But I guarantee you if you start having conversations with them about the gospel you might define the gospel in different terms [16:35] They might be, oh I’m okay with the fact that Jesus is Lord, I understand that [16:40] But they don’t see the practical implications of that in their lives [16:42] They’re not living as if Jesus is Lord
[16:45] See, you can ascribe to the same types of words, we might have different definitions of those words
[16:51] And that’s what happened to this church [16:54] They tried to take the gospel and pervert it and Paul says there is no other gospel, gotcha [17:01] There’s nothing else [17:04] Which means it’s false
[17:09] So we must confront the issues of our culture by saying this is the truth that comes from God [17:15] This is the gospel, this is what is good [17:18] And allow that to drive our perspective of culture [17:22] How we interact with culture but most importantly the church [17:28] See we rely on the culture’s perspective of the gospel to come and infiltrate the church [17:33] That’s what was happening then
[17:36] They were allowing the Jewish customs and the law to impact that church and change the way that the church thought about the gospel [17:43] See Paul has always been consistent in addressing the issue of gospel drift [17:50] See in 2 Corinthians 11 verse 3 he says this [17:55] I am afraid that as a serpent deceived Eve [17:59] By his cunning your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ [18:04] And so in this text Paul is addressing the false gospels, the false teachers of this time
[18:10] He’s saying look, the same way that Adam and Eve were led astray in the garden [18:16] Is the same way that you can be led astray to want to support a different gospel even though you have a foundation in the gospel [18:22] So Paul was, he was a little worried, he was like I want to make sure that you keep your devotion to the gospel that saved you [18:30] Don’t migrate to another gospel [18:32] And friends it’s really easy to do that [18:34] You wake up one morning, oh I need to be perfect today
[18:37] That’s the perfection of this gospel
[18:41] God didn’t call you to be perfect
[18:43] He called you to rest in him in his grace [18:46] Grow in grace [18:48] See it’s really easy for us to daily just start drifting away [18:51] And that’s what happened to this church because they were starting to drift and Paul said hey [18:56] Let’s note this [18:57] But to be able to do this we must have a proper understanding of the gospel to keep our devotion to Christ
[19:05] You have to have this [19:06] So friends what is your understanding of the gospel? [19:09] See your understanding of the gospel impacts the people around you and their understanding of the gospel [19:13] Are you trying to change aspects of the gospel to fit your life? [19:17] Maybe you avoid committing to life on a mission and being a part of Jesus church because you don’t believe that it’s not good enough news [19:23] It’s good enough news to change my destination to get me to heaven
[19:26] But that’s about it [19:29] So for a lot of people they struggle with all these aspects of the gospel and actually applying it to their lives [19:37] See the Judaizers had similar thoughts about the gospel because they believed it wasn’t enough in their eyes [19:42] But they were wrong. They attempted to build false dichotomies on the gospel [19:47] But the false gospel will always crumble because it lacked the power or the grace of God [19:54] See if you are building a false gospel in your head for your life
[19:57] You must realize that it’s going to fail you and show you your need for Jesus [20:02] See we have to be honest with ourselves and consider how our culture our friends or loved ones are being impacted by your understanding of the gospel [20:11] Don’t add to the gospel but trust that the gospel alone is what you need [20:17] For instance leads us to point number two this morning [20:20] Counterfeit gospels are detrimental to the church [20:23] Counterfeit gospels are detrimental to the church
[20:25] This is coming from Galatians 8-9 [20:28] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preach to you [20:34] Let him be accursed [20:35] As we have said before so now I say again if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received [20:41] Let him be a curse [20:43] So Paul has already discussed that we have a decision to make about the gospel
[20:48] And which gospel we’re going to follow [20:50] See he spends some time to clarify that there’s a difference between the gospel that the Galatians were saved through [20:56] And what they were hearing [20:58] See he’s implying that the gospel that they heard from the beginning was true [21:02] But that the other counterfeit gospels were rubbish [21:05] See there’s only one gospel but how many times do you find yourself trying to add onto the gospel and apply something else to your life
[21:13] Friends the struggle is real
[21:17] We have to be honest with ourselves that that is a real struggle for us [21:22] See many have made excuses for submitting themselves to another gospel [21:26] Maybe a reason is because of the teachers that proclaim that false gospel [21:30] And you think that they’re good and they have a good heart and good intentions with that [21:34] Friends that shows your perspective of the gospel because Paul here is not giving room for anybody to mishandle the gospel
[21:43] See a false gospel places priority on the implications of the gospel or the cultural wants and desires over Jesus [21:52] So that’s how quick something can turn into a false gospel [21:55] Oh I’m supposed to do good works because I follow Jesus and love Jesus and he should be the source of those good works [22:01] Well if you just only start focusing in on your works that will turn into a false gospel because that’s a works based gospel [22:07] Because in your mind you start thinking oh Jesus sees me in a better spot now because I’m doing good works [22:13] And when you’re not doing good works you’re like man Jesus is not too happy with me
[22:16] That’s a false gospel you’re placing that motivation or the implication of the gospel over Jesus [22:23] The cultural wants and desires, the American dream, I just want the nice house with a white picket fence [22:29] When you start putting that over the gospel and being faithful to Jesus
[22:35] It’s going to lead you astray
[22:38] See an example of adding cultural wants and desires to the gospel is the prosperity gospel [22:43] In this false gospel people have chosen to base their amount of faith that they have on how God is blessing them or vice versa [22:51] See the representation of someone’s favor in the eyes of God is based on how prosperous they are [22:56] That’s what they believe this is corrupt because these same people continue to measure their faith based on their works in anticipation that God would have blessed them [23:04] This then leads into the prominent word faith gospel where if you name it and claim it it will be done [23:10] Again false gospel if you don’t receive what you claim it shows your lack of faith
[23:16] Maybe God withheld whatever you were seeking after because he knows what you need and what you’re asking for wasn’t what you needed
[23:27] Friends there are people there being told this gospel in areas and they have no hope [23:34] It’s rubbish, it’s weak, it will crumble, it will fall but guess what the gospel that will not change the gospel that will not move is Jesus Christ [23:44] Crucify on the cross to redeem us from our sins and by his grace alone we can be saved [23:48] That will never move, that will never be shaken and we can trust in that [23:53] We have hope
[23:58] Friends fight against the culture and with the culture seeking to share with you [24:04] See Paul’s building a case here that anything that is not the good news of Jesus Christ coming down to die for us [24:10] As a propitiation for the sins of the people and that him raising from the dead and that the tomb is empty anything against that is wrong
[24:19] It’s his grace alone friends [24:22] See our understanding of the gospel matters because Paul is saying in this passage that if you proclaim another gospel that is different than the gospel that was preached to you [24:30] Let him be accursed
[24:34] That’s not a soft term, it’s not a light term, Paul has some intentionality there [24:40] This is a big deal to mishandle the gospel [24:44] See as Christians we are called to be ambassadors of Christ that means that we are now holding the gospel [24:49] We are hoping to be faithful to stewarding it well so the culture can know Jesus [24:56] See when people mishandle the gospel and misrepresent the gospel it’s a big deal in the eyes of God [25:02] To the point where you are accursed if you are promoting false gospels to people
[25:07] This is why it matters who false teachers are and what they are promoting to people [25:12] Because it’s leading them astray [25:16] See Paul is using strong language here because he’s wanting to share with the people that teachers are held to a higher standard [25:25] And that they are called to be advocates for the gospel and to stand up for the gospel to be witnesses of the power and the work of the gospel [25:31] To hold other people accountable to that gospel [25:33] Friends that’s not only for the teachers
[25:37] That’s for you as well [25:41] You are held accountable for the gospel and how you steward the gospel
[25:48] See I really admire here
[25:52] Paul’s just heart for these people [25:55] Because he just doesn’t say hey if those people over there preach a false gospel let them be accursed [26:01] But he says it doesn’t matter if it’s an angel for heaven or we the teachers the leaders of the church preach a false gospel [26:12] Let them be accursed [26:14] He says it doesn’t matter who you are [26:21] Paul’s not playing games here
[26:23] So it doesn’t matter if you’re a pastor of a village church or if you are just a congregate member [26:31] We’re all held accountable for the gospel and how we steward it [26:36] This is because we’re ambassadors for him [26:39] See ambassadors for Christ have a foundation that’s built on the gospel [26:44] People who aren’t ambassadors of Christ don’t have a foundation built on him [26:49] So that’s why Paul’s saying go back to that foundation go back to that hope that God who is calling you
[26:59] See if you build a house on a faulty foundation it’s going to have some issues [27:04] But if you build a house on a firm foundation it’s going to be strong it’s going to hold [27:08] See the moment that you build a house on a faulty foundation you’re going to have issues maybe 10 years in 20 years in [27:14] But you’re going to have issues eventually that you’re going to have to fix [27:16] It might seem good it might seem like it’s working well for you [27:19] But then you’re constantly going to have to come and repair the house
[27:24] See a lot of people are building their foundation on faulty principles that aren’t even a real foundation [27:32] They’re selling for the cheap materials to hold up their foundation [27:36] The prosperity gospel is cheap the liberation gospel is cheap the the works based gospel is cheap [27:42] It has nothing in comparison to the real thing [27:47] Whatever your false gospel is that you create in your head [27:53] About yourself about the world about society about Jesus church is nothing in comparison to the grace of God
[28:03] God is gracious enough to us to call us to this gospel
[28:09] See finding your hope in a counterfeit gospel is different it’s wrong it’s not right because there is no foundation [28:18] It might look like a foundation the parts might be put together as if it is a foundation, but it’s the knockoff version
[28:28] So many people are selling for knockoffs [28:32] Hopeless wondering why why isn’t things getting better? Why is my life the way it is? [28:39] They’re hopeless why because the gospel can only satisfy them
[28:46] See friends flee from the counterfeit Gospels of our culture and build a foundation on the gospel [28:52] This does mean that you have to evaluate the other Gospels that you’re hearing decide which one you believe [28:59] See some might be thinking right now. Oh, that’s not me. I understand the gospel. I know what I believe [29:05] I’m not really worried about this
[29:09] I want to note this is that the culture screaming at you 500 different false Gospels whether it’s at your work [29:14] It’s at your jobs in your home yourself [29:18] You might fight off 490 of them [29:21] Just right about 10 of them are lingering in your mind that you really believe about yourself and about the church and people [29:30] Friends we have to be aware [29:33] See being numb to the 10 areas can easily lead to the gospel drift
[29:39] And if you’re the person you’re saying hey, I got it right now. That’s probably one of the most dangerous spots you can be in [29:46] Because if you’re not fighting you’re probably being persuaded
[29:53] Friends trust the gospel that this is enough for us [29:57] See Paul carries this urgency throughout scripture and in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verse 1 through 5 [30:03] He charges us with the [30:07] The conviction to say preach the word he’s sharing this to Timothy I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus [30:12] Who’s the judge of the living and the dead and by his appearing in his kingdom preach the word be ready in season and out of season [30:18] Reprove rebuke and exhort complete patience and teaching for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching
[30:25] But have itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to truth [30:33] And wander often to myths as for you always be so reminded endure suffering do the work of an evangelist [30:40] Fulfill your ministry see this charge is giving to Timothy so that he would be a faithful witness to the gospel [30:47] And sue the work the gospel is done in his life the work the gospel is done in the church’s life to proclaim to the people [30:53] He knew that people would start going after whatever sounded good to them [31:06] The ears started itching. Oh man. Why don’t I try this out? Maybe this works
[31:11] They were trying to place their hope something that’s hopeless [31:15] See it’s really easy for us to want to participate in something that is appeasing to us [31:20] But for our culture [31:22] We’re trying to place our hope in something that’s hopeless [31:22] It’s not the gospel see me start following Jesus the gospel is appeasing to you resting in that sounds good to you [31:30] Trusting that is great
[31:33] But when we have all these diversions of people presenting false gospels to you sometimes as lines get blurry
[31:43] Friends what gospel are you trusting?
[31:47] This is why we need people that are faithful to the gospel preaching about Jesus [31:54] His love for us and he can save us to combat against these false teachings
[32:01] That’s why Paul said to him said you’re held accountable for the God of the universe for this [32:06] And I’m here to preach the word to rebuke to correct for gospel centrality in your church in your city in your nation and in the world [32:20] See I like this quote by Philip Reichen [32:23] He says the most dangerous teachers are the ones who preach a different gospel [32:29] Or different Christ but still call him Jesus
[32:37] So they mean something completely different than you or what the scripture says about the gospel [32:41] But you still see the name Jesus you’re like whoa he’s talking about Jesus. I guess that’s good [32:48] That’s not the case that’s dangerous [32:52] definitions matter [32:54] So we need to make sure when we’re talking to people around us that talking about the same Jesus [33:00] Knowing that he has the same implications for us as he did 2,000 years ago
[33:07] The gospel does not change it will not change [33:13] And if we build a foundation or something that’s not the gospel it will be detrimental to the church [33:20] Again look around America
[33:27] This leads us to point number three this morning [33:29] Our lives should please God and not man stemming from verse 10 [33:35] For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God [33:39] Or am I trying to please man if I were still trying to please man [33:43] I would not be a servant of Christ see as we know the gospel is in opposition to our culture in the standards of this world [33:50] See the gospel is our filter to understanding the culture as well
[33:55] See the moment that we start to neglect the gospel and indulge into a worldly passions and pleasures [34:01] The gospel will then begin to develop a gray area when it comes to the gospel [34:05] See this gray area will make it hard for us to determine what is pleasing to God or mankind [34:11] Consider how your gospel lens is viewing the world currently [34:15] Or has it changed prescriptions because you want to find approval from the culture [34:21] See many Christians have changed the way they define terms in the gospel because of the culture at large
[34:28] Because some people believe it’s kind of offensive
[34:33] The gospel goes against the grain of our culture and it is going to offend our culture
[34:41] And it’s really interesting here because Paul is noting this because people were accusing him of morphing into whatever the culture loved [34:49] He became a Jew to be like the Jews a Gentile to be like a Gentiles why to reach out with the gospel [34:53] People struggled with this mentality because they’re they’re saying Paul you’re conforming. He’s like no, no, no, no get this right [35:00] He didn’t change the court’s instance of faith. He didn’t change the gospel [35:06] But he was trying to reach those people in these different situations and cultures to make the gospel known [35:14] Most false gospels start because people feel like their needs aren’t being met
[35:20] And so they try to create another one to meet those needs. I don’t have enough money. I need prosperity. Maybe God will bless me [35:26] I’m feeling like I’m in bondage. I need to be relieved from that bondage liberation gospel
[35:34] The gospel is relevant to every single one of us. We don’t need to change it. We just have to rest in it [35:42] We don’t have to manipulate it. See the moment we try to change the gospel and stop trusting in the gospel ourselves [35:49] Is a bad moment
[35:53] Friends don’t think that we are better than the gospel [35:59] So what Paul’s getting at here is that [36:01] The glaciers have an ultimatum to make. It’s either the world or God [36:08] Paul’s saying look I’ve chosen the world. That’s why I’m preaching this to you because the world wants you to believe that this is true [36:14] See you can’t please both God and the world you have to choose one [36:20] Which one are you going to choose and it’s going to be tough because people might not look at you the same way anymore
[36:27] And Paul knew this that’s why he’s bringing this up at the end of this text [36:31] He’s like, hey, I’m not trying to please man, but I would rather please God [36:35] Because why I’m a servant of Christ [36:38] Not a servant of this world [36:42] See we find ourselves making excuses for the way that we want to compromise the gospel or that we are compromising the gospel [36:49] See our hearts naturally do this because of pride. See the more you try to justify your actions between choosing the world over Christ
[36:58] The more eager you will be to submit to a false gospel [37:03] We can’t please both. See James chapter 4 verse [37:06] James chapter 4 verse 4 says this you adulterous people. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enemy with God [37:14] Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God [37:19] See the world will never be for the gospel scripture tells us that you’re either for him or against him. You can’t have both [37:26] You can’t see this doesn’t give us a license to manipulate the things of God’s for our own selfish desires
[37:32] See the world wants us to use God a God that redeems things and say this that is good and then perverted for their own purposes
[37:41] This is the thing though see God will be delighted in you for trusting the gospel, but the world will never be delighted in you [37:47] The false gospels will never be delighted in you [37:51] God’s delighted in you for being faithful to him in his mission
[37:58] So as you promote the world’s gospels
[38:03] You’re going to struggle to find a satisfaction [38:06] And that’s rightfully so because you should never be able to find satisfaction and some have been searching and searching and searching [38:16] So, why are you continuing to please the world [38:19] See Paul showed us that the gospel is only foundation that wouldn’t be detrimental to our lives [38:24] See anything in our lives that we proclaim over Jesus is our own version of good news [38:30] See the gospel is the greatest news that we’ve ever heard because God shows us he called us
[38:35] He redeemed us to reconcile us to himself through the death of his son [38:39] That’s the greatest news ever cuz I don’t have to do anything. I just trust the gospel. It’s his grace alone that saves us [38:44] It’s his grace alone that will continue to do a work in us [38:47] And I’m not and I’m not waking up every day saying okay. What do I have to do next to please God?
[38:53] I just have to trust the gospel [38:56] That’s all I have to do is trust the gospel and be faithful to the mission [39:01] See God relentlessly pursued us even when we didn’t pursue him [39:06] Those other gospels don’t
[39:10] They just take they just take and take and take [39:15] And make you more vulnerable
[39:22] But yet people still believe it
[39:26] At the end of the day they’re like, I guess it’s all that God has for me
[39:33] And that’s heartbreaking [39:36] Friends, you know people that believe these gospels
[39:42] And that they want to please man instead of God
[39:47] How are you engaged in the culture of the gospel [39:51] At a time where there are false gospels going around [39:55] There’s one gospel that is true one gospel that we can rest in [40:01] See we must realize [40:04] That when we really understand [40:06] Our orthodoxy and what we believe about the Christian faith and the tenets of the Christian faith and biblical doctrine
[40:11] That that would then move on to turn into our praise for God our doxology [40:15] And then that will move on to impact the practical implications of the gospel in our lives
[40:22] That’s why the core tenets of the gospel matter [40:25] Understanding the gospel matters and its implications on our lives. It matters because if not you will be vulnerable to other teachings
[40:34] And this is tough for us because a lot of us are okay with [40:38] Allowing the culture to impact our respect of the gospel you watch the bachelor and you’re like, oh, I guess it’s not going to impact [40:44] My view of relationships it does it hinders your view of the gospel to some extent [40:48] You look on Facebook. Oh somebody said Jesus and on Facebook and I guess they’re talking about the same Jesus I’m talking about [40:54] That’s not always the case
[40:58] The teachers matter the people that are preaching the gospel matter the quotes that you see about the gospel matter because they might be talking about a different Jesus than you’re referring to
[41:09] Oh, but I got a thousand shares on Facebook
[41:14] Doesn’t mean that’s the same gospel that you’re talking about
[41:19] Friends people will use Jesus in whatever way they want to [41:25] To make themselves feel good to try be relevant
[41:32] God has always been relevant and he doesn’t need us to make him relevant
[41:39] We can’t please both the world and God [41:43] It’s not about getting the likes it’s not about getting the shares but being faithful to the gospel being truthful to the gospel
[41:56] So if you’re struggling with this [41:59] About what the true gospel is I would encourage you [42:04] Think about what Paul said. Don’t forget. God is calling you into the gospel the gospel right now [42:09] He’s doing the work through you right now so that you would submit to the one true gospel [42:16] So you don’t suffer from gospel drift
[42:22] So as the band comes up [42:26] I really want you all to consider this [42:29] Because you must come to terms with this fact [42:33] Of what gospel you believe [42:36] And the second follow-up question to that is does the gospel that you believe line up with the life that you live
[42:45] Because the life you live will show the gospel that you believe
[42:52] This is huge we must realize the impact of the gospel
[43:00] So friends as you come to the table this morning [43:06] We take community here at Village every Sunday [43:10] We do this in proclamation of the one true gospel [43:16] That that’s our hope [43:19] That that’s enough
[43:23] Only the gospel Jesus Christ can save us [43:27] Not adding to it not trying to take away from it but that the gospel alone
[43:35] Is enough [43:37] So as you’re coming this morning [43:41] Check your heart and say [43:43] What ways am I drifting? [43:47] And refocus [43:49] Friends there’s grace in this because if you have drifted God says I’m still pursuing
[43:57] Relentlessly
[43:59] I’m calling you your mind
[44:03] But if you’re in here this morning you haven’t trusted the gospel and you’ve believed counterfeit Gospels [44:09] I want to encourage you to trust the gospel [44:13] That Jesus is enough [44:16] There’ll be pastors out in the foyer that would love to talk to you about Jesus [44:21] How the fact that he’s risen in the tomb is empty has impacted our lives
[44:27] Come this morning to the table [44:30] Proclaiming the one true gospel and then go out and proclaim that same gospel