Freedom for the Captives Through Gospel Proclamation [Part 1]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan Wright. We are going to be diving deep into not just asking, what is the gospel really mean. But why is it all is so so upset with the Galatians and he spake so long Alan another message of it will help you see your life in a whole new life. I'm being deliberate excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series called unleashed as presented at renewal the church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program today to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. You can find out more about it and even receive a copy of your very own for your donation this month to Alan Wright ministry. So as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer@pastor.org find out more about it and make your request or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. Again, our website pastor Alan.org.

More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here. Alan Wright is the reason I ask you if you're ready for some good news is because the good news of the gospel is what preaching is all about to preach the gospel means to preach good news and so therefore it's important to acknowledge every time that what were gathering around his good news we've been looking at this kind of inaugural sermon of Jesus says in Luke chapter 4 Luke chapter 4 he takes the scroll of Isaiah and verse 17 and he unrolled the scroll and found the place where it's written the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and what I'm focusing in on is this he came to proclaim good news to the poor. Don't take it over to night to our primary text in Galatians and chapter 4 Galatians chapter 4 verse eight. Formally, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods but now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God.

How can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world whose slaves you want to be once more you observe days and months and seasons and years is talking there about your observing all these Jewish festivals you feel you have to you have to legalistic. We keep the Sabbath to keep certain festivals.

You just can't go back on this legalism is when you talk about verse 11. He listens the pain in Paul's heart. I'm afraid that I may have labored over you in vain. Sine die, I thought the gospel taken right now, here you go about all this and then he continues in verse 21. Using an example to really talk about tonight.

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do not listen to the law, for it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the sun of the free woman was born through promise that this may be interpreted allegorically. These women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery. She's Hagar Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia.

She corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children, but the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. Verse 28 now you brothers like Isaac, are children of promise but just as at that time he was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the spirit, so also it is now, but what does the Scripture say cast out the slave woman and her son for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman. So, brothers, we are not children of the slave, but of the free woman is referring back to a story in Genesis and will be looking at a few moments and all is going to make sense, but in the first was real for me of the stories would make much sense for you to see this is one of the most powerful and poignant images. Paul ever uses to describe how beautiful, wonderful, and radical the gospel of the grace, the Lord Jesus Christ really is. Some years ago many years ago my wife and I hosted a young adults group at our home and as we were just getting started. The second week that we are meeting and I didn't know all of these young adults that were coming. I was just beginning to get to know them in the second we were meeting with our start our meeting front doorbell rang and I went to get the door and there on my front porch steps was a highway patrolman in full uniform. My heart sank and I could feel a little fear just came up within me and my thought was, I am in human driving here in a while. How can I be getting a ticket now and Anasazi and what else could I have done wrong and why. Why would he even be here and Isaiah said yes sir.

This young man and he said hey pastor Alan. He said I'm Randy's I'm here for the Bible study is that all Randy's it. Yeah, I'm sorry admin uniform. I just got off duty. So come on and man. Yeah sure I thought until I knew that he was my friend. You know I didn't I didn't give me a ticket. In other words you you you see what seems to be the symbol of the law and you merely start thinking about what the condemning me and a lot of people this is the way they've come to view the church is that if there was someone who are representing God, then I will fear that comes up with some kind of condemnations going to be coming soon and his very good book. What's amazing about Grace Phil Yancey tells about a friend who had a ministry amongst people who were on the streets of Chicago and one woman who I had been selling herself on the streets of Chicago and this friend of Yancey's was trying to help her and at one point of the friend asked this woman on the streets of Chicago said have you ever thought about going to church and she said church already feel terrible about myself. She said they would just make me feel worse and whatever's happened, especially in our culture is a lot of sentiment in misunderstanding a lot of people have the thing that that's what church is about, or even what gospel is about or what the word evangelicals about which is based on the word that means gospel and so tonight we're going to be diving deep into not just asking, what is the gospel really mean. But why is it that Paul is so so upset with the Galatians Andy speaking so so strongly he is he is saying that the gospel cannot be infected with any law based living or else it is like introducing a persecution spirit right into the midst of the home in the way that happen with Ishmael and Isaac will explain that it is to for our purposes as we think about gospel proclamation that we love supporting all over the world to clarify what we really mean by preaching and I was a little disappointed. Not a little a lot disappointed in not looking up.

Miriam Webster's definition of the word preach, I'm a preacher and the first definition is explain vanilla to deliver a sermon, but listen to the second definition to urge acceptance of an idea or course of action far so good. I guess, but then it says specifically to exhort in an officious or tiresome manner is what people think of me as a preach know it's like somebody of if somebody going through a hard time or they feel like they are, or there are there trapped in some kind of sinful behavior. You know, and some Isaac start on it and they like or don't preach to me last thing I need some I preaching at me understand that the word preach that is used in Luke four when Jesus takes that scroll from Isaiah. The word for preach is a word that is to say proclaim good news that's Alan will have more teaching moment from today's important series. This is what the facts I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's times and have compassion on his dwellings. The city will be rebuilt on Hulu and Harris will stand in its proper place as timeless wakes up in Jeremiah 30 for the heart of God loves to us the way to time cities would often be rebuilt on top of the ruins of the former city and the city would stand higher with safer walls and a greater perspective pastor. Our night in Seattle and out of the rulings help document build your life gloriously, yesterday's disappointments to get to Alan Wright Ministries to listen to Pastor Alan's messages in an attractive see through digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership. Now these are the final days. This offer is being made available to you this month, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and dialect. Today's teaching now continues here once again is let me show you this, make sure that we get this straight, proclaim good news is the Greek word you on the lives of my and you want to go live is my comes from you on deli all the this is the evangel. This is the the the on deli on is the Greek word for good news and that's our word for gospel so to preach is to you on Glenn's MI. It is to proclaim the young DeLeon.

It is to proclaim good news that's a word you on deli outcomes from this this prefix see you. You see this in things like up eulogy right eulogy because of the words you like good logos word decide to give a good word about somebody and in the second part of the young DeLeon is just envelopes, which is messenger Angel means messenger. So that's what this means. It means that it is the proclamation of a good news announcement and that the comparable word in the Old Testament boss are was a word that was just used to announce and the like. The birth of a child or the victory of a battle. It's one of those wonderful words it's it's it's the announcement of good news, but what Paul is going to say is if we do see is that when you start mixing in any law you introduce this unlimited capacity for fear and condemnation, and the good news loses its goodness. And that's the problem and collate English so here's what happened. Paul and preach the gospel.

It was received with great joy in their amongst the Galatian Christians. They were filled with the spirit.

They had miracles in their midst was it was a wonderful gospel community and then these Judaizers had entered the scene about it.

It's a word that is used to describe false teachers who came in on and began to try to convince the the converts in Galatia that in order to be a true great Christian that you not only needed what Jesus had done and accepted by faith. You need that.

But in addition to that, they said there other things. If you want to really be close to God, then you'll keep certain days and yield legalistic we keep the festivals and specifically they said and you'll keep practicing the Jewish ritual of circumcision and polishes furious about this and you wonder why is he so mad until you realize that what Paul is mad about is that when you introduce any mixture into the gospel website. Yes it's about Jesus and what he's done for me, but it's also a little bit about what I need to do now. You've got a mixed message and and is paralyzing. And even worse than that. It is poisonous to this to the soul. That's essentially what he saying I had opted to be going down to Moultrie, Georgia early this week to speak at a banquet there as a charge. They are motor that I did a conference a couple years in a row be a decade ago and I hold that church in my heart and so they divined bad come and speak at an event and I a counseling center and so I said sure, well it said it is loss or shortest. I it's hard to get the motor George on airplanes and I left out time is coming back home and my flight had a connection in Charlotte to get back in a go to Raleigh in the drive in Raleigh and about the time I get kinda tired on Tuesday and I get into Charlotte airport where little bit late and I realize I was going to have to run to make my connection and I get too old for this stuff, you know, run through airports, but I said okay I'm a Ron and I had received a text on my phone it said that the airplane was going to be at gate D1 and but I always like to check the monitor at the airport writing maybe got the travel check the monitor because the monitor is what's the live thing right so I checked the monitors that see 19 which is the one. See 19 and my plane.

It just dated at E.

28. Which of the Charlotte airports as far away as you can get. They need to have a train or a bus for me. 28 but they don't and so I said I gotta make a decision here and I don't know what to do. I'm just gonna run for see 19 because that's what the monitors. As I stopped two other times. Check see. 19 every monitor and the Charlotte Douglas International Airport said, see 19 for my flight. I literally ran I'm sweating and huffing and puffing and I got to see Concourse and 19th at the end is last one down there and so I went down and their soul that you know there were some people boarding and so forth and it said Newark and I was trying to remember that not just as a preacher, but I was a Christian I was forgetting all of that about that time and said something like every monitor and the airport says see 19 and now I might miss my flight and please call over there. Didn't he may become quite as nicely as is a mixed message right. I did make the flight. I ran to D1.

As they were closing the gate and a mixed message is a message that will have you left worried and weary psychologist talk about and some of our parenting relationships. It's only want what we call a double bind and double bind message is where I will essay the child spills milk and mom says I love you but really it's a double message okay you do you love me or the MLS love because I spilled the milk and so it leaves you wondering a little bit about that it's it's like saying I don't know. I feel trapped here between two things and what Paul say is that I came in I preached you a gospel that was the good news of what God's done for you in Jesus Christ, so that it is not about your marriage is not about your righteousness is not about you.

Keep in any laws you can't manage to keep the law, by your own power and now these false teachers of come and you become believing this and you're starting succumbing to. That's what's happening with this is is leaving you with this mixed message and in the very power the gospel is being eroded from you. What Paul is concerned about is it as soon as you have a mixture of the gospel. Then it introduces the capacity for for fear to come into your life in a whole new way. Because if you are wondering whether you're keeping a little bit of the law that you're supposed to. Even though it's mostly gospel it can just rob you of the joy you have in the gospel a member some years ago reading about a father who was who was emotionally distant from his son and sometimes abusive to the son, but the boy love fish and and only thing he ever did get was sometimes a good fishing together and eat at his rod and reel that he wanted so badly and it is birthday rolled around his dad came and gave him a rod and reel, but as he gave the rod and reel. He said not expect to be sure and have all your chores done all time and remember that is walk away. They said I gave it to you. I can always take away from and the little boy said in reflection on it, writing many years later, he said, almost didn't want the gift of those so if I lose when when you introduce law even if it's like gospel gospel gospel good news, good abusers, but then you introduce the bad news of but if you're not good enough and you don't measure up. Then maybe you won't have all the affection of God. If you introduce that even though you might talk a lot about the grace of God, you, you have infected it and it's like poison into the whole system. Our radio ministry that is through sharing light ministries is celebrating 10 years and were very thankful Riddle the church as a strategic partnership with sharing light ministry and so were selling 10 years of of radio ministry when things are doing is is going back and looking at some of the letters of encouragement testimonies over the last 10 years is very encouraging thing to do to see all people around the nation that it have been receiving this message. The radio, but as we began that first year I that's looking back over this all a note that really in some ways it haunted me and also motivated me because I received it.

I think in the first year we are on the radio was from Manning Herman and he wrote this note is that I love the Lord, I want to grow in his grace and knowledge only desires to please God, but I know that I come up short, that say the right words at the right time. When I tried to witness to someone that I study God's word long and often a playwright.

He writes I witness every chance I get. I study the word wanted two hours a day. I listen to preaching and teaching on the radio but I still feel guilty not given the Lord enough when I think of what Jesus is done for me.

I'm 60 years old. He wrote, but I cry often because I can never do enough of the Lord. Pray for me that that kind of of slavery and bondage is what Baltimore gets introduced we start introducing but is more than just fear the gets introduced when you start introducing legalism into the gospel. It's not just that you become afraid you feel paralyzed by mixed message is that it becomes part of your identity.

This is the worst part of all been reading up book by a woman named Tara Westover third New York Times number one bestseller. She was raised in a strange home in Idaho in which her parents were very strict. Mormons whose who had a survivalist ideology and hoarded oil and food and believed there was a big conspiracy and that they needed to keep their children from the outside world.

And so, for example, Tara didn't even have a birth certificate and toll it was needed much later in her life.

She was able to finally get one but they had no they said they homeschool but they didn't offer any education they had a junkyard and the kids were expected to work in the junkyard where they were injured often and they didn't believe they believe medical practice was bad and evil so and they were injured or they wouldn't get medical help and said they did home remedies. Her older brother was abusive towards her is all she knew, but she she taught herself enough. Enough about reading and arithmetic to eventually take the standardized ACT test and after the second attempt she was admitted to Brigham Young University Helen Wright replacing a bookmarking right here and will come back and pick up the conclusion of the story in this teaching it's titled freedom for the captives through gospel proclamation in the series on the leased anchor to stay with us though Alan is back here in the studio here in just a moment sharing a parting good news thought for the day.

You can hold onto.

This is what I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's times and have compassion on his dwellings.

The city will be rebuilt on Hulu and Harris will stand in its proper place as homeless wakes up in Jeremiah 30 for the heart of God loves to us the way to time cities would often be read out on top of the ruins of the former city. The city would stand higher with safer walls and a greater perspective pastor right out of the Billings help document build your life gloriously, yesterday's disappointments to get to Alan Wright Ministries to listen to Pastor Alan's messages in an attractive see through digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership. We are in our final days of offering the special product 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and dialect of blessing your life. Grace filled vision for your rights, free grace and encouragement. Alan writes a daily blessing.

It's free.

Just a click away. Pastor I got away. Thank you. Use your Allen's parting good news thought for the day was your prayer for when listening after a message like this won't be seeing the image of Paul English and saying get rid of the slave woman in referring to the image of Hagar was kind of the earthly solution to problem that actually God himself. A supernatural God was and give them their own biological son. Abraham and Sarah, but in their hurry in patients they brought in and Ishmael was born in my prayer is that in seeing the power of the gospel of grace, that all the temptation to rely on human effort would be set aside so that you could enjoy God and trust today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries