The Only Gospel
Series: NO OTHER GOSPEL
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 13th August 2017
Passage: Galatians 1:1-10
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Have you ever owned or been given something that was amazing, maybe even quite precious,
00:00:06 --> 00:00:11 but you never actually got any benefit from it? I remember when Sal and I were engaged,
00:00:11 --> 00:00:16 we went through the very important rite of passage that is doing your wedding registry.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:23 Now for the uninitiated, those who haven't had that delight, basically what you do is you go
00:00:23 --> 00:00:27 to one of the big department stores, a Meyer or a David Jones, and they give you one of the
00:00:27 --> 00:00:32 barcode scanning guns, and you just walk around scanning things you want. It's amazing, you don't
00:00:32 --> 00:00:36 have to have any money at all, you just scan things and hope that somebody else will spend the money for
00:00:36 --> 00:00:43 you. So you wander through the shop and you get all the essentials like towels, sheets, flat screen TV,
00:00:43 --> 00:00:47 all those sorts of things, and just really hope that somebody's feeling generous when they're going
00:00:47 --> 00:00:53 through for those big ticket items. And the point of it is that hopefully you don't get 50 towels and
00:00:53 --> 00:00:58 no dinner plates, that sort of thing. Doesn't always work, but that's the theory. Now for full
00:00:58 --> 00:01:05 disclosure, I should concede that for our wedding registry, I survived about the first 20 minutes
00:01:05 --> 00:01:12 in David Jones before Sal set me free from those shackles and instead went back with her mum
00:01:12 --> 00:01:17 afterwards about seven or eight times. So I really didn't know what was coming when the delivery truck
00:01:17 --> 00:01:23 arrived after we'd come back from our honeymoon. But I do remember as we were opening all these
00:01:23 --> 00:01:29 things wrapped up in David Jones wrapping paper and trying to figure out where we're going to put
00:01:29 --> 00:01:35 these things in the place that we were living, there was one, maybe more than one, but at least
00:01:35 --> 00:01:42 one thing which to this day I still don't understand. It was the same in my house growing up.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:51 It's the same in almost every house that I've ever visited. The fancy plates. I don't understand.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:57 We have the usable plates and then we have the fancy plates. And so this is the stuff in your house
00:01:57 --> 00:02:02 that lives in a special cabinet, usually next to the dining table. I'm not sure why, but that's where
00:02:02 --> 00:02:07 it is. And there's glass so that you can see these beautiful plates piled up there. Maybe view the
00:02:07 --> 00:02:12 pictures of them. And it's there for the special occasion when the queen comes to visit.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:18 Now obviously not really, but it feels like we're holding out for something special. But really the
00:02:18 --> 00:02:23 only function that these plates serve is to insult the bulk of your guests who sit at your table
00:02:23 --> 00:02:27 looking at the plates that they weren't special enough to get out on the table.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:33 I remember as a kid, so there was five kids in my house growing up, so we were pretty good at
00:02:33 --> 00:02:39 breaking stuff. And we would break plates and cups regularly. And I remember our regular plates,
00:02:39 --> 00:02:45 our boring, unimportant, not special person plates, that set was starting to struggle.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:50 And so I thought, obvious solution, we have a set right next to the table on display that
00:02:50 --> 00:02:56 we could bring out. Apparently it wasn't so obvious. Instead, we bought another set of regular
00:02:56 --> 00:03:02 plates so that our special plates could stay special, stay unused and sit in the fancy cabinet.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:11 What is the point of fancy plates? I mean, the value of a plate is its ability to hold food
00:03:11 --> 00:03:17 so that you can eat off it. And the plates in the cupboard had all the necessary needs for being
00:03:17 --> 00:03:25 a plate. They were firm enough. They were flat enough. They weren't broken. In fact, they were more
00:03:25 --> 00:03:32 than good enough. They were fancy. But because we put them in the cupboard, in the cabinet, we never got
00:03:32 --> 00:03:39 any benefit from them. They didn't deliver as plates because we refused to use them for the very thing
00:03:39 --> 00:03:49 they were made to do, hold food. Now, it's possible to have good, valuable things in your life, things that
00:03:49 --> 00:03:58 are there for your benefit and to waste them because you never used them. Instead, we put them in a cabinet
00:03:58 --> 00:04:07 for a special occasion that never seems to eventuate. It's even possible to do that with the good things
00:04:07 --> 00:04:17 that God blesses us with. It's possible to go from people who are struggling in life, trying to figure out
00:04:17 --> 00:04:23 what we're here for, trying to figure out how to please God, feeling the burden of our failure, and then
00:04:23 --> 00:04:30 to discover His amazing grace and love for us, even though we don't deserve it, to discover free forgiveness
00:04:30 --> 00:04:38 and unconditional love and think, wow, this is the solution I've been searching for. And then to put it in a
00:04:38 --> 00:04:48 display cabinet and go back to feeling insecure and guilty and unsure and kind of lost in life and having
00:04:48 --> 00:04:57 to try really hard to convince God to love you, when we do that, we make following Jesus a struggle.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:03 We make following Jesus difficult because we know we're not good enough and then being not good enough
00:05:03 --> 00:05:08 with the solution in the cabinet makes us want to try harder and then trying harder doesn't work
00:05:08 --> 00:05:13 because we still fail and then we feel worse and so then we try harder and it's this vicious cycle
00:05:13 --> 00:05:18 and then because we're feeling insecure, we start looking down on other people to try and make ourselves
00:05:18 --> 00:05:23 feel better, but then because we're looking down on other people, we start to worry about what other
00:05:23 --> 00:05:32 people are thinking of us and it just is exhausting trying to follow Jesus when the only thing that can help
00:05:32 --> 00:05:38 you, the solution you need, the solution you need has been put in a display cabinet for the special occasion.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:47 Often the challenge for many Christians is not discovering the good things that God has to offer,
00:05:48 --> 00:05:54 but having discovered them, actually using them day by day, actually getting the benefit from them
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 in your week, in your job, in your relationships.
00:05:57 --> 00:06:03 That was the problem for the churches in Galatia.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:08 We're embarking today on 12 weeks in this book.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:13 This is a letter from Paul the Apostle to a group of churches in the region of Galatia.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:15 That's what is now southern Turkey.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:20 These churches were started by Paul on one of his missionary journeys.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 He travelled through the region preaching the gospel.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:24 It's there in verse 8.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:31 He says, the gospel that we preached to you, or in verse 9, the gospel that you accepted.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 When they heard the gospel, churches began.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:41 These people went from being in that pattern of struggling, lost, unsure, searching for security,
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 to thinking, we've found it.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 To thinking, I'm going to change my life.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 This is the best message I've ever heard.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:50 What was it that he preached?
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 What was that message that began the whole journey for them?
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 Verse 3.
00:06:55 --> 00:07:04 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
00:07:04 --> 00:07:09 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age,
00:07:10 --> 00:07:16 according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:17 Amen.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 Now, this is a classic way to start a letter in the ancient world.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 It's classic to Paul's letters as well.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 You get to look at that in your community groups this week.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 But Paul uses this to take them back to their foundation.
00:07:30 --> 00:07:34 It starts with who's writing Paul, who it's to, the churches in Galatia.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:38 And then normally, third, you would say something like, greetings, or I miss you.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:42 But Paul takes that opportunity and makes it a gospel opportunity.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 So what is the gospel?
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 Let's just walk through those three verses a bit slower.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:53 Firstly, grace and peace to you from God our Father.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 It's a gospel of grace.
00:07:57 --> 00:08:02 Absolutely foundational to Paul's message, to the gospel, to the message of the whole Bible,
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 is the reality that if you want to know God,
00:08:06 --> 00:08:12 he needs to decide to grant you that privilege, even though you don't deserve it.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 That his mercy is the starting point.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:27 Because you and I and everyone ever and the Galatians are just straight up undeserving of the privilege of knowing God the creator.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:36 The gospel is the good news that by grace, God gives you what you do not deserve.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:40 In fact, what he offers is peace.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 It's grace and peace to you.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:48 And that's not like peace as in like peacefulness, some sort of serenity.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 It's not peace as in life being easy and comfortable.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 It's more, it's bigger than that.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 It's more like, almost like world peace.
00:08:57 --> 00:09:02 If in that phrase you can catch the sense that it's God bringing justice on the earth,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:09 fixing what's wrong, judging the guilty, recreating our world to be the perfect place it's supposed to be.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 Removing sickness and death and pain.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:18 That's the peace that the gospel holds out for people.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:24 It's a hope for the future that God is preparing for those who belong to him.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 Those he's chosen by grace.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:32 So the gospel is grace and peace to you from God our Father.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:38 Secondly, and the Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:43 The gospel is the message that says God's grace is available through Jesus.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:50 And not just Jesus generally who was a carpenter's son or some other detail about his life.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:57 But the Jesus who came and lived a perfect life as the only one who deserved a relationship with God.
00:09:57 --> 00:10:05 And most importantly is the one who died as an innocent man in our place for our sin.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 For our rejection of God.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:11 While we were his enemies.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:15 Jesus died that we might become sons and daughters.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 He took our punishment.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 He handed us his perfection.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:23 So that we could have the relationship with God that we were made for.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:28 The relationship with God that we are eternally restless without.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 So that that longing and searching could be met.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 Jesus came and died for our sins.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:40 And then thirdly, to rescue us from the present evil age.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 He did it to rescue us.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:49 The whole issue, the whole reason we need a gospel, we need a good news, we need a message of hope.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:52 Is because sin is in the world.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:56 And because of sin, all of creation has been separated from God.
00:10:56 --> 00:11:00 Everything that is wrong in the world and in your life is a result of sin.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:04 And it's a result of us being separated out from God and his goodness.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 We've lost access to him.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 We now lack the ability to please him, even if we want to.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 We are fenced in by death.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 Fenced in by our own failure and limitation.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 But Jesus comes to rescue us from that.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 He comes to give us a new life.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 He comes to give us the power of his Holy Spirit,
00:11:30 --> 00:11:34 which enables us to finally please God.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 And live for him.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:43 And then lastly, it's according to the will of our God and Father.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 Again, it's all about grace.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 It's all about what God has done.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 It's all about what God chooses to do.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 And for no other reason.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 Because of his great mercy.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:08 The gospel is the message of God's grace to us in sending his son
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 so that we might be forgiven
00:12:10 --> 00:12:16 and so that unworthy people like you and I can know him as father.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 That is the gospel.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 Before we get into anything else in Galatians,
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 before the Galatians get into anything else,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 Paul needs to drag them back to there, to their starting point.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:29 If you're a Christian,
00:12:29 --> 00:12:32 that is the message that you heard and accepted.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 If you're not a Christian,
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 that is the invitation of the gospel.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:46 The invitation from God to you is that you could know this forgiveness.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:51 You could receive this gift of love and acceptance from God that you do not deserve.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:58 You could be rescued from the frustration and futility of this age.
00:12:58 --> 00:13:01 You could have the hope for peace.
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 The hope for heaven.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:10 The hope for the day when God will return and rescue those who are his finally and fully.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:16 That gospel truth was sufficient for many of us in this room
00:13:16 --> 00:13:20 to make the decision that our lives would no longer be about ourselves
00:13:20 --> 00:13:24 but would be about the one who had done all this for us.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:28 This gospel was sufficient for the Galatians to make the decision
00:13:28 --> 00:13:32 to leave other religion and other idol worship
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 and other cultural commitments
00:13:34 --> 00:13:37 and make Jesus their defining reality.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:40 And then,
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 verse 6,
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 Paul says,
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 I'm astonished
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 that you are so quickly
00:13:49 --> 00:13:53 deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ
00:13:53 --> 00:13:56 and are turning to a different gospel
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 which is really no gospel at all.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 They just deserted him.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 I mean,
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 notice that word there.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 They didn't desert it.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 They didn't desert information.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 They didn't desert content.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 They deserted the one who called them.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:23 They turned away from God himself
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 who offered them grace,
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 who offered them their solution.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30 Astonished,
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 almost doesn't feel like it does it justice.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 I mean,
00:14:35 --> 00:14:38 having experienced the grace of God,
00:14:39 --> 00:14:42 having been loved in spite of who they are,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:47 having been forgiven through the blood of Jesus on the cross,
00:14:47 --> 00:14:50 having discovered the significance and satisfaction
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 that can only be found in Jesus,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 how do they just turn away?
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 And so quickly.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 I mean,
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 if they've been following God for a long time,
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 maybe you've been a Christian for a while
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 and that joy that you had at the beginning,
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 that wonder that God would do this
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 has kind of faded
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 in the struggles of life
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 and in the challenges.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 Maybe then you could understand,
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 but near the beginning?
00:15:17 --> 00:15:23 I remember when I became a Christian,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 I was 14 years old,
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 I felt invincible.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 It was quite literally,
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 even to now,
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 the most exciting and significant thing
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 that I had ever discovered
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 that God would love me like this
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 and love me like this forever.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 I wasn't going anywhere.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 And yet,
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 these churches,
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 so quickly,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 after discovering the grace of God,
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 have deserted the one
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 who called them to live in that grace.
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 How?
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 How does that happen?
00:16:00 --> 00:16:03 Do you remember when you discovered grace?
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 If you're a Christian,
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 do you remember what it was for you
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 for the first time
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 to understand that God
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 would love you like this?
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 How do you go from there,
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 from amazed,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:16 from wondered,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 from overwhelmed,
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 from this is what my life
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 will be about from now on,
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 to just turning away?
00:16:26 --> 00:16:29 What happens between those two points?
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 One of the things that
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 my family and I like to do,
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 and when I say like to do,
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 I think we've done it maybe three times,
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 but Bailey's a big fan
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 of scenic world
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 in the Blue Mountains.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 He loves going on the train
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 that goes kind of essentially
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 down the cliff and back up.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 He loves going on the cable cars
00:16:50 --> 00:16:50 and, you know,
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 it's a pretty amazing thing
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 to have an hour and a half
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 up the road.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 But I have to confess
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 that on the cable car,
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 I think it's the yellow one,
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 that has a clear bottom
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 that kind of stays frosted
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 until you're in the middle of nowhere
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 and then it goes clear
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 so that you can see
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 that certain death awaits you
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 if something goes wrong.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 I remember sitting on there
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 and just pondering for a moment
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 that the only thing
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 at that point
00:17:14 --> 00:17:17 between me and certain death,
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 I eventually started worrying
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 about my family and kids as well
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 that were with me,
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 but initially me and certain death
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 was a cable about that round.
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 Now, I'm no engineer,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 don't pretend to be,
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 but I just remember for a moment
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 just second guessing my decision
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 to step onto that cable car,
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 especially the second and third time
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 because Bailey was having so much fun.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 But the reality is
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 in the country that we live in
00:17:44 --> 00:17:46 with the security standards
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 that we have
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 and the engineering that's available,
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 it's a very safe thing to be on.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 Even if you get stuck in the middle,
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 that cable's not snapping.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 It's getting regularly checked.
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 It's probably capable of holding
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 about 15 of those cable cars
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 plus people.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 They're going to overrate it
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 to make sure that it is secure.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 But when you're in the middle
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 between these two cliffs,
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 miles above the ground,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 not miles, but it feels like it,
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17 it doesn't matter
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 that I'm completely secure
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 if I don't feel completely secure.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 If I'm standing in that car
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 looking through this clear bottom
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 at trees,
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 that cable could be this thick,
00:18:30 --> 00:18:33 if I don't feel secure in that moment,
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 I'm going to act
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 based on how I feel.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 I'm going to panic.
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 I'm going to be telling the operator
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 to hurry up and accelerate
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 this thing to the other side.
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 I'm going to be crying.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 I'm going to be, you know,
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 getting a piggyback from sales
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 so that I'm not going to hit
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 the ground first.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 I'm going to act
00:18:50 --> 00:18:52 based on how I feel
00:18:52 --> 00:18:55 even though in reality
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 I'm completely secure.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 It's going to be dictated
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 by how I'm feeling
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 in that moment.
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 These Galatians
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 have heard the gospel.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 They have heard
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 the truth
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 of the irreversible reality
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 that God has loved them
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 by His grace.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 Loved them in spite
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 of who they are
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 and so in fact
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 nothing that they do
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 or don't do
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 could ever change
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 His love for them.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 They are secure
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 in His love.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 But their issue is
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 in spite of the concrete
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 objective reality
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 that they are secure
00:19:33 --> 00:19:36 they don't feel secure.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:39 They're second guessing
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 their security.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 They're panicking.
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 They're doubting
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 the engineering.
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 I mean,
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 you've got to understand
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 they're turning
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 to another gospel
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 but they're still
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 turning to a gospel
00:19:48 --> 00:19:50 even if it's
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 no gospel at all.
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 They're looking for a gospel.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 They still want
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 to be with God.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 It's not like they're saying
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 forget God
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 I'm not interested
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 in Him anymore.
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 Their issue is
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 they're just not sure
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 that they're on the right track.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 They're just not confident
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 that they're secure
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 in God's love.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 They're starting
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 to worry
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 whether they've
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 ticked all the boxes.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 They're turning
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 to a false
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 and useful gospel
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 but they're turning
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 to a gospel
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 that they've been
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 tricked into thinking
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 will help them.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:21 They still want
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 to be forgiven.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 They still want
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 a relationship
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 with God.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 They still want
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 to get to heaven.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 They're putting effort
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 into this new direction.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 We're going to look
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 at it more
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 over the coming weeks
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 in terms of exactly
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 what was going on
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 for them
00:20:33 --> 00:20:36 but their effort
00:20:36 --> 00:20:38 counts for nothing.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 Their effort
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 not just doesn't
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 help them
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 it hinders them
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 because by turning
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 to this gospel
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 they're rejecting
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 the one gospel
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 the only gospel
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 the true gospel
00:20:53 --> 00:20:55 that can offer security.
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 They've been confused.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 Verse 7
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 Evidently some people
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 are throwing you
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 into confusion
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 and are trying
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 to pervert
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 the gospel of Christ.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 They've been lured
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 into a perversion
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 of the gospel.
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 That's the trick.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 The enemy
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 is very clever here.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 The devil's been
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 at this longer
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 than any of us
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 longer than any
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 of the Galatians
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 and he knows
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 that Christians
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 are not completely stupid.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 Some of us
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 might be closer
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 to stupid than others
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 but we're not
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 completely stupid.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 And so these
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 false teachers
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 these some people
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 don't turn up
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 and say
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 oh Jesus is stupid
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 forget about him
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 because we wouldn't
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 fall for that.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 We'd be like
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 no no no
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 Jesus is the important bit
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 we just learned
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 a couple of weeks ago
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 Christ alone
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 and we're all
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 about that.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 And so they didn't
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 turn up and say
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 forget Jesus
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 they turned up
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 and said
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 Jesus is great
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 isn't it fantastic
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 what he's done
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 all this stuff
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 it's done so much
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 for you and helped you
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 there's just a couple
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 more things
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 that you need to do
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58 just to really begin
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 just to be
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 be sure that you're
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 the genuine
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 article
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 be sure that you're
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 legitimate
00:22:04 --> 00:22:06 see the devil
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 presses the buttons
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 that he knows
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 are sensitive
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 for them
00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 see these
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 Galatian Christians
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 were Gentiles
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 they're basically
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 everyone who's
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 not Jews
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 and these
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 some people
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 who had turned
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 up were Jews
00:22:20 --> 00:22:22 and so these
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 Jews claimed
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 a certain level
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 of Christian
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 heritage
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 if you like
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 they were God's
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 people
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 and so these
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 Galatians were
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 looking at them
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 thinking they must
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 know what they're
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 talking about
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 I mean they've
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 been here longer
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 than I have
00:22:34 --> 00:22:37 and so they
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 figured I guess
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 we need to do
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 what they say
00:22:39 --> 00:22:42 these Jews
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 turned up
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 and they were
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 telling you
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 you know
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 Jesus is
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 fantastic
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 there's just a
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 couple more
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 Jew things
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 that you need
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 to do
00:22:47 --> 00:22:49 things like
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 being circumcised
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 things like
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 eating certain
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 foods
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 things like
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 the way you
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 wash yourself
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 all that sort
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 of stuff
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 it all sounds
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 pretty harmless
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 except for maybe
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 circumcision
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 but it all
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 sounds pretty
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 harmless
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 it sounds like
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 the kinds of
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 things you go
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 yeah maybe
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 God does want
00:23:03 --> 00:23:03 me to do
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 those things
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 maybe they're
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 good things
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 for us to
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 do
00:23:06 --> 00:23:08 and in fact
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 whether you
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 do them or
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 don't do
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 them isn't
00:23:10 --> 00:23:10 the issue
00:23:10 --> 00:23:13 the issue
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 is if you
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 are doing
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 them and
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 thinking that
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 by those
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 things you
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 will be
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 forgiven
00:23:18 --> 00:23:21 the issue
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 is that by
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 doing whatever
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 it is that
00:23:23 --> 00:23:23 these people
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 are asking
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 we begin to
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 think that
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 they're the
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 things that
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 enable us to
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 have a
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 relationship
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 with God
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 that is not
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 the gospel
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 it's not the
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 gospel Paul
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 preached
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 it's not
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 the gospel
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 they accepted
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35 the gospel
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 is a message
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 of grace
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 alone
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 not grace
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 plus some
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 other things
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 by definition
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 grace has
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 to be alone
00:23:42 --> 00:23:44 if grace
00:23:44 --> 00:23:44 is giving you
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 something you
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 don't deserve
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 as soon as you
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 do something
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 to try and
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 deserve it
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 then grace
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 disappears
00:23:48 --> 00:23:52 grace is by
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 definition
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 alone and
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 the only gospel
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56 is a gospel
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 of grace
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 whenever we
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 add something
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 to the gospel
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 we make it
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 grace plus
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 something else
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 we make it
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 Jesus plus
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 something else
00:24:04 --> 00:24:04 it's a
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 perversion
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 it's no
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 gospel at
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 all
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 it's not
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 good news
00:24:08 --> 00:24:13 I've been
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 around churches
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 like ours for
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 a little bit
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 over half my
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 life
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 I just want
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 to flag one
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 particular
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 perversion that
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 is a danger
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 for us
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 there's two
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 big ones
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 one is that
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 you take the
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 gospel and say
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 I'm forgiven
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 so God
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 doesn't care
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 what I do
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 and I can
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 do whatever
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 I want
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 we're going
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 to talk
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 about that
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 one a bit
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 more in a
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 few weeks
00:24:29 --> 00:24:31 the issue
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 for the
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 Galatians
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 was the
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 issue of
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 here's the
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 gospel
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 Jesus has
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 done everything
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 he's just
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 one or two
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 extra things
00:24:38 --> 00:24:41 I just want
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 to challenge
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 us
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 I want us
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 to reflect
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 on how
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 do we
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 do that
00:24:45 --> 00:24:47 because in
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 my experience
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 both personally
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 and my
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 experience in
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 churches like
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 ours is that
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 we have
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 what I call
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 the be like
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 me gospel
00:24:56 --> 00:24:58 the be like
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 me gospel
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 is the gospel
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 that says
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 Jesus has
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 died for
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 your sins
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 you don't
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 deserve it
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 there's nothing
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 you can do
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 come and find
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 forgiveness
00:25:06 --> 00:25:08 and be like
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 me
00:25:09 --> 00:25:12 you know
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 be into the
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 same things
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 I'm into
00:25:14 --> 00:25:16 I've been a
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 Christian for a
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 while and my
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 hobbies are kind
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18 of a little bit
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 holier than your
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 hobbies so just
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 shift sideways
00:25:20 --> 00:25:22 the way I dress
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 is a little bit
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 holier than you
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 are so dress
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 like me
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 the way I
00:25:28 --> 00:25:30 speak is a
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 little bit
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 holier than
00:25:30 --> 00:25:32 you so speak
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 like me
00:25:33 --> 00:25:35 the way I
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 think about
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 political issues
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 is a little bit
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 holier than you
00:25:38 --> 00:25:40 so share my
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 stance on all
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 things political
00:25:41 --> 00:25:45 I remember
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 someone who used
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 to come to our
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 church just really
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 briefly he used
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 to smoke
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 sometimes he used
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 to smoke out on
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 the deck
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 out here
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 where the
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 atrium is
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 that used to
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 be a deck
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 that we hang
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 out on
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 and I remember
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 the extent
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 when this person
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 and I don't
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 mean that in a
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 good way
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 when this person
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 would light up a
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 cigarette at a
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 church event
00:26:02 --> 00:26:04 I remember as a
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 pastor being
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 prodded and asked
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 if I was going
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 to intervene
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08 let him know
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 about you know
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 his eternal
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 damnation as he
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 lit up that
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 cigarette
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 his Christian
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 character was
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 called into
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 question
00:26:14 --> 00:26:16 for the record
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 I think smoking
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 is dumb
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 not trying to
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 offend you if you
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 smoke
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 it's bad for
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 your health
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 it smells bad
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 but it has
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 nothing to do
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 with the gospel
00:26:25 --> 00:26:29 nothing to do
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 with whether or
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 not someone
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 deserves God's
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 grace
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 of course they
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 don't deserve
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 God's grace
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 that's the point
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 that's what makes
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 it grace
00:26:36 --> 00:26:38 no one deserves
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 it
00:26:38 --> 00:26:41 as soon as we
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 require somebody
00:26:41 --> 00:26:43 to be like us
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 or to think like
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 us or to speak
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 like us or to
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 dress like us
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 we're doing
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 gospel plus
00:26:48 --> 00:26:50 so many
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 churches are
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 full of
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 identical people
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 because they're
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 very subtly
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 doing the
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 be like me
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 gospel
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 we don't say
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 it's a gospel
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 issue but we
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 just won't be
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 friends with you
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 if you're not
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 like us
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 you won't be
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 welcome
00:27:04 --> 00:27:06 unless you
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 start acting
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 like us
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 talking like
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 us
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 thinking like
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 us
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 our vision
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 as a church
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 is to be
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 transcultural
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 God's vision
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 for his church
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 is to be
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 transcultural
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 a church
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 full of
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 people who
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 are completely
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 different
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 and yet have
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 all received
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 the same
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 grace of
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 God in
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Christ
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 people who
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 speak different
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 languages
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 people who
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 are rich
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 and poor
00:27:28 --> 00:27:28 people who
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 are polished
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 and refined
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 and those who
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 are a little
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 bit more rough
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 around the
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 edges
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 people who
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 swear and
00:27:33 --> 00:27:33 smoke
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 people who
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 feel out
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 of place
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 among nice
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 middle class
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 Anglicans
00:27:39 --> 00:27:41 except for the
00:27:41 --> 00:27:44 fact that
00:27:44 --> 00:27:44 they're depending
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 on the grace
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 of God just
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 as much as
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 the rest of
00:27:47 --> 00:27:47 us
00:27:47 --> 00:27:50 one of the
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 first signs
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 that you've
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 lost hold
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 of the only
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 gospel and
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 are holding
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 on to some
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 perversion
00:27:55 --> 00:27:57 is the way
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 that you
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 look at
00:27:58 --> 00:28:02 and treat
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 other people
00:28:03 --> 00:28:06 if your
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 response as
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 you look
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 around the
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 room is
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 pride at
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 how much
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 better you
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 are than
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 others
00:28:10 --> 00:28:12 or disgust
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 at how
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 sinful they
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 are or
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 even
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 frustration
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 that they're
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 not putting
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 in the same
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 level of
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 effort as
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 you at
00:28:18 --> 00:28:18 being a
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 Christian
00:28:19 --> 00:28:23 what do
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 you think
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 it is you're
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 trusting in to
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 save you at
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 that point
00:28:26 --> 00:28:31 the answer
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 is you
00:28:32 --> 00:28:36 your gospel
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 has become
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 you
00:28:37 --> 00:28:40 you're trusting
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 how good you
00:28:40 --> 00:28:42 are how much
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 better you are
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 than others
00:28:43 --> 00:28:43 how hard you're
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 trying
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 that's not
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 the gospel
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 that's no
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 gospel at
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 all that's
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 not good
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 news that
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 is a prison
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 of guilt
00:28:50 --> 00:28:52 and fear
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 and shame
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 and failure
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 and disappointment
00:28:54 --> 00:28:56 there is
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 only one
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 gospel
00:28:58 --> 00:29:00 there is only
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 one message
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 of hope
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 there will only
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 ever be one
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 gospel for
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 sinners like
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 you and me
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 and it is the
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 gospel of
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 grace alone
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 in Christ
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 and so Paul
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 says emphatically
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 in verse 8
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 even if we
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 or an angel
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 from heaven
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 should preach
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 a gospel
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 other than
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 the one we
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 preach to you
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 let them be
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 under God's
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 curse
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 as we've
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 already said
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 so I say
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 again if
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 anybody's
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 preaching to
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 you a gospel
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 other than
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 what you
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 accepted
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 let them
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 be under
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 God's
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 curse
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 there is
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 only one
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 gospel
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 we just spent
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 five weeks
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 being reminded
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 of this
00:29:33 --> 00:29:36 we stand
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 on the one
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 message of
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 salvation
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 that is offered
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 through what
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 Jesus has
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 done on
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 the cross
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 and so the
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 last question
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 we've got to
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 ask and I
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 promise I'm
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 finishing
00:29:44 --> 00:29:47 how do we
00:29:47 --> 00:29:49 resist the
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 perversions of
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 the gospel
00:29:51 --> 00:29:53 how do we
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 make sure we
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 don't like the
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 Galatians get
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 dragged away from
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 this amazing
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 message of hope
00:29:59 --> 00:30:01 how do we make
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 sure that we
00:30:01 --> 00:30:03 stand firm in
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 this one and
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 only true
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 gospel
00:30:05 --> 00:30:10 well some
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 of you will
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 be aware
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 that when I
00:30:12 --> 00:30:12 was a little
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 bit younger
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 I used to
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 drink quite a
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 bit of coke
00:30:15 --> 00:30:17 I've since
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 matured I have
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 an adult palate
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 now and I've
00:30:19 --> 00:30:19 moved on to
00:30:19 --> 00:30:19 V
00:30:19 --> 00:30:22 when I say a
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 lot of coke
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 I'm in
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 litres per
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 day
00:30:24 --> 00:30:27 two litres
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 would be a
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 slow day for
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 me
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 I'm talking
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 from the age
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 of like 12
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 through to
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 about 25
00:30:32 --> 00:30:34 I would
00:30:34 --> 00:30:36 like find
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 scrounge around
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 the house for
00:30:37 --> 00:30:39 money I would
00:30:39 --> 00:30:39 wander around the
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 playground at
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 school trying to
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 get money off
00:30:41 --> 00:30:41 people and I
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 would just buy
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 coke I just
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 love the stuff
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 drink it like
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 it was you
00:30:45 --> 00:30:47 know heaven
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 it was amazing
00:30:48 --> 00:30:50 I got so
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 familiar with
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 the taste of
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 coke so
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 refined in my
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 palate that I
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 could taste the
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 difference between
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 coke that came
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 out of different
00:30:57 --> 00:30:59 containers I
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 could taste the
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 difference between
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 coke in an
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 aluminium can
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 to coke in a
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 plastic bottle
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 coke in a
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 glass bottle to
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 coke in a
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 plastic bottle
00:31:06 --> 00:31:08 I became so
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 good at tasting
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 differences in
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 coke I could
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 tell you the
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 difference between
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 a 2 litre plastic
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 bottle and a
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 1.25 litre plastic
00:31:14 --> 00:31:17 bottle I used to
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 brag about this
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 quite regularly I
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 thought it was a
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 bit of a spiritual
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 gift something I
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 should take pride
00:31:20 --> 00:31:22 in and in my
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 previous church the
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 youth group kids
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 you know they
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 weren't convinced
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 so they decided to
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 give me a cola
00:31:27 --> 00:31:29 challenge and they
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 said we're going to
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 get you know some
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 Pepsi some diet
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 coke some you
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 know that terrible
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 RC cola stuff that
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 they sell all these
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 different colas and
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 they put them in
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 plain little white
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 cups on a table and
00:31:40 --> 00:31:42 the challenge was for
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 me to taste them all
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 and pick the real
00:31:44 --> 00:31:46 coke I stood at the
00:31:46 --> 00:31:48 table looked at the
00:31:48 --> 00:31:50 row of cups and said
00:31:50 --> 00:31:52 that's the coke I
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 didn't even have to
00:31:53 --> 00:31:56 taste it by sight I
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 could tell the real
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 coke and I was
00:31:57 --> 00:32:01 right it was easy it
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 wasn't even a
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 challenge because I
00:32:02 --> 00:32:04 drank so much coke up
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 to this point I knew
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 how fizzy it was
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 supposed to be I
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 knew what colour it
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 would be I even knew
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 you know in that
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 small cup how that
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 would impact the
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 darkness of the coke I
00:32:12 --> 00:32:14 was really across coke
00:32:14 --> 00:32:16 like we're talking
00:32:16 --> 00:32:18 serious familiarity I
00:32:18 --> 00:32:20 knew it so well that
00:32:20 --> 00:32:23 it was easy to spot the
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 imitations easy to spot
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 the dodgy diet versions
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 and whatever else was
00:32:26 --> 00:32:29 out there it's the same
00:32:29 --> 00:32:31 with the gospel it's
00:32:31 --> 00:32:33 not complicated if you
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 want to be equipped to
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 resist the perversions
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 that are out there if
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 you want to be equipped
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 in those moments where
00:32:38 --> 00:32:40 you feel insecure to not
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 go running after false
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 gospels and false
00:32:42 --> 00:32:45 solutions if you want to
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 be equipped to resist
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 even the false gospels
00:32:47 --> 00:32:50 that start here in those
00:32:50 --> 00:32:52 moments of doubt in those
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 moments of guilt in those
00:32:53 --> 00:32:55 moments of shame you need
00:32:55 --> 00:32:58 to get familiar with this
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 one true gospel of grace
00:32:59 --> 00:33:03 you need to live in grace
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 you need to make grace
00:33:04 --> 00:33:06 your daily meal do the
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 things you did when you
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 first encountered God's
00:33:08 --> 00:33:10 grace when you first
00:33:10 --> 00:33:12 heard and accepted the
00:33:12 --> 00:33:15 gospel do the things that
00:33:15 --> 00:33:17 enabled you to taste and
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 experience how good God's
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 love is there's a whole
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 bunch I want to really
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 quickly suggest three that
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 I think will be true of
00:33:22 --> 00:33:24 anybody who is a
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 Christian three things that
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 you did when you first
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 experienced grace that you
00:33:27 --> 00:33:29 should keep doing to make
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 grace a part of your
00:33:30 --> 00:33:32 everyday first one listen
00:33:32 --> 00:33:35 to God's word you had to
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 hear the gospel to respond
00:33:36 --> 00:33:39 to it you need to keep
00:33:39 --> 00:33:41 hearing it day in day out
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 a little bit of
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 confession is that when
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 we're writing when I was
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 writing this sermon this
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 week I was feeling a
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 little bit of deja vu after
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 spending five weeks looking
00:33:48 --> 00:33:51 at the reformation the
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 reformation we basically
00:33:52 --> 00:33:53 pulled apart the gospel for
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 five weeks and I thought
00:33:54 --> 00:33:56 we're starting Galatians I'm
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 basically saying the exact
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 same thing this week and
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 there was a part of me
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 that's not going to be
00:34:00 --> 00:34:04 interesting we need to hear
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 this over and over again
00:34:05 --> 00:34:07 because there is that part
00:34:07 --> 00:34:09 of us that goes got it on
00:34:09 --> 00:34:11 the shelf you need to be
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 listening to God's word like
00:34:12 --> 00:34:14 we are right now you need to
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 be opening the Bible and
00:34:15 --> 00:34:17 hearing from God grace and
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 peace to you from God our
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 father and the Lord Jesus
00:34:19 --> 00:34:21 Christ you need to hear that
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 message over and over again
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 that's first second one you
00:34:23 --> 00:34:27 need to confess sin when you
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 first became a Christian I've
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 said this over and over
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 again my community group
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 knows that this is my chorus
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 this is my go-to and I'm
00:34:32 --> 00:34:34 going to keep saying it when
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 you became a Christian you
00:34:35 --> 00:34:39 confessed sin might not have
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 been fancy it might not have
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 been in clever words like we
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 did together just before but
00:34:42 --> 00:34:44 you essentially said God I
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 need your help I need to be
00:34:45 --> 00:34:47 rescued and what did you
00:34:47 --> 00:34:50 discover God God answers that
00:34:50 --> 00:34:53 prayer God forgives God
00:34:53 --> 00:34:55 cleanses God washes you and
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 so you need to discover that
00:34:56 --> 00:34:59 again you need to confess sin
00:34:59 --> 00:35:02 again you need to admit that
00:35:02 --> 00:35:02 maybe you've been holding
00:35:02 --> 00:35:04 people to standards that the
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 gospel doesn't maybe you've
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 been holding yourself to
00:35:06 --> 00:35:07 standards that the gospel
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 doesn't and you need to find
00:35:08 --> 00:35:10 that God will forgive you and
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 then as you're experiencing that
00:35:11 --> 00:35:13 grace you'll be equipped to
00:35:13 --> 00:35:15 know when you hear the lies and
00:35:15 --> 00:35:17 the perversions it's the second
00:35:17 --> 00:35:18 one third one last one is you
00:35:18 --> 00:35:21 need to thank him I'm guessing
00:35:21 --> 00:35:22 a little bit here but I think
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 there's a fair chance that when
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 you became a Christian when you
00:35:24 --> 00:35:26 discovered grace there was a
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 bit of thankfulness going on
00:35:27 --> 00:35:29 for you I remember sobbing just
00:35:29 --> 00:35:31 thinking this is like this is
00:35:31 --> 00:35:34 stupid good God you are amazing
00:35:34 --> 00:35:38 God has filled your life with
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 grace the fact that we're
00:35:39 --> 00:35:41 sitting here right now soaking in
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 the truth of the gospel is a gift
00:35:42 --> 00:35:44 from God but there's a chance that
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 we'll walk out of here and not
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 even recognize that he's the one
00:35:46 --> 00:35:49 who gave us that gift thank him
00:35:49 --> 00:35:52 train yourself to see and
00:35:52 --> 00:35:53 recognize the grace and as you're
00:35:53 --> 00:35:55 surrounded by it you're ready to
00:35:55 --> 00:35:57 resist the false gospel the fake
00:35:57 --> 00:35:59 gospel the one that drags you away
00:35:59 --> 00:36:01 from the true and only gospel of
00:36:01 --> 00:36:04 grace and forgiveness that is found
00:36:04 --> 00:36:07 in Jesus grace is not the beginning
00:36:07 --> 00:36:10 the gospel is not the beginning it's
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 everything
00:36:11 --> 00:36:19 God called us to live in grace so
00:36:19 --> 00:36:21 take the gospel out of the display
00:36:21 --> 00:36:24 cabinet if you've put it on a shelf
00:36:24 --> 00:36:26 get it out and use it eat off it
00:36:26 --> 00:36:30 every meal be shaped by it be defined
00:36:30 --> 00:36:34 by it because there is no other gospel
00:36:34 --> 00:36:38 there is no other hope there is nothing
00:36:38 --> 00:36:39 else that has the power to give you
00:36:39 --> 00:36:41 security there is nothing else that
00:36:41 --> 00:36:43 has the power to give you joy in
00:36:43 --> 00:36:47 darkness there is nothing else that
00:36:47 --> 00:36:49 can lift you from the limitations and
00:36:49 --> 00:36:51 the hurt and the struggle of this life
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 and give you eyes to see the heaven that
00:36:52 --> 00:36:56 God is preparing for you so use it live
00:36:56 --> 00:36:58 in grace
00:36:58 --> 00:36:59 you