The Grace Decision [Part 1]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright, one of my initiation rites. What I had to go and where something like a choir for them either graduation rover acquire aerobic and some like that stand from the drugstore at what was used to be the Golden gate shop considering greens for sale coat hangers until I make five dollars could have been a salesman used short from excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series limited as presented at renewal, the church, North Carolina not able to stay with us throughout the entire make sure you know how to get our special resource. Right now you can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer.

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More on this later in the program right now. Let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright are you ready for some good grace. Don't need to add anything to it can't take anything away from it.

The greatest news the world has ever heard or ever will hear is that our gospel is a gospel of grace and nothing but nothing need be added to it. Okay history buffs what you think was the greatest, most important, was a most important meeting in history most important conference or counselor Summit was the greatest in history.

I googled the question he and his seem like the answer kept coming up at least as regards political matters, the Yalta conference, 1945 in the Yalta Soviet Union when a heads of the Allied powers. So Roosevelt and Churchill and Stalin meet to talk about in anticipation of Germany's unconditional surrender how to divide Germany and move forward in postwar Europe. You would think with victory Nye.

Some might look a little happier. I looks the most depressed. I think the world leaders were pretty tired by 19 by Jim that I give him that.

Some historians will say maybe the most important meeting in his release from a religious perspective, the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. seminarians studying this right off the bat because the Council of Nicaea ended up producing what we call the Nicene Creed you've said parts of it before we quote it some time to time. It was in this at the famous statement about Jesus that he was begotten, not made emerge because Arius was teaching that Jesus was a creature that had been made by the father and so he was not equal with the father and that was here that they early church father said no.

The Scriptures teach that Jesus is God and he was not a creature he is coequal of the same substance as God himself. Some might point to one the most important meetings of history, which was the DX of Vern's if you ever saw it written, it looks like diet of worms.

And I confess that for some time in my life. That's how I pronounced it. The diet of worms.

It was not a newfangled diet. In the 16th century it was that he and assembly that was called by the Roman Emperor at the time to question Martin Luther who had famously written all about the power of grace alone, by faith alone through scripture alone and they read out before Martin Luther 25 titles of the works that he's written and asked him to recant.

Just recently, when John Huss had not recanted. He'd been executed and is so funny because at that meeting hereby thinks about the incredible courage of Martin Luther, the great reformer, but what happened was they asked him do you recant and he said could you give me a day to think about.

It took 24 hours to come back and give his answer came back at 4 o'clock the next day and famously said here I stand I can do no other and the Reformation continued. Maybe that's why most important meetings in history because we probably wouldn't be here if some might point of course 1963 were 200,000 people gathered at the Washington Mall and heard Martin Luther King Jr. say I have a dream. They have been some important moments in history were groups of people gathered to consider important matters, but I want to put on the list and maybe suggest the most important meeting in history took place in the first century and is recorded in acts chapter 15 and is known as the Jerusalem Council.

It is perhaps the most important meeting ever because they were considering the question is a grace enough and I would suggest to you, it is apart from the question is Jesus Lord, this question is grace alone enough it might be the most important question for you to answer today and every day and to remind yourself of the answer for the rest of your life.

Yes, it's always this is what happened in acts chapter 15 starting at verse one. Some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.

As you observe this particular Jewish ceremonial law, then they said you cannot be fully included in the body of Christ first. Two. After Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them so this is something that is really hot issue there carried on vigorous debate with them about it. Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about the question. The first time that elders and apostles are going to come together convene for the purpose of discussing, debating and praying over. I really, really important question. Please note, by the way right from the beginning under the Holy Spirit the instinct of the people gone.

The leaders was not have one person who sends I hear from God so therefore I get to make all decisions the instinct was come together and pray together and in the Council of many there will be wisdom and we will better discern the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ through a godly group and we will for just one individual that's part of the reason I'm Presbyterian. A good king and a godly king can be a good thing. But if the king is having a bad day. That's not the form of government you will so they got up the question. Verse three being sent on the way by the church. They pass through both the Nishi and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers is a happy happy gathering and when they came to Jerusalem before they were welcomed by the church and apostles and elders and declared all that God had done with them. Some believers who belong to the part of the Pharisees rose up and said notice and these are believers. These are Christians who have been Pharisees like Paul Jewish Pharisees had now become believers in Jesus there. The ones that rise up some of them some of them and said it's necessary to circumcise the Gentiles and to order them to keep the law of Moses and apostles and elders were gathered together to consider this matter.

This question may be the most important question in the most important meeting baby in history as it would lead them to think that the Gentiles might need to keep this religious ritual of having their baby boy circumcise on the eighth day what what what what is so what is so attractive about some kind of mark of a covenant like this. What is so what is what is so and seemingly important about the sign of inclusion like that that says yes I'm in a fully and was because the human heart just craves to be in human heart craves acceptance and we see it in every human heart that apart from Christ and radical acceptance in Christ will look for and do almost anything to feel accepted. Like were part of it challenge right will have more teaching moment from today's important series inspiration and practical help to grasp is that in conjunction with the exciting release of Allen's new book, the power to classically put together some tools to get you started on the journey of speaking life empowering the people you that the toolkit includes a message of Pastor Alan's recent sermon on the mysterious blessing from them 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 as blessings 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 thanks 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 thanked him Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website. Pastor our and data work teaching you once again is Rivera going for but I joined a civic club when I was in high school. It was a silly civic club.

I would just get your picture in the yearbook or something I wouldn't do anything to help anybody, and we didn't really never meet which every picture in the yearbook and it was to look good on your resume for college. In all, and the sauce joints on whatever it was, a civic club so I can remember which one is in their initiation rites to be included. So one of my initiation rites. What I had to go and where something like acquire either a graduation robe require aerobic and some like that and understand from the drugstore at what was used to be the Golden gate shop considering Greensburg and sell coat hangers until I made five dollars. I made my five dollars I could've been a salesman but I… I made my five dollars selling coat hangers use coat hangers in front of drugstore from a guy in a row. But anyway the things that people have done throughout time to show that there included whatever silly ritual, whatever foolish Mark, whatever it might be. People have been willing to do it so that they would be identified as one on the inside so circumcision was the mark of being included in the covenant.

It also was the identification that were distinct from others. Remember that the Jewish people had always been told I got they were holy, holy means set apart. It means your mind says the Lord, and as such they were used to being distinct from other peoples and all the ceremonial laws were there to continually remind them they were holy, so before the time of Jesus. They didn't associate with Gentiles and they did things a godsend like washing their hands ritualistically. People make fun of them for this and they had their baby boy circumcise like no other peoples and this was a mark of their distinctive nests and they wanted to keep their distinction from the Gentiles.

It seemed absolutely wrong to do anything.

It was all heightened. This emphasis on circumcision because of the persecution that the Jews felt especially around a couple hundred centuries before Christ around 170 BC Antioch is the fourth Roman ruler persecuted viciously the Jews and forbade the practice of circumcision and said that any Jewish boys that were circumcise must be put to death along with their mothers so there was a pirate of the Pharisees. That said, in order to maintain our faithfulness. We got to continue the ceremonial law. It is what is the mark of the covenant. It makes us know that were included and it marks us as distinct from the rest of the world and they were saying, essentially, so the Gentiles need to carry on this practice because they need to show their faithfulness as well. They need to show their distinctiveness from the rest of the culture and they need to prove that there in side as well is it so important. I seemingly small gesture like this.

Was this just the clash of the old and the new I told you a couple weeks ago I got sucked right into the soap opera.

That's what it is Downton Abbey and I'm right in the middle of saying, and we just sit there watching this thing night after night I met with Scott, whose will get married was gold. I was going to happen is said you never seen it in World War I era in England of this noble family that maintains this huge estate and carries on all the traditions and yet there is the invasion of the more modern and so every episode of is not about somebody get married or die. It is about the clash of the old and the new and sometimes you can read the New Testament think well what really was about was the Pharisees were just stuck in the mud and they wanted the old ways and then Jesus came in there with the new ways that's not what's going on.

It is not a clash between something that is old and something that is an adjustment of the old to a more modern way. It is the clash of an entirely different way of being. It is to say the new covenant is not to say that he is a modern adjustment of an older covenant it is to say, it is entirely different in its asset's.

It is a move from law to grace. That's why they met in Jerusalem. They were just answering the question.

What's this deal of circumcision really all about. They were answering the question. What's the gospel. This is the thing that Paul addressed mainly in his letter to the Galatians and Paul remember who he was.

He is the apostle who wrote about love. He is the one who taught us in first Corinthians 13 what agape looks like he is the one who in almost every breath spoke of grace. He is the one who prayed that we would have spiritualized to build see how long a wine Ohio deep is the love of God. He is the one who taught us. Humility and grace when he wrote the Galatians, he was furious.

He was furious because similarly their Judaizers. Those who wanted to push the Jewish law were trying to tell the Galatian Christians who were so spirit filled and so joyous that those Gentile Galatians needed to be circumcise. And Paul wrote in Galatians chapter 1 verse six, you could see his emotion. He said I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ. He said to start adapting yourself to little pieces of law, even if it's just 1% law you are deserting him who called you and grace. And then he said you're turning to a different gospel what Paul was saying is if your gospel says it's all Jesus and all grace, but you also have to practice the right of circumcision you turn to a different gospel and then he says something even stronger. In verse seven he says not that there is another one. But there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we listen to this. If we begin of himself or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one that we preached you, let him be accursed. He is speaking language that is so strong. You can even believe it comes from the apostles… What he saying is, even if I preach a gospel that is grace plus law. Let me let an angel let anyone who does that separated from God for all eternity will furious you see it again in chapter 3, verse one and Galatians were Paul said oh foolish Galatians who has bewitched you.

He is saying you to believe that you have to add some law to your gospel.

You have been put under a spell. Let me ask you this, he said, did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith. How did you come into abundant life.

Was it because you got circumcise. Was it because we announce the gospel and you believed it.

So the issue in Jerusalem and that first century.

When they gathered for the most important meeting in history was not. Is grace important. Every body believe grace was important.

I don't know any Christian who would say they don't believe grace is important.

Of course everybody that the Christian believes grace is important, the question was not his grace important. The question is, is grace all you need. The question was not do Gentiles deserve to hear the gospel. The question is do Gentiles need to follow Jewish customs in order to be fully engrafted. What's at stake was the power of the gospel. What stake is the question. Is it okay to have a gospel that's mostly grace but has a little bit a law to the resounding answer was no. It is not so important that just one little religious ritual of circumcision.

What one little mark of inclusion. Why does that matter so much.

We give you two images one is the image of poison. Imagine, whatever is the most poisonous substance on earth and you take one drop and drop it into a glass of water is so potent that that whole glass of water. Though it be 99% water and only 1% poison has become all poison have said it before, like this. If I were to tell my beautiful wife who I love and marriage of 35 years of a said honey from 99 days in a row. I said honey I love you will never leave you. Your mind forever. I thank God for you will have our ups and downs but were in a covenant together. You can count on me and then on the hundredth day sure if you're good enough for me let you improve I might leave you will the first place is you know if you know my life I would never say that because I might not survive the day. If I said something like that so when I mainly would never say because I would never believe it. But if I were to say that what would happen 99 days in a row of I love you and I'm committed to you and then one day, I'm not so sure about it.

When that one day just wipe out the other 99. In an instant when you do more than just wipe out the other 99. An instant it would actually infect the relationship with fear.

In fact, it could inject a poison so great that it could introduce unlimited fear because for the next 99 days on the day the days go say it again: 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 grasp is that in conjunction with the exciting really suppressed Allen's new book the power of last put together some tools to get you started on the journey of speaking life empowering the people you that the toolkit includes a message of Pastor Alan's recent sermon on the mysterious blessing from them 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 as blessings 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 thanks for your partnership resources are available for immediate digital download or available in CD and a 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 thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and data work accurately through you sharing pastor and importing good news thought for the day and that a lustration is always is always stuck with me is replace the bookmark you're in the grace decision that one drop and I think of the food coloring example write one tiny drop and pure Clearwater is going to take the battle for most of us as Christians is not between law and all in pharisaical living versus the gospel of grace. The big the big challenge is to not have a mixed gospel not to have little tiny bit of law, the get mixed in. But if you put one drop red food coloring into a glass of water. The whole thing becomes tainted and that's what we're learning about today and that's why this we call the grace decision is one the most important decisions were most important moments in not just the history of the church but I say Daniel in history. It's today's good news. Messages of listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries