Really? [Part 1]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan Wright whether your conscience feels cleaner, not the fact of the matter is, the judge has announced over your life. For those who are in Christ, not guilty, which means it's just as if I'd never sent.

That's faster Alan Wright welcome to another message of good views that will help you see your life will Dino Britt excited for you to hear the teaching today. In this series Galatians is presented at renewal the church in North Carolina able to stay with us throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month made to Alan Wright ministry.

So as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today special offer. Contact us Pastor Alan.org Pastor Alan.org or call 877-544-4860 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program. Now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright here. The three most hopeful words that I know God loves you he loves you he loved you before you ever knew him.

He loved more than that he loved you before you ever called upon them.

More than that he loved you before you ever been obedient more than that he loved you while you were an enemy of God love you so much.

They send his only begotten son to die for you. He loves you. You can add to his love take away from his love is nothing you can do to make him love you more, make him love you less.

If the reality of surfactant is the three most hopeful words.

I know God loves you. The second three most hopeful words I know you can change you can change the problems in the things that you're still stumbling into now you don't have to always be stumbling in the six the sins that so easily entangle you now and always have to entangle you. The mentalities and strongholds that envelop such bondage in your life.

They have to bind you in the future. The things that have so robbed you of joy for had to continue in the future. You can change you really can change you can grow it can change you can grow, you can become more and more image of Christ.

You you you have so much in front of you that God loves you the most hopeful thing I can say, but a close second is you can change. God loves you.

You can change. Here's the key. The order of those two statements is essential for God loves you comes first, and you can change come second is to say you can change because God loves you. And when we get the order of that backwards, which missed most of us to some extent or another, whether Christian or non-Christian. Most of us get that backwards and will begin to think that if we are obedient and God will love us more. At that point, we become bewitched entrance, we become deceived and we fall into what is ultimately starkly put the scheme of hell.

The truth of the gospel is love produces obedience and obedience does not produce love, obedience is fueled by the love of God. Obedience never earns the love of God, God loves you.

You can change we must keep the order correct this. A big part of what Paul is talking about for the entire epistle of Galatians we join today and chapter 3 which is our seventh in this unhurried series through the epistle of Galatians away called simply, that's the gospel because I and every messages and that's the gospel.

The essence of the gospel, God loves you and therefore you can change that God died for you in the person of Jesus Christ, when you could not pay for your own sin. God paid for your sin when you couldn't not reckon make yourself a righteous God in Jesus Christ has reckon you is righteous and this gospel is so important. It is so essential we get it right and we keep it. We keep it simple.

But you see Paul and Galatians. It is most passion is most adamant here in chapter 1 is as if anybody preaches the gospel, but they start mixing the law into it. They start mixing Old Testament ritual laws like circumcision into the gospel say that you need to do this this or this in order to really be redeemed to really be saved to really be… That's her skin mixed and if you start a message like that. He says in chapter 1D preaches I let him be anathema, which is a site to be accursed is a really saying is, is let that message to say and help don't have anything to do with them is not strongly saying something is so very very important to this only been learning is one of the big issues in the churches in Galatia was that some people are called Judaizers they were false teachers. They came into these Galatian Christians would receive the word of God so readily so hungrily so eagerly and in the receive the purity of the gospel announcement and now these false teachers were saying yes you need Jesus but you also you need to practice. The Old Testament sign of inclusion in the covenant, which was circumcision. What Paul is saying here and elsewhere in the New Testament is that matter, will you sometimes when you have your children circumcise with other matters in essence is not an issue is with but if you say you must keep this law are these dietary laws are certain Sabbath laws or if you say you must do that or else you're not fully included in the family of God.

If you say you must do that you are really totally forgiven or you're not totally site or you're not totally redeemed if you said you must add something in like that. He said it this point.

He says I know I mistake everything right here even to the point we learned that he had to confront the apostle Peter himself over a matter of dietary laws resolve hypocrisy of Peter is you look at is what is so important to Paul about this is like these are small matters of the law.

How can that be so big and what we been learning is if you have a gospel that announces God's love for you unconditionally and the full redemptive work of Jesus Christ. But then you mix in an even 1% of the requirement of your own righteousness to keep the law in order to be saved. Then if you do that that 1% introduces an unlimited capacity for fear distorts the gospel and what Paul is saying is, it makes the gospel poisonous. It makes it toxic and no gospel at all. He said therefore there is no other gospel but this we learned last week. Justification is, Paul uses the word four times over about being justified and what we learn is extraordinary truth, the gospel is that when you accept what Christ has done for you, his grace towards you by dying on the cross living for you dying for you in living for you will be resurrected unto the right hand of the father himself. Interesting. When you accept the gospel. It's in God's eyes. He so fully forgives you that he declares the righteous judge, he declares you're not guilty a promise.

Of course we know that we want to we have sinned, and all of his fall short of the glory of God. You understand what it really means to be a child of God.

It begins at this point is believe in him and taken him at his word that no matter how you feel matter whether your conscience feels cleaner, not the fact of the matter is, the judge has announced over your life. For those who are in Christ, not guilty, which means it's just as if I'd never sent justification justified to be justified. In the first place means we learn is just as if I'd never sent six toward how would you view your life differently. How would you approach the throne of God differently. If you really could believe that what we saw was even more than that the gospel doesn't just declare that you're forgiven and therefore is just as if you never sin. That would leave you and a state of moral neutrality, it would say that your you haven't done anything wrong but you had not said anything good but the plan of God is not just to forgive you so that you don't have to be separated and lost in eternity's plan is one that is plans not just of that you can you can be reunited and reconciled to God and forgiven his plan is that you could be fully child of God and of the child and heir that all the spiritual riches of God. He wants to pour out into your life in the fullness of the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life is what it means to be justified is in the first place is just as if I'd never send. But secondly, this is a part of it was harder to believe is just as if I lived a perfectly meritorious life like Jesus himself is incredible. So saying is that when you accept what God has done for you in Jesus Christ by faith. Just this is what it means to be a Christian is just as if I never sin is just as if it is remarkable as it is, is just as if I'd lived the obedient life that Jesus lived about 1/2 Christ is my righteousness. That's the substance of what Paul is been laying out the first two chapters of Galatians, we get the Galatians 3 will be good to see today is that the same grace that justified you the same grace is safety is the same grace that sanctifies you that causes your Christian growth and the empowerment and outworking of miraculous things in your life through the Holy Spirit is one of the things that happens for so many Christians if they might grasp and say okay I can say myself. God died for me in the person of Jesus Christ and so he took my stand and he paid the penalty know I'm saved by grace, that we become Christians and we get somebody different kinds of messages about all the things therefore were supposed to do and the things that that we need to do.

We ought to do and and next thing you know we have mixed into our gospel yeah saved by grace, but I the holy life in the righteous life that I need to live the life pleasing to God.

That's gonna be because of my obedience to God what what I see today is that in the same way that your obedience is never justified. You, your obedience doesn't sanctify that talent right will have more teaching moment from today's important series announcing for 99 days in a row. Someone tells you, I love you I'll never forsake when you feel cherished. The what would happen if I'm hundred today that same person. Sad that sugar cut enough for me to measure. I found that I love you anymore.

When that one day contaminate the meaning of the other 99 days when 1% of conditional love poison. The other 99% will just 1% of lies enough to spoil grace instead of locking introducing unlimited capacity for fear if I don't measure up. When my heavy rejected when the Judaizers infiltrated the Galatian church a pass. Apollo is outraged and read a letter that describes the essence of the gospel of grace and why it must not be mixed with any form of Alan Wright's 12 message idea series trumpets the power of the gospel in order to set you free empower you with sheer grace.

It's called Galatians and asked the gospel discover the purity and power the grace of God. When you make your get to Alan Wright Ministries today will send you Pastor Alan's messages in an attractive CD album with your digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership. Call us at 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Alan.work.

Today's teaching now continues your once again is Alan writing so some of the preparation for Galatians came about a couple weeks ago I was at the coast and I got away into a coffee shop. The jump in Java and shalom and I got the cappuccino and I sat down with my computer and the book of Galatians and the little bit of Martin Luther and started to study on Galatians chapter 2 and fortunately or unfortunately I was the only one in the coffee house that morning.

Plenty of people going through the drive through, but that I was only one actually in the little coffee shop and so I could not help but overhear the conversation of the two workers, young man, a young woman. I was not trying to hear their conversation. Believe me, I didn't want to hear their conversation. But they were loud and you couldn't help but overhear, especially as the young man began to talk about how he was dissatisfied with his his beard and a very very, it was too sparse. It was scruffy. You it was not a good beard and then he said, and that is that I hate my brother he does hate his beard is an unbelievable beer and I'm trying not to listen to the beard conversation. I'm trying to think about Galatians and and then it caught my attention though when he said yeah he said that the girls that when they get such a good beard.

He said well you know we had to go to jail for a while and and and that was the minor point for him.

The jail thing. It was all about the beard. He said when he got out of jail.

Man I castaway or something at his huge beard as I believe I hate his beard and he is on of the girls and your brother went to jail and she knew the brother and he said yeah yeah G0 was all about. He said well he said.

By this time I just quit thinking about Galatians on listening well. How secure is why don't jail.

Also, he said he said well his girlfriend. She pushed him like over this ledger something in and so really you knows she was bad news and but he got you know, I guess he hit her son. He got on an assault charge. So he went to jail on assault. And that's when he grew the great beard and but this is the part that you know really use stopped me in my tracks your bliss out. She said yeah that's that's that's bad now I'm guessing yes of course they're married now she's like really yeah they came out and and you got together. They got married. I want to read the title of my message today. By the way really really you really I mean like she pushed you off on ledger something you hit her and you couldn't wait to God. Yes, and you could get married you think that something changed things going to work now. Didn't work then re-leads to really say just like that in order to get today's sermon titles. I will look as good just on paper. When this is really because you really can also mean it really are real for real really. But no, today's title is really I was. I was sadly read this Associated Press story came out as a big new thing is people answer this kind of thing a pastor Mac Woolford North says is known all over Appalachia is a bearing man of conviction.

I believe the Bible mandates that Christians handle serpents to test their faith in God and if there bitten by trusting God to heal them. So he had a big reliable plan at state park and he had put out flyers. Praise the Lord and pass the rattlesnakes brother.

The flyer said, inviting his extended family who had largely given up the practice of serpent handling to come is sister Robin said at one time or another. We had all handled snakes, but she said but we have backslid really. She said his birthday was Saturday and all he wanted to do is give his brothers and sisters church together just like I was just as for my birthday. Could we all just handle snakes just one more time really that's really what you want know your birthday really and anyway it becomes tragic because that's what Arkansas is about 30 minutes into the service possible for pastor yellow timber rattlesnake around and then he laid it on the ground sat down next the snake bit him on the phi. The festivities came to a halt.

Shortly thereafter, Wolf was taken back to his relative's house in Bluefield to recover. I made the point of the early service I should point this out again that night Bluefield, where pastor Chris Lawson went to college and area house just flat comment about old man fall that he made a couple message of anyway and as as he went back home and he recovered previously from some snakebites, but this time no paramedics came and the Bluefield Regional Medical Center. His brow's dad. What was especially tragic about this article says Woolford was 15 when he saw his father die at age 39 of a rattlesnake bite and almost exactly the same circumstances. He lived 10 1/2 hours Woolford had told the Washington Post last fall, so when he got bit.

He said he wanted to die in the church.

This is this is Woolford, the sons because a three hour doctors business kidney shutdown. After a while, your heart stops. I hated to see him go, but he died for what he believed in really obvious as illustration, not not to make fun of this man, but just say that this man I'm convinced I love God whom he believed he wanted to please God.

He wanted to be spiritually want to be anointed. He wanted to to do what he thought he was supposed to be doing up to be obedient to God if he really, really thought like that to an entity don't don't you want to let you hear a story like I don't want to say really think that by bite by taking one verse of Scripture at the end of Mark's gospel misinterpreting it by the way, because that Scriptures onto Hanley's think that's a metaphor split the service or metaphor of the demons it's not your authority over over demons is about your place of spiritual authority and what are you kidding me, you can make you want to give your life for that really believing you believe this somehow actually you actually pleasing God I've been picking up snake didn't so that your wife and your family be left without doing this. Are you thinking of pleasing God by doing that which you write today's teaching, breaking the spell of legalism embracing the power of the Spirit it's from our series on deletions. Alan is in the studio back here in a moment with additional insight on this for your life, and a final word.

Please stay with us the power of blessing your life, discover God's grace filled vision for your life by signing rights, free daily breast your heart with grace and encouragement.

Alan writes a daily blessing.

It's free. Just a click away. Pastor I got away an option for 99 days in a row. Someone tells you, I love you I'll never forsake when you feel cherished.

But what would happen if I'm hundred state asking person sad.

Not sure you get enough for me to measure outbound think I love you anymore. When that one day contaminate the meaning of the other 99 days when 1% of conditional love poison. The other 99% will just 1% of lies enough to spoil grace flock and introducing unlimited capacity for fear if I don't measure up.

When my having rejected when the Judaizers infiltrated the Galatian church, the apostle policy outraged and read a letter that describes the essence of the gospel of grace and why it must not be mixed with any form of Alan writes 12 message idea series trumpets the power of the gospel in order to set you free empower you pure grace.

It's called Galatians and asked the gospel discover the purity and power the grace of God. When you make your get to Alan Wright Ministries today will send you Pastor Alan's messages in an attractive CD album with your digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership. Call us at 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website.

Pastor Alan.work was we put a bookmark here in the series Galatians, what's our take away today when Paul says, who has bewitched you. He is saying you began in the power of the spirit and the freedom of the gospel with the delight and exhilaration of living in that grace. And now you've gone back to saying things like, we need to make sure practicing circumcision or we need to celebrate certain festivals in certain ways and eat this, not that, and he sees these little smattering's of legalism and he's he knew what had happened. He knew the oath antic experience of God's grace that this people.

It had and now they were moving backwards in some of Daniel. You just think will and once we've tasted of the goodness of God. We can never fall in the type of of of legalistic living, but what we learn is, it is possible and is what Paul is saying who's bewitched you have outside avails been pulled over your eyes and he is he is awakening them to the power of the gospel.

Once again thanks for listening today. Visit us online at Pastor Alan to work or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 if you only caught part of today's teaching. Not only can you listen again online but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources@pastorallen.org that's pastor at.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries