The Grace Decision [Part 2]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan writing center where the Carolina T-shirt on the campus of course not. But would it be sensitive and would not go preach and someone else's ball and some other part of the country are on the other side of the world asked the pastor what do you wear when you're preaching Alan Wright another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britton excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series limited as presented at renewal the church in North Carolina.

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Contact us at pastoralan.org pastor@an.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program right now. Let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright to believe the Bible like a practice still goes on Appalachia believe the Bible said that in order to prove that you're full of the Holy Spirit that you should handle serpents and if you are bitten you should trust in God to heal you and so on his birthday. As a young man. It was a Saturday. All he wanted more than anything else was to have his family members, and worship and praise the Lord and to pick up yellow timber rattlesnake and worship the Lord and it bit them and not long thereafter, all the festivities halted and they carried him out unresponsive to a relative's house and soon they called the emergency vehicles and paramedics took him to the Bluefield medical regional Hospital where not long thereafter he died.

His father had died by being bitten by a rattlesnake and he had been interviewed in a Washington Post article not long before his own death and he said when he got bit speaking of his father. He said he wanted to die in the church. He said I hated to see him go, but he died for what he believed really what the snake handling have to do with the Jerusalem Council.

Everything I just carried it out to the ocean.

I just taken something and said let me show you where it goes. If you say that you need faith in Jesus plus something else to really be powerful, and the Holy Spirit. We show you what happens if you say you need grace. Plus, you need your own performance. All the way to the tributaries run into the ocean and what you find is in the devil knows it primary way that we are tempted is not to abandon our faith in God altogether. The primary way that we are tempted religiously to try to add to a gospel that cannot be added to so that our joy would not be complete and that we would miss out on our spiritual inheritance and weirdness on the love and the affection of God and that we would worry about her acceptance in the beloved and we would not have the hope of our assurance of heaven forever, and that therefore we would live lives constantly trying to prove ourselves that grace is so much more.

I came upon a quote from my New Testament Prof. Charles Cowles in his Galatian commentary and I was so taken by and I googled to see if Charlie was still alive and is in heaven.

I'll have to tell them thank you there because I thought that's the way it should be said. He wrote grace is more than a doctrine. It is an experience's experience. Faith is not a way for humans to get God on their side.

He's already for them see your faith doesn't get God to love you more like you more favor you more. He are he loves you would like to invite you and Jesus Christ. Faith is what receives it. He's already for them in faith. They change not heat the gospel is more than a set of propositions about Christ is a divine activity by means of which people are drawn into the realm of God's grace in it. In the gospel and energy is released to change the plight of people and circumstances, it is the power of God for salvation. Well said Charlie. So there meeting and in Jerusalem on this all-important question I wanted you to see it was so important they felt like they all had to come together and answer this question you're sitting there they will course, they should easily answer this question know that was a vigorous debate, was an open, honest forum to answer the question of the Gentiles need to be circumcised so the first one to stand up all Peter.

You gotta love Peter is always a first. He wants to jump up.

Peter jumps up and says well here's the first proof that they don't need to to be circumcised said they were circumcised and they receive the Holy Spirit look.

Acts 15 verse seven what Peter said after much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, brothers, you know that in the early days, God made a choice among you by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe you remember I had a vision. God let down this big sheet. I sought and unclean animals. He said rising E-mini used it to tease me that the Gentiles can be cleaned by God. Just the same way we are and so we see that the Holy Spirit is moving these adverse a God who knows the heart bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did us and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed her heart.

So the first point of the debate Peter said is that God doesn't make a distinction. Why should we.

And then he says more than that, he says, was saved in the same way that verse 10 now therefore, Peter said, why are you putting God to the jazz by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples, but neither our fathers nor we have been able to back the yogis talk about the law and what readers they don't get this is really really rational. He says we the Jews grew up under the law. We've got the Torah we got all the law of Moses. We know that we have not been able to bear. So why would we want to do all we can to introduce Gentiles to Jesus and then take this big heavy yoke that we couldn't bear it and put on their next why would we want to know that he said verse 11, when the most astonishing statements in history. He said we believe we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus just as they well he saying plainly. There are not two ways of being saved we are saved through Jesus's sacrifice by grace alone through faith alone or were not saved at all the people in the Old Testament were saved through the wall in the New Testament, saved through grace were only and forever and always saved by grace or were not saved Alan Wright will have more teaching moment from today's important series inspiration and practical help to grasp is that in conjunction with the exciting really suppressed Allen's new book, the power at last put together some tools to get you started on the journey of speaking, life empowering people you that the toolkit includes a message of Pastor Alan's recent sermon on the mysterious pricing of FM MMR gateway to understanding the power of all blessing also included in the kit is a booklet with a list of scriptures that can be spoken directly expressing the blessing Scripture soprano pricing can easily access them for specific situations when you make your gift right ministries this month will happily send you the power to bless toolkit is our way of saying things for your partnership resources are available for immediate digital download or available in CD and a click partner with and be inspired and equipped to bless someone's life to the gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer.

We are happy to send this to you as I banks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor our and got work. These teaching you once again is album is that it doesn't matter what law you're trying to keep you can't keep most Americans say that their ass in a survey. If you want to say why he should be allowed in heaven. Why should be allowed and I so well because I'm a good person.

The problem with that is so much the standard for measuring whether someone is good.

The 10th of I don't know you by the The 10 commands I don't know anybody hasn't coveted at least a little bit. Anybody who had lied at least a little bit we can keep the 10 Commandments. If God had just given us three. If you just sit here just three things just these three things are all you gotta do to be saved.

We could just 322. Don't ever lie don't cut it. Never ride down the street and go man I wish I had that car just never do that.

Your whole life. You'll be sick.

We couldn't do what Tim Keller plays that you know what only can we not keep like some commandments like a set of code by the 10 Commandments you couldn't keep it if it was your own coat said imagine you had a tape recorder around your neck and the only thing that it recorded is the words that you speak about the standards you have for other people only thing it records is what you say. Other people should do and that includes every time somebody pulls in front of you and that would include things that I would say to the referee while watching football games this week that would include everything you said about that parent. Like why are they controlling that child everything that you can only coat would bill to keep a course we can't keep any set of rules where saved by grace, and so are the and if you say well there's just no standard. The modern era is trying to say it's all relative. There's no really right and wrong know good and evil.

And that's the fact of the matters we all did. The end because there's not really any good or evil is nonsense. This is nonsense because to say that is to say that Hitler and Mother Teresa are equally morally virtuous and that's absurd know were saved by grace.

And that's it all stands up to join into the debate and Paul essentially says watching the Holy Spirit moving in the Gentiles, lives at verse 12 and all the assembly fell silent after Peter spoke of zeros.

They fell silent because all the people that worry and you know what Peter got a good point there. But then Paul stands up to reinforce and Paul in verse 12 is the fall silently.

Listen to Boris or Paul as they related what signs and wonders got it done through them among the Gentiles. He starred Tom stories he's a lot to say this, we have been traveling through Cyprus and into Antioch and then through Lister and Derby, and we've come back to Antioch Syria and we've come down through Phoenicia and we've even gone through Samaria and we've even seen the Samaritans that God start telling about Jesus and the same joy that we have to start falling into their lives. We start seeing them having this incredible joy.

You know what happened. We pray for so-and-so and he was healed and then he turned around, pray for his sister and his sister got you witnessing the same things that happen in our lives have been in their lives. The Holy Spirit moving miraculously through the Gentiles who hadn't been circumcised being used by God for miracles improve on the and then James, who is the brother of Jesus and who wrote an epistle which if you've ever read.

It is the only place in the New Testament where you cannot get over you go that almost sounds like works righteousness, it wasn't. But he said things like faith without works is dead and he talked so much about our morality.

There even James. He stood up and added to the argument that what he essentially said was, have you not read the Old Testament and he quoted Amos to prove the point of grace. Verse 15. With this the words. The prophets agree, just as it is written," Amos after this I will return and I will rebuild the tent of David that is falling talking about messianic rule, the son of David, I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord who makes these things known from of old, and James said therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God and so the Jerusalem Council decided grace is all right now interestingly will have time to go into detail about it.

The discussion doesn't stop there.

In the something that at first blush, he might go there counteracting that in the pastoral letter that they decide to write.

They also follow James counsel at verse 20 where he says, but we should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols and from sexual immorality and from what is been strangled, and from blood.

That conversation about what's been strangled, and from blood is talking about the way food is prepared and what we call kosher style according to the ceremonial customs of the Jewish people and the thing that's at the heart of this is about food that's been offered to idols, which becomes a question that's addressed elsewhere in the New Testament is very interesting.

I will spend long on it but it is essentially to say that James says we by no means should we tell the Gentiles that in order to be saved. They need to also follow the law. But once we made it clear to them that there saved by grace alone. I suggest James says that we add to it. They really shouldn't just willy-nilly eat food. This been offered to idols. Was he talking about here is the fact that people were Cyprus and still today I've seen it in India is so interesting to look at and see why no icons writing binder see some little pagan statue or something and there's a bowl of food out in front of it and I remember asking Pastor Sam Childers. It was going to sit on his food offered to idols, and as I would suggest that there is a well yeah sometimes but you sometimes are taken into disco sell in the marketplace. What happen is you put food out front.

I'll and the idle is not real and worthless and mute and powerless as to the idle doesn't eat the food, but the pagan priest being good businessmen thought we should let this food go to waste. So they take it down to the marketplace and sell it wants a good lamb chops to go away, sit in front of the statute so they take down marketplace and you know what I think you get a pretty good deal included been offered to idols is, like, you know, day-old bread, a pig at the grocery store. Some like this to get rid expiry but put a firesale missing.

Get some good meat that been offered on and Paul says elsewhere he said is finding this no sanity net food because we know the idols, not real, there's no cursing on the food and we know where Rudy he said is no problem with that, but what James is saying here and what Paul elsewhere says if, however, you have a friend that you're trying to teach about Christ. If you know some Jewish believer who thinks that it's detestable to eat food is been offered to idols, and they think it's a sin and you go ahead and flaunt your grace and do it anyway then you're causing them to stumble. I suggest instead be sensitive to that person is sodalite I have a son who just graduated from Duke Law school and I'm just so thankful for this law degree of this esteemed school where he got his law degree and all they did for him but still deep down you know I'm a Carolina fan there just a little part of me that I go to visit him on the Duke campus to just a little mischievous part of me that thought kinda like to wear my Carolina T-shirt, but I never did because, would it be a sin to where the Carolina T-shirt on the Duke campus. Of course not. But would it be sensitive would not maybe a better example. When I go preach and someone else's pulpit and some other part of the country or on the other side of the world. I like to ask the pastor what do you wear when you're preaching is because it be a sin for me to wear jeans when he wears a coat and tie core so that everyone aware that in effect at all. The power of the gospel is not about me is not about what awareness about the gospel right but I don't want to needlessly offend those that think what he's not honoring he's not wearing a want to do that. So you be sensitive. That's what James is talking about here, so they decide they're going to send the Gentiles a letter and said they don't know think you be circumcised, don't think you gotta keep the law. Let's give you some counsel here though.

Be sensitive and don't flaunt your grace needlessly to make other people stop and they concluded their mating and the gospel of grace prevailed what would've happened if instead they had said yes it's grace but it's grace plus regard identify three or four laws that are necessary for us to be. Say we wound up in the wrong ocean.

That's why I say it might be the most important question any counsel ever debated and it might be the most important question you could ever ask yourself when you rise in the morning.

Am I saved and do I have abundant life by grace, plus something else that I can perform or bring to the equation or am I saved and have abundant life because of what Jesus alone did for me through grace alone and remind yourself that he's more than 19th century English theologian Andrew Jukes said Satan would have us to prove ourselves holy by the law which God gave to prove our centers. The law was a good gift. Not because it empowered us to change because it proved to us that we need a Savior happens when you encounter the law is, you realize I can't keep that yoke and you draw, you flee to the heart of God. You come to the Savior and say fill me or I will not be felt. Use me by your power are I will not be useful. Grant me your peace and security by grace or I will be anxious for there is no other gospel. There is no other way you and I and everyone who will be in heaven is saved by grace alone, and that the gospel Allen right. Today's good news is the greatest decision in our series unlimited and Pastor Alan is back with his you joining us to share his parting thought for the day just about inspiration and practical help to bless those who live in conjunction with the exciting release of Pastor Alan's new book, the power to bless you put together some tools to get you started on the journey of speaking, life empowering people you that the toolkit includes an idea message of Pastor Alan's recent sermon on the mysterious blessing of FM in the marks at the gateway to understanding the power of all blessing also included in the kit is a booklet with a list of scriptures that can be spoken directly expressing blessing scriptures are probably pricing can easily access them for specific situations when you make your gift Allen right ministries this month will happily send you the power to bless toolkit is our way of saying thanks for your partnership resources are available for immediate digital download or available in CD and click partner with and be inspired and equipped to bless someone's life to the gospel is shared when you get to Allen right ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I thanked him. Allen right ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor at work during the studios your Pastor Alan sporting good news thought for the day. Topic of grace as we conclude this particular teaching but also were concluding this series unlimited. So the question is, is grace enough in not saying do you need 99% grace and 1% law. The question is, is the grace of God in Jesus Christ enough in the answer of the gospel is yes you don't bring one shred of your righteousness to the table when you come to Christ. Instead, it's all his work, his righteousness, and all we bring is simple childlike faith to receive the saving work and the rest of our lives, then, is living out an expression of gratitude and empowerment. The great salvation that is brought us so you start Daniel by grace you grow by grace, and you finish by grace.

That meeting was one of the most important in the history of the world, and the meeting is decided is forever true grace is today's good news message is a listener supported production Allen right ministries